Star.
London, England, 1821-12-07 00:00:00

THEA I LAICALS.

DRURv-LANs.—The Comedy of The Road to Ruin
was produced at this Theatre last night. The part of
Dornton was supported by Mr. MUNDEN, the origi-
nal representative : he gave a forcible picture of the
upright, generous, indignant, yet kindly paternal old
man ; and in those more tender scenes between him
and his son, his expression of feeling was nature itself.
Mr. COOPER represented Young London, for the first
time : his performance was very respectable. HMI..
LEY'S Goldfinch was a very humorous caricature:
his pantomime was highly amusing. Miss KELLY
was quite in her element, in the part of Sophia. In
the hands of this.excellent actress, it became natural
and affecting. The other characters were well filled.
ACCIDENT AT COVY.NT•GARDMN THEATREO--L3SL
night, a distressing accident happened to Mr. As-
BOTT, while performing Proteus, in the Two Gentle-
men 91 Verona. 'ln the banditti scene of the last
Act, when encountering one of the banditti, he was
wounded severely in the face by the swo:d of Mr.
Comm From the unexpected nature of the blow,
and the great pain it occasioned, he shi ieked so loud
as to excite a shuddering sensation among the audi-
ence, and to create a belief that he was mortally
wounded. Their painful sympathy was not much
allayed by the report of Mr. JONES, who came for-
ward, and, informing them that Mr. A 511,)TT way des-
perately wounded, begged they would allow the Play
to proceed without him. The spectators did a)t feel
a disposition to sit and be amused, after having yore•
cently witnessed so painful an accident; ant required
that the curtain should be dropped, and Ile P.ay con-
cluded. This state of anxiety continued for about ten
minutes, when Mr. EGERTON came forward and an-
nounced to their satisfaction, that Mr. ABBOTT was
not so severely wounded as was at first apprehended ;
and that his eye, which was at first believed to be
injured, was not touched. The wound is immedi-
ately under the eye, the point of the sword having
penetrated and laid open a part of the cheek and the
side of the nose. Mr. Assorr was conveyed home
in a hackney-coach soon after the accident.

A well-dressed person, having the appearance of a
Gentleman, called at the house occupied by the or-
phans of the late Mr. and Mrs. BonemaN, at I-Lick-
ney, whose distressing case has appeared in most of
the public papers, and for whose relief a subscription
has been set on foot. The fellow, addressing the
eldest daughter, pretended to commiserate their un-
fortunate condition, and said he brought them a con-
tribution of £2, requesting change out of a 1:10 Bank
of England note. Not having change in the house,
they, at his suggestion, sent tor, and obtained it in
the neighbourhood, and gave the villain ES, with
which he decamped. It is almost needless to say,
that in a few days the note came back, being forged.
A medical gentleman at Hackney was defrauded
about the same time, by giving change out of a £5
forged note, to a person of a similar description.
Wednesday night, or early yesterday morning,
Union Chapel, Compton Terrace, Islingt..n, was broke
into and robbed of the clock and two brass lamps.—
Sunday night, Hinton Academy Chapel was robbed
also of a clock and two brass lamps. The hands of
the clock stolen from Union Chapel were forced off,
and left behind.

--------
Tuesday, Sir RICHARD llinsts made a report to
Lord SIDMOUTH, as Secretary for the Home Depart-
ment, of the state of the Police. The Magistrates
from the different Police-offices in the Metropolis
also made reports.
COIN EICUANG MAILZ-LAPIL, Due. 7.—We bad several fresh
arrivals this morning from Suffolk, but not the least improve-
ment in the demand for any Grain. Prime dry samples of
Wheat were the only description that could be got off, and
which sold es. per quarter lower than on Monday; but all other
sorts were totally unsaleable. Barley is from Is. to as. per guar-.
ter cheaper, and exceedingly heavy sale at that abatement.
Beans, Pea:, and Oats went off very slowly, at a decline of le;
pet quarter. •
Samarium Mmuter, 7.—There was but a middling
supply of Cattle at Market this morning, and all prime artic!es
went off higher than last market-day. Hay, Straw, ard flamer
as per last.—Current prices :
Beef, Ss. ttd. to 3.. 10d. per stone of 8164.; Mutton, la. ad.
to Ss. Bd. Veal. 3.. .041. to Ss. 0.1. Pork, Si. 6d. to 46.64
Cattle at Market : Beasts, 490; Calves, 120; Sheep and Laub%
4,200; Fees, 190—Hay and Straw per load, Hay, 3f. tee. to
41. Cloreeb 41. Os. t SI. Os. &SAW. U.S.. to U. lie.

