The Express.
London, England, 1853-01-15 00:00:00

THE POLICE COUBTE.

MANSION HOUSE.
George Davison Moffatt, aged 21,wss brought before the
Lord Mayor in the custody of Michael Hayden, the detec-
tive officer, charged on a warrant, signed by the Lord
Mayor and Sir R. W. Carden, for haying feloniously and
knowingly uttered a forged order for the payment of
1421.65. Id., with intent to defraud the London and County
Bank.
Mr. Mullens cot the firm of Bush and Millais; attended
Ow the prosecuwon, and requested that, as the witnesses in
dr Mee were not present, the information upon which the
warrant wu granted should be read over, as the grounds
upon which application was to be made for a remand.
The following is the substance of the information :
Mr. Peter William Barlow, of Great George-street, West-
minster, said—l am an engineer, and keep an account in
the Londta and County Bank, in Lombard-street. I pro-
duce two cheque books which I have had in use. All the
cheques in can of them are numbered S.-2886, and in the
other 13.-5322. I have looked at four chequesproduced for
101., 61., 1421.55. Id., and 731. The signature Peter W.
Barlow to those cheTnes was not written by me or by my
authority. George D. Moffatt wu a clerk .n my service
up to the 14th of December last. He occasionally filled up
cheques for me from the two books produced, and had ac-
cess to them. The cheque for 1421. 53. Id. bar been taken
out of the book S.-6322, and corresponds with the counter-
foil, which has been left in it.
Mr. Frederick Clappison, clerk in the London and County
Bank, said—l am a cashier in the banking house in
which Mr. Henry Luord and others are partners. The
cheque for 1421.55. Id. was presented to me for payment on
the ith of December, and I paid it in two Al. notes, four
51. notes, and cash. The 501. note marked and numbered
R. 10,2/7 wu one of the 501. notes I so pad.
Wm. Frederick pandas, clerk to Maus. Lindsay and
Co., of Austinfriars, shipbrokers, said—Os the 7th of De-
cember, a young man, who gave the name of G. 1). Moffatt,
engaged a passage to Port Phillip in the ship James S.
Broegart. He paid for it with a 501. Bank of England note,
which I believe to be that produced by Mr. Clsppiion.
The firm received a letter from U. D. Moffatt, diit.rd from
Lowth in Ireland.
Mr. Mullins said that the moment the forgeries were dis-
covered, Hayden was despatched to Ireland, with instruc-
tions to appreheod the prisoner, who expected to sail for
Australia on; the 15th instant, and had written a letter to
the brokers in London, complaining of the delay, and re-
questing their immediate interposition. The officer quickly
accomplished his mission. There was a very painful cir-
cumstance connected with the case. The prisoner had
about three weeks ago prevailed upon his own cousin, who
was of the same age, to marry him, and it woe supposed
without having obtained her father's corsent, and the un-
fortunate young couple had mode all the necessary prepa-
rations for the voyage and the popular labour of Australia.
The condition of the young woman was greatly to be pitied.
Haedon—l took the prisoner into custody on Wednesday,
the 12th instant, upon the warrant, at his uncle's house at
Lowth. I read the warrant to him, and he asked to be
allowed to see it, and I put it at his request into his hand,.
He said upon looking over it, "This remains to he proved."
I searched and found money upon him. I asked him what
property he had belonging to him in the room in which
we were,and he pointed out a writing-esee furnished with

I writing materials, a revolving pistol, and a number of bank
notes, all relating to this case. I then went into another
room and asked him to point out what goods of hie were
there. Hu said, " I will ; and I will do more. I'll tell
you the truth. I did it (referring to the forgery). It was
done by me in a moment of temptation, and I must suffer
the consequences."
It wu stated to the Lord Mayor that the prisoner was
exceedingly clever as an engineer.
The Lord Mayor, in addreraing the prisoner upon the
subjeet,and of remanding him for further examination, said
—This case is certainly one of the most painful that ever has
been brought before me, takieg ioto consideration the fate
of the poor young. woman aho has been deceived into a
matrimonial connexion with a young man wilese character
she no doubt believed to be above all suspicion. I fear the
offence had its origin in the facilities now every dayaffurded
to .migration, which tempted the prisoner to hazard his
reputation and rob his employer for the chance of making
a rapid fortune. Persons who make such dangerous experi-
ments do not seem to consider that it there are facilities of
emigrating there arc also facilities of pursuit, and that a
law has passed by means of which such offenders arc to be
delivered up by our colonic•, so that they have no greater
chance of escape than they would have in their own coun-
try or in America or France, or those other countries which
have tweed by treaties upon the principle of giving up ch-
linquents. I allude to the 6 and 7 Vie., cap. 34, when I speak
of the obligation upon our colonies tot lye up persons accused
of such oithnee., and I believe the important character of
the act, and of the principle of which I have spoken, is fat
from being generally known. An individual who emi-
grate.' under each circumstances liable to be followed to
the place where he mato-opiate. the making of a fortune,
and brought back far the purpose of being tried and
ban'shed to a place which supplies a very disagreeable
alternative.

