The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-01-21 00:00:00

THE STATESMAN.

OLD BAILEY.

• ---
Robert Leach was capitally indicted for breaking
and entering the dwelling-house of Elizabeth Brock
on the 16th inst. le the day time, no person being
therein, and stealing a silk gown.
The Prosecutrix, it appeared, kept a small
grocer's shop in Cleveland-row, in the parish of St.
Pancras,' tnid on the morning of the robbery she had
spitted her house, the door of which she left locked,
"for the purpose of going to Covent-garden-market.
On her return she was informed that her house had
been openeds and that the person who had commit-
ted the offence was in custody. She afterwards saw
the Prisoner, who was seen to enter the shop by
means of t. skeleton key, and in whose possession
was found the silk gown in question.
The facts of the charges being distinctly proved)
the Prisoner was found Guilty—Death.
Mary Smooth was tried on an indictment, charg-
ing her with stealing sixteen silk handkerchiefs, va-
lue 51. privately, in the dwelling-house of Messrs.
Flint and Kay, in the parish of St. Anne's, Soho.
From the testimony of the witnesses examined in
support of the prosecution, it appeared that the Pri-
soner, in company with another woman, went into
the shop of the Prosecutors, who keep the haber-
dasher's shop, well known as Grafton-house, in
IGrafton-street, Sobo, on the 30th of Dec. While
one was making some trifling purchase, the Prisoner
left the shop in so hurried a manner, that suspicions
arose in the mind of the shopman, and on the other
woman following he had the curiosity to go after them.
On their reaching Newport-market, he stopped the
Prisoner, and found in her possession several pieces
of silk handkerchiefs. The other woman ran off,
upon which the Prisone declared that she had re-
ceived the bundle from the woman who had ran away,
and was not aware that she had been guilty of auy
impropriety.
Several persous bore testimony to the general good
character of the Prisoner, who is a married woman
of decent appearance, and appeared at the bar with
an infant child in her arms.
The Jury returned a verdict of—Guilty of stealing,
but not privately.
Thomas Beard was indicted for stealing a five and
a ten pound note, in the dwelling-house of John
Wilkinson, LL. D. with whom he lived as servant.
There were circumstances in the conduct of the Pri-
soner, which proved his contrition so forcibly, that
the Prosecutor was induced not to prosecute him ca-
pitally, he was therefore only convicted of the simple
larceny.
John Radley was then tried on an indictment,
charging him with burglariously breaking and enter-
ing the dwelling-house of William Camper, and steal-
ing therein 24 yards of carpeting.
The Prosecutor stated, that he was a carpet manu-
facturer in Tottenham-court-road. On the evening
of the 23d of December he heard his shop door open,
and conceiving it to be his servant coming in, he took
no notice of the circumstance. On looking to the
shop, however, shortly afterwards, he saw the Pri-
soner walking out with a piece of carpet under his
arm. He immediately followed and secured him.
The Prosecutor said he could not swear the door was
latched ; the capital part of the charge was therefore
done away, and the Prisoner was found Guilty of
stealing, but acquitted of the burglary.
Richard Woodhatch was capitally convicted for
being at large within this kingdom before the expire-
, tion of the term for which he had been ordered to be
transported ; as were likewise
Edward Jones, for a like offence;
Philip Barnard, for stealing a pair of shoes, value
7s. the property of John Fraser, privately in his

shop ;
John Butler, for a burglary in the dwelling-house
of Robert Lloyd, and stealing a quilt, three blankets,
and other articles, his property, and several articles
of wearing apparel, the property of Eliza Woodage ;
Mary Carroll, for stealing three pieces of print, the
property of James Lamming ;
Thomas Hunt, for assaulting Margaret Raney on
the King's highway, and taking from her person a 3s.
token, a shawl, and two silk handkerchiefs, her pro-
perty.

