The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-06-05 00:00:00

ALINSION-HOUSE FETE.

One of the grandest entertainments ever witnessed
in the City of London, except the Prince's magnifi.
cent fete, last year, and Royal banquets, was given
on I'Vednesday, at the Mansion (louse.

It was the intention of the Lord Mayor to pay the
highest compliment in his power to the Royal. Fam-
ily, who hate kindly condescended to honour him,
during his Mayoralty, with the most marked atten-
tion, respect, and regard. The party therefore in-
vited to meet their Royal Highnesses the Princes,
consisted of all the Ambassadors and Foreign Mi-
nisters at our Court, the great Officers of State, such
of the Nobility and distinguished Members of all poli-
tical parties as his Lordship was acquainted with, all
the Aldermen, and the Heads of the principal Pub-
lic Bodies and Chartered Companies in the City, and
between twenty and thirty Ladies of the first rank
and distinction, who soon after six o'clock assem-
bled at the Mansion House, to witness the sump-
tuousness of, the table of the Chief Magistrate of
the first City in the world, which, to the great cre-
dit of Mr. Barker, who supplied the whole enter-
tainment, was covered with every delicacy of the
season, and to partake of his Lordship's splendid
hospitality, in honour of the great City over which
he presides.

To describe the decorations of this superb erllfice,
in all its parts, would only tire the reader; unwea-
ried preparations were made for weeks before, and
every thing succeeded to the high satisfaction of the
illustrious l'arty assembled.

The Lady Mayoress, at night, opened the re-
mainder of this sp'endid Mansion with a ball and sup..
per, at which all the Gentlemen appeared in Court
dresses, and the Ladies the same, with the' excep.,
tion of hoops. The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress,
desirous that nothing should diminish the compliment
to their friends, were most reluctantly obliged, to,
prevent the, rooms from being over-crowded, to limit
the number of iatritulons.

Supper was prepared for about 700 persons, but
so numerous were the applications for tickets to the
entertainment from their immediate friends within
the last week, that nearly 1100 invitations were at
last issued ; and so desirous was the whole party of
paying every attention to the Lidy Mayoress, that
'warty the whole of that number staid to the Supper.
The consOuence was, that many perseos were with.
out seats ; all were, however, pieta fully supplied
with Champaign, and every other choice wine that
could be procured, and every one at least got some
retoshment.

The splendour of the dresses was beyond all de-
scription, and only seen at the drawing-room and
the houses of the Prince and persons of the first rank
and distinction. The Lady Mayoress wore a splen-
did dress of white crape richly embroidered with
real silver; her bead-dress consisted of diamonds
and a very large plume of white ostrich feathers.—
The whole was truly magnificent, as Were the Lord
Mayor's, being a rich embroidered coat, and full
suit to correspond. lie did not wear any of the
state robes, cluing to the day not being held on any
particular festival. The Lady Mayoress went
through the fatigues of the day to the astonishment
of her friends, and did the honours of the entertain.
ment with the most unaffected attention to all pre-
sent.

The following illustrious and diginguished per-
sops sat down to dinner in the Egyptian Hall, about
seven o'clock:

Their Royal Illghaesses the Dukes of York, Kent, Cumber-
land, Cambridge, and Gloucester.
Monsieur de Fr ince an I the Duke de Berri.
The Sitanie.t, Portuguese. and Turkish Ambassadors.
The American Alini•ter, and Connt Munster.
Drat-% —Bedford, Montrose, Rutland, Beaufort. and Argyll.
I)ocuassKs—Arr,)ll. Leeds, llritlport, Rutland, Dorset.
Msso-,tsKs—Waterford, Winchester, Ilendfurt, Lansdowa,
and Wellebley.

MARCRIONEWS—Waterford,• Winewster, Lantdmvut sad

I:Ada—Dartmouth, Birk ingliam‘hire, %lair', Donley, Chol-
mondeley, Grosvenor. thoilftird, Harrington, Lansdale, (Hor-
ton. Radnor, Sandwich. Shaftesbury, Talbot, Yarmouth. West-
morland, Aylesford, Clanearty, Cowper, Oxford. Paolo,
Tyrconnel, IVinch-lsea, Orford, Delaware, Mount , dge-
ecitn..e, and Athlone.

t'orwrescre--Dowager Pembroke. Galloway, Be'lament,
Dartmouth, Cardigan, Albemarle, tiatlntrs,. Claneart v, (lon-
melt. ratiennbrrg, Jersey. Mouuttsorris, Oxford, Limeking-
liamshire, Citolatundeley, VarnleY, Guilfordjalhot, and Lou-
don and M

ViscooNrs—Castlereagh, Griaistivae. Melville. Sydney. Pal-
mentott. Craaley. Cranbouroe, Ashbrook, Iliarliabrouke,
Ilawarden.