JAMES PERRY, ESQ.

This respectable Gentleman, who has long been
known as the Eltor and, Proprietor of the Morning
Cironide,
eironiek, died on Tuesday morning; at his house at .
Brighton, in the 65th year of his age. He was a man
of a strong, discriminating mind, and in the private
relations of life highly esteemed as a father and a
Mend. Althoagh far advanced in years, his consti-
tution promised a much greater length of days; but
it hid been for some time gradually yielding to a
severs internal disease, which baffled all human skill.
As our .Readers will naturally feel an interest in being
made acquainted with the principal incidents in the
life of one who has been so long distinguished as a
public Journalist, of the very highest character for
independence and political consistency, we present
them with the following biographical sketch:
Mr. JAstes PERRY was a native of Aberdeen: he
was born on the 30th of. October, 1756, and received
the first rudiments of education at Chapel of Garloch,
of which parish the Roy. W. FARQUHAR. father of
Sir WALTER FARQUHAR' was Minister, and where,
along with the youngest brother of Sir. WALTER, he
received from that venerable and lurned Divine the
most assiduous instruction. The Rev. Dr. TACT,
who has since risen to a dignified station in the
Church of England, was then Master of the School
of Chapel, and gave it celebrity by his erudition and
abilities. From this Mr. PERRY was removed to the
High School of Aberdeen, which he went through,
with credit to himself, under the Messrs. DUNN, then
its principal Masters.
In the year 1771, he was entered of Karachi.'
College, in the University of Aberdeen, and was
afterwards placed under Dr. ARTHUR DINGWALL
FORDYCE, Advocate, to qualify him for the profassio-n.
of the Scots Law; but his father, who was an eminent
builder, having engaged in some unsuccessful specu-
lations of his business, the young man left Aberdeen
in 1774, and proceeded to Edinburgh, in the hope of
obtaining a situation in some Professional Gentle-
man's chambers, where he might at once pursue his
studies and obtain a livelihood: but, after long and
ineffectual attempts to gain employment, be came to
England, and was for two years engaged in Man-
chester, as Clerk to Mr. DINwIDDIE, a respectable
manufacturer. In this situation he cultivated his
mind by the study of the best authors, and gained
the friendship and protection of the principal Gentle-
men of the town, by the talents he displayed in a So-
ciety which was then established by them, for philo-
sophical and moral discussions, and by several literary
essays, which obtained their approbation. In the
beginning of 1777, lie brought with him recommen-
dations from all the principal manufacturers to their
correspondents; but they all failed of procuring him
any suitable introduction: it was, however, the acci-
dental effect of one of them that threw him into the
line of life which, from that period, he persevered in
with such invariable constancy.
There was at that time an Opposition Journal,
published under the title of the General Advertiser,
and being a new concern, it was the practice of the
proprietors to exhibit the whole contents of it upon
boards, at different shop-windows and doors, in the
same manner as we now see the the:dileal placards
displayed. Mr. PERRY, being unemployed, amused
himself with writing essays and scraps of poetry for
this Paper, which he flung into the letter-box of the
printing-house, and which were always inserted.—
Calling one day at the shop of Messrs. RICHARDSON
and URQUIIA RT. booksellers, to whom he bad letters
of reco.ornendation, he ft,and the latter busily en-
gaged in reading, and apparently enjoying, an article in
the General Advertiser. After Mr. URQUHART had
finished the perusal, Mr. PERRY put the usual ques-
tion to him, whether he had heard of any situation
that would suit hiM ? to which he replied in the ne-
gative—at the same time holding out the Paper, he
said, " If you could write such articles as this, I
could give you immediate employment." It hap-
pened to be a humorous essay, written by Mr. PERRY
himself. This he instantly intimated to Mr. Ult•
QUI! A nr, and gave him another article in the same
' band-writing, which he had proposed to drop into
the letter-box. Mr. URQUHART expressed great saris-
faction at the discovery, and informed him that. he
was one of the principal proprietors of the Paper;
that they wanted just such a person; and as there
was to be a meeting of the proprietors that same
evening, he would propose Mr. PERRY as a writer.
He did so, and die next day be was-engaged at a
salary of one guinea per week, and in additional half
guinea for assistance to the London Evening Post,
then printed by the same person.
Such was the incident that threw Mr. PERRY into
;he profession of a Journalist. He was most assi-
duous in his exertions for the General Advertiser;
and, during the memorable trials of Admirals KEP
PELL and PALLisEn, he. for six weeks together, by
his individual efforts, sent up daily from. Portsmouth
eight columns of the trials, taken by him in Court.,
which, from the interest they excited, raised the Pa-
per to a sale of several thousands per day. At this
time Mr. Penny wrote and published several politi-
cal pamphlets and poems; and in 1782 he formed
the plan, and was the first editor of die European
Dfagazine, upon the design of combining, in one
monthly publication, the usual miscellaneous con-
tents of such a work, with a review of new books.L.
He conducted it, however, only for the first twelve
months, as, on the death of a Mr. WALL, he was
chosen by the Proprietors of the Gazetteer to be the
Editor of that Paper, the Proprietors of which con-
sisted of the principal Booksellers in London—Mr.
THOMAS PAYNE, Mr. WHITE, • Mr. NICOL, Mr. L.
DAVIE.% Mr. PAULVAILLANT With Sir NATHANIEL
CONANT, Mr. ELMELEY, &c. Mr. PERRY undertook
the Editorship of the Paper at a salary of four guineas
vs. week, on the express condition that ht was to be'
Left to the free exercise of his political opinions, which
were those asserted by Mr. Fox—opinions which,
from their liberality in the cause of freedom, justice,
and humanity, had'made, on his first entering the
gallery of the House of Commons, an impression that
could not be effaced from his mind.
On his commencing Editor of the Gazetteer, he
suggested to the Proprietors the plan of employing
several Reporters to facilitate the publication of the
debates in Parliament. Up to that time each Paper
lad but one Reporter in each House of Parliament •
pad the predecessor of Mr. PERRY in the Gamma;
had been in the hgbit of villain& out the terms

