and which were the occasion of passing this law, did not authorize the placing of quadroons in the same class with the whites: that, if the legislature had said, that blacks should not testify where mulattoes and whites were parties, it would have been a just construction of the law to have included the intermediate grades, but not otherwise.

The Court supported the objection to the witness, and the prisoner was acquitted, there being no other testimony against her.

This decision is important; because it settles the principle, that quadroons, and others of an intermediate grade between whites and mulattoes, are entitled to all the rights and privileges, and subject to all the liabilities of white persons; or, in other words, are, in law, to be considered as white. They are liable to be called upon to do militia duty, and work upon the highways; and have a right to vote at all elections, equally with whites; and may be appointed to, and hold any office in the state.

NOVEMBER.

2. Lord Byron's tragedy of Marino Faliero having been translated into French verse by Mons. Gosse, was played at the Theatre Français. The hissing began at an early period of the play, and in a short time was mingled with bursts of laughter. The curtain fell at the reiterated command of the audience, before two-thirds of the performance had been completed.

3. FRENCH IRON TRADE.The Moniteur of this day con

tains an ordinance relative to the importation into France of foreign iron stretched by flattening machines (fers etrangers etirés au laminoir.) The preamble of the ordinance refers to the law, which authorises the government to change the regulations of the tariff of the customs, and to present the alteration to the chambers in the form of a law-project. Then, after stating that it is necessary to protect the manufac tured iron of France against the competition of foreign iron etirés au laminoir, the price of which is greatly inferior to hammered iron, it is ordered, that from 15 days after the publication of the ordinance, all such iron, when imported, shall be placed in entrepôt, and shall afterwards pay the duty which may be fixed by law when taken out of the warehouse for consumption. committee of arts and manufactures connected with the department of the interior is to decide on the doubts which may arise relative to the distinction of flattened and hammered iron, after having considered the opinion of the director-general of the customs.

The

FIRE. A fire broke out on the premises of Mr. George Hoppe corn-merchant, in Old Gravellane, Wapping. The flames communicated to the granary, consumed the whole, and materially damaged the adjoining houses.

6. The pretended princess Olive has addressed the following letter to lord Sidmouth.

"To the Right honourable Lord Sidmouth.

"MY LORD.-When I reflect on the injuries I have received by

the refusal of your lordship to forward my claims in a proper way to his majesty, I consider it as a duty that I owe to my high descent to inquire of your lordship why I have been suffered to remain so long neglected, and deprived of the rights which, in common with other younger branches of the royal family, I am entitled to ? As soon as the demise of my late royal uncle, his late majesty, occurred, I addressed your lordship, for his present majesty's gracious knowledge. In my letters repeatedly sent to your lordship, I assured you, for the king's knowledge, that I had but one anxious desire, which was to act in conformity to his majesty's royal will and pleasure, after an audience had been allowed, to show my papers. If, my lord, I had been an impostor, it was the duty of ministers to have inquired into my claims, and to have exposed them, if unjust or illegal. But, no! my lord, every application was treated with cold and apathetic contempt; and although all the writings of my parents' marriage and my birth have been verified according to law at judge Abbott's chambers, Sergeants'inn; at Master Simeon's office, court of Chancery; before sir Robert Baker, and Barber Beaumont, esq., and twelve affidavits sworn and sent into your lordship; yet at this moment I find myself neglected and oppressed, and without one guinea of support from the government or royal family. My dear late cousin, prince Edward, duke of Kent, supported and protected me several years before his lamented death. His royal highness saw the papers delivered to

me by the late earl of Warwick of my legitimacy, and there are at least a hundred papers connected with my parents' affairs and my own; and general Wetherall, comptroller to his late royal highness, looked over many such papers at my residence in his royal master's lifetime. The excellent heart of the late duke of Kent was of a nature to decide, in all events of life meeting his eye, with religion and moral justice. Thus he loved and cherished me, his cousin; and solemnly bound himself to see me righted the moment that the death of his late majesty authorized my papers meeting the eye of the nation.

