had an umbrella, and the other a gun-case; in about half an hour after, he heard alarming cries, which were not repeated, the sound came from the copse. Witness immediately got out of the ditch, and saw a man striking with a gun something on the ground; the man held the muzzle end in both his hands; he struck several times violently, until the gun broke; he continued the blows, even after the gun broke; he then threw away the piece of the gun, and walked backwards and forwards, as if looking at something; he walked a short distance, and picked up a bundle, and came to wards witness. He pulled off his clothes, and put on a large fustian jacket and a hairy cap; he had on before a black hat, and a black coat; taking his hat in his hand, he went towards Shenley Commen. Witness then went to the spot, and there saw the deceased, the blood was running very fresh from his wounds. There was a gun broken in two, a kerchief, and umbrella lying by him. The witness gave the alarm, and the prisoner was taken running out of the copse; on witness running towards him, he cried out, "What's your reward?" Witness asked him if he had got any fire-arms; the prisoner replied "No, for if he had, he would not be taken by him or any man alive." He again asked witness about the reward "the blood money," and said, "You would take your own father's life for sixpence." He then said, it would break his friends hearts, when they heard of this. A Mr. Tarry asked, was the man in the wood quite dead ? Prisoner said, he hoped he was.-On the Saturday after the murder, he was guarding the prisoner, who was reading the Bible, when he jumped up on a chair, then on the table, and struck himself down with violence; his head was cut severely. Mr. Justice Gazelee informed the prisoner, that if he had any thing to say to the Jury, now was his time, as his Counsel could not speak for him. The prisoner, after standing mute for some time, addressed the Jury in a very unconnected strain. He said he could not work longer at Burnett's, because his mind was uneasy. He agreed to go with Abraham Hogg to Liverpool. On the Monday night he went out with Abraham, and drank wine. They got on the Liverpool coach at the Saracen's Head, and a black man (a sailor) on the top of the coach gave him gin out of several bottles, and made him drink it, and threw the bottles away. Abraham and the sailor whispered and chattered together, and they spoke to another man in a very suspicious manner. One of them said, "Oh, the job can be done," and they intended to murder him, he was sure. He told Abraham that there was something afloat, as he heard the men talking together about some pit and there was a plan to murder him. Just before he jumped off the coach he heard the man planning something, and he believed Abraham was concerned, and he jumped off the coach, as he had made up his mind to sleep at a farm-house, rather than go on and be murdered. Abraham followed him, and he again told him they intended to murder him; but Abraham said it was no such thing. When Abraham got on the hill, he said to him, "what do you do there, you have entered into a plan to murder me? you shall die with me," and he struck him over the head and was afterwards taken. The rest of the prisoner's address was a tissue of incoherency, delivered without any appearance of being feigned. The Jury retired to consider their verdict, and on their return, the Foreman said, "Guilty of killing the deceased, but we believe him insane at the time." SUSSEX ASSIZES. Charles Holder and David Gardener were indicted on the statute of 4 Geo. 4th, c. 54. for feloniously sending a letter to the rev. Edmund Cartwright, clerk, threatening to accuse him of an infamous crime, for the purpose of extorting money. The prosecutor, Mr. Cartwright, was a highly respected clergyman, residing at Arundel. In February last, while he was on a visit to sir John Shelly, his lady bespoke a play at the Arundel theatre, in order to encourage the poor performers who had a bad season. He unexpectedly returned in the afternoon from sir John Shelly's, and the transaction, which was the subject of this prosecution, was disclosed by the following evidence:-The rev. E. Cartwright deposed, that having some flower plants at Pulborough, which he wished to have brought to Arundel in a barge by water, about a quarter before seven o'clock on Saturday the 26th of February, he sent for the prisoner Holder, who is a bargeman of Pulborough, to make arrangements for carrying them on the Monday following. The parlour door being wide open, Mrs. Cartwright came in; and then it was settled, that the prisoner should go for the flowers on some future day, and he was sent away. A few minutes after seven o'clock, witness went out of his house to go to the play which had been bespoken by his wife, and wishing to make the prisoner some little recompense for the trouble he had given him, told his servant boy, C. Tune, to call Holder back. The boy immediately went after the prisoner and brought him back, and witness met them in the High-street of Arundel, and gave the prisoner a shilling. Witness then went to the theatre, being then about ten minutes after seven, and remained there until half-past ten. About