-James Cleland, smith, of Glas gow, was named for trial.

Mr. Jeffrey stated, that seeing the issue of the trials of Baird and Hardie, he thought it his duty to advise the prisoners, if they were conscious of their guilt, to withdraw their plea of Not Guilty, and to throw themselves on the mercy of their country.

The Lord Advocate addressed the Court. He wished it to be understood, that this line of conduct was adopted by the prisoners without any bargain being made for them. He had no doubt they might receive the mercy of the Crown; but he considered it his duty to intimate the possibility, nay, the probability, that the prisoners might, notwithstanding their pleading Guilty, suffer capitally.

The prisoners then severally pleaded Guilty. They were taken from the bar, and sent back to the Castle.

John Anderson, weaver, St. Ninian's; and James Crawford, weaver, Balgrove; were then put to the bar; they severally withdrew their pleas of Not Guilty, and pleaded Guilty, the Lord Advocate repeating his former explanation.

The petit jury were discharged.

BERKS ASSIZES Lane Lane. This was an action for slander against the chastity of the plaintiff, a widow of 30 years of age, whereby she alleged she had lost an opportunity of again honourably settling herself in life by a second marriage. The plaintiff's sister, Miss Jane Moss, proved, that the defendant had used language, on the subject of the plaintiff's habits, of no very delicate description; but as it did VOL. LXII.

not appear that it had ever been' communicated to the object of her affections, this evidence did not support the special damage. The lover himself, the loss of whose affections was the alleged consequence of the slander, was next called. He was a smart, genteel-looking brush-maker of Brentford, near London, just turned of twenty-one, and did not seem to be at all out of spirits at the affliction of the disconsolate widow. He proved, that the defendant, who was the fatherin-law of the plaintiff, had advised him to beware how he pursued his addresses to the plaintiff, for "she was no great catch." This, he said, he interpreted to mean, that she was an unfit woman to become his wife, and accordingly had acted on the advice, and declined to marry the lady. On being asked by Mr. Jervis on cross-examination, if he was not ready now to fulfil his engagement if her character were cleared up, he answered, with great rea diness, "No, for he was already bespoke!" and he acknowledged, that he had very soon afterwards transferred his affections to another fair one. On his further owning that the plaintiff had held herself out to him as only twentyfive years old, and that he would not have had her if he had known she was thirty, for that would have been too great an age for him, the judge ordered the plaintiff to be nonsuited, observing that the plaintiff had herself been guilty of a fraud in misrepresenting her age, and that she could not take advantage of it in this action. In the course of the examination of this witness, it ap peared that the plaintiff's attorney had that morning read over to

T

him the words to be proved, and tutored him as to the construction he was to put upon them. The learned judge strongly animadverted on this proceeding, as improper tampering, and committed the attorney to gaol for the remainder of the assizes. At these assizes twelve persons received sentence of death.

A Shower of Ice Stones.-Extract of a letter from Ballyhaunis, county of Mayo:-" A shower of ice stones, accompanied by a tremendous thunder-storm, lately fell in this district, and in its course has caused universal destruction. Its breadth did not exceed half a mile, within which it has left perfect ruin: the potatoe crop cut close to the earth; the flax bruised as in a mill; the corn shattered and blasted, never to rise again! All the windows within its limits are broken; numerous tame and wild fowl killed by it. Some of these stones were flat, heavy, and as large as a watch-the greater part of the shape, but of a larger size than a pigeon's egg. I have seen bog turf penetrated by them as if bullets had been shot into it. How far this frightful phenomenon has run its course I cannot as yet say-possibly into the Western sea. A poor lad, unfortunately bathing, disregarded its terrific approach; his head is dreadfully cut and injured; his body partially quite black and covered with contusions. You shall shortly have further details of its ruinous effects, which have spread dismay and consternation in this district."

17. COMMON COUNCIL.-A Court of Common Council was yesterday held, for the purpose of addressing his Majesty, and petitioning both Houses of Parlia.

ment, with respect to the Bill of Pains and Penalties now pending in the House of Lords against her Majesty the Queen.

Mr. Favell proposed some very strong resolutions and addresses against the depending measures, to which he subsequently obtained the assent of the Court. He said princes and queens might pass away, but the laws of justice were eternal, and he hoped would never pass away in Great Britain [Loud cheers]. The bill now brought in had two objects; first, to degrade the Queen from her dignity; and, secondly, to procure a divorce between her and his Majesty. The whole proceeding, therefore, was such as to warrant the feelings of Englishmen in attempting to prevent so dangerous a precedent. Nothing could be considered so sweeping as a Bill of Pains and Penalties, where no dates were mentioned, and no charges made in a manner which admitted of a distinct answer. If the first families in the land were visited by such a bill, he would ask how many would be able to throw the first stone at the Queen?-[Loud cheers].

