The Sun.
London, England, 1855-06-21 00:00:00

THE CASE OF STRAD-AN AND CO.

BOW-STREET POLICE COURT.
Mr. Robert Meakin Bates, the third partner in the
firm of Strahan, Paul, and Co., bankers, of 218, Strand,
was placed at the bar before Mr. Jardine, to answer the
charge of having, in conjunction with Messrs. Strahan
and Paul, unlawfully negotiated or otherwise disposed
of certain deeds or securities of the value of 6,0001.,
which bad been intrusted to them for safe keeping by
Dr. Griffiths.
It appears that, upon the private application of Mr.
Bodkin, the counsel for the prosecution, the magistrate
issued warrants for the apprehension of the three
defendants on Tuesday afternoon. They were at
once placed in the hands of Blundell and Ticknor,
the warrant officers attached to the Court, who taking
their instructions from Mr. Humphries, the solicitor of
Dr. Griffiths, proceeded to execute them in private
clothes. Mr. Bates was apprehended the same evening
half-past 7, at 41, Norfolk-street, Strand, after
which the officers started by the Brighton Railway for
Nutfield, near Reigate, the country residence of Sir
John Dean Paul. They found Sir John at home, and
succeeded in serving the warrant upon him, but, it being
too late to return to London the same night, they al-
lowed their prisoner to go to bed, and, sitting up all
night themselves, within view of Sir John's room, ar-
' ranged to accompany him to London by an early train
the next morning. Accordingly, they conducted the
prisoner, on Wednesday morninee from his residence at
Nutfield to the Reigate Station, :distance of a few miles,
—arriving at the latter barely in time to save the train.
Tickets were procured hurriedly for the three, and, ac-
cording to the statements of the warrant officers, the
train was actually in motion when Sir John took his seat
in a second-class carriage. The constables were in the
act of f Bowing him into the same carriage when a rail-
way porter pulled them back, exclaiming, "The train
is in motion, and you can't get in." The officers re-
plied, "We are police constables. He is our prisener,
and we must accompany him. Resist us at your peril."
To this the portsrs merely rejoined that they were only
carrying out their orders, "to prevent any one enter-
ing a carriage while the train was in motion," and
having closed the carriage door against the officers, the
train went off without them. The constables state that
they immediately represented the facts to the superin-
tendent and showed him their authority, but he refused
to "signal" the train to stop, although consenting to
send a telegraphic message to the London station. This
was done by desire of the officers, who proceeded to
town by the next up-train, which reached London-bridge
only 10 minutes after the one they had missed. On in-
quiry, however, of the station-master at London-bridge
if their prisoner had been detained, he replied that he did
not know Sir John Paul by sight, and, of course, there-
fore, had taken no steps in the matter. The police-
officers, who had been in some measere disarmed by Sir
John's suavity of manner, had thus the mortification of
finding that their prisoner had effectually escaped ; and
throughout the day no trace of him could be found.
They were also unsuccessful in their pursuit of Mr.
Strahan, who was expected to keep an appointment at
the bank, but who did not make his appearance, although
anxiously looked for throughout the day.
Under these circumstances, Mr. Ballantine, counsel
for Mr. Bates, after waiting some time in expectation
that the charge would be proceeded with, stated that he
had other engagements to attend to, and, in the absence
of any explanation of the cause of delay, proposed that
the case should be still further deferred till his return.
Mr. Jardine assented to this arrangement, and at a
later period of the day
Mr. Ballantine suggested that the case should stand
over for a day or two, for the convenience of all parties,
Mr. Jardine said he could not understand the cause of
delay, and he was unwilling to sanction the detention
of Mr. Bates in custody for any lengthened period,
without some proper evidence in support of the charge.
He had better be placed in the dock.
The defendant having been placed at the bar, and
having conferred with his solicitor, Mr. Holt,
Mr. Ballantine seed—l understand, sir, that the gen-
tleman for whom I appear has been taken into custody,
upon certain informations laid before you relative to
some deeds or securities, which appear to have been de-
posited at the banking-house of Messrs. Strahan, Paul,
and Co., of which firm he is unfortunately a partner, al-
though not, I believe, in the same position as the other
partners in the establishment. It is alleged, I under-
stand, that these deeds are not forthcoming. Ido not
pretend at present to answer a charge which has been
only vaguely stated, although I believe the result of any
inquiry which may be made into this matter hereafter
will satisfactorily show that my client was ignorant of
all the business transactions in connection with these
deeds, and was, in fact, abroad at the time of their al-
leged negotiation. Still, painful as it is to him to be
placed in his present position, I am aware that the case
is one of such magnitude and importance as to forbid
the hope that you will discharge him from castody at
once. He is willing, therefore, that the case should
stand over till to-morrow or next day, when I shall be
prepared to meet the charge on his behalf.
Mr. Jardine considered the application a very reason-
able one under the circumstances, and the learned gen-
tleman who had the conduct of the prosecution must be
Wormed of the arrangement.
The defendant, who appeared upwards of 60 years of
age, was then removed from the dock, and was taken
subsequently to the House of Detention.
Shortly after the above proceedings,
Mr. Humphries, the solicitor for the prosecution,
waited upon the magistrate, having only just heard that
Mr. Bates was in custody. He stated that Mr. Bodkin
and the witnesses would be shortly in attendance, but,
understanding that an arrangement had been made, at
the suggestion of Mr. If a:lantiee, for the postponement
of the case till Friday, he should not think it right or
courteous to go into the particulars of the charge in the
absence of that gentleman. The Court was already
aware of the nature of that charge, which was made
under a peculiar statute, and related to a number of
Dutch bonds, which Dr. Griffiths had deposited with his
bankers, Messrs. Strahan, Paul, and Co., for safe cus-
tody, and which had been since disposed of without his
authority. He hoped the magistrate would not suspect
him of any disrespect to the Court, as even the message
he had just received had not come to him officially.
The magistrate assured Mr. Humphries, who was al-
ways punctual, that no apology was necessary from him;
but he was still at a loss to know why he bad not re-
ceived some communication from the officers in whose
hands the warrants were placed.
Mr. Burnaby, the chief clerk, said, this might be ac-
counted for by the fact that, Sir John Paul having es-
caped from their custody, they had been ever since on
the look out for him.

