Star.
London, England, 1824-04-13 00:00:00

WEST OP ENGLAND ASSIZES.

THE PORTRAIT.

BY SIR JAMES LAURENCE.

When I described the shape and fare
And air of her who caused my flame,
Her wit, her talents, and her grace,
I carefully conceal'd her name;
But Envy mock'd my fund alarms,
And named :he Portrait that I drew :
Ah 1 I forgot, so many charms
Were ne'er united but in—you!

Literary Chron.

ANSIV L R OP THE KING TO THE SILK WEAVERS.

Stn—l have the honour of laying before the King
the petition transmitted in your letter to me of this date
from the Opel alive silk weavers of Spitaifields and its
vicinity, and I am to acquaint you, and to request that
you will communicate the same to the petitioners, that
his Majesty cannot, ccnsistently with the advice which
he has received horn his confidential servants, accede
to the prayer of the petition, and withhold his assent to
the Bill relative to the silk trade. But his Majesty has
particularly directed me, in making this communication,
to oh,erve, that he is very sensible of the uniform
loyalty and gond conduct of the weavers of Spitalfields,
and that he places the utmost reliance on their assu-
rances, that under all circumstances they will remain
steady in their attachment to his person,.and will con-
tinue to set that example of industry and good order,
for which they have been always conspicuous—l am, &c.
(Signed) ROBERT PEEL. .
Whitehall, 9th Apiil,
To Robert Brawn, Esq. &c. &c..

ROYAL AA' EC DOTES.

GEORGE llL—His late Majesty once jestingly asked
Lady Margaret Fordyce (the Lady of Mr. Fordyce, the
banker) " why she lived in. the City ? was it for plea-
sure, for comfort, or for economy ?"—" Neither, please
your Majesty," replied her Ladyship, with a smile, " we
Citizens sum up all in one word—convenience."
Gaoadg IV.—His Majesty lately sent for Lord En-
combe, the Chancellor's grandson (who having passed
through Winchester school with great credit, is now
entered as a Gentleman Commoner at New College,
Oxford), and presented him with a splendid edition of
the Classics, in which was written in his Majesty's own
hand an inscription in the highest degree complimen-
tary to the yeungLord's learned and venerable anxestor.
Some few days back, as his Royal Hiqhness the Duke
of .Yottfc, attended by some blilitary Officers, was en-
piing a ride thrOugh Hyde Park, his attention was sud-
denly arrested by the skill with which a one armed Gen-
tleman was reining in a young and mettlesome horse.
As the rider approached the groupe, he suddenly re•
cognised the Commander-in Chief, and apparently re-
gardless of the animal's curvetting, he dextrously threw
the reins over his own bead, and taking off his hat,
boWed ,repeatedly and with infinite grace, to the no
small irdmiratiom Of the Royal Duke,, who returned the
salute witheien Maiked respect. The stranger, how-
ever, had not rode Many yards, when he was overtaken
byone of the Officers attendant on the Duke, who sig.
niffbd to him hii Royal Highness's wish to know if he
were in the service? The address of "Captain D—,
Regiment," was immediately produced,
and.gave answer in the affirmative. The card was shewn
to his )toyal.Highneis, and an intimation was given to
the Captain to attend the Horie Guards on the follow-
ing day, which Wai I Levee-day. The young soldier
felt tin! highly *bared by the comisnlad not to be
14.0 atlas post, and amongst i throng of Veteran*
wtjo ".bore their filiishing honours thick upon them,"
the, one-arnied ()hiker was (prickly recognised, and sa-,
Wed with that Urbanity and condescension of manner
ixtiich has endeared his Royal Highnes7 to the Army of
flritain. After • the routine business of the Levee was
triatted,
.14 Royal Highness entered into a close and
familiar crnVersation with Captain D—, both as to
the length and nature of service in which he had been
engaged. The replies were such as excited the Duke's
Warme.t irprObation ; and when in conclusion he corn-
illarent-ed the font's soldier on his Well won lintels, hes
trirsted that his prtient s:aration was agreeable. En-
etauraged by this kind interrogatory, the Captain took,
permission'to say, that though his allowance was libe-
r l;ln'the ettetne (cOnsideling his pOor deserts), yet he
Ranted ; one arm (tire left) was cer-
tainly. Wreck beneath the walls of Badajos, but the
-tither remained to Wield a sword in the service of his,
Sovereign. His Royal high dens afiriled ;• and after a
le* minutes' consultation . with one of the Mihtaty Se-
tretaries, infOrmed Capt. that his. request shoUld.
. If 'possible, be speedily complied with. The. delighted
Captain bowed his thanks; and a subsequent Gazette
proved the promise was not. forgotten.

