The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-07-21 00:00:00

MEETING OF THE GENERAL CONVENTION.

EDI N BURGH. JeLv •
The General Convention of Royal Burghs met this
day, when the Report of the Committee was reed,
stating that the Convention bad been in the use of
altering the sets of Royal Burghs on whet appeared
just and reasonable grounds, and with consent of all
parties interested.
• Mr. HENDERSON, Member for Kirkwall, addressed
the Convention at considerable length, and endea.
whited to point out from numerous precedents, the
power of the Convention to alter the Acts of Burghs.
The question, he contended, was one of the greatest
importance to every Royal Burgh in Scotland. The
usage had listed for 250 years, and if the Convention
uhw found that they bad no power to do so, they
would disfranchise every Burgh whose set they had
altered, among which the Burgh of Glasgow would
he one to which the Convention, not many years ago,
had given two additional Bellies.
Mr. KIRKMAN FINLAY (the Lord Provost of
Glasgow) observed, that the Learned Gentlemen who
had just sat down, and who had displayed so much
legal knowledge on this occasion, had uo connection
with the Burgh he represented—bad been but a few
days a Burgess of it, and he supposed had been re-
turned a Member for the very purpose of supporting
these Petitions.

(11ere the Honourable Gentleman was called to
MIPS by Mr. BUMPS.]
The Loan PROVOST of EDINBURGH declared he
was not out of order.

Mr. Gissou contended that Mr. Finlay was out of
order—such espressions could not be allowed. The
Member for Kirkwall bed produced a regular com.
mission. and represented that Burgh as legitimately
as any Member in the Convention. He would ask
Mr. Finlay if such espressious would be tolerated for
one moment in the House of Commons, or if any
Member there would be allowed to ask him (Mr.
Finlay) what motives had induced the Burgh of
Malmsbory to send him to the House of Commons as
their Representative ?—( Lord and reiterated op.
plause.)
The LORD PROVOST of EDINBURGH rose, and said,
that if such proceedings should take place again, he
would order all strangers to be put out of the Hall.
Mr. FINLAY proceeded, and said, that he bad no
wish to throw any reflections upon the Honourable
Member for Kirkwall. He then contended, at con.
siderable length, that all the authorities quoted by
the Learned Gentleman only showed that the power
lay in the Convention, when all parties were satisfied.
Mr. Buttmes. before proceeding to give his opinion
on this point observed, that to prevent any interrup.
lion from the Lord Provost of Glasgow, he would
tell him who he war. He had been 20 years a Burgess
and Freeman in Montrose—possessed 10 times as
much property in the Burgh as qualified him to be a
Member of the Convention; he bad also the honour
to be one of the Magistrates of that Bergh, elected,
he was proud to say, by a unanimous poll of hie fel-
low Burgesses, and it would he gratifying if the Ma.
gistrates of Edinburgh and Glasgow could say as
much. Mr. Burnea•supported the propositions laid
down by the Member for Kirkwall, and concluded
by calling upon every Member of the Convention. if
they valued the memory of their ancestors, to defend
and support the powers that bad beep handed down
to them through a long series of years.
Mr. WALTER Coot contended that the Conven-
tion had not the possess, uuiess all parties interested
were satisfied. '
Mr. Glasox contended that the Convention bad
the powers, and had exercised them for 250 years—
that their right had been recognized by repeated de-
cisions of the Supreme Court, and by the opinion of
every constitutional lawyer who bad written upon
the subject. the concluded with submitting a mo-
tion, in terms of his speech, to the Convention.
Mr. Cools submitted an amendment, that the Re.
port of the Committee should be simply approved.
The roll was then called, when there voted for
Mr. Gibson's motion 23—For the Amendment 25.

