Star.
London, England, 1825-02-01 00:00:00

INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT, JAN.3I.
-or--

James Pitt and James Perriman, farmers, came up
on their petitions to be heard, and wete opposed by Mr.
COOKE for Mr. Rodd, their landlord. It appeared by
the evidence, that the insolvents rented a larm near
Chudleigh, in Devonshire, from Mr. Rodd, at 2001. a
year, of which they took possession in October, 1822,
and surrendered in two years, without paying any rent
the whole time. When the first three quarters' rent be-
came due, Mr. Rodd put in a distress, which the insol-
vents replevined, and took defence on the ground that
Mr. Rodd had not completed his part of the contract.
Mr. Rodd abandoned the distress, and immediately ar-
rested both the insolvents, who gave bail and defended
the action ; the parties continued at law till the month
of October, 1824, when, after the cause was set down
for trial, they submitted their differences to arbitration,
and an award was made, by which the insolvents were
to pay Mr. Rodd 390/. in a month. The insolvents,
immediately on the award being made, sold off their
stock, which produced 1901. with which they paid al-
most all their other debts, leaving nothing for Mr. Rodd,
and then rendered in discharge of their bail. Perri-
man, who is the father-in-law of Pitt, is upwards of 80
years of age, and, it appeared, took no part in the trans-
actions; he was, therefore, entitled -to his discharge,
and Pitt was remanded for eight months.

No fewer than 1100 stage-coaches ate estimated to
pass daily through the Borough of Southwark:
In consequence of the repairs which those apartments
are now undergoing, in which the Lords' Committee
of the Privy Council have usually assembled, near the
Treasury Chambers, in Whitehall, their Lordships as-
sembled yesterday morning, at ten o'clock, in White-
hall-place, to (hear appeals from the Colonies. Lord
COLCHErnut, Lord GIFFORD, and the Lord Chief Baron
ALEXANDER, with several ether Lords of the Council,
attended. The first case heard, was Spittal v. Bacon,
an appeal from the Isle of Man, and was argued at con-
siderable length by Mr. HART and Mr. STUART for the
appellants, and Mr. SUADWELL for the respondents. Se-
♦eral other cases of no public interest were disposed of.
About two weeks ago, two pirates were decapitated,
about ten miles from Gottenburgh, their bodies in their
clothes, laid on a wheel, on the top of a pole ten feet
in height; on the top of a se:ond, their right hands
were nailed, and on a third their heads, agreeably to
the practice in Sweden, in terrorem. The ringleader
suffered a similar fate three months ago.
The cotton-spinners of Glasgow, after standing out
tor about four months, have been subdued, and returned
fo their pork, submitting to a temporary deduction of
ten per cent. from their wages as a remuneration
to the masters for the loss enc(pred in consequence of
their strike.

BRIGHTON,

lb

A

CELESZATION 01 THE ANNIVERSARY 01 HIS MAJESTY S
ACCESSION TO THE THRONE.
Saturday last, being the fourth anniversary of our
beloved Sovereign's Accession to the Throne, was cele-
brated by the inhabitants of Brighton with the usual
demonstrations of joy.
At six o'clock, about 200 Gentlemen sat down to an
excellent dinner, at the Old Ship Hotel, J. M. Cripps,
Esq. in the chair, supported on the right, by R. Row-
land, Esq. High Sheriff of the County of Sussex, and
on the left, by Sir David Scott.
Amongst the company were observed, Sir George
Shiffner,-M.P. T. R. Kemp, Esq. M.P. Sir Robert Wil-
mot, Bart. Sir M. J. Tierney, Bart. the Venerable Dean
of Salisbury, Messrs. Lashmer, Mills, Gregory, Tamp-
lie, Drs. Barret, Blaker, and Gibney, and a -large yro-
portion of Naval and Military Officers; .
The CHAIRMAN then rose to propose a toast, which
he was happy to say required no preface from him.—
He was sure every heart in that room would beat re-
sponsive to it—(Cheers)—and although he could not
help feeling conscicus that in talent and ability to ex-
press his feelings he was far inferior to those who had
preceded him in that chair, still in loyalty and devo-
tion to their beloved Monarch, he would yield to no
man— (Applause). He should, therefore, without fur-
ther preface, propose—
" The KING, GOD bless him."
This toast was received and drank with four times'
four, with the most enthusiastic applause.
Air—" God save the King." - 4
" The Duke of York and the Army," three times three. Air—
" Duke of York's Marsh." " How merrily we live that soldiers he."
" The Duke of Clarence and the Navy." "Rule, Britannia."
" Britain's best bulwarks are her wooden walls.
The healths of several Gentlemen and Noblemen
connected with the county were toasted, and a number
of loyal speeches were made.
" The rest of the Royal Family."—" Hail, Star of Brunswick !"
At twelve o'clock, the Chairman left the chair, and
was followed by most of the company ; some, however,
remained till a late hour. Several songi were sung,
and the company was gratified at hearing the veteran
Incledon, who was in excellent health. The company
appeared highly delighted with the entertainment.

