The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-24 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 24, 1865.

narvonshire Railways, a continuous route through
North Wales from the London and North-Western
stations at Whitechurch, Shrewsbury, and Welsh-
pool, and the leading commercial towns and water-
ing places between Crewe, Aberystwith, and Car-
narvon.
On the motion of the CHAIRMAN, seconded by
Capt. JOHNS, the report was unanimously adopted.
The retiring directors, Mr. Williams and Mr.
Banks, were re-elected, and also the retiring auditor,
Mr. Owen.

pennant for the ordinary treble-fold hempen catfall.
The trial of yesterday was not attended with com-
plete success, but this was no fault of the principle
under trial. It was entirely due to an unforeseen
defect in the iron block at the head of the after cat-
head, or davit, by which the chain pennant became
jammed over the edge of the sheave and the peculiar
lead of the chain inboard to the after capstan. With
a different and more suitable block at the davit head
and the chain pennant led inboard to the foremost
capstan the invention promises to act perfectly, and
if it does answer, as it fully expected to do, it will
prove an admirable adaptation of power in stowing
the anchors of any elongated bow'd ship when
weighing from an anchorage.
Orders have been received to augment the new
fortifications at Hurst, in order to allow an extra
tier of guns to be mounted. The works are ex-
pected to occupy some time.
The following appointments were made yesterday,
at the Admiralty:—John G. Covey, master, addi-
tional, to the Indus for the Gannet ; Joseph Whita-
ker, assist.-surg., to the Cambridge ; Jeremiah Do-
novan, assist.-surg., to the Torch; Henry Brietgake,
acting assist.-surg., to the Excellent; Jas. Stewart,
acting assist.-surg., to the Asia; Geo. E. Marcon,
assist.-paymaster, to the Niger ; Wm. H. Turner,
master's-assist., to the Torch; Thos. A. Irwin, clerk,
to the Victory ; and Herbert U. L. Phillips, nomi-
nated to a naval cadetship.

The Alleged Frauds on Insurance Offices.

For the fourth time John George Barry and Alfred Barry,
wharfingers, and Charles Thorne, James Arnett, and Wm.
Sedgwick, three of their employes, were placed before Mr,
Alderman Stone, for further examination.
Mr. Giffard, Q.C., and Mr. Poland were counsel for the
prosecution (instructed by Messrs. Humphreys and Mor-
gan, solicitors, of Newgate-street) ; Mr. Sergeant Ballan-
tine and Mr. Metcalfe, instructed by Messrs. Tilleard and
Co., solicitors, Old Jewry, defended the prisoners Messrs.
Barry; Mr. Sergeant Tindal Atkinson, instructed by Mr.
Moss, the prisoner Thorne; and Mr. Lewis, jun., the pri-
soners Arnett and Sedgwick.
Mr. Branford, the superintendent of the M division, was
present to watch the proceedings on behalf of the commis-
sioners of police.
The defendants entered the dock at half-past one. They
all seemed more cheerful than at the former examination,
and the Messrs. Barry looked decidedly better.
Mr. Whiting, the manager of the North British and
Mercantile Insurance Office, who had at the previous
examination deposed to three floating policies of £lO,OOO,
£lO,OOO, and £5,000 having been drawn by it in favour of
Msesrs. Rose, Wilson, and Graham on goods at Meriton's
Wharf at the time of the fire, was recalled, and asked by
Mr. Sergeant Ballantine who the prosecutors were in this
case. He at first fenced with the question, but at length
replied the Royal Exchange, the North British and Mer-
cantile, the Northern, the Lancashire and London, the
Globe, and the Manchester Offices were prosecuting, and
some others indirectly. In answer to Mr. Moss, he said
the prosecution was instituted without the knowledge of
the shareholders, but on the responsibility of the offices
concerned. The managers had been instrumental in insti-
tuting it, but the directors had not been consulted, nor had
any board meeting been convened to sanction the proceed-
ing. He was not aware of any subscription having been
made among the offices to carry it on. The Lord Mayor is
a director of the London and Lancashire, but not chairman.
He sat as a magistrate on one of the earlier examinations
in this case.

