Star.
London, England, 1824-07-03 00:00:00

Alf the Counsel were somewhat inconsistent. Tt wa; said
Mr. Mellish was ste4boitottrable men ; no doubt he wa-
in all other transactions, and yet we ford. his honours
able man insisting be ought not to pay the money, be-,
cause he had cheated the East India Company and hisl
co-owners. But, however, there was not the least pre-
tence for considering this a corrupt agreement.. For tbe,
other points of law which had subsequently peen .made
in arrest of judgment, heconsidered there was no foun-
dation, and he was therefore decidedly of opinion the'
rule ought to be discharged.
The other Learned Judges were of the same opinion(
and the rule was accordingly discharged.
A large packet of newspapers was received
by the-Packet the other morning, the postage upon
which was charged 1.777 101.
The town of Bury has not for, many years witnessed
greater disturbance thin occurred during last week in
the Long Brackland. A tradesman had lately taken a
third wife, who expected, perhaps, to share with him
„life's pleasures;" but she quickly discovered that his
affection had been entirely exhausted upon his former
wives, and repeated ill-treatment obliged her to seek a
more peaceful asylum in the house of a relative.. The
subsequent removal of a quantity of furniture (includ-
ing a cuckoo-clock), bequeathed to her by a former
husband, from a house in which they had been depo-
site4, excited in the man's neighbours a degree of in-
dignation unprecedented on such a subject. Placards
stuck up near the premises had the effect of inflaming
the minds of the people most violently against him, and
nothing less than a regular siege could allay their it ri-
tation. Accordingly, on Wednesday evening, about
300 persons assembled in front of his house, and every
expression of hatred and dislike were very generally
made use of. The presence of the Alderman and po-
lice at length induced the people to disperse, and the
neat morning several persons, male and female, were
ordered to find bail for their appearance at the Quarter
Sessions. This, however, was but a prelude to the rim
that took place a short time after. On the prosecutor's
return from the Guildhall, he was annoy ed by the re-
peated shouts of men, women, and children ; and at
five in the evening an effigy, decorated with a blue
apten and steel, was hoisted on a pole, and carried
through some parts of the town, and afterwards to the
residence of its prototype, whom they saluted with the
epithet of Blue Beard, and many other opprobrious
terms. The effigy being then made fast to a lamp-iron,
100 lashes were inflicted, the executioner expressing his
regret that the criginal was not substituted. A large
party of old women drank tea publicly in honour of this
event; and about nine o'clock another attack com-
menced, when stones, tin kettles, and all sorts uf mis-
siles, were poured in from divers quarters; and one of
the assailants threw a stone against the aggressor him-
self,. who appeared at the door armed with a pitchfork.
Serious mischief would now in all probability have cit.
curred, but the Alderman again interfered, and the
crowd dispersed immediately.
A deed most horrible and tepugnant to our nature,
it is said, was lately contemplated, and has providen-
tially been timely discovered :—A young man, a native
of the Colony, who married a pretty and interesting
girl between two and three years since, meditated the
atrocious design of deliberately killing the wife of his
bosom, and the mother of his little boy, by poison. It
appears that the hapless young man became enamoured
of a forbidden object; possession of whom could not be
obtained while his wife was living. Application was
therefore made to one of the medical assisants in the
interior for the poison, who was made acquainted with
the purpose for which it was intended. The delivery of
course was postponed, till information could be afforded
to the Magistracy of the alarming case. By the order,
we understand, of one of those Gentlemen, the poison
was given to the applicant. On his way home, how..
ever, be was intercepted by Mr. Chief Constable Howe,
of Windsor ; taken into custody, and searched ; and the
deadly dose found upon his person. Report says, that
ono third of the poison was to have been administered
in about three weeks ; which would.have made the poor
girl ill. In about another week, a second portion would
have been given ; this was to have effected a miscar-
riage; the wife being advanced in pregnancy. And, in
another week, the last dose would have been bestowed ;
which, it was contemplated, would have caused the
much desired death ! Three months from the perpetra-
tion of this deliberate and unheard of double murder,
the widower was to have forriied the second union.—
The spot for the'grave in the church-yard was even fixed
on. We mention no names, as it is likely the affair' will
occupy the attention of the present Criminal Court.'
Sydney (New South Wale) Gazette.
ATROCIOUS ACT.—John French, of Davidstow, near
Camelford, who maintained a largefamily-by working
for hire with a team of horses, was reduced to great
distress about three months since, by the sudden death
of his four horses, which expired on the same day; and
for which no cause could be assi.oned. The calamity
was, however, in some degree alleviated by the libe-
rality of his neighbours, by whose aid he was enabled to
purchase two horses, and resume his occupation. Those
animals shortly after shared the fate of the former, and
the poor fellow was driven to despair. Being unable to
account for the disasters, he concluded that it was the
effect of super natural agency, and went to a wizard who'
resides in the north of Devon, by whom he was as-
sured that his conjecture was correct, and gave a parti-
cular description of the witch by whom those deeds
were perpetrated, and the dupe returned with a resolu-
tion to search in the neighbourhood for the person sle-
scribed. However, as his horses were dead, he sold the
bay he had provided for them to the Clergyman of the
parish, and in a few days after three of the purchaser's
horses were suddenly taken ill, and died. The Clergy-
man sent the contents of the stomachs of the animals to
Exeter, to be subjected to a chemical analysis, when it
was found that a considerable quantity of arsenic had
been mixed with their provender. The only way in
which this can be accounted for is, that the poison was
mixed with the hay when put into a rick, but from what
motive, cannot be conjectured. It is, however, hoped
that the miscreant who has so wantonly cansechthe death
of nine horses, and brought a large family to poverty,
will be discovered.
There was in Wtozze's time a worthy person who
had risen from the useful but unpolished business of a+
bricklayer to be Lord Mayor of London. Among
other of his early habits the civil dignitary retained that
of eating everything with his fingers. One day a choice
bit of turbot baying repeatedly escaped from his lordly
grasp, %loxes, who switneorsed the dilemma, whispered/
SS My Lord, you bad better take your trowel to it."
It is curious, that what was reckoned a vulgar mode,
of eating fifty years ago, should now be esteemed the,
most approved and fashionable ; as even Ladies est their
sh with their Censers.