The Sun.
London, England, 1824-07-20 00:00:00

IN THE OLD COURT.

fr. George Palmer, the Solicitor, and his
clerk Hader, stood indicted, the former with
subornation of perjury, and the latter ►pith wilful
and corrupt perjury.
Mr. ANnnEws stated the case to the Jury,
and Mr. BRODERICK immediately put in the
original writ.

The facts of the case were that a writ had been
issued against a gentleman named Baker, hut, by
same mistake, the date appeared 1804, instead of
1824, which was copied by the clerk, who, on
making the service, swore he had served a true
copy. Mr. Baker did not appear, and the
Learned Judge reouested that, for public justice,
it might be made generally known, that in fu-
ture, if prosecutors and witnesses did not appear,
their recognizances would be estreated, and that,
in future, no case would be put olf, unless strong
grounds were shown for so doing.
The verdict of course was an acquittal. ,

WILLIAM RAMSDEN ROBINSON.
The prisoner was yesterday again indicted for stealing on the
Bth June a seal and brooch, value 40s. and upwards, the pro-
perty of Michael Marchant. Ann Marchant is the wife of the
prosecutor, who carries on businesain Tichbourne-street, as a
jeweller; knows the prisoner at the bar ; saw him on the thli
ult. when he came to her shop, and said he wanted to look at a
fine gold key and seal. Witness shewed him several, when he
inspected one of them in particular, after which he bid her
good morning and went away. Witness immediately after-
wards missed a fine gold chased chain. The same witnesses
were called to character, and alibi, as in the previous cases. The
Jury again stopped the case, and considered that a sufficient
alibi had been proved. Verdict—Not G Atty.—Mr. Justice
Gaz 'MEE said, that as this was a capital charge, he felt it his
duty to try it. The other three indictments were minor of-
fences ; another long conference was then held between his
Lordship and the prisoner's Counsel; it was understood that
the latter expressed a desire to have the whole of the case.%
tried—at the result of the conference the prisoner retired front
the bar, and the Counsel put up their briefs, the prosecution,
ibnelirrin Itriiisnddryr,
on the representation of Mr. Justice Gazelee, who tried the
gedia abandoned.
ttly,
and a Mr.
p,tr dlolnanfrioi enrl
tsheen sent g express
iscxi
expected
case on which he has been convicted.

OLD BAILEY NEW COURT—(TaiI Dar.

TRIAL of CAPTAIN FELIX MWONOGH, and
HENRY DRUID, °Menthe IIENRRY JONES, for
OBBEItY.

The above prisoners, the former of whom is
the avowed author of a work that has excited very general
attention, entitled the Hermit in London, were put to the bar
on an indictment, charging them with stealing, on the 30th of
June last, from the person of Mr. Thomas Weaver, a pocket-
book, containing money to the amount of at least one hundred
pounds.
From the evidence adduced in support of the prosecution, it
appeared that the parties met at the Saloon in
where, in the course of conversation,. Jones pointed out the
the Captain, as the author of Heitait in London, and the con-
sequence was that the prosecutor invited them to take a glass
of wine. This was complied with, aid the result was that the
parties left the saloon together in a coach, the two prisoners
riding on the box. On arriving at the Bell Inn, Holborn, the
prosecutor found he had lost his watch. The prosecutor ex-
pressed a wish to return, but the prisoner Jones tried to per-
suade him to abstain from doing so, and eventually they were
all taken to the watch-house, as disorderly, when in the morn-
ing the prosecutor found he had lost his pocket-book, and the
property above named. The parties appeared before Alderman
'Thompson, when the pocket-book with two letters were found
on the person of Druid.
The prosecutor underwent a most severe cross-examination
by Mr. .A r. LEY ; and on a question being put to him as to
how he had occupied his time, he suddenly dropped down in a
tit. He soon recovered, sufficiently. to be able to walk out of
Court. On his return his cross-examination was proceeded with.
He admitted that he had been in the company of sonic ladies,
among whom was Mary Anne Clarke ; a person named %Vest-
brook was also present. lie reared with Mary Ann Clarke,
hut he would positively swear that he had his pocket-book
after. Mary Ann Clarke again came into the room, and hav-
ing accused the prosecutor of treating her ungentlemanly,
struck him on the nose. The prosecutor underwent a long
examination, in the course of which some very mutual contra-
dictions occurred.

