Star.
London, England, 1820-11-09 00:00:00

POLICE.

MAxstoit-Houn.—Monday, Mr. Stokes, of Lom-
bard-street, appeared before the LORD,MAYOR, on a
penal information under the Act for the Prevention
of Seditious Meetings and Inflammatory and Sedi-
tious Publications, charging him with havii3g refused
to obey the order of the Magistrate to produce the
copy of a certain placard printed by him, inviting
the Citizens of London to a general illumination.
Mr. Emus attended as Solicitor for Mr. Stokes :
and Mr. NEWMAN, the City Solicitor, conducted the
prosecution.
The refusal being proved, Mr. EICICR said, he
should not now enter fully into the merits of the
case, as he had a number of objections to the infor-
mation, which he was apprehensive must prove fatal
to it. It did surprise him that his client, than whom
he jrnew no one who could possibly have a greater
interest in the preservation of the peace of the City,
and the prevention of everything like sedition or tu-
mult, should be prosecuted under such an Act as the
39th of Geo. HI. cap. 79. sec. 29, being " An Act
for the more effectual suppression of Societies esta-
blished for seditious and treasonable purposes, and
for the better preventing treasonable and seditious
practices." Mr. Eicxe contended, that the infor-
mation could not be sustained, inasmuch as it was
uncertain in its allegations, and at variance with the
evidence, and, in fact, charged his Lordship with
being the printer of the paper. The information
stated, that " on the 4th of November, the defendant,
John Stokes, appeared before the Lord Mayor, and
refused to produce the copy of a paper printed by
hips." Now this pronoun clearly related to the Lord
Mayor, who was the antecedent, and not to Mr.
Stokes: and the grammatical construction here was,
that Mr. Stokes was summoned to produce a paper
printed by the Lord Mayor.
The LORD MAYOR said, that the pronoun him re-
lated distinctly to Mr. Stokes. The objection was
over-ruled.
EICICE said he had another objection, which
was,-that there had been no evidence to support the
allegation that Mr. Stokes had printed the bill on
the 30th of Octoher, or that Mr. Stokes had printed
the bill at all.
The CITY SOLICITOR produced one of the printed
placards in question; the date of which was the 30th
of October ; Stokes, Printer, 6, Lombard-street.—
The production of this printed bill, with the name of
Mr. Stokes upon it, as the printer, and with the date
of 30th of October upon it, was primafecie evidence
that Stokes was the printer of the bill, and that he
had printed it on that day ; and that the onus lay
with the defendant to disprove that he was the printer.
Mr. Emu said, he had never heard of such a law
before, as that a person who was charged under a
penal information should be bound to prove himself
innocent, and he hoped that be should never hear of
such a law again. He objected to the putting in of
any new evidence for the information after the cue
had closed. He objected also that the production of
the bill which the defendant was charged with having
printed, was no evidence of his being the printer, or
that it was printed on the day charged in the infor-
mation. It was not upon supposition, but upon evi-
dence, that the Lord. Mayor had to decide.
The CITY Souctrou persisted in offering the bill
as evidence upon the points stated, when a long and
warm discussion took place between the parties, in
the course of which Mr. Eicke threatened to close his
case, and leave the Court, if the course of proceedings
adopted was persisted in. He said, that the question
was one of immense importance to the Press.
The LORD MAYOR coincided with the latter ob-
servation of Mr. Eicke, and said, that before he ven-
tured to make so momentous a construction upon the
Act, he should like to take the opinions of some law-
yers of eminence upon the points. His Lordship,
therefore, with the consent of the parties, adjourned
the consideration of the case until a future day.

QUEEN.'SQLTA RE.--Yesterday, Pitcher,
Elijah Battey, William Forty, and Richard Lennard,
were brought up, charged with exciting the Mob
and hissing the Peers on returning from the House
on Tuesday night. The prisoner, Pitcher, who is an
out of Chelsea, was the first put to the bar.

' Me was accused of using seditious and inflamenatwy
language, and hissing the D 4 k- of r rkti
A Bow-street patrol, wl o witnessed his conduce,
took him into custody, and sw,,, ~4) his hearing a
conspicuous part amongst the mi.h, inciting them to
riot and tumult, and insulting the Royal Duke as
the carriage passed.
The prisoner, in defence, said, he had served the
King since he was a boy, and had often fought and
bled for his King and country ; it would be now
hard to accuse him of disloyalty, aft& so many years
service, when in fact he only wanted to pacify the
people ; and was in the act of cautioning them, when
he was taken into custod)s, He was willing to Serve
his Majesty again, if his services were required. and
was in truth more loyal than the feather-bed fellow
who presumed to take him upon such a charge, and
who would hide himself if he saw real danger.
The Magistrate was glad to see an old veteran pro-
fess such loyal sentiments. The expressions used
probably did not originate with him, but were uttered
by some one near him. The patrol did not exceed
his duty by taking him into custody; but, upon the
whole, it seemed to be a mistake; and, as the charge
was not satisfactorily proved, the worthy Magistrate
ordered him to be discharged, on giving security that
he would not offend again.
E. Battey was charged with insulting and hissing
the Peers, and exciting the mob to tumult, &c.
A. Lloyd, a Bow-street patrol, stationed at the end
of Parliament-street, proved the fact alleged to have
been committed by the prisoner, and described him
to be a most active leader.

