Star.
London, England, 1810-08-06 00:00:00

WINCHESTER, AUGUST S.

John Britton, Captain of the West India Rangers, I
was indicted for the wilful murder of his son, George
Britton, by beating and kicking him about the body.
The circumstances of this case are as follow Tke
prisoner was commanding officer at Niton barracks,
in the Isle of Wight, and his son, who was described
as a fine boy, ten years of age, was brought up under
his own eye. It was proved by two fe:nale witnesses
that the prisoner was severe in his correction of the
deceased, as he applied a walking-stick or a tope to
his back without mercy, and that, too, daily. It was
stated by these witnesses, and confirmed by several
others, that the cause of these merciless beatings was
in consequence of the deceased being dull at his book,
the prisoner having undertAken to educate him. It
was allowed by all the witnesses, that s: hen the priso•
ner was not employed in teaching his 513119 lie was a
very fond father.
A youth, of the name of Wilson, who is an Ensign,
and who was quartered in the barracks at Mum,
proved several acts of severe correction administered
to the deceased by his father, on the 29th and 30-h of.
April, and the Ist of May ; but on the latter day this
witness saw the prisoner kick the deceased violently
on the loins on the left side; and on his remnoslrat-
ing with him, he said that he had only kicked him
with the side of his foot on the stomach, which could
ne• hurt him. These and other acts of severity were
fully established by Eve witnesses.
Mr. Powell, a surgeon, who opened the body of
the deceased, proved that the prisoner had informed
him that he thought his child had died in cons: quence
of his having scolded him for not repeating his le: spits,
and he acknowledged hating beaten him. On exa-
mining the body, the deceased appeared to have b.:en
bruised &cm his neck to 1 i heels, with a blunt ins-rn-
men, such as a sfck or a Is:. There was a recent
wound under the ribs on the left side. The kidn
and lungs were much inflamed, and witness had .r.o
doubt that the mortification which was the cause
his death, ensued from d e contusions on the Wick
which were the aggregate of several days heating.—
Witness could not state that a m"re recent blow which
appeared on the g..oin was :h! catue of death, n)r
would he hazard an opinion that any particular con-
tusion was the cause of death, but 1 e believed, froni
the general appearance of the body, that mortifica-
tionlad ensued from the repetition of ill treatment.
The case was here ended, as the indictment stared
the defendant to have been killed on a specific day,
when it turned out that he died of the aggregate ill
treatment he had received on several days, and the
chastisement inflicted on him on any one day would
would not have been sufficient to have caused death.
The Judge consequently directed the acquittal of the
prisoner.

OXFORD, JULY 4.
Wednesday last Sir S. LAWRENCE and Sir S. LE
BLANC, oFened their commission for this county, and
On Thursday morning attended divi service at St.
Mary's church ; after which their Lordships proceeded
to the Town-hall, when the following priloners took
their trials, Viz.
James Humphries and Thomas Buck alias Buckingham, recom-
mitted by the Court at the last Assizes, charged on suspicion of
burglariuusly breaking into the dwelling houses of Edward Arneit
and Joseph Druce, of Ensham, and stealing sundry articles, their
property.—Acquitted.
John Hemming and Edward Buck alias Buck:ngham, recom-
mitted by the Court at the lest Assizes, charged with being ac-
complices in the above burglaries.—Acquitted.
William Humphries, recommitted by the Court at the last As- '
sizes, charged with receiving one cock and one hen, the property
of S. Couling, of Znsbam, knowing them to have been stolen.—
Acquitted. •

fohn Bennett, for being at ilrge before the expiration of the
term for which be was transported.—Left for execution.
At these assizes an action of replevin came on to be
tried before Sir SIMON Le BLANC, and a special jury,
between the Earl of Abingdon and Dr. Croke, for
impounding the cattle of his Lordship's tenants from
off a piece of commonable land, in the parish of Hor-
ton, in this county ; when, after a full and impartial
investigation, and the most, learned and profound ar-
guments of Counsel on both sides, which lasted eight
hours, the Jury pronounced a verdict in favour of his
Lordship.
At these assizes a person who was summoned to
attend on the Crown Jury, instead of obeying the man-
date, procured another person, who was not sum-
moned, to personate him, by answering to his name.
On the fallacy being discovered, the Judge severely
animadverted on their misconduct, and ordered them
to be fined £es each.

The works at Howth harbour have been lately re-
commenced upon a most costly scale. Twelve hundred HIGH WATER AT LONDON MIME TO-MORRO
men are daily employed there. If they cannot cont. T M0rning............
Afternoon ..... .. -.. ...if, 27 111!§,it..% a!; 1. 6
plete the necessary operations before the setting in of
the winter storms, it is apprehended that all may
be LuNDON t Printed and pu 3114bril by !AXEL K F.N 1. a: (*.yr.
again swept away, as was the case during the I
#st terbury•Place Lambeth, at the STA r-Orrics, No. I. Cart w'.f
.
winter. i litres; Pub/I;4ed also u the itaa•Orrica,Tetn:), Par