The Sun.
London, England, 1849-12-10 00:00:00

EVENING, DECEMBER 10 1849

basket. He rt quested her to go quietly away, but in-
stead of doing au sho abused him in very unfeminine
Linguage, and wound up lytr torrent of abuse by declar-
ing that she was " a lady and a barrister's wic,."
Finding that her violence was nut likely to 6. übside, be
took her to Vie station.

The prisoner denied the statement oF the constable.
Tru; she was in the court, but blio was there for the
pirpoc. of neoveting. posses,ion of a basket that had
been taken from her, and when the otiieer came up he
said, " Halloo, how long are you prostitutes going to
keep up this row ?" She told him that she was no pros-
titute, but a married woman, whereupon he demanded of
her " how many children she had got," and she told him
that was no business of his, You lie," he replied,
" you have three by me."
Mr. lIALL asked her where she lived. Prisoner—ln
Brick court, Temple. I have chambers there.
Mr. BALL—What are you? Prisoner—l am a bar-
ratzr's wife.

Mr. HALL—WeII, you hive told a most incredible
story, and I suppose ycu will deny being drunk. Pri-
scner—Ccrtairfly I will.
Mr. Inspector Wilkinson said she was so drunk vs hen
was brought to the station that she could Lot be
b..ilcd out.

Mr. HALL Clought so. No woman with any respt ct
for herself would be seen in Newcastle-court at ore
(Air ck in the mornkg unless she were intoxicated, arld
as it was quite clear the ufficer's evidence wit:: comet I.e
should fine her 55., or seven da3 s.
The fine was paid.

MARLBRO'-STREET-(THIS DAY.)
INDECENT ASSAULT AND ATTEMPTED EXTORIION.
Tarbuck, who described himself as a tallow-
chandler, reri,ling at No. 16, Little Nee port-street, was
trought before Mr. Bingham, charged with having iude
ci utly assaulted Mr. W. Russell, 159, Regent-street,
and attempting to extort money from him in Hyde-park.
The prosecutor stated that he was in the employ of
Messrs. L rsis and Allenby, 159, Regent-street, and that
on Saturday night, about half•past nine o'clock, he was
coming from Knigstsbridge on his way home, and on
arriving at Hyde Park-corner he had occasion to go into
the public urinal near the park gates; on entering he saw
the prisoner, who accosted him, saying it was a very tine
night. Witness said, yes, it was, and took no further
notice of the prisoner, and left the place immediately.
On leaving, he had occasion to turn round, and saw that
the prisoner aas following him. Perceiving this, witness,
whose way lay through the park, turned into the
eastern path, which is well lighted, still followed by the
prisoner. Witness not liking the prisoner's appearance,
crossed the road, intending to get rid of him, but the
prisoner kept walking by his side forcing his conversa•
lion upon him. Witness thinking to get from the pri•
sone-r, crossed the road again, when the prisoner
laid hold of witness in a moat indecent manner.
Witness became very much excited, and baring heard
that several persons had been stopped in the park,
and being naturally timid, he felt very much alarmed at
the prisoner's conduct, and endeavoured to run across the
road. The prisoner, however, maintained his hold, and
said " I see you are a gentleman; you must give me 21.,
and if you have not got the money, you must pawn your
wateh. If you do not consent to this, I will charge you '
with a certain offence, or follow you home." Prosecutor
after a desperate struggle with the prisoner got away,
and called Police" as loud as he could. Two consta-
bles came up, and witness gave the prisoner in charge.
The prisoner denied the charge, and attempted to
prove that the prosecutor had made improper overtures
to him in the first instance. _ _

Police-constable 41 A proved taking the prisoner in
custody. On searching him he found a small packet of
rouge, used by such fellows to colour their face. lie
had seen the prisoner loitering about the park on
several occasions for the last two months. lie had
inquired at the address which the prisoner gave at
the station, and found that he had been there only a
week.

Mr. BINGHAM directed the depositions to be taken, and
committed the prisoner for trial at the Cential Criminal
Court.

/le, the son of Lord
Mr. Frederick William Bannaty
Bannatyne, was charged btfure Mr. Bingham with
having been drunk and riotous at Genese's coffee-house
iu Jermyn-street.
It appeared that on Saturday night, about twelve
o'clock, the defendant went to complainant's house and
commenced quarrelling t with some of his customers.
Seeing he was in liquor, complainant ordered him to
leave the house, and on his refusing complainant was
obliged to procure assistance to eject him. When out-
side the door the defendant became so violent that
complainant gave him into custody.

lieferidatitdenied the charge.
Mc. BINGHAM fined him 5f., which was immediately
paid.

