Mr. Ralph Ferguson ' of Holloway, and Mr. Martin Simpson, of
Sloane Street, Chelsea, fought a duel yesterday morning at Wormwood Scrubs. The two first shots did no harm, and the seconds interfered to effect a reconciliation. The attempt was unsuccessful, and the parties fired again. Mr. Ferguson was wounded in the right arm ; but his ball struck Mr. Simpson below the groin, and inflicted a dangerous wound. The quarrel arose from an insult offered by Simpson to Fer- guson's sister, at Drury Lane Theatre.
At the Marlborough Street Office, on Wednesday, two young men, fashionably dressed, who gave the assumed names of John Smith and William Parr, were charged with an indecent assault on two respect- able women ; one of them melded, and holding a situation in the House of Lords. The prisoners belonged to a party of four, all of whom joined in the disgusting conduct ; which was only proved against the two, though another of the gang was said to be all the time in the Justice-room. The case being clearly made out, Mr. Dyer, the Magistrate, fined them each Si. The money was immediately paid by Parr who sported a roll of bank-notes, by way of showing how slight the punishment was to him. The reason why they were not committed to prison to be tried at the Sessions was, that Mr. Dyer did not wish to put the prosecutors to the disagreeable necessity of appear- ing as witnesses in a court of justice. But, as is fairly remarked by the Chronicle, if the delinquents had been labourers or mechanics, instead of "gentlemen," the Magistrate would probably have felt no such delicacy. Besides, the names of the prosecutors were freely given, and as far as they are concerned, the exposure is already com- plete. No—the prisoners were "gentlemen; " that is the reason why they escaped the ignominy of the felon's dock.
The Red Rover has been hauled up; and on Tuesday was taken into a dock at Limehouse, to be repaired. Her cabins and bows must be rebuilt.
The premises of Williams, Stanbridge, and Co. japanned-ware-manu- facturers, in Chiswell Street, were destroyed by a fire which broke out about six o'clock on Wednesday evening. The property consumed was insured in the North of England Office for 3500/.
Eleven houses and shops in George Street, Richmond, were burnt down on Sunday forenoon : the fire was first discovered in the house of Mr. Pigott, a cabinet-maker.
An investigation has been made into the origin of the fire at Wood- ford Bridge, which we mentioned last week. There seems good reason to believe that it was the work of an incendiary ; and the conduct of Mr. Balls, the owner, who was insured, and who had sent away the scholars from the school, as well as some property, several days before the fire, is liable to some suspicion.
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