JAN. 24. PEDFST al AN ISM.—A Mr. JAMESON undertook, on Thurs day, for a wager of fifty guineas, to go ten miles on the Bath road in an hour, but he lost by half a mile. A similar task was performed with ease on Monday last, on Sunbury Com mon, by a pedestrian butcher, of Margate, who completed the ten miles, fifty seconds within the hoar. LAW INTELLIGENCE. Yesterday being the first day of Term, the judges as usual came down in procession protious to taking their seats in their respective Courts. COURT OF KING'S BENCH. Mr. J ERV rs moved for a Rule to spew cause, why a criminal infor mation should not be filed against a man of the name of Emery, for having libelled a Magistrate of the name of Mosely, in a letter, in which it was stmed that Mr. M. had no occasion to trouble himself to send a sumoint,:, as he (Emery) did not expect to find any justice at Stow. The letter then proceeded to call Mosely fool. knave, &c.— I t appeared that Emery had quarrelled with a man of the name of Moss, who had applied to the Magistrate for a summons. He after wards met-Moss in the street, to whom he held language respecting Mosely similar to that elntained in the letter. It was for this conversation, and the contents of the letter, that he applied for the Rule. The Court refused the Rule, on the ground that neither the con versation nor the letter had b een sufficiently published to justify a criminal information, as a sufficient remedy could be obtained at common law. STATUTE OF USURY. --- - It was on Thursday dzcided by the verdict of a jury in the Court of King's Bench, Guildhall. in an action on the statute of usury, for penalties to the amount of 19,0001. that persons procuring the dis count of bills may charge commission for their trouble over and above the legal interest of 51. per cent. ; and that in such cases of procura tion, a quarter or a half per cent. according to circumstances, may be taken without incurring the penalties of the statute against usury. it may be proper, however. to remark, that Lord Ellenborough, in his charge to the jury, seemed to think the Act imperiously required a different construction, and that when any took more than five per cent. interest, in any shape whatever, he subjected himself to the severity of its penalties. Had the verdict been against the defendant in the present instance, it must have caused his utter ruin. OLD BAILEY. These Sessions concluded on Wednesday, when sentence of death was passzd on the following capital convicts, viz.— Mary Jane alias Mary Nowland, and John Champion, for stealing in a dwelling-house ; CoLter, ff.r house-breaking ; Joseph Jefferson and George Blackaway, for privately stealing in a 'shop : ohn Langhorn, for forgery ; Thomas Brown, for horse-stealing ; john Langhorn, for torgry ; Thomas Brown, for horse-stealing l)aiiiel Grant and Zenoph , .n Elerne Bashant, tbr returning from trans portation ; and Joseph o,ling, James Jenkiii , .!, John Spicer, John Butler. and Charles XViulainson Washo, for biirglaries.—One was ordered to be transported tl4- fourteen years, viz. Eleanor Thompson ; and 2.1 for seven years.—Four were ordered to be iinprismed in the House of Correction. Clerkenwell, for two years. Seven for one year, and 11 for Six Lalendar months, in the same gaol.—Eleven to he im prisoned in Nevvgate for diffirent periot!s —Twenty-five judgments were respited.—Nine were fined Is. and to be dis , harged.—Three to be privately, and one publicly whipped.—And 18 were discharged by proclamation. ACCIDENTS AND OFFENCES. DREADFUL FlRE.—Last night about half-past eight o'clock, a fire broke out in the corner house of St. lances'.-street, which is directly facing the Palace. and next door to the Sr. James's Hotel, it burnt with great fury till about half-pist nine, when the engines arrived, and although every exertion was a: *de by tilem, its violence rather increased than diminished. At the writing of this . account, the house in which the tire broke out was entirely COMillilled, and the neighbouring hotels materially injured. The prisoners convicted in December Sins'-ins, at the Ohl Bailey, were reponed on Nlonclay to the Prince Regent in counc.:l, when John Lernere, for forgery ; and Win. Tilykr, Joseph Stininoods Win ter, Benjamin Allen for stealing silk on the river Thames, were order ed to be executed on Monday nr xt. Fourteen out of fifteen of :lie misguided men convicted at York, Suffered the dreadful petulty vf the law or , the IGth ;even of them TIIE NATIONAL REGISTER. were executed at eleven o'clock, and seven at balf-past one.; they all behaved in a manner truly becoming their unhappy situation.—Ths Special Commision at York is only adjourned during pleasure. HORRID MURDIR, &c.