The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-06 00:00:00

SURREY SESSIONS.

The adjourned Quarter Sassions for the county of
Surrey commenced yesteday, at the Court House, New-
ington, before Mr. Hedger, the Chairman, and a Bench
of Magistrates.
The calendar contains the names of 63 prisoners for
trial. Of these 26 can neither read nor write • 21 can
read and write imperfectly ; 8 can only read imper-
fectly ; and 9 can read and write well.
The Grand Jury having been addressed by the Chair-
man, retired to their own room, and shortly after re-
turned into Court with various bills.

Robert Fisher, aged 19, was convicted of stealing, at
Clapham a pair of clogs, the property of Thomas Hart,
and was sentenced to two months' imprisonment.
James Crane, 32, and Stephen Tay.or, 31, were in-
dicted for feloniously stealing, at Chobham, a quantity of
turf, the property of Edmund Nicholls.
The prisoners pleaded—Not guilty.
It appears that the inhabitants of Chobham have a
right of cutting turf on Chobham Common, but, accord-
ing to the custom of the Manor, no, turf can be sold off
the Common to any but .an, inhabitant of Chobham
parish. Mr. Nicholls, the prosecutor, had, at the begin-
ning of July, employed one of his workmen, named
Collyer, to cut and stack some turf for him on the
common. On going the next morning to the Common,
Collyer, and another of the servants of Mr. Nicholls, dis-
covered that during the night several of the turfs had
been removed in a waggon, which they tracked for ten
miles to the farm-yard of Mr. Willis, at Egham, where
they found a waggon unloading turf. Mr. Willis stated
that he had bargained with the two prisoners for two
loads of turf, for which he was to pay 3s. Gd. a load, and
that the prisoners had told him that he must send his
own carts for them at night, for it was not exactly al-
lowable to sell turf off the Common to persons not re-
siding in the parish. He had' accordingly sent them to
arrange with his carter, named Cotter, and the prisoners
and Cotter had gone to the Common, and loaded the turf,
which was ready cut and cocked in the spot where Col•
lyer had cut it. The prisoners and Cotter had returned
with the turf to Mr. Willis's. On Collyer claiming the
turf, as Mr. Nicholls's property, Mr. Willis immediately
offered to pay the regular price, and gave him a so-
verereign. On his cross-examination, Mr. Willis said
that he had always before paid 6s. or Bs. a load for turf,
and that it struck him that this was remarkably cheap.
He admitted that he had acted hastily in purchasing the
turf when the men had told him it was not allowable to
sell turf out of the parish.
The prisoners received a good character.
It was also stated that they had each large families,
and were out of work at the time, and in great distress
in consequence.

The CHAIRMAN, in summing up, commented most se-
verely on the conduct of Mr. Willis, and intimated that
there ought.to hax,e.,hea,,three prisoners at the bar in-
stead of two.
The Jury, having consulted together for a short time,
returned the following verdict :—" We find the prisoners
guilty, but we are of opinion that they acted as they did
from the inducement held out to them by Mr. Willis ;
and we think that if justice had been done, Mr. Willis
would have been placed alongside the prisoners. We beg
to recommend them to the merciful consideration of the
Court."

They were then sentenced to seven days' imprison-
ment in solitary confinement.
The CRAIRMAN then called up Mr. Willis, and, after
having cautioned him as to his future conduct, told him
that the Court could not think of allowing him his ex-
penses. _ _ _

Mr. Willis expressed a desire to say a few words in his
justification, and said that he had been influenced by no
ill intention in what he had done ; and that when he had
discovered that the turfs had been stolen, he had afforded
every facility in his power to the prosecution.
The CHAIRMAN said he was exceedingly. sorry that a
person occupying the respectable situation in life which
Mr. Willis did should have given his evidence in such a
manner.

Mr. Willis, having again disclaimed any intention of
robbing either the prozeeutor. or Chobham Parish, with-
drew.

THE WEATHER.---Noox, AUGUST 5.
ROYAL GALLERY OF SCIENCE, ADELAIDE-STREET.
Barometer
Thermometer... 60 I Highest 64 Lowest ......
Wind S.W.—Freezing Point 32 Deg.

