Star.
London, England, 1825-08-31 00:00:00

MEETING OF MARSH, STRACEY;sAND CO.'si
:CRIDITORS

A Meeting was held of the creditets of the above
estate, at the Court of CommissionersiThtsinghall.street,
to declare a dividend.
It was anticipated that an objection _to the dividend
being declared, would have been raised by the Gover-
nors of the Bank of England, in consequence of itsi
being generally understood that they would enforce
their claim of 250.0001. against the estate of the bank;
rupts. The contrary, however, was the case.
Mr. FRESEIFIELD, jun. stated that he attended on the
part of the Bank of England, and was authorised to
say, that the Governors had determined to leave their
claim to be decided by law.
Upon this statement a dividend was declared.
It appears that the present condition of the estate is
as under :
Assets in hand and expectedto be realised by the Assignees £269,475
Deduct dividend . . 92,486
Which leaves . . . . 176,980
This sum of 176,9891. will then remain to meet the
claims of the Bank, upon whose debt of 250,0001. allow
the dividends already made, amounting to about
83,000/. there would then be left about 93,0001. for
further distribution. Several proofs having been taken
the Meeting separated.

A letter from Madrid of the Bth instant, says—" Ge-
neral Empetinado had been .condemned to be drawn,
hanged, and quartere3, notw•ithstaniing the capitula-
tion which he made and the cruel usage he has experi-
enced in being led ahout from fair to fair, shut up in
an iron cage, and exhibited like a wild beAst to the
gaze of the idle mob; the King has thouglft proper to
commute this sentence to that of perpetual imprison-

meat in some fortress."
Last week very extensive policies were opened at
Lloyd's on specie from London to Dublin, for the Pro.
vincial Banking Company of Ireland. We believe the
sum already insured amounts to above 100,0001.; the
premium is only ss. Stl. per cent. taking all risks of
land carriage and transport to Ireland.
In the year 1687,R0me contained 82 parish Churches;
26,834 families; 123,151 inhabitants, among whom
were-41 Bishops; 241 Priests; 3,320 Monks, Friars,
and Abbots; 2,084 nuns and abbesses; 1,262 students
in Colleges; 1,831 poor, residing in hospitals and alms-
houses ; 290 prisoners; 71,601 males, arrived at man.
hood; 51,470 females, arrived at womanhood; 94,505
of both sexes, capable of receiving the Sacrament;
28,616 children, and others, to whom the Sacrament
could not be administered ; 94.092 of both sexes, who
bad received the Sacrament ; 440 who had not received
the Sacrament; 652 courtesans, and 26 Moors.
•On the 18th instant, the house of Ardgour was disi
covered to be on fire, and in a few hours the centre of
the building was entirely destroyed, leaving only the
outward walls. The wings were saved.
The frequenters of the tap-room at the Angel Inn,
Steurbridge, have for the last three years, each contri-
buted one penny a week, out of which they have regu.
lady relieved weekly one poor object with the sum of
ss. and in the same period of time have distributed at
each Christmas 120 sixpenny loaves to poor widows,
or other objects they may think worthy, and have now
in hand a considerable overplos.
Anlnquest was held at the Royal Oak, in Wapping
High-street, on the body of Ann Jane, daughter of Mr.
Robinson. wharfinger, of Wapping, aged eight years.
Ann James stated, that she had been nursing Mrs. Ro-
binson, who was then confined; and, on Friday morn-
ing, she beard the deceased calling out " Mother,
mother !" Witness instantly ran to the landing on the
stairs, and saw the poor child enveloped in flames. Wit-
ness hastened down stairs, and, with the assistance of a
pump. extinguished the flames. As soon as the de-
ceased recovered herself, she said that she had been
blowing the fire, when a spark flew out and set her
clothes in a blaze. Mr. Jackson, Surgeon, of Shad-
well, was instantly sent for, and arrived within a quar-
tet of an hour, but in vain, as she expired the next day.
Mr. Jackson confirmed this statement, as far as regarded
himself; and the Jury returned a verdict—Accidentally
burnt to Death.
LORD NELSON'S HUMANITY.—Lord NELSON was
loth to inflict punishment, and when he was obliged,
as he called it, " to endure the torture of seeing men
flogged," he came out of his cabin with hurried steps
—ran into the gangway—made his bow to the Marine
General, and reading the article of war the culprit
had infringed, said, " Boatswain, do your duty." The
lash was instantly applied, and consequently the suf-
ferer exclaimed, "forgive me, Admiral, forgive me:"
he would look round with wild anxiety, and, as all his
Officers kept silence (when the fellow merited his
punishment), he would say, " What ! none of you
speak for him—avast—cast him off—Jack, in the day
of battle remember me, and be a good fellow in future."
A poor devil was about to be flogged ; he was a lands-
man, and few pitied him. His offence was drunken-
ness. As he was tying up, a lovely girl, contrary to
all rules; rushed through the Officers, and falling on
her knees, clasped NELSON'S hands in which were the
articles of war, " Pray forgive him, your Honour, and
he shall never offend again." " Your face," said he,
"is a security for his good behaviour. Let him go;
the fellow cannot be bad who has such a lovely crea-
ture in his care." The man rose to be a Lieutenant;
his name was William Pye.
STOTTBRING.—SOIDe ten years ago there was a per-
son in London, who professed to have discovered RR
infallible treatment for impediments in speech ; and be
had the art of persuading many of his pupils that they
were cured, but how effectively, may be shewn by the
following incident which occurred in Staffordshire:—
A stammering Gentleman of rank and fortune, who
had given this charlatan a trial in his own person,
waited rat the Hon. Mr. M. who laboured under the
sante defect, when the following short dialogue took
place :—The Pupil.—" I s, s, s, say, M, M. M—, w,
why d, don't'''. you g, g, go to /i., London, and g,g,
get c, c, c, c, cured of y, your s, s. -s, s, stuttering ? I,
I've b, b, been, and th, they've c, iC, e, evrei m, m, m,
me." Mr. M.—" H, Have th, litsdrb,t, by g, g, g,
g—d ? th, then, I, bed, d, d. d --011 if di, they shall
e, e, ever c, c, c, c, cure m. me."
GARRICK, one day dining with a large company,
soon alter dinner left the room, and it was supposed
had left the house. but one of the patty, on going iatr
the area to seek him, found Mr. GARRICK, who )•