My lord, you well know why my claims are neglected: a mighty cause exists! But it is a duty that I owe to myself and the English nation, to give a narrative of facts as they are, unless immediate justice is done me. I am Olive, the only child of the late duke of Cumberland, by Olivia, his virtuous, injured wife; and very shortly the public shall know the great and forbearing conduct of Dr. Wilmot. To him, at one period, the English were indebted for tranquillity:-it can be proved, my lord. And although my health is similar to the late injured queen's (my first cousin), from having experienced every deprivation and persecution from interested enemies, yet I religiously trust the time is not remote when truth will triumph over calumny and oppression. I have the honour to be, my lord, your obedient servant. OLIVE."

"Ludgate-hill, Nov. 6, 1821."

7. On Friday last George Thom, convicted at the last cir

cuit court of justiciary of murdering Wm. Mitchell, his brotherin-law, residing at Burnside, in the parish of Keig, suffered the punishment due to his crime, in front of the gaol in Aberdeen. The circumstances of this atrocious case attracted the attention of the public in no ordinary degree. Thom attempted the destruction of a whole family with which he had lately connected himself by marriage, in order to get the money and other property of which he knew them to be possessed, or to which some of them had recently succeeded. To effect this horrible purpose, he found means of introducing poison into their victuals, in consequence of which, William, the younger brother, after great suffering, died; while the other brother-in-law, and two sisters, who gave evidence on the trial, after being reduced to a state of pain and debility, under which they still labour, were saved from falling victims to the ruthless design of their unworthy relative, by the accidental circumstance of having ate sparingly of the poisoned food, so that the medical aid, though late resorted to, was partially effectual in bringing about their recovery. The unfortunate man, as well on his trial as afterwards, and in the face of the strongest circumstantial evidence, solemnly denied the crime for which justice had condemned him to suffer. To this he appears, after receiving sentence, to have been more strongly prompted by a vain hope he had. entertained of the interest of a family of distinction, which he had strongly solicited, being used in his favour. But being soon informed that the atrocity of the

crime, which had been sufficiently proved against him, must forbid any interference in his case, he appeared to open his eyes to a sense of his situation, with deep contrition confessing his guilt. He wrote a certificate in vindication of his wife from any participation of his crime, and afterwards addressed a letter to the Mitchells, expressive of deep regret for his offence, imploring their forgiveness, and begging they would receive his wife with affectionate regard, as their sister, altogether free of blame. On Sunday, the 4th inst., his sons, his daughter, and nephew, came to take a solemn farewell of their unhappy parent and relation. At the moment of embracing one of his sons, he slipped a written note into his hand, wherein he expressed his earnest wish that he might speedily convey to him such poison as might be most effectual in depriving rim of life. The answer in a letter from the son to the unhappy father, was an exhortation to him, that he should submit to the punishment awarded him by the injured laws of his country, and apply to the throne of grace for the only true consolation, which could support him in the greatest distress, and at the hour of death. Information of this last effort of despair being communicated to the proper authorities, two men were placed in his room, and, being relieved alternately by two others, remained with him, until the day of his execution arrived.

8. DISTURBANCE AT THE THEATRE FRANCAIS. For several months past, the Marriage de Figaro has not been performed at the Theatre Français, because the last time it was represented,

the audience required the restoration of several passages expunged by the censors. Yesterday the prohibition against performing it was removed, but the interdict on the suppressed passages continued. It was natural to foresee, that those very parts would attract particular attention, and that there would be amateurs on the watch for the omissions. The event realized what was so easy to be conjectured. Long before the famous monologue in the fifth scene of the third act, it was conceived that the actor would endeavour to slur over the definition of politics. When he arrived at it, cries resounded from the pit, "We want Beaumarchais's piece as it is printed; such as it is announced in the bills, and as it has been lately performed at the Odeon." The actors wished to excuse themselves on account of the prohibition they had received, but the only answer they got was, "Let us have the piece entire. Go on, but give us the whole piece!" A commissary of police, who was present, spoke in the language of authority, but his harangue only increased the opposition. He proposed, that those who were dissatisfied should withdraw and take back their money. This was answered with cries, "We do not want our money, we want the piece."

