The Sun.
London, England, 1838-10-22 00:00:00

SURREY SESSIONS.

KINGSTON, OCT. 20.— MN. Mary Elizabeth Filby and
Elizabeth, her daughter, were irnActed for assaulting James
Stephens whilst in the execution of his duty.
The prosecutor stated that be was an auctioneer and ap-
praiser at Egham, and was employed by the churchwardens to
distrain for church-rates on the goods of Mr. Filby, the hus-
band of one and father of the other defendant, who is a coach-
man in that town, but on going to th.• house and distraining
on a table the defendants showed him an assignmeot of the
goods to Mr. Filby, jun., and he went away. Six days after-
wards the churchwardens, thinking the- as,ig,linent to be a
trick, obtained another warrant of distresA, a ed, ac,Ampanied
by Mr. Mills, he went to Filhy's house to execut it. The
witness again distrained upon the table, who and Miss
Filby said he should nut take it. Miss Filby Oeciaring she
would scratch his eyes out if he touched it, and her mother,
seizing a gun from ag,aio,_,t the wall, presented it to his head,
threatening to shoot him if he did not leave the house. The
son of the elder defendant snatched the gun from her, upon
which they sidled round the table and pushed him to the
door, and when there Miss Filby forcibly pushed him into
the street.

In his cross-examination he admitted Mrs. Filby having
offered him the amount of the rate without the expenses,
which he refused to take, and that Mr. Filby told him to dis-
train on any of the carriages, which were his own, but that
he did not like to take anything so much above the amount of
the rate.

In the defence it was asserted that the gun was not loaded,
and had no lock on it.

The Jury found the defendants Guilty, and the Court sen-
;enced them to pay a fine of 20s. each.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-AO USE.

Mr. Bush, the solicitor to the Committee of Bankers for pro-
tection against forgers and robbers, having attended on Satur-
day before Sir P. LAURIE to request that a person charged
with having committed forgery might be remanded,
Sir PETER took the opportunity of addressing a gentleman
of so much legal experience and acuteness on a matter of con-
siderable interest to the community, particularly to commer-
cial men, who were liable to serious depredations from the in-
genious practices of the swindlers with whom London
abounded. He wished to be informed publicly of the opi-
nion Mr. Bush entertained of the report of the Committee, of
which Mr. HaWes was Chairman, on the subject of police,
more particularly of that part of it which recommended the
appointment of ushers in the place of the offic( rs who had
been long in the habit of acting on the most important occa-
sions, and the collecting of information by the officers of the
metropolitan police alone. The recommendations he alluded
to were of course to the effect of dispensing with the services
of such men as the two Forresters, Roe, Hirdtield, Leadbit-
ter, Plank, Keys, and others of that class of intelligent and
able officers.

Mr. Bush had read the Report, and could not help express-
ing his surprise at whet appeared to him to be an extremely
injudicious recommendation. It evidently proceeded from
men who knew nothing practically of the most effectual way
of discovering offenders. It would be recollected that, al-
though there was a remarkable decrease of crimes attended
with violence, there was a great increase of crimes of enormity
—crimes, he might call them, of mind—and to grapple with
the crimes thus progressing, great tact, and experience, and
practice were necessary. He was convinced that it would
require thirty years' education to bring men to the perfect
knowledge of the business in which they were employed.
which the individuals he had named possessed, and which were
absolutely necessary to meet the talent with which plunder was
at p, esent committed.
Sir PETER LAURIE thought, from the knowledge which
Mr. Bush was known to possess on so very momentous a
subject, that the Parliamentary Committee would have sum-
moned him before them, in order to be made acquainted
with the working of the existing machinery. He ( Sir
Peter Laurie) had, when under examination, recommended
the examination of Mr. Bush, Mr. nobler, the chief
clerk to the Lord Mayor, and others, who were well qualified
to give the information which the Committee ought to have
received before they decided upon recommending the abo-
lition of a system which must be most incompetently substi-
tuted. But be had been given to understand that the Com-
mittee did not like practical men ; and no doubt the opinions
of such me❑ would ie t be relished by theorists.
Mr. Bush said it would appear that the authority of practi-
cal men was likely to have but little weight with those who
made the preposterous recommendations referred to by Sir
Peter Laurie. In order to give any chance of effect to the
project, it would be necessary to adopt the plan of passports,
to which he did not think it probable the people of England
would be easily reconciled. The plan was evidently borrowed
from the French and Austrian police code; and although
probably well suited to the genius of those countries, was
wholly at variance with English principles and practice. A
theorist in such matters was no authority. A theoretical
farmer might as well be consulted on the details of the cultiva-
tion of a farm. Nothing, in fact, could be more absurd than
such visionary speculations.
Sir PETER LAURIE—You have just given utterance to the
opinions I have long formed.
Mr. Bush had spoken to Sir Peter Laurie just a s he would
speak to the Committee if under examination before them.
Sir P. LAURIE said] it gave him much gratification to state
that the evidence of Sir Frederick Roe was most decidedly in
favour of continuing to the Magistrates the power of employ-
ing particular officers.
Mr. Bush observed that the subject was one of great impor-
tance to merchants and bankers. He was most positive that
the substitution proposed in the place of the existing plan, of
obtaining the assistance of the principal officers, through the
medium of the Magistracy, would be wholly inefficacious.