Bow-Svaxrr.—At a late hour on Saturday night,
thirteen of the men who have uttered the forged cer-
tificates of their service in the Royal Navy, and de-
handed the Governors of Greenwich Hospital, in
connection with Gawler the clerk, were brought be-
fore Mr. GRAHAM) and admitted to hail, themselves
in 501. each, and two sureties in 251. each. Some of
their certificates stated them to have served longer in
the navy than they were years old, others stated
them to have served 18, 20, and 21 years, whereas
they only served about four, five, and six years. The
men appeared extremely penitent for what they had
been led into, and hoped mercy wonld be shown
'theta. They prinelpafty reside in ebe neighbourhood
of Spitalftelds, where Hopeton, the public-house
agent, also iesides, who was connected with Gawler
in procuring the wen. Gawler manufactured and got
the forged certificates passed in the offices. Mr. Mar-
ter, the Solicitor to Greenwich Hospital, attended the
proceedings.
MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.—YestPrday Mary New-
bury, a girl, not more than 14 years old, and who
had once before been convicted of smash, or, in
other words, passing bad money, and suffered six
months' imprisonment, was again indicted and found
guilty of a similar offence, and sentenced to six more
months' imprisonment ; and at the end, of that time,
to give security for. her good behaviour for the next
half-year.—Elizabeth Harmon was convicted under
a late Act of Parliament, of uttering a flask note,
with the word one engraved on a black ground, and
the word 'peony in small letters following, knowing
the same, with intent to defraud a baker, named Ri-
chards, of Red Lion-street, Spital-fields, of 20s. The
Court sentenced her to six mouths' imprisonment in
the House of Correction.
HODRID BARDARITY.—On the night of Friday
the 3d instant, between the hours of six and ten,
_some wicked and malicious person or persons, of
rather monsters inhuman shape, entered the stable
rof Mr. Charles Storey, of Cross-tyke-head, parish
of Stapleton, and savagely cut out the tongues of
two valuable animals,—one of Abele a mare with
foal. The wretched animals were: rendered totally
incapable of chewing and semitones food.isasient
for their sustenance.

