The Sun.
London, England, 1822-09-06 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MAN SION-HOUSE. Yesterday George Fowler,. a seaman;
was brought before the LORD MAYOR, upon a warrant for vio,
lation of an Agreement made with the master of a merchantman
called the Britannia, trading to. Jamaica, which violation sub-
jected him to very heavy penaltieg by the provisions of a statute
of his late Majesty.
The Captain of the Britannia stated, that the defendant had
some time ago entered into a regular engagement with him to
act as seaman in a voyage to Jamaica and home. Witness
had taken with him a crew just adequate to the labours of the
voyage, and expected that his men would adhere to their en-
gagements ; the consequences of departing from which, at such
a distance from England as the Colonies were, might be at-
tended with the most serious mischiefs to the owners. Upon land-
ing at Jamaica, however, the witness found that he had the dis-
advantage of a desertion by three of his men to contend with-
and that the defendant was one of those who had left in the

almost insurmountable extremity. A jolly boat had been taken
possession of by the runaways, who rowed off froM the vessel,
and hired themselves to the aptains of other ships, who were
often guilty of enticing men from their duty by giving them
double wages for desertion. Upon the departure of the Bri-
tannia from Jamaica, the witness, having no more than three
able seamen on board, was obliged to work in the most laborious
manner during the whole voyage; and on his arrival he ascer-
tained that the defendant was in London, after having fulfilled
an engagement formed by him with the Captain of anothet
vessel. The witness added, that it frequently happened, that,
in consequence of such conduct as he had described upon the
part of seamen, vessels were detained in the Colonies several
months ; and that the difficulty of getting hands often ren-
dered it necessary that all on board should work to the utmost
on the return to England. As he was in the habit of going '
voyages to the West Indies, he was determined to do all
he could to prevent a repetition of such acts as had so greatly
inconvenienced him ; and he accordingly applied to the Lord
Mayor for a warrant, to apprehend the defendant, upon the 37th
of Geo. 111. cap. 73, entitled " An Act to prevent the Loeser-
' tion of Seamen from British Merchants' Ships, trading to the
'British Colonies in the West Indies."
The Act states, that any seaman who shall desert from his
ship during his voyage out or homewards, shall over and above
all previously existing penalties and forfeitures, forfeit all wages
due to him by the Vessel from which he shall desert ; that one-
third of the forfeiture shall go to Greenwich Hospital, one-;
third to the Merchant Seaman's Fund, and one-third to the
informer; and if the wages due under such circumstances be
under the sum of 201. the same shall be recoverable before one
Magistrate.
The defendant said the cause of his desertion was an insult
which he had received on board. He, however, thought fit to
request, that in consideration of his wife and children he might
be forgiven, and to declare that he would never subject any
other person who should engage him for a voyage to the incon-
venience complained of.
The complainant said his object was to put an end to a prac-
tice the most mischievous, and not to punish an individual who
might think, frOm the frequency of the practice, that it was a
venial offence. He added, that in consideration of the claims
of a wife and children upon his compassion, he should forego
the charge; but there was, ha said,. an accomplice of the de-
fendant within his reach; and against that offender he should
not hesitate to enforce the penalty.
The LORIYMAYOR observed, that the Act upon which' the'
warrant had been granted, and on which such decisive measures
could at otice'be taken, was but little known ; and he trusted
that the Captains of ships who traded to the Colonies would
'practise towards each other an ingenuousness and-candour when
at a distance from'home, that would' defeat the object of de-
serters, who cared not about the injury, provided they were
well paid.- His Lordship expressed his readiness upon all occa-
sions, to`put into effect, against any offender of the kind, the
,very salutary statute of th 37th Geo: 111.
QUILDHAT.L.—BARTHOLOMEW FAIH.—AII persons ap-
prehended for offences committed in the Fair, are taken in the
first instance before the City Marshals, one or other of whom
is in constant attendance at the Giltspur-street Compter. By
this sort of Grand Jury examination much trouble is spared to
the Magistrate, the frivolous charges being dismissed, and only
those offenderS whose conduct in any way affectS the public
-peace detained' for examination before the Sitting Alderman.
Of this latter class; however, the fair has•furniShed no incon-
siderable number. No less than ten prisoners underwent exa-
mination on Wednesday for various offences in the fair, mostly
of the usual cast, picking pockets, creating riot, and assaulting
officer's ; but no' case of any particular or extraordinary enor-
mity occurred.
'1 he number of prisoners froni this scene of riot and confu-
-sion brought up-yesterday amounted to eleven. Of these two,
viz. Henri/Brown and Thomas Lawrence, for picking pockets,
were committed for trial. .
Three fellows; one of thenra Lasear, were committed to the
House of Correction for various acts of indecency towards fe-
males, which dastardly conduct has it seems been practiced to
such an excess, in spite of the exertions of the officers, that
scarcely any modest woman could pass without being subject
to personal insult. ,
James Amos, a kind of journeyman showman, was charged
by a quondam master of his, who has a booth in the fair, with
stealing his monkey.' The animal and the thief were, it seems,
' old acquaintances, and the latter availing himself of that inti-
macy, had seduced the former away. As the law does not
protect these animals so as to make them the object of a felony,
the prisoner could not be detained for the theft; and was ac-
cordingly discharged, with an admonition from the Worthy
Alderman to avoid such monkey tricks in future.
