The Sun.
London, England, 1830-08-17 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOUSE.

Two labouring men appeared as plaintiff and de-
fendant before the Loan MAYOR, in a case which is
likely to terminate in a manner not at all expected
by either.
The complainant stated that he had lately come
out of the hospital, where he had been confined for
some time by severe illness. On appearing in the
streets he met the defendant, with whom he had
been well acquainted, and whose rival be had been
in the affections of a young woman. They went
together to a grog-shop, and there they drank a
little too much gin-and-water; and the complainant's
head being weakened by the hospital regimen, he
was not well qualified to take good care of himself.
As he had the infirmity of " woman-bunting" when
he Fat a drop too much, he thought it would be
advisable to leave his watch in the care of his friend,
the defendant ; but to his great surprise, that person
upon being applied to next day for restitution of the
watch, declared that it was his own property, and
that the complainant had made him a present of it
while he was sober on the preceding evening.
Under these circumstances, the complainant was of
opinion that the conduct of the defendant was neither
more nor leas than a flat robbery, and finding that
possession would be persevered in, applied to an
officer, who recommended that the matter should be
represented to the Lord Mayor.
The defendant's statement was to the following
effect :—He had been for some time courting a lady,
who, however, had the bad taste to prefer the com-
plainant to him, and even to become the wife of his
rival. While he was in the height of his addresses,
he made her several presents which she never ob-
jected to receive, although she was determined
never- to make the sort of return which was consi-
dered necessary by him. She, however, gave him
a couple of watch seals. As he love business was
wholly at an end, the defendant proposed to the
complainant that the lady should forthwith give up
the memorials of the passion he once entertained for
her. He at the same time said, he had her seals
ready to restore to her. The complainant candidly
acknowledged that his wife was no longer in pos-
session of the trinkets, for it happened that the
moment she received them she handed them over,
as proofs of her attachment, to the complainant,
who disposed of them to a neighbouring Jew for
about a fourth of their value. This was considered
unfair dealing, although a lore transaction, and the
complainant upon being reproached with having
formed a conspiracy against the property of the de-
fendant, pulled out the watch, and handing it to
him, requested that it might be kept as a compen-
sation for the articles out of which he had been
wheedled. This being the state of the case, the
defendant thought he was entitled to the watch.
The LORD MAYOR said, he never wished to be
concerned in transactions arising from the tender pas-
sion, for fear he should hurt the nice sensibilities of
the parties; but he should like to know what sort
of a watch the watch in question was.--The com-
plainant said it was a metal watch.

If A metal watch!" said his Lordship, looking at
it, " why, my friend, this is no watch of yours. It
is gold, and double-cased, and goes upon a patent
lever. Where did you get it?"
The complainant and defendant were both struck
with amazement at this discovery, and were evidently
sorry that that they had not contrived to divide the
watch between them.

The defendant said he knew nothing about the
watch, but that he had received it from the hands
of the complainant—and if that worthy was brought
to the Ohl Bailey for it he should most willingly at-
tend to give evidence.
The LORD MAYOR—Except a satisfactory expla-
nation be made to me, I shall not let the watch out
of my possession.
The complainant—The watch is mine by the
laws of finding. As I was passing through Leaden-
hall-market about two years ago, I sees it lying there
under a butcher's stall, and as there was nobody
there that seemed to have lost it, why I takes it up
and claps it in my pocket, where it went very well
until it went away from me.
Mr. 'fabler—The watch may have been stolen.
I see the name of " Martin Clayton, Manchester,
No; 1,227," upon it, and that may lead to the
dis-
covery of the owner. It would have been no more
than honest in you to have advertised the circum-
stance, or to have made it known here.
The complainant said he always understood that
if a body found a watch, he had a right to keep it,
and he hoped the Lord Mayor would act upon that
understanding.
The LORD MAYOR—No : I shall keep the watch
until the right owner make his appearance.
The complainant and defendant then retired,
greatly disconcerted.

It will be recollected, that a person of respectable
character and connections, named M'Pherson, was
committed from the Mansion-house some time ago
upon a charge of forgery, and prosecuted by the
Committee of Bankers. The Lord Mayor was in-
formed that the Grand Jury at Guildford at once
threw out the Bill against him.