The Sun.
London, England, 1839-04-11 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT
(THIS DAY.)

FORGERY ON THE CORNISH BANK.— TIIO7IIUS Merit was
indicted for feloniously having in his possession, a plate on '
which was engraved a promissory note of a bank for 51.,
without lawful authority.
Mr. BODKIN and Mr. DOANE appeared,for the prosecution.
Frederick John Williams said he was an engraver, re- '
sides at 22, Princes-street, Soho. The prisoner came to
his shop on the 20th March and requested an engraving of the
note produced. He said he should want also a fec-simile
of the stamp cn the hack of it. Said Le, should went
3,000 impressions, which he must have in a week. He
left 101. as a deposit for the expense of engraving.
John A. Whitman received the note produced from his
son on the 20th March. The prisoner crane to the shop
the day after, and asked for an engraving of the note.
Witness consented to take the note in payment of a ferther
deposit, and prisoner paid him f p >unds ten
Witness entertaining some suspicions, went to Messrs.
Przed, the agents of the Truro Bank. On the 23d March
the prisoner celled ou witness to see how the work was
getting on, v.hen he again made a deposit. The plate
being comi,leted on the 26th, ten impressions were struck
off and given to the prisoner, and within a few minutes he
was taken into custody.
Daniel Forrester—ls an officer at the Mansion house.
ApdreitchLd the prisoner on the 25th Attreh, soon after
he had quitted the shop of the last witness. The plate
produced was found in his possession. He slid it was the
property of Mr. Williams of Truro, whose address he
wrote down on a piece of paper.
Francis Keys—Was with Forester when the prisoner
was taken into custody (produces a parcel taken from
him). He went down into Cornwall to the address given
by the prisoner, and found no Mr. Williams there.
Mr. W. Tweedie is a partner in the Cornish Bank,
Truro. Never authorised the prisoner to get any notes
engraved. The impression of the forged notes resembles
exactly the impression of one of the genuine notes.
Mr. C. PHILLIPS defended the prisoner, and contended
that he had been the dupe of a man named Gribble.
Mr. Justice COLTSIAN summed up, and the Jury found
the prisoner Guilty. ~
Eivard Newby was indicted for stealing one guinea,
eleven sovereigns, a brooch, and pencil-case, the property
of Wiliam Aldis, in his dw, fling-house.
William Aldis, the prosecutor, who is a young man of
very peculiar appearance, with long hair combed back over
his collar, and who was attitudinizing the whole time he
was in the box, objected to taking an oath, and claimed to
he permitted to make affirmation, by virtue of the Act 6th
William IV.

In reply to Mr. Justice COLTMAN, he stated he was not
sworn before the Grand Jury, but had made a statement.
Mr. Justice COLTMAN—Are you a Quaker? Witness
—On that point I am.
Mr. Justice COLTMAN—Have you ever belonged to the
sect of Quakers ? Witness, said he had not, he was a
Christ:an Dissenter.

The COURT said, that under these circumstances, he
must give his evidence upon oath, to which the witness
consent,.d rather than justice should be defeated.
The witness being sworn, said that he lied affirmed when
before the Grand Jury ; had lived at the house of a person
named Harris, but quitted it on the Tueld.iy before the
last ; prisoner lodged in the same house at the time witness
left. Witness lett a travelling hag containing his apparel
and propurty at the lodging; witness is an English Is-
raelite, or a Christian Israelite ; he left his beg in charge
with Mrs. Harris ; he called on the next day but
one after, and found, on examining the bag that property,
was gone. Ile found the bag in a lobby adjoining the
room where the prisoner lodged. He gave the bag in
charge to Mrs. Harris, in the room in which the prisoner
lodged. On examining the bag, he missed a white leather
bag, containing a gilt brooch, II sovereigns, and a guinea
of William 111. There was an incision on one of the
sovereigns, which marked it Saw this leather bag last in
his trr.velli.,g bag on the evening be left his lodgings. The
travelling bag. was fastened only by strings. Obtained a war-
rant to search Mrs. Harris's house the same day. Found the
prisoner in bed, and a purse was found in the prisoner's
trowsers pocket, containing- ten sovereigns and five shil-
lings. Witness identified one of the sovereigns as his.
Brand the officer, and Farrell, the:policeman, were with
witness. Was induced by circumstances to search the
cellar, which he did, accompanied by Farrell, and they
found behind a hamper a white leather bag, containing a
brooch, which witness identified.

Cross-examined by Mr. C. PHILLIPS—Is a seller
books, which he =lies about the country.
Mr. C. l'ututPs.—Are you subject to aberration o.
mind?

\V itness.—l am not.
Mr. C PHILLIPS —You have never been in confinemen'
for aberration of mind ?

Witress.—Nly friends sent a doctor to me in con-
.cquenee of my religious differences; they said I had
ovcrstudied myself.