The charges against the other prisoners being merely for acts
of disorder, or trifling assanits' upon officers in the execution
of their duty, involving no marked degree of criminality, they
were severally discharged upon expressing their contrition, and
settling their quarrels with their prosecutors.
WORSHIP-STREET..—EDMONTON Fain.—George Byng,
.Robert Bevill, W. A. Armstrong, and E. R. Mores, Esquires,
,four of his Majesty's Justices of the Peace for the County of
Middlesex, have appointed a Petty Sessions to be held at this
Office, on Tuesday the 17th instant, where all parties summon-
ed and interested are required to chew by what lawful'right
and title a Fair:, called Edmonton Fair, is held in the town of
' Edmonton, and in a field there adjoining, and in the inns there,
and yards of the said inns ; that if•the said Fair shall be found
to be an illegal Fair, or if the same shall be found to be held
and continued a greater number of daysahan of right it ought,
that the said Fair, after the present year, may be limited to the
proper number of days, or altogether discontinued, as the case
may require. In consequence of this'appOintment, Summonses
were yesterday issued to the Occupiers of Ground let for the
Fair, to Inn-keepers, and others at Edmonton, interested in its
continuance.
BOW-STREET.— William Anderson, alias John Pitm,an,was
brought up by Waylin and Smith, two of' the Police belonging
to this office, charged with committing a very daring robbery at
the Crown and Cushion public-houSe, near the Marsh-gate,
Lambeth, on Wednesday evening. The prisoner when put
to the bar had his head bound with a handkerchief, and his
shirt and the rest of his dress were much stained with blood.
He seemed very faint and ill.—lt appeared in evidence, that
between nine and ten o'clock on Wednesday evening, Way-
lin and Smith were passing the Crown and Cushion, when
they saw two men whom they knew to be suspicious charac-
ters standing near the door, as if upon the watch. The officers
walkedearelessly into the house, so as to avoid observation,
'and having called for something to drink, took an opportu-
nity of asing. Mr. Sweet, the landlord, if he was sure his
house was all safe ? They explained their reasons for the
question, and Mr. Sweet took a candle and went up stairs, the
officers retiring to the door. When. Mr. Sweet got to his cham-
ber door, which he always kept locked, he found it standing
partly open, and on his pushing it back- the prisoner presented
himself, and making a blow at Mr. Sweet attempted to pass
him down stairs. Mr. Sweet, however, turned the candlestick
which he held in his hand dexterously round, and struck the
prisoner such a blow on the head with the bottom of it as to
bring him to the ground, and inflict a very severe wound. He
recovered himself, and jumping again on his legs, succeeded in
passing Mr. Sweet;' but an alarm being raised, he was stopped
by the officers at the door. A pocket-book, containing 20 sove-
reign, the property of Mr. Sweet, 'was found afterwards on the
stairs, and in the apartment from which the prisoner issued,
every thing was prepared for the removal of all that it contained
of value. The drawers, bureau, &c. were broken open. The
officers searched the prisoner, and found upon him some pick.
lock keys, a crow bar, and other usual implements of house-
breaking. a
When asked if he had any thing to say, he replied " not at
present."
He was fully committed to Horsemonger-lane Gaol for trial
at the next Surrey Assizes.
QUEEN-SREARE.—Elizabeth Fullegar, the young woman
charged with the murder of her male bastard child at Chelsea,
was discharged, the Coroner having certified to 'the Magi-
strates, that the Jury on the Inquest had found, " That the
said Elizabeth Fullegar was delivered of a male infant, which
was still-born, and that she secreted the same."
TOWN HALL.—NEW MARRIAGE ACT.—lresterday morn-
ing, Alderman J. J. SMITH gave directions to Mr. Newman,
the Chief Clerk, to prepare printed forms of affidavits required
to be sworn to by the new law before a marriage can be solem-
nised by the contracting parties, to prevent any unnecessary.
trouble to persons about to enter into matrimonial engagements.
Mr. Newman stated, that the Rector of the parish had the
power, according to the Act, of administering the oath, and taking
the required affidavit. The Alderman replied, the Act also au-
thorised Magistrates to take the affidavit; and as Rectors could
not always be met with, except on a Sunday, it would be proper
„to prevent procrastination and afford a convenience to parties, by

being prepared with forms of affidavits ready for filling tip, with'
names, places of abode, &c. Mr. Newman said that he would
take care that such forms should be immediately prepared.--AC
a number of Churches the notices of intended marriages stuck
up against the Church doors have been pulled down in the
middle of the night. The Act requires them to be stuck up for
a certain period, a circumstance that alarms the lovers, lest their
marriage should not be legal.