The Sun.
London, England, 1801-08-07 00:00:00

SURREY ASSIZES.

WEDNISDAY, AUG. 5.
Benjamin Richardson and Griffith Williams were
indicted, the former for stealing ten barrels of flour,
on the 7th July, the property of Christopher Dunkin
. and Co. and the latter for receiving the same, well
knowing them to have been stolen. . The prisoner
• Richardson, who is a young man, under zo years
'of age, lived with the Prosecutors, as Clerk; and
the other prisoner is a Cheesemonger and Corn-
. dealer, in Tooley-street. By a voluntary confession,
signed by Richardson, and which was put in and
read, 'it appeared that Williams had prevailed on
• him to steal the flour in question, and represented to
him, as an inducement so ro do, that it would be the
means of putting money 'in his pocket, and that
he might clear one hundred pounds by Christmas ;
and also requesting that he worildi change the• bad
flour he might chance to have for some good from the
• Prosecutor's warehouses, Richardson being the Clerk
who delivered. ont the flour. Being over-persuaded by
illiams, he sent the ten barrels in question on
the 7th of July, for which he received a checque on
his banker for 271. ss. being the value at 54.5. 6d.
per barrel. It was proved that the market price on
that .day was from 705. 6d. to 7+5. per barrel.
This checque he took to a. publican in the. neigh-
Ei)urhood, I,vhd gave him cash for it : he being
an ignorant man, went to the prosecutors; they
perceiving it was made" payable to Richardson,
immediately examined him, sespeaing Fall was
not right, when he macre the, confession. The
" uncle to Richardson stated, that upon the disco.-
very of
.his nephew's misconduct, he immediately
railed upon Williams, and asked him if lie knew a
person of the name of Richardson ? to which he re-
plied, that he did not ; he begged him to recolleahinr-
, self, and also whether. he bad not given such a person
a- draft upon his Banker;. he still denied any know-
ledge of such a person, and said, lie had not given a
draft upon his Banker for ten days past. The witness
then warned him of the ,Consequences of denying it,
as, he knew that he had given a draft, and requested
to see his checque-book, which he readily produced,
when, he discovered the counter-part of the draft
for 271. ss. Williams then acknowledged that he had
purchased ten barrels of flour the .very clay before of
Richardson, for which he had given him the draft,-
but said that he had paid him ten pounds beside, and
was to have four or five guineas more. The Witness
then told him he had behaved in a most scandalous
manner,io tampering with a young man like Richard-
son, and prevailing on him to rob his master, and
that he might expect to hear further.- The .delivery
of the flour at Williams's house.was proved.,,, Mr.
Hayes, a Partner in the House of the -Prosecutors,
gave Richardson an excellent charaaer down to the
resent transaction. A great number of Witnesses
• concurred in giving a good charaaer to Williams,
who has a wife and nine child'ren. Several witnesses
were also called to prove that it is the custom .for
. Clerks at Wharfs to trade on their own account ;
and the Counsel for Williams submitted that this
authorised him in purchasing of him, as Williams
supposed that he was selling for himself.
Lord KEINY9I4 said,' the charge alledged against
the Prisoners was of a most aggravated nature, and
therefore it became the jury to look well at the
evidence before they made up their minds. The
prisoner Richardson had confessed his. crime, and
thereby made all the -atonement which he was
-capable of; with respeet to him no doubt- could
remain as to his guilt ; the only question was
with. regard to the place from whence the flour
was' taken ; it had ,not been proved whether tit
was taken from the wharf or from the warehouse :
' the Jury would find him therefore guilty of stealing,
which verdia would come within. the" Benefit of
Clergy. With respect to the other prisoner, Wil-
liams, his 'offence, if the Jury should-be of opinion
it was proved, was of a momentous nature, and
required the severest penalties the Law --could in-
, flirt. His Lordship then read over the evidence,
and advised" the Jury not to' pay any regard to the
confession of Richardson as involving Williams, but
attend solely to the other part of the evidence. The
main part that pressed_ against him, was the testi-
mony of the uncle,; they would therefor* examine
well his evidence, and give such verdict as would
further the ends of justice : if any; doubt remained
on their minds, they would, as honest and upright
men, give him the benefit of it.
The Jury, with little hesitation, pronounced the
Prisoners—Guilty.
His Lordship then said, that they had delivered
a 'Verdi& which entirely coincided with his own
mind, as no doubt remained with him as to the guilt
of Williams, whose crime Was 'of the deepest dye ;.
he had enticed a mere infant, as he might say, to
commit a crime of the greatest magnitude, that of
robbing his master, whose property lie was bound
to protect; and this he had .done, with. a view
of adding to his own pecuniary gains- in every
point he was not content with inducing him to
steal the flour, but he also, as the young man's
confession stated; had endeavoured to persuade him
to change his bad flour for good from his nia:ster's
warehouses. -The young man appeared truly-sen-
sible of his guilt, and in consequence of the confes-
sion be had made, would receive some mercy. It
now became his duty, his • Lordship said, to pass
sentence. The Court therefore sentenced. Williams
to be transported for the term of ra.,years. His
Lordship that addressing himself to Mr; Hayes,
asked him if, supposing he should 'be. inclined .to
pass 'a mild sentence upon Richardson, whether. he
would receive him again into his service ?
Hayes answered, that he certainly, would. His
Lords-hip then sentenced him' to pay a fine of One
Shilling, and- ordered hini to be immediately dis-
charged. ' -
Mr. Dunkin, who was in Court, said, he was
ready to receive him again into his service. His
Lordship complimented these Gentlemen on the huma--
- nity they shewed ; and addressing himself to-Richard-
son, said, that he hoped this would be a sufficient
warning. to him, and that by his future good conduct
lie would make atonement. His Lordship observed,
that hp was bound by every tie of gratitude to exert

rew-

c7_
plep—pe—,_—dt2ppe

COURT OF KING's BENCH.