CORNWALL CoI:MTV Eticrion.—The Election of a
Member to serve in Parliament- for this County, in the
room of the late Sir WILLIAM LEMON, Bart. is over, and
Sir R. R. VIvYAN, Bart. the successful candidate.
A fire broke out at one o'clock this morning, in the
Cock, public-house, in Mill-lane, Tooley-street, which
did considerable damage to the house and furniture.
A. CunisTli, E,q. of Peterborough, was severely
hurt by a fall on Tuesday last, while hunting.—Sir
CUARLES WZNTwoRTH, by a similar accident, on the
same day fractured his collar-bone.
Mr. BROUGHAM has published a pamphlet on the
education of the people, in which he presses the work-
ing classes to avail themselves of the Mechanic's Insti-
tutions now formed in many places.
Three children were burnt to death at and near Wol-'
verhampton, during the past week, in consequence of
the neglect of their nurses.
Wednesday night, four children were found exposed
in different parts of the city of Limerick, deserted by
their inhuman mothers.
Sanday afternoon, during Divine Service, a young man
called at the lodge at the gate of Pentonville Chapel, and
informed Mrs. Lockwood, the sexton's wife, that he htd
a letter for her husband, from the Rev. Mr. Jones, whic!'
required an answer. Mrs. Lockwood informed him
that her husband was then in chapel, where he might
see him. He then departed, on pretence of going to
chapel, and returned in about five minutes, saying he
had given the letter to Mr. Lockwood, who told him to
return and wait his coming home; he then entered into
conversation with Mrs. Lockwood on various subjects ;
in the meantime a knoeking came to the gate, and Mrs.
Lockwood went to answer it, leaving him alone; when
a young man told her he had a letter for him from the
Rev. Mr. ltuel, which required an answer ; and kept her
in conversation about five minutes; in the interim, the
former fellow came out, desired her to tell her husband
he would return shortly, and both went away. On Mrs.
L. going in doors, she discovered that he had carried
off 24. silver spoons, sugar-tongs, milk-pot, and silver
snuff-box, with other articles, to the amount of 301.
Tuesday last died, in William-street, Morice-town,
near Plymouth, of dropsy, Henry Spens, aged sixty.
—This brave fellow, who was a thorough seaman,
had both his legs carried off by a 32-pound shot, in the
Russell, commanded by Sir Henry Trollope, in the
battle of the 11th of October, at the very onset of the
conflict. He bore this misfortune with that cool deter-
mination which so pre-eminently distinguishes British
seamen ; and whilst declaring to the surgeon that he
still hoped to live, again to face the enemy, a shot en-
tered the cockpit, which swept down nine women, upset
the table upon which Spens was undergoing amputation
and brought him to the deck; but notwithstanding this
appalling disaster, he coolly addressed himself to his
surgeon, then quite a youth, observing, " Never mind,
young Gentleman, cut away again !" He rapidly re-
covered from the loss of his limbs, and in two months
afterwards married a respectable woman, in whose
house he was lodged during the cure at Yarmouth, by
whom he had a large family. It is greatly in praise of
this man's excellent character, that through life he
evinced a regard and friendship for his surgeon,
amounting to enthusiasm, and often declared, that his
last illness was divested f most of its suffering, from
having his professional attendarce as his physician.
POACHERS.—Monday se'nnight, one of the game-
keepers belonging to Lord ARRRGAVENNY, of the name
of David Hickmott, and an under-gardener of the
name of Gosling, saw two men in the Park of Erridge
Castle, whom they suspected to be poachers. Hickmott
immediately stopped them, and said that they had no
business there. Ore of the fellows seized Hickmott's
gun and pulled the trigger ; it is supposed that the
dampness of the day prevented its going off. This
sudden attack rendered it necessary for Hickmott to
defend himself, and being strong and active he soon
overpowered his man, but owing to his companion,
`Gosling (either not possessing the same vigour, or else
not having the same spirit), leaving the combatants to
gain assistance, the other fellow was at liberty to attack
Hickmott, which he did with a bat, and bruised his
back and shoulders terribly, and released the fellow
who had been forced to the ground. They both, then
kept up a running light, and one of them pulled from
under his round frock a portable gun, the stock of which
he screwed on, and swore he would shoot Hickmott if
be followed them. He was obliged at last to desist,
and allowed them to retire. We are informed that he
is severely hart from the blows he received.

