The Sun.
London, England, 1852-02-18 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS, Feb. 17.

BeforaYll. Sergeant ADAMS, Assistant-Judge, and a
Bench of Magistrates, at Clerkenwell.)

ROBBERY FROM THE LIBRARY OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM.

Charles Pickering, 33, a man of highly-reqectuble
appearance, was this morning placed at the bar, charged
on an indictment with having stolen 240 printed plates,
the property of the Right Hon. Lord John Russell and
others, trustees of the British Museum. Another
count varied the offence, alleging the robbery to have
been committed in the dwelling-house of Sir Henry
Ellis.

Mr. Bodkin and Mr. Parry conducted the prosecution;
Mr. Clarkson appeared for the prisoner.
The prisoner withdrew a farmer plea, and pleaded
guilty to the indictment.
Mr. Bright Smith, a magistrate in the commission of
the peace for the county of Sussex, know the gentleman
at the bar, who had been tutor to his children for the
last two or three years. He was a man of the greatest
accomplishments, and he had every confidence in him as
a man of unblemished character.
The ASSISTANT JUDGE said that this was a very pain-
ful case, and the sentence the Court was about to pro-
nounce was very likely to be unsatisfactory, and misun-
derstood by the public at large, who generally looked to
the equality of the punishment, and not to the number
of circumstances, which, combined, might render a
punishment just that might not at first seem to be so.
Under all the circumstances, the court would do its duty,
fearless on the one hand of those who might think the
punishment too light, and on the other equally fearless
of those who might consider the sentence too severe. In
exercising a merciful consideration to the prisoner, the
sentence was that be be imprisoned in the House of
Correction, and kept to hard labour for three calendar
months.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE,
MANSION-HOUSE.
A man named Robert Thompson was brought before
Alderman Cubitt, charged with having committed frauds,
in practising which, it is believed, he has been very suc-
cessful.
His plan is this—he knocks at an office-door at twelve
o'clock at night with a postman's rap, when the people
of business are gone, calls out "Late post; and when
admitted by the servants, to whom he makes an apology
for the unavoidable disturbance at such an hour, pro-
duces a small bundle with a letter attached, directed to
the proprietor, and stating on the envelope that three or
four shillings are to be paid. He departs upon receiving
the amount, and the
party to whom the parcel is ad-
dressed finds a piece of an old newspaper carefully
packed up, and a letter, which he considers to be Greek
or Latin, and which, therefore, aggravates the disappoint-
ment and the fraud.
R. Phillips, who looks after the house No. 40, Seeth-
ing-lane, said he heard a ring at the bell at twelve the
night before, and throwing up the window was informed
by the prisoner, who was below, that it was the " late
post," and that he bad a parcel for Messrs. Dunham,
Smart, and Co. Witness went down, opened the door,
and received from the hand of the prisoner a piece of
pasteboard sealed up, to which was fastened a letter ad-
dressed to the firm. The prisoner at the same time pro-
duced a book, and said there was 3s. 6d. to be paid, and
that witness must sign the book. Witness said be had
no more than 3s. about him, and the prisoner then hesi-
tated, but after a little while he said, as it was late, and
he was tired, be would take the 32. if witness would
sign. The 3p. were accordingly given, the book was
signed, and the prisoner saiu he would call again for
the 6d. The parcel and the letter were, of course, equally
valuable.

Alderman CUBITT said that in all probability the pub •
lication of the fraud would bring tcgether severe' losers
by the system, and remanded the prisoner till Friday.

MARYLEBONE.

ADMINISTERING NOXIOUS MEDICINE TO A FEMALE.
—The two young men, Henry Smith and Robert Denny
Christmas, were again placed ut the bar, charged with
baying administered a certain noxious medicine to a
female named Anne Obee with intent to procure abortion.
The particulars of what transpired upon the former
occasions have already appeared.
Mr. Humphreys attended, as before,
Mr. Parry, the barrister, for Christmas.
The whole of the evidence was read over by the chief
clerk, Mr. Fell, and the accused parties were committed
for trial. for Smith; and

Upon the application of the Learned Gentlemen their
clients were allowed to put in bail, each in his personal
recognisance to the amount of 2001., and to find two
sureties in 1501. each.

The required bail was tendered and accepted by the
magistrate.

