prosecution, stated, that the prisoner at the bar, in the year 1785, was an ensign in the marines, and then became acquainted with miss Nelson, whose father was then an alderman, and had been mayor of London. After some interval of courtship he married that lady on the 9th of September, 1789, at the parish of Furneux Pelham, in the county of Hertford. He continued with his wife for some years, and had children by her; but in consequence of impropriety of conduct on his part, she was compelled to seek refuge with her father; and in the year 1792 articles of separation were signed between them. The prisoner was abroad for some time, and in the year 1799 he was recommended to lodge in the house of a Mr. Thorn, a respectable marketgardener, near Putney. He soon found means to insinuate himself into the favour of his second daughter, and she was persuaded to marry him. He represented himself as a lieutenant-colonel in the army, and as one having the best expectations. They had not, however, been mar ried but a very short time when he went to Germany, and from thence miss Thorn received a letter from him, saying, she must not look to him for protection, as he was already married, and his wife was still living. In short, having lived with her but a very little time, he wholly abandoned her.

The register of his first marriage was put in, and his identity proved. By this it appeared that he was married to his first wife, miss Nelson, on the 14th of September, 1785, at Furneux Pelham, in Hertfordshire, and a witness proved his wife was still living.

Miss Thorn deposed, that the prisoner came to lodge at her father's en the 6th of October, 1799, and she

married him in the November fol. lowing. After he had lived with her about five months he went to Halifax, and left her pregnant. He never contributed to the support of the child.

The prisoner being called upon for his defence, said he should merit the severest punishment of the laws, it he had wilfully offended; but he hoped the court would believe, after they had heard his case, that he had erred through ignorance. It was true, he had married miss Nelson, as was stated, and he had lived with her until they had six children. His means were then unequal to the support of so large a family. Three of the children died; his mother took the eldest, and his wife at that time had an employment which produced her two guineas a week. She agreed to provide for two children, and after some time a deed was brought him to sign, which he understood was to secure to her own separate use those two guineas a week. No sooner had he signed it than his wife refused any longer to take care of the children, and he understood he had been deceived into signing a deed of absolute separation from his wife. After this, he instituted a suit in the ecclesiastical court, either to compel his wife to return to him, or to get an absolute separation ; and in a motion which was made in the king's bench for a prohibition, lord Kenyon had said from the bench, that, after that deed, he was as free as air. Thinking himself thus free from restraint, he did mar ry miss Thorn, and continued with her until his military duties called him abroad. When she discovered his former marriage, she refused any longer to live with him; and when he solicited her to it, her reply was angrily, that she could hang (C 3)

him

him, if she liked it. He stated that he had suffered great hardships in prison; he had been shut up in a damp and solitary dungeon, which had brought on him a heumatic fever; and by an order of the commander in chief, that no officer in custody of the law should receive his pay, he had lost all his pay during his confinement. He protested that he never meant to offend the laws, which he had fought to protect, in all ranks, from an ensign to that of lieut. colonel; and in what he had done, he had been misled by error of judgement.

The lord chief baron told the jury the fact was proved unquestionably, and he expressed some indignation at the language represented to have cone from lord Kenyon, the absurdity of which every attorney's clerk could have told him. He said he should consider hereafter what degree of punishment the prisoner merited. The jury found him Guilty.

COURT OF CHANCERY.

Peacock v. Peacock. 24. This was an application for an injunction, and the appointment of a receiver, under the following circun.stances:- The parties are father and son, and carried on the business of law-stationers in Chancery-lane. A dispute, however, led them into a chancery suit, and an issue was directed to try whether the son was or was not a partner in his father's trade. A jury at Guildhall recently decided in the affirmative, since which the father has given the son formal notice of a dissolution of that partnership, and taken a gentleman of the name of Thompson into his business in his son's place. He also denied his son the freedom of access to the pre

mises where the business is carried on. The present application, therefore, was for the purpose of restraining Mr. Thompson from receiving the partnership debts; that a receiver be appointed by the court, and that the son have access to the place where the business is carried on.

Sir Samuel Romilly was heard in support of the application, and Mr. Hart against it.

The chancellor did not expect the case would again be brought be. fore him. He said it was a lamentable thing to observe a father and a son, uninfluenced by those affectionate considerations that nature had so wisely ordained, strug. gling against each other. The spirit of opposition would neither contribute to their welfare nor their happiness, and it was best their disputes should be mutually adjusted, without any further appeal of a public nature. He would therefore give them till Tuesday next to consider of the hint he had thrown out; and if no accommodation was agreed upon by that time, he should proceed, though reluctantly, to say what was proper to be done.

