The Sun.
London, England, 1847-10-08 00:00:00

LAMBETH.

Some weeks ago Mr. Joseph Ellis and Mr. Martin
Body, both inhabitants of the parish of St. Mary,
Newington, had been summoned to this court at the
instance of the governors and guardians of that parish,
for permitting on their premises the accumulation of
offensive matter, which, according to the certificates
of two medical gentlemen, was prejudicial to the
health of the persons whose habitations were in the
neighbourhood thereof, and the case having been
made out to the satisfaction of Mr. Elliott, the
sitting magistrate, he made an order for the removal
of the nuisance. On the 15th of the last month the
same parties were again summoned and called on to
show cause why the one, Mr. Ellis, should not have
an order made upon him for the payment of 241. Bs.
to the governors and guardians of the parish, and the
other, Mr. B3dy, for 211. 15s. Bd., for their costs and
expenses in the matter.

From what then transpired it appeared that the
parish authorities, instead of having the matter at-
tended to by their beadle, handed the cases over to
Mr. Gedge, their clerk and solicitor, and the conse-
quence was that that gentleman made out a regular
professional bill of items, which, in close lines, filled a
sheet of foolscap. The defendants objected to the
payment of such exorbitant sums, and one of them,
Mr. Body, declared that the moment he had found
that his dungheap was pronounced a nuisance, he, in
the presence of two of the trustees of the parish, re-
moved it, and so pleased were those persons with his
promptness in the matter, that they assured him he
should have nothing to pay.
Mr. ELLIOTT admitted that the refusal on the part
of the defendants to pay such extravagant bills was
magis-
trate, could not think of compelling them. The cases,
pheerfseacitdly, reasonable abhlaeyeand been
just;and he, as a
managed by the parish
beadle ; at all events there was no necessity for em-
ploying a solicitor in the matter and making out
enormous bills of costs.
The clerk of Mr. Gedge, said the charges wen)
those usually made by solicitors in professional matters.
Mr. ELLIOTT replied that the greater part of them
were wholly unnecessary, and the award for the costs
was postponed until yesterday ; the magistrate recom-
mending that in the interim they should be placed
before a board of the governors and guardians of the
parish for their consideration.
Yesterday the clerk of Mr. Gedge attended and
informed Mr. Elliott that the guardians would be
perfectly satisfied with any sum which his worship
thought proper to award.
Mr. ELLIOTT here went through the items of the
lenghty bills, and that of Mr. Ellis's he reduced to
3/. 14s. 4d., and that of Mr. Body's to 21 19s. 10d.,—
thus lopping off in the former 201. 13s. Bd., and in the
latter 181. 15s. 10d.
It was suggested to the magistrate that the bills
thus taxed would, if forwarded to the Sanitary Com-
mission, form instructive documents, and account, in
a great measure, for the want of sanitary improve-
ments in many of the metropolitan parishes. It is
more than probable that the ratepayers of the parish
will be obliged yet to pay the whole of these bills to
the lawyer so unnecessarily employed by their board
of governors and guardians.

SOU 1W WARK.
George Berri (a Frenchman), Bridget Murphy,
and Kate Williamson, were charged with stealing
eight sovereigns and two half sovereigns, the property
of Wm. Cook, a bookseller.
The complainant stated, that between nine and ten
o'clock that morning he had occasion to call at the
Bridge House
public-house, in Webber-street, and
while there he placed eight sovereigns and two half-
sovereigns, which were loose in his pocket, in a piece
of paper, and deposited them in his left-hand waist
coat pocket for safety. Some time afterwards he
felt for his money, but could not find it ; and as the
prisoners were standing near him at the moment of
the discovery of the loss of the sovereigns, and no
other persons had approached him, he charged
them with the robbery, which they denied, and
13* then called a policeman and gave them
into custody. He added, that after the
charge was entered in the police-sheet against
the parties, he proceeded home, and on pulling off
his waistcoat he discovered to his amazement that
the money he accused the prisoners with stealing
was safe in an inside pocket, which he had forgotten
to examine before he made the charge. He now re-
gretted exceedingly that he had acted so hastily, and
was only desirous that the parties should be liberated
as soon as possible. The moment he found the sove-
reigns he repaired to the station-house and notified
the fact to the inspector on duty. He here produced
the waistcoat for the purpose of showing how the mis-
take arose, and pointed out a small pocket inside, in
which the money was found. He added that he re-
gretted much having. put the accused to such serious:
inconvenience, and was prepared to make every,.repa-
ration in his power.
Mr. Berri said It might all have been pr§vented if
the complainant had narrowly examinecthispockets
before he made such a serious accusatiouogskinst in-
nocent persons ; that he (the accused), as well as his
fellow priaonere, whom h..> hod oci-ca <acou ben3re tnav
morning, were subject to the indignity, of- being led
through the streets to the station-hong., as common
felons, although they were perfectly innocent of hav-
ing committed any offence.
Mr. COTTINGIIAM said the complainant had exhibited
the most unwarrantable haste and negligence in at
once jumping to the conclusion, on missing his money,
that the accused were the persons who had robbed
him; that it was of serious consequence to persons to
be charged with sue' an offence, and that it was his
bounden duty, before giving them into custody, to
have been quite certain that his sovereigns were taken.
It appeared, however, that on finding the lost money
he had done all in his power to retrieve the error into
which he had fallen, by repairing instantly to the
station-house where the parties were locked up, and
giving notice of the fact. This step was certainly an
extenuating circumstance in the case, as well as his
having in' open court, expressed his contrition for
what had happened; but the question was, whether
the injured parties would be satisfied with his expla-
nation and apology.
Mr. Berri said, that as far as he was concerned, he
should be satisfied, after the apology made by the
complainant, if he consented to place 2L in thepoor-
boxand,that—he/shauld-take no furthei ststepsill the
'maTtler
cin
ifoNpelaaignraenedt taot theo n
cper proposal.'
accededo
s a
The
to the
also expressed their acqui-
e complainant offering to compen-
sate proposal,
and e
a s n thec
en two
it, youngn the womenmsate them for the inconvenience to which they had
been subjected.
ioco

