The Press.
London, England, 1854-04-29 00:00:00

APRIL 29, 1854.

of London warehouses at midnight In many instances the v
gilance of the police has been frustrated by their carrying sliding
plates, bearing different numbers, and substituting one plate for
another, in order to prevent their being traced from place to
place. The detectives have just made this discovery, and a
communication has been made to the Excise respect lig the re-
puted owners of these vehicles, which will lead, it is expected, to
important disclosures. Muses at present stands committed on
four distinct charges. It has been ascertained that several
vessels laden with stolen goods are now on the high seas for
Australia, anti measures have been adopted to secure the booty.
Ou Saturday morning a burglary in Whitechapel was committed,
and 1,5001. worth of bilks stolen. The police are in pursuit of
the burglars.

THE FATHER OF Two INSANE CHILDREN, a working
tailor, named Benwell, applied to the authorities of
St. Giles's parish to be relieved of them without the

necessity of becoming a pauper himself. His time
was taken up in watching the poor idiots, so that he
could not work as he was otherwise able and willing
to do to maintain himself and them. The board,
however, refused to take either child into the work-
house unless the father also became an inmate. The
man, therefore, applied for advice to Mr. Hardwick,
at Marlborough•street Police Court, and was ordered
to return on Saturday, when the St. Giles's overseer
would be present to explain his conduct. On that
day, while the man and his children were at the court
waiting for the overseer, the whole place was kept in
confusion by the howlings of the eldest child, who
exhibited signs of active and dangerous lunacy :

Being questioned ty the magistrate, Mr. Riley, the relieving
overseer, admitted that the board had refused to receive the
eldest child unless the father also became an inmate of the work-
house. The child had been seen by their medical mini, who had
pronounced it not insane.
111',HAREAVICK : Not insane! Why, what other evidence of
insanity could be required ? Here is the statement of the father,
who says the child has been an idiot from its birth; here are
proofs that the child has become a dangerous lunatic, and that it is
necessary to keep constant watch over it to prevent it from setting
tire to the place, and from exercising its vicious propensities ou
its little brother. In addition to this, there are the appearance
and the frimotic howlings of the child to show its actual condi-
tion. It. is not a case where subtleties present themselves, such
as are sometimes found in cases of mental aberration, and it
passes my comprehension to conceive how any one could have
the hardihood, iu the presence of such evidence, to pronounce
this child to be of sound mind.
The overseer said that the board, after hearing their medical
man's opinion, ordered a minute to be made to the effect that
the applicant must come into the workhouse.
Mr. ilsaowice: A decision more remote from common hu-
manity and common sense it is utterly impossible to conceive.
What right have the board to say this man shall be shut up in the
workhouse because he has the misfortune to have an afflicted
child, whose dangerous lunacy requires proper restraint and
treatment, and not workhouse discipline ? I have asked the
overseers of St. James and St. George what they would do in
such a case, and they replied they would take the child without a
moment's hesitation. The whole proceedings of the board of
guardians of St. Giles appear to be so monstrous that I am of
opinion the system of parochial management ought to be brought
under the notice of the Government authorities; and I can only
say, if the case is not dealt with in a more satisfactory manner,
1 will draw up a statement of the whole of the circumstances,
and transmit it. to Mr. Baines, the Chief Poor-law Commissioner,
for his opinion.
The overseer promised to make another represen-
tation to the board.
AN ACTION FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT, brought by
Mr. Wyld, proprietor of the "Great Globe" in Lei-
cester-square, against Mr. Calvert, a returned emi-
grant from Australia, occupied the Bail Court during
Saturday and Monday last. The defendant had re-
turned, it seems, after many years' residence in the
colony with a large collection of geological specimens,
and an immense number of valuable gold nuggets.
This collection Mr. Wyld thought would furnish an
attractive exhibition, and made overtures to Mr. Cal-
vert, which resulted in his agreeing to lend and ar-
range his geological specimens, together with models
of the nuggets, the originals being too valuable to be
so used, although the public were not to know of the
change—indeed, iron bars were put up for their pro
tection, and a policeman stationed with a revolver for
additional guardianship over the shining treasures.
The plaintiff, however, now complained that only a
few specimens, or even models, were sent, that the
defendant would not arrange them or aid in making
an attractive exhibition out of them, and generally
had broken the contract entered into, for which he
was to have received 1501. per annum :
The counsel for the defendant (Sergeant Byles) stated that his
client was one of the first discoverers of gold in Australia, and
on his return from that country brought with him a valuable col-
lection of mineralogical specimens, and also specimens of gold in
nuggets and in pieces of quartz as taken from the rocks. Soon
after his return to England he had interviews with the plaintiff,
who wished him to allow him to exhibit his collection at the
Great Globe, and said e wld give 1,1. for the right to ex-
hibit them. The defenhdant ou
replied that they were far too va-
luable to allow of that, and also that he should be obliged to sell
a large part of them to meet a debt he owed to the Californian
Bank; upon which the plaintiff said, "Ca you get me models
of them made and cant in lead, and gildn ed?" Thasot there were
models in the British Museum and in dermyn-street ; and, as
the scientific gentlemen there did not object to exhibit models,
be ought not. Upon this the defendant consentedssrs that models
should be made, which were to be gilded by Me. hikington.
The plaintiff had great faith in the credulity of the Amish pub-
lic, and perhaps he was justified in that belief, for it was prover-
bial that more credulous animals did not exist. Perhaps some
of the jury might have seen the exhibition?
The Foreman : I did, and I certainly should not
shilling to have seen gilded lead. (immense laughter.)have paid my
Sergeant BYLLS added that, in pursuance of the above arrange-
ment, the models were made and gilded, and the defendant eon-
tended that he had done all that he contracted to do, which was
to supply models of the nuggets, and that be never for one, mo-
ment agreed to send any of the original nuggets to the
Great
Globe.
Many witnesses were called to support the counter-