The prisoner said, he lived in Three Crown-court,
Chancery-lane; was a shoemaker by trade. and had
a wife and family. He denied having incited the
mob, nor had he used any disrespectful expressions
towards any of the Peers.
The Magistrate censured such conduct, and or-
dered him to find bail for his good behaviour, and to
be detained until such bail was given.
Wtn. Forty was charged to have been actively en-
gaged with the other prisoners in using disrespectful
language towards the Peers, conducting himself with
great impropriety, and inciting disorder and tumult
amongst the mob by his expressions and behaviour.
The prisoner said he lived in Spring-street, Gros-
venor-square; he went to see the Peers returning
from the House merely from curiosity; but he do.
nied the whole of the charge against him, as he con-
ducted himself peaceably, and wa not disposed to
quarrel with any one. He was ordered to find bail
for good behaviour.
Richard Lennard was charged with hissing the
puke of Wellington and the Marquis of Anglesea, •
and conducting himself amongst the crowd riotously
and disorderly. The prisoner pleaded nearly the
same excuse with the rest, by declaring he had taken
no part in the tumult.—He was ordered to find bail.
• SINGULAR AND FATAL ACCIDENT.—Friday morn-
ing, the following extraordinary circumstance took
place at the house of W. TURNER, Esq. at Reigate.
Mr. TURNER gives away milk to the poor of the
place, and amongst the rest to the family of
Yeomans. On the morning in question, his daugh-
ter, aged twelve, went to fetch her milk ; the maid-
servant took the vessel, and went to the dairy, leav-
ing the girl standing on the stone pavement in the
scullery. Presently after she was alarmed by a noise,
and on looking into the scullery she missed the girl,
and observed that a part of the pavement had given
way, discovering a vault of great depth, which it
was almost impossible to explore, owing to the fetid
effluvia that issued from it. At length a person ven-
tured down,ik
and
found the girl at the bottom, a d
tance of thirty or forty feet, quite dead, apparently
from suffocation; but it is very singular, its existence
was altogether unknown to the present family. The
rafters under the pavement were much decayed.
They have been repaired, and the vacuum has since
been filled up with earth. A Coroner's Inquest was
on Saturday held, and the Jury returned a verdict
of " Accidental Death."

As Mr. Joseph Keys, watchmaker, of Percival-
street, Clerkenwell, was crossing Mount Pleasant,
Cold Bath-fields, about two o'clock yesterday after-
noon, he was run against by three fellows who ap-
peared to be at play, one of them gave him a push
and threw him down headlong, another of them ran
up to him with the pretence of helping him up, whilst
the third made a snatch at his watch, and the three
then ran off in separate directions. Mr. Ke) s cried
out " Stop thief !" when a man who was turning the
corner from another street, and who observed the .
transaction, ran after and secured one of the villains,
The other two effected their escape.
The fire at the Custom-house was occasioned by a
flue which passed through part of a room which con-
tained new books, and printed papers of different
forms, and was owing to its having been over-heated,
and there also having been some unknown aperture
or crack in the flue.

Yesterday a public Meeting of the Schoolmasters
of the Metropolis and its vicinity was held at the
Queen's Arms Tavern, Newgate-street. At four
o'clock Mr. DEMPSTER, of Kingsland Crescent, took
the Chair, and proceeded to address the meeting, in-
veighing, in forcible terms, on the injuries heaped
upon her MAJESTY for a series of years by those •
whose duty it was to have protected her. Several
other Gentlemen, in able speeches, followed, and
a series of Resolutions was put and unanimously
agreed to, as was an Address to her MAJESTY
founded on them.
IRISH LAW APPOINTMENTESOME important
changes are likely to occur in our Judicial Esta-
blishment at the approaching Term. It is believed,
that Mr. Justice MAYNE will not resume his fanc-
tions as a Judge; and that, Mr. Justice DALY and
Baron GEORGE are likely to retire. Serjeint JOY has
already refused the situation of a Puisne Judge, on
the occasion of the last vacancy. It was understood,
that he reserved himself for a higher object; and
that, calculating on the support of Lord CAarts-
REACH, he aspired to the situation of a Chief Justice.
If there be (and it is probable) more vacancies on the
Bench than one, Mr. H. D. GRADY, Mr. Lzraos, and
Mr. VANDELEUR, ate considered as candidates. Mr.
H. D. GRADY has much to give up; his present si-
tuation of Chief Counsel to the Revenue, being one
Appoint tents. A new set
of the best of our Law
of King's Counsel is expected ; Mr. FRENCH, Mr.
HAMILTON (the son of the Bishop), Mr. BLACKER.
and Mr. KEMMIS, arc included in this arrangement.
—Dublin Free:males Joni auk

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