debates for weela, and even months, after the Session
'had closed; while Mr. WOODEALL, in the Morning
Chionick, used to bring out his hasty sketch of th
debate in the evening of 'the following day ; Mr.
Praav's plan was adopted; and by a succession of
Reporters, the Gazetteer was published in the morn-
ing with as long a'debate as Mr.Woonvara. brought
out in the eventag, and sometimes at midnight.
It happened that, in the years 1780. 1781, and
'1782, there were numerous Debating Societies in
every part of the metropolis, where many persons
who have since been conspicuous in Parliament, in
the Pulpit, and on the Bench, distinguished them-
selves as public speakers. Mr. Psalm was a speaker
in these Societies, and is mentioned with great praise
in the History Vase Westminster Forum. Mr. PITT
used to attend these Societies, although he never
spoke at any of them ; and it is not perhaps generally
known, that the Lyceum was fitted up and received
that title, expressly for a superior School of Oratory,
by JOHN SHERIDAN, Esq. a Barrister, with the view
of enabling such young Gentlemen as were designed
for the Senate and Bar to practice public speaking
before a genteel auditory. It was opened for a few
nights at five shillings, as the price of admittance.—
Mr. Purr and several of his friends frequented it, but
the enterprise fell to the ground. It is positively
stated, that afterwards, when Mr. PITT came to be
Chakellor of the Exchequer, having had frequent
opportunities of witnessing Mr. PERRY'S talent in
public speaking, and particularly in reply, caused a
proposal to be made to him of coming into Parlia-
ment, which would have probably led on to high
fortune. Mr. PERRY, however, thought proper to
reject it, as he did afterwards an offer of the same
kind from the Earl of Suet.aunsie ; and he uniformly
maintained the principles with which he first set out
in his political course.
Mr. PERRY was for several years Editor of De-
bretes Parliamentary Debates, to the exclusion of ad-
vertisements and other extraneous matter. This work
' had fallen into disrepute, and the proprietors set it
'up to public sale. In the meanwhile, Mr. WOOO-
- undertook another Paper, under the title of the
Diary, and Mr. PERRY bought the Morning Chroni-
cle. lie announced himself, in conjunction with his
friend Mr. GRAY, as joint Proprietor and Editor, and
declared he would be responsible for .its contents.
From that time to the present day, it his continued
to be the organ of genuine Whig principles, uniformly
asserting the doctrines that placed the illustrious
House of Brunswick upon the Throne of the United
Kingdom, and equally deprecating all violent
changes, whether attempted by Jacobins on one side
or Ultra Royalists on the other. The consequence
was that of his having been assailed and reviled by
both extremes of party, while the great constitutional
body of the-Whigs, and of the friends of freedom,
considered the Chronicle as the true vehicle of sound
constitutional doctrines. It is but justice here to re-
mark, what is truly creditable to Mr. PERRY, that he
never suffered his Paper to be degraded by private
personalities or scandal, and that he never was sus-
pected of venality. Twice in the course of forty years
lie was prosecuted by ex-ofrio informations, and was
as often honourably acquitted. • In the first instance
he was most ably defended by his Noble Friend Lord