ViscotryTassrs —Cast' *resigh and Gringtone.
Lonna —Alraol-y, George Rumford, Bruce, Berry, Boston,
Braybronke, A psley, Bay nine.. De...Cliford, Elliott. Pones,
William Fitzroy, It. Fit7gerald. Henniker, A. Ha ni!tan. Hin-
ton, Jocelyn. Kinnoull, Kirkwall. G. Taylor, Whitworth, John
Somerset, Fkilgony. Fianditla, Riven, C. Ilentinck, Crautham,
Lowther, and Erskine.
LADlES—Grantham, two Saekvilles, C. Cholmonielry, R..
I iti4crahl, Lake, C. Rawdon, G, Anoeslev, M. arid L. Vane,
S. Burgess, Saltoan, F. Wilson, Warburton, I). Herbert, H.
and C. Walpole. the ladies.Coote. J. Thynne, C Hood, E:
Ilagot. the Imdi-s legges, J. and E. Fitzroy. E. Brnhlenel,
Rai:chile, the Ladies Stewart, Ilarringtoodohnsume. metealfe,
Mildmay, Murray. Nebel. Pncklington, Preston; Hyde Par-
ker, Present:, It ussell. Rowley. Bamsden, M. Shepherd, Sid-
ney Smith, I)ruminontl.Srnith, Turner, Wilson, Hurst, apd very
malty more.
.A RCS histiors—C..n erbory and York.
Bieho,, of liwition.
Sirs A. Paget and J. C. Haggentone.
Adn:iril Sotheby.
Calm :sums—Torten', Talbot. Blisontield,DeshroWes and Cnn-
greve.
The Jadge Advomite. •
• )Jr. Speaker.
. .
I)nctor Wellesley, •
The Aldermen, • h
Governor and I)epdry-f4nvehrsiert of the Batik...
Chaintutti and Deputy Chairman of the ladle Co pith.
Governor.of the South Sea enntPanY• • •
ChAlttaan tat the London Doektpastparf: • ' -

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

COURT OF KING'S BENCH, JUNE 4.

INRE SWAINS.

Mr. Conwoon sheaved cause against a role obtain.
ed by Mr. Gazelee, for setting aside a Warrant of
Attorney, alleged to be obtained under the folloning
circumstances :—that Swaiue, being iu want of mo-
ney, discounted two bills with Keatiug, a jeweller,
in the Strand, who made him take tno gold natches,
amounting to MI. in part of the discount, which
watches he pawned for 281. and that immediately on
the last bill becoming due, he was' arrested at the
suit of one Allanson, who lie believed was a mere
pretended holder of the Lill, and finding he could
obtain no mitigation of the severity of the law, he
was obliged to sign the warrant of attorney in ques-
tion to avoid•a prison. To this, Keating had made
an affidavit in reply, that Swaine was the voluntary
purchaser of the watches, and that he had objected
to take the bills in payment until Swaine induced
him, by assuring him he was shortly to receive a
large sum of money; and that when the bill became
due, lie had paid it to Allanson for a valuable consi-
deration r—That he had afterwards offered to take
his watches and money back again with costs, but
that Swaine had written to him, that he never paid 1
costs.—"' That for sixteen years of litigation be had
never once paid costs, as every Sherill's Officer in
London could vouch."—He offered, nevertheless, to
refer the whole to the Master.—This being agreed to,
the Court pronounced the Rule accordingly.

PREROGATIVE COURT, DOCTORS' COIMOSS.
GAKNUAII V. CLUIKE AND KING.

