The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-05-29 00:00:00

niebt-time, between Petersherd and a place called Mew's
hill, the mail came up with,a post-coach called the Nel-
son, when they began racing agaikst each other. in
narrow part of the road, the mail attempted to pass the
Nelson, but there being insufficient room, the horses
started, and got upon, a bank which had the effect
of overturning the carriage, and in the fall the plaintiff
had ode of hid legs fractured in two places. Part of the
blame was attributed to the driver of the Nelson, but the
accident was principally imputed by the two witnesses
celled, to the misconduct of the driver of the mail. The
plaintiff was confined a considerable time, suffered gnat
pain, and was wholly unable to atte:: I to his business
, until he got quite.well. The defendant had !mid she
surgeon's bill and other expences, amounting to 1601., but
having made no allowance for the plaintiff's loss of time
and personal suffering, this action was brought.
The defence set up was, that the defendant's servant
was blameless, and that to the misconduct of the driver
of the Nelson, the accident was wholly to be attributed.
Several wituessees were called, who acquitted the Mail
coachman of all blame.
One witness proved a cnetversat:on between him and
the plaintiff during his illness, in which the latt.-r had
candidly acknowledged that the defendant's servant was
blameless, and that the accident was imputable to the
driver of the Nelson.

On these grounds it was insi+ted that the action should
have been brought against the proprietors of the Nelson,
and not against the defendant.
The LORD CHIEF JUBTICZ having summed up the evi-
dence, _ _

The Jury• retired for about an hour, and returned a
verdict for the plaintiff,—Damagee
111:RRAT V. THE CARL OS STAIR.

This was an action upon bond for 40001., conditioned
to pay 20001, dated November 3, iet3. The defendant
pleaded that be hid delivered the bond as an escrow, and
not as a deed. Tois was the se:ond trial of the same
cause, the circumstances of which we stated some time
since.

The. Jury found their verdict fur the plaintiff.
THI KING r. PRIEDIRICK OLDFIRLD.
This was an indictment for pArjury. The defendant,
having been convicted of keeping a common gaming-
house, and brought up for judgment in the Court of
King's Bench, put in an affidavit, in which be represent-
ed himself as destitute of pecuniary resources by which
lie could pay .a fine, ard swore that be had ceased to have
any concern in the establishment for which he was pro-
secuted fr.mi a specified period. The indictment charged
both these Allegations to be untrue.
The case was now called on for trial, and the jury were
sworn ; but no one appeared to prosecute. The defend-
ant was of course acquitted.

THE STATE:4I4AM..

Dr. Jetimut, on behalf. of the assignees of Christo-I
pber Chandler, late master.and part owner of this vessel,
opposed the claim, which was let up as at aid OW
the rite of 21. Si, per month, Was it to be believed
that there could have been .spy bona fide engagement
of this woman at full mableer's pay? The leaned
Counsel then adverted to certain parte of the depositions,
in which it was insinuated that glizsbeth Stevens did,
la fact, cohabit with Chandler„ to whom she had borne
two children, both of whom dile bad suckled on board
this ship; and to the fact that an assignment which
Chandler had made to bee, shortly before his bankrupt-
cy, of half the property of the ship, had been,declared
by the commissioners of his baukruptcy at Plymouth a
fraudulent assignment. On these grounds the 1-aroed
Counsel contended, that there was too moth reason to
suspect collusi,to in the present case, between the claim-
ant and Chandler, for the Court to sustain her claim.
Dr. LUSHINRTON, for toe claimant, relied on the same
depositions. They showed that not only had she served
as cook and steward daring this time, but that she bad
done her duty in those capacities much better than most
sailors would do. The insoniations on one hand against
her character, and as to he connection with Chandler,
were in no degree roved: thy. evidence on the other, of
her services, and of her claiming wages, but never hav-
ing yet received any, was uncuntradieted.
Lord Sroweta.. observed, that at present the evidence
certainly did go all one way in support of this claim;
and, however improbable some parts of it might he, the
Court found none to oppose it. Certainly the woman
was to have some wages for her service,s.
Dr. JCSNER thought not.
Lord Stowut.i, was inclined to be of a different mind;
but would deliver his opinion on the matter on a future
day.

POLICE. ' -
--m.--

Bow-sraller.—Tile Citaane or A asom.-.-Yesterday, at
three o'clock, Joins (italic was put to the bar, and under-
went another and a eery long examination.
William' Stuck,' butcher and broker in Whiteerose-street,

