The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-11-25 00:00:00

present moment actually at the war price; and it was par i
cularly incumbent upon the Chief Magistrate to interpose
his authority, at least for an adequate increase of the number
of coaltneters, in order that some check should be given to
so obwaxions a monopoly, and that so indispensable an arti•
cle of domestic use elsould fall to its proper level.
The LORD Menu, upon being applied to on so Impor,
tent a subject, ordered that a minute and immediate
Investigation should be made into the evil and the causes of
it, and he ascertained that even within the last week 194
coal vessels had arrived, notwithstanding which, the price
remained alarmingly high. It was further reported, that
the number of coal meters now actin I being one hundred
and seven, and there being a few mord immediately to co-
operate with them, the duty was minable of being dis•
charged without any effort, and that the evil complained of
arose from quite a different source : it arose, in tact, from
the following practice, which could nit be too much
reprobated. Some of the most eminent dealers bought
their coals at the pit month, and freighted their own ships
with them. Upon the arrival of the carg'oes they made
purchases, or pretended to purchase, of part, or the whole
of them. through their factors in Lnndon, at an exorbitant
price, and this compelled the public to pay for small
quantities in proportion to the price which the original
purchasers had thus unfairly put upon the article.
The Loon MAYOR, in reply to the applications, then said
that the evil complained of —an evil Eft certainly was, of a
very serious nature—was above his reach. Over the coal.
meters, ageism whom indeed there was no ground of
complaint, he could exercise an authority, if any of them
could be proved to have aided in any imposition upon the
public; but those who, it appeared, were chargeable with
the obnoxious offence of keeping up the price of coals, could
not, be believed, be reached, except by some legislative

roactment.
OUILDIIII.I.—A middle axed female, of very respectable
appearance, named Lydia Goodall, was brought up yester•
day before the Sitting Magistrate, Mr. Alderman Cox.
on the charge of stealing a piece of lawn in the shop
of Mr. Morris, linen draper, at the south end of Fleet

Market.
The prisoner, It appeared, by the evidence of Edward
Handley, the shopumo, came there on Saturday morning,
and desired to be shewn some shawls, and subsequently
purchased one for 4s. 4d. While the was bargaining for
it, he observed her throw her handkerchief, as ifcarelessly,
over a piece et lawn which laid upon the counter ; and
missing the lawn immediately after she left the shop, he
ran out and overtook her, and insisted on her returning,
when the piece of lawn was found in a basket she had with
her. Two other new shawls, exclusive of the one she had
purchased, were also found in the basket.
'lim prisoner, who was dreadfully agitated, protested her
innocence, and that she had taken the property up accident-
ally with her handkerchief, and begged for mercy, en her
kuees, amidst a flood of tears.
Mr. Alderman Cox observed, that the manner in which
she conducted herself at the bar had no effect whatever on
him ; from the circumstances, there seemed to he good
reason to apprehend she was by no means a novice in this
line, and be should not be doing his duty as a mtgistrate, if
he did not send her to take Ler trial for the offence.—She
was accordingly committed.
Bow STRlClT.—.CRUglaT.—Yesterday James Collins,
the driver of a cart, was brought before Sir RICHARD
BMUS, charged under Mr. Martin's Act with cruelty to
a horse.
The charge was made by Mr. Abhetts, a tradesman, in
Southampton Street, whose 'feculent, corroborated by
other witnesses, was, that on Friday last the defendant was,
with his horse and cart, in Southampton Street, the cart
contained a load of goods quite set lent for the strength
Of three horses. The poor animal exerted all its power to I
draw the vehicle up the street, but was obliged occasionally
to stop for breath. These delays, however, were too much
for the patience of the defendant, end every time that the
horse stopped, he took his whip in both hands a,,d bela-
boured him Goal he trembled. panted, and seemed sink-
ing to the earth. Mr. Abbott, and several oche- persons
interfered, and took his number, and be then desisted from
further violence.
to his defence, the prisoner pleaded poverty.
Sir R. Bluffs.—This case is very properly brought for-
ward, and I sti all certainly act upon it ' • but as you are very
poor, I shall fine you 101. instead of 51., in the hope that
you will act with something like humanity in future.—
Fined 10s. end costs.
HATTON OAR DEN.....-01PPICIAL INPORTANCI OP A WATCYI-
- respectable looking young man, witn two women of
the town, was brought up from Croswell Street watchhouse,
under the following circumstances f—lt appeared that on last
night the young man was returning from Tottenham Court
Road towards the City, when he fell into company with one of
these females, andon their passing quietly into Hatfield Street,
off Doswell Street, the watchman stopped them, and refused to
permit them to go through that street ; and on their insisting
on their right, and the second female coming up to interfere,
be took the whole party to the watehhouse.--The watchman,
in justification of his conduct, said, that the gentleman had
spoken to him very disrespectfully, and made some very unfa-
vourable comments on his character ; and as there were some
houses of ill-fame in Hatfield Street. the inhabitants desired
him to admit so persons of a suspicious appearance to pass
there at night.--The Magistrate ob dto the watchman,
that in the first place, he must not possess such a morbid sen-
sibility of feeling, as to put a respectable man in the watch-
house, because he " spoke disrespectfully " to him, and. se-
condly, that he bad no proper authority for obstructing any
persons, even women of the town, unless they were behaving
in a disorderly manner.—The pirttes were dismissed.
CRUELTY TO Aniimass.—An application was made for the
Magistrate's interference, by a man who stated that a savage
fellow, out of malice to him, had seized on his dog, and beat
him so brutally that the spine was absolutely severed in va-
rious places, and the brains protruding : be was obliged to
shoot him immediately, to relieve him from the state he was In.
The Magistrate regretted that this was a case to which Mr.
Martin's Act did not apply.
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