Accounts from Switzerland state, that the Diligence
from Coire to Bellingzone, was suddenly overwhelmed
on the 15th, by an avalanche. M. Schenardi, Bailiff
of Roveredo, and a guide peii,lied. The
soarer pas-.
senger.:, 12 in !limber, the two guides and the horses
were fortunately extricated.
A woman of the name cf Lydia Jones, of Coal-
brookdale ),known by the name of Lyd Williams) was
offered by her husband for sale in Wenlock-market, on
Monday. The Crier of the Town proclaimed her to be
sold, and she was produced with a halter round her
*iiist, mid was instantly purchased by one Astan, of
Coalbr:Ookdale, for the sum of IW. a quart of ale, and
paying the 011.
DisTadovivit Fides.—Thursday morning, between
the hours of twelve and one o'clock, a very alarming
,and destructive fire hi ()lie ouf in a back room belonging
,tofthe'sliOp of Messrs. P. Levy and Co. furriers, North
Bridge, Edinburgh: The fire had made considerable
progreis in. the back 'apartments of the house, before
being noticed by the watchman ; but, almost immedi-
ately after the discovery, three or four engines wer,, on
the spot, and commenced instantly to bear upon the
destructive element. Between four and five o'clock, al
detachment from the psai- and 94th regiments were
upon the spot. Great exertions were-made to stop the
progress of the Smiles, notwithstanding which the whole
of this fine house, the rooms of Mr.-Deuchar, seal en•
graver, those of the 'Hercules Insurance Company, &c.
by eight o'clock in the morning, preiented only the
frightful pietute of ruin'and devastation.
Thursday morning a fire broke out at the shop of
ltlr. Webber, a builder at Taunton, which in a start
time totally consumed thoie premises. A plumber and
• glazier .of the town, =tied Ryde, who saw the flames
fribmAis window, was so dieadfully shocked by the
aw u 1 ikiearanca, that he .retired from the window and
in a short time died.

TAUNTON, APRIL 9.
Henry Hippisky, a person of respectability, living
near Shepton Mallet, was indicted for an attempt to
make an assault on Miss Richards, the sister-of Mr.
Scott, the landlord of the Bell Inn, at Sheptor.
Miss Richards, examined by Mr. Emus:K.—She
stated that she was left in the care of her brother's
house, during his temporary absence in the country, in
the beginning of July last. On the sth of July the de-
fendant, who was a Sheriff's officer in the neighbour-
hood of Shepton, came to the Bell Inn, where he was
well known, about six in the evening. He desired her
to take a glass of cider to a large room, at the extremity
of a long dark passage, which she did, and was followed
immediately by the defendant. As she was retiring
from the room he put his hand outside the door to get
the key. He confined her in the room by shutting the
door; and she !then said, "What are you going about;
if you lock the door, I will cry nitudet." He made no
answer, but pushed her with violence agaimt the door.
! She made ail the resistance she could, and called for
John, the ostler, who was in a distant part of the pre-
mises, to come to her aid. The defendant placed a
large mahogany chair against the door, and threw her
with force upon it. She cried " Murder!" and entreated
him to desist. He endeavoured to stop her cries by
putting his hand before her mouth. Ile did not com-
plete his purpose. She kept calling for help ; and on
saying to the defendant she thought she heard some one
corning, he said "I'd be -- if I don't —." Hear•
ing a person at the door, she said " John is coming."
and the defendant immediately jumped up and pushed•
her with violence out of the room. At the door she saw
John, the ostler, and went w ith him into the tap-room,
in an exhausted condition.
Cross-examined by Mr. BLIMPASS—She did not go,
before a Justice on the subject, but she told an attorney
of the defendant's conduct, and, by his 3dvico, she in-
dicted Hippi,ley at the Assizes, which were then about
to commence, in preference to going before a Magis-
trate. The defendant is about sixty.
Miss Richards, who appeared to be about 22, Was
rigidly examined as to the situation of various parts of
the premises, and as to the Resistance she made. To all
these questions she gave such answers as sufficiently
sheered that the attack had been most distressing to her
feelings, and perfectly unwarrantable from any conces-