Robert Edwards, the waichman stationed on Holborn-hill,
deposed to seeing the party there. The prosecutor appeared
elevated, but yet seemed to know what he was doing.
Henry Hughes, another watchman, deposed to hearing the
prosecutor say he had lost kis pocket-hook.
Mr. Berestord, clerk to the Magistrates at Guildhall, pro-
duced the minutes of the evidence produced on the examination
of the prisoners before the Alderman. From this it appeared
Capt. Wllonogh voluntarily gave his name and address, viz.,
—" Felix 314llonogh, Captain in the Army, belonging to the
Duke of Cumberland's Corps," and added, that the younger
prisoner was his son. _

The driver of the hackney chariot, No. 722, described the
prosecutor to have hired him on the night in question and drove
the chariot himself, the witness riding behind. Ile also added
that he saw Druid attempting to put into his pocket a book
similar to that produced.
Four other witnesses were called, but their evidence did not
bear materially on the case.
.Mr. ALLEY took an objection on the part of the Captain, as
there was no evidence against hint. This was, however, over-
ruled.

Mr. Druid was then called upon for his defence. lie so-
lemnly protested his innocence, and called the Almighty to
witness his assertions. He read from a written paper a most
fi►rcible appeal to the feelings of the Jury, and pointed out
the many circumstances that had occurred. Ile dwelt with
much force on the fact, that while labouring under the efficts
of wine, the whole party had been involved in street broils by
the conduct of the prosecutor. He was about to read a
letter from Shrewsbury, descriptive of the character of
the prosecutor, but his Counsel advised him to abstain.
With respect to the possession of the pocket-book, he accounted
for it by stating that the prosecutor placed it in his care ; but
with respect to its contents, he solemnly called God to witness
that he never saw them. - He dwelt strongly on the insol-
vent state of the prosecutor, and put it to the Jury to say,
whether it was possible that a man who had within the past
month been a bankrupt, and who had at the time a liCence from
his creditors, should have been possessed of the money he pre-
tended farther than in his own brain ?

Captain 111‘Donogli also made a very forcible appeal to the.
Jury, and called their attention to the fact of his avowing his
son before the Alderman, and explained the reason for not giv-
ing the proper name by his son, from the disgrace that would
attend their being in a watch-house.
Witnesses were then called to prove that the prosecutor bad
made many wrong statements, and had also liven a false de.
scription of himself- One witness swore that he Would not
believe the prosecutor on his oath,
for he was ps.-orerbially
liar. Both prisoners recessed a most unexceptionable cha-
racter. The COKMON SE ILTEANT summed up the evidence to the
k Jury, who knurl the prisoners. Not
a

'IIIE LONDON JOUKNALS.

DAILY
Extracts from the Morning Poperg, fitly '2.0 .