had

been there some time, fully occupied in amusing a
negro boy, who was a servant in the family, by mi.
'nicking the manner and noise of 'a turkey.cock, which
diverted the boy to such a degree that he was con-
voked with laughter, and only able now And then' tti
utter, Oh ! Massa Gartick! you will kill one, Massa.
Gal rick 3*

-MENDICITY EXTIIIIOXDINARY.
Same days ago, a man of the name of Rill, in corn-
patty with a miserable looking woman, said to be his.
wife, was brought before Mr. Rot, at Martlioiough-
streei, charged with drinken—ss. The Magistrate
asked him to give same account of himself? when he
said he was well known- at the Office, and he was sue
Mr. Rot would recollect him from the good character
he had of him from Mr, Winfield. Fr, ~, what had
been stated by that Gentleman, it appeared that Hill
had formerly been a Sikiiitor of considerable-eminence,
and latterly had fallen into great distress.
Mr. Rot said, he recollected perfectly well what
that Gentleman and others had said of him, and he
was afraid that Mr. 'Hill was no better than he should
be. He then asked him to account for some letters,
which the Officer had grand on his person ? Mr. Hill
would give no satisfactory account of them, and he
wai detained till some inquiry should be made oa the,
subject. Yesterday, the mystery was cleared up, and
from the evidence taken before the Magistrate, it ap-
peared that Hill was the top sawyer, or ringleader, of
a noted band Of mendicants, who have long- been ob-
taining money from humane inditidoals, unties false
pretences._ Mr. 13odkin, Honorary Secretary to the
Mendicity Society, and Mr. Honey, the Clerk, at-
tended for the purpose of prosecuting the prisoner for
fraud. From their statements it appeared that the
system is carried on to a great extent. There are at
present 303 Cases in which Hill and his party are im-
plica,ed. When any destructive fire, or great calamity
occurs, Hill and a man of the name of Barnes draw
up certificates as signed by the clergyman of the pa-
r ish, or some respectable householders, and dispatch
their agents for the purpose of collecting money.—
Sometimes 2W. have been collected in one day ; and
the same individual, by changing his dress, has been
known to receive different sums from the same per-
son in the same day. On one occasion, this Mr. Hill
went to Lord Harrowby with some sad tale of woe, and
received a sovereign. He returned in the eoening
equipped in a large wig, spectacles, and a clerical
hat, represented himself as an unbeneficed clergyman
in the greatest distress, and received another sovereign
from his Lordship. There was no end to their devices.
When one scheme was demolished, another was imme-
diately resorted to, and though Hill was one of the
most active in devising these schemes, he was obliged
to have recourse at times to his friend Barnes for ad-
vice, as the following letter found on him will shew:
Dear Sir—l'm bard up. Dolavour me with a directioa oar the
back of this note, and I will call for them on the morning of Tuesday.
natarday, Aug. 19. Yours truly, P. HILL.
To Mr. Barnes, 6, Tottenhatmeourt.read.
The answer was—l have put down a few names of Hampstead,
u I know of no other, and I am sorry to my I am like yourself,
for I have not a shoe to my feet.
A long list of names followed, and two of the parties
came forward and proved tkat the prisoner had ob-
tained money under false pretences.
Elisabeth Bingham, servant to Mrs. Walker,
Church-row, Hampstead, and Hannah lipringham,
servant to Mrs. Batty, of the same place, proved that
the prisoner received money from their mistresses, by
producing false letters and forged certificates. The
prisoner seat in. a long letter, representing himself as a
member of the Church of England ; and craving a little
