APPENDIX TO CHRONICLE. 



297 



that of libel, it had unquestion- 

 ably been proved. The publica- 

 tion of the pamphlet was an of- 

 fence against the laws which 

 could not be defended ; and so 

 far the plaintiff would be entitled 

 to a verdict. It would be for the 

 jury to estimate what degree of 

 damage the character of Mr. Wy- 

 att was likely to sustain from the 

 publication of that pamphlet, al- 

 ways bearing in mind the manner 

 of its publication^ and its very 

 limited circulation. 



The jury then retired for a 

 short time, and gave a verdict of 

 3001. damages. 



Gloucester Assizes, August. — 

 Carter v. Thomas. — The plaintiff 

 was a Mr. Carter, who had been 

 living in the neighbourhood of 

 Gloucester, about 15 months, in 

 a style calcidated to convey an 

 idea of his being a man of for- 

 tune and respectability. 



The defendant was Mr. Thomas, 

 jun. son of a silversmith in the 

 Strand. The action was for a ma- 

 licious prosecution from a wai- 

 rant issued from Bow-street- 

 office, and for verbal defama- 

 tion. The damages were laid at 

 50001. 



It appeared by the evidence 

 and cross examination of the wit- 

 nesses produced for the plaintiff, 

 that Mr. Thomas, jun. in con- 

 f equence of Mr. Carter's having 

 obtained goods from his father's 

 •hop in October last, obtained a 

 warrant from Bow- street for his 

 apprehension, on a charge of ob- 

 taining goods under false pre- 

 tences, followed the plaintiff to 

 Matson-house, his residence, in 

 the vicinity of Gloucester, and by 

 means of stratagem, contrived to 



regain possession of the articles 

 of jewellery, under the promise 

 of returning them the following 

 day, when he had given Mr. 

 Carter reason to suppose he should 

 bring with him the plate, which 

 he had ordered to a considerable 

 amount. Mr. T. returned to 

 Gloucester with the intention of 

 taking legal advice as to the most 

 eflectual manner of exposing the 

 character of the plaintiff, who, 

 Mr. Thomas ascertained, had but 

 two months prior to his taking 

 up his residence at Matson, in a 

 ready-furnished house belonging 

 to Lord Sidney, been discharged 

 from the King's Bench prison, 

 under the Insolvent Debtors' Act } 

 his debts, according to his sche- 

 dule, amounting to 12,000l. and 

 the assets to liquidate those debts 

 being only 19l. 6s. 6d. Mr. 

 Thomas was passed by a gentle- 

 man in a tilbury, who the sheriffs 

 officer who accompanied him in- 

 formed him was Mr. Stephens, a 

 magistrate and banker in Glou» 

 cester, (a material sufferer by 

 Carter,) and that most probably 

 he was going to dine with Mr. 

 Carter : this immediately deter- 

 mined Mr. Thomas to retm'n to 

 the house and expose Mr. C's 

 true character before Mr. Ste- 

 phens, as a magistrate and a per- 

 son who had, together with many 

 others of the greatest respectabi- 

 lity, become dupes to the specious 

 and plausible manners of the 

 plaintiff: he accordingly did so, 

 and entered a drawing-room in 

 Mr. C's house, where the party 

 were assembled, and told them 

 that Mr. Carter was a notorious 

 swindler. Much altercation then 

 took place, during which Mr. 

 Carter struck the defendant, who, 



after 



