The Sun.
London, England, 1820-01-17 00:00:00

SPECIAL COMMISSION.

SLAVE TRADE.—'Phis morning his livlajesty's
Special Commission was opened for the trial of
Jaques Alexander Carrot, and Alexander Phillint,
charged %vith trafficking in slaves from Madagas-
car to the Mauritius. On this occasion the Grand
Jury of the City of London were re-sworn, and
having been addressed by Mr. Justice HoLROYD,
as to the enquiries requisite for them to malt. 9,
and their competence to investigate the case, not..
withstanding the offence was not committed in
London, ►hey withdrew.
BANK FOAGBRIEs.—George Perry and John Sto-
rey were capitally indicted fur uttering certain
counterfeit notes of the Bank of England.—Mr.
REYNOLthi Was proceeding to address the Jury,
witen he was interrupted by the prisoners making
application to the Court, to be permitted to re-
tract the plea of Not Guilty, tvhich they put
in on Friday, and to pleat► Guilty to the minor
offence of having notes in their possession.—Mr.
Justiee HoLeovn explained to them the nature
of ►he punishment such plea subjected them to,
and Mr. REYNOLDS consenting to the application,
the plea of Guilty was recorded, and no evidence
being offered to support the capital charge, they
were acquitled.—This we understand is the last
of the Bank cases in tic Calendar.

Mr. ELLISTON, of Drury-Lane Theatre, and
also the Proprietors of the Adelphi Theatre, have
.14:trifled their intention to present the receipts of
one evening's performances to the Fund for the
Rel,ef of the Hooseless.

Saturday week the Magistrates of Paisley passed
sentence on Samuel M'Kay and William Young,
convicted of having committed an assault
upun a special constable, %%ido he was assisting
in securing a prisoner. AVKay was adjudged
to three months' imp;isonment, and to be fed on
bread and water alone, and to pay 11. 10s. of ex-
pellees, and failing payment, to suffer 4 months'
imprisonment. Voting's sentence was, 2 months'
imprisonment, a fine of 51. and 11. 10s. of ex-
peuces, and failing payment of these aunts, to be
imprisoned another month.

THE CHACEL—A pack of Welt,h hare 1101111dS
passed through Windsnr on Saturday, belonging
to Samuel Hointray, Esq. of Coworth-honFe,
which were attended by a Welsh huntsman and
whipi;er-in, in the dress of their country, who are
to hunt in their native Welsh language. 'Ma
will be a novelty in Berkshire.

COURSING.-14 4tely a great Coursing Meeting
took place ;It Ashdown l'Ark, the seat of Lord
Craven, for a plough, given by his Lordship,
to be run for by his tenants, which was son by a
Yellow !"11'11Y, belonging to Jas. Spicer, of Lain-
bowl); siNtetu (lop were named, which brought

P OEIR Y.

POSTIANA,—(NusistEtt ill.)
" Post ! Place ! and Pension ;—udious all !
" My spirit scorns their hireling thrall,"
Cries patriot PORCUPINE:"
" No Post I'll fill, accept no Place,
" Nor buy a Pension's foul disgrace,
By. any work of mine."

TO() hasty vaunt !—too idle boast!
Already PETER fills a Post ;
Soon may his sharp contention
A Place in Newgate's wall; procure,
And earn before the Debtor's door,
A well-desei yid sus-pension !

WINTER SCENES.

FLINT.

tly JOHN MAYNE, E'SQ.

How keen and howling is the storm!
• • Stern Winter in its bitt'rest form !
Long, cheerless nights, and murky days !
No sun-beans gladdens Mis'ry's ways!
The frost has stopp'd yon village-mill,
And Labour, ev'ry where stands..still!
Lorn, weary trav'lers, as they go,
• Are wilder'd in the trackless snow,
And dread, each step, that drizzling sleet
And snow may be their winding-sheet !
To town or city if we turn,
• What •numbers weep, what numbers mourn !
Unshelter'd sons of Toil and Care,
cold,•shiv'ring, comfortless, and bare !
Sad groupes, who ne'rr knew need before,
Begging for bread from door to door !
While helpless Age, too frail to roam,
Is perishing for want at home!
Hard fate! whet► poverty and years
, Assail us in this rale of tears,
Till Death, the dismal scene to close,
In pity, terminates our woes !

