The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-02-11 00:00:00

PO f.ICE.

MANSION-HOUSE.
Yesterday Mr. Claridge, the wine-rnerehant, of irigmore-strect,
Cavendish-square, who was one of the bail for Waterton and Saw-
yer, charged with having cons➢ired to defraud a number of silk.
manufacturers, came to the private room, accompanied by his
licitor, and begged to be allowed mows the circumstances under
which he became bail.

The Solicitor stated that the consequence of the report having ap-
peared of the circumstance (very properly, he admitted.) was to
ceche the suspicion of some connexion with the parties for whom he
wan bail, and greatly to wound the feelings of his friends. Now,
Mr. Claridge had to declare that he knew nothing whatever of the
parties; that he was induced to become bail at the request of a par-
ticular friend, who had been solicited by somebody else. He ac-
knowledged that it vois an error to become bail for persons of whom
he knew lathing, and declared he was ready to do any thing which
might serve the cause of justice ; but at present he knew nothing
whatever of the parties.

The Lotto liiaeo a said that In these ca.es of swindling he
was determined to make dour inquiry into the character of every
person coming forward as bail.

BO%Y.STREET.
Yesterday two hays, the one eleven, and the o.her twelve years
of age, named Thomas Choi!mead and William Wilson, were
brought before Mr. HALLS, charged with a-robbery, in the corn.
mission of which they had destroyed nearly the whole of a va.
Noble law library, the property of John. Bailey Moore, Esq. a
hpecial Pleader, who has chambers at No. 1, Inner Temple-lane.
'lhere is another bey, not eleven years of age, named Sullivan, in
custody in the City, charged with being concerned in the robbery.
It appeared from the evidence of Mr. Moore and other witnesses,
that the prisoner Chailmead was taken into his employment as a
clerk a short time before Christmas. About a fortnight ago Mr.
Moore was called into Devonshire in consequence of the Illness of
his father, and he intrusted Chailmead with the key of his chem.
bees, with directions to take it every evening to his (Mr. Moore s)
private residence, in L'aion-atreet, New Kent-road. He returned
to town 01 Sunday evening. and on Monday evening he had a con_
saltation with Mr. Archbold- the barrister, in iymond's Inn, In
the course of which he had occasion for a particular book, and ma
he had not the key of his chambers he went into the Temple to

THE BRITISH PRESS.

