The Press.
London, England, 1855-01-13 00:00:00

With this was theinformation that F. B. W., of 77,
Leadenhall-street, City, was the actual Mr. W. Ward-
roper, of No. 4, Railway-place,. that the informant
had had an interview with that gentleman, and that
the security offered for an advance of 3,0001. was a
mortgage upon the ship and freight; that the money
was wanted for four months only, and that fifteen
per cent. would be given. Applicant had since seen
Mr. Wardroper upon the subject of the appointment
of 1501. per annum on the advance of 3001. or 4001.,
and was informed by his " man of business," or
"secretary," as he termed him, that his friend was
only one of thirty applicants; but as the question of
security for the money advanced was much too diffi-
cult to be got over, the negotiation was not com-
pleted. Although dr. Wardroper assured applicant
that he was going out in his own ship, the Sparrow-
hawk (a schooner of ninety tons), with several
thousand pounds' worth of his own goods on board,
he had been since informed that he had not char.
tered any vessel.
Mr. Wardroper subsequently addressed a letter to
the Daily News, setting forth the advantages of his
scheme, and the success he had already achieved,
and stating, among other things, that he " had char.
tered a vessel."
. .

Mr. Aldridge, having just returned from the seat
of war, could positively speak of the privations
and sufferings in many unimagined ways that must
of necessity be encountered in such an enterprise.
Mr. Wardroper (he added) is far advanced in life.
He is, by his own account, an invalid, and has been
so many years, a stick and the arm of an attendant
appearing necessary for his sate locomotion.
Mr. Wardroper was sent for by the alderman.
His bodily health seemed to be very indifferent, and
in answer to Alderman Wilson he stated that he was
a great sufferer, and was paralysed in both hands.
He acknowledged that the advertisements alluded to
were all published by him, and he at the same time
said that his object was unexceptionable with respect
to each of them, although there was an apparent
mystery about the variety of the addresses and the
proposals of the advance of the sums of money. In
reply to questions he said that he had retired from
business these seven years in consequence of the
state of his health, which he expected to be benefitted
by going to the Crimea. He had been in the
medical profession in Welbeck-street, Cavendish-
square. He had not yet chartered a vessel, but was
in treaty for a vessel, and the negotiation was almost

compleied.
Alderman WILSON : Do you mean that such quai
titles of goods have been consigned to you to take to
the Crimea that it will be necessary for you to
charter more than one vessel to that destination ?
Mr. Wardroper : I do.
Mr. Aldridge : He mentioned to me that he would
perhaps charter a line of ships.
Mr. Wardroper said he believed the result would
justify the speculation, which he assured the alder-
man was a bona fide one.
After some further questions,
Alderman WILSON said: And do you seriously
consider yourself qualified to go to the Crimea on
such an enterprise, prostrated as you say you are in
health, and paralysed in your hands?—Mr. Ward-
roper : I do. I intend to go out as supercargo, and
to take a secretary with me. I determined to do so
as I thought the trip would do my health good, and
would turn out profitable.
Here a professional gentleman, employed by Mr.
Wardroper, entered the justice-room, and upon
being informed of the peculiar circumstances under
which Mr Wardroper was before the alderman, ex-
pressed himself decidedly of opinion that the
speculation of his client was not at all likely to be
successful, but that there was nothing wrong in the
intention.
Ultimately, the inquiry was adjourned, Mr. Ward-
roper undertaking to appear.

On Wednesday Mr. Parry, the barrister, appeared
for Mr. Wardroper.

Mr. Aldridge said he had been waited upon on
Tuesday by a lady who represented herself to be the
wife of Mr. Wardroper, and who stated that her hus-
band had been in a totally incapacitated and helpless
condition during the last seven years, and that she
apprehended he had fallen into hands from which it
would be hard to release him, without damage to
himself. He subsequently received a letter from the
same lady, in which it was stated, after a description
of the weakness by which Mr. Wardroper was afflic-
ted, that he had been made the instrument of other
people's designs.
After some statements, which it would not, in the
present state of the investigation, be proper to give
to the public eye,
- - - -

Alderman WILSON said he was satisfied that Mr.
Wardroper was the dupe of some designing persons,
who were endeavouring to make a profit by putting
his name forward in a speculation, which must ulti
mately result in disappointment.
Sir R. W. CARDEN, however, could not suppose that
Wardroper wee entirely blameless upon the