Star.
London, England, 1825-08-29 00:00:00

PORTSMOUTH, AUGUST 27.

Tnis morning sailed the BRAZEN, 28, Captain Gao.
"%Vitus, for the coast of Africa, with Captains CLA P-
PERTON and RoBERT PEARCE, and Doctors Mon BISON
anj IVa.sosr, of the Royal N tvy, on their mission
into the interior of Africa, having in view the disco-
very of the yet unknown course and termination of the
. river Niger, and opening friendly communications with
the principal native Kings and Chiefs. The UnAzas
bas also on board, with the same object, a number and
variety cf pre:ents, suited to the notions, capabilities,
- - and wants of the Kings and chief persons of the dit-
ferent tribes. The travellers will d-bark in the Big' t
cf Benin, whence Captain Pzanca and Dr. MountsoN
still proceed e ist ward, in as direct a coiut.e as circum-
stances will permi:, to Timbuctoo ; and Captain CLAP-
PeRTON and Dr. WILSON will proceed northward,
taking the city of Soudon for their ulterior point.—
The Kng c.f SourinN has promised•to send guides to
S,ckatoo, to meet the latter travellers, receive the
presents, and propitiate the other native Save,eigtr,
It is a prevailing belief among the natives, that there is
a lake communication between both Timbuctoo and
S-Aidon, with the Atlantic Ocean, flowing into the
WIN. The travellers are gone out in the highest
health and spirits, and with the most sanguine expec-
tAtions of ultimately succeeding in their object. Lieut.
JAmt,s, Royal Marine Artillery, for Ascension, and
Mr. IVA:. AiniN, Assistant Surgeon of the NIA IDSTONE,
are also passengers in the BRAZEN. The EDWARD
transport sailed in company with the BRAZEN, having
150 soldiers of the Royal African Corps on board.
The BRAZEN has also 50 men of the same corps on
-boat►; and 12 smugglers who are to serve five yeats on
that station.

ELOPEMENT.—An amatory expedieon from the Vale
of Clwyd took place last week. The Lady is likely to
become possessed of a handsome fortune, and her lover
was in her father's employ. They were closely pur-
sued by the brothers of the Lady, who overtook the,
refugees at Tranmere Ferry, opposite Liverpool, where
a good deal of disinclination to return was manifested
LT the parties. Eventually they crossed the Mersey,
tut were placed in the custody of the Police; on the
circumstances being explained, they were s^t at liberty.
LiverreooL.—Friday, a destructive fire broke out
in the building-yards beyond the Brunswick Dock.—
here are five building-yards together there: the fire
broke out in that one nearest the south, and in less than
an hour the %%bole cf the wood in the yards (with the
exception of the northern one, nearest to the dock) was
in flames. Five vessels in progress of building, more
or less advanced, were consumed; one, a steam-vessel,
w. s nearly ready for launching ; another, a ship of 400
tors burden, was little less forward. Fortunately, in
the yard next to the Brunswick Dock, no vessel was
on the stocks. They loosely reckon the loss at fifty
thousand pounds. A distressing loss has been expe-
rienced in the books of three of the proprietors, which
could not be saved from the flames. An engine got
down to the yards before the destruction was complete;
but the tide being at lowest ebb, little water could
be obtained, and the service of the engine consequently
was very little. •It is said that one man was seen to
be overwhelmed by the fall of the burning frame of
one of the vessels that was on the stocks ; no assist-
ance could be rendered him, and he perished. Thel
stocks were only, insured to a trivial amount. Several
of the builders, proprietors of these yards, were enjoy-
.. ing, the night before, the festivities of the Mayor's table.
Friday morning, as the shopmen of Messrs. list.t.vaa,
furniture warehouse, Mount-street, Lambeth, were
opening the premises, they found a man, a well-known
character, concealed behind some furniture; he was
secured, but not without considerable resistance. It
appeared that he bad contrived to gain admission en
the previous evening, with the intention of plundering
the warehouse, but was frustrated in his object by the
place being left so well secured, and was obliged to
vemain a prisoner the whole night.
The boxing-match between Salmon, a pupil of Ro-
hissacto, the black, and Gerrard, a carman, for twenty
nworeigns, proved fatal to Salmon on Thursday last,
it Moire, in Scotland. Gerrard is a powerful man, of
fifteen stone, and the deceased was twelve stone only.
The stnvivor had the best of all the rounds, and conti-1
nosily gave heavy falls, as well as blows, until the 45. h
tapnd, when the deceased was carried away senseless,
and died before he reached the nest inn.
Moaday, at Gomersal, Edward Ward, a child, swal-
lowed some oil of vitriol, which his father was using in
the manufacture of blacking, of Which he died in grea:
agony on the following day.
During a tremendous storm of thunder, on Tuesday
week, a cottage at Armine, near Boothferry, was struck
by lightning, and a woman killed on the spot.
Mr. Reives of Middleton, Bucks, was unfortunately
killed 'on Friday evening, by his chaise being over-
turitod, on his return from Egham.
The fashion of dividing shops now, in considerable
thoroughfares, where 'rents are high, leads often to
whimsical results. A house in the Camberw-11-road,
parted in this way, presented a singular appearance a
few weeks since; one side being occupied by an apo-
thecary, and the other by an undertaker!
This io a moment brings me to my end ;
But gkis informs met shall never die."