Mr. Alexander Rose, of the firm of Rose, Graham,
and Wilson, of Threadneedle-street, brokers, said, in
reply to Mr. Sergeant Ballantine, that Meriton's Wharf
covered an immense space, and consisted of about 40 or
50 floors, which were generally very much loaded. He
had known the Messrs. Barry ever since they were boys,
and they were gentlemen of the very highest character and
repute. Ordinarily after a fire at a wharf, every merchant
concerned at once levies his claim on the wharfingers for
returns as to damage. Witness's firm in this case applied
every day for a return, and he also knew that the fire offices
put very great pressure on the Messrs. Barry. The result
was to throw a great deal of extra labour on everyone con-
nected with the wharf.

Thomas Wm. Frisby and Lawrence Lewis, corn meters,
said, in reply to Mr. Gifford, that on Feb. 14 and 15 they
meted a quantity of rape-seed at Meriton's-wharf, which
had come by the ship Avoca, into the vessel Watson. It
consisted of 294 quarters in all, and they left behind, at the
wharf, about 140 quarters of the Avoca's freight.
Thos. Alex. Roberts, assessor of fire losses, from Brown
and Roberts, was recalled by Mr. Poland. He said—After
the November fire I was acting on behalf of the North Bri-
tish and Mercantile, the Queen, the London and Liverpool,
and Globe, and the Manchester offices; and some time after-
wards I received the claim produced. I made inquiries with
reference to it, and then a report to the offices, and upon
that the claim was paid to the applicants, Rose, Graham,
and Wilson. He was now investigating another claim made
in respect of the cargo. •
By Sergeant Ballantine—lwas instructed by a committee
of the officers to commence the prosecution. The committee
were Mr. Bird, of the Royal Exchange ; Mr. Whiting,
North British and Mercantile ; Mr. Ritherden, of the Man-
chester ; Mr. Johnson, of the Royal ; Mr. Tomlinson, of
the Sun; Mr. Scott, of the Liverpool and London ; and Mr
Manners, of the Northern ; and I placed myself in commu-
nication with Mr. Humphreys, the solicitor for the prose-
cution, by their directions.
By Mr. Moss—None of the directors were present at any
of the meetings in reference to the prosecution ; only the
officers.

Mr. Theodore Baxter, a broker, deposed that at the

time of the June fire he had 394 bales of jute by the ship
Sebastian Cabot at Meriton's-wharf, bearing distinctive
marks. The jute was insured in the London and Lan-
cashire Office. On inquiry at the wharf after the fire as
to how many of the bales had been destroyed, ho was told
390. He then made out a claim upon the London and Lan-
cashire Fire Office for that number of bales, and in August
he received £1,313 ss. 4d. in payment of his claim. The
four bales said not to have been destroyed were afterwards
delivered up to his order.

