The Sun.
London, England, 1849-08-24 00:00:00

NEW COURT.

_ - -
(Before the RECORDER and Mr. Alderman HUNTER.)
Joshua Simmons, who was convicted yesterday of
stealing forty yards of doeskin for trowsers, of the value
of 51. 10s., the property of Messrs. Bartrum and
Harvey, the woollen-drarers of Holborn-hill, was
placed at the bar this morning to receive the judgmf•nt
of the Court. Our readers will recollect that out of 17
witnesses who appeared to give the prisoner a
good character, only one knew vt here he lived.
This morning, upon his being placed at the
bar, several of the sergeants and policemen of the City
and Metropolitan police were examined, all of whom
stated that they had known the prisoner for some years,
that they knew him to be an associate of thieves, that his
house was the resort for them, and that he had been
for years the receiver of stolen goods, and that upon ont
occasion he very narrowly escaped being transported.
The RECORDER, after complimenting the City autho-
rities for instituting the prosecution against the pri-
soner, and remarking upon the dangerous tendency of
his offence, sentenced him to ten years' transportation.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.
(THIS DAY.)
(Before Mr. WITHAM.)
The Court sat this morning by adjournment at the
Guildhall, Westminster.
Amongst the persons summoned to serve as jurors,
and claiming on different grounds to be excused, was
Mr. Groves, of Regent-street, Westminster, an under-
taker, who pleaded that there was so much demand for
his services at present that his absence from his business
for a day would be a public inconvenience.
After some observations (partly jocular), the Chair-
man desired him to wait a while, and the Court would
see whether he could be spared or not.
William Russell, a gentlemanlike young man, was in-
dieted for obtaining, by means of false pretences, a
quantity of precious stones and jewellery, of the value of
701., the property of M. Genevieve Marry, of Golden-
square, dealer in jewels.
Mr. O'BRIEN, the prisoner's counsel, pointed out,
that the false pretence laid in the indictment was, that
the prisoner induced the prosecutor to part with the
goods on the promise that be would return them in two
hours or pay the money. That was a future pretence,
and any pretence depending upon a future event was not
a false pretence under the statute. It was true the pri-
soner had said he came from his brother, who was a
customer of the prosecutor's, but that was not alleged in
the indictment.

The CHAIRMAN disputed that view of the Aet, which
was ably supported by Mr. Huddlestone as well as by
the prisoner's counsel. It was at length agreed that the
trial should proceed, subject to an application for defer-
ing judgment to next session in case of a conviction.
The prosecutor, however, having stated that he had
parted with the goods on the promise that they would be
returned or the money paid in two hours, and that be
would have given them for approbation, on the same
terms, to any person in the trade,
Mr. O'BRIEN submitted that the credit of two hours
did away with this indictment as much as if it had been
credit for twelve months.

The COURT, after some argument, directed an Ac-
quittal.
THE LATE ALTERCATION IN COURT.—Mr. MELLOR,
having an application to make on behalf the parish of
Marylebone, requested permission to offer an apology
to the Court, and to the Learned Chairman, for what he
must admit to have been the very intemperate language
into which he had been betrayed in an altercation with
the Chairman on Wednesday last, in the Court at Clerk-
enwell. The Learned Gentleman said, that under no
circumstances could any counsel be justified in address-
ing such language to the bench, which was the repre-
sentative of Majesty itself. He had acted in a moment
of great excitement. He very much regretted what he
had said, and he hoped the Learned Chairman would
accept his earnest apology. They had known each other
in the relative positions of judge and counsel in the same
court for several years, and the late had been the only
occasion upon which anything disagreeable had arisen.
He felt it due to the Chairman, to the Court, to the
profession, and to himself, to make this apology in the
most ample manner.

Mr. WITHAM said that be had thought the Learned
Counsel went too far on the occasion referred to; but he
had no doubt at the time that he would in a cooler
moment feel that he was in error. It was for
that reason that he (the Chairman) let the matter
pass without any notice on his part. He was wry glad
that the Learned Gentleman had shown the good sense
to acknowledge his error, and he cheerfully accepted the
apology.

Mr. RosE (county magistrate) said ho was very glad
the Learned Gentleman had acted in so proper a manner,
and he hoped that others who committed themselves in
the same way would imitate so becoming an example.

17ARLBRO'-STREET-(THIS DAY.)
Win. Wilson and Dennis Collins were placed at the
bar before Mr. Hardwick, charged with having stolen
18 yards of cloth, value 101., the property of Mr. Fletcher
Snow, tailor, No. 5, Frith street, Soho.
Edward Baker, foreman to Mr. Snow, stated that
about five o'clock on the previous afternoon, he was in
his employer's shop, when ho observed the prisoner
Dennis, whom he had previously seen lurking about the
door, creep into the shop and take the piece of cloth pro-
duced from off the counter near the door, and push it
towards the prisoner Wilson, who was standing outside
the shop. Witness immediately gave the alarm, when
the prisoner Wilson dropped the cloth, and they both ran
away, pursued by witness into Compton-street, where
they were stopped by a constable, till witness came up
and gave them in charge.
The prisoners, who are well known to the police, were
committed for trial.

DREADFUL FIRE ON THE NORTH KENT RAILWAY.
—This morning, about two o'clock, a serious destruction
of property took place at the North Kent Railway sta-
tion, opposite Charlton, Kent. The fire originated at
some buildings on the platform, and having been seen in
London, the London Brigade and West of England
engines were dispatched thither. Their timely arrival
was of the greatest assistance, and although the fire
raged for some hours, and every person present was
placed in great danger, yet it is believed that no lives
were lost. The whole of the building, 75 yards in
length, as also the contents therein, were supposed to bo
the, property of the company, who, it is expected, is
insured in the Phoenix Fire-office.
Lieutenant- General the Hon. John Meade, C.B.
died at Madrid on the 6th of August. This officer
served in the East Indies, and in the campaigns
under his Royal Highness the Duke of York in
Holland ; he commanded the 45th Regiment at the
battle of Busaco, and was employed as Consul-
General at Madrid.