On Saturday afternoon, Hearti's Hemel•Hempsted
coach was overturned at Hunton..bridge, about three
miles below Watford, owing principally to the care.
lessness of the driver in dashing rapidly round the
corner of the bridge, with the overpowering weight
of 17 outside passengers, when, shocking to relate,
a respectable young woman, and also a young man,
the servant of a Gentleman in the neighbourhoodll
were so dreadfully injured, that they survived only,
a few hours. Several other persons were also severely
wounded.
" Goon Wixa NUM no Bosn."—This saying,
arose from the old custom of uhipping wine with a
bush or bunch of birch, under the notion of clear.
ing it ; but of bate years the vintages and mode of
obtaining wine have bebn so much improved, that a
man may now clear from any Stock he prefers, and
leap it into Lis own cellar, the choicest Claret,
Purl, or Madeira in the Kingdom, free of any ez•
pence whatever, by the gratuitous arrangement of
Mr. CARROLL. the Contractor fur the Lottery, who
invites the Holders of each Prize of 1,009 Sovereigns
to select Four Pipes of Port or Madeira, or Four
Hogsheads of Claaret, and in proportion for Shares;
and to send the Bills to either of the Contractor's
Offices, No. 7, Cornhill, or 26, Oxford-street.—
This is quite independent of Two Prises of f 30.000,
Two of £2,000, &c. &c.; which may all be drawn
the 4th Nest Month, as there are no filed Prizes,
and only 8,000 'rickets in this L.'ttery.
Yesterday morning, as en apprentice to Mr. H.
Bereett, carpenter and builder, in Fetter-lane, was
assisting the man in rolling a heavy 11 trk of timber,
on rollers, into the yard, it slipped MT, and, falling
on him, broke his leg) and ludictat several other
braises 00 his body.

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YORK ASSIZES, Jura 18. • e
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CROWN SIOP.. ti
Atireg and John.Meriist were pet epee
their trial fora conspiracy to defraud Maleseltoe,4
corn-dealer, at Cleveland Pootki • !)_ 1 •
Askey, a very respectable-leoklag
two-and.tuenty years, superintended the eeighler
and measuring pain delivered.its M< Ilaseglost's grip
nodes at Cleveland Port. Murtio a s it ioniser 14
the neighbourhood, of !great credit sod respctubio
HI, who freqepoily sold pais. to n.
Sit charges of fraudulent statements of *rights fed
measureinents were relied en fbr. proof.. They taerel
of 'hie estere:—Askey entered 21.1. 91114 of oetsi.the
IS Pight was said to be 2st 61b, Ile entered 131 b.
the weight alleged 2st. !31b., Ike, Of these alleged
frauds the only evidence was, the assertion of nth',
servants of Mr. Hamilton, who said they sometimes
looked on, and sometimes measured or weighed AL.
oats over again, each alone aad on a sepalate, often
lion. A sailor was one of: *hi*, Who threw 0 bee"
net of his jacket into his waistcoat parkot for *toot
bushel struck by Askey. The bushels entered wet*
66; the beaus transferred were 68. Bet the peitnt
cipal evideuce was that of George Eldon, who woe*
sured the oats ever again in Due instance, and found
• difference.
Mr. WILLIAMS and Mr. Coktwaw, the Counsel.
for the prosecution, pointed and enforced this avid-
dente.
Mr. Caoss and Mr. Jones sets Ahe Ceensel .tor
the Defendants. The former made a most powerful.
appeal to-the Jury on the pest of Askey. , For TS
years he bad been the tried and faithful settent of,
Mr. Ilaselton. The charges against him could go sae.
further back than last December, and could find Wry
support but in the assertion of one witness to,eeda,
charge. The principal *hoes. was Eldon, *lto boor
pened to succeed Mr. Askey as meter sod weiehege,
This fact required no comment. Against all solocies.,
picioes and interested evidence against him, heel's.**
be satisfied by opposing Mr. Ilaseltoo's cnoidencm,
for 22 years.—Several witnesses were called for Si*
Defendants, some of whom gave a complete centre
diction to the statements en the other side; aecb
others, themselves highly respectable, gave thin
strongest testimony of character.
Mr. Justice BairLor summed op et great length,
and with a manifest distrust of the evidence for the•
prosecution. It had been attempted to show that
Askey bed confessed the crime, because after his dis.
missal he had gone to Ilaielton in hopes of recover.
ing his situation, and bad begged his pardon for the
irregularity of trusting to his eye in one instance as
to the quantity in 19 sacks. His eye happened to be
correct, but it was an irregularity in his situation.—
The Jury, however, would not construe strictly sock
an espression, at least they would not seller it, to
prejudice Martin. The characters of butb were of
the very best kind, and it was the advantage of suck
a possession that it afforded great protection in the
hour if difficulty and danger. lie animadverted upon
the possible injury to the Defendants from liaselton's
religious aversion to an oath, being Quaker, and
not giving evidence.
The Jury Instantly found both—Not Guilty.
Mr. Caoss.—And is this faithful old servant to hi
held in distress for months, and to be tried for felony •
at the nest Assizes ?
After some consultation, Askey was obliged to give
bail, himself-10 1001. and two sureties in 601. each,
to appear at nest Assizes to be tried for felony in
embelslieg the difference of corn with reopect to
which he had been acquitted of conspiracy. The bail
was instantly given.

