Star.
London, England, 1818-10-22 00:00:00

JAMES BARRER V. TUE COMMISSIONERS.

In this case the Jury went and viewed the premises,
in Jermyn-street. On their return, Mr. Serjeant
ONSLOW stated the case. He said that the inquiry
to which he was about to call their attention, was as
to the amount of compensation to be given to Mr.
Barber, who hel.". a house in Hammond-court, Jer-
myn-strect, not for his possible reduction of.profit by
removal, but for his utter and irretrievable ruin, • un-
less their verdict interposed and shielded him from
wanton oppression. The claimant carried on two
branches of business in his house in Jermyn-street,
one an extensive retail oyster trade, the other a va-
luable trade in ginger beer, the profit of which was
very considerable. His oyster trade consisted of a
sale of nut less than from six to twelve bushels per
week, and the ginger beer sale yielded at least a pro-
fit of £6OO a-year. The Learned Counsel particu-
larly complained of the conduct of the persons em-
ployed by the Commissioners, who had purchased
the landlord's interest in this house without making
any communication to the tenant, who had suffered
every injury by a progressive demolition of all the
premises in his vicinity, while his sufferings were dis-
regarded, and no attempt made to give him that re-
dress, by a purchase of his interest, to which he was
most cerainly entitled under the Act. All he asked
was £3OO for his oyster trade, £3OO for his ginger
and spruce beer trade, and £6OO for good-will and
removal, making a total of £1,200. The leases were
put in and proved in the usual manner.
John Fyfield examined.—He stated that he knew
the claimant, Mr. Barber, for a great number of
years, and had often brought up from Billingsgate,
for him, quantities of oysters—he usually brought

up for him from eight to twelve bushels a week. The
oyster season was about forty Weeks in the year.
Cross-examined by the ATTO Rig ILVG ZW ERA L.—Wit-
ness brought these oysters for Mr. Barber for about
six•years; but it was seven years ago since he had
been so employed.
Thomas Higgins carried oysters for the claimant
from the time the last witness quitted that occupation;
he averaged seven or eight bushels a week early in
the season, and about fout at the end, down to the
time when the pulling down the houses destroyed his
business. He described that the reduction of the
business kept pace with the progressive Mork of the
buildings in the neighbourhood.
John Ross, a fishmonger, knew Barber's oyster-
business, and estimated the profit of it at 000 a-year.
The general profit was about £3O per cent.
George Evans, tobacconist, and Thomas Lewis,
knew Mr. Barber's premises well, and from their own
knowledge believed that a considerable trade was
carried on therein.

J. Guy, a butcher, knew Mr. Barber's shop well,
and always observed that it had got an excellent run
of business.
Samuel Barber, the claimant's broth-:, knew the
nature of his trade. The spruce and ginger beer sale
was very great ; the spruce was manufactured at
something about 9d. a dozen, and sold for 2s.—tl4
ginger beer at about Is. 6d. and sold at 4s. a dozen.
He had never made an average of the amount of the
trade, but it certainly must have been worth what it
was estimated at, £3OO a-year.
The grocer from whom 'Mr. Barber bought the
sugar used in the manufacture of the beer, and the
person who used to sell him the essence of spruce,
proved that he was a considerable dealer with them.
Ile used. generally to buy £3 worth of sugar at a
time, and he paid more thari ACIO a-year for his es•
sence of spruce.
Mr. Harper, a carpenter, and another person, ac-
quainted with the value of houses, were of opinion
that Mr. Barber's house was worth £6O a year.--This
was the claimant's case.
' The ATTORNEY-GENERAL commented upon the
evidence, and declared that he never before heard of
so exorbitant a claim as Mr. Barber had attempted to
set up. It was in the highest degree absurd, that
such a trade as this, in oysters and ginger beer, could
have be.'n worth £6OO a-year.
The DEPUTY-BAILIFF summed up the evidence-to
the Jury, who retired for about ten minutes, and re-
turned
with a verdict of £7OO for the claimant.

