The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — 1824-10-13 (London, England)

UNION-HALL. A young boy, named Jae,: Page, who, although only between 12 and 13 years of age, has been repeatedly brought to this office on various charges of theft, and committed thence to each of the county prisons, was yesterday again brought before the Sitting Magistrate, for stealing a rope of onions from a stall in the Borough Market. The Magistrate, after having made some remarks on the necessity of inflicting corporal punishment on young offenders, as well as imprisonment, committed the prisoner for one month to Brixton gaol. Two men of decent appearance, named Gully and Fla sagas, were put to the bar, charged with having committed a desperate assault upon a man named Hawkins, who was unable to at. tend to give his evidence, in consequence of the injuries he had received. The only witness against the prisoners was a girl of the town, named gall IS'alsh,who stated, that on the preceding night she met Gully in the street, who accompanied her to where she lodged. They had not been many minutes in the room when Gully took offence, and wanted to leave the house without settling for the room. She resisted his intentions, when he struck her a blow, ran down stairs, at the foot of which a scuffle took place between the prisoner and a young man named Hawkins, when the latter was struck a blow on the forehead with a tin saucepan, and knocked almost life. less to the ground, where he remained for a length of time weltering in the blood which flowed from the wodnd. The Magistrate then desired Gully to give his account of the affair. He stated, that he accompanied Walsh to a house in Gravel-lane, and die moment they entered the room she asked him for sonic money, which he refused to give. She then flew to the fire-place, took up the poker, and swore she would split his skull if he did not " hand out some blunt." In order to escape out of such dangerous company, he ran to the door, and burst it open, but not before he received some violent blows of the poker front the woman, who called out for Hawkins, who was her " bully." lie (Gully) then hurried down stairs, calling out "Murder!" When he reached the bottom, Hawkins, who was standing in the passage, rushed at him, and struck him on the breast, while his woman, who had by this time changed the poker for a saucepan, made some blows at him; but he (Gully) having got possession of the weapon, in his defence struck Hawkins a blow on the head, which prevented him front offering any further violence. The watchman then coming into the house, he (Gully) and Flanagan were given into custody. Gully added, that he loot his watch before he left the house. The Magistrate, on bearing the whole of the circumstances, said, that be would not detain either of the men for the assault, if It was not proved by a doctor's certificate that Hawkins was in a dangerous state. It was evident that Gully struck the blow in his own defence, otherwise he might have been murdered by Hawkins and the vile woman who now came forward to give her evidence, whom he would commit to Brixton for one month.  A case of the first importance to the brickmakers in Scotland, was decided in an Excise Court held here on Friday last. It was formerly mentioned that the officers of excise had made a charge of an extra duty of 4s. 2d., on certain of the bricktnakars, on the ground that they had made their bricks larger than the statute allowed. Out of the thirty proprietors who carry on business in this vicinity, twelve were selected, and being duly summoned, appeared in the court on Friday. In their own defence they urged that the bricks were of the same dimensions that had hitherto been made without challenge, and the act being inexplicit on the point in dispute, they were utterly ignorant of being liable to the extra charge. Besides, as most of them were bound by contract to furnish specified quantities of bricks, they could not lay it' on the purchasers, and it must of course be a dead loss to themselves. The offimrs in reply quoted the statute, and contended that it was quite clear as to the size of the bricks; and the court considering the law imperative, decided in their favour. The brickmakers having intimated their intention to consult cotaisel oft the subject, the collector politely consented to delay the execatimi of the warrant of the court, and to grant them time fur that purpose.—Glaserow Paper.