The Sun.
London, England, 1838-09-08 00:00:00

(GUILDHALL.-(THIS DAY.)

THE ROBBERY AT EDINBURGH.—Lyon Bernhard,
who was remanded yesterday, was again brought up.
Sarah Gear, chambermaid at l'onson's Hotel, in the
Haymarket, stated that she went to her situation on the
7th May, and thoroughly cleaned the rooms on the Bth.
The prisoner was there shortly afterwards, but she could
not speak positively as to the time. He slept there two
nights. He could not have been there until after the 811'
May.

Thomas Monteith, the waiter, produced the books kept
at the inn, but nothing could be gathered from them
favour of the statement made by the prisoner. Witness
could not state that the prisoner was there before the 11th
May.
Sir JOHN KEY said that the prisoner was at Ponson's
Hotel some time in May there could be no doubt ; but it
certainly was not until after the Bth. The robbery vtag
committed on that day, and it was very possible that the
prisoner might be in London on the 11th. The evidence
produced was certainly not sufficient to prove an alibi.
One of the witnesses stated that the robbery was cote'
mitted between one and two o'clock, and that the mail left
Edinburgh about four, so that the prisoner might have set
off almost immediately afterwards.
Sir JOHN KEY remarked that the prisoner said the other
day that he had been at York.
Prisoner—That was 18 months since.
Sir JOHN KEY—But you were at Glasgow. How did
you get there, if you did not pass through York ?
Prisoner—l went from London to Liverpool, and from
Liverpool to Glasgow.
Sir JOHN KEY inquired if the prisoner had any other
evidence to prove an alibi.
The prisoner replied that he had, but his witnesses were
not in town.

Sir JoHN KEY said he was under the same impression
as he was yesterday, that the prisoner was the person win'
had committed the robbery, for he had been clearly iden:
tified as having been in Edinburgh, and it was also proveol
that he had attempted to commit several robberies here.
He must, therefore, be removed to Edinburgh, to be dealc
with by the authorities there.

The prisoner was then handed over to James 111‘Kenzi°,
one of the Edinburgh officers, who was in attendance.

THE POST-OFFICE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
KELLY, SEPT, 4, 1838.
SIR—In your paper of the Ist, you state in a leacFng article
the manner in which the nation has been treated, by the Pnad`t
office preventing the intelligence brought by the Great
Western steamer from being promulgated.
You seem to have forgotten what your own columns have soo
often ably exposed—namely, that the jog-trot introduced into
St. Martin-le-Grand by Sir Francis Freeling is the only Paco
which can keep the worthies there in their saddles.
rnai
You say truly that newspaper men, sea-going men, -
coachmen and guards work by night as well as by day, /la,
infer that Custom-house officers should do the same in lands'
letters; and so they would were they permitted. Look at thep.
evidence given before the Committee on Postage, regardi%
landing ship-letters at Liverpool, and you will see how thinr„sar
managed. The existence of the Bank of England, andt.'ne ere;
dit of the world, have been in jeopardy, and the iv'celligearia
brought by private ships deeply concerned both But this alter or amend the Post-office jog-trot Not a v/131
any more than the fate of Canada, and its, existence as a CO'"c'
lony, has done in the case of the Great, Western.
The people may rely on a conti
t,uance of this treatment;
so long as the Government persit'
cs in maintaining the prese4
inefficient management of the t'ost-office Department, itl,-!Pint•
of the numerous concurring remonstrances and reports of °;'"
missioners and Committees.
The whole blame of this rests on the Government, which C;1„1;
dently has not been sincere in the late flimsy attempt at chatig'-,
the office of Postniaster- General into a Board of Commissionerx,
Every Post-office in the three kingdoms, that of Londn,a„cao
(2ePb"),, have the duties going on all day long. In London re
Post-office duties are performed during the day, and there :r,
the letters by the Great Western, and by all other similar, is
rivals, however important, must await the hours of wh„a"tst
that office phraseology, are called " the regular mails, ay.
is, those invented and set a-going by Mr. Palmer of Bath, b
a century ago—three" regular mails" however, are studio_uos -10
made to arrive and depart, so as to allow of, REGULAR o_rej
being taken by the St. Martin's-le-Grand men, as cornP,aud,
with whose ease and comforts the fate of the Bank of Ere
of Canada, and the world arc nothing.
eat,
I repeat the blame of all this rests with the Goverlini ho
who, if determined to change the system of conductingps t
Post-office department could very easily find the raea
Where there is the will there is also the way"—and 04,001
moval of a Postmaster General or a Secretary, or
from office, need not hinder the Crown and its M 1 ,0
ters from doing that which has been recomdenden
such sufficient grounds, if they desire it in earnest. It
,ing
be of no use attempting again to delude the people resPe'
fiat
the dilatory, feeble attempt of effecting this change
obeyother
of Parliament. The Duke of Richwmhoartlh,
awsitbhetehne ice
Tory Peers, do over again done twice
already, namely, throw out the Bill for
puttin the dficeble
Commission ; and no one acquainted with
th g e
discredits
of
state of the Post-office department could blame the Dakece
Richmond for so doing, as the unquestionable consequlv
of an able administration of the department would inev:Ja .io
prove how weakly it had been administered by Sir FranieLsi
Freeling when his Grace was Postmaster General. Vfloass
Lord Melbourne's Government, therefore, take other 11/f Of
than an Act of Parliament for placing the management as,
Post-office on an efficient footing, the people may rest 6s,
sured of being disappointed in obtaining the cheap P°
which has been proved by incontestible evidence 00 ndeci
safely obtain, and which has been so strongly recounent.
by the Select Committee on Postage immediately to grao be
The Report of this Committee is printing, and will a°, re'
before the public. It will then be seen, not only what 4 four
commended, but how unanswerable the evidence is in
of the recommendations.
The evidence given by the officers of the Post-office
licsrd
also be fully in view ; the people will judge for then's'" itb
whether that department has shown any desire to fait in of
n
their wishes, and in how far they are competent ,inA"f C the
the trade they arc engaged in carrying on for the benefit °f
nation,
depart,
Believing the general management of the Post-office "
one t
Mont is but little known throughout the country, and nrcsn,
ing,, however erroneously, that I could place some iinP-,,aseu.
points before the public which ought to be known, I Pr4l-hiB'
to the committee on Postage to give evidence before it. osone
having been printed, but afterwards withdrawn, fcr,r rty (.°
known to the Committee, and therefore being now at 1"10, for
use it as I may think proper, I send a copy of it hereot of 0
publication in The Sun, should you consider it wordy
roan
large a space as it will occupy.—Your most obedient .":„6,
ROBERT WALLA'