sions made on her. part. '
John Cottle, the ostler at the inn, first saw the defers:,
dant in the tap-room, and afterwards he went to the
long room, at the end Of a dart ioassage, which was
sometimes used for the accommodation of company.
He saw Miss Richards take a glass of eider.in tbe. same
direction. While he was cleaning knives in a cellar,
nearly forty yards distant front the room the defendant
went into, he heard the cry of murder coming from that
room, and immediately went there. As he was in the
act of putting his hand to the latch of the door, Miss
Richards came out. She was crying, and her hair was
hanging about her shoulders. . He followed her to the
tap-room, and, on asking her hat. was the Matta, she
pointed to her dress, and said Hippisley has been serv-
ing me like this., Her dress was much disordered, and
her ha.sdkerchief Was torn frarti her hcisodr. She said
she would make the defendant know better than this,
and then went up stairs to witness's wife, who was at
Work in the dining room.
Cros:s-exatirined.—He had not quite got to the door
when it was opened. , lie did not See 1111. Ilippisley in
the room. The door.was not sulficiendy open for him

to z,ee all over. the room.
Mr. Justice ilbstaotroo said, that cites of the de.
sctiptiOn of .the..,pieSatit of
_all; others, the Most
easy to be brought forward, and for that reason a Jut)
might to look kith itriet attention to all the tircum
stances which were advanced in support of them, and
pat tichiarly to the mode.in which the female herself
gave evidence. His Loidship had watched the Maimet
in which Miis Richards had related the cir-cumstances
Of this case, and he could not di.tover that there was
the slightest reason for rresutning that her conduct had
not been strictly correct. The Jury, however, %Timid
judge of that themselves, and not retro n a verdict of
guilty, unless they. were well satisfied the defendant had
tOndticied himself in the manner imputed to him..---The
Juvy found the defendant Guilty..
Alr.Jostice-linitaouot4:in .passing sentence on the
prisoner, said this assault had been committed-under
aggravated tirconnstanees,..that 61gwetl_ the defendant
had been-in th.u-habit of iallalgjng in bad. habits Tor a
king period of- hid life.. The offence was the more ag-
gravated by being committed in the house of Miss
thardts'slarither, it a time when he, who a"As her pro-,
terror, *was abient front home. Ittwas of the manost
impartance that crimes of this kind shOuld fie serenely
punished, because they might Materially affect the re-
putation of a female, .and ruin her future prospects,
there being people 'foolish enough to suppose that -Stith
attackstmu tt be drivro on by, some indiscretion on-the
.part'6l the woman. So far as his Lordship had ob-
*seri, ed, lie paw 'Mottling whatever improper in the con-
duct of the feMale who had been 'exirrnined, but, on the
contrary, he believed the blithe entirely rested With the
defendant, and he must be punished accordingly, The
sentencecif the Cott:lv/as, tht4t Ile should be imprisoned
for the spaCe of eightfen months.

A numerous and respectable meeting has-been held
in Calcutta to discbss the feasibility of steam •coinmn!
nicatiou with BaglaiiiiviaSiiez.;:a-Cammittee had been.
formed, wbo having discussed the meths and invert.
once or the project opened a subscription, and resolved
to bestow orielaek of rupees upon the first individual or
company wbo.shutild Make, two complete voyages from.
England to India in steam. vessels,, the .passage in no
instance -to 'exceed seventy days, either .by the Care of.
Good tope or*th Red Sea .in 4eisets.el-.British Regis-
e.s Sea,
'in
and of not:lesiihin 30' tons hthslten.
Yesterday. .morning at the Old talky, Senor Jose
Joachim Termite de the . late President of the
Portuguese Corterkwas introduced on the bench by Mr.
Cninmon Serjeant-Deest AN, and reniained during the
day, givinigeat. attention-to the trials of the Prisoners,
and the mode in this•Coulitry,efadininistering law.
LORD NeLsols.—llle Cokiiial Statue-Of
.thiedistin-
guished hero, which flanks. the entrance of the choir in
St. Paul's Cathedral, Is it present enveloped in scaf-
lailing;raiScd fdeillepurpOte of enabling two eminent
~ptlian'artisis.to a cast of the figure inplaister
ef-Parit ; which, when finished, is destined by Govern-
Ment to adorn-the Painted Hall olGreenwich Hospital.
"A"Similar t is, it •.• said tote afterwards taken from
s is "said,
tne monument of Lord 'Howe, in the south transept,
for the same purpose.
Friday a Woolwich coach ran over a boy eight years
old, opposite Astley's Theatre, tuid killed haw.