thieves and ruffians, in thousands, enter the town for the purpose of committing every sort of depredation-when the magistrates themselves witness and encourage the crime,-they are exempt from blame, provided some inhabitants cannot plead, “There was a man in our town, and he ran up the steeple," to give information to the magistrates, and tell them to do their duty. Queen Dollololla, or Abrahamides, might have had such notions of a magistracy. We will conclude by one case, exhibiting, in full infamy, the system of pugilism, the monstrous delinquency of the police and magistracy in not preventing the crimes, and of the Government in not punishing the delinquents.

The magistrates of Andover prevent a prize-battle being fought within their jurisdiction, and receive the thanks of a jury for their conduct. The ruffians, followed by all the swell mob, footpads, burglars, and criminals collected from London, Birmingham, Coventry, &c., immediately move just without the jurisdiction of the borough, and the fight takes place; the magistrates of the district violating their oaths by actually countenancing the exhibition, and thus bringing their brother magistrates of Andover into contempt with the multitude. Messrs. Gaynor (a licensed publican) and Dutch Sam are the combatants; the first being seconded by a notorious cross, or swindling fighter, the keeper of a public-house; together with Deaf Burke, who had just killed one Byrne in a fight, Byrne having previously killed a pugilist named Mackay. The other worthy, Dutch Sam, the keeper of a brothel, was seconded by the captain of a gang of pickpockets, &c. What a complication of villains! One poor wretch had not the slightest chance of victory; and the account says, " his mouth was horribly cut-his whole face was a miserable mass of contusions, and he was all but blindhe was covered with his own blood. Human nature could sustain no morehe was borne from the ring insensible to everything but his mangled features." Let us ask whether the brothel-keeper, the swindler, the pickpocket, or the murderer, in this ring, were half as vile as those who, for two hours, could coldly witness so savage and atrocious a scene? Let us ask whether any language can be severe enough against our rulers, who have not brought to account the magistrates that, in dereliction of all duties, and in violation of all the feelings of men and gentlemen, could permit such a breach of the laws? Let us ask what respect ought our people to have for their rulers, when not one of these four heroes has been tried and punished?

But this is not all. After this cowardly, truly cowardly fight, in which one ruffian mangles another unable to resist him, merely, too, that black-legs, swell mob, and fighting public-house-keepers may plunder the unwary, a second fight takes place on the same spot, and in which a poor wretch named Noon is beaten to death by one Swift. The seconds here are the aforesaid Dutch Sam, Jem Ward, and Dick Curtis, with the substitution of a convict from the hulks, named Adams, for Burke, the killer of Byrne, the killer of Mackay.

Swift was convicted of manslaughter; and Judge Patteson, on passing sentence, observed, "There were other parties more criminal than the prisoner. It was evident, from the deceased having been taken home in a carriage and four, that there must have been persons there of high stations in society. IF such persons ever came before him to be tried, the higher their rank, the more severely would he deal with them. It was creditable to the national feeling, that such exhibitions had fallen into disrepute," &c.+

* What says Mr. Phillips in this case, respecting the inhabitants informing the magistrates, &c.?

To show the disgusting profligacy of these wretches, whilst Swift's fate and that of his second were in suspense, a paper announces-" Heavy bets have been made in the sporting and thimble-rig' circles, that all the men will be acquitted; and the most minute calculations have been entered into at the flash fighting

Judge Patteson's IF is curious. Why are they not brought to justice? We have seen the sentiments of the House of Commons on the subject— the determined reprobation of prize-fighting by the Lord Chief Baron Lyndhurst; and that the Judge who tried the manslaughter case at Bury Assizes said, "It is necessary to make a severe example, in order to put an end to these brutal scenes. I wish it to be understood, that all persons who take any part in these criminal encounters, whether as principals, seconds, or otherwise, are equally guilty." Notwithstanding all this, not a man is brought to justice, and the government-the police branch of it— refuses to do its duty.