ARRIVAL OF THE BODY OF THE LATE Mr. SHEIL.
—POILTSMOUTII, MONDAY., The Merlin steam-packet,
Lieutenant Commander J. H. Turner, arrived this morning
from the Mediterranean having on board the remains of the
Right Hon. L. Sheil, late Ambassador at Florence. The
Merlin left Gibraltar laft Saturday week, the Janus being
the only vessel at anchor there. The body of Mr. Sheil,
which is enclosed in a leaden coffin, will be transferred to
the Sprightly steamer, Master-Commander Allen, for con-
veyance to Kingstown, Ireland. She will sail with the body
this evening. The Merlin will, it is supposed, go to Wool-
wich to pay off, but no orders were down here.
THE COLLISION IN THE CHANNEL.-DEVONPORT,
SUNDAY.—The American barque Delta, of New York, from
London to Cardiff, to load iron for the States, put in here
last evening with loss of bowsprit and jibboom, and bows
stoved, having been in contact on Thursday night off the
Start with a brig, name unknown. From the accounts given
by the American it was feared the brig had sunk, and all
hands on board her perished ; but intelligence has since been
received that the crew had been picked up and taken into
Brixham. Further reports state that the brig survived the
shock so far as to keep afloat,land that she has since been
towed into Dartmouth.

RIFLE CLUBS.—Her Majesty's Government, ac-
cording to a recent official announcement, are prepared in
certain cases to advise her Majesty to accept the services of
volunteer rifle corps, provided that the proposed formation
of such corps is recommended by the Lord-Lieutenant of the
county, and that the members of the corps undertake to
provide their own arms and equipments, and to defray all
the expenses attending it, except in the event of the corps
being assembled for actual service. Messrs. Nicoll, army
clothiers, are prepared to forward, on bond fide application,
the Act of Parliament, viz., 44th George 111., c. 54, by which
they will be governed; a copy of rules adopted by several
corps already forming; also sketches and estimates for uni-
forms and accoutrements, with or without the rifle and
sword-bayonet, improved on the French principle. The
clothing they propose to supply for a superior order of volun-
teers shall not exceed the cost of plain dress or ordinary
clothes, and shall in every respect be such as a gentleman
may wear with satisfaction. Samples for the outfit of a sub-
' scribing club may be viewed on application at the ware-
rooms, 114, 116, 118, and 120, Regent-street, or at the City
depot, 22, Cornhill. Eight and five guineas are quoted for
these samples, but the tastes and wishes of any body of gen-
tlemen will be readily adopted and estimated for by Messrs.
Nicoll, who will send competent persons for instructions to
any part of the country, where a fair amount of business will
be insured.
A MISCREANT.—An Italian calling himself Euge-
h-
nio Briard, has for a few weeks past been living in the Hig
street, Southampton, professing to teach drawing. he
window of his shop has been covered with specimens of his
art. He has also been exhibiting a picture of p
the burning
the Amazon. It has now been discovered that he has been
allowing children to witness his exhibition gratuitously, and
has been behaving in the most disgusting and outrageous
manner towards them. A few days since two little girls, be-
tween five and six years of age, were enticed behtindeethe
screen on which the picture was exhibited, under pi..e en of
holding lights so that the children outside might witness the
picture. The children behind the picture were heard to cry,
and a bigger girl who was present at the exhibition endea-
vouring to ascertain what was the matter, saw the abomi.
nable conduct of the Italian, and for thus interfering was
o eines by
the
about
40 brutally kicked by him. As soon as the parents of the
children heard of the offences they bad the scoundrel appre-
hended, and brought before the borough magistrates, by
whom he was sentenced to pay a fine of 5/., or suffer three
months' imprisonment. The fine was paid.f As it is not im-
probable he may attempt the same
means in other towns, the public cannot be too much on
their guard. The fellow is very tall, and apparently
40 years of age.
On the 1 Ith inst.,
the Hon. and Rev. Lars Alwynectl
instituted to the rector
Compton, M.A., wasy of
Ashley, in the county ofNor i
thampton, aud diocese of Peters
eseu-
borough, the same baying become vacant by the res
tion of the Rev. George Spencer Cautley •
, the gna-
9 na
tion of the Marquis of Northampton, the patron.proh the
same day, the Rev. George R. Clark,
B o" f was
Leicester, institutedan and
to the rectory of Saxlebye, the count
diocese of Peterborough, which had become vacant by the
death of the Rev. Thomas Coker Adams, on the presentation
of the Earl of Aylesford, the patron,
Goa]) IN THE HIGHLANDS.—A correspondent of
the North British Mail, in reference
lto the reports which
have
in the Isle of Skye dof late in the aer
Proposep p s thaott;gosedarbeehing in abundance
,
up immediately, or as non asearching party be got
3 possible, to seek the precious
metal.

