The Sun.
London, England, 1827-11-28 00:00:00

COURT OF KING'S BENCH.

THE KING V. ROBERTS.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL appeared, to show
cause against a rule obtained on a previous day to
show cause why a criminal information should not
he granted against the Rev. Mr. Roberts, a Magi-
strate of the county of Warwick, for corrupt and op-
pressive conduct in the execution of his duty as a
Magistrate.
It appeared that a person, named Mason, had
been summoned before Mr. Roberts upon an infor-
mation under the Game Laws, in which it was sworn
by two persons, named King and Jovce, that Mason
kept a dog, called " a lurcher," used for destroying
game. INlason contended that the dog was not a
lurcher, and stated that he offered to adduce evi-
dence to that effect, if the Magistrate would give
time, but that this request was refused, and he was
convicted in the penalty of five pounds, and a
distress levied for that sum. The Magistrate
afterwards bound him over, in his own recog-
nizance, to answer a charge brought against him
for the destruction of turkies by his dog at the
Sessions, but upon consulting with his brother Ma-
gistrates, Mr. Roberts thought that the Magistrates
at Sessions had not jurisdiction to try a case of that
nature, and he therefore returned the recognizances,
and the sum of eight shiPings which was paid upon
entering into the recognizances, and informed
Mason► that it was unnecessary for him to attend at
the Sessions. Subsequently, when the Sessions
came on, a person named Woodcock, an attorney,
made a complaint against Mr. Roberts for returning
the recognizances, but the Magistrates were of opi-
nion that Mr. Roberts had done right. The
Attorney-General submitted, that there was
not the slightest evidence in the transac-
tion to prove that Mr. Roberts was influenced
by any corrupt or improper motive. On the con-
trary, he seemed to be filled with a most anxious
desire to exercise his magisterial duties correctly.
It was not any wonder that a gentleman, unlearned
in the law, should mistake in what cases Magistrates
had jurisdiction under the Game Laws, for within a
very short period three Acts of Parliament had been
passed on the subject. In conclusion, he submitted
that there was not the slightest foundation for the
charge against Mr. Roberts, and that the rule must
be discharged.
Mr. GOULBURN was heard at considerable length
in support of the rule, and contended that Mr.
Roberts's conduct to Mason was oppressive and
unjust, and that the rule should be made absolute.
Lord TENTERDEN said, that the arguments on
this motion completely purged the Magistrate from
every imputation of corruption or intentional mis-
conduct in the performance of his duty. From all
that appeiired, he had acted during the whole trans.
action to the best of his judgment, and according to
the best advice which he had it in his power
to consult. After taking Mason's recognizances,
feeling a doubt as to the jurisdiction of the sessions
—to try the case, he submitted it to his brother ma-
gistrates, a majority of whom confirmed his doubts,
and he then returned the money he had received for
his clerk, arid evinced a disposition to prevent
Mason's suffering any unnecessary inconvenience by
attending at the sessions, by informing him that he
was discharged from his recognizances. Under all
the circumstances, it did not appear to the Court that
any sufficient cause had been •shown for granting
the information.
Their LORDSDIPS all concurred in the view of the
case taken by Lord Tenterden, and the rule was
discharged.

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS.
(Sittings in Banco.)
Nothing but Special Pleas of no public interest
came before the Court, previous to our going to press,

FISH-MARKET, BILLINGSGATE.

. ---
The market this morning exhibited a very limited sup-
ply of fish, with the exception of Cod, Soles, and Her.
rings, which were rather abundant.—The following were
the prices :
Prime Turbot, each
Ditto small, per dd. - i - 5 0 10 0
Fine Codfish, each
Inferior ditto
Scate, each
Brill, each
Live Flounders, per quartern
Fresh Herrings, per hundred
Fine Lobsters, pet score 3O 0 40 0
Inferior ditto
Shrimps, per gallon
Fine Prawns, per lb.
Best Common Oysters, per bushel
Natives 0 0 28 0
There was little of any other kind of fish in the market.

The Duchess of CLARENCE entertained tht
Duchess of KENT, the Princess FEODORE, and a select
party, to dinner yesterday, at her residence in Bushy Park.
Prince LEOPOLD dined with the Duchess 01
KENT on Monday, at her apartments in the King's Palace
at Kensington. Their Royal Highnesses afterwards
honoured Covent-garden Theatre with their presence, tc
witness the performance of the new Opera of the Seraglio.
The Princess Fyn:ol4.E accompanied their Royal High-
nesses, who were attended by the Baroness DE SPAEDTB
and Sir JOHN CoNam-. The party sat in Prince Lao_
FOLD'S box.

Prince LEOPOLD left town yesterday afternoon
for his seat at Claremont.

