The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-11-22 00:00:00

DREADFUL Fl RE.

(From the Sosthamploog Herald of Mondavi
Yesterday morning, a•. about half-peat four o'clock, the town
was thrown into the protest consternation by an alarming lire,
which litokc out in the extensive coach-manufactory (built prin.
tepidly of wood) of Mr. Asian, near the Weigh-bridge. 'fhe
building, from one end to the other, appeared one mass of dune,
which wan for a length of time confined to the interior ; but by
five o'clock the flames. which had spread to an alarming height,
communicated to the dwelling-house adjoining the manufactory,
and to the brewery, coach.liouse, and stables of F. L. Beckfonl,
Lsq., which ware morn enveloped. At this time it wan thought that
the range of buildings to the Weigh-bridge, and those tronting
the road, would fall • prey to the devouring element, but tom
too Wad afterwards taking a contrary direction the aalety of
another extensive coach-manufactory (Mr. Callaway's), the back
of Aids was adjacent to the premises on lire, wan considered
od atrtain.

The progress of the fire in this direction was, however, stopped
by pulling down part of the house occupied by Mrs. Saw/bins.
One of the town engines now arrived. and commented playing on
the buildings—this was succeeded by that from the Military
Asylum, kindly sent by Colonel Evatt. The caber town engine
taumeed, and was conveyed through the gateway at Mr. Ileckford's
to the coach-house, and assisted materially in stopping the dames
in the direction of Mr. Callaway's manufactory. At about half-
past five the fire was at its height, and the whole of the varnish and
turpentine having ignited, the pale blue dame of the spirits pre.
salted an awfully sublime sight. Many of the carriages were
dogged nut tient the bunting building, which by six o'clock pre.
seated cothing but a heap of ruins, the roof and floors having
&Ilea in about a quarter of an hour previously. The engines were
now acieccssfully directed to Mr. Beckfutd's stables, which were
iuriously raging:and the fire was prevented from spreading further.
Ma eneiles hive continued playing on the smoking pile of ruins
tarougtout the day. The alarm at tine time was so great, that many
parsers in Marland-place commenced moving their ferniture. The
bre had been raging nearly an hour and a half before the town
engines were brought properly to play, and than for some time
they had but a scanty supply of water, which was conveyed in
Lied:eta from pumps is the neighbourhood, an inconvenience hay-
tag bean iu opening the plugs. The engines' hose, too, were
out of order, and Wrft repeatedly. The gentry, and inhabitants
genendly, exerted themselves with much enerrr on this dreadfial
weastaii, anti amongst the foremast VHS flollingswoith, of our
'Theatre, whet. exertions were beyond all praise; and whilst
woman wire seen handing buckets for the supply the engines, a
few sturdy vagabonds resisted all applications far miestance, and
remained ral:ti rpectetori of the dreadful scene. No liras were
lost.

POLICE.
BIANSION-HOUSE. •
A short time ago a prison of dashing ermearance, named Linde,
who drives his gig. called at the shop of Mr. Dulin. the goldsmith,
of Cornhill, and ordered some articles of plate. He gave a check
upon his beakee for the amount, which was instantly paid. He
afterwards visited Mr. Dulin's hop for the same purpose, and his
check-was honoured with equal punctuality. This course gradually
led to less ceremonious dealings, and Mr. Lindo got considerably
into debt for expensive articles of plate and jewellery, which wete
no sooner received by him than they were converted into money at
the pawnbrokers. Being at a loos in what manner to obtain any
more of Mr. Dulin's property upon credit, he went once more to
the shop. He entered in a hurry, said that hebad a friend who
was in want of a valuable snuff bur, and requested Mr. Dalin to
let him have one of the handsomest to show to his friend. A
positive promise was made by him to return with the box, if it did
not suit his friend's taste, or with the price of it (Y,5 guineas)
if it did. The snuff-box was, under those circumstances, put
into his possession, but the friend to whom he went to exhibit it
was no other than a pawnbroker with whom it was pledged.
As soon as it •csa discovered that the bout had been pawned. a war.
rant IPSO applied for in Middlesex to apprehend Mr. Lindo for a
felony. The Magistrate however did not think that the offence
amounted to that, but issued a warrant against him for having un-
lawfully pawned the property. This warrant was executed by the
officer who brought the prisoner so the Mansion House. At the
desire of the other party the prisoner wan remanded from day to
day ; but it was asserted by the attorney for the prosecution that
the offence was a felony, and in all probrbility Linde would have
been amimitted on that charge, had be not contrived to redeem the
snut-box. On the last day he was brought up, his Solicitor said
' that Mr. Lindo never contemplated anything dishonest, to prove
which Mr. Dalin had been actually put in possession of his pro-
perty that morning.
The Loan 31ityon having asked whether any penmen appeared
against Linde, and no answer being given, said, without waking
any comment, " Let the prisoner be discharged."
CHRISTIAN EVIDENCE SOCIETY—The LORD MAYOR
took occasion to state, that he hadreceived several lettenceomplain-
ing that measures were not taken to prevent the meeting of a So-
ciety, called the Christian Evidence Society, in which blasphemous
discussions often took place. His worthy predecessor had, he
knew, received communications to the Rome effect. Now, he ad.
mitred that the irreligious conduct of the persons who promoted
and supported the iniquitous objects of the Society was disgusting
in the extreme; but he considered that they carried shout them an
unfailing antidote, and he felt confident that the truths of Christi-
anity would be in no danger from the efforts of the Society in
Catenton-strcer, whose occupation was too contemptible to du any
mischief.