25. A singular accident happened a few days since in Covent-garden market. The driver of a countrycari, who had been wantonly beating his horse, was in the act of cutting the animal with a coach-whip, when the lash caught him round the neck, and the shock locked his jaw. In this situation he was conveyed to a surgeon for assistance, and his jaw was unlocked; but it locked again the same night, and he continued in a dangerous state till Sunday, when he expired.

BURLINGTON-HOUSE.

26. Yesterday the lease of this estate, granted upwards of a cen

tury

tury since, by one of the ancestors of Mr. Pollen, to the Burlington family, expired. Part of the estate was formerly called the Ten Acres Field, and it included a field, the mansion, garden, and out-build, ings, which were very extensive. In the year 1708, the estate was in the occupation of Richard earl of Burlington, and his assigns; and the duke of Devonshire, as the heir of the earl of Burlington, is the present receiver of the rents. By the expiration of the lease the duke loses 14,000l. a year. We understand that the rents of the out-buildings will be raised, and the present mansion, built by the earl of Burlington, will be pulled down. A crescent is to be built on the site, and it will be called Hartington place, in honour of the marquis of Hartington, who will have a house erected in the centre, fit for his reception.

CHRIST'S HOSPITAL.

At a general court of the govermors of Christ's hospital, the question of the propriety of expelling the rev. Dawson Warren's child was considered. After long debates, however, the motion for expulsion was lost, there being 41 for the expulsion, and 45 against it.

Thus it appears, that considerable impression has been made upon the minds of the governors, since Mr. Waithman first agitated this question, as it will be in the recollection of our readers, that at a former meeting, out of 120 governors present, only 7 voted for an inquiry into this abuse.

After the above decision, a let ter was read from the city solicitor, by the direction of the committee of common council (who are now proceeding to obtain a reform of those abuses), requesting permis

sion to examine the presentations of several boys, and to inspect the rules and orders of the hospital, which letter evidently threw the meeting into much perplexity. It was at length agreed, that the letter should lie on the table for the present, and that an answer should be returned.

The rev. Dawson Warren has at length withdrawn his son from Christ's hospital. The removal of the boy, which proved at once both the existence of abuses, and the pertinaciousness with which they are defended, only furnishes additional reasons for proceeding in the reformation of them. It is to be hoped that Mr. Waithman, who has so unremittingly exerted himself in this business, will not rela.. He will ultimately obtain his laudable object, and render a lasting benefit to his fellow-citizens. The committee has been investigating these matters for two years, and has discovered no abuse; so has the committee of the India house for many more years; so have par. liamentary committees, and all without any practical good: and yet in all these cases have individuals, under every disadvantage, opposition, and calumny, by cou rage and perseverance succeeded.

28. Upon opening the body of a man who lately died in Guy's hospital, eighteen or nineteen large clasp-knives, such as are used by sailors, were found in the stomach and intestines. The hafts of them were entirely decomposed, and the iron work partly so. The account given by himself was, that several years ago he had swallowed six of his messmates' knives, in a drunken frolic; and that feeling no immediate bad consequences, he had, on two subsequent occasions, swallow, ed tweive or thirteen more. For (C4)

these

these two years past he had applied, at frequent intervals, for admission into various hospitals, and he was uniformly dismissed as an impostor, upon telling his strange story. He was received into Guy's hospital only a few weeks ago, after having been stripped and minutely examined by Dr. Babington and Mr. Astley Cooper.

APRIL.

1. A species of wasp, which builds its nest in trees, has lately been observed in different parts of the country, and particularly in the westriding of Yorkshire. It appears to be a new introduction, and is supposed to have been brought across the Atlantic. The trees on which the nests have been most frequently observed, are the gooseberry and currant; and an instance of it has been met with on the common elder, to which insects are generally averse. This species is smaller than the common wasp, but it is much less vora. cious, and less easily irrated.

The housekeeper of Mr. Dixie, farmer, of Toseland in Huntingdon shire, experiencing some deliciency of flour in making a pudding, imprudently took a small quantity which she recollected had been for a long time lying on a barrel-head in the cellar. The consequences proved that the flour had been mixed with arsenic; for her master and his shepherd, who ate of the pudding, died of poison in the evening; and her own recovery is doubtful."