Mr. Humphries said the explanation was quite satis-
factory. _ _

Mr: Bodkin and the witnesses for the prosecution hav-
ing been afterwards apprised of the above arrangement,
it was agreed that the defendant should be brought up
again on Friday afternoon.

Mr. Jardine said that no injury would result to any
one from the adoption, of this course, as it was just what
ia,ust have happened, in all probability, owing to the
nonappearance of the other defendants. Mr. Bates
could be brought up again on Friday, and further re-
manded if necessary ; it being undesirable, perhaps, to
proceed with the case in the absence of other partners in
the firm.

The above proceedings were taken under the 7th and
Bth of Geo. IV., chap. 29, sect. 49, and any person con-
victed of unlawfully disposing of securities is liable, ac-
cording to the words of the act, " to be transported
beyond the seas for any term not exceeding 14 years nor
less than seven years, or to be imprisoned for any term
not exceeding three years, and, if a male, to be once,
twice, or thrice publicly or privately whipped (if the
Court should think fit) in addition to such imprison-
ment."

TRADE OF SOUTH WALES.—The shipping trade of the
Welsh ports is in a very satisfactory state. - The exports
of coal and iron coastwise and foreign still continue
large. The exports from Swansea alone will this year,
it is calculated, reach 500,000 tons, 471 vessels having
entered the port during the month of May with a tonnagf,
of 41,751, being an increase of nearly 9,000 tons on tb.e
preceding month. The foreign exports of coal fro in
Cardiff per month have reached 500,000 tons, and N, ivr.
port 10,000 and Swansea the same. The foreign I.,on-
nage of Newport has reached about 190,000 tons dv ring
the year, and coastwise tonnage 500,000 tons.
Immense quantities of mackerel have been ca ught
near Guernsey. A few days since one boat en tored
Guernsey with 3,000 mackerel, another with 2,00 f ), and
a third with 1,800. Other boats entered with si nailer
quantities.
A letter from Constantinople, in the Bcerseal die of
Hamburg, says :—" The Austrian Government has de-
termined on adopting measures to remove the ol)stacles
to the navigation at the mouth of the Sulina, and to
protect neutral vessels.. Accordingly, one of. Lloyd's
steamers is to be stationed there to assist vef isels, and
an employs of the consulate of Galatz has bee n .sent to
Sulina to act as consular agent, and to give the• docu-
ments required for navigation to all the vessels that may
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