UNCERTAINTY 01, TUB TIMES.—One of the
greatest proofs of the uncertainty of the times is to be
found in the strange conduct of the parish clock of St.
James's, Westminster. It evinces the utmost difficulty
in meeting its engagements, and has been frequently a
defaulter in respect to its time bargains. Its hands are
thrown out of employ, its works stopped, and numbers
are standing idle, which all looks very bad upon the
face of it. Several watches that have hitherto been re-
gulated in their movements by the parish clock of St.
James's, are greatly inconvenienced, and it is said that
some have actually come to a stoppage. A rumour pre-
vailed in the City that the old clock of St. Clement's had
once more suspended its operations, which, it will be re-
membered, were only resumed a year or two ago, after a
crisis of considerable difficulty. We are happy to find
that the rumour is premature, for we passed only yester-
day at twelve precisely, when the clock of St. Clement's
was giving a striking example of what may be done by
winding up before it is too late, and by regulating at
proper intervals. The Hyde•park clock has gone on so
far in a satisfactory manner ; but we believe its liabili-
ties are only from day to day, and thus there is a key to
its punctuality.—Punch.
THE ICUTIIYOSAURIN POR THE MANCHESTER
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY.—We have already mentioned the
fact that a tine specimen of this fossil, named ichthyo
saurus, as partaking of the most striking characters of
the fish on the one hand and the saurian or lizard tribos
on the other, had been jointly purchased by James Hey-
wood, Esq., M.P., F.R.S., and Mr. George Hadfield, for
the sum of 1001., and that it was to be presented to the
Manchester Geological Society. We may now add, that
the specimen is a very fine one, measuring when duly
arranged about 16 feet in length ; the whole of the head
in excellent preservation ; the body and vertebra gene-
rally In a tolerably good state ; the hinder part of this
fossil animal being the least perfect. It was found in
the alum shale at Sand's End, near Whitby, on the pro-
perty of the Marquis of Normanby, of whom it was pur-
chased as already stated by the gentlemen named. We
understand that this fine fossil has been packed in seven
boxes, and it is expfeted will reach Manchester in the
course of this week.—Manchester Guardian.
A labourer, named William Cooper, who had been
at work for one of the sub-contractors, was on his way
from Haughley to Bury in the first train, on Monday
morning, in a third-class carriage, when his hat flew
off, near the Barton-bridge, and being somewhat ine-
briated he opened tho door of the carriage and jumped
out. Immediately on the train reaching Bury, and in-
formation being given, Mr. Brundeley, the inspector,
and Mr. Dutton, the station master, proceeded with the
train engine to his assistance, but they found that some
workmen had removed him to the gig of Mr. Clements,
of the Six Bells Inn, who happened to come up, and
who kindly offered to convey the sufferer to the hos-
pital. He had received a contusion of the head, but no
fracture, and will probably be discharged in a few days.
—Bury Post.
On the night of the 28th ult. three of the persons
accused in the affair of the Polish insurrection at Berlin,
succeeded in making their escape from a hospital in
which they had been confined, under the belief that they
were afflicted with mental alienation ; but on the even-
ing of the next day they all arrived at the Pennsylvanian
penitentiary, where their fellow-accused are detained,
and re-constituted themselves prisoners. A man named
Wurms was lately condemned to death by the Royal
Court of Berlin, for having, at the beginning of 1845,
organised a conspiracy to overthrow the Government,
and to kill all the priests and nobles ; but the King im-
mediately, and without solicitation, commuted the sen-
tence into that of confinement for life in the fortress of
Spandau. This proceeding is considered a favourable
one for the other accused Poles, against none of whom
are the charges so serious as were those against um