ERSKINE, and in the second he took his defence upon
himself.—in private life, Mr. PEit ItY bad the happi-
ness to maintain his aged parents in comfort, nod to
bring up the orphan Wilily of his sister by her first
marriage. She was afterwards married, for the
second time, to the celebrated Professor Ponsus:, and
died in 1796.
In 1;98, Mr. Penny was married to Miss ANNE
Hell , a young Lady of the most amiable accom-
plishments—with whom, for many years, he lived in
the most perfect state of connubial felicity. She
bi ought him eight children, one of whom died young;
and the eldest, a daughter, of the most promising
talents, was carried off at the age of fourteen, by the
rupture of a blood-vessel, in the arms of her mother,
which gave a shock to that Lady's constitution which
she never recovered. She sunk into a decline, and
took a voyage to Lisbon in hopes of restoration by a
milder climate; on her return she was taken prisoner
by an Algerine frigate, and after suffering much in
the voyage, she sunk under her complaint soon after
she was landed at Bourdeaux.
The industry and talent of Mr. PERRY, as a Jour-
nalist, cannot be more fully exemplified than by the
unprecedented success which he experienced shortly
after he took the then obscure and almost expiring
Paper, the Morning Chronicle, into his hands. It is
said of Tit EmisTmLes, the ramous Athenian States-
man, that, on being reproached for his want of polite
accomplishments, he made this reply—" It is true I
never touched the lute, or learned to play on the
harp; but if you will commit to my charge a city
ever so obscure and inconsiderable, I can make it
great and flourishing." By a similar exercise of judg-
ment and persevering attention, did the subject of
these memoirs raise an obscure ournal to be the most
distinguished and respectable that perhaps ever before
appeared in the world ; for it was looked up to, not
only throughout the British Empire, but all over the
Continent of Europe, not only for the talent it dis-
played, but for the uniform independence, consistency,
and firmness, with which it advocated the genuine
principles of political liberty. Even those who dif-
fered from Mr. Panny's political opinions, always
acknowledged the sincerity with which he adopted,
and the candour and simplicity With which he main-
tained them. But this was not all : in the conduct
of his Journal he at all times evinced a high sense of
moral propriety and decorum ; he not only never
suffered it, according to the fashion of the time when
he began his literary career to become a vehicle for
private slander, but he carefully excluded such articles
as might hurt ;.he feelings of private individuals, even
when the publication of them could not have sub-
jected him to any legal process.
As the celebrated WILLIAM WOODEALL was the
first who gave a new feature of correctness to the
reports of Parliamentary Debates, so was Mr. Pam
the first who contributed by his example to give a
respectability to English Newspapers, which they
never possessed before ; and in all the violent party
conflicts in which he happened to be engaged; his ad-
versaries were obliged to confess that his hostility
was carried on with honour, as well lb talent. He
was beloved and respected by his numerous friends—
he was generous and liberal to all who stood in need
of his bosinty, while he exercised the, greatest discri-I
minatiuu with regard to those who Wen worthy of
•-

