The National Register.
London, England, 1816-02-04 00:00:00

SURREY SESSIONS, HORSEMONGER LANE.

J. Earle was indicted for publicly bathing in the Croydon Canal.
Persons, to the amount of 100, were assembled dose to the public
path-way, for the purpose of a practice, than which none more
offensive
.to. decency could well be imagined. The place they
selected was close to a bridge, which was a general thoroughfare ;
and whenever they observed a woman, two young men constantly
made a point of quitting the canal, and seizing hold of her, each by
one hand, and conducting her over the bridge, amidst the indecent
acclamations of the rest. This was a nuisance too flagrant to be
tolerated.
The fact of bathing was clearly proved against the defendant :
and some of the adjacent inhabitants, who resided near the canal,
declared, that the front part of their houses had become wady
useless to them during the summer season.
The Chairman observed, that so gross an abomination was not to
b..: endured ; but as the defendant was a youth, and had not been
proved to have participated in those higher acts of indecorum, the
Court was willing to disinb,s him, in hopes that his conviction would
prevent a repetition of similar acts of indecency. But should any
one ever be brought before the Court for so infamous a proceeding,
his offence would be visited with the severest punishment in die
power of the Court to inflict.

POLICE.
BOW-STREET.

Since the Lord Mayor's praiseworthy cond►►ct in ordering the
street; of the City to be cleared of the prostitutes, and has com •
!flitted those who have been brought before hint to Bridewell, very
few have been seen i❑ that district; but they have resorted to the
environs of the City. Tuesday several of them were brought up
by the Patrole belonging to the Parisi► of St. Clement, who stated,
that they resorted near Temple liar, when their conduct was most
iufa►no►:s, attacking the people coming from the Theatres, &c.
They put the Patroles at defiance, tauntingly asking them what
they could do with them, if they did apprehend them.—They wer,o
co+m.►it ted.
Two boys, about 12 years of age, were charged with various de-
predations. The mother of one of them, a very respectable look•
lug woman, attended, and was absorbed in tears to see her child
in such a situation. She said ha had lived with Dr. Bailie, and
since that time she had not been able to get him employed. The
fittlicr of the other said, he was out all day, and could toot look to
the boy's conduct; he wished the Magistrate could send hint to thq
Philanthropic Society ; but they replied that the place was crowd-
ed, and lamented that they had no means of disposing of such boys;
they therefore gave them in charge of their parents.
Monday an impostor,' calling himself Capt. W. J. Anderson, aai put to
the bar ; when upwards of 20 persons had charges to make against him, but
that which was principally gone into was by Mr. Stead, a boot-maker, of
Whitcomb-street, who said, that the prisoner called at his house a short
time since, stating, that he and three other gentlemen had undertaken to
collect a► subscription in the parish of St. Ann, fee a most distressing case
of a widow and live children, whose husband had held a confideatial 4.1