Star.
London, England, 1807-10-23 00:00:00

WEST2IPMSTER SESSIONS.

There Seflions commenced yeflerday, before W.
MAINWAIMG, nil. and a Bench of Magifliates.—
The cafes that came bef e the Coat t, were rather of
an infignificant defciipti tn.
Tut/mks firil cattle that attratfted
the particular of the Court was an in).dinent
preferred by a perfon of the name t Thomas M..jor
aping} James Cooper, for an affault.
Mr. Pilton hated, that on the night f the 17th
of May lel, between the hours of eleven and tvrelve
o'clock, he was proceeding hAne to hid houfe at Lit-
tle Chelfea,: that palling through Pimlico turnpike,
he Wet ved a perfon attempting to extort from two
men•drivug carts a (urn of money for toll : that he
interfered, and, upon raying that he ha,3 no hufloefs
to demand toll it that hour (as the Brentford Elec-
tion hed commenced), he WAS ftruck by the prifoner,
and extremely ill ufed : that he gave him no provo-
cation whatfoever, but merely interfered in bz..half of
the carers, whom he thou4ht the defendant was im•
poling on : that in his continuance to tare' t thole
poor perfon.' rights, the defendant increafed in his
outrage againd him to fuen a degree, that a mcb
was colleded, and he was in danger of hi.: life ; but
fortunately fome friends palling, he accnfled them.
and the defendant, after he had committed feveral
other ads of violence, was at length fecured, and
with his wife conveyed to the watch houfe.
On his crofs examination by Mr. BARRY, Cnunfel
for the Defendant, he admitted that he did not
know he was the turnpike man, and that the hour
had not arrived when the Brentford Eledion conßi-
tuted freedom of egrefs and regrets for the palling of
carriages.

James Pcnle Rated, that he was a lifeguard man,
and he carrob.lrated the llatement of Mr. Pitton, as
far as the affauh wen;, but knew nothing of the cit.-
comftances that gave rile t.n it.
On the part of ,the prifoner, hit Counfel addreffed
the Court and the Jury, contending that the at.
greffion having commenced with the profeautor
himfelf, his client was entitled to an acquittal, inaf-
much as the intermeddling of that profecutor with the
dunes of the defendant in his official capacity, pro.
yoked the attack and allault of which he complained.
A Mrs. Wright was called to thew that the pro-
fecutor bad encouraged and excited a mob again!}
the defendant, the refult of which was, their break=
ing into his rooms and dragging him to the watch-
hnufe. On her crofs examination by the Court, the
admitted that the mob did not beclme outrageous
againG the defendant until he had forced a gentle-
woman ir.to the tollhoufe, where he had ufed her ill.
The CHAIRMAN fin-timed up the whole of the
tettimony, and the Jury found the prifoner—Guilty.
He was again charged in another indiCtment w ith
affaulting a Mr. Howett.

The evidence in this cafe was nearly fimilar to
that i . the I,rmer profecution, with the addition of
a Mr. and Mrs. Gurney ; the latter of whom (wore,
that in patting at the moment with her hufband, Ate
was feiztd by the wife of the defendant, and dragged
into the toll honk, where he violently affAulted her,
and cut her over the eye ; that her cries culleeted
the mob about the gate, and in refcning her from
further violence Mr. Hewett was an-milted.

The prifoner attempted to paily himfelf under
the fame defence, and his Conniel again addreffed the
Jury on his behalf, but he was found gnilty.
The Court, after fume deliberation, fenteneed him
to one month's imprifonment for the firlt affeult ; and
for the fecund, as being c ,nticie, ably aggravated, to
three months further imp, ifonment.
The defendant had found a bill again( Pilton for
an alfsult, but his Conniel obferving the turn which
the evidence took, advifed him not to profecute it,
upon which Mr. Pilton was acquitted, and Cooper, by
that means, laved an extention of punithment, which
otherwife would certainly have been inflieted upon
him.

Jte LOUI.Y.-A perfon of the name of John Broder
was indicted for affaulting a man of the name of Hay,
fee vane to Count Welderen. The profecoter did not
make out a cafe of affault, and it being hinted that
there was a little jealoufy in the bufinefs, he was
afked whether he haJ not been rather too civil to the
defendant's wife ? andanfwering that he never went
near her but he brought her fomething, and that he
fometimes took her out in his mailer's carriage, being
the coachman, the Jury acquitted the defendant.
E &deb Potter was convicted of an affault upon a
young woman, in a fit of jealoufy. She was fined
three (billings and fourpence.
Ffcombe was convicted of an altrulr, on Jain
Gounfon, an officer, in the execution of his duty.--4
The officer did nut (hew his authority. The Dcfen•
dant was fined 35. 4.d.
Ifaac Solotnons, and Mary his wife, were indided
for keeping a diforderly houfe, in Marigold Court,
in the Strand. This was a profecution at the fait of
the parilh. The Defendants were convicted, and
fentenced to be imptifoned for fir months.
Lydia and Edward T own were indicted for a:tutting
Daniel Smith, fon of a faddler, in Bond-(beet. In
the courfe of the invelligation it was proved, that
Smith called her and her brother ,g perjured Jewit
&c." The Jury acquitted the Defendants.