[THE TIMES.,
The-Commissioners appointed to inquire into
the departments of the Customs and Excise have
pablished another Report, being the 16th, and in
Lt have confined themselves to the subject of defec-
ii*ve regulations in the latter and most complex of
the two establishments. One circumstance of a
perplex in; nature has always appeared to us to
stand in the way of a really efficient system of
Excise laws, arising out of the assumption on
which the entire code has been founded—that
all mankind are knaves. The manifold refine-
ments in the art of detection—the suspecting,
prying, watching, measuring, gunging, number-
ing, locking up, permitting, the property of all
traders, and every rank and character, must be
kept in force by equal ingenuity, directed against
the officers and instruments of the system itself, or
the whole scheme goes to pieces. It would be a
grievous inconsistency to imagine that no merchant
or private gentleman can be trusted to the amount
of sixpence where the Excise duty is concerned,
yet that every Excise Officer must he worthy of
confidence when thousands of pounds are within
his grasp. We find, accordingly, that at least
half the torturings and sackings of the brain
which the Excise laws have cost our legislators,
have sprung from the wondrous difficulty of de-
vising sufficient safeguards against the corruption
of the Exciseman, paid as he is for preventing
the bad effects of other men's dishonesty. Checks
and counterchecks upon their own officers have
been multiplied ad iryinitant by the Govern-
ment—bribery by the Crown in the shape of
reward for active services has been resorted to,
anti often, it is feared, without success, as an
antidote to the bribes of the smuggler, ad-
ministered to the Exciseman as rewards for
shortness of sight, inertness of motion, or
any other natural infirmities ; but still " col-
'Lilian" in its vast variety of disguises is the
grand impediment to a thorough reforma-
tion of the system. New modes of deception
are hourly framed to baffle the growing expe-
rience of the law-makers, and the hundred eyes
of " the Commissioners," even multiplied by an
hundred, would serve, perhaps, but to confuse
their vision. The-report now before us contains
a lung enumeration of the unsuccessful expedients
to which the Government had from time to time
had recourse, for enabling the officer to counter-
act the arts of the smuggler, or for securing the
public against their joint malpractices. We can-
not here do more than advise our commercial
readers to turn to the document itself for infor-
mation upon the improvements recommended by
the Board of Inquiry, who present the heads of
the complicated subject to the Treasury in some-
thing like the following order, and whose sug-
gestions appear to us to be marked in general by
discrimination and good sense :—" The mode
"of making seizures, and rewards for them
44 —capture and detention of smuggling ma-
" riners—of smuggling vessels—necessity of
44 prompt payment to the seizing officers—regula-
" tions for appraisement of goods seized—Lon-
" don and the oat-ports----the military engaged
" in giving assistance to• Excise-officers—the
" custody, transmission, and final disposition of
" seized goods—salvage—expediency of an half-
" yearly report from the Board of Excise to the
" Treasury—of a consolidation of the Excise
" laws—of a new code of instructions to the
" officers—of an improved audit of the accounts
46 of Customs and Excise." The Commissioners
are—Right lion. C. Long, Lord G. C. 11. Somer-
set, and W. H. Lushington.

[MORNING POST.]
The letters from Rio Janeiro, received yester-
-Bay 'to the c2Oth May, convey some intelligence
of considerable importance. ft appears that the
Emperor Pedro was fitting out an expedition,
consisting of several ships of war, which was to
lie placed under the command of Lord Cochrane,
and in addition to this several vessels had been
taken up as transports for the conveyance of
troops. Various rumours were afloat as to the
destination of this squadron, it being thought by
many that it was intended for Angola, and that
part of the coast of Africa, with a view of taking
possession of the Portuguese settlements in• that
quarter. Others conjectured that its object was
to capture the Spanish ships which have gone
round Cape Horn, but the general opinion was
in favour of the former rumour.

{MORNING cuttoNtcr.E.]
Letters wore received yesterday from Rio de
Janeiro, dated on the ifith of May, of which
the contents are .important. In that part of the
Brazilian Empire the utmost tranquillity pre-
vailed, and confidence was gradually restoring
itself betwixt the Emperor and his subjects. In
the Northern Provinces, however, the -aeneral
feeling
was very hostile to, monarchical Govern-
rnent, and it was consequently not thought pro-
bable that a general unity of sentiment could be
effected amongst the population of that vast Em-
pire. It is most likely that in a short period the
Brazils will be divided into two distinct States,
for the extent of coast is too great for the equal
distribution of justice from one source. Lord
Cochrane was fitting out an expedition, consisting
of four ships of war, but his object was kept pro-
foundly secret ; be had engaged the services of
the most able-bodied seamen, and he had made
large purchases of all descriptions of military
stored particularly of cured provisions, so neces-
sary to a ton% voyage. It was conjectured to be
inteotion 'to proceed against the Porto-
whew. Settlemont of Aniolal on the coast
of Africa, but rtbi3 supposition is extremely
improbable, for it is t likely that the
fneto4,
Emperor would di to
the .poitogttes,it an expedition against
1,11 MOUES at a tithe when
be was actually negotiating with the Mother
Country for a recognit:mt of the sovereign Inde-
nendeure of hE is own mpire. The More probable
fd ° ifick the object supposition is, that the.Pac
distinguished Naval Officer. To xtt ogurslt the
Spanish Naval orce in those seas is necessary to
the independence of Chili and Peru, and to cow.