it ; and, while Ile took etre tbst the dude, belonging
to his extensive establishment were Punctually ful-
filled, he had the rare quality of securing the attach-
ment, as well as the esteem, of all those who were in
his employ.

OLD BAILEY SESSIONS.

-
Yesterday, two young lads, of the names of
and Burton, were capitally indicted forburglariously
breaking and entering the dwelling-House of John
Draper. The two boys could not either of them be
more than 14 or 15 years old, but the evidence ad-
duced on the trial 'hewed that they were, although ID
young, adepts at the art of stealing.
The prosecutor, who is a shoemaker, living in Air-
street, Piccadilly, stated, that on the evening of the
6th November, he was working in his shop very near'
the window, and a little before nine the sash was
piished up, and a pair of shoes taken away. He'
hastened to the door, and found it tied with some-
thing, which prevented him at the moment from
opening it. He, however, gave it a jerk and broke
the string. He saw two boys running both together;
he ran after them, and caught the prisoner Burton.
He took him back to the shop, and finding nothing
upon him, let him go.
A pawbroker's man proved, that on the 7th of No-
vember (the day after the robbery) the prisoner Hall
came to his master's shop, and pawned a pair of
shoes for Is. 6d. No inquiries were made of the lad
as to the manner in which he came into possession of
the' goods, as he had been in the habit, at different
times, of pledging various articles for his master, Jo-.
sepir Overy, a weaver, to whom he was apprenticed.
Joseph Overy stated, that Hall was his apprentice,'
and he used to send him of messages. Oa the 6th of
November he went out, and stayed a considerable
time, and afterwards he confessed that he had lifted
up a sash. One time Hall came home, and brought a
rabbit with him. Being questioned where he got k?
he at last said that helsought it with the money he
got for a silk handkerchief he had stolen. The wit-
ness was here shewn the piece of string or cord by
which the prosecutor's door had been fastened. It
matched another piece which he bad in his posses-
sion, from which a part had been taken.
James Overy, brother of the last witness, a lad a
little older than the prisoner, said, that on the night
of the 6th of November, he was going along Air-
street, and he saw Hall with two other boys; witness
asked him if he was not coming home ? and Hall's
reply was, " No, I have something to come very easy,
and I must not leave it until I can get it." Witness
then saw the prisoner Hall lift up the sash and take
a pair of shoes out.
The witness was cross-examined by Hall very
closely. He asked the boy—" Didn't you tie the
door?"—" No." Didn't you say it was a good
scheme r No." " Didn't you throw up the win-
dow ?"—" No." " Didn't you take them out, and
didn't I receive them from you ?"" To all these ques-
lions the only answer was " No.
The prosecutor being recalled, said, that one of
the boys who ran away was about the size of James
Overy ; but he never saw his face.
In his defence, Hall said that James Overy knew
all about the matter, and helped him to commit the
robbery. Burton had nothing to do with the matter.
The prisoner Burton professed his innocence. Two
witnesses were called to the character of Hall.
Mr. Justice BAYLRY, in summing up, observed,
that it was most distressing to see two such young
lads standing at that bar upon a capital charge. He
then recapitulated the evidence, and said, that if the
Jury believed the evidence, there could be no doubt
that a burglary had been committed. Hall, indeed,
had clearly confessed his guilt.
The Jury consulted for a few minutes, and the
Foreman said that he had doubts as to which was the
hand that threw up the sash.
Mr. Justice BAYLEY said, that that made no dif-
ference whatever in the crime committed. If one
hand did it, and the other were standing by acces-
sory to the fact, they were all guilty of the burglary.
With respect to the boy Overy, it mattered not what
opinion the Jury entertained of him. It could not
make the guilt of the two other lads the less.
The Jury found Hall Guilty, and acquitted Burton.
John Chester was indicted for assaulting Anna
Emma Grey on the highway, and taking from her
person a reticule, containing a handkerchief and six
or seven shillings.
The prosecutriz was walking, about seven o'clock
in the evening, down Brick-lane, in company with a
Gentleman of the name of Johnstone, and when she
arrived at the corner of Thomas-street she saw three
persons standing against a wall, and two others
against a post. One of the two near the post cried
I out as she passed, " Now," and then two of the three
against the wall seized her reticule. She held it fast,
and endeavoured to pull it away. The prisoner then
gave her a violent blow on the hand, and the string
of the reticule broke. Four of the men then ran away,
and as the prisoner was making off, Mr. Johnstone
struck him on the head with a stick so violently as
to make him reel. He was then secured.
The prisoner declared that the evidence against
him was false, and called witnesses who spoke highly
of his character.—The Jury found him—Guilty.
The prosecutriz and the Jury both recommended
him to mercy. The former had made inquiries, and
had found that up to the time of the robbery the pri-
soner had been an industrious young man.
Mr. Baron GARROW said, the recommendation
should be forwarded to the Crown, in the precise
terms in which it was given. This was all that was
in the power of himself or any other Judge to do.
He said this, because some erroneous impressions had
been produced ; and it was imagined, that what a
Judge said a recommendation should be attended to,
it was a promise that mercy would be granted. Any
such promise would be exceeding the bounds of the
duty of a Judge, and trespassing on the prerogatives
r of the Crown.
It will be recollected that, last Sessions, two-per-
sons, of the names of Wilkinson and Jos 9h Marsden,
were convicted of stealing a quantity of-nue voinica,
the property of Marsh and Co. -The facts were fully
stated in our Report, and it is therefore unnecessary
here to repeat them. There were then two points
reserved for the consideration of the Judges :—lst,
Whether this could be considered tole a robbery,
when William Marsden, who was the real owner of
'the goods„ bad concurred ita the ml conduct of the
'prisoners with tele:quo to 64 tebbety ; and 2417,