Both these atrocious fights-that between Gaynor and Sam, and that in which Noon was killed-were arranged at the Castle Tavern, kept by Spring, and at another such house, kept by Burn, an ex-pugilist. The nights, and hours of the night, at which all the pecuniary and other means of these atrocious violations of the law were to be contrived at the Castle Tavern, were advertised and paragraphed week after week, and yet this, and other such houses, are patronized by the magistracy,-and, after the very keepers of them appear at fights-at fatal fights-even in the characters of seconds, the magistrates renew their licenses, without any condition that such scenes shall not be repeated. The law-officers even give a perfect impunity to the solitary journal that trumpets forth these prospective crimes, amongst all that are desperate and infamous; and yet we hear ministers declaim against the vice, the profligacy, and dangers of unstamped publications.

The poor hireling wretches, such as Swift and Noon, are killed, or transported for killing. The rich keepers of flash-houses, who bribe their hard necessities, who contrive the fights, and back them in the ring, for the sake of plunder, though they actually make their crimes notorious by advertisement, are not only allowed to escape, but are licensed by the magistrates. All the principal black-legs, fighters, swell-mob, flash-housekeepers, felons, and newspaper-administerers to crime, who herd togetherwho get up these fights-who meet nightly at the dens of infamy in common for the purpose-who appear at the fights, and make known their division of the spoil-are as notorious to the magistrates as the character of Thurtell, or of any others of the fancy; and yet whilst these men are licensed to live on plunder, the poor victims whom they hire to fight are killed with impunity, or transported for killing.* When Lord Lyndhurst,

houses, as to the amount of punishment that will be awarded in the event of a conviction. We have heard that the odds have been thus quoted at the principal den:10 to 1 against transportation for life; 8 to 1 against fourteen years; 2 to 1 against seven years; 5 to 4 against imprisonment for two years; even betting as to one year; 2 to 1 on six months."

The manner in which the desperate criminals, equally with pitiable starving wretches, are matched to fight by flash-house-keepers, and the swell mob, without their consent or even knowledge, is exemplified in the case of the poor murdered Noon, who left a wife and child to starve by his untimely end. We copy a letter which illustrates the system :—

"To the Editor of Bell's Life in London.

"Sir, It was some time since stated that a match had been made between Anthony Noon and me for 50l. a-side, to come off in the same ring with Sam and Gaynor, and that 50%. a-side were down to bind the bargain. I have not been able to discover by whom this match was made, nor can I learn with any certainty whether it has been made or not. To end all doubts I now beg to say, if no such match has been made, I shall be ready to enter into such an engagement on Tuesday next, at the Castle Tavern, Holborn, to post the pony; and if any money has been put down, if the stakeholder will come forward, my friends will find the necessary funds to proceed with it. "Yours, &c. "OWEN SWIFT."

The match was evidently got up without Owen Swift's (the slayer's) knowledge.

Judge Patteson, or the other Judge, sentenced such poor wretches to punishment, and merely denounced the richer miscreants, who hired them

We will now insert a very few of the many advertisements announcing these two fights. They are really curious relics of the last records of departing infamies. We copy them from what is vulgarly called the only sporting paper :

YOUNG DUTCH SAM AND TOM GAYNOR.-According to agreement, a meeting is to take place to-morrow evening, at the Castle Tavern, Holborn, to enter into regular articles for this match. The match, our readers are already aware, was made at a sporting house at the West end of the town, in December last-Sam's backers agreeing to back him against Gaynor, 300l. to 2007. 15. to 10%. were put down, which to-morrow evening is to be increased to 75%, to 50%, when the future deposits and day of fighting is to be arranged."

February 16, 1834.

"Notwithstanding the mighty efforts of the United Service Journal,' under the dictation of its interested contributor, the match between Sam and Gaynor was made on Monday evening, at the Castle Tavern, Holborn, in the presence of a more numerous and respectable assemblage of the patrons of the ring than has been collected on a similar occasion for many months."

March 16.

"OWEN SWIFT AND ANTHONY NOON.-Tuesday night being appointed for giving up the battle-money to Swift, as the conqueror of the Nottingham hero, The Castle, in Holborn, was crowded to an overflow, every room being a bumper.' At ten o'clock the reward of valour was handed to the fortunate winner, and all bets were immediately paid. Swift then said he was prepared, according to his challenge, to make a match with Anthony Noon for 507. or 1007. a-side."