stated, that in Mil. he lived at 197. next door to the house
that was burnt. He bad now, no recolleetioa of the prison-
er's person.' but a day or two after the fire he 'saw e man at
the Eagle Fire Office, who 'said he was the man who was
burnt out of Hid, and was came to claim Isis money, Mr.
and Mrs. Gibbs were there. Witness asked him how much
he was insured for, and he said about 700 f. ; and, upon
being asked what thatiosurance was erected upon, he said
upon his stock and furniture. Witness said he was sur-
prised at such a demand, for he knew he bad not stock and
furniture to any thing like that amount. Witness and be
went up stairs together before the Committee, and witness
repeated Ms opinion to Mr. Beetham, the Secretary, that
the prisoner bad no suck stock as he had described. Tile
prisoner was then sworn to the amount of his clef", but
wa • afterwards told that if he made it again he would be
taken into custody. The prisoner made no reply, but went
away. Witness, the morning after the fir., was present at
the examination of the premises, and he saw that part of the
flooring of thelirst floor was burnt, and part rerailoiag.
There were no fragments of furniture visible. Two years
after this. the rubbish was cleared away, for a new house-to
be built, and witness examined and found the oven quite en-
tire; the crown of the oven was perfect.
Mrs. Stock, wife of the last witness, deposed that the
man who occupied the baker's shop, No. 196 (she could
Dot swear to the prisoner), applied to her some time in
the summer of 1611, to get him a washerwoman, and to
desire her to bring his linen home every Saturday. Two
or three days before the fire he called in and begged of
her to tell the woman not to bring his things home as
usual the nest Saturday, but to leave them at witness's
house until he sent for them. This she did ; and after
the tire, which took plare on the Sunday night, a young
HMO came and fetched away the linen.
Mr. John Carmichael, of Russell-street. Covent-gar.
den, baker and pastry-cook, said the prisoner was his
journeyman in 1612 and 1813. They had frequent con•
versations upon the subject of the fire. Witness asked
him bow the fire happened, and he said that it was in
consequence of the crown of the oven having fallen in,
and the fire bursting nut from it.
Walter Bigg stated. that he lived in Baldwin-street,
City-road, and was a tin-plate worker. When time prisoner
was living in Ratcliffe-highway, before he lived in
Whitecroas-street, witness supplied him with utensils
for his trade. Had no recollection of serving him with
any after he was burnt out at Ratcliffe-highway, hutsoon
after the fire in Whitecross-street, the prisoner came to
Lien, and said, " I have been to the Otfice, and shall
soon get my money; you know 1 have had a great deal
of goods of you, and if the Fire-Office people apply to
von, I wish vou would say that I have had 301. worth.
Witness said would search his books, and whatever
goods belied actually had he would report to the Fire
Office, but no inure.
Mr. ADOLPHUS asked Mr. Isaacs if lie intended to call
any more witnesses? because if he did, lie thought the
further hearing had better be adjourned, as it was so late
an hour.

Mr. IsAAcs said he had only to call the Secretaries to
the Phenix, the Rock, and the Albion Insurance Comp-
riles, and those Gentlemen were not present.
Mr. ADOLPHUS—HOW can they prove any thing im-
portant to this cue, when the prisoner was insured at the
Eagle?
Mr. Isaacs—They are to prove that the money was paid
from those Offices to the prisoner for other fires, and that
therefore in his conversation with Mr. Bigg, he could only
hay. referred to the one in Whltecross-street.

All the witnesses present were then bound over to the Ses-
sions, and told they need not attend here again.
The prisoner was remanded till Wedneiday, when he will
be fully committed.
Woasutr-sraxer.—Christopker Waters, Chief Mate of a
merchant ship, named the Alexander, was yesterday brought
up for re-examination before S. Twvroao and J. MILWARD,
Esqrs. charged with the murder of Geo. Griffiths, a seaman,
on board that ship, at Pernambuco.
A. Douglas, the carpenter of the ship, stated that the pri-
soner struck the deceased on the back part of the neck, and
he fell headlong to the bottom of the hatchway; he never
spoke or stirred any more.
Jos. Gray, who was third mate on board at the same time,
was below, sod saw the deceased come headlong down with
great force ; he instantly died.
The prisoner denied that he ever struck the deceased at all,
and observed, that there was a man on board a ship home-
ward-bound, expected every day, who was a material wit-
ness lit his favour.

Mr. Twvoan said, if such should be the case on his trial,
it might induce the Court to postpone it till the arrival of
that witness; bunt was no ground for the delay of his com-
mitment.

The prisoner was committed to Navigate to take his trial
at the next Admiralty Sessions:

The Gazette of Tuesday contains a Proclamation offer
ing rewards for the apprehension of the M titers of threat-
enotg !otters to Messrs. .1. 111411ey, W. Water, and C.
Chalmers, of Dondee ; also for the apprehension of the
persons concerned in the robbery in St. bleorge's Chapel,
Portsea.

On the morning of the 28th instant was discovered, in
a water-butt, in tue house of Mr. Jetties Robertson, No.
2, Old North-street, Ited Lion square, a large snake three
feet in length, of the common kind, ultich was seen!
swimming in the water with its head partly out ;on its
being touched it made a disagreeable hissing noise until
it was killed. Whet makes this occurrence very extraor-
dinary is, the manner in Which the snake found its trey!
is o the water butt, which cannot be accounted for, unless
it came through the pipe that conveys the water *eta the
Now river, its *Welt case it must have come a distance, f,,
nearly two milts out of its own natural element. In uth.r
respects the, water butt is so situated (being surronniled
'on all sides by a wall nearly 10 frefhigh,) that all idea
of the snake gaining access fr3m any Other (Planet is
precluded. •