four o'clock on Monday following, his servant boy gave him a letter expressed in the worst orthography, and dated "Arundel, 1825." It stated, that about eight o'clock on Saturday evening, the 26th of February, the writer saw Mr. Cartwright and Charles Holder, in a lane, conducting themselves in a manner too horrible to mention. It then threatened that if Mr. Cartwright did not give the writer satisfaction, he should write immediately to Mrs. Cartwright. The letter then concluded in these words: "You ast him about the rev. that was houng, and the lad that lived with him. If you chews to satersfy Holder and me, we will keepe it seckered as thou we was meacons. (Signed) "C. HOULDER, "D. G." Mr. Cartwright, being unwilling to alarm his wife, determined not to take any notice of the letter until early the next morning, when he took it to Mr. Richard Holmes, his attorney, and asked him what he ought to do in such an infamous business. In consequence of the advice of Mr. Holmes, he determined to find out who the writer of the letter was; and afterwards, whilst he was with Mr. Holmes, he saw both the prisoners pass by Mr. Holmes's window. Mr. Holmes immediately expressed his suspicions that David Gardener was the writer of the letter, and particularly that the initials "D. G" at the bottom were his. It was then arranged, that a warrant should be taken out, that witness should mark some money, and that he should send word to Holder for him and the person who wrote the letter, to call at his house at eight o'clock in the evening, when constables were to be in attendance to apprehend them. At eight o'clock the same evening, the prisoners came to witness's house and were shown into his study. Witness said to Gardener, "What could induce you to write such a letter, which you must know to be untrue?" Gardener said, "It is all true; I was close by where you were, and I heard and saw every thing. After you were gone, I went up to Holder, who was crying like a child, and he then told me what had passed." Upon which witness said, "Although the charge is untrue, I should be sorry to have it talked about." Gardener then said, "If you pay us, we will keep it as secret as the grave." Witness asked him what he expected. Gardener then said, "From any other gentlemen, I should expect 1007.; but, as I have a great respect for you, I will take only 501.;" and added, that the same thing lately happened to another gentleman, whom he, witness, knew very well, and was a rich man, and he gave him 501.; and that he discovered it in the same way, being near the place where the parties were standing. Witness then told the prisoners, that he had not ཝ gave so much money by him, but would give them the contents of his purse, and pay the remainder on Thursday. Witness then each of the prisoners a sovereign, a half crown, and a shilling, which had been all previously marked by witness and Mr. Holmes. The prisoner Gardener then said, "To show you that I act honourable, I will give you a receipt," and immediately wrote the following words and figures on a piece of paper: "That other gentleman geave to me to keep the seckered— The prisoners then quitted the house, but were immediately taken into custody by the constables, and the money found upon them, which witness now identified. Mrs. Cartwright confirmed her husband's testimony, as did also the servant of Mr. Cartwright, and Mr. Holmes, the attorney. One of the performers at the theatre, on the night of the 26th of February, proved that, on that evening, Mrs. Cartwright had bespoken a play, from motives of kindness to the players, who had had a bad season. She had taken a box for herself and friends near the stage. Witness, just before the commencement of the play, looked through a hole in the curtain, and saw Mr. Cartwright, Mrs. Cartwright, and another lady, sitting in the box. It was then exactly a quarter after seven o'clock. Mr. Cartwright remained in the box during the whole performance. Two constables proved, that about eight o'clock on the evening of the 28th of February, they apprehended the prisoners coming out of the house of Mr. Cartwright, and on searching them, they found on each a sovereign, an half crown, and a shilling. The money was produced and identified by the prosecutor and Mr. Holmes. This was the case for the prosecution. The prisoners being called upon for their defence, they both repeated the charge, and persisted in stating that the contents of the letter were true. They called no witnesses. The counsel for the prosecution said, they were possessed of evidence to show that, in point of fact, the prisoner Gardener was in bed at his lodgings, seven miles from the spot, at the very time when he represented himself to have witnessed the supposed transaction in question; but the learned judge said, that such evidence was quite unnecessary, the utter falsehood of the charge having been demonstrated by the witnesses already examined. The jury immediately found the prisoners guilty.