Commissary." The law, gen

tlemen-"

no better success than the police commissary. The latter threatened to have the lights put out and the audience dismissed, but he was laughed at, and the noise continued. For about an hour and a quarter a discussion was carried on between this public officer and the public. Finally, this new kind of comedy began to grow tedious, and some quarrels which took place alarmed the pacific part of the spectators, who tried to make their escape over the orchestra. The armed force being at last called in, every one took to his heels and made the best of his way home, with the exception of five or six, who were seized and carried to the police-office.

8. The King arrived in town from Hanover.

9. Alderman Magnay was sworn in lord mayor.

COPY-RIGHT.-A curious case has lately occupied the lord chancellor's attention for three or four days. Mrs. Rundell, mother of the silversmith on Ludgate-hill, upwards of 14 years ago, wrote a book on Cookery, and gave it to Mr. Murray, the bookseller in Albemarle-street; who published it, after making several additions to it, and adding some embellishments. The work, at first, did not command a rapid sale; but, after a few years, it became greatly in demand, and 12,000 copies of it have been sold annually for several years past. Fourteen years having expired since the work was given to Mr. Murray, Mrs. Rundell obtained an injunction in the Vice-chancellor's court, at its last sitting, to restrain Mr. Murray from publishing the work. About the same time, Mr. Mur

ray obtained an injunction from the lord chancellor, to restrain Mrs. Rundell from publishing the work with his additions and embellishments. On the 3rd inst. counsel applied to the lord chancellor to dissolve the injunction against Mr. Murray, and the case was argued at great length. It was contended against Mrs. R., that she had abandoned the work altogether, having stated in her preface, that she had freely and voluntarily given it to the public, and that she did not purpose to derive any emolument from it. It appeared, on the part of Mr. Murray, that in 1808 he had presented Mrs. R. with 150l. as an acknowledgment of the merits of the work; and the lady, in reply, renounced any right to the work in question. Mrs. Rundell's counsel contended for her sole right of publishing the work in dispute; observing that a gift in the first instance could not by possibility have given Mr. M. a greater dominion over the work, than a deed of assignment under her hand could have done; and, supposing that such an assignment had existed, it would, in due course of law, have reverted to her after the expiration of fourteen years. The lord chancellor, after remarking in general terms on the subject, observed, that the work originally might have been Mrs. R.'s copy-right; but it was given to the world under such circumstances, as made it doubtful whether any copy-right still existed; and concluded by saying, "I am of opinion in this case, that under all the circumstances, and without saying that Mr. Murray has the right to publish, or any one else, it is a subject where strict law

must decide between the parties, and that a court of equity must not in any way interfere. The injunction against Mr. Murray was therefore dissolved.

WESTMINSTER HALL AND THE ABBEY.-A difficulty of a very serious nature has occurred in the removal of the fittings up of these places for the coronation. In Westminster-hall every thing remains in statu quo, until the court of claims shall decide to whom they may belong. Lord Gwydir, as lord great chamberlain of England, claims the fittings up in the hall as his perquisites of office, and colonel Stevenson, of the board of works, has put in a claim on the part of the public, for whose benefit, he contends, they ought to be sold. In the abbey, the very reverend the dean has less ceremoniously, in the first instance, removed the fittings from the choir, and afterwards finding them troublesome in the nave of the church, has disposed of them for the benefit of himself and the chapter, to whom he considers they belong. Colonel Stevenson denies this pretended right: and the dean in the mean time has paid the money into a banking house.

10. This day the lord chancellor gave judgment (in the suit of Oddie v. the bishop of Norwich), that the immense property left to accumulate under the will of Mr. Thellusson, could be taken only by male descendants through a male line.

PATENTS. In the list of patents lately granted by the French government, is one of 15 years duration to Wm. Eaton, of Manchester, for machines for spinning wool, cotton, silk, &c. A patent of the same duration is also grant