CHRONICLE. 



sr 



fraud anH the most abominable 

 deception, such as plausible ad- 

 vertisements in the public papers, 

 to deceive the unguarded, and a 

 variety of schemes on paper, for 

 the purposes of plunder. Many 

 of the advertisements of cases of 

 real distress, they had caused to be 

 inserted, and thus obtained sub- 

 scriptions to a very great extent, 

 the respectability of a supposed 

 attorney's office, in an inn of court, 

 enablitij^ them to carry on their de- 

 predations without suspicion. One 

 of their advertisements was headed 

 " Misery unparalleled ;" it went 

 on to state the case of a widow 

 confined iu child-bed, surrounded 

 by a numerous offspring, and af- 

 flicted witli complicated misfor- 

 tunes. It then proceeds, in very 

 pathetic language, to solicit a fur- 

 ther bounty in addition to what 

 •she liad already received, and di- 

 rects the subscriptions to be paid 

 at a house, very respectable in 

 appearance, iu Maddox-street, 

 Jianover-square, which beloniicd 

 to the gang at the office in Cle- 

 nient's-inn, and other places con- 

 nected with them. To give the 

 whole additional plausibility, they 

 had the case handsomely printed 

 on the best wove paper, and sent 

 in great numbers to humane per- 

 sons in the form of a letter, with 

 a certificate, by a student in mid- 

 wifery of one of the principal 

 hospitals ; assigning as a reason 

 for adopting that mode of address, 

 its Ijeing cheaj)er than advertising. 

 This imposing address appears to 

 have had the desired effect on a 



great number of those whose 

 earts and pockets are always 

 open to the afflicted. The g"ang 

 bud got pos>^esbion of a number of 

 houses, carrying on their schemes 



of depredations, some of them in 

 the most respectable neighbour- 

 hoods in Loudou. They contrived 

 to live rent-free in most of the 

 houses which they occupied, by 

 means of one of them getting pos- 

 session of a house by a false cha- 

 racter, and giving it up to another 

 of the gang, whom the landlord 

 had no claim upon. The disco- 

 very of the gang was made by a 

 youth lately from Glocestershire, 

 of the name of S. B. Shepherd, 

 who answered one of their })lausi- 

 ble advertisements for a place for 

 a young man. 



30. An unfortunate action 

 lately took place through mistake, 

 near Lisbon, between the Duke of 

 Montrose packet and the Primrose 

 sloop of war. By an extract from 

 the Duke of Montrose's log, it 

 appears that the action commenced 

 at half-past seven p. m, and lasted, 

 broadside to broadside, within half- 

 pistol shot, till a quarter before 

 nine, when the Primrose attempted 

 to carry the packet by boarding, 

 but was gallantly resisted, and so 

 much damaged, as to oblige her 

 to haul oft at nine o'clock. The 

 Primrose again came down, and 

 recommenced the action, which 

 was continued with the same un- 

 abated spirit on both sides until 

 ten minutes before ten, when the 

 Primrose hailed, and asked, what 

 ship it was ? The mistake was 

 soon discovered. The loss on 

 board the packet is Lieutenant and 

 Adjutant Andrews, of the 60th 

 regiment, a passenger, and the 

 master killed, and 10 men wound- 

 ed. The loss on board the Prim- 

 rose is her master and 4 men 

 killed, and 18 wounded. 



31. According to an account 

 laid before Parliament, the number 



