The Express.
London, England, 1867-06-07 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURT&

THAME>.

Ilrer!f C.,rv, a crimp, of No. la, 11 oodstock.road, Pop-
lar, appeared before Mr. Partridge to answer a summons
taken out by Mr. Coleman. chief clerk to yip Registrar-
General of Seamen, by order of the Board Trade, and
which charged the defendant with having demanded and
received of and from Mrs. Rebecca Vining, on behalf of her
son, Joseph Lockyer Vining, then seeking employment as
a seaman, the sum of 421., as and by way of remuneration,
the same not being the fees authorised by the Merchant
Shipping Act, 18.14, for providing the said Joseph Lock-
yer Vining with employment, contrary to the 148th sec-
tion of the said act.

Mr. Charles Young, solicitor, conducted the prosecution
for the Board of Trade, and said a most scandalous system
of fraud had been carried on by the defendant and others,
who obtained money from respectable persons under pre-
tence of sending their sons to sea as midshipmen on board
merchant ships. Prior to 1845 seamen wen shipped
through the agency of publicans, alopeellers, and crimps.
in their own houses. The Merchant Seamen's Protection
Act was passed in that year, and its provisions were incor-
porated into the Merchant Shipping Act, 1854. The Board
of Trade had repeatedly prosecute 1 offenders, advertised
in the newspapers, and published convictions and placards,
for the protection of seamen and the public at large.
Notices had been served on the defendant, who had been
convicted by the Lord Mayor at the Mansion-house, but he
had disregarded all warnings, and he had adopted the title
of Shipping Superintendent, and misled the public, who
imagined he was the superintendent of a mercantile ma-
rine office, and letters had been addressed to Mr. Coleman
by masters of ships, complaining of his conduct.
Mrs. Vining, a widow lady, of No. 13, Conrad-street,
South Hackney, whose evidence was exceedingly volumi-
nous, and the leading points of which only can be
given, bad her attention called to an advertisement in a
morning paper of the 31st December last, to the following
effect :—" Sea.—Wanted, three young gentlemen for a
trial voyage in a fine East Indiaman, commanded by • kind
and Christian captain, with whom they would live. Third
officers also requirod.—Shipping Superintendent, Wood-
stock-road, Poplar." Mrs. Vining, who was then staying
at Brighton,and whose son was articled to a dentist, • wo-
fession he did not like, came to London, saw the defen-
dant, the advertiser, who demanded 45/. for obtaining a
berth for her son on board ship, and introduced them to
the captain of the Maid of Orleans, in the East India.
dock. Mrs. Vining heard him say to the captain, " This is
thejouz gentleman I think of sending in your ship." A
5o of correspondence passed between the defen-
. t and Mrs. Vining ; she paid him 451., and he gave
her • receipt for 421. He said he should retain
3/. for chart and quadrant. Mrs. Vining returned to
Brighton, and left her son in Cory's charge, and to he mea-
sured for an outfit. No outfit was ever purchased. The
defendant afterwards said he had procured a berth for the
youth on board the Henry Adderley, and paid 15/. to the
captain. Mrs. Vining refused to permit her son to pro-
ceed to sea in the Henry Adderley because she did not like
the appearance of the captain. The prisoner
.subsequently
represented he intended to ship the widow's son in the
ship Suffolk, belonging to Money Wigram and Co. Mrs.
Vining repeatedly came to London, an extensive corres-
pondence tookplace, and finally she discovered,she had been
swindled out of her money. She gave information to Mr.
Coleman, and has commenced an action in the Court of
Queen's Bench to recover the 45/. she paid to Cory.
Mr. Partridge said he had only to do with the case
before him, but he was glad other steps bad been taken by
the lady to obtain the restoration of 45t. she had parted
with. It seemed to him that the defendant had been
guilty of a most scandalous swindle, and that Cory and
another person or persons ought to have been in the felon's
dock on • charge of conspiracy to defraud the lady of her
money. He should inflict the full penalty of 5/., which
was quite inadequate for so gross an offence.
The penalty was instantly paid.

THE EMBEZZLEMINT AND FOROERISS BY AN ODD-
FELLOWS' TREABI/ Rill—After the despatch of our parcel
yesterday, containing a report of the proceedings at
Shrewsbury against the treasurer of the William Wet.
kins Lodge, of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows, it
was decided to hold an afternoon sitting of the magistrate.,
in order to complete the bearing of the charges against
Mr. Lee. The prisoner was accordingly again brought up,
and the investigation of the numerous charges preferred
against him proceeded with. In addition to the cases of
forgery already reported, it was proved that the prisoner
had embezzled the sum of 15/. les. 2ed., alleged by him
to have been paid on account of expenses incurred by the
lodge. and also • sum of 5/. Be. 4id. rick pay due to John
Morris, a member of the lodge, living at Leeds The pri-
soner was finally charged with obtaining from the trustees
of the lodge the sum of 201. under false pretences. He
was then committed to take his trial at the maize@ upon
seven distinct charges, four being of forgery, two of em-
bezzlement, and one of obtaining money under false
pretences.
THE MYSTERIOUS LANDING AT DUTIOARVAN.
The extraordinary occurrence at Dungarvan on Saturday
remain, as yet unexplained. There seems, however, to be
good reason for believing that it is in some way. connected
with Fenianism. Although no evidence was given before
the magistrates at Dungarvan tending to implicate any of
the prisoners in the late insurrectionary movement, yet
the mystery which surrounded them, and their oonfund
and contradictory explanations, amply warranted the
bench in detaining them in custody on.suspicion. In Dun-
garees' there appears to be no doubt whatever as to the
character of the prisoners. Their connectim with the
Fenian conspiracy is summed as a matter of
course, although opinion is divided as to whether
they formed part of an invading force or consisted of
persons compromised ia the late rising, who were ea-
deavouring to make their escape. The most generally
received opinion on the subject, observes the Cork
Examiner, is " that the men who landed at Cunnegar
Point had been connected, more or less, with the recent
demonstration, and having for some time stampeded
in evading detection bad -still keeping together—em-
barked for some other country, but had been forced,
through some cause —want of provisions being the
most probable—to return to the danger from which
they were endeavouring to fly." It is reported
that two of the men arrested in Youghal„ and
who were brought to Cork ou Tuesday, have been
identified by the informer Corydon as leaders who
were to hold high commands in the army of " the Irish
Republic." If this be so, there will be an end of the
matter so far as the character of the prisoners is con-
cerned. It will still remain to be ascertained whether
they had newly arrived here or were endeavouring to
escape when fate cast them dick on our shores. One of
the reports in circulation in the locality was that a
large vessel of American build and rig had been, pre-
viously to the incident of Saturday, seen cruising off
the coast, and that it was from this vessel the strangers
landed. It appears to be very strange that our own
cruisers should have omitted to observe any suspicious
craft, which remained for two or three days hovering off
our courts.—Saunders' New:.

WATERSPOUT IN SCOTLAND.—ShortIy- before noon
on Monday last a waterspout, or a similar deluge, turston
the chain of bills which he between the districts of Clem'
and Glemprosen. On the Cloys side the public road was
rendered almost impassable by the debris brought down
from the hill. Doting the continuance of the storm the
water was nearly three feet deep on the road. Those who
witnessed the rainfall describe the aide of the bill as having
the appearance of a cataract. On the farm of Tarrybuckle
a hole was scooped out by the water large enough to bury
the farm-house. Large masses of ice fell on the hills, end
in the Olenorosen district some of the houses were goaded,
and the prdetie rendered waste.

ifil
NO
NO
NO
IN