March 30.

"SWIFT AND NOON.-Articles for the match between these men, for 50l. a-side, were duly entered into on Monday evening last, at Jem Burn's-the fight to come off in the same ring with Sam and Gaynor. The next deposit is to be made at the Castle Tavern, on Tuesday, the 8th of April. Both men are confined to 9st. weight on the day of fighting."

April 6.

"OWEN SWIFT AND ANTHONY NOON.-These men 'post the pony' on Tuesday evening, at the Castle Tavern, Holborn, for their second deposit, and on Wednesday evening Anthony Noon will give a sparring soirée to his friends, preparatory to his going into training."

April 13.

These men posted their second deposit at the Castle Tavern, Holborn, on Tuesday evening.

April 27.

"YOUNG DUTCH SAM AND TOM GAYNOR.-The fourth deposit for this 'tip-top' affair was made good on Monday evening, at Jem Burn's. Both men sported their phisogs, and looked well; it is their intention to go immediately into training. The fifth deposit is to be made at the Castle Tavern, Holborn, on Monday, the 5th of May. "SWIFT AND NOON.-It is expected they will each go into training at the same time with Gaynor and Sam-Noon stowing himself under the wing of Gaynor, and Swift under that of Sam. The fourth deposit is to be made on Monday, the 5th of May, at the Castle Tavern, Holborn.”

May 4.

"YOUNG DUTCH SAM AND GAYNOR.-The last deposit but one for this interesting match is fixed to be made to-morrow evening, at the Castle Tavern, Holborn. Both men have gone into close training, Sam in the vicinity of Epsom Downs, Gaynor on the Western-road.

"SWIFT AND NOON.-These little phenomena of the light weight have gone into training, Swift with Sam, and Noon with Gaynor. The next deposit for their match is to be made to-morrow evening, at the Castle Tavern."

June 1.

"YOUNG DUTCH SAM AND GAYNOR.-The last deposit for this tip-top' affair is appointed to be made to-morrow, at the Castle Tavern, Holborn, after a sporting din. ner, at which it is expected there will be a respectable muster of the elite of the patrons of manly sports.

for crimes; when they left unscathed the magistrates that had licensed the rich miscreants, or had countenanced the breach of the law-they forgot the saying of George III.,-"If Dr. Dodd is pardoned, every man that has been executed for forgery has been murdered." We congratulate the public, that Lord Duncannon, with the almost unanimous consent of Parliament, will immediately suppress this horrible system. The cause carries with it the whole religious and moral sense of the community, together with the entire weight of its property and intelligence.

We now wash our hands of the subject, with ineffable contempt at the magistrates who permit these breaches of the law; and with the strongest reprobation of those judges who transport and imprison the hireling fighters, whilst they let escape the hirers, whom they denounce as the greater criminals, and whom they know to be licensed in their infamous vocation.*

R.

"SWIFT AND NOON.-These men make their final deposits to-morrow evening, at the Castle Tavern-thus killing two birds with one stone. All the men, we hear, are in splendid condition,' and all equally confident, so that a first-rate treat may be anticipated. The fights are to come off on Midsummer-day, within one hundred miles of London."

June 8.

"THE APPROACHING FIGHTS.-SAM AND GAYNOR.-The final deposits for the 'trial of skill' between these men was made at the Castle Tavern, Holborn, on Monday evening, after a sporting dinner. Both men were present, and apparently in excellent trim. Six to four were offered on Sam, but no takers. The toss for choice of ground is to take place at Jem Burn's on Monday week.

SWIFT AND NOON.-These men posted the balance of their stakes on Monday night, after Sam and Gaynor had set them the example. Both looked as fresh as kittens,' but Swift was not quite down to his weight of nine stone. Swift the favourite at 5 to 4."

We need not pursue the subject of Noon's murder-of Sam's horrible fight. If Government prosecute not such advertisements-if magistrates license such housesand if magistrates do not prevent, but encourage, such exhibitions, how can Judges conscientiously punish the survivors of fatal fights, or for the robberies committed at them?