O ! ye, whom PuovintscE bath blest,
With wealth to succour the distrest,
0! lend your help in time of need !
The naked clothe—the hungry feed,
And great, from IHEAV'N, shall he your meed!

THE SERPENTINE RIVER:

A finer seasonable (lay than yesterday was, it is
impossible to conceive. The concourse of people
was immense. We may state that one hundred
thousand were on the ice and around the banks,
and at least two hundred carriages. Numberless
females of fashion promenaded on the ice, with the
escort of only a livery servant. The Honourable
FREDERICK BYNG took the lead among the best
skaters, although all those we have lately men-
tioned were there. The circles for the best per-
formers, it equal distances, extended from the
north eastern angle down to the Wilderness ; but
in every situation the ice was lamentab), defec-
tive, from the long fissures which branched off in
every direction. From the prodigious weight the
ice gave way in two places, but no fatal conse-
quences resulted. At four o'clock there were
placards affixed in seven different places, in every
one of which the water was ten feet deep.—
The sweepers cleared one spot of ' about 200
yards in circumference, for what was called
the aukward squad, namely, those who could
only move in a straight forward direction. The
spectators were highly amused, and certainly
more ridiculous rencontres never were witnessed,
front the repeated falls which took place. A
part of -the retinue of the PERSIAN AMBASSA•
DOR mixed with the throng, and • many other
Foreigners seemed to enjoy the sport. From
the repeated falls of snow, .the skaters moved
as if on pattens, except on the cleared spots,
which were but few, considering the twiny per-
formers. At tour o'clock there could t►ot be less
than five thousand persons on the ice, which, et
times, gave tremendously loud cracks. Ropes
and ladders were scattered aboot : they were ap-
plied to a singular pi►rpbse—a number of idle boys
harnessed themselves together with the ropes, and
suede sledges of the ladders. Every two bars of
the latter was occopied by a troy, and it was quite
surprising to see the facility with which they pro-
ceeded over the snow, from one end of the river to
the ocher. Stalls were erected in every direction
around ; and one or two, of a very superior cast,
in the centre of the river, were furnished with
choice refreshments•

Grace CLUB —Saturday evening the principa
Glee Club in England had their third Meeting for
the season at the Crown and Anchor Tavern,
Strand, which was very numerously attended;
both by professors and amateurs.
A CAUTION.—A stout fellow, in the dress of,
and assuming the character of a butcher's man,
having watched a large joint of roasting beef into
a Gentleman's house in Gower-street, on Satur-
day morning, soon after its delivery, ran down
into the kit:.hen, pretending that a wrong piece
of meat had been sent in, which he was to take
back to he changed at the shop, which :he ser-
vants were foolish enough to let him have, and
with which the impostor, though quickly pur-
sued, got clear off.
The ice on the Thames, below Kew-bridge,
was on Friday one foot eight inches thick.
Great numbers of wild geese have within the
last few days been seen in this neighbourhood,
circumstance which fully proves the severity of
the season. On Friday afternoon full 200 of these
birds were seen in Bemerton meads, near this
city —(Salisbury Journal.)
Death from excessive Cold and Snow,—A poor
woman, outside passenger on one of the
coaches front London to Exeter, died un Thurs-
day morning, from the inclemency of the wea-
ther, to which she had been exposed dining
the night. On the coachman perceiving that
she was benumbed by the frost, on the arrival of
the conch the next stage below Salisbury, he had
her conveyed in doors, and taken care of ; but as-
si,tance was too late to prolong her existence
more than half an hour.—Two children proceed-
ing on Thnraday week front Langport to Bristol,
on a baggage-%veggon, Were tonna, on its arrival
at an inn on the toad, hum to death.