INTERESTING 'ACCOUNT
OP WC
FALL OF PART OF A HUGE MOUNTAIN;
Burying Three Villages and Fifteen Hundred Persons.
About five o'clock its the evening of the Sd of Septeraper,
1806, a large projection of the mountain of Romberg, Geneva,
on the noel-east, gave way, and precipitated itself into this
valley t and in less than four minutes completely overwhelmed
three villages. The torrent of earth and stones was far more
rapid than that of lava,and its effects as resistless and as terrible.
The mountain in its descent carried trees, rocks, houses, every
thing before it. The mass spread in every direction, so as to
bury completely a space of charming country, more than three
miles square. The force of the earth must have been prodigi-
ous, since it not only spread over the hollow of the valley, but
even ascended far up the opposite side of the Rigi. The quan-
tity of earth, too, was enormous, since it left a considerable
hill in what was before the centre of the vale. A portion of
the falling mass was rolled into the lake of Lowertz, and it was
calculated that a fifth part was filled up. Two little islands
marked in this lake, were admired for their picturesqueness.—
One of them was famous for the residence of two hermits, and
the other for the remains of an ancient chateau, once belonging
to the house of Hapsburgh. So large a body of water was raised
and posited forward by the falling of such a mass into the lake,
that the two islands, and the whole village of Seven, at the south-
ern extremity, were, fur a time, completely submerged by the pas-
sing of the swell. A large house in this village was lifted off
its foundations and carried half a mile beyond its place. The
hermits were absent.on a pilgrimage to the abbey of Einsidelu.
The disastrous consequences of this event extend further than the
loss of such a number of inhabitants in a canton of little popula-
tion. A fertile plain was at once converted into a barren tract
of rocks and calcareous earth, and the former marks and boun-
daries of property obliterated. The main road from Art to
Schweitz was completelytfilled up,lthe former channel of a large
stream choked, and its course altered. The number of inhabi-
tants buried alive ender the ruins of this mountain was scarcely
less than fifteen hundred. Some even estimated it as high as two
thousand. Of these; a woman and two children were found
alive, after having been several days under ground. They af-
firmed, that while they were thus entombed, they heard the
cries of poor creatures who were perishing around them, for
want of that succour which they were so happy as to receive.—
' It was about a week after the fall of the mountain,' says a per-
son who visited the spot, • that our route through Switzerland
led us to visit this scene of desolation : and never can I forget the
succession of melancholy views which presented themselves to
our curiosity. In our way to it, we landed at Art, a town si-
tuated at the southern extremity of the lake of Zug ; and we
skirted along the western boundary of the ruins, by the side of
Mount Rigi, toward the lake of Lowertz. From various points on
our pamage,we had complete views of siich a scene of destrnct ion,
as no words can adequately describe. Picture to yourself a rude
mingled macs of earth mid stones, bristled with the shattered
paws of wooden cottages, and with thousands of heavy trees,
torn up by the roots, and projecting in every direction. In one
part you might see a range of peasants' huts, which the torrent
of earth had reached with just force enough to overthrow and
tear in pieces, but without bringiag soil enough to cover them.
In another wese mills broken to pieces by huge rocks, trans-
ported from tbe'top of the mountain, wh ch fell and were carried
high up the opposite side of the ltigi. Large pools of water had
formed themselves in different parts of the ruins, and many little
streams, whose usual channels had been filled up, were bursting
out in various places. Birds of prey, attracted by the smell of
dead bodies, were hovering all about the valley. But the general
impression made upon us by the sight of such au extent of dreo:a-
lion, connected, too, with the idea that hundreds of wretched crea-
tures were at that moment alive, burled under a mass of earth,
and inaccessible to the cries and labours of their friends, was too
horrible to be described or understood. As we travelled along
the borders of the cress of ruined buildings, a poor peasant,
wearing a countenance ghastly with woe, came op to as to beg
a piece of money. He had three children buried in the ruins
of a cottage, which he was endeavouring to clear away.—
We proceeded, on our descent, eking the side of the Rigi,
towards the half-buried village of Lowertz. Here we saw the
poor curate, who is said to have been I spectator of the fall of
the mountain. He saw the torrent of earth rushing towards his
village, overwhelming half his people, and stopping just before
his door ! What a situation ! He appeared, as we paned, to
be superintending the labours of some of tke survivors, who
were exploring the ruins of the place. A number of new-made
graves, marked with a plain pine cross, showed where a few of
the wretched victims of this catastrophe had beets just interred.
Our coarse lay along the borders of the enchanting lake of
Lowertz. The appearance of the slopes, on the eastern and
southern sides, told us is bat the valley of Goldau was a few
days since, smiling with varied vegetation, gay with villages
and cottages, and bright with promises of autumnal plenty. 'file
shores of this lake were covered with runts of huts, with hay,
with furniture and clothes, which the vast swell of its waters
had lodged on the banks. As we were walking mournfully
along towards Schweitz, we met with the dead body of a wo-
man, which had been just found. It was stretched out on a
board, and barely covered with a white cloth. Two mess pre
ceded by a priest, were carrying it to a more decent burial.—
We hoped that this sight would have concluded the horrors of
this day's scenery, and that we should soon escape from every
painful vestige of the calamity of Sehweitz. But we continued
to find relics of ruined buildings for a league along the whole
extent of the lake; and a little beyobd the two islands, men-
tioned above, wesaw, ing on the shore, the stiff body of a
peasant, which had been washed up by the waves, and which
two men were examining, to ascertain where he belonged.—
Our guide instantly knew it to be one of the inhabitants of Gol-
den. But I will mention no more particulars. Some perhaps
that have been related to me are not credible, and others which
re credible are too painful."

On Saturday night Nottingham Castle was at-
tempted to.be robbed; three viilians were seen at—
tempting to enter the plate room of Mrs. Plumb, but
on the alarm-bell being rung they fled. And on
Tuesday night, a musket or pistol ball was fired
through the window of Edward Watson, a labour-
ing man at Basford, but without doing any material
mischief, than that of alarming the family.
Tits Point CommtrrEc.—This Committee met
yesterday, at one o'clock, according to appointment,
and most of the Members were present. They did
no material business, however, farther than making
some preliminary arrangements. Sir M. Woon was
nominated to the Chair, and directions were given
for the attendanCe of several Churchwardens, from
diferent parishes in the metropolis. They meet again
to-morrow, at the same hour, when, we under-
stand, the state of the City Watch is to be inquired
into, in corder to compare it with that of West-
minster.
To prevent chimneys smoking, a Correspondent
annanmeannia that the following hints be attended to
in erecting them :—The height of the mantle ms 4
.1104 exceed one-third the height of the room—
=and breast to be carried perfectly upright, at
to the ceiling, and then the tarn to be as easy
mad •gradaal as possible--lot the jambs, from the
hearth to the mantle describe a curve ;. and the lower
patter the mode to bee broad horizontal plane—tbe
distaste frees the inside of the breast to the back on
each aided the thmst to be from 10 to 14 or 16
according to the size of the chimney. It t -
beau ,Mloplhhieds that 'reducing smokey
above,, will seldom fail of haring the desired