The present proceedings came in the shape of a state expedient, and he fervently hoped, that the people of England would never sanction those state expedients which tended directly to dissolve the nearest and dearest connections of civilized society. He hoped, that as there was no royal way to the knowledge of mathematics, so there would be found no royal way of evading the obligations of married life; and at the request of one party, procuring a divorce. This speech was rapturously applauded.

THE TRAFALGAR.-There is now ready to be launched, from

the king's dock-yard, at Chatham, the Trafalgar, a first-rate, built commemorate the glorious action under lord Nelson, by which the combined fleets of

to

France and Spain were nearly annihilated. The following are the exact dimensions of the Trafalgar :

.162

9

52

6

22

8

Extreme breadth

Depth of hold........

18. The first Chain Bridge in Great Britain.-Capt. S. Brown, R. N., has just completed the chain bridge across the river Tweed. The river is 437 feet from bank to bank, and the bridge across it, is without any central support. Its appearance is at once extraordinary and magnificent; and, if found to answer the purpose, as it is confidently expected to do, its application to other rivers must be productive of great benefit to the country at large. The expense is moderate, and the builder undertakes to maintain it for many years free of expense. We mention the work as the first of the kind in this or any other country, and the magnitude of the design and concern will render it worthy of being recorded. Capt. S. Brown is the manufacturer of chain cables, of the improved kind, at

112

18

Limehouse, which have become so very general in the navy.

SICILY.-Several Sicilian noblemen have refused to swear to the new Neapolitan constitution, lest they should by doing so, compromise their rights and interests in Sicily, where a very strong party, including the higher classes of the people, and all the nobility and the ecclesiastics, are desirous of re-establishing a mixed form of constitution upon the English model, which was formed under the auspices of England during the late war. As it seems extremely unlikely, that the Spanish constitution will ever be introduced into the island, these noblemen hesitate to pledge themselves to it.

19. YORK ASSIZES.-True bills have been found against the following 25 prisoners for high treason, viz.:-Benjamin Rogers,

John Vallance, James Flowers, Joseph Chapel, John Peacock, Wm. Comstive, Richard Addy, Charles Stanfield, Benjamin Hanson, Abraham Ingham, George Brian, John Hobson, Geo. Burkinshaw, Wm. Holland, John Burkinshaw, Thomas Blackburn, Nathan Beechey, John Lundley, Wm. Rice, John Ferrymend, Michael Downing, and Joseph Frith.

No bills against Abraham Jack son and John Johnson.-Thomas Morgan admitted evidence.

COURT OF ADMIRALTY.-This day came on to be decided, a claim set up on behalf of Greenwich. hospital to a per-centage of 5. per cent upon prizes captured by the naval part of the conjoint expedition that was detached against Genoa and its dependencies.

Sir Wm. Scott said, the main question in this case arose upon property taken in the month of April, 1814, in the city of Genoa and its dependencies, by the conjoint expedition of sea and landforces under the command of vice-admiral sir Edward Pellew (now lord Exmouth), and lieut:gen. lord Wm. Bentinck. Under the circumstances of the case, the usual commission issued on the 24th June, 1815, declaring the property in question to be lawful prize. A claim had been given in, in that court, to a percentage of 51. per cent on a part of the property granted out by the crown to the present lord Exmouth and lord W. Bentinck, as trustees for the naval and military forces which they had commanded. The learned judge observed, that if the claim were allowed, it would be to make a very unfair difference between

two services of co-ordinate merit and equal zeal. From the prize accruing to the naval force, it was demanded, that 51. per cent might be deducted, whilst no such claim was asserted against that share which was allotted to the military. Besides this, the present was a case primæ originis; no such claim had ever been set up before by those to whose care, vigilant as it was, the interests of the hospital were confided; and, on the whole, his decided opinion was, that this claim was not established.

CARLOW ASSIZES.-James Cahill, John Dwyer, and Bridget Cahagan, were indicted for the wilful murder of Catherine Brophy, at Castletown, on the night of the 17th of March last. Cahill and Dwyer were further indicted for an assault on John Brophy. It appeared in evidence, that on the evening of last Patrick's day, John Brophy, the prosecutor (husband to the deceased), Mr. Falkiner's man (Foley), a person named Rogers, and several others of Brophy's friends, went before night-fall, to regale themselves, to a public house, kept by a man named Purcell, near Castletown; the prisoners and their friends also came there: shortly after Cahill's brother came in shouting in opposition to the other party; a quarrel ensued, and "after drinking a trifle," Brophy and his friends kept possession of the public house for two or three hours; by this time they conjectured that their opponents had been at home, and they set out also; but had not proceeded far, before they were met by the prisoners, when a stone was thrown, which inflicted a wound on the