The Express.
London, England, 1858-07-22 00:00:00

(Stamped id. Additiowd.) [TWOPENCE.

4W A 178TRAiri hr LION.

Some weeks ago, says the Cork Constitution, con-
siderable sensation was seated in the commercial circles of
this city by its being mimed that a gentleman had arrived
at one of our principal hotels who had amassed a large
fortune in Australia, the amount of which was put down
at about 160,0001. The same of this fortunate idividaal
war very soon asoertalued to be Charles Frederick Hale,
end to several persons whom he has honoured
with his acquaintance he stated that be was the
son of a timber merchant, who resided woe peers
ago at Wexford—to °them at Galway ; and that be had
out to Melbourne previous to the disoovery of the gold
ggings. His cense there, according to hie own brilliant
account, was a series of unexampled sueeseess. Land which
he had parchssed for a sheep walk at U. per sere became,
when the gold mania wee at its height, so high in value that
he had offers for it on all sides for building purposes, and told
it at some 161. per foot. Hie profits on other trenescrions
were of an equally golden character. He had imported, he
said, some fine breeding stock from England, by the letting
out of which he had made enormous ram of mooey. He
had now come back to glace the county of Cork with his
presence, and to enjoy the diem crew &Oita* with his
princely fortune, which amounted to between 160,0001. and
200,00 U. The arrival of such a Creams—young, too, and a
bachelor—naturally crested immense excitement, especially
o
amongst parties who had eligible daughters at their
Mr. HAL speedily became a " lion ;" he wee the admired of
moony a circle, the guest at many a table ; he was to be
seen in the honer of oar leading merchants, or walking
arm and arm with the principal men is the city. The
solicitors were set on the qui rim by an ingenious state-
ment (originated probably by himself) that he wan in
treaty for the purchase of a large estate in the west .of
the county, which was then, and is still, in the market. The
amount he had offered was understood to be 100,0001. In a
short time, however, strange hints began to circulate, and
singular circumstances were mentioned regarding the " great
unknown." He had a remarkable defect of memory, which
mimed him very often to forget his purse. He had borrowed a
sovereign from one friend and five from another. He had ran
up bills at the establishments avulses shopkeepers. Unfa-
vourable insinuations began to be circulated ; matchmaking
mammas began to grow unsay, but all suspicions were dis-
pelled by the gentleman himself, who, having heard the
nature of the statements that were made spinet him,
threatened in every direction to bring actions against his
slanderers, and by way of provhig the groundlessness of their
imputations he triumphantly produced a bank book by which
there appeared to be lodged to his credit in one of the prin-
cipal banking houses in London a sum of over 100,0001.
This evidence was of course conclusive. The injured Mr.
Hale became a greater lion than ever. His sock/ was
courted by all, and fortunate indeed wee the individual who
secured his oompany to dinner, or was honoured by being
permitted tossed him his carriage and horse& In the mean-
time Mr. Hale had changed his quarters to the Bathe' Hotel,
Monkstown, and subsequently to the Queen's Hotel, Queens-
town. The next that was heard of him was at the Devon-
shire Arms, Youghal, where he had gone to spend a few
weeks of summer. There, it appears, he introduced himself
to the proprietor of the hotel, and produced the card of a
neighbouring clergyman, who he stated war his particular
friend, and who had recommended him to patronise that
hotel during his stay at Youghal. The hotel-keeper, how-
ever, had some slight Weeders upon the subject. Perhaps
he thought it strange tolled a gentlemen continually boasting
of his wealth, but never giving any tangible evidence of it ; at
all events, he took the prudent course of communicating with
the clergyman respecting Mr. Hale. The clergyman is said
to have immediately written back, denying all knowledge of
the gentleman...4lo lunch so, that he could not 'magi's bow he
booms possessed of his card. Mr. Hale's career was evidently
nearly over. The hotel-keeper required payment td his bill,
hut he, as usual, bed forgotten his puree. An information
was sworn before a magistrate, and he was speedily committed
to the custody of the police. It subsequently appeared
that the bank-book which bad rendered Mr. Hale such good
service was the property of a gentleman in this county, the
figures in which had been altered, so es to increase the
amount from hundreds to thousands. It further transpired
that the masa the book was so duped by Mr. Hale, that he
was actually in correspondence with him to complete a
matrimonial alliance between him and a young lady in his
neighbourhood. He was quite unable to say how Mr. Hale
became possessed of the book, which be thought was still
safely locked up in his escritoire. On Saturday a covetable
from Youghal arrived fa town to make inquiries with re-
gard to some pawn tickets which were found in his poser-
aion, and also to procure evidence preparatory to his prose-
cation before the magistrates, which will take place in • few
days.— ark Geseticubtes.