The Sun.
London, England, 1840-02-21 00:00:00

MONTMORENCY V• DEVRREUX.

Mr. TINNEY opened the case on behalf of the appel-
lants, hut not having concluded at 4 o'clock, the further
consideration of the appeal was adjourned to Monday.

V ICE-CIIA.ArCEL LOR' S COURT, FEB. 20.

I-1:6 Honour th. VICE-CHANCELLOR took Pleas, De-
murrers, and Further Directions to-day, but in consequence
of the absence of Mr. Jacob, who was engaged in an ap-
peal in the House of Lords, the Court was enabled to die_
pose of but very few of the cases in the paper, and his
Honour rose shortly after eleven o'click,

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOUSE.

The LORD MAYOR stated that he;was in no small degree
snrpriscd upon reading a communication from tne relieving
officer of the St. Olave's Union, Southwark, relative to
Caroline Owen, who was brought to the Mansion-house
come days ago, apparently in a destitute condition, and
who expected every moment to become a mother. Tho
detail of the answer to the accusation was most curious,
and his Lordship thought it but fair that the defence should
be made public.
The following is the letter of the overseer :

MY LORD MA vort,—With the highest respect for the
exalted station you fill, and with every consistent respect
for your Lordship's admiration of those feelin s for the
poor which your Lordship manifts's on every occasion, I
feel bound, in justice to myself, to disabuse your Lordship's
mind as to the alleged destitution of Caroline Owen, the
pregnant woman before your Lordship on Friday last, and
whom, according to the newspapers, your Lordship di-
rected to be taken into the Union House of the City of
London Union, but who.was in fact brought over to St.
()Lave's by Mr. Thwaites, as if by the order of your Lord-
ship, and was received into the St Olave's Union Work-
house, at four o'clock the same afternoon, on the order of
Mr. Fisher, one of the overseers. Caroline Owen, be-
fore your Lordship, says, " I expect to be confined every
day." When removed into the workhouse, and to the
present time, she says, " I expect to be confined about
or soon after the 20th, the next month, March."
She is found in the City of London Union, and brought
before the City of London Union as destitute and house-
less. When received into the workhouse, it is found she
had a lodging at a Mrs. Devine's, No. 52, in the Maze,
where she had a box of clothes, without any detention
upon them ; and also a friendly lodging, where she oeca-
sionaliy slept, at Mrs. Kean's, No. 1, Union Court, Mnze.
11;hen before your Lordship. and when received i.ito
the workhouse, she was decertly attired for one of her
el,,ss, and had on good shoes, &c. As we d not examine
them on their coming into the house, we do not know
whether she had anything in her pockets; but on her box
being brought in, the Mntron made her open it, and the
following is a list of its. contents, as they were shown to
her :

A pair of gold ear-rings with pendent drops, two inches
long, tour white lace caps, one black gauze ditto, and one
fancy lilac ditto, three yards new gauze ribbon, a smelling
h9ttle, tooth-brush, hair-pins, &c., three chemisettes with
edging round the borders, a green silk purse, coataining.
a sixpence, a foreign silver coin, copper ditto, and a
pawnbroker's duplicate for a gown pledged for four shil-
lings, a f Inciful new pincushion ornamented with shells
and gilt edges, a ne.v pair of shoes never worn,
and also an , o'd pair, a square of new Scotch
cambric, three gowns, eight apr ms, two white,
six coloured ; five p:!tticoats, one of them black silk,
four pairs of stockings, a large Scotch shawl, four fancy
handkerchiefs to wear over dress, a sitting up white bed-
gown frilled wOh riband, three nightcap; for herself, and
a complete set of haby-linen (fit for any respectable me-
chanic's child, containing two articles of each sort, ex-
cept frocks, of which there is but one.)

Now, my Lord Miyor, I sincerely wish that every poor
gi' I was as well provided. I give this girl credit for her
haviag made such provision—but can it he said she was desti-
tute ? Her ezarnination as to settlement has been taken
by the proper Law Officer, and she has not a vestige of
settlement in this Uni n. Ihr name (Owen) is decidedly
Welsh, yet she says that her parents were Irish and were
marriA in Ireland; that they lodged in Towc.isstreet, St.
Olive's, and paid two shillings per week rent, where she
was born, but were now dead ; that she cannot name any
person who can cerroborate this statement ; that she was
breught up at Bristol until she Was fourteen years of age;
went out to service very young; is now twe Hy years of
age, but never remained in any one situation six months in
her life, and was with child by her master before she had
bcen there one month, but he has never admitted it to be
his.

I should not have troubled your Lordship herewith,
but for the further mention of her csee in the newspapers
of Tuesday. And, craving your Lordship's pardon for so
long obtruding upon your most valuable time,
I remain, my Lord Mayor,
Your Lordship's most obedient hu-nble servant,
JOSEPH ARMITAGE,
Relieving Officer of the St. Olave's Union,
South wark.
The LORD MAYOR observed that if the circumstances
stated in the letter had la.2en known to the officers of St.
Olave's Union at the time they refused so peremptorily to
give the woman relief, a communication to that effect
should have been made to him. It appeared. however,
that they had no evidence that the vviiman was not desti.
tute and houseless until Mr. Fisher caused her to be taken
into the workhouv, where it was ascertained, upon inves-
tigation, that she had misrepresented her condition. The
publication of cases of the kind was, his Lordship con-
sidered, attended with certain advantage, by keeping paro-
chial officers awake to their duty, and causing the detec-
tion of impostors.