The Sun.
London, England, 1839-09-12 00:00:00

William Burne, a publican, whose house is in the
county, on the borders of the City, and who applied a
few days ago to Sir Peter Laurie on the subject of the
time for closing during what is termed afternoon ser-
vice cn Sundays, requested to be informed whether his
Lordship agreed with Sir Peter Laurie on the con-
struction of the law.
The LORD MAYOR replied in the affirmative. He
would fine all publicans against whom it should be
proved that they kept open their houses between three
and five o'clock on Sundays.
Mr. Bunn (as our reporter understood) said that he
hoped that notification would have the desired effect ;
but, certainly, notwithstanding the clear and distinct
opinion given by Sir Peter Laurie on the subject, there
were some houses - open during afternoon service last
Sunday.
The LORD MAYOR—I shall certainly fine in every
case that is proved before me. I shall hold it as no
excuse that in some parishes there is no afternoon ser-
vice. In some parishes in which there are no churches
the publicans may plead that, as there is no Church
service, they are at liberty to keep open the whole day.
I shall listen to no apology at all.
The Ward Beadle of Bridge Ward mentioned that
a young lady, apparently of about twenty-three or
twenty-four years of age, had thrown herself from the
top of the Monument at ten o'clock that morning. The
body was, he said, a dreadful spectacle, but the features
were entire. She had, he believed, come up irom
Gravesend in a steamer, and from which she went direct
to the Monument. She was dressed in a coarse
straw bonnet, with light green ribbons, a black veil,
a black shawl with narrow border, a black silk
dress and black silk-stockings. Her hair, of which she
had a great quantity, was dark, and her eyes were dark.
Her features were handsome. The Beadle stated that
there was no mark upon any part of her dress. Upon
one of the fingers of the hand which, by coming in con-
tact with the railing at the bottom of the monument
was separated from the body, there was a gold cut ring.
Mr. Thwaites, the Relieving Officer of the City of
London Union stated to the Lord Mayor that a woman
named Eliza Brown, accompanied by five children, cal-
led upon him at ten o'clock a few nights ago, and stated
that her family were in a destitute state. He sus-
pected from her story that the Union had relieved her
and sent her and her family, at considerable expense,
to her parish at Liverpool, after having clothed them,
and he questioned her on the subject. She posi-
tively declared that she had never received relief, and
upon being offered a shilling, said that it would be of no
use to her. He then took her and her children to the
station-house, and upon subsequent inquiry he ascer-
tained that his conjecture was right, and that she was
one of those impostors who, after having put the Union
to great expense to send them home returned to prey
upon the City of London upon the next convenient
opportunity.

The LORD MAYOR said that the Board of Guardians
had done great service by the example they had set to
the Unions all over the country, and that as they on
eveiy occasion assisted the really destitute, drawing a
distinction between the vicious and the unfortunate, he
should with great alacrity assist them by punishing those
who attempted to impose upon them. His Lordship
then desired that the woman should be brought before
him.

Mr. Thwaites said he was sorry to state that she had
been allowed by the policeman who had her in custody
to escape.

The policeman said that he had in custody at the
same time a lad charged with felony, and that the wo-
man and her children stepped away from him unper-
ceived.

The LORD MAYOR—You are suspended ; you are
unfit to be an officer. It is well for you that she was
not under a charge of felony.
Mr. Thwaites said it gave him great pleasure to
mention a case in which the person served made a return
of a very different kind. A young woman about a month
ago complained, in great distress of mind, to the Lord
Mayor, that she had come to town, from Nottingham,
to look for her brother, and that she had been robbed
of her purse containing all the money she had. His
Lordship sent her to the Union, and the Guardians be-
lieved her to be an object of compassion, paid her
carriage back to Nottingham, and gave her some money
to defray contingent expences. A few days ago she
called at the Union-house, and from thence went to the
Guardians and refunded the whole of the money, with
the warmest expressions of gratitude.

BOTV-STREET.
Yesterday, Mr. George Chelterton, of 2, Peter's-
court, St. Martin's•lane, was summoned under the 40th
clause of the Metropolis Police Courts' Bill, to answer
a complaint preferred against him by Edmund Manning,
a tradesman, for illegally detaining a chest of tools,
value 101., his property.
Mr. Shillibeer, the solicitor, who appeared for the
complainant, stated that his client had lodged for some
time in the defendant's house, which he left about a
week back, having first paid up all the rent that was
due, for which he got a receipt, at the same time
leaving behind him the chest of tools in question, which
were refused to him upon his demanding them, on the
plea that the defendant had a lien upon them for the sum
of 20s. money lent. There was no just grounds for such
an excuse, as the defendant had been taking his plea-
sure some few evenings before with the complainant,
upon which occasion he happening to spend 405.,
without any solicitation on the part of the complainant,
he considered the latter should, after the convivialities
were at an end, pay half the reckoning, but this being
refused, the goods were detained ; and even if such a
demand was just, the defendant, by the late Bill, had no
right to come by what he might be led to think was a
just demand, in such a manner.
In answer to the charge, the defendant said that the
debt had not been contracted in the manner described,
but on his giving a receipt for the rent the tools were
detained for the sum of 205., which had been lent on a
different occasion, for the complainant, being out of work,
got the amount to go to market on Saturday, the 24th
of August, stating at the time, that he would be com-
pelled to sell his furniture in order to enable him to get
to Bristol, and lie would then liquidate the debt, but he
having since disposed of about 50s. worth without doing
so, the goods were kept until the amount should be paid,
Mr. TWYFORD observed that this was the first in-
stance in which the clause of the Act had been brought
into operation before him, and, after referring to it he
decided, that the goods claimed should be restored to
the complainant, and that the defendant should also pay
3s. as costs.

The following is the clause under which the summons
was granted :—" That upon complaint being made to
any Police Magistrate by the person claiming to be en-
titled to the property or possession of any goods detained
by any person within the limits of the metropolitan dis-
trict, the value of which shall not be greater than
151., and not being deeds, muniments, or papers relating
to any property ofgreater value than 151., it shall be law-
ful for such Magistrate to summon the party complained
of, and to inquire into the title thereunto, and if it shall
appear that such goods have been detained without just
cause after the notice of claim made by the person
complaining, or that the person detaining such goods
has a lien or right to detain the same by way of secu-
rity for the payment of money, or the performance of
any act by the owners-thereof, it shall be lawful for the
Magistrate to order the goods to be delivered to the
owner thereof, either absolutely, or by tender of the
amount appearing to be due by such owner (which
amount the Magistrate is authorized to determine) ; or
upon refusal of the performance of the Act, or if such
Act cannot be performed, the party to forfeit to the
party aggrieved the full value of the goods, not greater
than 15/., such value to be determined by the Magis-
trate's order : Provided that no such order shall bar
any person from recovering- possession of the goods by
an action at law, so that the action be commenced
within the space of six calendar months next after such
order be made."