stated, that he hoped it was unnecessary for him to say, that the Lord Advocate, and those who were bound to concur with him in the discharge of their public duty, would use every exertion to convince the public that the law was inflexible in its course, and would be administered with the same impartiality to this individual, as to the meanest of his Majesty's subjects. 23. In the Court of King's Bench, Lord Ranelagh was found guilty of having applied several offensive epithets to Counsellor Adolphus, for the purpose of provoking him to fight a duel. The circumstances of this case arose out of a late trial at the Middlesex sessions. 24. SIR GREGOR M'GREGOR. The Jamaica papers contain a narrative of another expedition by MacGregor, which failed, no less disgracefully than that of Porto Bello. The present relation is signed by a few of the surviving victims of an illjudged attack upon Rio de la Hache, a town of New Granada, to the westward of the Gulf of Maracaybo. With two hundred men, the remnant of more than one thousand two hundred brave English soldiers, who had mostly perished through hunger or disease, M'Gregor sailed from Aux Cayes for the above-mentioned Spanish town. The place was gain. ed, though with the loss of nearly one-third of our unfortunate country. men,—and lost after a very few days; when hardly one of them escaped the edge of the sword. The commander-in-chief remained on board his ship until after the first action ended, and betook himself to sea again before the second began: never having seen blood drawn, nor heard a shot fired throughout the whole expedition. Eight officers, including Colonel Norcott, who had hitherto bravely headed the troops, abandoned their unworthy leader at Rio de la Hache, and published the statement to which we refer, as a protest against the conduct of MacGregor, and an exposure of his character and pretensions to the world. 28. SINGULAR AFFAIR AT Leeds. A strong sensation has been occasioned in this town, by the discovery of a human being who has been incarcerated in chains in the house of his parents for upwards of fifteen years. On Wednesday last, the mother of this unfortunate young man, whose name is Benjamin Surr, applied to the committee of the Leeds workhouse, stating that she was in want of relief for her son, who was not of sound mind. The committee, on investigating the case, found that the family belonged to another township, and referred her to the overseers of that place. On the following day, the old woman had a fatal accident: while walking in the streets, she came upon a piece of ice, and falling backward, fractured her skull so dreadfully, that after languishing till Friday she expired. One of the neighbours, moved by her situation, went into the house, the door of which was usually locked, and after rendering the last offices to her remains, walked into the cellar to wash her hands. While in that situation, she heard a moan as from a human voice, and on examination she found that it proceeded from an object, so neglected and destitute, that it was difficult to say whether he was of the human or the brute species. This discovery was communicated to the neighbours, and a considerable number of persons assembled round the house, which is situated at the Black Bank; but John Surr, the father of the family, had locked the door and refu sed to admit any of them. The overseers and constable were then sent for, and promptly attended the summons, but the old man, probably from an apprehension of the fury of the populace, refusing still to open the door, they were obliged to force their into the house. On obway taining admission, they proceeded into the cellar, and here they found the unfortunate man squatted under the cellar steps, chained by a leg to the wall, and in so loathsome a state that it was evident he had not been washed for years. "Sharp misery had worn him to the bones;" a few sacks and a little straw served him for a bed; his appearance was that of a spectre; and his bones had in several places penetrated through his skin, which was much excoriated. As a first step the parish officers ordered him to be taken to the workhouse; and on viewing a comfortable bed which had been prepared for him, he exclaimed-"What! is this for me? God bless you! You will go to heaven for this!" and other expressions of a similar import. Sometimes he converses freely, but frequently incoherently. There is, moreover, a vacuity in his look, which shows a defect of mind. appears, however, to be perfectly inoffensive and tractable, and it is evident that he knows and feels the difference between his present and his late situation. When the young man, who seems to be about thirty years of age, was taken to the workhouse, his father was taken to the prison, and underwent a private examination before the Magistrates at the Court-house. The reason, we understand, that was assigned by the old man for keeping his unfortunate He son in the situation in which he was found, was, that he was deranged in his intellect, and required restraint. It also appeared, that the prisoner had always maintained a good character; and though it is impossible to justify his conduct towards his son, the nature of his offence was not judged to be cognizable by the law; it was therefore determined that he should be discharged. 30. PARISIAN STATISTICS.-The present population of Paris is estimated at 714,000 souls, of whom 25,000 are not domiciliated; the number of houses is about 26,801, containing about 225,000 hearths or families; the mean number of births and deaths is about 21,000: and the proportion of male to female births is as 25 to 24; of which a third part are natural children. The city of Paris alone pays about a ninth part of all the taxes levied on France, or about 98 millions of livres, which is about 168 livres to each individual; whereas, in the provinces, the average taxes paid by each individual are calculated at 26 or 27 livres. The medium annual consumption of bread is estimated at 113,880,000 that of wine at kilogrammes; 870,000 hectares; that of butcher meat at 70,000 oxen, 9,000 cows, and 78,000 calves; that of wood at 1,160,000 stères. The amount of pious donations received during the first half of the present year has been 1,897,891 francs; while that of the spectacles, for the whole year, has been estimated at 5,012,866 francs. Last year the number of suicides in Paris was 330: during this, it has just been found to be 376. PUBLIC AND PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. ACCOUNTS OF THE INCOME OF THE UNITED KINGDOM IN THE YEAR ENDING THE 5th oF APRIL 1819. Revenue, distinguishing the Consolidated Fund, the Annual Customs ANNUAL DUTIES TO PAY OFF Bills. Customs 4,707,598 3,665,900 Total Revenue, distinguishing the Consolidated Fund, the An Stamps, Post-office, Assessed, Property, and Land Taxes, Miscellaneous, and Unappropriated Duties and Pensions, &c. as ditto 9,852,848 10,111,912 20,236,047 23,120,523 17,158,736 15,824,128 Total Revenue, distinguishing Customs and Excise 47,247,631 49,056,563 1,561,716 407,533 Total Revenue, exclusive of Property and Unappropriated 45,685,915 48,649,050 |