At the Cambridge Assizes, Centrum, the person who was found
gailty at the last Assizes of having bribed voters, was tried on an indictment for bribing nine other voters to give their suffrages to Mr. Knight. He pleaded Guilty ; but his counsel said that he had circumstances to allege in mitigation of punishment ; and sentence was deferred till Michaelmas Term, when the prisoner will be brought up for judgment in the Court of King's Bench.
The Court-martial ordered on Lieutenant Stovin, late of his Majesty's brig Algerine, on charges of repeated drunkenness and unoffieerlike conduct, promoted by the Mate and Master of the vessel, commenced on Tuesday last week, on board his Majesty's ship Victory, in Ports- mouth harbour ; Vice- Admiral Sir Frederick Maitland, K. C. B., Pre. althea. The evidence for the prosecution occupied Tuesday and Wed- nesday last ; the principal points of which were, that the Commander bad been repeatedly drunk, and at one time charged the master (Mr. Beath) with an unnatural offence, and threatened to shoot him ; in consequence of which, the Master declared himself under an arrest, and the Mute, Mr. Carden, took upon himself the command of the vessel, tied ordered the Lieutenant into arrest. The defence com- menced on F. iday morning, and the evidence has occupied till Saturday evening, and is not now concluded. The prisoner's witnesses deny the charges in toto; asserting that the Commander was never tipsy, and that any appearance of it was the result of ill health. The contrariety of evidence is most extraordinary. On one occasion, in particular, when the Governor of Teneriffe and the British Consul came on board and lunched with Lieutenant Stovin, the prosecuting witnesses declare that he fell dead drunk on the table, before the Consul and Governor rose from lunch; while the prisoner's own witnesses swear as positively that he accompanied his guests to the quarter-deck, and shook hands with them on their going over the side. It is supposed that no sen- tence will he given until the Consul has been inquired of as to those matters. Whatever may be the result of the present trial, it is ex- pected that the Mate and Master will both be tried for depriving their superior officer of his command. The trial has excited considerable interest in the naval world, on account of the novelty of the circum- stances.—Portsmouth Herald.
At Maidstone Assizes, on Tuesday, Thomas Kelly, a soldier, was found guilty of stabbing James Turner, a marine, at Gillingham fair, on the 20th April last. It appeared that the prisoner had had no quarrel with Turner ; but having been rather intoxicated, he declared be would kill a marine before he got to the barracks at Chatham, and be vented his animosity by stabbing Turner with his bayonet. The Judge deferred passing sentence.
At Manchester last week, George Hewson, a private of the Twelfth Regiment of Foot, now in the Regent Road Barracks, Sal- ford, was brought up at the New Bailey, charged with drunkenness and disorderly conduct. It appeared that he had attempted to force hi, way into the bar of a public-house, and when this was resisted by the had- Ordhe drew his bayonet on him. Further violence was prevented by the landlord taking flight, and the arrival of the Police-officers, who apprehended the prisoner. He was required to find sureties to keep the peace for three months, and in default of bail he was committed.— Wheeler's Manchester Chronicle.
At the Woolwich Petty Sessions, on Tuesday, two young men of respectable appear ace were charged with stealing a reaping-hook, value Is., from an Irish labourer. In the course of a long investiga- tion, it turned out that the two prisoners were rather merry from drink, and had agreed to buy the reaping-hook from the prosecutor, whom they met on Blackheath. One of them, however, for a frolic ran off with it ; but the prosecutor, not liking the joke, gave them both into custody ; although he admitted before the Magistrates that one of the prisoners had tendered him payment of the article. The Magistrates, to the surprise of every one present, committed the prisoners to take their trial at the Sessions.
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