TO THE INHABITANTS OF LONDON.
Fellow-Citizens,—l entreat your special attention
to the following circular :
_ _

" City of London Gas Company's Works, Dorset-
street, Salisbury-square, Dec. 4, 1849.
" The Committee of Management of the City of
London Gas Light and Coke Company hereby give
notice that, from and after Chrisinas-day next, the
price of gas supplied by this company to consumers
by meter will be reduced to 4s. per 1,000 cubic feet.
" DANIEL BENHAM, Sec."
The Great Central Gas Consumers' Company was
establitlkd at a considerable expense, to relieve you
of the exactions of an unjust, oppressive, and grievous
monopoly. They found you taxed 6s. for gas, with
which the above quoted circular proves you could
have been supplied for 41. The difference has been
wrung from you by immunity from fair competition.
To the new company you are solely indebted for the
successive reductions from Gs. to and from ss. to
44. Four thousar.d six hundred and eighty of
you consumers of gas have bound yourselves to take for
five years your supply from the new company,
and 1 venture fairly to test your public spirit, your
intelligence as men of business, your fidelity to your
honourable obligations, and the foresight of your
sell-interest, by the answer which you will give to the
folio A ing appeal.
Are you prepared to accept of the blind bargain
and the totally inadequate overture which has been
offered to mere short-sighted cupidity, to desert those
by whom the apparent advantage, such as it is, has
been alone extracted with tardy reluctance from the
old companies, and to seek by quiescence tacitly to
evade the contracts to which you have affixed your
signatures ?

-Read the circular attentively. What remedy does
it afford for your grievances ? A committeee of
management is anonymous—its members may die—
they may be changed. It may wind up its business
—its plant may be seized by creditors, or sold by
shareholders—where is your relief then ? How long
is the reduction to last ? No longer depend upon it,
than the duration of the urgency by which it was
compelled. Is it ever to go further—to 3s. 6d. or to
35.? Who can enforce it ? Not the consumers, who
are not parties to the mere understanding to which
you are asked to attribute the power of a binding
contract. Can the Court of Sewers—will they ? If
they will, how can they do it, but by calling a compe.
titor into the field ; and who will ever compete, if
you desert the new company now ?
But even if the reduction were permanently secure,
does it_ofler any of the advantages you ►would derive
from competition ? The old. companies divide you
between them and conquer you. Nothing but com-
petition always at hand to offer you relief of
grievances, can protect you from the invasion of ap-
parently the most stringent conditions. Consider the
abuses to which you may still be subjected, even if
the old companies adhere to their proposed reduction.
Ist. Tenants and landlords of all tenements re-
quiring or using gas, must still guarantee absolutely
all the debts of the old companies. If any consumer
leaves a house in debt to them, his successor must
pay the whole arrears which the producers were lax
enough to leave uncollected. If he refuses, his supply
is cut off, and if he applies to the accomplice company
it refuses to poach upon the ground of its associate.
2d. You have no offer of any improvement in the
very inferior quality of the gas with which you have
been supplied, and which has practically compelled
you to accept of little more than half the illuminating
pot% er which was ostensibly supplied to you, and for
which you were exorbitanly charged.
3d. You have still to defray the whole cost of
service pipes and meters.

4th. You have no security against exorbitant charges
for meters, and against an attempt, what has already
been successfully practised, to compensate a reduction
in. the nominal price of gas, by raising the rent of
your meters.

sth. You have no guarantee against the continuance
of an abuse of which you have repeatedly and justly
complained, of being inflicted with meters so imperfect
in their register that you have frequently been com-
pelled to pay for a much larger quantity of gas than
has ever been supplied to you. What is your
remedy if yourefuse to pay ? You may be compelled
by action to liquidate a debt you never incurred.
Your supply may be cut off, and when you apply to
the alternate company, they will reject your custom.
You may ask the Court of Sewers to enforce the
pledge of the circular, and will be told they have
neither the power, the funds, nor the will to compel
performance of a mere bubble promise.
Contrast these loose conditions with the stringent
obligations to which the new company pledges itself
to be bound by deed, under seal to the Court of
Sewers, and by Act of Parliament.
Ist. They will give and lay for you service pipes
gratuitously.
2d. They will supply you v. ith meters without
charge.
Bd. They will give you gas of a minimum illumi-
nating power, equal to the maximum at present
supplied.
4th. They will apply their whole profits above a
dividend of 10 per cent. to the reduction of the charge
for gas to 35. per 1,000 feet, and lower if increased
consumption and profits will then admit of it.
sth. They will secure to you fulfilment of these
conditions by bond to the Court of Sewers, and by
ample provisions in their Act for surveyors of meters
and chemical inspectors of the quality of their gas, to
be appointed by the magistrates, the Corporation of
London, or the Board of Trade.
It you fail now to stand by those who have stood
by you, never hope that you will have another oppor-
tunity of doing yourselves justice. To this point

your cause has been crowned by a prosperous issue ;
it is in your power by union, activity, and public
spirit, to carry it to a triumphant conclusion. 9,856
of you have pieferred your deiriandi to your represen-
tatives. Will you suffer your signatures to go for
waste paper ? The struggling tradesman, the toil-worn
mechanic, the poor sempstress, ask you to help tl.em
to cheap light, to see to trade, and labour, and work
by. If now you fail to answer their appeal, there
will only remain the con,o'ation that this will be L--e
first time that the claims of humanity were ever made
to the citizens of London in vain.* You have set
your hands to the plough, and I have too much se-
liance upon your firmness and intrepidity to.believe
that you will ever look back until the success of your
labours enables you to review them with entire satis-
faction.

I remain, fellow-cit:zens,
Your faithful servant,
WALBROOK.

* " With good gas at 3s. the 1,000 cubic feet, the
smallest .shopliecper, the handiest mechanic., and the porest
houstlieepi r, will be supplied with as ntuJh LIGHT fur
unEE FAnnaNcs thS can Le obtained trim u pound of
DIP CANDLES costing sixpence."