SHOCKING ACCIDENT IN FLEET-STREET.—
Yesterday morning, a little after six, Robert Hur-
ley, a labouring- man, in the employ of Mr. Ward, of
Water-lane, Blackfriars, bricklayer, while at work in
clearing away the ruins of the house in Fleet-street that
fell down some weeks since, was supporting himself on a
heavy beam of timber, when its hold in some brick-work
gave way, and he was precipitated from a height of between
twenty-five and thirty feet, into a heap of brick-rubbish,
in
ches
square, beam, which was sixteen feet long and eight
square, falling on his head. On being raised up he was
found to be insensible, and bleeding profusely from a
frightful laceration of the scalp,
and on being conveyed
to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, his skull was found to be
so extensively fractured, that but slight hope is enter-
tained of his surviving. The unfortunate man is 47 years
of age, and has a wife, but no family.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MANSION-HOUSE.

Willies a Ho 'ins, landlord of the Hole-in-the-Wall
public-house, Fleet-street, appeared before Sir Peter
Laurie, who sat for the Lord 11::-.yor, to answer the com-
plaint of James Scott, a private in the 2d Lancers of the
British Auxiliary Legion, under General Evans, in
Spain, under the following circumstances :--
Captain Roberts said that he appeared to support the
summons, in consequence of reading the following
letter :

King-street, Long-acre, June 22, 1841:
"Sir,—ln compliance with your wishes, and at the
same time grateful for your kind consideration, I hereby
endeavour to transmit to you a few of the names of those
unfortunate individuals who, like myself, have been de-
frauded by that prince of swindlers, Alexander So-
merville : £ s. d.
James M'Culloch, Bth Scots
Robert Johnston do.
John Holland, do. ' 10 13 0
Robert Cohen, • do.
Samuel Cuddy do.
James Gallgaher, do.
Edward Fields, do. .,, 317 2
Daniel Grady, Gth Scots
James Mullin d 0...,. .. 7 12 . 6
John Mullin, do.
Henry M'Every, do.
James Stuart, 4th Regiment
James Scott, ,2d Lancers

£ll2 4 2
"These, Sir, are only a few of the too many instances
which I can recollect of duplicity practised by Alexander
Somerville on those who were so unfortunate as to be-
come a prey to his insinuating and artful way of vic-
timizing.
" I have the honour to be, Sir, your most humble servant,
" ROBERT APCORMICK, late Bth Scott's, 8.A.L."
" To Captain Roberts, 8.A.L."
Captain Roberts stated that the complainant was a
private in the Lancers, of the British Auxiliary Force,
who served under General Evans in Spain, and upon the
dissolution of that force Scott retired to Belfast, in
Ireland, where he worked for some time as a wood-
turner, until he met with an accident, by which he lost
the use of one of his hands. Some time after the acci-
dent, an advertisement appeared in the London Journals
as well as the provincial ones, and also placards signed
" Alexander Somerville," stating that he was an agent
for the recovery of gratuities and pay due by the Spanish
Government to the British Legion, and which *as secured
under the Convention of both countries; he undertook
not only to recover the amount, but make them an
advance.

Sir P. LAURIE—Was this the Somerville that made
such a noise at the Reform Bill, and figured away in the
Scots Greys ? Captain Roberts said that it was, and
proceeded to state that every soldier on his discharge,
obtained certificates for his gratuities and pay, which
being indorsed by the holders, were transferable. Scott,
on seeing Somerville's handbills in Belfast, applied to him
by letter, to which he received the following answer :
" 13th Jan., 1841, 4, Brydges-street, Strand, London.
" Sia, I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your let-
ter, and have to say that I can do nothing with your cer-
tificates until I see them, and have submitted them to
the judgment of the Spanish Commissioner who is ap-
pointed them. The moment he sees them, and says
they are good ones, I shall instantly send you money for
them. I shall either purchase them at thirteen shillings
in the pound, or get you the instalments, keeping two
shillings each for my trouble, or I will do anything else
you may instruct me, if that is in my power.
" Only, as I have been taken in by purchasing and
lending money on bad documents received already, I
cannot do anything with you until I show your papers to
the Commissioner, which, if you send them soon, I shall
endeavour to do next week.—l am your's faithfully,
"A. SOMERVILLE.
"Mr. James Scott, 5, Mitchel-street, Belfast."
Sir PETER LAURIE—What was Somerville origi-
ginally 7 Captain Roberts—He was originally a ia-
botrerin a stone quarry, and latterly was an orderly to
Colonel Jacks. Subsequently he„ went to Glasgow,
and commenced agent for the recovery of the British
claims ; and Belfast being so near, he despatched his
emissaries out there.

