Star.
London, England, 1826-10-02 00:00:00

....asp...-.
FROM THE MANCHESTER GAZETTE.

_ At the New Bailey Court-house, on Thursday, a ease
was heard by the sitting magistrates, Ralph Weight
and James Hibbeit, Esqrs. which filled the whole Court
with- astonishment and indignation.
The persons charged with this inf4mous conspiracy
• were John Bridgford, the Landlord of the Exchange
Tavern, in St. Mary's-gate ; William Towers, an attor-
ney office, Exchange Tavern); and Samuel Manley,
John fleddisk, Benjamin Horabin, and Thomas Hard-
.. man, bailiffs.
The victims of the alleged conspiracy were, Mrs.
Sandford, and Miss Bridgford, her si3ter, two Ladies
who succeeded their father, the late much -and de-
servedly respected Mr. John Bridgford, in the business
- of ssedsmar► and florist in Market-street.

Mr. W. A. WoornsuaNE, who appealed as the advo-
cate of the complainants, stated that this was one of the
most serious and important cases that ever appearyd in
that Court. It was a charge of conspiracy to cheat,
defraud, harass, oppress, and impoverish, an inoffensive
and respectable widow Lady, named Sandford. Mr.
Wcodburne then detailed the facts of the case in a very
clear and able manner, from which it appeared. that
on the death of the late Mr. Bridgford, Mrs. Sandford
entered into partnership with her sister, Miss Bridgford.
.On that occasion, Mrs. Sand'ord gave notice to the
landlord of the house in which she then resided, that
she should quit at a certain time, but the notice AM
being deemed sufficiently long, the landlord sent her a
bill for the rent up to the full time, which amounted to
IOJ. Mrs. Sandford, not being prompt in the payment
of the money, he directed his attorney, Mr. Ratcliffe,
to commence proceedings against htr, and the result
was, a cognovit was prepared by Mr. Ratcliffe's clerk,
and signed by Mrs. Sandford, at the bottom of which
was a memorandum or defeasance, which stipulated

that judgment should not-be entered tip, provided that
the costs and 51. were paid down, and the remain-
ing 51. in two months froth the date of the instrument.
—The defendatet, Bridgford, the brother of the com-
plainant, being desirous to get possession of the papers
and documents of his late father, entered into a Con-
spiracy for that purpose with the ether defendants, and
Towers acted as the attorney in the business. Bridgford,
without the knowledge of inks. Sandford's creditor (Mr.
Robert Jones) obtained the cognovit from Mr. Ratcliffe,
and Towers, who acted in the business as his attorney,
sent the cognovit to Preston, the defeasance or memo.
randum at the foot of it having first been cut off by
Horabin, who, on being told by Mr. Jones that he had
dune wrong, said, " Oh, be d—d; I've done that many
times before. I served one last week the same sauce."
On the 22d instant, a letter arrived at the Exchange
Tavern, directed to Towers, and containing the execu-
tion ; and after the defendants had dined together,
Mawley, Reddish, Horabin, and Hardman, not one of
whom was named in the execution, took a cart, and
proceeded with it to the plaintiff's shop; Mrs. Sandford
at the time was unwell, and lying on the sofa in the back
room. Miss Bridgford asked them ohat they wanted?
They said they had an execution at the suit of Bamber
and others. 66 Why," said Miss Bridgford, "you have
bad part of the money." 10 Ob, be d—d," said Mawley,
and turning to his companions, said," Fire away." They
then seized the drawers and boxes containing the family
papers, together with all Miss Bridgford's clothes and
trinkets, a quantity of seeds, a quantity of valuable books,
a N. note, a box of medals, and numerous other articles,
to the amount of about 501. for a debt of about 51. In
great consternation and distress of mind Miss Eiridgford'
and her sister went to. Mr. Woodburne's office, and Ac-
quainted him with what had happened, engaged his
professional assistance. Mr. Woodburne immediately
went to Mr. Bridgford's house, and seeing Mr. Bridgford,
asked him if there was any property there that bad been
brought from his (Mr. Bridgford's) sisters' in Market-
street? upon which Bridgford said •' No; you may go
to On the same evening Mr. Woodburne wrote to
Preston, and learnt that Towers, the attorney, had sent off
the cognovit for the execution, and that the defeasance
was torn off. On Saturday Mr. Woodburne went to
the Exchange Tavern, and saw a bellman announcing
the sale of fpniture. Towers was there, and admitted to
Mr. Woodburne that be was the attorney in Mrs.
Sandford's case. "I am come," said Mr. Woodburne,
" to pay the debt and costs." Towers and Horabin, who
acted as bis clerk, then went into the room, followed by
Mr. Woodburne, when Horabin produced the execution,
and Mr. Woodburne paid 101.18 s. 9d. for the debt and
costs, and Horabin signed a receipt for it. Whilst this
transaction was taking place, the sale of the goods was
going on ; 66 and to shew," said Mr. Woodburne, " the
manner in which the things were thrown away, I have
to state that one hundred and eighty three numbers of
a valuable work, dolled Curtis's Botanical Magaaine,
for which the executors of the late Mr. Bridgford re-
fused twenty guineas, were knocked down for the paltry
sum of Bs. 6d. No account of what was sold was

rendered, nor were more than one half of the goods re-
turned; the .51. note, which could not have been sold,
was also not returned. Mr. Woodburne then proceeded
to call his witnesses.
The evidence generally bore out the case.
Miss Bridgford, in a very clear and becoming man-
ner, stated the facts of the bailiffs coming to her and
her sister's shop, and described their brutal conduct
on the oceasion, both towards her and Mr. Lovett, who
kindly came in to her assistance. She also stated, that
when she asked what was their demand, Mawley said,-,
di We don't want money, we want goods ;" -and then
told his men to levy.
The Magistrates immediately ordered Bridgford to
enter into recognizances to appear at the Sessions to
answer to any indictment for misdemeanour that might
be preferred against him, himself in 2001. and two sure-
ties in 1001. each. The remainder of the defendants
were also ordered to enter into recognizances for a simi-
lar purpose, each of them in 1004 and two sureties of
501. each, and 24 hours' notice of the bail to be given to
Mr; Woodburne.