The Nelly, Adamfon, from Trinidad) is loft at
Barbadods.

. A fire broke ont on Tuefday evening in the fable
of Mr. JAMES D3RMER, at Wafperton, occafioned
by a candle falling among the litter under one of
the horfes. Three very valuable horfes were with
difficulty got out alive, but were much burnt. The
premifes, with a loft, were entirely c.,nftimed. The
damage is eftimated at three hundred pounds.
COLM EXCHAROE, MARK LANS, OCTOBER
There are eonfiderable quantifies of Wheat for to.
day, and the tales are estiemely dull at the late
teduaionc in price, and laft Prices are hardly main-
t eintelOf Barley but (bort fupply, and rather dearer
—Malt varies but little—But few White or Grey
Peas, which are higher—Beans of each kind fetch a
better price—There are fume further arrivals of Oats,
which trade fuppotts laR prices—Flour as our lad.

OZWEAAL CURRENCY AS ourtaa.
What, 401 sos 610 per Ir. Grey Peale 6ss 67sod
Fine Ditto. 64166 s od Scans, 58s 631 od
Rye. (new) 401 4410 d Tick Ditto ells sas a
Eaticy,3Bl 44God Oats, 130 28s 3sa
Malt, 64s 74s od Poland slit•a 330 344
White Peaft, (Boilers)rs4s 160 Potstoe ditto 3ss 6d
Rape seed. sal 20
Flit Flour 4w to jp....SMildS 4.18 to Set.

ODE,
ON PEALING OF AN INSURRECTION AGAINST TUE FRENCU

IN SWIT7.►BLAND.

By J. PORTER.

Gird en tl.e fwerd. ye Sons of Tett!

And bend again th' unerring bow;
And fall, as era. your Fathas fell,
Or lay the fierce Invaders low.
And what tho' many a ravage horde,
Like locufts, thro' your country (warm ;
Yet mighty is the Freeman's fwords

And wined with death his warrior arm.
Swear by rack Switzer's hallow'd Dade,
To burft your ignominious chains :
Or elk, in Freedom's ranks array'd,
To drain your life's blood from your veins.

Behold! your fathers' fpir its lir;
In grill; ftate rour.d Uri's fteep
And bending from the low'ring fkies,
On old Helvetia look, and weep.

" Vain your figh4, and vat" your tears,"
In deep-attounding voice they cry;
Grafi) your Goords, and point your friars :
Like Freemen lire—or Freemen die!"

Your bofoms pant with patriot zcal,
Infl•ir'd by this no earthly fpell :
Yc fwear, to end the wrongs ye fed;
Or LAI, as orft your Fathers fell! j
Briftol, 1837.

711EATRES.

There are, in the performances of our Theatres,
feveral Stage improprieties, which are fo trifling in
themfelves, and yet, in the aggregate, lb deltruBive
to dramatic deception, that it appears to us, the only
caufe of their ex;ftence can be inadvertence. We have
therefore determined, by deteding them, to put it out
of the power of our Managers and Performers to
plead this as an cantle any longer. We are perfectly
aware, that, after all that can be done towards dra-
matic deception, by the aEtion of the Rage, a great
deal mutt (till remain to be effefted by the imagina-
tions of the fpettators ; and it is for this very realm
we would diminith the tzfle of the latter, wherever
any portion of it can be thrown upon the former.
The abfurd cuitoms, by which our Aelors wear their
hats in rooms, and hold them under their arms in
the open air; by which our Aftreffes walk out to
vifit without bonnets or cloaks; by which both
full drefs themfelves trpon almoft every occafion,
and drefs themfelves not fo much to aft their parts,
as to appear before fome hundreds of Ladies and
Gentlemen—thefe ablurditi:s haVe fomc time ago
been enlargenl upon by an able Critic : but there are
(till feveral improprieties, which
to be bated, need but to be feen
and which, we troll, to be corretted, need but to be
pointed out. •
The fir it of thefe is the unnatural velocity witli
which the operations of writing and reading proceed
on the Stage. We have feen a Performer dititate a
letter, and write it, with a difpatch which the fleeteli
fhort hand writer might admire ; and we are very
fore, that, if we could be indulged with a fight of
the letter which Mrs. karma writes in the Melding
Day, the Country Girl, &c. it world not confitt of
more than three fcratches oldie pen. Mr. Ecusvos,
in the Will Indian, too, makes up a letter with a nim.
blenefs, whole compatibility with the matter we after-
wards find it contains, is amazing ; and, in fhort,
there is not a Performer on the Stage who cr.nnot
write a great deal faller than his writing could be
read. The conlequence of this is, that when a Perfor-
mer is not compeiied to read a letter aloud, he keeps
pace with the quicknefs with which it was written,
by perufing it with a mere glance ; the meaning of a
letter teems to come intuitively to an actor. Nothing
can he more revolting than thefe practices.
Another abfurd inflance of over (peed an the
Stage, is the too immediate readinefs wi;h which
every neceffary that is wanted in the Play is pro
cured from the fide fcene. This is not mare ludicrous
than an incident that happened to the poor failor's
mifirefs, in gr. Shi.r.rnaa's ballad : being deferted
by her lover, fire ilzw into the ttreet, and in her def-
pair—

