The Express.
London, England, 1859-12-14 00:00:00

7HE POLICE COUBT&

THAMES.

Mr. W. H. Maitland, the secretary of the Royal &neva
lent Society, of which Lord Viscount Ray%bin, M.P., is
C=wafted upon Mr. Bede, to make some esplanationa
r 9 to some aberrations made by the magistrate • few
dq• Awe in reference to the management of the society.
It be necessaly to state that since the observations of
the were made public • letter has appeared in the
papers oomplainteg of the management of the society, and
that letter be b.e replied to by Lord Royalism.
The statement of Mr. Maitland was • recapitulation
of the arguments advanced by Lord Heysham, at whose
request he attended. He said that the magistrate had
menplaised of the enormous outlay for the small
Imam incurred, and had taken as his authority the first
you'. balance-abeet of the operations of the society. A great
muater of expenses was necessarily incurred in the establish-
meat of the society for adrertisments, books, furniture,
stationery, and other 'bouts. The sew behmcw-abeet for the
Vending July 18, 1859, would diow a met decrease In
eaer penses, the office teatime being only 811.8 s. 9d. The
Mire clerks who were necessary daring the first jeer of
the society's operations had been superseded, end many other
soommical arrangements carried out. A great loss had
bon smtalned by the society in consequence of tbe miscon-
duct d Captain Sheppard, the late secretary, who Amended
is Monk last after be had cur, mutilated, or burnt every book
omanseted with the society, In consequence of which it was
impeetible to ascertain whether the subscriptions sad &act
time promised had all been paid up or not.
Mr. Belle reiterated at great length his objections to the
Sent year's report of the society, and said there wee a great
deal cisme& to • very little breed. In addition to Mebane-
meats to the amount of 7771. Oe. 6d. for bestowing
SUN. toa. 4d. ha loans and gifts to the poor, there was another
Item, tt 1121. due on account of a public
dinassW7ll.B2' • was not aware until Monday there was a m-
onad balance-sheet. It was quite evident the first secretary

waa a very dishonest man.
Kr. Maftland—No doubt of it, sir. I wiah to point out to
yen that the objections which apply to the first year's re-
port don't apply to the second, and that for an expenditure of
4961. slaw I have bean secretary, only 611. costa hare boa
incurred.

Mi.Eel/it said ha we. perfectly astonished that the
auditors ohould have pat their names to the lint report, end
salted how it was that the dinars cost 1121., end the cash far
diaper tickets only amounted to 161. 16s. He always under-
stood that when gentlemen dined at a public dinner each ems
pdd for hi. ticket.
Mr. Maitland said it was the initiation dinner of the
society. It wee the custom in England for charitable Wed-
Winne to invite the public to a dinner to obtain subecriptione
sad donations.

Mr. Selfe said there were outatanding liabilities according
to the first report.
Mr. Maitland—Which Lord Raynham has gensronaly
paid, and the society is now making favourabliirogrem.
Mr. Self, was very sled to hear it, and a very high
compliment to Lord Raynham for his benevo nos. He (Mr.
Salle) did not want to eat himself up as a censor, or to asy
scything unkindly, but the society was certainly somewhat
too pretentious. It was stated in the fleet report that the so-
ciety was placed In communication with the several mono-
polium police courts, and then followed en extra% of a
sermon preached by Bishop Bailer in 1740, which com-
menced, What we have to bestow in clarity being a trait,
we cannot discharge it faithfully without taking some ems
to satisfy ourselves in some degree that we bestow it spa
proper object. of charity." A very good passage indeed, but
the Royal Benevolent Society, which proposed a high aim,
had not in the first year of inexistence attained the object it
proposed. Oa the contrary, the funds subecritx d by the
benevolent bad been grossly misapplied.
Mr. Maitland said that an dottrel), new system of manage.
meet bad been adopted ; the accounts were audited every
week. An order was made by the committee requiring him
(Mr. Maitland) to Deimos his scoonnta once a week, to pay
Into the banker's each day soy sum over 101., which amount
be wee to retain for current expenses, and the working of the
moiety had been ro-orgsnised so se to reduce very consider-
ably its expenditure and Melvase its urefulnees.
Mr. Belle was happy to find the society wee on a better
foundation.