Sir PETER LAURIE—What was the price of the certi-
ficate ? Scott—An offer of 13s. in the pound was made
to me.

Captain Roberts—The father of Scott, on receiving
Somerville's letter, forwarded the certificates unindorsed,
and of which they heard nothing until they made appli-
cation to the Spanish Government, and the following
answer was received from Monsieur Castaneda; the Spa-
nish Commissioner :

"163, Albany-street, Regent's-park, April 21, 1841.
" James Scott,
" In reply to your application respecting your certifi-
cates, I have to inform you that the one for arrear of
pay was presented at the office by Mr. W. Hopkins, of
the Hole in the Wall,' Fleet-street, London, who ob-
tained a final certificate for the same in his own name.
The other for gratuity was also presented at this' office
by the same person, who received Ist and 2d instalments
payable thereon the 14th February last.
" MIGL. CASTANEDA."
Accordingly an application was made to Mr. Bradburn,
a gentleman much employed in the recovery of Spanish
claims, and he took Scott to Queen-square police-office,
when Scott declared he never indorsed them also
a declaration to the same effect was obtained
from his father, notwithstanding they were sold in this
market to Mr. Hopkins, and they bore the indorsement
of Scott. And what was required of Mr. Hopkins was
that he should give up the certificates which he holds of
Scott's and the endorsement on which is forged.
Mr. Hopkins—l bought them in the market at the
market price, and they are transferable by indorsement.
Sir P. LAURIE—There is no doubt but Somerville
forged the indorsement. Pray, Mr. Hopkins, how much
did you give for them. Mr. Hopkins—Twelve shillings
in the pound.

Sir P. LAURIE—To what amount of Scott's did you
purchase. Mr. Hopkins—About 171.
Sir P. LAURIE—Pray who did you purchase them
from ? Mr. Hopkins—Of a Mr. Gilbert.
Sir P. LAURIE—Where is Mr. Gilbert?
A person of the name of Williams, who represented
himself as his clerk, said that he was a livery-stable
keeper, and he got them from Mr. Baudry. who keeps
the Britannia public-house, Commercial-road, and
Baudry got them from Somerville, and Gilbert gave 55
per cent. for them.

- Sir P. LAURIE—I suppose Baudry and the other par-
ties are dealers in them? Williams—Yes, they are,
when legally- indorsed.
Sir P. LAURIE—WeII, Mr. Hopkins, had you not bet-
ter give them up? Mr. Hopkins—l have not got them.
Sir P. LAURIE—Where are they ? Mr. Hopkins—
I sold them.

Sir P. LAuarr.—When ? Mr. Hopkins—About six
weeks after I purchased them.
Sir P. LAURIE—When had you notice of the for-
gery ? Mr. Hopkins—About the 19th of July.
Sir P. LAURIE—Did you sell them before you had
the notice ? Mr. Hopkins—l did ;it was decidedly
wrong to have purchased them without ascertaining the
genuineness of the indorsement, but when I purchased
them from Mr. Gilbert I had no doubt of every thing
being correct.
Mr. Williams—Gilbert purchased them from Baudry,
and he had them from Somerville.

Sir P. LAURIE-Oh, yes, we knew that; but what I
want to ascertain is, whether it was likely that Hopkins,
Gilbert. and Baudry had any knowledge of the trick
played by Somerville ? Capt. Roberts said that he did
not believe they had.