f:tra!ght fhe call'd for fwordi and 13:Ruh—
" Pr,.ught they were at her command."
We are furrrii'ea that this praelice is no: guardei
againfl ; for it is fometimes fo glaring, that thofe
of
the audience, who do not aelually fee the man who
!lands at the fide fcene with the wine and glhataffes in
n
his hand, can do no otherwife than guefs t f
mull be the cafe. Little obaacles like thefe com-
pletely overthrow dramatic fietion ; the lean atom
that the wind blows into the eye, can give it the
keeneft pain.
The third S:age impropriety, which we than men-
tiln, is the initantaneons manner in which a doer is
opened after an application to its knacker. This
may be tolerated its a Pantomime, where Harlequin
can (kip away from the door he has knocked at, oven
before a Clown can bora out with a great flick, by
the uneffeelive exercife of which, he is brought
fprawling on the ground; there it will be claffed
with every thing elfe that is unnatural : but Comedy
ought to be a tcpiefentation of life ; and to find a
thee doer with a fervant conftantly clofe to it, is
hat every body knows is to be done no where but
on the Stage.
All thete faults originate in a defire to avoid te-
dioufnels ; but
lk:rnrittant a:iud natura aliudbpientia dieit."
What an audience with the Stage to do. is not to
avt.id Nature ; and our aetors may rea tiff-tired, that
thefe perpetual deviations from it are much more
weitirettle, than the time it would take to read and
write a letter, to fetch a glafs of wine from another
room, or to come to a Ilreet door from a kitchen.

Mr. COOKE THE AC TC,1•1:::is Gentleman, whole
same has Pf late been fr frequently mentioned in the
London Prints, wai at -Bow::efs, Windermere, not
many days ago, in the vicinity of which place he has
c litied a contiderable time —Cumberland Parket, 06.20.
General MittaNns, it is (laced in a letter from
Trinidad, reticles in that ifland as a retired individual.
His troops were tilbanded, and the Leander was
difmartiing ; his confidential Secretary had engaged
bur:felf to keep the bot and attend the Bores of a
310 Chdllt.

MURDERS M' gODDESDON.