-Mr. Baron Graham sentenced the prisoners to be transported for the term of their natural lives. COURT OF KING'S BENCH Byrne v. Parkins. Mr. C. Phillips stated the case on the part of the plaintiff. The plaintiff became the object of commiseration in consequence of the vices of another individual; and Mr. Parkins undertook to collect and receive the sums which might be subscribed for his benefit. The charge against Mr. Parkins was, that he withheld a portion of those sums. It would be shown, that early in September, 1822, he confessed that he had received 150l. on account of Byrne, and this not boastingly-not jocosely-but as a matter of business and calculation, to Mr. Cobbett, who interested himself in the plaintiff's favour. Mr. Parkins proposed to remit 1007. to Byrne in Ireland, from which Mr. Cobbett dissuaded him, and cautioned him to take care, on his own account, how he advanced so much money, which might never be repaid. "Oh," replied Mr. Parkins, "I can be no sufferer, for I have already received 150l.” Now he would produce the defendant's own account delivered to Mrs. Byrne, acknowledging the receipt of 150l. after the arrival of Byrne in England, and making, together with the 150l. mentioned to Mr. Cobbett, the sum of 300l. Mr. William Cobbett was then called, and appeared in the box. Mr. Parkins: Now, Mr. Cobbett, let me ask, do you believe in the Bible?-Mr. Cobbett: Let me ask you, if you believe that you are the father of Hannah White's bastard child. The Lord Chief Justice: Pray, Sir, answer the question. Mr. Cobbett: It is not the Bible, it is the Testament. Mr. Parkins: Do you believe in it?-Mr. Cobbett: I do believe in it. Mr. Cobbett was then examined by Mr. Patteson, and gave evidence as follows:-I know Mr. Parkins and Byrne. I recollect a subscription being collected for the plaintiff. I had a conversation with Mr. Parkins in September, 1822, about a fortnight before Byrne's arrival in England. Mr. Parkins told me he had written a day or two before to Dublin, signifying his readiness to send 100l. to a Mr. Stanton, the editor of a newspaper, on account of Byrne. I advised him not to send the 1007., as it would be better to keep it till Byrne arrived, and give it him here; and I asked him how he could venture to send 100l. already, expressing my surprise that he had the means of doing so in his hands. He replied, "Why, man, I have got 150l. in my hands." It might be a little more, or a little less; but 150l. was the sum I understood him to mean, and which he certainly mentioned. I think the conversation ended in his agreement not to send the 100l. He did not speak boastingly; we were talking seriously of the matter. I was urging him not to lay out the money improvidently; and to be careful how he sent it to Ireland. When Byrne came, he obviously was destitute of means, except from the subscription, though something had been given to bring him over. On the 1st or 2nd of November, I had a conversation with Mr. Parkins as to how Byrne should live most economically till the subscription should be completed. I proposed that he should go to live with Mr. Blair, a farmer, at Worth, in Sussex, where he would live at very little expense, and that expense I was willing to bear myself, that his money might not be wasted. Mr. Parkins objected to that plan, and said he had place for him to reside in, at no expense at all that the little victuals he would want, he would give him ; and that he (Mr. Parkins) wanted Byrne to go round with him to meetings and societies, that he might show the people the sufferer, and induce them to contribute for him. I yielded, on this, though with great reluctance; he overpowered me with professions of sincerity: I thought him sincere; I could not think otherwise. -Mr. Parkins then began to crossexamine Mr. Cobbett. As you have told a long story about me which I know nothing about, I will ask you a few questions. Pray what trade are you? · Mr. Cobbett : What trade? I am neither a dogseller nor a coach-maker.-The lord chief justice, with much urbanity, said, "That is not the way to answer the question."— Mr. Cobbett: must I answer it my lord?-The Lord Chief Justice: Why not? cannot you say you are a bookseller, if you are so?. It is not for me to instruct you; but I have heard you are so.-Mr. Cobbett: Well, I am a bookseller. I never saw you but once before you spoke about Byrne, when you told me you were the son of the duke of Norfolk, and he owed you 28,000l. I do not believe a word of it. You also told me, lord Sidmouth had paraded his daughters before you, to get you to marry one of them. The witness was cross-examined as to, his having written certain articles in The Statesman and the Register, none of which, however, were read; and being asked whether he had not recommended Parkins to invest 100. in American stock for Byrne. Replied: No, never. I never recommended stock to any human being-no paper money. "Get your money and lock it up," I have said to everybody. If I recommended that you should take the chair at Byrne's dinner, it was because you had the money.-I said, "What are we to do? If we go without Parkins, he has the money, and he will sack it.”—Mr. Parkins: -Did I not offer to leave the chair, in consequence of your introducing something about the bishop?-No; I thought you went to it a great deal too eagerly, and stuck to it a great deal too long.-Mr. Robert Bell stated, that, in the spring of 1823, the defendant told him he |