2. A melancholy catastrophe has involved the family of sir Stewkley Shuckburgh, bart. of Upper Shuck burgh, Warwickshire, and the family of lieut. Sharpe, of the Bedford militia, in the deepest distress. Lieut. S. having paid his addresses 10 miss Shuckburgh, which were dis

:

approved by the family, formed (if he should be disappointed in obtaining the object of his affections) the horrid determination of putting an end to his own and her existence; which he carried into effect in the plantations of Shuckburgh Park. They were overheard in earnest discourse by the butler, as if lieut. S. was persuading her, to elope with him and as miss Shuckburgh uttered the words No! No! he in mediately heard the report of a pistol, which in a few seconds was succeeded by another, and they were instantly lifeless corpses!-After a most deliberate investigation of all the circumstances of this most affecting and awful event, before John Tomes, esq. and a respectable jury, and the rev. Mr. Bromfield, a magistrate of the county, a verdict of Lunacy was given respecting lieut. S., and that miss Shuckburgh died by his hand. Lieut. S. had been occasionally for some weeks preceding in a state of mental derangement,

and in confinement.

concealed in the summer-house unThe following letters were found opened, after the mournful occur rence, addressed by Mr. Sharpe to miss Shuckburgh.

"Friday, March 24, 1809. "Caroline! O my beloved CaroIne! I can but a short time longer endure your cruel scorn; prepare to hear the worst of me, and take care of yourself. O! my Heavens! how loth Lam to die, but you compei me to leave you! for, was ever the time to come when you would have no parents to oppose your will, I dare not, cannot think you would make me happy. I wish once more to read your dear letters, and then, on my honour, I will bring them to the cave to-morrow night, and shall expect to find mine in the same

place

place on Sunday night. If you love me, tell me where you are going on Monday with Frank and your dear father. Your professions of love are as ardent as I could possibly wish; would to God! that your actions were as convincing; then, indeed, I should be happy. Caroline, my fate is certain; I am sorry you will not let me live; I am no child in my determination; when once fixt, it is immoveable; I have no earthly thing to live for, for you will never be mine, so I will seek another and better world. I can now again scarcely believe you love me, as you will not trust me with your sweet letters, but I shall soon be insensible to every thing; and on my word you may depend on my putting them in the cave some time to morrow night. When I am dead, read them over, and judge of my delight when I received them; and of my anguish to be obliged to give them up. My preparations to quit this world take up so much of my time, that I cannot say more than God bless you! and may lie for ever protect you from the miserable, awful end of your truly fai hful and affectionate, though wretched, "PHILIP A. S." Extracts from the letter dated Sunday morning, two o'clock, March

25, 1809.

66

Now that I have settled, as well as my agitated mind will allow me, all my earthly affairs, I will devote my last sad moments to my ever and for ever beloved Caroline, provided the contents of your letter, I expect to find at the cave, do not compel me to kill you, as well as myself, which I hope in heaven it will not. I came firmly resolved to die; I have exerted all my energy to live, but without you it cannot be; all my religion and fortitude

I had used to possess, has now left me; and indeed I am a wretched mortal; and yet I feel not the least fear of death, but can with pleasure and composure quit this life, for it is impossible I can suffer more; and if you doubt me still, which I shall believe you do, if you say one other word about your letters, I think I shall be tempted to take yon to that other and that better world you talk so much about, where we shall be united, never, never to part;. then, indeed, we shall enjoy that bliss your cruel parents deny us here: but I fervently hope your letter will be kind, and give me another solemn vow never to be another's: then I can die alone and contented; but if you give me room to suspect that you willever become any one's wife but mine, the thought will be certain death” * * *

"I am contented to die, and fervently do I hope you may be able to live, and live happy, and sometimes think of me. I have from my heart and soul forgiven all who have injured me, and hope they,will grant me their forgiveness. I feel not the least resentment against any one, and I feel I can die happy” *****

4. Between one and two this afternoon, the town of Horsham was visited by a most alarming storm. It ran in a south-west direction, with a thick gloomy atmo sphere, and after many awful flashes of lightning, and tremendous explosions, produced hail with a degree of violence that dealt destruction to the windows and to the cucumber-glasses in the gardens. The hail-stones were from two to three inches in circumference, and, from their formation, appeared like detached and rugged pieces of ice, covering the street nearly shoe deep; and melting quick

uneven

ly.