the winter evenings. For the gre of the day it was impossible to write at a window without artifi Persons in the streets could sc seen in the forenoon at two yard: In the Corn-market, and some o places of public resort, no busi ever could be done. There h great fall of snow in the morn and on the preceding evening. Sunday, Jan. 12. An attempt to rob and m made at Mr. Pryor's, in S The following deposition of the f vant was taken by a magistrate Hall, and two men, named H Hall, are in custody on suspic am servant to Mr. Pryor. Abou nine o'clock on Sunday evening casion to go down to the cc coming up the stairs, I saw a m from the back of the shop; I was Mr. Pryor, and said, Are out so late? on his looking ro ever, I perceived he had a b over his face; I was alarmed, ont to Mr. Seight, who is a stairs; the man turned to me, he would murder me if I did n tongue. I got near the door, and to shut it, upon which he came and said he would cut my thro up my hand to defend my thro ceived a deep cut on the arm sharp instrument. He put against my mouth to gag me, in the throat several times; the door opened, and a short c came in, and said, 'Come out." mediately knocked down, and sible to what followed afterw chard Pryor, the master, said. down to supper with the husba kins and Wilkins, who is his ho when she, having occasion to go they soon after heard a cry Murder! and immediately when they found the shop i He sent Wilkins up for a lig his coming down, Saralı found lying on the floor The door was open, and of boots and shoes were strew floor, but he had not discover thing was taken away. Wednesday, Jan. 1 Early this morning a fire b the house of General Dowde ton-street, Piccadilly, which sumed the same, with a great furniture, and a collection of tiques, pictures, books, coin fire was occasioned by the ca the servant. 1812.] DOMESTIC OCCURRENCES. great curiosity prevailed, to witness so unusual a circumstance as a Member of the Commons House of Parliament appearing at the Bar of the Old Bailey, on a charge of a capital felony. There were two counts in the indictment, which was grounded on the 42d Geo. II. chap. 25. In the first the prisoner was charged with feloniously stealing the property of Sir Thomas Plomer, his Majesty's Solicitor General, on the 5th December last, to the amount of 11.0007. being part of the contents of a draft for 22,0007. which the prosecutor had given to the prisoner, as his broker, to purchase certain Exchequer Bills pending the delay attendant on the procuring a title to an estate intended to be purchased by Sir T. Plomer, to the value of about 22,000. In the second count, the prisoner was charged with feloniously diverting the possession of this property from Sir Thomas, the rightful owner, and converting it, to the extent laid in the indict. ment, to his (the prisoner's) own use. The evidence being closed, Mr. Waish' was called upon for his defence, but declined making any observations.-Mr. Scarlett then rose, and took several objections with respect to whether the offence could be construed as a Felony, or as a Fraud only; and stated several cases, tending to shew, that although the prisoner might have been governed by a fraudulent intention, he could not, under the circumstances that had been given in evidence, be deemed to have acted with a felonious intention. The decision of the Jury must necessarily be wholly governed by their opinion of the intention of the prisoner at the time he received the cheque from the hands of Sir Thomas Plomer; for, unlsss he had at that time actually meditated what he subsequently executed, it could not, as Mr. Scarlett humbly conceived, be construed into a felonious intention.When Sir Thomas Plomer delivered the cheque to the prisoner, was it in the expectation of Sir Thomas, that he should receive from Walsh the Bank-notes for such cheque, or that such cheque was delivered in the performance of a contract for the purchase of Exchequer Bills?-Mr. Scarlett having concluded, Mr. Alley shortly addressed the Bench, and contended for a special verdict from the Jury, on the facts, whether the offence was, in their opinion, a fraud or a felony, reserving the point of law for decision in another place. -The Lord Chief Baron then addressed the Jury, and after recapitulating the facts given in evidence, observed, that it remained with the Jury to decide, whether the prisoner was guilty of the felony. It might be Felony, or it might be Fraud. If the appropriation of the Bank-notes to his own use was in the mind of the prisoner, before the cheque was received, it was 83 manifestly felony. His Lordship remarked particularly on that passage in the letter in which he stated an intention of robbing Mr. O. After noticing the purchase of the American Stock, the Foreign Coin, and the other circumstances in the evidence, he left the case with the Jury.-After consulting a few minutes, the Jury pronounced a verdict of Guilty.-The point of law, as to whether the offence be Felony, or only a Fraud, will be solemnly argued next term before the Judges-on whose decision rests the fate of Mr. Walsh. Thursday, Jan. 23. In the Sheriff's Court, a special jury was impannelled to assess the damages sustamed by Captain Rennie, of the Trinculo sloop, from the editors of the British Press and Globe newspapers, in consequence of a libel inserted in these papers, stating that a court-martial was holding at Sheerness on Captain Rennie, for charges of drunkenness and cowardice; and that Captain Rennie had pleaded insanity."