The prisoner was then remanded.
A seamon %v. 's charged with having deserted his ship,
the Fleetwood and Francis, of Loudon, at Sidney, in

August.
Mr. F. P. Wilson, merchant mil shipowner, of No. 1,
George-yard, Lombard-street, said the vessel belongs to me,
ar.d is now abroad, a hicle is the reason that I cannot prc-
duce the logbook. He did not leave the vessel with my
permission or authority. I received a letter from the cap-
tam intimating that eight et the men, of whom the defen-
dant is one, had deserted the ship. I regret to say that the
desertions continuo to he se numerous as to inflict the
most ruinous expense upon the owners of the ships de-
tained.
The defendant—l deserted through hard usage from the
captain.
Mr. Wilson said the fact was the captain was rather too
mild and easy for such boisterous and ungovernable tam-
pers as he had to deal with.
Mr. Coleman, of the Registrar. General of Seamen's Office
said the ill-treatment of which the defendant complained
consisted merely of the offer, which he accepted, of M. for
the run home, instead of the 101. to which he would be by
law Entitled.
The defendant—lt was quite impossible to bear the in-
dignities offered to the crew by the captain. I was the very
last to leave him, and it must have been his intention to get
rid of us, or he never would have acted in such a a anner.
The fact is that I would have worked my way home for
nothing rather than stay with him. I have been twice in
California, and I never run away when there, although the
rest did. I produce my certificates to prove that I per-
formed that voyage twice and back according to my contract.
The Lord Mayor examined the certificates, and said they
gave an unexceptionable character of the defendant. His
lordship then said, "I shall give you the benefit of the cer-
tificates, and instead of sending you for three months to
prison and the treadmill, I shall confine you without hard
labour for six weeks. That lenity proceeds entirely from
the testimony borne to your good conduct on former ix-
CaaiOng. In every future case I shall go as far as the law
will allow me to go in punishing unprincipled runaways.
Tho defendant was then committed.
. .

Wm. Robson was charged by Captain Rowland, the
principal harbourmaster of the port of London, with
having thrown pieces of old matting from his vessel into
the Thames.
The Harbour master said that the matting, after floating
about a little, sank, and then became necessarily injurious
to the moorings of vessels.
The defendant admitted that be had thrown the matting
into the river, but he always thought he was justified in
throwing overboard anything that floated.
The Lord Mayor said ho believed the offence was com-
mitted in ignorance, and therefore the whole penalty of
201. should not be inflicted ; but it was necessary to remind
the defendant of the violation of the very necessary act, and
probably the infliction of a fine of 40s. would give the
caution sufficiently.
GUILDHALL.

W. Stewart was again examined, charged with being
concerned with others not in custody, in effecting an entry
to Mr. Wilkinson's warehouse, at 89, Watling-street, and
stealing therefrom nearly 200 pieces of silk handkerchiefs, of
the value of about 2001.
The prisoner was again remanded.
BOW-STREET.

Mrs. Lambden, the mother of the little child who was so
cruelly injured a short time since at the War-office, waited
upon Mr. Jardine to state that she wai in great distress, and
to request that his worship would give her bs. which a gen-
tleman had told her was sent to the court in postage stamps,
for bee assistance.
Mr. Jardine said it was true that the sum of Si. had been
sent for her by " Justitia," and also a further sum of 2s.
(troth lu postage stamps), but it was difficult to understand
how the calamity which had happened to the poor child
could be made the pretext for a subscription on behalf of
the mother. The child was immediately taken to the
hospital, and received all proper care and attention from
the medical officers; and just as she was on the eve of com-
plete recovery from the injuries she had received, she was
taken out of the hospital by her (the mother), against the
will and advice of the surgeon.
Mn. Lambden—l thought it best to have her with me,
for I could not be going backward and forward to the
hospital to see her.
Mr. Jardine—What possible claim can you have upon
public benevolence, in connexion with the lamentable occur-
rence to your child ?
Mrs. Lambden—The poor thing is injured for ever, and
she is worse to-day than when she first came back to me.
Mr. Jardine—l am not surprised to hear that. It is the
natural consequence of your insisting upon taking the poor
thing from the hospital, where she was experiencing every
comfort and attention. Who is the gentleman who sent me
the bs. ?
Mrs. Lambden—l don't know at all, you: worship. He
did not mention his name.
Mr. Jardine—lf I knew his address, I should certainly
return him the money.
Mrs. Lambden—But I have been in great distress ever
since the death of my husband.
Mr. Jardine—lt may be that you are a proper object for
charitable consideration on other grounds, but you aro not
to make the misfortune of this poor child the excuse for
benefiting yourself. However, I have 7s. for you, and I
think it better to pay you 3s. 6d to-day, and 3s. 6d. this
day week.
(Nothing whatever has transpired to dissipate the mystery
which disguises the author of the outrage, although a strict
investigation has taken place by high authority.l