The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-10-09 00:00:00

the house, and the neighbourhood was continually annoyed by the
" English, Irish, row dow dow," which nightly took place there;
so that whether the complainant's " Babe of Grace" was his Grace
of sotnebody's babe or not, he could not determine ; but certain he
wits that the house ought to be indicted for a nuisance.
The defendants were discharged.

La MIETH•ST RE ET.--On Saturday a young man of the most
respectable connexions at the west end of the town, who gave his
name AS W. Aldertou, was brought before Sir D. ‘VILLIATIS,
chargtd with hiving stolen a double-barrelled gun, the property of
Alf. Wilbraham, the gun-maker, in Leadenitall-street.—Remanded.

UNIONATALL—In the course of last week a man, named
Wilson, dressed like a sailor, was brought up to this office on •
thane of endeavouring to obtain money from several individuals
resident in Southwark, by inventing a story that he had just ar-
rived from India, ar.d was the bearer of intelligence from their re.
latives and friends in that quarter of the world. The fellow, it
since appears, in many romances succeeded in obtaining money
from persons, who really believed the circumstances that he related,
particularly as he always concluded his account by informing the
party whom he wanted to defraud that there were packages for
them on board the vessel he came home in from India ; sod, in
order to give a colour of probability to the story, he usually added,
that their friends abroad had also not forgotten to send them pre.
lents of beautiful parrots, which he gave himself the credit of feed-
ing and looking after the whole passage home. He generally made
so favourable an impression wherever he called, from his apparent
blunt manner and seamanlike appearance, that the truth of what he
asserted was never called in question. The good news he was the
pretended bearer of, together with the information of the packages
and parrots directed to those he called upon, had usually the effect
of exciting a spirit of liberality towards him, and in some cases,
where he has visited the abodes of poor persons who happened to
have relatives and friends in India, he has actually induced
them to part with their clothes, for the purpose of satisfying him
as the bearer of the happy intelligence, uniformly garnishing his
accounts by assuring his dupes that considerable fortunes were left
to them by the death of some one or another belonging to them,
who died as rich as Nabobs. The fellow having been auccessful
in this system of gross deception for a long time, was at length de.
tected by a man named Quennel, who gave him into custody;
and on searching his pockets a vast number of letters were found,
addressed to Captain 'Tate, of the Britannia, from whom it ap-
peared Wilson had obtained money by such representations as
those above mentioned. On being Brought before the Magistrate.
Quennel attended ; and having given an account of the
fellow's attempt to extort money, he was committed to Brixton
for one month. A short account of the examination having
appeared in some of the Newspapers last week, on Saturday Alder-
man Lucas came to this office, and stated to the Magh.trates, that,
about a week previous to his having perused the journal containing
an account of Wilson's apprehension, that person called at his
house, at Lea, in Kent, and made the following attempt to extort
money from him. Haying knocked at the door, Wilson asked whe-
ther Alderman Lucas was at home, intimating to the servant that
he had some very important news to communicate from abroad.
The Alderman was accordingly made acquainted with the circum-
stance, and immediately had an interview with Wilson, who had
all the appearance of having come off a long voyage. " Well,"
said the Alderman, " my man, what have you called about ?"
" Your Honour," rtplicd \Wilson, " I have been sent here by
Capt. Tate, of the Britannia, just arrived from Calcutta, and now
lying at Northfleet, to acquaint you that there are three packages
on board for you, together with a gray parrot." The Alderman
expressed sonic surprise, if property were on board for him, that
the Captain did not send a note informing hint of the circum-
stance. Wilson immediately said, " You need net be surprised,
Sir, for Capt. Tate did send a letter, but I got so d—d drunk, on
landing, for joy of once more getting a-shore in England, that I
lost the letter that was directed to you." " Well, then," said Al-
derman Lucas, " you must go back to the ship, and deliver this
note to Capt. Tate ; it is a request that he will send back, by you, a
description of the property directed for me, and from whom end
whence it was shipped. Now," added the A Woman, " make all
the haste you can back to the ship, and when you return with the
answer I shall reward yen for your trouble." To this Wilson hung
down his head, Paying, " Your Honour, I got 60 drunk on coming
a-shore, that I have lost all my money as well as the letter, and 1
shall have a difficulty of getting back to the vessel, unless you lend
me eight or nine shillings to enable me to have a lilt on one of the
Chatham coaches." The Alderman now suspecting that the fellow
wanted to hoax him, said, " No, no, my good fellow, I don't do
business in that way ; before I give you a sous for your trouble, as
you call it, I roust see the packages that art directed for me, and
hear tire parrot chatter." Upon which Wilson exclaimed, in the
most insolent tone, thrusting bark the letter which the Alderman
gave him, addressed to Captain Tate—" There," said he, " take
back your d—d letter; you may be the bearer of it yourself, for
I'm d—d if I shall." lie was then proceeding to leave the house,
finding that he was completely baulked in ilia expectations, when
the Alderman, convinced that he was an impostor, collared him.
The fellow endeavoured to get out of the house, upon which the
former celled his coachman, and he was detained until a constable
was sent 'for, into whose custody he was given. Wilson, however,
was liberated, in consequence of the Alderman being obliged to
come to town. Subsequent to the above circumstances having oc-
curred, Alderman Lucas called at the Harbour Master's Office, for
the purpose of inquiring whether such a ship as the Britannia had
lately arrived in the river from India, and he was there in-
formed that the whole was • fabrication, and was also made
acquainted with the following fraud, practised by the same fellow
on a decent young woman residing at Blackwell, whose brother is a
sailor on board a frigate on the India station. \Wilson, it appeared,
called on the young woman, representing that he knew her brother,
and informing her of his death. The sudden intelligence threw
the poor girl into heavy affliction, and her informant affected to
partake in her sorrow for the death of his messmate. He then pro.
ceeded to tell her that the deceased had left &solid deal of money,
and also the large trunks of clothes, all of which lie described
were on board die ship he came home in (the Britannia), then
lying at Northileet. He added, that he should go on board the
ship, and if she pleased he would bring her deceased brother's
clothes to BlackwaH in the evening at the same time informing her
that it would cost a sovereign, 'fire poor girl immediately gave
him the sovereign, and it is needless to add that the whole of the
circumstances related by the fellow were gross fabrications, invent-
ed for the purpose of extorting money. Alderman Lucas having
been informed of the period \Wilson was committed to gaol, ob-
served, that no fellow was deserving of more severe punishment,
and he was convinced on his liberation several strong cases of fraud
might be brought home to him.