Mr. C. PHILLIPS—Were you ever chained? Witness,
Never.

Mr. C. PHILLIPS—DicI you ever say you were chained?
Witness hesitated a long time, and at last said, he could
answer no mere questions. The Court told him he need
not answer any questions which would disgrace himself,
but he must answer that question. Witness—l did not.
Mr. C. PHILLIPS—On your oath did you never tell
Mrs. Ilirris, whom you have described as a respectable
woman, thz:t von were chained ? Witness—Never to
nobody on earth.
By the COURT-Thought that he had been asked the
amount he had lost when he replied to the Counsel for the
defence.

William Brand—ls an officer. Searched the house for the
property loSt by Mr.. Aldis. Found the prisoner a-bed, who
said he knew nothing about it. Found ten sovereigns in
the prisoner's pocket, which he stated to be money he had
received for a check ten ;days previously. Mr. Aldis had
said he should know some of the pieces. William Farrell
was Isith him.

Cross•examined by Mr. C. PHILLIPS—ToId the Ma-
gistrates all he had said here this day. Has 1.)..en an
officer thirty years. His evidence was read over to him
before the Magistrate, and what the prisoner had said about
the 10 sovereigns by the produce of the check was
in it, at least the sum and substance of the depo-
sition was put in and read, and not one word
of this was found in it. Did not swear that the sum and
substance of what he had said had been read out to him ;
had stated this before the Lord Mayor. Never was a
preacher.

William Farrell—h a policeman, accompanied the two
last witnesses in their search, found a white leather bag
behind a hamper in the cellar. Aldis was with him, it con-
tained a boa with a brooch. Aldis claimed the bag and
the brooch.

Mr. C. PHILLIPS in defending the prisoner, said that if
Aldis were not mad, he was the most atrocious villain
that ever entered a Court of Justice. What was it
Prevented his taking an oath—conscience ! a religious
scruple which vanished the instant he found his plan
must be defeated by it. Could he consider that oath as
binding which he took as a matter of form. He laboured
to defend the prisoner in this way, because he wished him
to go away with an unblemished character because ha felt
convinced he was right on the point of law, on which the
indictment was worth nothing. The Learned Coucsel
then called witnesses, after which,l
The Jury acquitted the prisoner.
Mr. Justice Cei.TmaN directed Mr. Brand to return the
money to prisoner, as it had been proved to be the produce
of his own industry, and said that he left the bar without
the slightest imputation on his character.
Thomas Merit, who had been convicted in th course of
the morning of having in his possession a plate for a 51..
note of the Cornish Bank, was brought up, and sentenced
to 14 years' transportation.

LORD JOAN RUSSELL'S MOTION

Whitehall, March 27, 1839.
Mr. Stanley presents his compliments to Mr. Jervis, and
begs leave to inform him that Lord John Russell's motion
respecting the policy of the Irish Government is postponed
till Monday, the 15th of April, on which day it will cer-
tainly be brought forward ; and Mr. Stanley begs leave to
express his earnest hope that he will be in his place for the
division on that day.

Whitehall-place, April 9, 1839.
Dear Sir,--Having been recently favoured with a com-
munication from you, on the subject of Lord John Russell's
motion, which I observe now stands for Monday the 15th,
I feel bound in fairness to trouble you with a few lines in
reply, for the purpose of removing any misapprehension as
to the course which I shall consider it my duty to take at
this juncture.

Upon all former occasions, whenever I could do so without
compromising my opinions and principles as an earnest
Reformer, I have voted with Ministers, and if their conduct
as respects the executive administration of Ireland were
ail that we are now called upon to sanction, I might still,
perhaps, consider myself justified in giving them my sup-
port ; though I cannot help thinking that but a narrow and
short-sighted policy which is beneficial to one section of
the empire only, and that but for the passing day, to the
neglect of permanent and universal interests.
But the question which is now about to be raised in the
House of Commons, however it may be glossed and dis-
guised, involves more than the mere approbation of the
Irish policy of Ministers. Greater and higher consider-
ivions are at stake; while Ireland, as has been the case
upon too many occasions, is made a convenient stalking-
horse to support their waning popularity.
It appears to me utterly impossible to join in a vote of
approbation of the Ministerial policy in Ireland, selected as
it is without reference to any pending or contemplated
measure, without indirectly sanctioning their general po-
liey : and this, considering the conduct of government with
regard to the Ballot and many other highly important
questions, I for one am not prepared to do.
Under these circumstances, and looking at the questicn
in its several lights and bearings, I think it right, how-
ever much I may regret it, to inform you that I should be
acting contrary to my convictions were Ito give my
support to Government in the division of the 15th.
I am, dear Sir, your obliged and very obedient savant,
E. J. Staley, Esq , M I' SWYFEN JERVIS.