The Sun.
London, England, 1865-06-13 00:00:00

LONDON GAZE rTE—This Evening.

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WAR-OFFICE, PALL. MALL, JUNE 13.
Royal Artillery—Lieut.-Col. and Brevet-Col. Charles Jas.
Buchan Riddell, C. 8.. to be Colonel, vice Henry Austin
Turner, retired.upon. full-pay ; Capt. and Brevet Lieut.-
Col. Guy Rotton to be Lieutenant-Colonel, vice Brevet-
Colonel Riddell ; Captain Hugh Bent, from the Super-
numerary List, to be Captain, vice Brevet-Lieutenant-
Colonel Rotton ; Captain Sanford Freeling, on the Su-
pernumerary List, has been permitted to resign his com-
mission ; Lieutenant Samuel Parr Lynes to be Second
Captain, vice Laurence Hector Hardress Parsons, placed
upon temporary half-pay.
Royal Engineers—Lieutenant-Colonel William Kendall to
be Colonel, vice Rivers, who retires upon full-pay ;
Capt. John B; G. Close to ba Lieutenant-Colonel, vice
Kendall; Second Captain Cuthbert Walter Finch to be
Captain, vice Close; Lieutenant Edward Parry Gambier
to be Second Captain, vice Finch ; Gentleman Cadet
Macgregor Greer, from the Royal Military Academy to
be Lieutenant with temporary rank, vice Gambier.
BREVET.
Colonel Harry Rivers, retired full-pay, Royal Engineers,
to be Major-General, the rank being honorary only.
Colonel Henry Austin Turner, retired full-pay Royal
Artillery, to be Major-General, the rank being honorary
only.

ADMIRALTY, JUNE 12.
Mr. Charles Raiford has this day been promoted to tho
rank of Acting Engineer in her Majesty's Fleet, with senio-
rity of Dec. 21, 1864.

CRIMINAL COURT,—This Day.

OLD COURT.
(Before the Recorder.)

STEALING THE LATE EDITION OF " THE SUN" NEWSPAPER.

An auxiliary sorter, named Thompson, was indicted for
stealing a newspaper (the late edition of The Sun), the pro-
perty of her Majesty's Postmaster-General.

The prisoner pleaded guilty.
Mr. Metcalf, who appeared for the prosecution, said the
prisoner was in the service of the Post-office authorities as
an auxiliary sorter, and in the evening on which he
stole the newspaper, he was engaged sorting the
newspapers preparatory to the despatch of the evening
mail. While he was performing his duty he was observed
to place the paper in his pocket, and when he was taken
into custody by the officer attached to the Post-office, ho
said he had taken the paper merely to read the American
news, as ho had a son in that country. It however appeared
that that explanation was not deemed necessary, es-
pecially as on searching him a gold watch and chain,
a betting-book, and a largo sum of money in gold.
was found in his pocket. The inference was that he had
taken the paper for the purpose of making himself
acquainted with the latest betting, which is invariably
published in the newspaper he selected. There was no
desire to press severely against the prisoner, although such
leniency would not be extended to other prisoners com-
mitting the same offence. All that was now required was
a punishment sufficient t,.) show that the Post-office
authorities wore desirous of making it known that the
greatest care was taken of everything passing through that
establishment.

The counsel for the prisoner said his client had acted in
a very imprudent manner in taking the paper but for a
short time. He had a son in America, and being anxious
about him he had taken the paper not with the intention
of stealing it, but of reading the American news, and re-
turning it to its proper place before the mail left.

A number of witnesses gave the prisoner a very excel-
lent character for honesty.
The Recorder said it was a very serious offence to inter-
fere with any letter or parcel in its process through the
Post-office. Although it had been urged it was only a
newspaper, yet that newspaper might have been of the
greatest importance to the party to whom it was addressed,
and it could not be two generally known that it
was equally an offence to delay, as it was to
appropriate a letter or newspaper. The statement of
the prisoner's counsel was just possible, although the fact
that the prisoner had a betting book upon him favoured
the suspicion that the paper was taken to ascertain 'the
state of betting, and not to read the common news. Under
all the circumstances ho should flue the prisoner £5, and
order him to be detained in prison until the fine was paid.
It, however, another case of a similar nature was brought
before him, the person committing the offence would not
escape with a fine.