After rams further conversation, the Secretary ,thanked
lie magistrete for his courtesy and retired.

BIBLE-SELLING IN TEE STREETS.
On Saturday morning William Allen Hunter, re-
. eiding b Mirs'occurt, Old Physic-gardens, EdinbJrgb,
who bee for some tier Pen r the practice of vending Bibles
' from a barrow on the streets, was brought before Sheriff
Jenson, at the Polies Court, charged with obstructing the
public thoroughfare. The complaint against Hunter wee at
the instance of Conacillue Girle, and was to the art that on
the 7th December be did, " by means of • barrow, wilfully
cease an obstructors in the public thoroughfare in the High-
er est, to the annoyance of the complainer." The °reprint
was founded upon the ISLA section of the Edinburgh Police
Act (of I 848;, which subjects to a penalty not exceeding
40s. "every person who, by means of • truck or barrow,
or other means, wilfully C4UAM• an obstruction in any publio
thoroughfare." Councillor Girls stated that he had brought
this ore forward, as one of the oeuseillors of the dier,
purely on public grounds, as the barrow was undoubtedly en
obstruction to the public thoroughfare. Mr. Spence, 8.5. C.,
appeared for Mr. Hunter, and pleaded that there had been
no obstruction to the thoroughfare. A number of witnesses
were examined on both sides. From the evidence for the
complainer it appeared that, on the day libelled, the defender
had placed hie borrow neer the General Post pillar-box, and
refused to remove it when requested by the complainer, who,
in virtue of his office as councillor, is "head constable"
fa the ward, and I. required by the Municipal Act to en-
frees the provisions of the Police Act. It was also rated
M evidence that the defender was not, when so requested to
remove, engorged in any sale of golds ; that he not only
failed to comply with the complainer's request, but mails UM
of insolent and abusive language towards him; and that the
defender was In the practice art caring crowds to collect
during the dsy round himself and his barrow, both in the
High-street and other pork thoroughfaree, by reading to or
add/rising the bystanders . For the defender, on; the other
hand, it was alleged that his barrow was four yards distant
from the pillar letter-box, and not one yard, as stated by the
oomplaiser; that he need no abusive language to the
complainer when requeeted to remove, but simply
said, "We are all sinners, and need the Word of
God ; " and that the barrow was no obstruction
to the public thoroughfare. Mr. Jeffrey, of the
firm of Peter Scott and Co., Una of the wanes... for the de-
fence, stated that the defender wee employed by Mr. Peter
Scott, and that 1,390 copies of the Scriptures bad been sold
from the barrow within the past twelve months. An ...tempt
was made on behalf of the defender to prove an IrtiMlls on
the part of the complainer. Councillor Anderson stated that
he had frequently heard the cimpleiner tiptoe his objection
to the barrow as an obstruction, but on crosarxeminatien be
admitted that the only occasion he referred to was the peer-
' ow day, when this complaint was first brought forward, on
whish °erosion Councillor Anderson was in attendance in
the police court on behalf of the defend-r. Sheriff
Jameson, In giving hie deeSion, referred both to the
clause of the act under which the complaint woe brought,
and aro to the book of reguletions for the guidance of the
police constebles, is the letter of which the euperiniendent
suggests • little leniency in enforcing the act egeinat parties
who do not reins., to more on when requeeted, or who are
actually mimed in a sale when rending. The sherd[ hold
that, ea by going round the bailey the complainer, ur soy
other person requtring to post heels, could do so, the com-
plaint was not proved. At the rime time, he cautioned the
defender to avoid in future pleciog himself sear the Post-
office pillar, and recommended him to show in rotate proper
respect when spoken to by any person in the official pritton
of the complainer, and to move on whenever requested to
do tux—Scotsman.