The Sun.
London, England, 1820-04-11 00:00:00

ATWOOD V LONG.

This action was brought to recover an alleged
loss of 1500/, which the p!aintiff sustained by ne-
gligence on the part of the Captain of a ship, be-
longing to the defendant.
The plaintiff had entered into the terms of a
charter party, by which he hired the defendant's
slop Lion, to tiling home to England a cargo of
corn, to be shipped by Pacifico and Co., t»er-
ehtants, at Ancona, in the Adriatic. The plaintiff
was to provide mats, and dunnage for the cargo,
according to the practice at Ancona, which ap-
peared to he this :—The merchant, shipper of
corn, sends certain peraovs, inhabitants of the
place, on board die ship, who are in the constant
haliit of placing rhosnage, made of vine branches,
and mats, for a cargo of this description. In this
case the dunnage and matting was improperly-
stowed, and the result was, that the ship having
sailed a short distance on the voyage home, found
her pumps choaked with corn, which got out of
the hold to thezbilge water. In that state she was
'under the necessity of returning to Ancona, where
the cargo was unshipped and re-stowed, Tie
delay which thus occurred detained the ship till
the ports in Eitelaod ,iere shut, by the operation
of the Corn Bdt, against the importation of fo-
reign grain, and the plaintiff finding no market,
sustained the loss which he sought to recover. It
WAS COnteodCd (hit the bad stowage was trees-
rioned by the neglect of the Captain, who was
expected to see the dunnage properly laid; in-
stead of which, he left !hi. men sent ou board at
Ancona, to work without his superintendence.
The defroce was, that the Captain, by the ens-
loin of merchants at Ancona, was not bound to
interfere with the stowers, hot to permit them to
work according to tlie orders received from the
werchantm, their employers.
The Jury, under all the circumstances, retired
trout cite box one hour, arid, On their return,
found a verdict for the plaitoiff—Damages, 65/.

LONDON SESSIONS.
SEDITIOUS PLACARDS.

Yelterday these Sessions commenced before the
Lonn M%YoR, the COMMON SEILIVANT, Aldermen
Sir IV. DOMVILLIr., 'Sir R. C. GLYN, Black!,
LeIGHTON, and MAGNAY.

TLIOMAS DAVISON, a publisher of political pam-
phltts, echo was some time ago convicted before
the late Lord I.llAyor (Alderman Aikins), of luir-
ing printed bills relating to the Address passed at
the first Stnithfirid meeting, without being duly
lice,.sed, and tined 201. now appealed agdiast the
conviction.

The appellant, upon being "asked whether he
had Cbunsel, said he was a poor man, and could
not afford to employ any.
The conviction, Which was established upon the
39th of Geo. 111. an Act for the Suppression of
'Societies of a Treasonable and Seditious Charac-
ter, was then read,' and Mr.sAnanni stated the
case-for the respondent. In doing so, he said the
Act alluded to, having in contemplation the pre-
vention of dangerous publications, directed that
due notice should be given to the Clerk of the
Peace by any person who intended to keep or
use printing-presses, and that the penalty
should,
in the event of non-compliance, amount to the
above sum, but lay within the discretion of the
Magistrates in point of mitigation. It was neces-
sary, io order to establish the conviction, that the
proceeding should take place upon the informa-
tion within three months ot the period at which
the offence was committed. On the 3d of August
the information was laid, and on the 28th of Oc-
tober the case was heard. He then stated the
facts, which were briefly as follows :—On the
morning of the 3d of August about two o'clock,
an officer saw ts'o men putting up at the corner
of St. Martin's-le-Grand bills, of which the fol-
lowing is a copy:—
" GRATIS !

'f he Address passed at Smithfield, of the People of England
to the
People of Ireland,
May be had gratis yf all Political Booksellers in the
United Kingdoni.
" E. J. lir,Asrnan, Secretary.
" Tt Davison, Printer, 10, Duke-street, Smithfield."

These men stated, that Mr. Davison had em-
ployed them ; and Mr. Davison, upon being ap-
plied to, did not deity the asser►ion. It was im-
possible to guess what defence .could be set up,
for tilt acknowledgment had been made, and Mr.
Davison had not been licensed. The act stated,
that if l►e " kept or, used " a pt ess or types, w iih-
out being duly authorised, he became respon-
sible.

Mr. Davison-1 admit I used the press.
Mr. ARABlti—Then the case is merely a matter
of law.

111 r. Davison --1 appeal against the general
conviction, and agdi-nst the time.

'['he evidence was (hen called.

111 r. Davison, who was quire ►►nacquaiuttd with
the proceedings of the Court, slid he would spare
them the trouble by corking every admission, ex-
cept those which he had mentioned as the grounds
of his defence.

The COMMON SERGEANT said, that every al-
lowance should be made fur him, as he had no
Connsel.
It will he recollected, from our Mansion-house
report, that the' decision upon this case was
grounded upon the evidence of some witnesse.,
who stilted that the bills were wet, and that the.
presumption was, that they had been printed at
any rate within three days of that on which they
were found in the possession of the bill-sticker.
The same evidence was now heard.

