The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-01 00:00:00

THAMES _POLICE.

George Wakehanz, a tall, man, chief mate of the
schooner Alligator, from Constantinople, who was not
apprehended until four o'clock yesterday (Saturday)
afternoon, was brought before Mr. Ballantine, charged
with the wilful murder of 'William Sayo, an apprentice
belonging to the vessel.
James Stirling, the second mate of the vessel, who
first applied to Mr. Ballantine, and stated that the boy
had died from ill-usage he had received from the cap-
tain and mate, and John Cox. were examined at length,
and from their statement's it appeared that the Alli-
gator had been on a voyage from Liverpool to Con-
stantinople, and thence to London. The deceased
lad was ill-used on the outward voyage, which
induced him to desert t he ship at Constantinople the
morning after she arrive d there, and before the hands
were turned up. He was ashore a month, and was part of
the time in the hospital and part of the time roaming
about the streets of Con stantinople. He was brought
on board by the port-mos ter the day the ship sailed, and
was then labouring under' illness arising from tumours
and sores in his legs, and was in a very filthy state. He
was not allowed to sleep or take his meals in the fore-
castle, but was thrust int.) the long-boat on deck, and a
blanket only allowed to c over him. Ho was compelled
to take his regular watch es and perform the usual duty,
and the captain and mat e gave orders to another boy
always to rouse him up 1 iy striking the tarpaulin over
the boat, and to beat hi tn with a rope's-end and hand-
spikes if he did not get ap, and one day he came out
with a severe black eye, caused by a blow he received.
In the Channel, the boy s !offered so dreadfully from the
cold that he was put int 3 the forecastle ; but the men
complaining of his filthy co ':ndition, and that the alluvium
from his person was very t a auseous, he was forced into a
coal-hole in the run of the ship. Here he remained se-
veral days while the ship svas performing quarantine in
Stangate Creek, and, al though a medical officer came
on board daily, the c sptain and mate invariably
reported all well. One .day the lad was on the wea-
ther side of the deck, and . the prisoner drove him to the
lee-side, and threw a bu .cket of water over him, and
said he ought to have as much more thrown over him.
Oa Thursday the 21st, St irling found the lad in his berth
quite naked, and in a dyin g state. The clothes had been
taken off the boy by the cc Ttain's orders, and given to the
cook to be washed. At 5 p .m. the captain was told the lad
was dying, and that somet sing ought to be done for him.
He was then taken into th :c cabin, and died in about an
hour and a half afterwar is. The witnesses attributed
the lad's death to ill usage,. neglect, and exposure to the
cold, particularls during the frosty weather, when the
ship was in Stangate Crc ek, where lie was compelled to
walk on deck all day, w ithout sufficient covering to
shield him from the inch Imency of the weather. He
had been compelled to won 'k when he was in a very bad
state, and not the least c. t.re was taken of him. Stirling
mentioned that the lad suffered dreadfully from being
forced among the wet co&
The prisoner, in defenc e , said the deceased was not
ill used by him, but he was very dirty and offensive, and
was forced out of the for es as tle by the men. Stirling
was one of the first to drive, him out. The crew had a
great objection to the la 3, on account of his offensive
condition, and treated badly, from a supposition
that an outrage had been committed upon him by the
Turks at Constantinople.
Mr. BALLANTINE said it was the duty of the pri-
soner, as chief mate, to ro itect a boy who appeared to
be quite helpless from th a ill-humour of the men.
The prisoner declared I 1,0 was not aware that the boy
was in the coal-hole, and that he only flung a small
quantity of water over th a lad.
Mr. BALLANTINE said the deceased had been dread-
fully ill-used, and the case dust be further investigated.
Any other persons implicat I'd in the harsh usage of the
lad must be taken into c :,ustody. He remanded the
prisoner until Thursday.
Valentine and Fox proc raided immediately afterwards
to the residence of Capt ain Cook, the master of the
Alligator, to take him into custody.

We are glad to ann 3 unce that a sudden and
complete thaw seems at lent nth to have arrived, to release
us from that state of block, tile in which we have bL on
placed for some weeks. Up to yesterday, the 25th instant,
there were no symptoms of ehanee. The most intense
frost, and frequent falls of so o w, prevailed in all directions.
The severity of the weather has produced sad changes.
.‘ The river Spey," says a c arrespondent in Badenoch,
.‘ has disappeared from our polar landscape—froz en up,
and covered with snow. \V 111 great difficulty can even a
scanty supply of water be procured ; the mills are all
stopped. Hundreds of moo rf owl may be seen in the
morning, between the corn y arc! and barn-door, associated
with the domestic poultry. For the last three weeks the
robin redbreast has taken regular possession of the barn,
unterrified by the swinging• rpf the noisy flail." The
average depth of the snow is eighteen inches, but at short
intervals occur long wreaths of from ten to twenty feet.—
hives ness Courier.

-•
FAMOUS SHOEMAKER..—A correct catalogue
of shoemakers who have in any one way or other made
themselves remarkable would be a curious thing. It is
yet among the undiscoverable mysteries; why dustmen
should wear red plush breeches, and as unsuccessful
Lave been all attempts to account for those very
peculiar reflective habits to which the craft of Crispin
are notoriously addicted. The mei ss circumstance of the
reflecting turn presents no difficulty- 3 more or less it is
incident to all sedentary pursuits ; it s especial tendencies
in the case of the shoemaker are the great marvel. From
the turbulent days of Quaker Fax, aml Reformers
Hans Sachs and Jacob Behrnen, to the scarcely leer unruly
times of Radicals Ilolcroft and Hard; y, we 'tote, in this
most respectable trade, such a long ist of religionisms,
radicalisms, jacubinisms, and every variety of isms, as we
hid in no other class of men. It WP.S against this tendency
indeed, the old proverb was launched, as far back as the
age of Appelles. Why is this? Can any orpt explain it?
Fitness is the object and endeavour of the trade. Is there
of necessity associated with it the restless inztpulse to dis-
cover in everything else an eternal -unfitness. We wish we
could consult Philosopher Square..—Ex6miner .
PA ItL IA 'MEN T.—The system o: Rarliaments
commenced under the Saxon Goveriin tent 3 but the
first regular one was in 1204, during the reign of
I{.'ng John. The epoch of the House o f Commons is
generally considered to be January 23, 1265,, ender Henry
111.: and the first Peer's eldest son who Over sat in
the Lower House was Francis Russell, son of th e Earl of
Bedford, and who was the brother of the Willis m Rus-
sell so celebrated for his milftary services in Irci and (of
which he was for some time Lord Deputy) in the time
of Elizabeth. In 1649, after the death of Chari'esi a
Peer was elected, and sat as a member of thss Hou to of
Commons. Parliamentary grants were origi [tally m ade
to the King in kind ; and in 1340, 30,000 sa As of wt.Tl
are included in the grant then made.