Star.
London, England, 1826-09-12 00:00:00

NOWPAYIERNT Or POOR RAVES.

John Perry, a poor man, was brought up for not
paying Bs. for puor rates. H. first complained of
inability on account of poverty, aad next that the Over.l
seer would not receive it without costs. The Magis-
trates said he must pay the money, but reduced the'
costs from 6i. to 4s. 6i.

Mrs. Ann Horlock next came forward, and said, dd I
come to swear the peace of my husband ; I am in fear
of my life. He whet, Sir, a great knife and put it to
my throat. He runs about the town, Sir, day and night,
and when I ordered him to go to church, Sir, he said,
d D—n the church and all that's in it' I told him to
read his book, and he pushed it in my face, and told me
to go to hell."
It turned out, however, afterwards, that the husband
had only keen home once during the present month,
and then the wife complained that he had laid about all
night, and broke open the door in the morning. The
great grievance appeared to be that the husband was
not very fond of the company of his spouse, and Sir
John Smith thought it would be quite time enough to
swear the peace against the husband when he was at
home, and there could! be any danger of an assault. The
woman then complained that the parish allowance was
insufficient ; and the Magistrates desired that she should
be employed where she could earn good wages; and
ordered Is. 6d. per week to be paid for the support of
one of her children, who was unable to work.
This town is the centre of thirty-one parishes ; the in-
habitants of which resort to it as their mat ket-town and
the seat of justice. The market is excellent, and the town
one of the best in the county. It formerly returned
two Members to Parliament, and the Quarter Sessions
were held here once a year, until very recently. The
inhabitants are greatly dissatisfied with the removal of
this Court to Dorchester, and entertain the most san-1
guine hopes that the ancient privilege will be restored to
them. The inconvenience to the freeholders, who are liable
to serve on juries, of attending at so great a distance, is
found to be very great ; and it is in agitation to present a requisition
to the High Sheriff for convening a County Meeting,that the freehol-
ders may have an opportunity of expressing their sentiments as to
the propriety of holding the Sessions in four towns, as they Were
held till lately, instead of one. The feeling on this subject is not
confined to Blandford, but is even still stronger at Shaftesbury and
Siserborne. The alteration was carried by a very small majority of
Magistrates, and the freeholders ground their expectation of the
orders being rescinded on the justice of the case—the great incon-
venience to the Jurymen—the injury to the several towns—and the
fact, that the removal on a former occasion was only temporary.

Tuz RECORDERSHIP 01 Bataror..—This situation
was held by the late Lord Garoan. It has been erro-
neously stated, that the emoluments amounted to 2,0001.
per annum. The Bristol Journal of Saturday says,
that the gratuity is 100 guineas for the gaol delivery,
which takes place only once in the year, a present of a
pipe of port and a hogshead of Madeira wine, and free
quarters at the Mansion House during his stay in the city.
Tna Fonce or CONSCIZNCE.—A few days ago a
young urchin was employed to cleanse the chimneys of
a respectable mansion in the neighbourhood of Maccles-
field, and having ascended to the " summit of his pro-
fession," quietly and deliberately seated himself on the
stack while he took a survey of the scene below him.—
This completed, he proceeded to descend, but, unfor-
tunately, mistaking the flue which had been the field of
his labours, he found himself, at his landing, in the
private study of a limb of the law, whose meditations
on some abstruse point were immediately put to flight.
The sensations of both parties were such as it is impos-
sible to describe. Sooty terrified lest his intrusion should
be punished by manual castigation, stood rivetted to the
spot, and the lawyer struck dumb by reflections, started
from his seat, the very image of horror and arnzement.
He meditated flight, evidently, but spoke not. Sooty, how-
ever, soon found a tongue, and in accents which only
increased the terrors of the man of law, crird out—
My frythyr's commin directly l" This was sufficient;
the pi esence of one such equivocal being, so introduced,
wa, enough to unnerve the stoutest heart; and almost
with tine bound the affrighted lawyer flew down the
stairs, and in the secret corner of his kitchen, with the
cook-ma.d as his body guard, sought refuge from the
attack of the enemj.