Askey repeatedly wept like a child, awhile Mr.
Cross alluded to his services and his sufferings.
This trial occupied the Court till three o'clock.—•
The convicts were then brought op for judgment.
Joshua Wokingld, Joseph Woefulld, and B..oj►ruin
Buckley, three very young, stout, sod handsome
men, convicted of petty larceny at Dewsbury, were
sentenced to transportation for seven years.
The following 15 convicts were next arranged at
the bar at oncrefor sentence :—George Long, George
Groves, David Holt, Jart.es Galloway, John Brook.
Thomas Beason, and Thomas Pearson, for grand
larceny; Isaac Ferrer, John Ferrer, Joseph Ferrer,
John Mitchell, William Vague, for burglary; James
Jackson and Thomas Bradley, for horse.stealing;
and William Smith, for sheep•stealing.
Mr. Justice BATLEY, standing, 'his head covered
with the terrible emblem of a sentence of death, and
with a look of mixed solemnity and sorrow, address-
ed them :—lt is most painful to find that in the
short space of three months not less than fifteen per-
sons should come to stand in the situation in which
you now stand. The crimes of some of you are ac-
companied with circumstances of peculiar aggrava.
lion. Yoo, Ferrets, were at that bar before. Tt►is
I know, not from information, bet from painful re-
collection. Your danger end your acquittal failed
to have their proper effect on you; and in jus-
tice to the Public, I must pause before I determine
whether my responsibility can allow me to mom*
mend you to the mercy of the Crown.—(The
pc) Judge now made particular observations on the
circumstances of each crime of which the several
Prisoners had been convicted.) You, William
Smith, stand there a most afflicting monument of
the dreadful effects of crime. For many, many
yesrs, your character stood as high as the charac-
ter of any man could stand. You had a son who
looked to you for example and assistance; vow
had a parent that felt deeply interested in you. Toe
one you have irreparably injured and disgraced : vow
have contributed to bring the grey hairs of the other
with sorrow to the grave. Criminals, if for your
own happiness you had no feeling, could you forget
that you had friends and relations, parents and Alla
dress, who are most deeply interested in you, and
who participate in your danger and disgrace? The
folly of am is at least equal to its criminalty ; it sel-
dom escapes punishment from-the laws of the land
but there is en eye from which no prudence can con-
ceal, and no deaterity elude. There is an infatua.
lion in crime which facilitates detection ; often, too,
criminals themselves in the most extraordivary mat►•
ner divulge their crimes : nor is this accident : it
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the wise arrangement of that Being woo sales over all,
Itentomber, too, that there is another •orid where
the punishment of crime., not forgiten, shall be
abundant and steroid. I beseech yoe, then, were.
ploy your time is obtaisiog &k mercy at God, asd