! This was a proceeding relative to the validity of
the will of Benjamin. Garuham, a man of rather
singular character, who, by selling gingerbread
about the streets, had contrived to amass considerable
: property. Two testamentary papers, each of them
asserted to be the will of the deceased, formed the
subject in question ; the one, dated the 6th of Octo-
ber, 1810, principally in favour of his wife; and the
other, dated the 16th of October following, princi-
pally in favour of Messrs. Chas. Lewan Clarke and
Thomas King, two of his acquaintances.
In support of the first will, -evidence was adduced
to prove the Testator's regard for his wife, and his
testamentary intention towards her; that Mr. Clarke
i haring, by invssant importunity, persuaded him to
' make a will, on the first of October, 1810, pro-
?:!ced to him one ready prepared for the purpose;
which, on his represen'ation alone, that it was con.
fr maYe to his intentions in favour of his wife, he
regrlarly executed, but afterward suspecting he had
been imposed upon, he sent for a professional man to
read it ever, andsexplain it to him; when his suspi-
cions being confirmed, he immediately cancelled it,
and executed the one, dated the 6th of October, in
favour of his wife; that on the 13th of October fol.
lowing, he, in a fit of insanity, cut his throat, and
mangled himself in'other parts of his body, and was
taken to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, whither he
was followed by the importunity of Mr. Clarke;
who, on the 16th, about three hours before his death,
when in great agony, and in a state of utter incapa-
city, procured his signature to another will, almost
wholly in favour of himself and King, the validity of
which was now disputed on that ground. A Coro-
ner's Inquest afterwards sat upon the body, and a
verdict of Lunacy was returned ; and it was con-
tended, that the evidence fully proved these facts;
that the case of the adverse parties was one originat-
ing in fraud, and carried on by ittipOrtunity ; and
that their v.itnesses, in their eagerness to speak up
to its exigencies, had gone too far, and completely
overturned it ; that the second will must therefore
be pronounced against, and the first declared valid,
with costs.

In support of the latter will, Messrs. Clarke and
King's evidence had for its object to show, that the
testator disliked his wife, and lived unhappily with
her, and that he had a great regard fci Clarke and
King; that though he was a lunatic when he cut his
throat, he bad lucid intervals afterwards, and-that it
was in one of them that he made. the latter will,
which was.conformable to his expressions of dislike
for his wife, and regard for Clarke and King : and
it was contended, that the evidence of the medical
Gentlemen of the Hospital, as to insanity, was
founded on too slight an observation of the deceased,
to shake the positive testimony that supported these
facts, which were sufficient to establish the latter
will.

Sir Jonn NrcnoLL recapitulated the evidence, and
observed, that the deceased appeared to haven regard
for all the parties ; but to be a person of such a
fickle, irritable disposition, as to render a dependence
cn that regard very precarious. He ols of opinion,
that the evidence of the medical Gentlemen was not
such as to convince the Court of the testator's utttr
incapacity, from the tie►e of his laying violent hands
upon himsell to his death ; and the other evidence
proved such exvressions of his, as demonstrated that
he enjoyed lucid intersals. He then commented
upon the evidence of the patients in the Hospital,
as to the execution of the latter will, for which,
purpose thc•,, deceased was raised up in his bed; and
thought it fully sufficient ; and that it was not affect-
ed by the exceptions taken to it. He therefore pro-
nounced for the salidity of the latter will, but with-
out costs.

It is a matter of surprise (says a correspondent),
Ithat amongst the various suggestions to alleviate the
disitress and inconvenience so generally felt by all
cases, from the very high price 'of bread, that the
best expedient adapted during the scarcity in 1801,
!appears to have been entirely overlooked, viz. the
regulation of bread being made twenty-four hours
bljOre it was sold. It is estimated that this regula-
tion %mild save (me -fourth of the consumption; and
render it a more wholesome aliment. The faculty
are entirely of this opinion. So convinced was the
late Mr. Pitt, when Chancellor of the Exchequer,
of the importance and expediency of this measure,
that on its being suggested to him, he immediately
adopted it, and with the universal approbation of the
public. Surely this hint peculiarly deserves the no-
tice of the- laudable Association for the Relief of the
Distressed Manufacturers and Labourers.
Wednesday, at the Roxburgh Sale, a collection of
half peany ballads and garlands, pasted in three vole,
geld for' 4781. 16s.i This was setting them to to
pretty,tine.

-

271. e.; Ro.vE A N 111 L

A p.l imp IN
One day, old (iEORC nia:, hi a fit of timiturp,
saw, 4#r thought that he saw in Iwo
The t%%(i gaspin: nations of En;L•md and France,
Not worth by their warfare uhror dir.:;,.

As he gazed with a Ilinnirgha-n fri.snd on their plight,
'rliev grew dm! of their ruinou- swig;
And raisiil their head, von jild;ce of his fright,
'lle. emptied their tut's on his %$ ig.
Gronce Pose thus hcArenehed and bedrownekt in the showe%
Was by 10 the ItViENT Coils ey. d ;
The stream had eandens'd the poinatuni and flour,
And weighed down his beautiful 'wad.

Ile hastily seied him, unlit as he was,
For a Statesman so dripping and drow
And su inging hint rude') —too rue.sly, :,M, !
Old ItosE tumbled 114 oa the ground.
Then the nEC ENT eValinCii, had I gitilk,"n hiltl
lle*d have prosed at the hoi‘rd fur a Mt&
But he's doss n, and I'll tly from the dre4ded Address,
fur his grumbling will end i.l a su..:le