FURTHER PARTICULARS.
In confequence of the firft report which reached
town of the horrid murders perpetrated upon two
Ladies at Hoddcfdon, as Rated in our Paper of yef.
terday, we were folicitous to coiled, for the informa-
tion of our Readers, the fulleft detail of the particu-
lars of this horrid event : we have accordingly
followed up our firft inveftigation by a minute en-
quiry on the (pot where the melancholy cataftrophe
occurred ; and the refult it, that we find our firs
account 'differs, in fume Illacles, from the precife
circnmftances of the cafe. We are now, however,
enabled to lay before our Readers the following au•
thentic narrative :
Mr. Boreham, a refpeaable member of the Society
of Friends, has been many years a refident at Hod-
defdon : his houfe is on the declivity of the hill,
beyond that town, about two hundred yards from
the market houfe. He had four daughters, one of
whom was the wife of Mr. Warner, brafsfounder, of
the Crefcent, Kingfland.road, and alfo of the Cref-
cent, Jewin-ftreet. Mrs. Warner had been on a vifit
to her parents for feveral days ; and on Tuefday
evening, a Mrs. Hummerflone, who fupetintended,
as bookkeeper, the bufinefs of the Black Lion Inn,
at Hoddefdon, for Mr. Batty, the Proprietor, was
at Mr. Boreham's houfe, in confequence of an invite-
don to fpend the evening with the family. The
company affembled in the parlonr were Mr. Bat-
ham, a very old Gentleman, affected by the pally
his wife, his four daughters, Anne, Elizabeth, Sarah,
and Mrs. Warner. About a quarter pall nine, they
were alarmed by a very loud noife at the back of the
hook. It proceeded from fume perfon in difpute
with the fervant woman, Elizabeth Harris, and who
was infiaing to get into the houfe. He proved to
be Thomas Simmons, a young man about twenty,
who had been fervant in the family of Mr. Bortham
for about two years laft paft, but from which he had
been very recently difmiffed, and was employed in
the brewery of Meffrs. Chriitie and Co. at Hoddef
don. This young man, it teems, had, while in the
family, paid his addreffee to the fervent, Elizabeth
Harris, who was many years older than himfelf ;
but the fymptoms of a ferocious and ungovernable
temper, which he had frequently difplayed, had in.
duced his miarefs to diffuade the woman from any
eonnettion with him ; and this violent difpofition had
led alfo to his difmiffel from the family. He had
been heard to vow vengance again Elizabeth Her"-
ris and the eldett Mik Boreham ; and on Tuefday
night, at the hour already flared, he made his way
into the farm-yard, and from thence into an interior
court, called the (lone-yard. Elizabeth Harris, on
feeing his approach, retired within a fcullery, and
Phut the door againft him. He demanded admit-
tance, which the relufed high words accordingly
arofe ; and he plunged his hand, armed with a knife,
through a window-lattice, at her; but miffed his
aim. This noife alarmed the company in the parlour,
or keeping.toom, as it is called. Mrs. Hummerftone
was the fiat to come forth, in hope of being able to
intimidate and fend away the diaurber ; but jolt as
the reached the back door, leading from the parlour
to the (lone-yard, Simmons, who was proceeding to
enter the houfe that way, met her, and with his knife
(lobbed her in the jugular artery, and pulling the
knife forward, laid open her throat on the left fide.
She ran forward, as is fuppofed, for the purpofe of
alarming the neighbourhood, but fell, and rote no
more. The murderer purfued his fanguinary pur-
pofe, and rutting into the parlour, railed and bran-
difhed his bloody knife, (wearing a dreadful oath,that
46 he would give it to them all. ' Mrs. Warner was
the perfon next him ; and, without giving her time
to rife (tom her chair, he gave her fo many (labs in
the jugular vein, and about her neck and breaft, that'
(he tell from her chair covered with areams of blood,
and expired. Fortunately Mils Anne Boreham had
been up (fairs, immediately previous to the com-
mencement of this horrid bufinefs ; and her filters
Elizabeth and Sarah, terrified at the horrors they
law, ran np (lairs too for fafety. The villain next
attacked the aged Mrs. Boreham, by a fimilar aim
at her jugular artery, but miffed the point,-and
wounded her deep in the neck, though not mortally.
—The poor old Gentleman was making his way to-
wards the kitchen, where the fervant maid was, and
the mifeteant, in endeavouring to reach the fame
place, rive( fet him, and then endeavoured to flab
the fervent in the throat ; the ftruggled with him,
caught at the knife, and was wounded feverely in
the hand and arm. The knife fell in the (boggle.
She, however, got out of the back door, and made
her way into the fireet, where, by her fcreams of
murder, (he alarmed the neighbourhood. The poor
people reliding near the honk, were all in their beds;
but the whole town was foon in alarm. The mur-
derer fought to conceal himfelf ; and, after tome
fearch, was difcovered in a cow crib : he was i:nme-
diately taken prifoner, and brought to the Bell ale•
houfe, where he was bound and handcuffed until
morning ; and was asftnally on the point of death
from the tightnefs of his ligatures, which had nearly
(topped the circulation, when Mr. Fairfax, of the
Black Bull Inn, iti the town, interfered, cut the
ligature., and thereby prevented a death too fum•
mary for the caufe of public jutlice.
Two 2rofeffional Gentlemen in the town, Mr.
James and Mr. Worthington, almotl in(lantly at I
tended Mr. Boreham's family, but could render no
manner of ai3,to Mrs. Warner or Mrs. Hummer.
Rune. Alas ! both were dead. They dreffed, how
ever, Mrs. Boreham's wound, and the poor old gen-
tleman was found proarate where he fell, with a
poker by his fide, which his full ftreugth would not
allow him to ufe.
Immediately after this fad tragedy, a friend of the
family, the younger Mr. Manlergh, fet off for town
to communicate the affliaing news to Mr. Wainer.
He called on a friend in his way, who accompanied
him to Mr. Warner's refidence cn Kingfield Rt,ad.
Every degree of difcretion was tiled in breaking to
him the afflieting intelligence ; but fuch was the
acutenefs of his feelings, and the diftratting excefs of
his grief, that he has not yet approached the fcene of
horror.
An Inqueft was held at the Black Bull Inn on
Wednefday, which continued from eleven in the
morning until eight in the evening. Tie &IA and
pincioal witnefs examined was Elizabeth Harrii,
the fubtiance of whole evidence we have detailed in
the (meg. ing narrative.
It appealed alto from the aartnation of Mr.