Detective-Sergeant Haydon having stated, in reply to Mr.
Giffard, if a remand were granted he had reason to believe
that further evidence would be forthcoming, a remand was
asked for accordingly.
Mr. Sergeant Ballantine then rose and said—l have no
objection to offer any amount of bail, and I think it is right
to call your attention to this very remarkable case. Long
before Messrs. Barry were taken into custody I had an op-
portunity of hearing their statement ; and at my desire,
against their own wishes, they had abstained from making
any public statement. Whether that is desirable or not is
a matter of opinion. I think, however, we have arrived at
the stage in which the public are aware of what the charge
is. Which is, that a fire having taken place, immediately
afterwards returns wero made by which it appeared that
more goods were destroyed than there really were, by which
the insurance offices would sustain loss. Seeing that the
wharf was an old one, and very extensive, and at all times
very full and so crowded that it made it extremely difficult
to ascertain the amount of goods upon the wharf, and
although there was not absolute confusion, still there was
sufficient that would readily account for mistakes occurring
—such then being the state of things after the fire, strangers
would know nothing, and therefore what was to be done
had to be done by the masters themselves. Now you have
heard that applications were continuous for returns. As I
regarded Messrs. Barry, they would shirk from no respon-
sibility, and if they had been guilty of neglect, they have
been punished enough by being placed in the position in
which they now stand, but as for any dishonesty, I believe
when the charge goes before a higher tribunal it will be
scouted out of doors. With reference to the other men,
they had been detained for something like five weeks.
Now, the Messrs. Barry are perfectly free to consider that
there is no charge whatever against them. In dealing with
this you will consider whether it is a larceny or a conspi-
racy, and I most earnestly beg of you to be governed by
your own feelings, and do that which I ask. I make no
distinction between these men. They are entitled to bail.
There is no one conducting this prosecution who thinks for
a moment that either of these men would shrink from their
bail. These three men have been kept in gaol, subjected
to a course of tyranny in order to induce them to say some-
thing against their masters. However, the Messrs. Barry
knew of the peril in which they stood. We knew.what
the three poor men were in gaol for. My clients knew that,
and knowing what was hanging over their heads they had
full opportunity of avoiding standing in the position in
which they now stand, but they fearlessly came forward,
and they have ever since been lodged in prison, and sub-
jected to the same treatment as if they had been convicted
of a common felony. They have been subjected to the
grossest treatment because the insurance companies think
proper to lock them up. Sir, I will put before you half a
dozen gentlemen who will speak to the character of my
clients, and in ten minutes I will accommodate any amount
of bail, and therefore I implore you to exercise your own
judgment, and not be bound down by an accumulation of
charges.
Mr. Giffard said he was not present to dictate to the
magistrate as to whether ho should or should not admit the
defendants to bail. But the charge before him was clearly
one of larceny, and the evidence proved a conspiracy to
commit larceny. They would remember that if the state-
ment of the man Fage was true then the defendants were
clearly guilty. He was there on behalf of the insurance
offices, and not to oppose or sanction bail, and the alderman
was, of course, to use his discretion in the matter.
The Magistrate said the way in which Mr. Sergeant
Ballantine had spoken would appear as if he had some
special jurisdiction in the matter. Where a charge of felony
was preferred it was well known that a magistrate couldnot
accept bail upon his own personal recognizances ; but there
was an appeal to a judge. Ho was sorry to hear of the pri-
son regulations being so strict ; they were not under his
control, but that of the Home Secretary. He could say
what he previously said, which was, that he hoped and
trusted that the prosecution would use every effort to com-
plete the case.
_ _ _

- The defendants were then remanded till this day week,
bail being refused.

Foreign Mail Packet List.

Australia and New Zealand, via Southampton Mar. —.
Ditto, via Marseilles Mar. 15.
Brazil and Cape Verds, by British pao.et Mar. 6.
Ditto, by British packet
Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and at. Helena Mar. 21.
China, Penang, and Singapore, via Sou hampton Feb 18.
Ditto, via Marseilles Feb. 26.
Falkland Islands
Gibraltar, via Southampton
India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Scuthampton.... Feb. —.
Ditto, via Marseilles • Feb 26.
India (11Jmbay), via Southampton.. Feb. 26.
Ditto, via marseilles Feb. 20.
Mauritius, via Southampton
Ditto, via Marseil e +... . Mar. 8.
Newfoundland Mar. 15.
P0rtuga1.........
..
... . • . Mar. 6.
Ditto, by private ship to Lisbon.
United States and British North America, by Bri-
tish packet
Ditto, by United States packet, via Southamp-
tun ...... .
Ditto, via Cork
Ditto, by Canadian packet, via Londonderry Feb 24.
West Coast of Africa, Madeira, and Teneriffe Mar. 73.
West Indies and Pacific (except Bahamas, Cuba,
and Mexico Feb. 28.
Bahamas, via New York Mar. 9.
Bermuda, ditto Mar. 15.
Cuba and Moth>, • Feb. 28.