In the Court of King's Bench, on Monday, Sir James
Searlett ob- tained a rule nisi for a criminal information against the proprietor, printer, and publisher of the Weekk Dispatch, for a libel upon Captain Adam Young, the commander of the Fergusson East Indiaman. The libel imputed to Captain Young the offence of having ordered three of his crew to be flogged ; and it was contended, that although five men bad been flogged, yet the terms in which the account was given in the Dispatch, were likely to create an unfair impression to the reader, and to prejudice Captain Young's character. It was stated that the boat- swain and mate declined to inflict the punishment ; but the fact was, that they were ill, and unable to do so.
In the Court of King's Bench, on Monday, Mr. Markwell, the keeper of Long's Hotel, brought an action against Captain Forbes, of the Coldstream Guards, for 191/. 17s. 6d., being for board and provi- sions furnished the defendant, who objected to the charges as exorbit- ant. The bill consisted of 900 items ; and it was urged that every thing was put down in it at a very moderate price. One of the charges Was for a breakfast as follows,—breakfast, 3s. ; four eggs, 2s. ; four plover eggs, 21. ; chicken and tongue, 2s. ; altogether 9s. for a single breakfast. The Jury reduced the bill by 11/. 17s. Gd. and found a verdict for the plaintiff for 1801.
Mr. Samuel Harris, a magistrate of the county of Pembroke and a man of fortune, was sentenced in the Court of King's Bench, on Thursday, to pay a fine of 500/. for illegally committing to prison. a poor man named David Harris, against whom he had a grudge ; whe- ther on account of sonic dispute respecting game, or because he had voted against the Tory candidate for Pembroke in the election of May 1831, did not clearly appear. The defendant was to have received the judgment of the Court last Michaelmas term, but on account of his ill health, it was deferred till the present time.
In the Arches Court, on Wednesday, Sir John Nichol' annulled the marriage between Miss Lucy Douglas, daughter of Admiral Douglas, and the Reverend Mr. Thresher, on the ground that the latter, both before and after their marriage was insane.
Mr. Skeet, a salesman of Hungerford Market, was ordered by the Lord Mayor, on Monday, to pay 17s. 6d. to a porter, whom he had re- fused to employ to land a quantity of potatoes at that market. Mr. Skeet chose to employ a collier to do the work, who was not a citizen of London. The citizens of London, however, it would appear, have the right of being preferred to do any work at the Hungerford Market, according to the terms of the Hungerford Market Act: a clause of which saved the rights and privileges of the City of London. [The absurdity of these old corporation privileges is extreme. Can any thing be more ridiculous, and in a small way, more tyrannical, than to compel a tnan to employ none but London citizens to land potatoes at a market.]
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