The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-23 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOUSE.—George Brown, ono of the
runaway visitors to California, was charged before Al-
derman Hooper with having deserted from the Bombay
ship, now on her voyage from San Francisco to Java,
having signed articles to navigate the vessel to these
ports and home.
Mr. Edward Lawson, of Rotherhithe, sole owner of
the Bombay, said he had engaged the defendant, after
the vessel had been supplied with her crew, as an extra
hand, on the same terms as all the rest. At San Fran-
cisco the defendant, and 15 other seamen of the 18 of
which the crew consisted, ran away to the diggings, and
the expense to which the vessel was put, in consequence
of so cruel en abandonment, amounted to sot less than
1,2804

Alderman Hooper asked how the prosecutor had
ascertained that the crew had deserted the ship?
Mr. Lawson—l had a letter from the captain, inform-
ing me that they had run away the day after the arrival,
and I was obliged to pay 150 dollars for the supply of
the place of each of the runaways. The ship has, in
fact, cow pletely eaten herself up. It is indeed a ruinous
trade. I had tilted out the Bombay for 20 months, and
the moment an opportunity presents itself, away the men
go. It will be seen by the articles that every seaman
was, npon his return in the vessel, to receive a pound a
month extra pay, and twopence per ton for the guano
whio'n it was intended to bring home. Shipowners who
venture to send their vessels to the gold regions can have
nothing but ruin before them if such practices continue.
Mr. Coleman, of the office of the Registrar-General
for Seamen, stated that he had summoned the defendant
upon his application to the office for a ticket. The de-
serters from vessels at California and Australia were
innumerable. The alderman would form some idea of
the dreadful loss and embarrassment to which the
owners were liable when he was assured that there was
a fleet of 150 sail at present at Australia, not one vessel
of which could stir on account of the desertion. Ile re-
gretted that he found considerable difficulty in prevailing
upon the owners of the vessels to which the deserters
belonged to come forward with complaints, in order to
secure the infliction of punishment upon such injurious
delinquents, for without their evidence the deserter
walked off upon the demand of a penalty of 10s., after
having caused enormous expense to his employer.
Mr. Lawson said a person would suppose, after such
treatment as the defendant bad received, that there would
be perfect security for his return.
Mr. Coleman said that several of the seamen who had
deserted, and who returned enormously paid to this
country in other vessels, admitted to him that they did
not at all relish the diggings, the labour being much
greater than they were accustomed to, or than they
could long endure.
_ Alderman Hooper said the case was one of the worst
he had heard, and he had been present at a great many
bad exhibitions of the kind, and he sentenced the defend-
ant to the heaviest punishment he could inflict—a punish-
ment much lighter than the offence—imprisonment and
hard labour for 12 weeks.
Another seaman was convicted of having deserted the
ship Hashemy, at Port Adelaide.
Mr. Beatson, of the firm of Heath, Palmer, and Beat-
son, of Fenchurch-street, managing owners of the vessel,
stated that the defendant had deserted the vessel, toge-
ther with almost all the rest of the crew, the day atter
her arrival. The chief mate had, he regretted to say,
also started away.
The defendant said ho had been accused of smuggling
some of the cargo, and he could not think of staying on
board after that.
Alderman Hoop( r—For how much did you sign
articles P
Defendant—For 21. a-month. _

Alderman Hoopor=-And how mach did you get for
the voyage back ?
Defendant-8/. a- month.

Alderman Hoope r—That settles the question. You
must go to hard lab our for 12 weeks also.

s Sheen, an Irish labourer, was
charged with stealin g 23 sovereigns, and other money&,
from the person Edward Branagan, formerly of
Brighton, and now residing at No. 20, Rosemar
hitechapel.
The prosecutor and his wife came to London fromßrghton on the 12t1 I instant, for the purpose of engorging
ac passage to South Australia, whore they intende d to
sttle. Branagan's whole stock of money consiste' of
While looking over an emigrant ship in the best
India Dock, be was t ecosted by three men who had been
working on board as ''lurapers," and who said they were about to emigrate, at id proferrad their advice and assist-
ance. Branagan plc cod credence in their statement, and
he went on shore v rith them. Ins new acquaintances
plied him well with i ]rink, and after. sunset took him to
the East India-road, Poplar, where he was plundered of
all the money he had in his possession, and which ho had
by frugality and indi ;stry saved for the purpose of emis-