charity for the support of his five children and his poor
wife, who was confined in a mad-house. There followed
a list of about eight or nine persons, who had -sub-
scribed different sums. Among the rest, Miss Iran-
sittart, Lady Teynham, Mrs. Napier, and the Rev. S.
Woodd. These, Mr. Honey said, were all forged.
This letter was accompanied by a certificate to this
effect—gi We, whose names ire here affixed, do certify
that Mr. Charles Wentworth, an unbeneficed clergy-
man of the Church of England, has been under our'
care since the first of May last, and that though he is
doing as well as can possible be expected, be is unable
to perform his clerical functions, and is, with his
amiable wife and five children, suffering the greatest
privations." The certificate further recommended him
as a worthy object of compassion, and was signed by
James Nesbitt, and William Smith, surgeons, William-
street, Brunswick-square. Another letter was pro
duced, in which he signed his name Alfred Ingall, and
stated himself to be the son of a Clergyman. A cer-
tificate similar to the former accompanied it, signed—
ti William Nesbitt. M.D. John-street, Chelsea.' No
surgeon of that name could be found at Chelsea. When
these facts had been stated against the prisoner, Mr. Roe
asked him his real name, after having assumed so many ?
My real name, said he, is William Jones. The woman
was asked what her name was ? and on hesitating for
an answer, the prisoner touched her on the elbow, and
said—why to be sure you are Mrs. Jones! Why can't
you speak? My name, said she, is Mary Joni% an'
please your Worship. As the two servants had some '
difficulty in recognising the prisoner in his large wig,
the *Magistrate desired him to take it off. This he de--
clitied to do for some time, and at length in a passion
twitched it off by the large curls, and discovered a vene-'
rable bald head. The servants identified him imme-
diately, and he was fully committed to take his trial
for obtaining money under false pretences. He begged
that his name might not appear in the newspapers, as
he was afraid it would hurt his character. When his;
brother was tried at the Qld Bailey, some years ago,
for uttering forged notes, and afterwards executed "Tor-
that offtnce, he came forward under some fictitious'!
name, and attempted to prove an alibi. Notwithstand-
ing the miserable dress in which he appeared before the.
Magistrate, his manner and appearance altogether.
chewed that he had received a good education, and had'
been accustomed to good society. The woman was
remanded till a future day, on a charge of theft.

The harvest may now be said to be completed, only
a few of the later crops of barley remaining in the
fields. The continued dry weather, so favourable to
the getting in of the crops, was most peculiarly anspi-.
cious to the general interests of agriculture. The dairy
farms, which it was anticipate/ would suffer most
seriously from the drought, have experienced the mast
beneficial results, the late occasional showers baying
caused the grass to grow like a second spring. The
grazing fields now produce excellent food ; and butter
is in consequence declining in price.
Sven gold coins, of the reign of the Roman Em-
peror CONSTANTINE were lately discovered by a woman
cutting turf upon Holyhead Mountain, about a mile
dist.►nt fiom the South Stack. They are all of the fame
era, but struck by two different dies, and are in excel-
lent preservation.
One day, during the late hot weather, several acres
of land, the property of 0. Romanist, Esq. at Haver-
bill, 4offulk, were suddenly covered by myriads of small
snails, with beautifully eariega:ed shells. The circum-
stance is the more singular from their being OEUVRE-
psnied by rain, on their arrival.