The Express.
London, England, 1851-12-30 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURTS.

MANSION-HOUSE.,
The Lord Mayor
. took the opportunity at the conclusion
of yesterday's bungles*, which consisted of a few trivial
charges of attempting to steal pocket-handkerchiefs (the
owners of which did nut choose to appear), to observe that
be had never witnessed a Christmas so (tee from street
offences or the nuisance of drunkenness.
His Lordship requested that the press would acknowledge
his receipt of the fsllowing sums for the poor-box, and ex-
press his gratitude on behalf of the objects to whose relief
they should be applied : The Merchant Tailors' Company,
101. 10s.; jurymen, per Mr. It. Elder, Ss.; G., U.; the
Goldsmiths' Company, per William Taylor Copeland, Eq.,
M.P., prime warden, 204 ; the Mercers' Company, 101. ;
J. H. U., per Messrs. Goslin2 and Sharpe, 21.
GUILDHALL.
Robert Orley and Andrew Burke, were charged with
very aggravated assault on Wm. Crispin, by which his
arm was broken, his head cut open, and his face severely

.
injured.
The complainant, who resided in New-court, Moor lane,
on Friday evening sent his daughter to get change for a
sovereign at a public-house, where the prisoners and others
saw her receive it. She was met by her father at the door,
and they were followed by the prisoners and two others,
when he was knocked down, and the injuries already stated
inflicted on him. They also followed the son of the com-
plainant to his house, and threatened to break his head
with a poker.
The alderman thought the assault was one of a very
aggravated nature, and as the prisoners were stated to be
part of a gang of desperate characters, he committed them
for trial.
Mr. Bates, organ-builder and pianoforte-maker, of Lod-
gate-hill, on a former day appeared before Sir Peter Laurie
to complain of the conduct of Mr. Thomas Thompson, a
solicitor, of Sise-lane. Mr. Bates said a gentleman applied
to him tor • piano on hire, and referred him to Mr. Thomp-
son, who called on the following day and represented him-
self as the solicitor to the Union Bank and to Sir Peter
Laurie, and in consequence of this he let the gentleman
have the piano. From subsequent information he found
that Mr. Thompson was not what he stated himself to be.
lie endeavoured to obtain the piano back, and got it at the
ehd of a month.
Sir Peter Laurie expressed a wish to see Mr. Thompson,
as no such person had ever acted as attorney either to him-
self or the Union Bank since 1639.
Mr. Thompson now attended to explain the circum-
stances, and said that he had only stated that ho had
brought actions in Sir Peter's name for the Union Bank,
and issued writs to recover money which be had afterwards
paid into the bank, but he had never alleged that he was
solicitor to the back.
Sir Peter Laurie said he had never employed Mr. Thomp-
son, and he did not believe he had ever done any business
directly for the Union Bank.
Mr. Bates's manager said positively that Mr. Thompson
represented himself as solicitor to the Union Bank and Sir
Peter Laurie, for he made en entry of the fact at the time
in a book produced.
Sir Peter Laurie intimated to Mr. Thompson that he
had better be careful in using his name without his sanc-
tion. Notwithstanding Mr. Thompson 's denial, he had
heard enough to satisfy him how the case stood.
A donation of 201. to the poor-box has been forwarded by
the Goldsmiths' Company.