borrow the book from a friend. As he passed through Inner Tem-
ple-lace lie happened to look up at the windows of his chambers,
and swat, astonished to see a light much stronger than any that could
have been produced by candles. He immediately called a watch-
man, and they went upstairs, and as they were ascending they met
the boy Sullivan, who is brother to a late clerk of Mr. MOOre.s.
with a bag on his shoulders, apparently filled with books. Mr.
Moore asked him where he came from, and lie answered, " From
Mr. Jackson's," a gentleman who occupies chambers over Mr.
Moore's. In his hurry, supposing his chambers to be on fire, he
suffered this boy to go away. Mr. Moore and the watchman
knocked several times loudly at the door of his chambers, but re-
ceiving no answer the watchinan fetched a smith to pick the lock.
This wow found impracticable. and the smith bored a large hole
in the dour in ord'er to get at the bolt to draw it, and had just ati-
reecled when they hard a boy's voice from within call out, " .ho s
there ?" They entered, and found the two prisoners in the room.
Mr. Moore asked Chailmead what he did there at that time of
night, and why he had not answered when he knocked and called
so loudly and frequently, and his answer was, ‘• We were asleep.
and did not hear any thing until now." Ile made no excuse for
being found there. Mr. Moore took them to the wat Odious!, but
found no constable there, and after waiting half an hour without
any officer appearing, and being obliged to attend upon Mr. Arch.
bold, he suffered the prisoners to go at large. On his return to his
chambers he thund a quantity of leave, of Tidd's Practice lying
on the desk, and he then looked in his bookcase and found that
more titan half of libs books were gone. There were from 120 to
150 volumes gone. Ile next examined the cupboards. and found
them also stripped of a great many valuable books. In the fire-
place he found more than a bushel of embers still burning, which
were evidently the remains of the covets of books. He next went
into Mr. Wilde's rooms, who occupied the chambers jointly with
Mr. Moore, and there he discovered that a great many of that
gentleman's books were also gone. On the following morning Mr.
Moore looked at the top of the bookcase, and found a number of
the covers of law books, many quite new, with the contents cut
out, and that had evidently been done with perfect red:imolai,
' several of the coven being cut through in many places. In Mr.
Dloore'a library not • single set of books was left entire. Air.
Moore then caused the prisoners, and the boy named Sullivan, to
be apprehended, and they were examined at Guildhall on Thurs-
days and in consequence of admissions made by them, Mr. Moore
ratite to this office, and obtained a warrant to search the house of
Mr. John Torkington, of 93, Chancery-lane, a cheesemongcr, which
is situated in the county. Yesterday morning, at nine o'clock,
Cousins and Mason. two of the patrol, went with Mr. Moore to the
house. They saw Mr. Torkington, sen. and his son, and Cousins
called the former aside and read the warrant to him ; at the some
time telling him that a great quantity of rafts of books had been
lost, and that he must search the haute. 3lr. Torkington said he
was very sorry, and that they were quite welcome to search. Some
part of the mining property was found in the shop, and when Mr.
Moore identified it, Dlr. Torkington repeated thrit he was very
sorry, and said it was purchased by his son from a boy a few
days before. Cousins then questioned the son, who said
he purchased the leaves as waste paper from a very little boy in a
blue jacket, and gave 34d. per pound for it. A volume of
" Todd's Practice" was found on a shelf in the shop, entire, except
the cover and title-page, which Mr. Torkington, jun. used, as the
officers entered the shop, in wrapping up a piece of butter
for a customer. The officers, after finding a considerable
quantity of the lost property in the shop, then said they
moat search the cellar, and no objection was made on the part of
either the lather or son. They found in the cellar three butter
Haas or baskets tilled with Dlr. Dloore'a property, and a quantity
loose besides. The officers brought the whole away, and with Mr.
Torkington and his sou in custody.
Mr. tloore, who gave his evidence under the influerce of con-
siderable agitation, not at all to be wondered at under the circum.
fiances, said that the loss to hint was irreparable, for the books.
independent of their intrinsic value, had many of them marginal
notes and memoranda ; and there was besides a great deal of ma.
nuscript of the greatest possible importance to hint.
At the conclusion of the evidence Mr. A ar.tr, who attended
for the Messrs. Torkington, requested to know what course the
worthy Magistrate intended to pursue with respect to his clients.
. Mr. HALLS said that the case was of importance, and lie felt it
to be his duty to spare no pains in its investigation. He should, at
all events, have another examination, and it was not usual, as Mr.
Alley knew, to take bail preceding an enquiry. With every inch. li
nation to deal mercifully to individuals who had hitherto borne an
unimpeachable character, as he understood the Messrs. Torkington
had, he could not reconcile it to his sense of duty to depart from
the usual practice in this case.
Alr. ALLEY said that there had been a degree of culpable negli.
genet: on the part of his clients he was willing to admit,- but still
they had purchased the paper openly, had given a fair price for it.
and had shown no wish for concealment. It there was any proof
that they had not given the full value of waste paper, or that they
had disposed of any portion of it for profit, it would assume a very
different complexion. Perhaps Mr. Moore himself would not ob-
ject to their being admitted to bail.
Mr. Moore said he should leave it entirely to Mr. Halls. The
defendants had purchased the property from a boy, eleven years of
age• at hall-oast ten o'clock at night, without, as it appeared,
asking a single question, and he should not consent to any thing
but what might originate with the Magistrate.
Mr. Ilat.t.s said he was extremely sorry to be obliged to pursue
a rigid course, but he could not depart from the ordinary rules.
he defendants must be kept in custody.
Mr. Torkington, sera pressed very hard to be admitted to bail,
but Mr. Halls would not consent ; and he and his son, together
with the two boys, were committed to prison, fur further exatni.
nation on Tuesday next.

CORONER'S 141'QUAST on TREASURE TROVE.

[from the Cambridge Chronicle.l
An inquiry of rather a novel nature was held on Saturday last, nt
the Eagle Inn, Cambridge, before Mr. Clievell, one of the coroners
for this town, not upon a mutilated or mangled body, which in ge.
neral forms the disagreeablednties of coroners' inquests, but on view
of a large quantity of gold and silver coins of the ancient kings of
this realm, the sight of which was much more pleasant to the
rispeetable jury summoned on this occasion than the exhibition of
the comae of a fellow-creature. In the month or June last, as some
workmen ware employed in pulling down a house adjoining the
Eagle Inn, they discovered, in digging up the bottom of the cellar,
a quantity of silver coins, and, after a further search of two hours,
a jug containing a quantity of gold coins was also found. Consider.
able scramble took place among the workmen, but Mr. Howell,
the contractor of the building for Corpus Christi College, Interfered
and succeeded in securing it. A question now arose as to whom
this treasure belonged. The bursar of the college took possession
of part of it, and Mr. Balls, fur Mr. Howell, another part ; and
eventually the whole was deposited in the names of the bursar and
Mr. Balls, in the bank of Messrs. 31ortlock, tut it could In de•
tided to ;horn it of right belonged. The Lords of the Treasury,
a few days ago, applied to the Coroner to hold an inquest ; and
after going through all the evidence, the Jury, without hesita-
tion, found their verdict upon the points directed to their consiti
deration by the Coroner, who desired them to leave out of their
minds any question of right as to whom the treasure belonged,
as that would be for the decision of a Jury in a superior Court—
" That on the 3d of June last, 195 pieces of gold coin of the value
of 1301. 3a., and 3,510 pieces of silver coin, of the value of
701. 54d. were found by William Smith and Stephen Woodcock,
labourers in the employment of James Howell, bricklayer, hid.
den in the ground under the site or an ancient house or build-
ing situate in Itenett-street, in the said town, which were of an.
tient time hidden as aforesaid, and the owners thereof cannot be
known."

