Star.
London, England, 1826-11-10 00:00:00

MURDERS NEAR LEATHERHEAD.

It will be recollected, in our account of the re-appre-
hension of W. Page, that appeared in our paper of
yesterday. Grassmith, the officer, was immediately dis•
-patched into the country, for the purpose of collecting
together all the clothes, tools, and ether atticles belong-
ing to Page and Mary Ayres, in order to discover, on
examination, whether amongst them anything should
be found that would be likely to lead to the discovery
of the perpetrators of the murders. The officer having
executed the duty upon which he was dispatched,
reached town again at an early hour yesterday morning,
bringing with him a variety of property belonging to
Page, consisting chiefly of clothes, and the tools with
which he worked at kis trade of shoemaking. Shortly
after his arrival, Hall, the chief constable, and Pople,
the officer, both of whom have been absent for some
days collecting information on the subject of the mur-
ders, brought up Mary Ayres hi custody, from Fetchatn.
At eleven o'clock, on the arrival of the presiding
Magistrate, R. J. Chambers, Esq. he directed the chief
constable to proceed to Horsemonger-lane gaol, and
bring before him Page and Mary Ayres. The prisoners
were accordingly conducted to the office in a coach,
&Rowed by a vast multitude of people, who. were
anxious to get a sight of two individuals against whom
strong suspicion has been attached ever since the com-
mission of the murders. The crowd bad increased to
such a degree before the entrance into the office, that
it was found necessary to place constables outside in
order to prevent the confusion and inconvenience at-
tendant upon a mob of that description. Previous to the
examination of the prisoners, R. Hedger, and S. Davis,
Esqrs. Magistrates of the county, entered the office,
when a conversation took place between them and Mr.
Chambers, the result of which was, that it was judged
necessary for the ends of public justice that the in-
vestigation should be strictly private for the pre-
sent. The prisoners were therefore taken into the pri-
vate parlour and separately examined before the above
named Magistrates, on suspicion of having been impli-
cated in the murders of John Akehnrst and Elizabeth
Haines. In the course of the investigation, which lasted
from 11 o'clock until half past 5 in the afternoon, several
witnesses were examined, whose evidence corroborated
that of Smith given before the Rev. Mr. BoUand, at
Fetchers, with respect to the identity of Page and
Ayres, as having attended Leatherhead fair on the 11th
of October, two days previous to the perpetration of the
murders. The man, nicknamed "Screw," was also
examined, and his depositions were taken at great length
by Mr. Staples, the chief clerk. They are of the utmost
importance as regards the charges against the prisoners.
At the conclusion of the investigation, the Magistrates, under all
the circumstances of the case, remanded the prisoners for further
examination on a future day, desiring that they should be kept sepa-
rate while in gaol. They were then taken bask to Horsemonger
lane gad in the coach which awaited for them, followed by a con-
course of spectators.

Gibraltar Papers to the 19th ult. have arrived. The
Cadiz Dial* Mercantil contains an account of the cap-
ture of several Spanish vessels by the Algerines, and an
official account from Cape de Gatt, of a fruitless at-
tempt made by the boats of their squadron to carry off
five vessels, which had sought shelter in the anchoring
ground of St. Peter's Castle. The enemy were driven
back by a brisk fire of muske:ry from the inhabitants
and Royalist volunteers of the neighbourhood, who had
assembled on the heights which commanded the land-
ing place.
A letter has been received from an Officer of his
Majesty's ship Aluma, Capt. Annals, on the West
India station, giving an account of the capture of a
Spanish slave schooner, under Dutch colours, attended
with most horrible circumstances. It appears that two

Officers, with a boat's crew, were sent .on board the
vessel to examine her papers. The Captain represented
her as a Dutch schooner, laden with sugar, and after
searching a considerable time, nothing to the contrary
was discovered. Something, bowever,having occurred to
raise their suspicion, one of the Officers descended into
the hold, and after some search accidentally perceived
the leg of a black man under a curtain, and on pulling
the curtain aside, more than 240 slaves were found in
a state of dreadful disease and starvation l They had
been at sea, from the coast of Guinea, 47 days; and 60,
of three hundred and odd, had died on the passage,
together with Three others the day after the capture.—
Only one day's provision was left in the ship; and on
throwing a yaps (a vegetable) amongst them, they fought
for it like hungry dogs, and one of them bit another by
the shoulder in a dreadful manner.

Saturday evening, two very athletic. men, supposed
to be navigatort, honoured Spring with a call at his
tavern, the' Bnoth4sall, Hereford, and ordered supper ;
they were very civilly desired to walk into a room, and
their wishes shouldbe complied with ; but they assumed
airs of importance ill according with their appearance,
desired a private mom up stairs, and when refused, on
account of their behaviour, soon shewed that they wanted
to try if the Champion's science and courage had grown
rusty, in the peaceful occupation which he followed,
rather than to partake of the good things his house af-
forded. After abusing him for some time, which he
bore with admirable patience, they proceeded to threaten
a « sound thrashing ; ' and at length, to preserve peace
in his domicile, Spring took one of them by the arm,
and led him to the door, which office the fellow repaid
with a smasher in the face—this was of course an
aw kwat d appeal to manhood—and in a little more than
a minute, the aggressor received such speciniens of
the Champion's peculiar talent for returning favours of
the kind with liberal interest,' that he lay senseless on
the ground ; his companion hastened to hit assistance,
and, after suiking die Chatispilon‘ 'drew von
the same punishment, and with his tairdrade, COnteot
to lie prostrate and cry for mercy.