4;re

BRONTIEY v. GYT.F.S.
THIS was an Aaion for Money had and received
by the Defepdant for tits Plaintiff's use.

The Plaintiff; the Rev. Mr. Bromley, is pro_
prietor of Fitzroy Chapel, near Fitzroy-square, the
proceeds of which lie had mortgaged, and the affilir
of Which got into the Court of Chancery : the De-
fendant was the Receiver of
_the rents and profits of
this Chapel, and his accounts had, up to a certain
extent, been examined by the Master in Chancery'.
The Plaintiff was alledged to have redeemed the
Mortgage upon this property, and, therefore, that
he was entitled to have all the sums which were
received by the Defendant, brought to account to
him, &c.

It was proposed, after the case was opened, to
refer the matter of account to the arbitration of Mr.
LOTEN, the Associate of my Lord f: ENyorg, and
Clerk of Nisi Prius, &c, as being a more expedi.
tious and less expensive mode of settling the busi-
ness, than that of proceeding any further in Chan-
cery; to which there was no oblation. But be-
fore that was conchided, •
Lord KENYON took occasion to. observe, " that
these mortgays, sales; pledges; and traffics in
Chapels, and other places for Divine Worship,
were extremely disgraceful to the Religion which.
,we profess. These things were
,not so at the
time of the Reformation, nor were they so for a
considerable time afterwards ; but he was sorry to
say, that in these particulars we had degenerated
sadly since the days of that Reformation.—We•had'
a duty to Providence to be thankful for the dis-
pensations of the Holy Religion which was revealed
to us. We had reason to rejoice at• the mariner in
which the ceremonies, of that Religion had been
cleared of the dross which superstition had attached
to it, by the Reformation ; but we had much reason
to lament the abuses which had crept into some of
the branches of the Church since that Reformation.
Among such abuses his Lordship ranked all Sales,
Mortgages, Pledges, Traffics, and pecuniary bar-
gains of Chapels, and all other Revenues which
ought to flow purely in the channel whence they-ori.
ginated that it, that they should be attached to
those reverend persons who performed the Reli-
gious Duties that were'attached to such places. He
could not help sving, for he could not help feeling,
that a great many abuses had crept into the Church
in this particular. He would go further, and say,
that he was persuaded, that excellent as was the es-
tablishment of our Church in many particulars, and
it was excellent,. yet he was confident himself, nay,
,he believed no sober man living, who possessed
any intelligence, entertained any doubt, that with.
regard to, these Bargains and Traffics, our Church
wanted reformation very much.. It was a reproach
to our Holy Religion, that some of the valuable Re-
venues- which the wisdom of our ancestors had set
apart for. the purpose of. supporting the Churcfi
in external appearance,, as well as inward Piety,
and appropriateci,to the use of those who performed
the solemn Servicea of the Church, should become
not only the subjet of Sale and common Traffic,
like the coarsest article "of Trade, nay, to be_
come the subje& Of
.A,,,vertisernent;• like a Horse
Race. His Lordship said, he had been often
aided in looking at such Publications. He saw
one lately for the sale of a Living,- or.the Presenta-
tion to what was called the next Term, and the re-
commendation to the purchase of it was, that it was
in a sporting Country, in which there were many
Packs of Fox Hounds.—Now suppose Bishops were
to take up this' spirit of traffic, and they had as much
right as some of the inferior Clergy who indulged in
it, what would then be said ?‘ But the conddt of the
Bishops was exemplary in their abstinence in secu.
lar affairs. His Lordship said, that this and other
prgtices of the inferior Clergy, required much. re-
formation. It was a subject in which the State•was
interested ; these.abuses should be removed; they
disgriced `Religion, , and Religion was essential to
the well-being "of man, considered only as a member
of soCiety, independent of a future state.—Morals
deper4led much on the credit of an established
Church, and nothing could be more to its discre-
dit, than these prattices of, selling, mortgaging,
pledging, and trafficking in -the revenues of the
Chuyeh."•

The ATTORNEY GENERAL said, 'he was well
convinced of the propriety of the sentiments which
were just delivered by his Lordship, and he added,
that, those who might have the charge of planning
the reform of those abuses, would, no doubt, have
these points all in view.

Here this important conversation ended,and the
Account between the Parties in this Cause, was re.
ferred.

-The Assizes' for Devonshire, . which commenced
yesterday se'nnight at Exeter, before Mr. Justices
LE .13LANc and GRAHAM, closed last Saturday
evening, when Ann Thomas, Peter Rich, Nath.
Keen, Joseph Slade', James Batten, James Soyle,
'and Thomas Avery, for stealing sheep and lambs,
the property of -various persons;. Wm. RurnbelOw,
for stealing three heifers ;' James Hamlyn, for steal-
ing. a calf ;. Edward Barnes, for .being_ at large'
while under sentence of transportation ; and John.
Lock, for aburglary in. the house of J. Webber,
received- sentence of death. Seven prisOners were
ordered to be transported for seven = years, and
thirteen received sentence of imprisonment for va.
rious periods; six of whom were for being con-
cerned in riots at Plymouth Dock, and in other
parts or Devonshire, on account of .the high price
of provisions.

Susanna Mottershall, who we last week mentioned
to have been executed at Lincoln for the murder of
S. Glew, deported herself with extraordinary for-
titude, and, to the last moment of her existence,
professed that she was innocent of the offence for
which she suffered. She was very young and very
handsome, and her fate excited general commisera.:
tion.