As soon as the verdict was returned, the Coroner, by virtue of
his office. seized the treasure in the name of his Majesty.
Mr. White, the Town Clerk, attended, and served a notice upon
the Coroner, on behalf the Corporation, will claimed it as gran-
tees of the Crown, and the Solicitor to the Treasury also made
a demand of it, but the Coroner refused to part with it till it is
ascertained who Is legally entitled to it, and the same was accor-
dingly re-deposited in Means. Illortlock's bank, to await this de.
cision.

The Coroner has been served with a writ of Certiorari by the
Lords of the Treasury, to return his inquisition to the Court of
King's Bench.

Drsynrss iv SPITAT.IIET.II9.—Two men and a female,
of very wretched appearance, were yesterday brought be-
fore the Magistrates at Worship-street, on a charge of at-
tempting to defraud the ('ommittee sitting at Spite Melds
church, to distribute the public bounty to distressed wea-
vers. Mr. Kincaid, the Secretary, attended and produced
the recommendatory tickets which the prisoners had pre-
sented to the Committee, the signatures to which purport-
ing to be those of respectable manufacturers, were disco-
vered to have been forged.. The facts being proved, the
prisoners were committed in default of bail, to answer the
charge at the Sessions.
SVICIDE or MAJOR Voon.—The sudden and very
deplorable termination of the existence of this gentleman, at Ills
lodging., No. 12, Park-street, Grosvenor-square. on Wednesday
afternoon, has created the most painful feefesgs amongst a very
extensive circle of friends. The deceased was one of the General
4'rize Agents for the Army of the Deccan. He served iu India
in the 2d, or Queen's Own Regiment, and et the time of his de-
cease belonged to the 71st Regiment of Foot. He was a nephew
of Sir Thomas Hislop, and was married to a lady by whom he
had three children now living. His lade died about twelve months
ago. The Major had leten very much depressed in spirit. for some
time; and since the decision of the Lords of the Treasury, rela-
tive to the Deccan prize money, he was in a state of mind border.
ing on frenzy. In consequence of alleged pecuniary embarrass.
menu, he gave up his house, No. 119, in park-street, a few day.
ago, and took lodgings et No. 12 in the same street. On Wed.
nestles morning the Major wpm a letter to a solicitor, who is con.
eemed in the affairs of India, and sent it by a servant. During
his absence the Major wrote several other letters, and one lie left
unfinished on his dealt, and proceeded un stairs to his office, where
he opened a trunk, out of which he took a pair of pistols. He
loaded on. of them with ball, and fired it Imo his mouth. The
report of the pistol was not heard by the inmates of the house.
His death must have been instantaneous. On Thursday evening
a Coroner's ►nquest was held before J. H. Gell. Esq.. at his lodg.
hilts. The Jury took a view of the body, fmm the exhibition of
which It was evident the deceased had come to a premature end.
Severnl witnesses were called, who depositd to the dejected state
of the decensed,end the Corsair having sutntned up. the Jury re-
turned a verdict..." The deceased shot himself when In a state of
Insanity."

THE ARMY.

The Ist Battalion of the Me Brigade has arrived safe at Hall.
fax, from Ireland.
The 517th Iterment of Infantry has arrive! at Ceylon, from
England, withr ;:t experiencing any casualty.

UNIVERSITY INI ELLIGENCE.

CASSIBILIDGE, FRI. 10.
At a congregation on Wednesday last the following
Degrees were eutifert :
DOCTOR IN Bo:it:lTT—The Rev. Wm. Moore, of St. John's
College. perpetual I 'orate of Spalding, Lincolnshire.
nocToft ix Psn•sic—John Wilson, Esq.. of Christ College.
Itacitccoa ix I/Irian' r—lter. John Smith, of ht. John's
College.
BACHELORS or ARTS—J. William!, Trinity College; N.
Sneyd, Trinity College: IC W. Simpson., St. John's College;
Henry Alington, St. Peter's College; John Bragg, Corpus
Christi College; 11. C. Duekle, Queen's College ; J. P. Sill,
Christ's College.