182^.] [ 561 ] 



INCIDENTS, MARRIAGES, and DEATHS, in and near LONDOJif, 

 Wit/i liiographival Memoirs of dislhii/uished Charade? s recentlij deceased. 



CHR0NOL0G\ OF THE MONTK. 



MAY 24.— Sir Francis Biirdett pro- 

 posed, at the Westminsier dinner, a 

 plan of p;ulinmentary ref'oim. It em- 

 braced liouseliold siiitiage, trieniiiUi par- 

 liaments, votinj; in districts to diminisli 

 tlie expenses of tlie people, and tiie elec- 

 tions to terminate in or.e day. 



Jnne 1. — Three men, iianipd Wasstaff, 

 Easterby, and Hill, executed at the Old 

 Jjailcy. " Tlie case of WagstatF excited 

 iiiMcli pnl)lic syni|i3thv. 



— 3.— Joliii O'NeiH, of Bath, and the 

 Society of Friends, petitioned the House of 

 Commons for the liberation of Carhle. 



— . — In tile Court of King's Bench, 

 Thomas Tliartell and John B. Snowden, 

 found guilty of conspiring to defraud the 

 County Fire Oii'u-e of I3o0<. by a false in- 

 surance. 



— 7.— A numerous meeting Leld at 

 Freemason's Hall, the IMarqnis of Lans- 

 dowiiein ti;c chair, it was resolved to form 

 institutions for the instniction of children 

 under six years of age. 



7 and S.^Five young men, of the names 

 of Campion, Jetfereys, Christopher O'Con- 

 aer, and Hessell, tried at the Old Bailey, 

 and found jjuilty, except O'(;onner, for 

 vendins " Paine's A!,'e of Reason" in the 

 shop of Carlile, in Fleet-street. Campion 

 was scnienced to imprisonment for tliree 

 years, and to enter into rfcojjnizance to 

 (he amount of looi. fori'ood behuvwur <\\\x- 

 inf; life. Jcfiereys to eighteen months' im- 

 prisonment, and 5')/. security for good be- 

 Jiaviour for life. Cluisloplier to six months', 

 and to he bound to the like behaviour for 

 life : and Hessell to two years' imprison- 

 ment, and to recognizance for tOOl. for life. 



— 8. — A lire took, place in Carlton 

 Jlouse, which did some damage, and se- 

 veral valuable pictures «ere destroyed. 



— 9. — A meetint;, held at the London 

 Tavern, to take into consideration a plan 

 for making a canal between the Bristol 

 and the British channel, to avoid the dan- 

 gerous navigation round the Land's End, 

 when several resolutions for carrying the 

 same into effect, were unanimously 

 ^agreed to. 



— . — Three young men, of the names 

 of Clark, Cochrane, and Haley, tried 

 at the Old Bailey for publishing al- 

 ledged l)la«phemy contained in the ''Re- 

 publican," which they sold in the shop 

 of ('arlilc, found guilty, and sentenced 

 — Clarke to three years' imprisonment, 

 and recognizance of lOoi. for life : 

 Cochrane, to six moiilhs' imprisonment, 

 and recognizance for life : and Haley, to 

 three years' imprisuniiicnt and 1 ()()<. re- 

 cognizance fur life. M-ucii yurprisc has 



HtllJ 



been felt that the sentences on these par- 

 ties should have been aggravated by their 

 defence; for, by universal principles of 

 justice, a man ought to be tolerated in his 

 defence, and the defence cannot be consi- 

 dered as a part of the crime with which lie 

 was charged. This subject merits the spe- 

 cial notice of thJ legislature, especially as 

 the anomaly has taken phice in regard to 

 ])ersoiis obnoxious to public opinion, but 

 which, neverlhelev, is a precedent for 

 other cases, and therefore merits ani- 

 madversion. 



— 14. — Capt. 0'Callaghan,convicfedat 

 the Surrey sessions of an assault on the Rev. 

 Mr. Saurin, son of the Bishop of Dromore, 

 in resentment of an affront put on some 

 ladies under the captain's protection. The 

 jury found the fact; but, under the cir- 

 cumstances, recommended the captain to 

 the mercy of the court ; which, however, 

 sentenced him to a fine of 20/. and a 

 month's imprisonment in the House of 

 Correction at Brixton, subject to the 

 regulations of a prison, destined to the 

 punishment of infamous crimes ! The case 

 has excited so intense an interest through 

 the nation, that it is to be hoped, in 

 the next session of parliament, measures 

 will he adopted to regulate the unsound 

 discretion of our inferior tribunals, and th? 

 indiscriminate discipline introduced into 

 jails under the direction of committees of 

 magistracy. 



— la. — A numerous body of the mer- 

 chants of London petitioned the House of 

 Conimons,prayingforthe recognition of the 

 independence of the South Aoiericaa 

 States. 



— 17.— A petition, signed by 10,000 

 dissenters, presented to the House of 

 Commons, praying for the removal of civil 

 disqualifications on account of religious 

 opinions. 



— 18. — A numerous meeting of distin- 

 guished and respectable characters took 

 place at Freemasons' Tavern, the Earl of 

 Liverpool in the chair, when it was unani- 

 mously resolved to erect a monument, as a 

 tribute of national gratitude, to the late 

 eminent James Watt. 



— . —The judges of the Court of Com- 

 mon Pleas have extended the rules of the 

 Fleet prison to the following limits, viz. 

 from the gate of the prison to Chatham- 

 place, including both sides of the way 

 (excepting Fleet-market), and to St. 

 Paul's, to .Salisbury-court and Shoe-lane, 

 including the two churches of ,St. Bride's 

 and Ludgate ; but excepting Ave Maria- 

 lanir, and Blackfriars gateway. 



The month has been remarkable for its 

 unseasonable coldness and wetness; not 

 more than two or three days having been 



of 