OUILDHALL.

A case of great importance to perlons connected pith the float
trade came on for hearing at this office yesterday, before Mr. Al.
Berman ANati7.

It has long been a practice with millers to detain all the sacks•
notwithstanding they may bear the name of some other party in the
trade, that happen to come into their hands, and the sacks of the
latter description are employed for a variety of purposes within the
mill, and all chance of their ever being claimed by the real owner
is carefully avoided. The loss to the trade at large in the item of
missing sacks, is stated to amount annually to the enormous sum
of two hundred thousand pounds, although the value of a single
sack rarely exceeds 3s. 6d. An accidental discovery, last week. of
a large quantity of old and hew sacks, bearing the marks of fifty-
four different millers and factors, about to be shipped off as waste
to a paper-mill in the country, has led to a criminal prosecution,
which will, in all probability, tend to the introduction of a better
practice.
Mr. Wood (of the firm of Stevens and Wood) appeared as soli-
char for the prosecutors, and Mr. Humphreys for the prisoner,
who was the foreman at Mr. Ward's mill, at Merton, Surrey, and
gave his name William Smith.
The first witness examined was George Simmons, who stated
that he employs himself in collecting flour sacks from the bakers,
and returning them to the parties whose marks they bear. On
Thursday his eye caught sight of a part of a flour sack, used as a
wrapper to a bundle, lying on Trig Whirr, Thames-stieet ; on in.
specting it, he found the contents to be pieces of flour sacks, some
old, some not half worn, belonging to a variety of factors, which
bad evidently been cut up, through the marks, to prevent them front
being identified. There were nine or ten such Lundles altogether,
and on inquiry he learned they were going to a paper-mill, and had
corns from the premises of Mr. Van. a ship-chandler, in Toolcy-
Street.

Mr. Thomas Van deposed that he had purchased nine cwt. of
these pieces of sacking from a man who ;rave his name Samuel
Collett, Merton, and that name was also on his cart. He had pur.
chased six cwt. of him previously in April, but the lot in question,
the nine cwt.. he bought nn the 7th inst. ; he gave 9s. per cwt., and
should make but 9s. profit on the whole, which he was about to
send to Mr. Collis, a paper-maker, near Twyfonl, Berks.
Samuel Collett stated he was in the habit of going twice a week
or so to AlertonnUll, to buy bran and pollard ; and one day the
prisoner, Smith, asked him if he knew where to sell good old hand-
stufrand shakings (pieces of old sacks and tyings). He accordingly
made Inquiry, and received Bs. for carting the last lot to Tooley.
street. He gave the produce, 41.103., to the prisoner, but he un-
derstood it was to be divided among the men of the mill. A man
named Burr loaded the bundles into his cart, but Smith was pre-
sent.