-The defendants had refused to give up the author of the libel.-The Jury returned a verdict-damages 5007. THE LATE MURDERS. An important discovery has been made, which completely removes every shadow of a doubt respecting the guilt of the late suicide, Williams. It was proved before the Magistrates of Shadwell Police Office, that three weeks before the murder of Mr. Williamson and his family, Williams had been seen to have a long French knife with an ivory handle. That knife could never be found in Williams's trunk, nor amongst any of the clothes he left behind him at the Pear-tree public house. The subsequent search to find that deadly instrument has been successful. On the 14th, Harrison, one of the lodgers at the Peartree, in searching amongst some old clothes, found a blue jacket, which he immediately recognized as part of Williams's apparel. He proceeded to examine it closely, and upon looking at the inside pocket, found it quite stiff with coagulated blood, as if a blood-stained hand had been thrust into it. He brought it down to Mrs. Vermilloe, who immediately sent for Hope, and another of the Sbadwell Police officers, to make further search in the house. Every apartment then underwent the most rigid examination, and after a search of about an hour and a half, the officers came at last to a small closet, the one in which they disco vered the object of their pursuit. In one corner of it there was a heap of dirty stockings and other clothes; which being removed. they observed a bit of wood protruding from a mouse-hole in the wall, which they immediately drew ou, and at the same instant they discovered the handle of a clasp-knife, apparently dyed The new Comet was seen and Monday evenings at th Observatory. Its position has siderably in declination from by the French astronomers for 1 is now very near the Equator pearance, when viewed in th Herschelian, with a power of 2 tremely beautiful. The nebul tary mass is condensed, and app notwithstanding the vicinity of There is at present a fine double to the South-west of it. The its motion is evident, even in of one day. Its situation has fully determined on both ever series of azimoths and altitud great astronomical circle cous Mr. Troughtou. It is still in t ed constellation Eridanus. By the late improved reg admission into the British Muse persons have been admitted in instead of 15,000 as before; liberty to remin in any of the long as they pleased. The East Ilia Company, o sentation from the manufacture blet in Norwich, have raised from 16,000 to 22,000 pieces th The intended Military Park a Farin, Marylebone, is nearly Two grand barracks are to one on each wing, spacious the reception of 3000 men; t to be closed with a belt of for considerable part of which planted, and on the outside of be a circular drive, open to the an extent of four miles. Gen. Sarrazin presented a n the Prince Regent in Novem which, after giving the history munications with the Engih G from the year 1805, and the thereby incurred till his arriv 1810, relates his interview with t of Administration, the plans hep them, their promises, and his ments; and concludes with mands:-1. Letters of natur 2. That his wife and son be co prisoners of war in France,rank of Lieutenant-general ledged from the Sth of October which day he was exchanged lity for Gen. Sir H. Berrard, a the cartel which is deposited at Office, and consequently red holding that rank by the Eng! ment.-4. A pension of 30004 year for life.-5. An indemnity sterling for his losses at Bould able him to take a house sui rank in London, as he had in 6. A capital of 50,000%, sterl notes and plans, 1812.] Charge to the Grand Jury of Middlesex. An Address to the Grand Jury, at the opening of the General Session of the Peace and Session of Oyer and Terminer, for the County of Middlesex, on Monday, Dec. 2, 1811, by W. MAINWARING, esq. Chairman. Printed at the request of the Magistrates. Gentlemen of the Grand Jury, Before you retire from the Court, and are engaged in the various matters which will necessarily be brought before you in the course of this Sessions, as the Grand Jury for the County of Middlesex, I desire to offer a few observations for your consideration, which at this season particularly deserve. your attention. I shall not trouble you with a detail of your general duty here as a Grand Jury. I trust your own good sense, the general knowledge you have of the affairs of the County, and the frequent calls upon you to attend this and other courts of justice in this County, render it unnecessary to go over these matters. One head of observation I wish to call your attention to, is the state of the highways. 1 mean more particularly the streets, squares, lanes, and other thoroughfares, in the Metropolis; that they are in many places in such a state of decay and want of repair, as to be not only highly inconvenient, but absolutely unsafe and dangerous, and that too in many of the most populous parts. Gentlemen, there is no difficulty in the law upon this subject. The general law is, that the inhabitants of every parish are bound to keep the highways leading through their several parishes in good repair; not to suffer them to become dangerous or inconvenient to the King's subjeets to pass and re-pass, on foot or on horseback, and with such carriages as they are authorised by law to make use of: that very many are not in this state, your own observation must tell you. I presume I need not inform you, Gentlemen, that every street, square, lane, and