The Marquis of LANSDOWNE had a grand
dinner party yesterday, at Lansdowne-house, Berkeley-
square, among whom were—Prince and Princess LizviN,
Marquis PALMELLA, the Earl and Countess Coweaa,
Lord HOWARD DE WALDEN, Mr. and Mrs. HUSKISSON,
&c. &C.

Lord WILLIAM BENTINCK will not depart
for India before the 20th of next month.

The Count D'ALCUDIA, the Spanish Minister,
had a long conference with Earl DUDLEY yesterday at the
Foreign-office, Downing-street. The Marquis DE PAL-
MELLA, the Portuguese Ambassador, and Monsieur nx
BEIDERMANN, the Saxon Charg4 d'Affaires, transacted
business yesterday at the Office of the Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs.

The Earl of CARLISLE, Viscount PALMER-
sToN, Mr. CHARLES GRANT, and Mr. TIER NEY, visited
Earl DUDLEY yesterday.

It is reported that Sir ROGER GRESLEY,
Bart. intends to offer himself as a Candidate at Newcastle-
under-Line, in the event of a vacancy in the representation
of that Borough.

LIVERPOOL, Nov. 26.—We have had a fair
demand for Cotton to-day, and 1,500 to 2,000 bags have
been sold to the trade at regular prices, and without varia-
tion from Saturday's quotations.

On Wednesday morning, about seven o'clock,
vast quantities of pilchards were discovered in St. Ives Bay.
All the scans except four had been laid up, and the boats
were hauled up on the beach, it being supposed the fishery
had entirely closed. The scans that were afloat were get
out with all expedition, and two were quickly shot, when
they enclosed about 2,000 hogsheads of fish. The seam,
were near to each other, and the strength of the tide acting
on the great weight of fish in them, brought them into
contact, when the nets gave way, and the whole of their
content:, escaped. The other two seans were also shot, and
secured about 1,000 hogsheads. During the day, all was
bustle amongst the fishermen, getting scans afloat, &c. but
the fish have disappeared. We understand that the appear-
ance of such a quantity of fish, at this late period, is un-
precedented in the recollection of the oldest fishermen.
Exeter Alfred.

NATURAL PHENOMENON IN CORNWALL.
—ln the parish of St. Austle there is a singular pheno •
menon ; it is the appearance of light near the turnpike-
road at Hill Head, about three-quarters of a mile west of
the town. In the summer season it is rarely seen ; but in
the winter, particularly in the months of November and
December, scarcely a dark night passes in, which it is not
visible. It appears of a yellow hue, and seems to resemble
a small flame. It is generally stationary ; and when it
moves it wanders but very little from its primitive spot,
sometimes mounting upward, and then descending to the
earth. As it has frequented this spot from time imme-
morial, it is now rendered so familiar, that it almost ceases
to excite attention. It is somewhat remarkable, that,
although many attempts have been made to discover it in
the place of its appearance, every effort has hitherto failed
of success. On approaching the spot it becomes invisible
to the pursuers, even while it remains luminous to those
who watched it at a distance. To trace its exact abode, a
level has been taken during its appearance, by which the
curious have been guided in their researches the ensuing
day; but nothing has hitherto been discovered.—Exeter
Alfred.

AN EASY DUPE.—On Tuesday afternoon,
as an individual employed in supplying stone to the Junc-
tion Dock was standing on the Pier, he was accosted by a
man of respectable appearance, who having ascertained
that the first-mentioned person was going by coach to
York on the following day, pretended that he also was
about to proceed to that city by the same conveyance. The
ice being thus broken, it was easy to persuade the .unsus-
pecting dupe to walk to the Black Swan, at the corner of
Quay-street, to take a cup to better acquaintance. Here
they were joined by three men, one of whom, after a good
deal of what our London contemporaries would call " chaff
t 325,000/., offered, not to pay
ing," in which he stated himself to be possessed of property
to the amouil
the na
tienal debt, but to toss up for a shilling ! The decoy ac-
cepted the offer, and having won a shilling at a time,
to the amount of 1/. very genero,,s7y -- returned it. He then
applied himself to his new acquaintance, and stating that
he had five pounds to sport, asked him to lend him some
money to increase the stakes. This the latter actually
complied with, and lent him 65/., which was, with the
five pounds before mentioned, tossed for, and, of course,
lost to his accomplice in the twinkling of an eye. The
loser asked his acquaintance to walk with him to PEASI'S
Bank, where he would repay him his 65/. After proceed-
ing some distance, however, he was persuaded to return to
the Black Swan, and wait his friend's rejoining him with
the money. On his arrival at the house, he found that the
three men, one of whom had pocketed the '7O/., were gone.
We need scarcely add that his new friend has not yet re-
turned to the Black Swathm-iltill Packet.