The Sun.
London, England, 1829-12-09 00:00:00

UNION-HALL.

Yesterday a sailor, named William Bell, charged
a journeyman cooper, named West, with seducing
his wife to elope and cohabit with him ; and also
with inflicting a very serious assault upon him
(Bell), when he went to claim some property that
his faithless wife had carried away with her.
The sailor said—" When I walked into the
room where they, my wife and the cooper, took up
their abode, I found them sitting together as com-
fortable as you please. So says Ito him, come,
shipmate, I wants my wilt: and my goods back, that
you bolted with. I'm blowed, said he, if you haves
the wife back; but you may have every thing else
that belongs to you. Well, said I, if that's what
you mean, keep the wife with all my heart, and Fll
take my goods; so, your Worship, I began to
unkiver the bed, what belonged to me, and with
that the cooper desired me to be quiet. I then sat
down for a little, and my wife complaining that her
stomach was queerish, 1 sent out for a pint of rum,
and gave her a glass to cheer her spirits ; we then
had one all round, and after that I began to pull my
bed off the bedstead to take it away, when West
came behind me and struck me a blow on the head
with a mallet, that knocked me down; and, while I
was on the ground, he mailetted away at me, and
there I lay,bleeding like a pig, until my cries brought
the people of the house into the room. My wife
was sitting by all the time, and did not offer to
prevent his striking me, though I have always used
her with kindness."

The wife rushed into the office, and said, " I left
you because I loved him better."
Mr. CHAKBERs said, she was a shameless creature,
and ordered the cooper to pay a fine of 31. ; and in

default thereof, he was committed for one month to
Brix; on.

The sailor lilt the dice to get possession of his
property, and he told his wife that for aught he
cared she might go to the devil.

WINTER ASSIZES.

HERTFORD, DEC. 8.

Robert Cooper, (aged 30), a thatcher, was charged
with maliciously setting fire to an outhouse, and a
part of his father's house, at Baldoek.
This case has excited an unusual degree of in-
terest in the county. It will be remembered, that
within the last eight or nine months, no less than
five attempts have been made to set the town of
Baldock on fire. At the last Assizes for this county
bills were preferred against fire men in consequence
of these at.tempts. No bills were found, and the
prisoners were consequently discharged. The
present prisoner was the chief evidence against them.
It appeared by statement made by a host of wit-
nesses, that on Saturday night the first of August,
between twelve and one o'clock, the out-house and
faggot-stack were destroyed, and a part of the
dwelling-house in which the prisoner's father and
other members of his family reside, considerably
damaged. The fire breaking out in different parts
of the premises at the same time caused a strong
presumption that it was the work of ineendiaries.
The prisoner had been drinking that night at the
White Horse at Baldock, until ten minutes to twelve
o'clock. He then left, taking with him a pipe
tobacco which he had just purchased of the land-
lady of the house. lie was shortly after met in a
place called Foot-ball-close, (situate at the back,
and forming a sort of by-road to the premises set on
fire), by a man named King, whom the prisoner
had appeared against on a similar charge at the last
Assizes. On the alarm of fire being given, one of
the inmates of the house ram down stairs, and sur-
prised the prisoner in the act of breaking a chair to
pieces. He did not attempt to render any assist-
ance, but stood a careless observer of the progress
of the flames.

Mr. DOWLING, at the conclusion of the case for
the prosecution, submitted that the evidencewas in-
sufficient to cause the prisoner to be called on for a
defence, and the Jury returned a verdict of Not

THE OLD FLEET-MARKET AND THE

FLEET RIVER.

The stalls of the old Fleet-market, from the end
of New Bridge-street to Holborn-bridge, are nearly
cleared away, and the whole of the ground is now
almost a vacant space. By a late order of the Com t
of Common Council, it appears that the whole of
Fleet-street is to be cleared from the present nui-
sance of the hackney-coaches now standing therein,
and they are for the future to stand in the old Flee:-
market.

Plevions, however, to ibis arrangement being
carried into effect, it is said that the present state of
the large common sewer, through which the Fleet-
river runs from Holborn-bridge into the Thames at
Blackfriars-bridge, a distance of about three fur
longs, is found to be such, that considerable appre-
hensions are entertained for the solidity of the sides
and arch of the tunnel; and that the Corporation of
the city of London will have to open the whole dis-
tance, repair the brick-work of the sides, and throw
a new arch over that part of the Fleet-river already
mentioned. If this proposition be carried into effect,
much time and great expenee will be required.
But that our readers may form some idea of the
nature of such a work, it may be necessary to state
that the tunnel is at least 11 feet wide, and of such
a height, that at spring tiles the water in several
places is between eight and nine feet deep; astd it
is no uncommon thing on these occasions, with a
south-westerly wind, for a Thames wherry to be
driven up the Fleet-river as high as Holborn-bridge,
where there is a basin large enough for any coal-
barge on the Thames to swing round in. The
work-of the arch and sides are so soft, that the
watermen who go up the tunnel for their boats, have
no difficulty in taking with their bare hands a con-
siderable quantity of brick-work out of the sides of
the building; and the whole above the water's edge
is covered with slime and filth to the depth of six or
eight inches.
The air in the tunnel is remarkably foul, and the
watermen, when they have occasion to enter it, do
so in a boat, and prefer a lantern to a torch to light
their way, and by these means drag the drifted
wherry from Holborn-bridge down to the Thames.