Wednesday afternoon, the 17th instant, a cormorant
alighted on the top of the south-west turret of King's
College Chapel, Cambridge, and being observed by
the ehapersleik, he went up the opposite turret, and
shot it. The bard instantly flew across the Mat ket.
hill, when it leU.on a house, and was taken, but died in
a abort •time.

• ' .ef .• •
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s AMER ASSIZES.
CHESTER, 41101.11T s 6.
MURDER.
Peer Minos, aged 21, was indicted for having, on
the s:h April last, at Macclesfield, assaulted Samson
Phillips, and thrust a red-hot poker into the lower part
of his belly, and of the wound so caused the said Sam.
son Phillips died on the 21st May following. The
prisoner was also charged with the wilful murder of
Samson Phillips under the Coroner's Inquest.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL (Mr. Hill) stated the case
to the Jury. He observed that the prisoner at the bar
had been indicted with one Francis Johnson, who had
absconded, for the wilful murder of Samson Phillips.
Although the indictment charged the offence. as mur-
der, he nevertheless thought it proper to state that, id
point of law, it would amount to no more than man-
slaughter, but it w-uld be one of a most aggravated
description. The Attorney-General here called the
attention of the Jury to the law of manslaughter, and
observed that the deceased resided at a place called the
Dams, in Macclesfield, and two doors from him resided
the prisoner at the bar and Johnson, who were both
ishmen, lodging with one Peter Formby. On the
morning of the sth of April the deceased heard a great
noise in the street, and went out to see what was the
occasion of it ; be found too people fighting, and at
last became second to one of the parties. Soon after-
wards the prisoner at the bar appeared on the spot, and
in a little while he and the deceased began fighting
also. But here they were on equal terms. In the
midst of the battle Johnson ran suddenly away from
the crowd to Formby's house, knocked violently at the
,:o tr, demanded instant admittance, and when he was
in the house he seized a poker, which was then red-hot,
and rus'led out with it into the midst of the crowd. At
this time the deceased was d ,wn on the floor, and
Johnson putting the dreadful weapon into Morgan's
hand, the latter tht ar=t it into the lo er part of the belly
of the deceased, and from the wound so given his death
followed. However, this having been done in the Meat
e.f passion, would, in psoint of law, amount hi Morgan
to manslaughter only. It would appear that the poor
man lived . some days afterwards, and then died ; but
the particulars as to the proximate cause of his death
would be espla;ned by the surgeon. The great, and
iltdeed the only, question of the case would be, whether
the prisoner's was the hand %Illicit inflicted the wound ?
Joseph Gregory examined—Witness said he kept the
Union public-house, at the Dams, in Macclesfield.
He was disturbed on the night of the sth' :of April,
between twelve and one o'clock, and went out to see
what was the matter, when he Saw two men, named
Madden and Christopher, fighting. Afterwards the
prisoner and Phillips began to fight, and soon eke r-
wards Johnson ran past witness, and went to the lodg-
ings kept by Formby ; he knocked volently at the door,
calling out, e Open the door immediately, if you don't
I'll break it down." The door was opened, and John-
son soon returned with a poker in his hand, which
appeared to be red-hot. They were still fighting, and
he ran amongst the crowd with it, and soon after-
, wards the witness. heard the moans of a man as if in
great pain.
Nothing particular was diem] on the cross-exami-
nation, further than that soon after he heard the scream,
witness went to Johnson, and charged him with being
the man who h id hurt the deceased, and next morning
Johnson absconded. Witness described Johnson as
being very much like the prisoner in all respects—his
countenance only excepted. They had both sandy
hair. The moon was about this time at the full, but
the men fought under the shide of the houses.
John Martin examined—All that he knew of the
prisoner at the time of the battle was by his whiskers.
He did not see Johnson do anything, but be saw the
deceased on the ground, who endeavoured to get the
poker out of the hands of the prisoner, but he could
not, as it burnt his fingers in two places. The prisoner
had the poker in his hands, and he stooped down as if
he was prising (lifting) the deceased. He had no doubt
but what the prisoner was the man, but he knew hip)
only by his whiskers, which were sandy coloured.
He had no doubt, on his oath, of the prisoner's identity.
On his cross-examination he said great confusion prevailed, and
there was much disturbance.
George Wilder examined—Witness deposed, that he
saw the parties fighting, and called out for fair play,
whether they were English-or Irish. Motgan appeared
to be in a great rage, and came up to witness and gave
him a challenge. Phillips then came up and spoke to
Morgan, when Francis Jo!inson sprung up and flew at
Phillips. They then all went into the crowd. Witness
then went to see what was going on in the crowd, and
he perceived the deceased lying on his back, when
Morgan wade two or three attempts to stab Sampson
with something like a stick or poker. He saw the last
witness attempt to take the weapon from Morgan.
Mattin then challenged Johnson with having had the
poker, but be denied it, and then he ran away.
Wilder underwent a long and strict cross-examina-
tion from Mr. D. F. JONEA, but his eviJence was not
in the slightest degree shaken. lie distinctly saw the
prisoner make two or three thrusts at the deceased with
the poker ; a smell then arose like that which proceeds
from the burning of flesh, but he did not hear any
fizz. Witness said he had no whatever against
the Irish, nor had be ever said he had.
Mr. John Fleet, surgeon, examined.—He was called
in on the 6th of April, to see the deceased. He was in
a very bad state : the scrotum was considerably swelled,
and there was an oblique wound passing the left side
of the scrotum, backwards, into the periteum; it was
about an-inch in-depth, and the ciecomference might
be more than an inch, surrounded by a whitish matter,
originating from the instrument by which the wound
was inflicted. It must have been inflicted with a heated
instrument, such as a red hot•poker. Witness Intended
him ti .1 he died. The wound undoubtedly was the
cause of his death.

