Star.
London, England, 1822-12-17 00:00:00

There

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-houses ..se than
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no pt
his duty to make complaints of ptiL-._
had not made many, as he had no .reason. When a:
license-was objected to, it was wand to niter*_ it'for
adjournmeht4lay. There were foot • licenses
stopped in 1810 ;,and in 1817,
sevens others were,
l.
restored- •
stopped, • some of Which had never been . .
tlioioirglh-
Ite-examined.—St. John-street is a great
fare to the Noreleroad, and there has always been.*
number .of public-houses in it and the teighbour-
hood. Had known 'many instances in which Magic-
trates had heard complaints of public-houses, and yet
hkd not taken the licensei away.
T. Roberts Was Churchwarden And Headborough
in 1816. In those characters he visited public-houses,'
and, amongst others, Mr. Meek's. So far asregarded
the regularity and decency of the house, he consi-
dered it as extremely welt conducted, and conve-
niently fitted up for the accommodation of the Pub-
lic. Did not know a house in the parish better con-
ducted. On hearing Meek's license was stopped, he
attended the Magistrates on the adjournment day.
Mr. Collins asked him what he had to say respecting
Mr. Meek's house? if he had anything to say'agastist
it, they were ready to hear him. Witness observed,
he had nothing to say against Mr. Meek or the house,
but came to speak to his character.
Cr6ss-examined.—Don't recollect that Mr. Collins.
said—e We have nothing to say against Mr. Meek's
chat acter."
George Dell kept the Hat and Feathers,,in Wil-
derness-row, in 1816 ; in that year his license was not
renevied. Meux and Reid had been his brewers;
but in September he had said he should cease to deal'
with them, and went to pay his account about five
days before the adjournment day. He then Ordered
six butts of beer, but they were not sent. On the 24th
of September he saw Mr. Collins, who said he had
seen Mr. Wigram, arid he was very sorry his license
was stopped. His license was restored in 1817.
Witness was in the habit of drawing about three butts
of beer a month. His spirit trade, wholesale and re-
tail, was 300/. or 400/. a month. His retail spirit
trade was above 1001. a month. In 1816 he had
made complaints of his beer, and had given notice to
them that he intended to change .his brewer. Be-
tween the stoppage of his license, in 1816, and -re-
newal, in 1817, he had• no communication with
Lucas nor Willis. No application was made to him
before his license was renewed in 1817. He did-not
see Willis till lie saw him at Clerkenwell on the day
his license was renewed. He made no arrangement
for having his beer till after he had again obtained
his license.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL addressed the Jury for
the defendants, Its rose tinder great' difficulties to,
address them, not out of apprehensions arising Out
of-the case which had been made against the defence
dints, but from the fear lest he should not do justice
to the venerable individual whoni he had now to dee'
fend, whose chat acter was well known and justly
estimated by.the many eminent and highly respect-
able individuals who now surrounded him, ready to
bear testimony to that character. Mr. Collins now
stood on the very verge of eternity, being now in his
188th year, 40 of which he had passed in the active
o.ervice of the Public, his conduct not having once,
during the whole of that period, been questioned till
this time. Of another of the individuals, whose name
had been put on this recoid (Sir N. Conant) he would
say nothing. T 1 a individual had departed to anotlirr
world, and was not subject to the judgment of- an
earthly tribunal. On Sir Conant's character he
would not say a word. Of the third defendant, Mr.
Mills, lie would not say a word. The defence of Mr.
Mills was entrusted to the able hands of his Learned
Friend (Mr. Gurney). Of Mr. Meek he would say,
in the outset, that he had been misdescribed by his
Learned Friend in his opening ; he had been des
scribed as a humble, oppressed, unbefriended
dual ; whereas, on the contrary, Mr. Meek was sup-
ported by a most powerful and overbearing body,
many of whose Members now filled the Court—the
Society of LicensedVictuallers, who had already sub-
scribed 4501. for him, and the subscription was still
going on. The question to-day was not whether Mr.
Meek's license was properly or improperly refused ?
but whether it had been done by Mr. Collins from
a corrupt motive. This was the charge against
him, for which, on the evidence as it now stood,
he contended, there was not • the least pretence;
and he would call witnesses to prove there never
could have been grounds for any such charge.—
The Learned Gentleman then proceeded to comment
on the evidence for the prosecution, and contended
that Meek's house was of such a description that,
under the provisions of the 17th Geo. 11. the Magis-
trates could not licence, it being, in fact, a public-
house with a spirit-shop attached it, though with all
the characteristics of a separate establishment. He
also contended that, on the evidence as it now stood,
there was not the slightest te.timony to prove that
Mr. Collins voted at all on the question for granting
the license er refusing it. Dr. Gaskin, Mr. Sellon,
or Mr. Cotterell might haie been called to prove this
fact, if it really existed. The truth was, that Mr.
Collins was in the Chair, and therefore did.not vote
at all. He concluded by stating that he would call
a host of witnesses to speak to tie: character of Mr.
Collins, and, having done so, leave his client in their
hands, fully confident that their verdict would entirely
agree with the high character which the object of this
inquiry would receive.
Mr. GURNEY, on behalf of Mr. Mills, submitted to
the Jury chat the statement of the case by his Learned
Friend, Mr. Scarlett, was not even in the slightest
degree established ; and further, that no part of the
evidence now called for the prosecution at all affected
Mr. Mills. The Learned Counsel then passed through
the evidence cif Meek, and the other witne,ses for the
prosecution; eulogised Mr. Mills, and concluded, as
the Solicitor-General had done, by. stating. that he
would. call witnesses to character, and, having dote
'so, cenfideutly anticipate a verdict in his favour.
Mr. Baron (!arrow, Lord Durgaution, Sir Gilbert Blaine,