CANALS AND RAILWAYS.—The conversion
of canals into the more promising purposes of railways,
seems to be attracting attention. We have heard some
observations made by a scientific gentleman, who is of opi-
nion, that without much expense a very desirable project
could be accomplished. In the first place, he suggests that
the Union Canal, which has not a single lock between
Edinburgh and Port Downie, at Falkirk, could be easily
made available. The road can be extended westward to
Glasgow along the face of the inclined high ground, with-
out much cutting, and although the opposition by the Ca-
nal Companies to any rival conveyance might throw a bar
in the way of steam-carriages, yet their own interest may
at no distant period point to the new mode of communica-
tion, as a matter that calls for its adoption by themselves.
—Scotsman.

EFFECTS OF SEA AlR.—Those who fre-
quent the sea coast in September are not long in discover-
ing that their best dyed black hats become of a rusty
brown ; and similar effects are produced on some other
colours. The brown is, in fact, rust. Most, if not all,
the usual black colours, have iron for a basis, the black
oxide of which is developed by galls, logwood, er other
substances containing gallic acid. Now the sea air con-
tains a proportion of the muriates over which it is wafted,
and these coming into contact with anything dyed black,
part with their hydrochloric (nturiatic) acid, and form
brown hydrochlorate of iron, or contribute to form the
brown or red oxide, called rust. The gallie acid, indeed,
from its superior affinity, has the strongest hold of the
iron ; but the incessant action of the sea air, loaded with
muriates, partially overcemes this, in the same way as
any acid, even of inferior affinity to the gallie, when put
upon black stuff, will turn it brown. Companion to the
Almanack.

MUNDEN, THE ACTOR'S, BROTHER.-
Among the numerous applicants of paupers for relief
from the parish of St. Andrew, Holborn, yesterday, was
an old man, brother to a celebrated comedian, now re-
tired. MUNDEN, the applicant, is now an infirm man of
65 years of age. He was bred a pressman, and has bean
employed for many years by several respectable printers;
but latterly, by reason of infirmities, and the introduction
of machinery, he has been less successful in getting em-
ployment, and for the last twelvemonths he was out of
work. He was accompanied by his wife, aged 75. They
were well calculated to excite compassion, evidently in a
starving state, infirm with age, and thinly clothed, but
clean in their persons. They have of late received small
assistance from the parish, but now, having parted with
all their clothes excepting what they had on, and all their
moveables even their bed, without money, meat, or cre-
dit, without firing, and sleeping on the boards, they could
no longer endure their hard situation, and implored to be
admitted to the workhouse. When they made the re-
quest they both shed tears. They have resided 25 years
in the parish, and were well spoken of by the officers.
Mr. I3ARTELLOT, one of the overseers, on his own re-
sponsibility, gave them an order for immediate admission
to the house. The old woman shed tears in abundance,
and prayed for many blessings on him. She inquired if
she should be allou:ed to attend Church, and, on being
answered in the affirmative, withdrew to make arrange-
ments for going directly to the workhouse, apparently with
much thankful: a.

John illorri4 alias William', a mid,i!e-aged man,
was indicted for having obtained, by a :urged written
order, two pair of black silk smelting;,smelting;,from the
house of Messrs. Bailer, Millar, and Co., silk-mer-
cers, St. Paul's Church-yard.
The prisoner, it appeared, had gone to the shop
of the prosecutors and preeented an order to the
fol-
lowing effect :
" Please give the bearer two pairs of black silk
stockings, of a strong texture. "G. BAINURSDGE.
" Queen-square, Nov. 20."
The prisoner represented that this order was
iu
the hand-writing of Miss Bainbridge, daughter of
the banker of that name, who resides in St. Paul's
Church-yerd, and two pairs of silk stock nes, of the
value of Gs. 3d. each, were, without any suspicion,
given to the prisoner. Upon subsequent inquiry,
however, it turned out that the lady in .juestiozi was
in Persia, and that no person named "G. Bain-
bridge" had a house ia Queen-squate fer the last
two years. An officer was then directed to leek
after the prisoner, but it was not until he had pre-
sented another forged order for groeeriee, purporting
to bear the signature of Lord Carrington', that the
prisoner was apprehended. The order, it appeared,
was presented by the prisoner, at the house of
Messrs. North, Simpson, Graham, suit Cu., the
eminent grocers and tea-dealers, ie Uridge-street,
Blackfriars. The case respecting the silk stockings
was, however, so conclusive, that it was not eons!.
dered necessary to try the prisoner upon the lattre
indictment. He was immediately found guilty, and
having been called up for judgment,
The Learned SEEJEANT said, the sentence of the
Court was, that he be transported beyond the seas
for the term of seven years.