PREROGATIVE COURT, JANUARY sle

ZELL b. ARMSTRONG.
This cause respected a will of William Bell, deceased,
who died in July, 1818, at a place called Nunnery,
iwhere he had lodged and boarded with a Mr. and Mrs.
Bannders, for a year and a half previous to his death.
After Mr. Bell's decease, a suit was commenced con-
cerning a codicil, which had been executed where be
lodged; and this suit terminated in favour of Armstrong,
wbo therefore took probate of the will. The deceased's
bother was a farmer, residing a considerable distance
from London; deceased had been a tailor, and in that
capacity had amassed a fortune of 17,0001. Armstrong
had been employed by him as a stockbroker; but it
did not appear there had existed any acquaint-
ance ibctsveen them, beyond that which, of necessity,
would appertain to a correspondence on business. The
deceased was between 60 and 70 years of age; in 1815
his spirits became much depressed, and be laboured
under general debility. About this time, a Mr. Good
was applied to, to draw up a will; one party hadstated
that the deceased had previously made a will in his
own hand-writing ; and a copy was introduced, which,
it had been alleged, was taken at deceased's desire, in
case his wife, who was not sane, should get at the mi.;
ginal document, and destroy it ; but the original in-
strument was not forthcoming,' and the copy, which
appeared at a late period of the cause, came in a very
suspicious way. Only one of the witnesses to this will
was brought forward, and this was a baker, who said
'6e was called in one morning by deceased to sign
something, the precise tenour of which he could not de-
scribe. This was the whole evidence _as to that docu-
ment. In 1816, deceased was attended by Mr. Wood-
ham, an apothecary, who stated, that about this time
deceased had acquired some eccentricity of manner,
which was attributable to illness; and in March he was
removed into the country. Deceased, in December,
appeared deeply impressed with a notion that he was
getting in distressed circumstances—generally one of
the earliest characteristics of a mind breaking down;
in January, he became childish ; would sit with the
same l'al,er b?fine him for a month together; lie was
dirty ; the saliva ran involuntarily from his mouth, and
he exhibited other symptoms of decay. both of body
and mind. Mr. Woodham had.then said of him, if he
got into the hands of designing individuals, they would
do with him what they chose, and he might be induced
to leave them the whole of his property. Deceased's
imbecile state had been corroborated by numerous in-
dividuals, some of whom had gone to pay him their
rents, but considering him in an unfit state to trans:Ml
business, had returned, without executing their mis- ,
sion. On one of these occasions, deceased had given a
receipt, after some delay and strange conduct; and it
had been argued, the deceased might have been occa-
sionally in a suffiriesitly sound state of mind to execute
such an instrument; but in these cases the onus pro-
bandi was shifted, and it rested with those who were to
benefit by the will to chew such instrument had been
fairly executed. Where validity depended upon calm-
city, there was generally much conflicting testimony.
The defendants, however, in the present cause, had not
ventured to plead general capacity, but had produced
testimony only to the factual of the will itself. Mr.
Armstrong and Mr. Saunders contrived to get deceased
into the country. On one occasion, powers of attorney
were prepared in favour of a person named Harding,
to receive dividends, when, to the credit of Armstrong,
he wrote to deceased's brother, desiring him to come
to towo, to protect Mr. Bell's property, for he consi-
del ed him in an unfit state to manage his own concerns.
The brother did not come, and Armstrong subsequently
wrote in a different straia, to say Mr. Bell's health was
materially improving. The deceased was then removed
to the house of Saiindets, where, it had been asses ted, a
Mr. Good was called in to execute a document, which
left to Mr. Armstrong the bulk of deceased's property,
and made that person residuary legatee. The wife,under
this document, being only entitled to an annuity of 2001.
the brother 5001. Harding 3(X)1. Saunders 10001. &c. Un-
der these cif cumstances, the Court, before it could decide
in favour of Armstrong, must be fully satisfied that
the deceased, when he handed the document, was in
full possessiJn of his faculties, and that something more
than a mere acquiescence had been given. One extra-
ordinary feature was, that the document did not go to
the whole of Mr. Bell's property, some stock having
been- entirely overlooked. Saunders and Armstrong
having a difference, the former sent for a Mr. Smith, to
prepare a codicil, in which these individuals changed
places—Armstrong was allotted the 10001. and Saun-
ders became residuary legatee. This codicil was liti-
gated by Armstrong, on the ground that circumven-
tion had been employed, and the Court decided in his
favour. Three months after the framing of the will,
the codicil was found, and Mr. Good, the Solicitor,
spoke as to the sound capacity of deceased at the time
of the will being framed. Witnesses, however, to a
single transaction, must be viewed with caution. Mr.
Goodiand Mr. Armstrong went down to the deceased's
residence; the will was prepared under the directioad
the residuary legatee, and there was not the slighted
evidence of the deceased having given any instruc-
tions. Mr. Good had acted mere discreetly if he had
acted as did Mr. Smith, wbo, when ordered to prepare
a codicil, went to receive deceased's instructions. Un- '
der such circumstances, the results would have been,
probibly, the same. The deceased was found in an
unfit state to give the necessary instructions, and the
codicil was for that time abandoned. .Subsequently,
Smith took it to the deceased, in a state ready
•for exe-
cution, and it was completed. This point fully illus-
trated the practice of the Court, which held, where
capacity was doubtful, proof must be had of instruc-
tions. The opinion of the Court was, that the deceased
had died intestate; but as considerable time had been
lost in bringing this cause to an issue, and it wis pro-
bable that Mr. Armstrong had administered under the
will supposed to be valid, and that he would incur con-
siderable loss and trouble in endeavouring to recover
monies already advanced, he was spared the addi-
tional burden of costs.