—A rape and murder was committed on the body of a young woman, named Hannah Leatham, in the service of Mr. Jackson, of Brignal, pear Greta-bridge, on New Year's Dar She had been sent on an errand to Barnard Castle, which place she left about five o'clock in the evening, on her way home. Her body was found next morning, about two miles from that town, on the road 'o the High .street (a road much frequented) , with her head nearly cut from her body. A Coroner's Inquest returned a verdia of—kape and Murder against some person or persons unknown. Several meat luve been taken up on suspicion, but nithing mere satisfactory has been proved. Funs ERY.--It is greatly to be lamented that the crime of forgery ap pears to be increasing instead of diminishing. It has been discovered within these few days that forgeries to a greater extent have been tom mined by one individual, and to a lareer amount, than any that has ever been accomplished in this country since the crime was known here, an& the person charged with them is a person deemed of considerable con sequence in the mercantile world, being Mr. Parry, a merchant, of Devonshire-square, who is charged with forging upon a mercantile house in the City to the amount of 60,0001. a Lottery Office keeper tor 20,0601. fn the whole, bills of exchange, drafts, &c. to the amount of upwards of 100,0001. The discovery was made on Saturday last; and.. although the parties were satisfied as to his guilt, and had sufficient proof of it, they were so completely lost to their own interest and the ends of pub lic justice, and so credulous as to believe his promise to meet them again on Monday, as to let him go at large again. At the appointed time ma Monday lie did not attend, as might have been expected by arty person who had any forethought. On inquiry, it was ascertained that he left the parties who charged him with the offence, on Saturday, and went off to his country house at Whetstone, near Barnet, which place he lett again on Sunday, and came to London. He was seen on that day in Bishopsgate.street, in the City road, and in other pieces in that neigh bourhood. On Monday, when he did not attend the meeting of the parties charging him, enquiry wa4 made at his town and country bonses, and lie not having slept at either on Sunday night, there is no doui)t that he absconded on Sunday evening, with a view to quit England, or that he is concealed in London or a few miles off. The following fraud has recently taken place at the Transport-office, Westminster :—One of the clerks belonging to that deptuttuent was ab sent through indisposition, and requested a friend in the office to pro cure fOr him his salary, as also that of two other clerks, at the usual time of payment, and send it to his residence. The facie! did so, and incl.,- sed the money in a letter, which he gave in charge to one of the MA-. sengers, belonging to the office to deliver. The man had scarcely de parted from the Mike, when he was accosted by a young man, also a clerk, who enquired where he was g' ing. The man retdily told him ; when the other rematked it was a long walk, (near Kentii , gten), and lie could save him the journey, as he was then on his way to Ilto bows> to spend the evening. By tins artifice the man had no hesitation in re linqui,hing his charge, particularly as the young inn was well known to him. Two days elapsed before any notice was taken of the affair. when it was discovered that the letter had never been deliver( d, and it was also ascertained, that the young ne,tt had not been to his duty since the day on which he obtained the mowex. The investigation th.tt took place removed all doubts as to the culprit It appeals, 111.4 on the moriling following the afterroutt on which the money was obtained, he called at a . jeweller's in Bond-sneet, and purchased a gold watch Or more than 10 g..ineas value, and obtained chanve for a 1001. 113le. Soon al'er, this note was paid into the Bank, and proved to be the same reet ived in payment of the clerks' salaries. Hitherto the offe..cier has eluded the search made after him. The amount of the sum he obtaiueil was 18'11. 17s. ; which, it is said, comprised the salaries of three indivi duals for the last quarter. The offender is about a years of age, and had been upwards of four years in the other. BIRTHS. On Friday week, of three children (two girli and a bey), who, with their mother, are all likely to live, Irate Millwood, of •Itnnt)-14ne, Tharms-street. DIED. At Sicirnouth. J. A mvatt, Esq. Hz. form.!rly represcntcJ the Bo rough of Tottness, bni latterly, ill fiie successive P;ichicitents, tie town of southantlitott. . Licut.-Gen. W. Ramsay, aged 75. At her house, in Great Stanhope-street, the Countess of Clan- At Courteenhall, the Rev. E. BWey, D. D. llectra of thlt place and Quinton, both in the county of North ntipton ; and tor anJny years a most respectable and active Matisirat4:. Suddenly, at his house in Doctors' t; outmons, G. liogg, Eq. ma: y years an Cfiltilei4 PfUcter there. `.~,;~ t