The case of Mr. SLADE, for his interest in the Ar-
.gyll Rooms, is the only remaining case at present at
issue with the Commissioners, and it stands over until
Tuesday next.

A curious charge was brought to St. Ann's watch-
house, on Sunday evening :—A fine young fellow,
with nothing on but hi 7. small-clothes, was charged
by a tradesman, in Mearct's-court, with being found
under his bed. It turned out, upon inquiry, that the
accused was not there with intent to commit felony,
but to pay his respects to the tradesman's wife.' The
tradesman left home on Sunday, with an intention
not to return until Monday morning, but, unluckily
for his frail rib, he returned the same night. He ob.
served a light in her bed-chamber, and the door wits
locked, which was very unusual. After some time
he was admitted, but the wife haring put the candlt,
out his suspicions were awakened, and on making a
smelt he found a rival under the bed. The wile
confessed on her knees that she hid him under the
bed to avoid detection. The colutabl.: could not take
cognizance of the affair, and the accused e.s..aped
with a severe ',eating.
The ci devoid Bishop of AVTUN (Prince T.) speak-
ing with an affected interest of a widower who had
just re-married, said, " He is a very worthy man ;
he has only the fault of marrying too often. Tins
observation being repeated to the person whom it
concerned, he replied, " It is true I have married
twice, and that is a good deal ; but Monseigneur has
nrariied once, and that is too much !"

Siturday se'nnight, William Ramsden, a publican,
was fined in the mitigated penalty of 301. by the IV,
gistrates of Leeds, for mixing a deleterious drug, com-
monly called " Grains of Paradise", in his ale.
Sunday se'nnight, after Divine service, a fire was
discovered in the parish church of Prescott, owing, it
it is supposed, to a child having put a candle under
the scat in a pew in the gallery. Fortunately it was
extinguished without material injury.
A few evenings ago, in the neighbourhood of
Auclinaclay, Tyrone, four fine children, who had been
left behind whilst their parents were on a visit, were
burned to death by some sparks seizing held of a
lai ge quantity of flax and turf that was in the house.
Yesterday a little girl, named BtAterfield, in Sal-
mon's-place, Limehonse, was burnt so dreadfully, in
consequence of playing with the fire, that she died
in great agony on the way to the Hospital.
Yesterday morning while a fine little boy, son of,
Mr. STAMM!, of Clare Ilall-row, Limehouse, was
playing in the back-yard, his hat fell through the
seat of the water-closet. He undressed himself, and
went in after it ; when, unfortunately, he sunk, and
was suffocated in the soil.

Tuesday night, at a late hour, an Excise Officer,
named Foster, was alarmed by the cry of" help," on
that part of ie Thames, near the West India Docks :
on proceeding to the spot, he found it preceedet
from two men who were drowning. He instantly
went fOr assistance, which, with much difficulty, was
procured. Several boats put off, and one of the
men, named Grossley, was taken out of the water ;
he proved to be one of the sentries who were on guard
that night at the Docks ; he was in a serieless con-
dition, but the means- recommended by the Royal
Humane Society being immediately resorted to, he
was soon recovered. It appeared they were assisting
each other in putting a puncheon in a barge, and they
both fell in the water. Soon after the body of John
Davis was taken out, but all efforts to save Lim
proved useless, he being quite dead. The body was
taken to a public house in Poplar.
Thursday an Inquest was held on the body of a
servant lad, belonging to D. AGACE, Esq. of Wink-
field, Berks.—lt appeared that the lad rose early on
Wednesday morning to proceed on his business • but
being told by the watchman on the premises that it
was very early, he went into a room where a turf-
6re was burning, and sitting himself down, as is sup-
posed, fell asleep and fell into the fire. He was found
in the morning quite dead, and burnt in a most shock-
ing manner. Verdict—Accidental Death.