Sir P. LAURIE—What has become of Somerville ?
Capt. Roberts—After finishing his agency operations in
Glasgow he published a work called "A Narrative of the
British Campaign in Spain," which sold very well, and
he subsequently came to London, and published a six-
penny work in 15 numbers, which he called " A Nar-
rative of the Wars of Europe," which also sold well,
and a part of which appeared in the Dispatch.
Sir P. LAURIE—Oh, in the Dispatch ; then he was one
of the pillars of the Dispatch? Captain Roberts—Yes,
and for which he was tied up •, he subsequently fell out
with the Dispatch, and published a letter in the Morning
Advertiser, and he had latterly become an advocate for
military Clogging.—(Laughter.)
Sir P. LAURlE—However, it appears that those par-
ties did not know of the forgery. Captain Roberts—
Certainly. I am sure they were not cognizant of it.
Sir P. LAURIE—Why did Somerville coose Glasgow
as the field of his operations ? Captain Roberts—Because
we inlisted 2,500 men, and upwards of 100 in Belfast.
Sir P. LAURIE—HOW many certificates are still out ? •
Williams—Upwards of four thousand.
Captain Roberts—My object in seeking this public
inquiry is to spoil Somerville, which as sure as it is
made public it will do.
Sir P. LAURIE—It does you infinite credit to come
forward in behalf of those poor plundered men. Pray,
Mr. Hopkins, to whom did you sell your certificates ?
Mr. Hopkins—To Mr. Gilbert.

Sir P. LAURIE—To Mr. Gilbert, from whom you
bought them ; how came that ? Mr. Hopkins—When I
heard there was a likelihood of there being trouble about
them.

Sir P. LAURIE—How came you to suppose there
was to be any trouble about them ? Mr. Hopkins—
From a letter I received from Mr. Kirkman Lane,
the attorney.
Sir P. LAURIE—Did you sell the certificates back to
Gilbert before or after you received Mr. Kirkman Lane's
letter ? Mr. Hopkins—Oh, before I received the letter.
Scott—No you did not ; for two months afterwards I
saw my certificates in your hands.
Mr. Hopkins—No you did not ; I shoWed you the cer-
tificate of another Scott.

Scott—There was no other Scott in the same regiment.
Mr. Hopkins—The certificate I showed you belonged
to a man of the same name in another regiment:
Sir P. LAURIE-It appears that there has been most
extraordinary dealings in these certificates.
Captain Roberts—Most shameful. I know where one
person holds 9001. of those certificates, composed entirely
of the two months' and six months' gratuities, the former
31. and the latter 91., for which a mere trifle was given.
And the publicans, :ems, and crimps of Portsmouth
obtained hundreds of thew for a pot of beer, or a glass
of gin.

Sir P. LAURIE—Oh, shocking, shocking !
Captain Roberts—And I know that one physician, at
the west end, holds 15,0001. worth, purchased through
an agent.

Sii• P. LAURIE—WeII, I think as those parties have
creditably come forward to meet the charge, and as they
are respectable people, they will give to Scott anything
they made by the purchase of the certificates.
Mr. Hopkins and Mr. Williams having agreed to do so,
Sir P. LAURIE inquired what became of Somerville ?
Captain Roberts said that it was reported that he was in
the Isle of Man, and begged to sav that as the case would
no doubt go before thp public, he did not, in the most re-
mote way, impute anything improper to Messrs. Ilop;
kins, Gilbert, and Baudry.

iSir T. LAURIE perfectly concurred in the observation,
and congratulated Capt. Roberts on the victory he had
achieved.—The parties then left the office.

GUILDHALL.
A number of persons were brought before Alderman
CowAN, charged with passing base coin, amongst whom
the older offenders were severally sentenced to terms of
imprisonment, varying from a fortnight to three months.
A respectable looking man was brought into the office
in custody of police constable 232, charged with assault-
ing two female children, apparently about the ages of
six years and nine.

[We were unable to learn the name of the parties, or
the result of the investigation, as we were decidedly, al-
though civilly, denied admittance, on our application to
be present at the hearing of the charge.]

