In the Court of King's Bench, on Monday, the Solicitor-
General obtained a rule for a criminal information against Mr. John Martin Smithson, the proprietor of the Northampton Herald, for a libel on Mr. Spalding, the son-in-law of Lord Brougham. The alleged libel was contained in an account of a dinner at which Mr. Spalding presided as steward of the Northampton races. This report stated, that, after the health of time King had been drunk, Mr. Spalding said, " Let us bitch the Queen, and give the Royal Family." Mr. Spalding distinctly denied the use of any expression of this sort : and so the Court granted a rule. [Whether a criminal prosecution was ever before tolerated on such slight grounds, we know not; but we are very sure it ought not to be tolerated.]
Sir James Scarlett, on Wednesday, applied on behalf of Mr. Baring Wall, for an early trial. The ground of the application was, that the nature of the charge against him was such as to prevent his attending in his place in the House of Commons, and doing his duty to his con- stituents, until he had completely cleared himself from it. Chief Justice Denman, on this ground, said he would allow the trial to come on at the ensuing sittings.
Mr. Richard Palmer and Mr. James. Taylor, overseers of the parish of Enfield in Middlesex, were charged on Thursday, at Hatton Garden Office, by Mr. John George Ufford, overseer of the parish of St. Mary, Islington, with neglect of duty, in not taking care of Charlotte Legg, a pauper suffering under paralysis. It appeared that this poor creature, who was so ill that she could not walk alone, nor speak, was actually sent away from the Enfield Workhouse on the 18th of Fe- bruary last, a rainy day, in a cart to Islington, where she was put upon the ground, and left there till a stranger gave notice to the parish officers, who took her into the workhouse, and provided for her. Time only excuse for this conduct was, that she did not belong to Enfield parish. The real object was to compel the parish of Islington to sup- port her. Mr. Sergeant Selloff, one of the Magistrates, did not think the woman was sent away from a bad motive. Mr. Rogers, the other Magistrate, said that she was not treated with common humanity, and that such conduct was extremely disgraceful. The end of the matter was, that the overseer of the Islington parish said he would send the poor woman back to Enfield. The Magistrates would not interfere.
Mr. George Nicholson, the Under Sheriff of the county of Hertford, and principal agent to Lords Mahon and Ingestrie at the late election for time borough, and Mr. F. W. N. Bailey the editor of the Herybrd Free Press, were brought to the Bow Street Office on Thursday, charged, the former with sending, the latter with delivering, a hostile message to Baron Dimsdale—an English gentleman with a Russian title, resident at Hertford. It seems that Mr. Nicholson had beard that the Baron had accused him of giving false evidence before the Hertford Election Committee ; and he therefore demanded an explan- ation, or "satisfaction." The message was sent by Mr. Bailey. The Baron refused to recant, and would not fight ; although threatened by Mr. Nicholson with being posted as a coward at time Royal Exchange, London, and in the Market-place in Hertford. The bills were ac- tually printed ; and Messrs. Nicholson and Bailey left London on Wednesday for the purpose of posting them in Hertford ; when infor- mation of the challenge was given at Bow Street, and both the gentle- men were accordingly arrested. They entered into recognizances to keep the peace towards all his Majesty's subjects, especially Baron Dimsdale. This quarrel, it is said, had its origin in an attempt which the Baron is making to secure the return of Mr. Dawson, without the consent of the Marquis of Salisbury. A " split" among these worthies has been the consequence, which perhaps may be of some service to the Liberal party.
Captain Bayntun, the member for York, again appeared on Tuesday at time Marlborough Street Office, to answer the charge of having ille- gally pawned a-looking-glass, the property of Mr. .Mullett, an uphol- sterer in the Strand. It appeared that the man who actually pawned it was Thomas Transfield, an under servant of Captain Bayntun. Trans- field said that he acted under the direction of Ignatius Cavendish Coyle, who was a sort of agent or upper servant of Captain Bayntun. Coyle had been summoned to attend, but was not forthcoming ; and the Anther examination of the case was postponed until he should make his appearance. The truth or falsehood of the charge against Captain Boynton depends upon his having authorized this man to pawn the furniture. Transfield said that Coyle told him to pawn the looking- glass in order to "raise the wind;" and that the proceeds were laid out in ham and beef.
Two young men, named Jones and Davies, were committed to New- gate on -Monday, from the Bow Street Office, on a charge of coining a considerable quantity of penny-pieces. Their operations were carried oh in Phoenix Street, St. Giles's.
John Cox, one of the General. Post-Office carriers, was committed on Wednesday, at tha Bow Street Office, for purloining a ten-pound note from a letter addressed to a Mr. Henry Foreman, of Queen Street, Clerkenwell. A second charge, of stealing a five-pound note from a letter, was also preferred against him by another person.
At the Marylebone Office, on Monday, a chimney-sweep, named
James Pemberton, was- fined 51. and committed to the House of Cor- rection for two months, for beating his brother, a little boy of ten years of age most unmercifully with a cart-whip, which he said he used because a stick would break his bones. His defence for beating the boy was, that he had been too long in sweeping a chimney.
William Ross, a cab-driver, was fined five pounds on Wednesday, at the Marlborough Street Office, for knocking down. and driving over Mr. Rossini in Regent Street, on Monday, evening last. Another charge, of having killed a horse in another cabriolet, by driving furiously against it, and forcing the shaft of his vehicle into its ribs, was also preferred against the same man. Mr. Conant recommended the com- plainant in the last case to seek reparation by a civil action.
Mrs. Sarah Allen was sentenced on Thursday, at the Middlesex ad- journed sessions, to seven years' transportation, for refusing to give up certain property to satisfy a debt due to Mr. Alexander Milburn, amounting to 101/. 10s. After sentence was pronounced, the prosecu- tor's counsel said, that if she would now give it up, every effort would be made by his client to procure a commutation of her sentence. " No," she said, " I'll keep what little I've got." It appeared that Chief Jus- tice Denman, Justice Littledale, and the other Judges, had all strongly advised her to give up her property, But she refused to do so, or make any return of it ; although she admitted that she had enough to live upon.
We should have mentioned in our account of Old Bailey trials last week, that J. Merrell was acquitted of the charge of elitismg the death of Mary Latten, by administering prussic acid by mistake for tincture of hyosciamus. The Jury at the same time censured his former master, Mr. Broughton, for giving him a character, and Mr. -Clapham for suffering him to mix up prussic acid.
George Coney, found guilty and sentenced to death at the February Sessions for a burglary in Barlett's Buildings, was executed on Tues- day morning at Newgate.
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