*Whilst our article was at press, a stage fight, between a convicted and transported felon and a notorious thief, was fought (on the 21st of October) near Dartford. The second of one of these scoundrels was the notorious ex-champion Tom Oliver, whose son, on that very day, was convicted at Queen-square Office, for picking pockets at the fire. It was further sworn against him that he was a most notorious smasher, and had frequently been in custody for uttering base coin." The quantity of base coin uttered on the road to Dartford on the day of this fight was immense. The people of Gravesend, seeing such an immense number of the swell mob brought down by the steamer, swore in a body of special constables, and drove them out of the town. Ought not the Home Office to strike out of the commission of the peace those disgraceful magistrates of West Kent who permitted this breach of the law? They are well known. Ought not all the scoundrels pre-eminent in producing this fight to be indicted? At least, the fighting publicans at whose houses the fight by advertisement was contrived, ought to be deprived of their licences.

SKETCHES ON IRISH HIGHWAYS.

IRISH BEGGARS.

It is impossible for those who have been brought up amid the pleasant scenes and teeming luxuries of England, to comprehend the length and breadth and depth of Irish suffering. They may read of it in books-they may scrutinize it in pictures-but how completely do they fail to obtain even a remote idea of what it really is. The eye must see it-the ear must hear it-to conceive of its extent, or to appreciate its influence; and deeply dead to every feeling of humanity must the heart be that does not sympathize with it.

"How happy," said a young Irishman to me, the other morning,— "how very happy you must be-you have no beggars here!"

I endeavoured to convince him that though there were but few whom he would call beggars, there was a great deal of poverty in the country. He laughed at the notion of considering people poor, who had a roof over their heads, and bread to eat, and that, too, without working for it; and bade me call to mind the thousands and tens of thousands without food, clothes, or dwellings, that are scattered over considerably more than half of my unfortunate country.* He was right;

* Although it is far from the writer's wish or intention to introduce into her "Sketches" any political topics, she cannot resist her desire to quote the following passages, contained in a letter from an intelligent Irish friend, recommending to her perusal a "Plan for the Improvement of Ireland,” written by an able and accomplished officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Colebrooke :—

"There is no country that wants improvement-none that so many attempts have been made to improve, and that has profited so little by those attempts, as unfortunate Ireland-credulous, excitable, with strong imagination and weak judgment, its population are a prey to every demagogue who appeals to their passions, while the calm and judicious friend who addresses only their reason, is not listened to. Among the latter is Colonel Colebrooke, the author of this 'plan;' but anything he has to say will be drowned in the inflammatory sedition of those who tell the Irish that agitation is better than industry.

"The brief picture the author gives of the state of Ireland, is afflicting to humanity. It concludes with the following frightful passage:—

"On the failure of the crops (of potatoes), having no employment at home, they are reduced to subsist on charitable contributions through the winter, or by the collection of weeds and nettles, producing fever and death.

"The representation of Sir John Davis, 150 years ago, that bodies were frequently found with their mouths smeared with docks and nettles, on which they had endeavoured to support life, is here found to be the actual state of things in the nineteenth century-both originating in the same cause-agitation and insurrection.

"To relieve such wretchedness what can be done? The first preliminary step, and absolutely essential to any other attempt, is to silence or weaken the influence of those who make a trade of excitement, and detach the poor peasant from the pursuits of industry to the perpetration of outrage. Until this infatuation be passed, it is in vain to hope for improvement. No capitalist will speculate in a country, when the only return he can expect for his outlay, is to be murdered if he ask for it; -no solvent agriculturist will settle in a place where his house is burnt down if he attempt to improve his land;- -no sober, industrious man will take a farm where his life is in imminent peril, day and night, from the idle, drunken, turbulent tenants, who were ejected from it. The very first step, then, we say, is to insure tranquillity and security, and then any plan of amelioration may be tried with a prospect of

success.

"The plan proposed is to form a joint stock company for the improvement of land. Nov.-VOL. XLII, NO. CLXVII. 2 A