The Express.
London, England, 1850-08-12 00:00:00

MANSION HOUSE.

SWIM DISZILTiIiS7-40131.1•111111- -1111 who had been en-
gaged to navigate a ship called the Java, the property of the
Mears Some*, to Quebec, were charged with having deserted
the vessel. Thirty five other seamen had also deserted, bat
the proofs necessary to establish the chirp ageism them not
having been produced, Mr. Colcman, the prineipal clerk in
the registrar-generare office, prayed the Mutt merely to
inflict the penalty of 10s. upon each of them, for not haying
in their possession their register tickets. The four first
defendants were convicted upon cocolusive evidence of having
basely deserted their ship at Quebec, without having any
excuse Ar such conduct. but that of having been offered
higher wages for working other ships.
A:dermas Gibtre fined each of the convicted seamen 201.,
and in default of payment eenteniad them to imprisonment
and hard labour for three calendar months.
Mr. E. Marsh, the principal mate of the Java, who
appeared for the prosecution, said the vessel had taken over
700 uozps to Quebec upon the occasion, and that the incon-
venience and expense to which shipowners were subjected
by the frequent desertions of the men who signed agree-
ments to wu:k the ship were excessive.
Alderman Gibbs congratulated the shipowners upon the
bill which was parsing through par:iantent to render con-
victions less depindent upon certain proofs which had
hitherto been considered necessary, but which very much
interfered with the administration of strict justice.
GUILDHALL.

THE RIVAL GAD Courantee.—lViUirent Gray, one of the
workmen in the employ of the Great Cutest Lisa Company,
appeared in answer to an information, charging him with
wilfully and mtliciently cutting and otherwise injuring a
pipe belonging to the City Chartered Gas Company, which
woe used for supplying the public lamps with gas.
Frederick Bellows, Auistant-Intteetor to the Chartered
Gee Company, said that he saw the pipe at Finsbury-place,
and at 7 o'clock on Thursday he saw it quite sound. It was
encrusted with rust, but there were no holes in it to allow an
escape of gas. Seeing the men at work in the trench were
bring-rig the new mein in such a direction so would users.
eerily disturb the tepee belonging to the City Chartered Gus
Company, he caUed Gray, the foremen of the yolks. and
cautioned him to avoid the pipe*, or otherwise he would effect
a permanent injury to the pipes belonging to the City Char.
tered Company if he curled the new main so cl-se to the old
' one. Gray sail," Very well, I will ge under it." Instead of
keeping to that promise, the neat morning witness found
he had cut the pipe, apparently with a chdel, and there,
stopped the supply to the lamp that the tips served. On
saying to Gray that he had cut the pipe, he replied " Yee,
a geatleman came here and toll me to cut it." He after •1
wiles stid he war inttructrd hr Mr. Ittiglty to cut the pipe.
Oa beirg gross-I.:trained by Mr. Under-Sheriff Wire (who
was retained by the Great C. n'ral Gas Company to defied
the prisoner), he (witeets) stated that the pipe war quite
nui.d when he first saw it, and that the boles in it when
produced were occuloned by the removal of the rust.
John Henry Brock B Bows stated that he had from 20 to
30 eimiler charges against the new compau3, all of which
might have beau avoided had the parties din cvng the works
been disposed. He called the attention of the Corneal*
timers of Sewers to the motto in which the company were
unducting their we eke, and he stopped them, ead would
not allow them to go on.
That being the cue for the prosecution, Mr. Win rose to
reply. lie c intended that it was absolutely impossible for a
new company, in opening the roads, to feel their way amidst
• le: malti,elieity of pipes in the public thorcughfares of the
ciiy of London, so as to refrain from doi'g some kind of in-
jury to same of the pipe, and tt at, too, without any mali.
clout intention. He was confident that had the damage
complaieed of been effected by the Commercial We
Company leveed of a new rival 'se, the old( rum would
I then have heard nothing of the information at present before
him. . . . .

Alderman Hunter said it seensod to him that the pipe was
intentimally broken, and tt.erelors wilfully, though not ma-
liciously. Gray was warned not to touch the pip,, and in-
vited to alter the dirtrion of the main. Gray mid, " Vety
well, I will go wader it." Instead of which, he remise,'
instructions, as he has said, and as Mr. Busby admits, to

break the pipe. Ha would, there Tore, fine 111, ay 21).., the
fairest penalty ; hut he elec.-ivied it was important that no
company should be permitted to destroy the works of
scolmr.

lIAMbIERSMITII.

SINGULAR CASE.—George Smith, agsd 22, sou re.
examined, before Mr. Paynter,on a charge, under the Mutiny
Act (10 Vie, cap. 12, MC. 49), with having falsely confined
hinisef to be a denier fri in her Majesty's forms, for whkh
.coo liable to tbra• mos.tt•• imprisonment as a rogue and
vagabond. A fee days ago, the prisoner was brought to this
Court on a charge of eleeping in the open air at Breek. green,
Hammersmith, when he confessed that he was • deserter
, from the Roy el Artillery, although he had not the slightest
appearance of a soldier, and was not the kind of man that
would have been taken into that corp., but as he gave attar
and positive account of his entistenent into, and desertion
from, a hattelion, aLd it being found on reference to the
l'o're Gazette, tbat a man, named George Smith, of the
same age ss the prisoner, bad deserted from the Artillery,
he was sent down to the depot, Woolwich, as a deserter
Vtisre, however, it visa sacertaincil that he had
loilonerd to that corps, and he was accordingly
brought book to this court by the p.liciman,
who bad originally captured him, and had been
tint with him to Woolwich, in order that he might be
dealt with according to law. Here, however, be still petr-
els:ad that he was the identical desert, r, George Smith,
named in the Poiice Gazette, and the megi,trate basing no
leral evil Lee before Lim to the c .ntrary, was compeliid to
',mend him for the attendance of the military authorities
from Woolwich. _ _ _

00 Saturday, Serjeant-Major Smithers and Serjeant Sly,
of the Royal Artillery, were present. and having been sworn,
deposed that a man named George Smith deserted hom the
Artilh ry, and hie name bat twin wetted. but the piton. r
was not tLat man, and
prisoner, however, still 'aid that he had received a shilling
from come Artilleryman, who told him he wa4 enlisted.
Mr. Poynter said the priscn••r's confession was clearly false,
and as he had given a great deal of trouble and expense to all
• nuccrned in the ease, for no apparent purpose or object, be
should sentence him to be imprisoned for this fall term of
tines calendar months. The prisoner was, therefore, com-
mitted as ordingly.