CORONER'S INQUEST.
On Tuesday evening a lengthened investigation was
gone into before Mr. Baker, Coroner for the eastern
division of the county of Middlesex, and a very respect-
able Jury, at the Lamb and Flag, liornerton, on view of
the body of Mrs. Emma Tudor, aged 39, wife of the
Rev. S. Tudor, of Woodham Ferris, near Chelmsford,
Essex, who was killed by being thrown out of a chaise
on Chadwell-heath, under the following circumstances:—
The inquiry excited the greatest interest, in conse-
quence of two men, one an assistant to a drayman in the
employ of Messrs. Barclay and Perkins, named Coglan,
who had charge of a. dray by which the accident was caused,
and a young man named Edward Johnson, son of a farmer,
residing at Brentwood,who was driving a waggon with!four
horses. at the same time, and which it was supposed was
racing with the dray, having undergone an examination
before Mr. Pearce, one of the Essex Magistrates, the re-
sult of which was that Coghill was remanded to Ilford
Gaol for further examination, and Johnson admitted to
bail by finding sureties to the amount of 2001. to appear
as well.

' The first witness examined, Mr. William Green, of
13, Russell-place, Brixton, described himself as a com-
mercial traveller. He said—On Thursday • afternoon
last, about four o'clock, I was passing in my gig along
the high Essex road towards London, when I heard a
great noise and a violent scream, as from a female, which
was followed by a loud crash. I looked towards the spot
whence the noise proceeded, and observed a cart, a
waggon, and a brewer's dray, all abreast in the roa.l.
Suddenly the waggon darted from the others, and passed
me at the rate of sixteen miles an hour. The driver was
in the vehicle and appeared to have the reins in his head.
In consequence of persons calling out to stop it, Coglan
Heing among them, I took him up, and having turned my
Horse's head round, went in pursuit. I came up with
him after he had got about a mile, and then took the
name and address.

Charles Nixon, of Wilderness-street, Bermondsey,
said—l am carman to Messrs. Coleman, soda-water and
ginger-beer manufacturers, of Baalzeplion-street, Ber-
mondsey. On Thursday afternoon last I was returning
home from Romford in my master's cart, having my
young mistress and my daughter with me, sitting one on
each side. I was then on my right side, and driving at
the rate of from four to five miles an hour. On crossing
Chadwell-heath, I observed three drays standing oppo-
site a beer-shop, about 100 yards before me. At the
moment they all began to move, and when within forty
yards of me the man who had charge of the last dray
Suddenly turned his horses off into the middle of the
road, for the purpose of heading the first one. He did
so, and continued in the middle of the road, the horses
going at a most furious pace. Observing the danger I
Was in, I pulled up close.to the footpath, but had scarcely
done so before the ofd wheel of the dray came in contact
with the wheel of my cart, which, as well as the shaft,
was smashed. The cart was overturned, and myself and
the girls thrown out. We remained in a state of insen-
sibility some time, and on recovering I saw a four-
wheeled chaise, which had followed close behind from
Romford, drawn up by the side of the road and much
damaged.
By the CORONER—I saw the deceased being carried
away on my. recovery. The dray, when it ran against
me, was going at the rate of ten to twelve miles an hour.
and the concussion was so great, that the barrels of beer,
ten in number, were thrown into the road.

Sarah Fell, the servant, said that on Thursday she
accompanied her master and mistress, with their two
children, from Woodham Ferris, on a visit to deceased's
Sister at Homerton. They followed behind the ginger-
beer cart from Romford, and, just before the accident
happened, she saw a waggon, and at the same time saw
the horses belonging to the dray come in between their
chaise and the waggon at full gallop. The deceased was
picked up in a state of insensibility, and carried into the
house of a police-sergeant, where she was attended to by
a surgeon, and whence she was removed in a post-chaise,
to the residence of her sister at Homerton. She was
much bruised about the head and body, and, although
every attention was paid to her, she died on Saturday.
Coglan denied his being the last dray, as stated by
Nixon, and that his dray, had been first all the wad• from
London. He was in the same line as the waggon, and
was following it ; but, wishing to get before it, tried to
do so, when the waggoner turned his horses' heads to-
wards the middle of the road, and drove his dray into the
chaiSe.

The Jury returned a verdict of " Accidental death ;"
but at the same time wished the Coroner to severely
censure Coglan's conduct, which he did, telling him he
had had a very narrow escape from being committed for
manslaughter.
The rightful driver of the dray, it was stated, is now
an inmate of St. Thomas's Hospital, having had his
right-arm smashed by the accident.
The inquiry lasted above six hours.