William Cooke was of opinion that they were
fresh from the press, most probably not more than
a day, for they were damp.
Mr. Davison cross-eicamined the witness, with
the view of showing that bills night be damp se-
veral tiAys alter the printing. Tire witness was
conviortd of the contra, y.
A at chman, named Sullivan, stated that he
went to the defendant's house, atter the bill-
stickers had been apprehended; to tell hint to bail
them, and that he askcd the defendant for one of
the addresses that hat been passed at SalialficAd

as be was an Irishman. The defendant said he
would -give the' address, and the witness accord-
ingly got it. The witness having been asked whe-
ther hP had the address,

Mr. 3 RABIN said, be could not think of calling
for such a publication.
The witness said, Mr. Davison said be bad used
Mr. Mason's press.
Mr. Davison—You ought to remember that you
are upon oath.
Witness-1 am aware of that.
The COMMON-SERGEANT-It is silly to remind
the wi:ness of that.

Davison—Why did he say that I gave him the
Address ?

Vv itness—l never said so. I got it from a
woman in your shop, and she said she would give
me fitty addresses, if I'd give them to my coun-
trymen.. I said I only wanted one for myself,
and did not wish to distribute them.

Mr. W. T. Raven, of the office of Solicitor to
the Treasury, stated that he searched the office of
the Clerk of the Peace, and no entry had been
made of a printing-press in the name of the de-
fendant, -up to the period at which the informa-
tion vras laid. •

Mr, Davison—This is no evidence. Why is
not the Clerk of the Peace himself examined ?
The Commorl SERGEANT—It IS evidence. You
may bring evidence to contradict it.
Mr_ I. G. Mosely, cletk in the office of Clerk of
the Peace, stated that he had also searched the
books, and found that no entry had been made
before the information wag laid.

Mr. Davison, being caned upon for his de-
fence, said, he had indeed very little to say. " I
appeal against the conviction," said he, " becAus,!
I am a very poor man, and have a young family to
support. I have been some time acquainted with
Mr. Mason, who lent me the preen, and I had not
an idea it could he tortured to the Meaning, that
two men were obliged rt.:take out separate licen-
ces for one 'press. I hope the Court will take
this into consideration. It was in the tower of
the Lord Mayor to mitigate the penalty, but he
would not."

The COMMON SERQBANT----" This is not a legal
objection. Your poverty may certainly be plead-
ed in mi:igation but those bills were stuck up in
the 'tight."
Mr. Davison—" Not by ,my direction." He
then called J. Loatkman, one of 'hose who were"
taken in the art of sticking the bills.
This wines answered 2 or 3 questions, upon
the subject of the day on which the bill-sticking
took ph Le, in such a wanner as CO induce the
Common-Sergeant to ask,him whether be meant
to say, when examined at the Mansion-house,
what was true or what was false• To this ques-
tion be said be supposed lie meant to speak the
truth. His memory was, hOwever, completely
gone upon the subject now.
He was in some respects contradicted by a re-
spectable person.
Mr. Davison said, he had not
.given any direc-
tions:to the man to say any thing. _

The COMMON-SEEGUANT stared, that all the
-facts were admitted, and that the defendant was
liable to the 'penalty, which it waa, however, in
the power of the Court to mitigate.

The conviction was then confirmed, and the full
penalty demanded. The costs were remitted.

Mr. Davison asked for time.—The Act directs
that the penalty be paid before the rising of the
Court.

LONDON ORPHAN ASYLUM.—An excellent din-
ner was yesterday given to the supporters of-this
valuable Institution, at the City of London Ta-
vern. It was numerously attended. Mr. Taos.
WILSON, M. P. presided in the absence of the
LORD MAYOR. The non-attendance of the Chief
Magistrate was to be attributed wholly to a mis-
take, it being his full intention to have complied
with the wishes of the Managers of this Institu-
tion, and :to have taken the Chair. The cloth
having been removed, the usual toasts were pro-
posed and drank. On " The Royal Family•
being given from the Chair, it was received with•
enthusiasm.--[Some few Radicals called out
" The Queen," but they were hissed down,]—
" The memory of the Duke of Kent, the Patron
of the Asylum, was drank in silence, and was
succeeded by " The prosperity of the Loudon
Orphan Asylum." In proposing this letter toast,
Mr. Wilson expressed his high approbation of the
Institution. It was but seven short years since its
commencement, and he hoped it was now esta-
blished on a firm foundation. Its object, the
support of the, friendless orphan, to give food,
clothing, and education to those helpless beings,
metited, and he was satisfied would receive, the
patronage of every feeling heart. The number of
orphans first supported by this Institution was
only four, but by the liberality of the public,
that number had been now increased to 95. At
about nine o'clock the Lord Mayor entered the
room, and was received with loud applause. lie
shortly and satisfactorily explained the cause of
.the mistake, and concluded with proposing a toast
which was drank with great enthusiasm—". The
liberties of the people, and may they never be
crusbcd by despotism, or rent asunder by de-
mocracy." The subscriptions received in the
course, of the evening amounted to almost 10001.
At about half•past ten Mr. Wilson lett the chair,
and it was filled immediately by the Lord Mayor.
After a few more toasts the company retired, well
pleased with the hilarity and festivity displayed.

The Doncaster Gazette sAys, " We are informed
that Mr. HUNT left York without paying the
tavern bill of the witnesses. Mr. FLOWER, at
whose hone they were, was directed to apply to
the Committee in Leeds for the amount, which
he did without success, beinglteferred by them to
Manchester."

On Tuesday Mary Lee, a young woman of no-
toriously had character, underwent the punish-
ment and disgrace of being exhibited in the
stocks for six hours, in the Orange Grove, tor re-
peated acts of drunkenness, and dissolute con-
duct.—(Bath Herald.)
A machine has been completed at New York
for sweeping the streets of that town. It per-
forms the work of 40 men, and trot only sweeps
the sneers, but Collects the dirt into heaps to be
carried away.