We have received the Path journals of yesterday.
The only article of interest appears in the columns
of the Pays. It is a refutation, and probably not an
unauthorised one, of the warlike rumours that have
been for some time in circulation, and which have
created much alarm and uneasin,ss. The Pays, in
contradicting these rumour:, does not confine itself
to the simple declaration that they were unfounded ;
it shows that they had not even probability in their
favour, and that the task of the Prince PRESIDENT of
the Republic is one of greater hcneur and usefulness
than that which some of the foreign journals imagine.
Whilst foreign political writers represent him as
being inspired only with ideas of bloodshed and con-
quest ; with indulging in a desire for the invvion of
England, or the annexation of Belgium to the French
ivteaardimr iigaittrlosnoerrtpyairoi
origin;
represents
vainglorious in
nei
titiasahnc
tehtidreamingethfhehieteciEranomf necessities
be
NAPOLEON
or
maintained
p repeatingoaonfEdoh iNosva
with
pesor being
aio k
o h g h
t aoutpnne owaspeace
:to
fact that even the ambition of the EMPEROR
being impracticable without the sacrifice of national
pride, and, to a certain extent, national interests, the
Paysn
the influence of really grand inspirations, and resolved
in order that he may be able to restore prosperity t
France, and develop her manifold resources in agri-
culture, commerce, and manufactures. Never, says
the Pays, will Louis NAPOLEON commence a war of
aggression, and therefore it depends upon other powers
whether the peace of Europe shall be maintained or.
otherwise.

On Monday afternoon, at two o'clock, the Mar.
quis of NORMANBY presented his letters of recal to
the PRESIDENT of the Republic.
Lord COWLEY is expected in Paris to-day.
The Moniteur publishes several decrees, the most
important of which is one for the encouragement of
immigration into the French colonies and for the re-
gulation of the relations between the employers and
their work-people.
A decree enacts that the only day celebrated as a
national fite shall be August 15th, the EMPEROR'S
birthday.
_ _

All objects having belonged to French Sovereigns
are to he collected from the provincial museums, and
to form a division of the Louvre.

A long decree regulates the emigration and en-
gagement of workmen in the colonies.

Another modifies the commercial regime of Senegal.
According to the Ineependance of Brussels, the
three members of the commission appointed by the
PRINCE PRESIDENT, relative to the decrees against the
Orleans property, viz., MM. DUVEEGIER, CJIAIX
D'ESTANGE, and MOREAU, advocates of the Ministry
of Marine, the city of Paris, and the Domaines, have
not been consulted on the legality of the decrees, but
solely on the diplomatic and matrimonial questions
which may affect the execution of them.
A letter in the same journal says—" General St.
ARNAUD is about to leave for Africa, to put himself
at the head of an expedition which is to take place in the
spring against Kabylia. He will still retain his post
as Minister of War, Marshal VALLIANT acting for
him ad interim.

The Bourse was firm,, with little business doing The
Five per Cents., opened at 103 f. 650., and closed at
103 f. 75c. for the end of the month; the Three per
Cents. closed at 65f. 60c.; Orleans Railway Shares,
1,1301.; Rouen, 6501. ; Havre' 265 f.; Great Northern,
587 f. 50c.; Avignon, 2301.; Vierzon, 521 f. 25c.;
Basle, 2131. 75c.; Bordeaux 4401. 50c.; Paris and
Strasburgh, 4811. 25c.; Tours and Nantes, 300 f.; Amiens
to Boulogne, 2971 50c.; Paris and Lyons, 5851.

BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, .FEB. 17.
Boulogne and Amiens, 11%—East Indian, 23—Northern
of France, 19%—Orleans and Bordeaux, B%—Paris and
Lyons, 9—Paris and Rouen, 25% ex d.—Paris and Stras-
bourg, 171 A—Tours and Nantes. 8%.