Mark Burr deposed that he was employed in Merton-mill at the
beginning of this month, and by the order of some of the other
men cut up the seeks in question. The prisoner Smith was tore.
man, and was present a part of the time while the sacks were
selected for tutting up, and while they were rut and weighed. He
put them into Collett's cart by Smith's direction.
Mr. Ward, the proprietor of the mill, stated, that four years ago
last Michaelmas, he took a mill, at Mill-wall. Poplar, which had
been distrained. Among the articles in it were 400 sacks belonging
to other millers and factors. and bearing perhaps 50 different
name% He objected to taking them as a part of the stock, but was,
under the threat of an action for the appraised amount, obliged
to pay for their.. These ha had taken with him to slerton-mill
when he ren.ovcd to it. Others of the sacks produced might be
from an accumulation of those sent by mistake to him by the
numerous sack collectors, who frequently put one belonging to
another person in the boodles they packed up for him. Such
sacks millers never exchanged with each other, but kept them
in the mill, and took are not to expose in wagons an the road.
He had never authorised Smith to sell this handstuff. If he had,
he should have employed his own Can to bring it to London ; but
he believed handstuff was the perquisite of the men. Some of the
pieces produced were too'sound to be condemned as waste, but
though the pieces might appear good, the sack as a whole might
be useless, from the lower part being damaged or the top carelessly
cut by the bakers. He had bought thousands of sacks since he
left lllitl.wall. but none with other persons' names upon them.
He learnt by the tramps that his sacks might be found in mills at
all quarters, even a hundred miles off.
Some of the pieces of sacking were identified as hearing the marks
and being the property of Messrs. Fell and Co. factors, -Bank-side,
and Mews. Bell end Fuller, of Maidenhead ; but Mr. Fuller
admitted he could not swear that the sacks had actually been
stolen. •
Mr. Wood submitted he had made out a sufficient ease for coca-
mitts!, inasmuch as the legsl possession of the sacks had never
been parted with by the parties whose marks and names they bore,
either by sale or any other manner, and the prisoner, by converting
them to his own use, had been guilty of felony, and might be in.
dieted for stealing the property.
Mr. Huaraares, fbr the prisoner, Insisted that the Alderman
could not commit for felony, unless it was proved that the sacks
came out of the possession of the respective owners in a felonious
manner.

31r. Alderman AstsLtr, however, intimated that he had no
hesitation whatever in committing the prisoner for stealing, and
would merely remand him, that the depositions, which were very
long, might be fairly drawn up.
A long discussion ensued as to where the venue should be laid,
tl.e convention of the property taking place in Surrey, and the find-
ing of it in London. It was decided that the trial should be in the
county.
BOW-STREET.

Two young silk-nuercets, who gave their names roder and Hull,
both dressed in the ,cry pink of fashion, were brought yesterday
before the sitting Magistrate, T. Halls, }'q. on the complaint
of Mr. Gibba, a respect tble linen-draper. residing in Holborn.
It appeared fmm th statement of Mr. Gibbs, that on Sunday
night, about halt-past nine, he was proceeding through Long sere,
when the defendants came up to him, and Foster "nudged his
elbow ;" supposing they wished to pass on, he made a slight digres-
sion front the side of the pavement. thereby &fronting them an op-
portunity to proceed, bow instead of availing themselves of the op-
portunity. as the compla nant expected. the, remnif.ed behind. re.
peatedly positing him in the ribs with their fists. He took no further
notice of their conduct until he came up to s watchman, named
Cooper, into whose chug% • he determined to give them, when, to his
great surprise, Cooper, a (though for a long time an observer of
their proceedings, positive !y refuted to take them into custody, not-
withstanding lie was dire e times desired so to do by Mr. Gibbs,
observing, "he dared eta] they could walk down to the watch-
house without him." Mt Foster began to strip, and, putting him.
self/into a boxing anima e, challenged the complainant to single
combat, which be ti►ctint d. Another watchman coming in was
prevailed upon to secure be th the pugilist aril his friend.
The defendants in their - iefence said, that as they 'Me walking
down Long-acre, the compl sinant hustled them ; and as there were
so many pickpockets well d rested, they thought Mr. Gibbs might
be one of them, therefore, they remonstrated with hint fur having
pushed them oft the paver •er.t, and did not pot themselves Into
an attitude of defence, until they had been first molested by Mr.
Gibbs.

Mr. HALLS observed, th tt he did not consider the, mold have
mistaken Mr. Gibbs fur a pi 7kpocket, and ordered them to find bail
to answer the charge elsewtim e.
Cooper, the watchman, on being called to account for refusing to
bike the defendants in charge , denied that he had done so. but Mr.
Gibbs repeating his former st stement as to his conduct, he received
• severe reprimand from his Worship, with a threat of suspension
case of any future complete t of the same nature.

NAIL VLEBONE.
BuitotanT.—Yeateedev, Fredrrick Theltvell. a mete youth.
was brought from the ware lihouse, charged with a burglary and
robbery. in the house of El :sabeth Frewin, laundress, Gwynn's-
buildings. Lisson.grove.
• it appeared that Mrs. Frewi'n Irft her house at about one o'clock
in the day. and upon her ream n she fouptl that her house had been
entered with skeleton keys, IA d plundered of a quantity of her vs-
tomers' linen. About vact o'clock (Le pritloner was seen, by a