Bridgford, lading bail, was liberated ; but the remainder not
being able to do so, were committed to prison, and they were all
locked up, Mr. Towers, the attorney, included. This Gentleman
affected to laugh on the occasion, but it was evidently an attempt
at merriment.

In addition to an article in the Journal du Commerce,
of the intention ascribed to Prince METTERNICH, of
turning the course of the Austrian Succession, a Ger-
man Paper, printed in Paris, states, on the authority of
a private letter from Frankfort, dated Sept. 16, " that
the Prince has shortsnsd his stay at Johannisberg, in
order to be Kesent at a meeting of all the members of
the Imperial Pa- may of Austria, which is to take place
at Vienna, on a subject of the highest importance—that
of a renunciation of the Throne of Austria by the
'CROWN Palma, and the marriage of this Prince with
a Countess of great beauty and exemplary virtme, but
not of a Sovereign Family. It is added, that the Caows
Patriot, who for several years has :hewn little taste for
the Throne, would willingly cede his rights to his
brother, Archduke FIRDINA.ND."
Wednesday an Inquest was held at Mudgley, near
Wedmore, Somerset, on the body of Mr. Minima, a respectable
farmer, who was killed by being rode over by an itinerant horse-
dealer. Accidents of the kind are said to be very frequent, and the
Jury expressed a determination to watch narrowly similar cases,
which arose from shameful negligence. Tbe.Jury, after a long con-
sultation, returned a verdict of " Accidental death," with a demigod
of U. upon the horse. They theh entered a formal protest against
the practice of furiously riding out horses at public fairs.
KZAN played Cardinal Wolsey and Sylvester Dagger-
wood at Montreal for his benefit. There was a call for a repetition
of some harkquinade, which the " great tragedian" went through.
Knape addressed the audience amidst much clamour, thanking them
for their kindness, and assuring them that he would never play the
Cardinal again ; and as to the man that called out for more tumbling,
he despised him !
Letters have been received from Captain Franklin and
Dr. Richardson—all ss ell. They were on the Great
Bear Lake, and nothing to impede the successful pro-
gress of this interesting expedition.
DREADFUL EXPLOSION OF A DISTILLERT.SSAIIP
day the neighbourhood of Leonard-street, Shoreditch,
was thrown into the utmost state of confusion and alarm,l
in consequence of a violent explosion taking place in
the hoes*, No. 92, in that street. When the lire and
alarm had in some degree ceased, the firemen proceeded
into• the kitchen, which, to their astonishment, they
found fitted up in a very convenient manner as a pri.
vate distillery, which had been at work, with about 184
gallons of wash, and other ingredients for the distilla-
tion of spirits. There were wash-backs, vats, and every
thing proper for use; and, from the appearance of things,
it would appear that a person named A..her, who had
not lived there long, had been won king off spirits, when,
from the bad construction of the still and brick-work,
the whole exploded, and produced the above result.
A white or dove-colour robin (a very rare bird) was
caught in a net at Bliglnon on Monday

MEETING OF THE NETHERLANDS PATENT
SA LT COMPANY.
Saturtlay, a Meeting of the Shareholders and Trustees
of this Company was held at the office of Messrs. Willis
and Co. Tokenhouse-yard, Lothbury, CHAPMAN,
Esq. in the Chair. •
This Meeting, it appears, had been called in conse-
quence of a repdrt having been industriously circulated,
that their agents in the Netherlands were about to dis-
pose of the whole property now in the Netherlands,
without the consent or advice of the Proprietary.
From a statement made by Mr. Knight, solicitor to
the Trustees, it appeared that a prolnise had been made
by the Government of the Netherlands that a patent
should be granted to them, when their works, &c. were
in a state of readiness, in the completion of which be-
tween twenty lend thirty thousand pounds had been ex-
pended by theiraccredited agents and intended patentees
Messrs. Boudin and Furnival, at Rotterdam and Ghent.
From letters received from Messrs. B. and F. dated 9th
inst. when it was expected the works would have been
commenced, it appeared that the patent was now refused,
in consequence of the jealousy of the salt manufacturers
there; and that they thought of giving instructions for
the sale of the buildings, acc. This mode of proceeding
was prohibited by Mr. Knight in his answer, until the
Proprietary had met and considered the subject, which
could not be done until all the correspondence with the
Government of the Netherlands had been supplied,
which would be in a few days. It was also stated, that
the greater part of the sum expended, had been ad-
ranted by Mr. Furnival, and must, at all events, be re-
paid. A rather stormy discussion followed, some of the
Shareholders appearing to consider that, es the property
was vested in the names of Boudin and Furnival, they
bad it in their power to dispose of it, and pay them-
selves. Several questions were put to the Chairman on
that subject, without any direct answer being received ;
but a pledge was ultimately given that no steps what-
ever would be taken without the sanction of the Pro-
prietary, and until a meeting to that effect was called.
The Meeting then adjourned.