On cross-examination he said, that the wound had
produced death by affecting the constitution. The
topical mischief was the exciting cause of the effect
nhich produced death. He died from the extensive
discharge of matter, which produced a constitutional
effect from the exhaustion produced from the wound.
Witness would always give a very guarded opinion of
the consequences of a wound in the perinesm ; it
might not necessarily produce death, but the pro-
bability was that it would. The perineum would offer,
very little difficulty in permitting a poker hcated to
pass into it.
To a question by the Coust—lt certainly appeared that some
forte had been toed; it appeared to have been done by a thrust.
J ,ho Upton, the constable who took the prisoner into
custody, was examined. He said he asked the de-
ceased, when on his death bed, whether it was the
prisoner who did it ? He appeared then to .be under
the apprehension of death. Deceased said be could not

1•••••-

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tell n had dole but 111 teliaved it L_iras not tne
prisoner, becaua Int *al the inn be bad 'Fought with ;
when the prisoner did, it sail a hard thing he should
-he imprisoned siroagfillly for doing nothing. Witnets
added, that, the prisoner had an opportsinity of es=
raping from his custody, but did 11101. . .
The ',darner, in his defence, said he was liniment of the fact
charged against him.
Joseph Walton and Alfred Maddock were called an
his behalf, and positively swore that they sac Johbson
make thrusts at the deceased with the hot-poker, while I
he was on the ground, and at this time also Morg.in
was on the ground, apparently as .if he had ben
knocked dawn. During the fight there were between
200 and 300 people present. Walton said he had been
imprisoned at Knutsiord, on a suspicion of Stealing 41.
from his master, but he was cleared.
The Cruci Jubilee summed up the evidence at
length to the Jury, commenting on the contradictory
bearings of it, and obsei ring that it was probable the
parties, from its being moonlight, and the flip having
taken place is the shade of the houses, might have
been mistaken in the identity of the prisoner's perrsn,
he and Johnson being described as so nearly alike in
stature and other particulars. If the Jury had any
doubts on the subject of_ the prisoner's gulf, they
would give him the benefit of them and acquit him.
The Jury immediately returned a verdict of Nut Guilty.