passage, which the King's subjects have à right to pass and re-pass over, are highways, and are indictable if not kept in repair. There are, besides, certain parishes and places which have local Acts of Parliament for their government and better management, which, in some particulars, take them out of the general law, and authorise those who are to carry them into execution to levy taxes for paving and other purposes; but those Acts of Parliament will not indemnify any such parish against the general law, if the highways are suffered to fall into a state of decay, unless some particular body of men or individual are specially bound to repair them. A highway, continued in a state of decay for a length of time, is a public nuisance, whatever private juris 85 diction it may be under; the right of the King's subjects to have a safe and convenient passage is not suspended by such Acts of Parliament. There are cases, too, where the Legislature sanctions a temporary violation of the law for particular purposes, which are conceived to be for the benefit of the publick; such as taking pavements up in the public streets, for various purposes; erecting temporary obstructions, such as hoards and other fences, for the safety of people passing and re-passing, and vaTous other occasions; but still it must always be remembered, that such authorised inroads upon the public rights, or upon private property, must be made as little inconvenient as possible; that the work must be done with due diligence and expedition; that, when done, the public street or place must be left in a state of complete substantial repair. I am not aware that any indictments are to be laid before you on this subject; if there should be such, I will only observe, they are objects of great importance, and are entitled to your very serious consideration. Gentlemen, these matters may also be brought before the Court by the presentment of a Grand Jury. A presentment, Gentlemen, is a statement to the Court, by a Grand Jury, of facts injurious to the publick, from their own knowledge and observation, without any bill of indictinent laid before them. This is one of the functions of a Grand Jury, which they have a right to exercise; and this presentment, if it is acted upon. must be shaped into an indictment, and evidence must be given of the facts at the trial, and the necessary formalities in an indictment must be observed. Gentlemen, another matter to which I shall call your attention is, the state in which the Metropolis now is, in respect to street-robberies an house-breaking. To what cause this increased attack upon the comfort and security of the publick is to be attributed, I shall not conjecture; but certainly so the fact is, to a very alarming degree. We must hope, that it is not from a wilful neglect or relaxation of necessary vigilance; yet, surely, if the existing laws were properly enforced, some stop might be put to the daring robberies daily and nightly committed. An Act was passed in the 32d year of his present Majesty, authorising the apprehending ill-disposed and suspected persons, and reputed thieves, in their perambulations about the streets and places of public resort, in quest of their prey, before they had the opportunity of carrying their felonious designs into execution: that was a temporary Act at first, but the same law has been re-enacted, and is now in full very true, we do know it, and in we feel it too; we know, too, it mon topick of conversation and di and that it generally ends withou to any conclusion, except, perba one gravely asks, "Why don't ment interfere, and take it up?" Gentlemen, should we not ask o What we have done? whether taken all those measures which authorises and points out? Can v have tried every means the law abled us to take? Have we cal those whose more immediate dut assist, and requested their assist: interference? or do we only go on i to,year in the same unavailing mo plaining, doing nothing, nor ende. to make any alteration or improv our system Let it be remembe every parish is a little independ ia this respect; that it has power late and direct how the nightly wa be kept in its own district. 11 every parish there are some ge who take an interest and active rence in their parochial concerns. they meet, and seriously consider portant subject, surely there can doubt, but that the present watching the night, so evidently d might be improved; and wherev fectual improvement is established reasonably be expected it will rally adopted. Gentlemen, at this particula when surrounding Nations are lo to this great powerful country wit ration, and fleeing to it from all for safety and protection, is it disgraceful, that the peaceful inh of its great Metropolis cannot lie night to rest, without the appr that his house may be ransacked, most valuable property taken fr before the morning! This, with exaggeration, is our present state Gentlemen, I have thought it say thus much to you on these hoping, that when you are dismis this service, you will, in your se rishes, endeavour to enforce su sures as will best tend to imp streets and other highways; to street robberies; and to establish effectual system for protecting perty during the night. You will now, Gentlemen, pr the business you are more im summoned upon; many import ters, I doubt not, will be laid be to which I trust you will give you attention and consideration; you sides (as is too frequent here) ha frivolous cases laid before you from accidental quarrels, which some trifling assaults or misb |