Letters received from Gottenburgh mention, in allu-
sion to the late violent storms in Sweden, that in the
vicinity of Orebro 40,000 trees were blown down.
Letters from Smyrna have been received to the 16th
ult. but they do not contain anything of material im-
portance. His Majesty's ship SBRINGAPATAU remained
in that port at the date of these advices, and the city
was entirely tranquil. The general opinion expressed
in these letters is, that the Turkish Government will not
attempt another campaign, on account of the great ex-
haustion of the. Ottoman Treasury. Some reports were
current at Smyrna, at the date of these advices, that
an insurrection hld broken out in Upper Egypt, but
.little credit was attached to the Tumour.

410

POLICE INTELLIGEnte Y,

BONV-STREET.
Horses-sa►t.tna-6-Yesterday, Charles Batten, a tall stout
num, was brought before Sir RICHARD Btarze, charged withlts2
ins a horse, the property of Gilbert Crawley, proprietor of the
Northampton Livery Stables, Northampton-square. The prisms(
was remanded for further examination dn Thursday next.—/Mt
Gamma, for a similar offence, was also remanded till Thursday.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
CAUTION TO Cad=ets.—General Sir Rufane Donkin charged
&mud Latino/4 the driver of a cart, in the employment of Mv.
Gardner, of Regent-street, with most scandalous misconduct, Ist
which the life of himself end his son were put in most imminent
danger.—The General stated. that he was driving his cabriolet uti
Regent-street on Saturdayi and had passed down a narrow part of
the street, which bad been separated by boards from the rest of the
horse road, for the purpose of facilitating the paving according
td
the system of M'Adam, when the prlseffel, who must have bete
aware that there was ant room for two vehicles to pass each other,
exclaimed, " Curse you, who is to wait for you ?" and drove hie
cart up the avenue. He (the General) used every exertion to avoid
coming in contact with the cart, but notwithstanding all his effort%
the wheel struck against the cabriolet, and nearly upset him and
bis boy.—The Magistrate said, that it appeared a very wanton act
on the part of the driver of the cart, and he was sorry be could
only fine him 10s. under the highway Act.—The prisoner said he
could not pay 10s. and the Magistrate ordered him to be committed
to prison for 14 days.