The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-18 00:00:00

STEAM NAVIGATION OF THE DANUBE.

We learn with great interest, from a perusal of the
Peek Gazette, the almost incredible extent to which
mercantile investment has been increased in the south-
east of Europe, in consequences of the security afforded
by the restoration of peace and order in that portion of
the Continent.

navigation,o
of
Thete
a Dange, auanbrdee .enSmot e awo mo
foremostyeemployed
Navigationhemin
theto
tgrraevaetlCompanywtho
rrhko having f
inter-
national
surest Europe
pledge
A g
eofmecr
future America inpe
asceea search of
prosperity. every irovement m
en-
gaged the services of some of the most experiencedgmen
nantioneaflletertaodfe,thtios
ewohmi
which could be made available in the furtherance of river
pchanwyealmreusastyleooonksifsotrws
oafrflds
vessels of the collective power of 9,517 horses, together
e
with 300 flat-bottomed cargo vessels. These are actively
as
steam
engaged in the transport of passengers, goods, and cattle,
on the Danube and its tributaries, and are under the
most perfect system of arrangement and supervision.
The vessels are 'almost entirely constructed of iron,
and have been built at the company's own building yard
at Alt-Ofen, where upwards of 2,000 men are in con-
stant employment.
The steam machinery is from the workshops of the
most celebrated London and continental engineers, and
that which is described as being most pre-eminently well
adapted for the peculiar service of a river, abounding, as
the Danube does, with shoals and bars, is from the fac-
tory of Messrs. John and Alfred Blyth, of London.
The engines supplied by this establishment are of 100-
horse power, and have been fitted on board the Gonyo
and Waitzen, and are described as having imparted
to those vessels more speed than has been ob-
tained from smaller vessels with engines of 120
and 150-horse power, made by other engineers of
eminence. The speed of the cargo vessels has been
rendered by these engines equal to that of the swiftest
passenger vessel on the river. The company have given
extensive orders to the same engineers for other ships
now building, and have promised to have six other ves-
sels with engines by the same makers in operation early
in the present year.
Messrs. Blyth have already supplied dredging-ma-
chines, which are at work on the Danube, excavating
the shallows of the stream; and to the great success of
these efforts may be ascribed the high expectations which
the Danube Steam Navigation Company entertain, that
ere long the river navigation will, under their auspices,
present all the regularity and speed of railway travelling,
combined with that safety and comfort which the supe-
rior accommodation of steam-vessels alone can afford.

RELEASE OF A FLEET OF MERCHANTMEN.--A fleet
of nearly 400 sail of merchant vessels have been for some
time wind-bound inside the Isle of Wight, and which have
weighed anchor since the springing up within the last 24
hours of north-easterly winds. A fleet of about 50 col-
liers from Wales are now also on their way, bound for
Southampton.

THE RECENT ALARMING COR! FRAUDS IN
THE CITY.

MANSION-HOUSE -:(THIS DAY.)

This morning, Mr. Robert Ferdinand Pries, who has
been charged with extensive frauds under circumstances
detailed in evidence on a previous occasion, and who has
been for the last week under remand, was again placed at
the bar before Alderman Sir R. W. Carden, Bart.

Mr. Ballantine appeared for the prosecution, and Mr.
Wontner for the defence.

Mr. Ballantine having explained the form in which he
proposed to conduct the proceedings said, he intended to
produce a vast number of bills of lading and bills of
acceptances, all of which were forgeries. It was most
fearful to contemplate. the vast amount of fraud that had
been committed. •

Mr, Freshfield stated that, although Messrs. Collmann
did not appear to prosecute, having been defrauded to
the extent of 50,000/., a circumstance which had com-
pelled him to suspend their payments ; those gentlemen
were, however, present to give any information that
might be in their power with reference to these gigantic
frauds.

Huggett, the detective officer who apprehended the
prisoner, said that since the last examination he had
served upon the prisoner, as well as upon his wife, calling
upon the former to produce certain documents, and upon
the latter a letter addressed to her by the prisoner, in
which he stated that he was an impostor, and that he
was about to put an end to his existence.

Mr. W. F. Ingelow said he had seen the letter ad-
dressed to Mrs. Pries, alluded to in the notice which had
been served upon that lady.

Objection to the production of this document was
taken by Mr. Wontner on the ground that it was not in
the possession of the prisoner. A lengthened argu-
ment ensued upon this point.

Sir R. W. Carden said he should not allow any legal
quibble to interfere with the full investigation of the case,
and as it was not produced he should allow secondary
evidence to be taken.

Mr. Ingelow proceeded to say that he made a
memorandum of the contents of the letter soon after he
read it, and it was nearly as follows:—`Q My dearest,
dearest Matilda,—When you have got over the first
shock, you will be better without me. Teach little
not to hate the memory of his wretched father. 0 God !
by what a chain of circumstances have I been led to do
what I have done. lam an impostor, a swindler, and a
forger. I shall take the quickest means of putting an
end to my existence. (Signed) Yours, R. F. PRIES."
Mr. Thomas Young examined—l am a lighterman,
waterman, and granary keeper, carrying on business in
Thomas-street, Horsleydown, in partnership with Mr.
Brown. I have not had transactions directly with
the prisoner. When goods are consigned to my
warehouse, they are removed by a delivery order
from the person landing them. The goods would
be in the name of the party who entered them.
If a change of property took place during the time the
goods were in our possession, it would be necessary for
the person receiving the order to present it to use; and if
we were satisfied the goods would be transferred to a
new name in the event of such a request being made,
such person would be enabled to obtain from us a docu-
ment verifying that fact. We should hold ourselves
responsible to the person to whom we had given the
transfer. These documents (produced) are not signed
by me, or by my authority. (The documents professed
to bear the signature of the house with which Mr.
Young is connected.)

Mr. H. Turk, merchant, a partner in the house of
Collmann and Co., said—l have had large transactions
with the prisoner. Those documents (produced) I re-
ceived from the prisoner in November last. The names
of Young and Brown were then attached to them, but
what was written across was not on them then. I ad-
vanced large sums of money upon them. I gave them
up to the prisoner upon his promise to pay the advances
that had been made upon them, which was to be esti-
mated at 30s. on each quarter of corn. The prisoner
said his object in regaining the documents was to obtain
advances from other parties. Witness produced a large
bundle of forged transfers, all of which he said were
deposited with him by the prisoner.
Witness continued—The total amount advanced upon
them was 51,0001.
Cross-examined by Mr. Wontner—Since the 31st of
December prisoner has paid 21,0001.
Re-examined by Mr. Ballantine—After deducting that
amount 51,0001. still remain due to one establishment
from the prisoner.
Mr. Ballantine said that would be the case on one
part of the evidence.

Mr. Schulzff deposed that on the faith of those forged
bills of lading, he had advanced several thonsands of
pounds.
The case was then remanded for a week.