Star.
London, England, 1820-02-23 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

COURT OF CHANCERY, FEBRUARY H.
The LORD CHANCELLOR did not at all come ;nut
Court, having been engaged all the day in his private
room with hearing a Lunatic Petition. He went off
at two o'clock.
The Court was adjourned till Thursday, as his
Lordship will preside at the hearing of Appeals in
the House of Lords to-morrow.
COURT OF KING'S BENCH, FEBRUARY 22.
DONALDSON V. STODDART, LL.D. AND ANOTHER.
This was an action against the defendants, as pro-
prietors of the New Times newspaper, for publishing
a libel of and concerning the plaintiff. The alleged
libel purported to be an account of the examination
of the plaintiff before Mr. Conant, the Magistrate,
at the Bow-street Police-office, on a charge of em-
bezzling money of his master, Mr. Woodhead, a dis-
tiller in Drury-lane, by whom he was employed as
collecting clerk ; and stating, amongst other things,
that the plairftiff had been dismissed from his mas-
ter's service in the month of March preceding, for
misconduct ; and concluding with a statement, that
the plaintiff had been committed for trial. The de-
fendants pleaded, first, the general issue, Not Guilty;
and second, a justification to the whole of the alleged
libel, except that part which stated that the plaintiff
had been committed for trial, which was admitted,
in point of fact, not to be true, but published through
mistake.

The usual prima facie case, on the part of the
plaintiff, being proved, a great body of evidence was
adduced on behalf of the defendants, in support of
the justification, shew•ing that the alleged libel was
substantially correct in at the statements, with the ex-
ception that the plaintiff had been committed for trial.
The LORD Cuter-JUSTICE reprehended severely
the practice of giving accounts of proceedings before
Magistrates before conviction, as being most inju-
rious to individuals, and as what he should, by all
means, endeavour to check. He then summed up
the evidence, and left the case to the Jury.
The Jlry returned a ♦erdict for the plaintiff—
Damages £5O.
01.0 BAILEY SESSIONS, FEBRUARY 21.

J. Smith was indicted for uttering a forged £lO
Bar k-note.—G uilty—Death.
C. Harris was indicted for uttering a forged £5
note to Mr. Almorer, grocer ; and to Mr. Gray, a
groder also, another forged £5 note.—Guilty—Death.
J. Griffiies and W. Jennings were indicted for ut-
tering two forged El notes.—Guilty—Dcath.
FEBRUARY 22.--Mary Randall was convicted of
uttering a forged £1 note to a Mr. Minto, a fish-
monget, living in West-Smithfield.
Elizabeth Ann Harwood was also convicted of ut-
tering a forged £1 note under similar circumstances.
George Field was indicted for obtaining money
under false pretences, by pretending to be an attor-
ney, to Mr. Thomas Challens. The prosecutor is a
publican, keeping the Star in the Old Bailey, and the
prisoner had applied for business as an attorney.—
The prosecutor gave him some, and by these means
be obtained the sum of £2 15s. The facts of the
case were dearly proved, and the Jury returned a
• *verdict—Guilty.
The COMMON SERJEANT then told him, that he
had been once before convicted of this offence, and
had received corporal punishment. The sentence of
the Court now would be transportation for seven years.
The following important trial came on yesterday
evening, and occupied the attention of a crowded
Court nearly six hours:
Thomas Want and Samuel Buckley, two persons of
Most respectable appearance, were indicted for a
conspiracy. The first count of the indictment charged
them with conspiring together to make Richard
Tandy and George Dutton intoxicated ; and in other
counts charged them with conspiring to cheat them
of their money.
The following is a brief account of the transaction:
The prosecutors, Mr. George Dutton and Mr.
Richard Tandy, are very respectable tradesmen in
Bishopsgate-street ; and the prisoner, Want, keeps
the Salutation Coffee-house and Tavern, in Newgate-
street. In May last, the two prosecutors called at
the house of Mr. Want, and, after taking some re-
freshment, Mr. Dutton was induced by the prisoner,
Buckley, to play at dice ; this was at. twelve o'clock
at night, when all the company had retired. Mr.
Dutton, who was rather in liquor, consented to play,
and they began playing for a one pound note each
game, till at length they doubled stakes, and Mr.
Dutton lost thirty-nine pounds, without even win--
ring one game. Ile now left off, being very much
intoxicated, when the two prisoners applied to Mr.
Tandy to have a game ; Mr. Tandy answered, he
never played at dice, and that he hadonly a £5OO
note about him. He, however, at length consented
to play, and laid the £5OO note on the table. Want
was appointed umpire. Mr. Tandy commenced by
playing for £lo, which they kept doubling on, till
he had. lost £do, when both the prisoners proposed
he should play " double or quits ;" this the prose-
cutor consented to, and instantly lost the £l6O.
During this time liquor had been plentifully given
to the prosecutor dry the prisoners, who told him to
drink free, and never mind the cost. On losing the
£l6O, he expressed his suspicion to the prisoners that
there was some roguishness, as he had not won one
game. They replied, by telling him .to lose the
whole £5OO, or win the other back, as he had begun.
He was again prevailed upon to play for £lO more,
which, for the first time, he won ; but soon after.
wards his losses increased to £2OO, and he then left
off. When the prosecutor lost the first £4O, the £5OO
rote, which had been lying on the table, Buckley
gave, to Want, telling him to hold it. Mr. Want
now went out to get change of the £5OO note, and
the prosecutor followed him to. the Bruton Arms, in
Newgate-market, but the landlord there could not
give change. He followed Want out, but missed
him, and returned to *Buckley, who told him not to
be alarmed, as Mr. Want would soon be back. This
was at four o'clock in the morning. In about two
hours afterwards, Mr. Want did come back, and.
gave him £3OO, keeping-the £'..00 which he had lost.
Mr. Tandy, on his cross-examination, stated, that he
thought the whole of the gambling was a joke, and
he should have his money returned; he was induced
to think so from the respectability of the house. The
reason the trial had not before corhe on, was, that in