The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-11 00:00:00

that had been wou were all fictitious, advising that they
should not be presented ; and stating that he should in a
short time make prepatations to take them up. Witness
immediately Went in a cab into the city, but his wife
was iu the custody of Forrester, having presented one cf
the notes for payment at Glynn's.
Cross-examined by Mr. Woolfe—Witness Est upcn
the whole in the play that night-
Mrs. Cook stated that her husband Haying given her
five 6/. country bank-notes to get changed, she Wpnt to
Glynn and Barclay's banking-house. She received ea,,h
for the note payable at Glynn's, but at Barclay's sho was
detained by Forrester, to whom she communicated all
she knew.

ainiel Forrester said that Mrs. Cook having made a
statement to him which he found to be perfectly correct,
he, with the consent of the bankers, set her at liberty.
A clerk at Glynn's banking-house examined the note
which had been presented at the counter by Mrs. Cook,
and declared it to be a fictitious note.

Sir P. LAURIE-4s it not a forgery ? Witness—The,
signature is not that of any one deputed to sign, but I
believe the note was struck off from a genuine plate.
Sir P. LAURIE—I see that the system is a new one,
and I am desirous, as crimes requiring ingenuity and
talent arc very much on the increase, that the public
should be put well upon their guard.
Mr. Bodkin said it was his intention to call the
scientific man who made the plates, to make astatement
them.

D Forrester said that he went with a person
named Chapel', who was servant to Thompson, to Frl-
cones Hotel, in St. Martin's-lane, and found the pri-
soner sittiog in the public room. Witness told the pri-
soner that he was charged with forgery. Thu prisoner
said that the notes and bills he had passed were not
forged, hut. fictitious. When in the coach the prisoner
said he had been destroyed at play, and ho had resolved
to snake up for that by pursuing the course detailed, or
words to that effect.

Thompson said that the night the prisoner uttered the
forgery at the house in Leicester-square, was the priso-
ner's fourth visit to that place.
Sir PERER LAURIE—I want to know who this pri-
soner is. He is, I know, a person of education and
address ; his letter to Thompson proves the fact. (This
was a letter similar to that sent by the prisoner to
Cook, stating that the notes were all fictitious, and that
sonic arrangement should be made to take them up.)
The prisoner said that he did not belong to any trade
or profession. He did not wish to say any more.
Sir PETER LAURIE—I perceive that in the letter the
prisoner says his address is, " Castle Grove, county of
Louth, Ireland." Had he any objection to say whether
that is eorrec.. ? The prisoner—My name is Edward
Moore. Of that there is not any doubt. I decline
saying anything more.
Mr. Gauntlett, clerk at Barclay's banking-house,
produced two banknotes ; the one purporting to be the
issue of the Ross Bank, and the other to be the issue of
the Yarmouth Bank, and each for 5/.

Sir PETER LAURIE—Did you ever see anything of
the kind before? Any instance in which notes were
struck off from the genuine plate, and to which false
signatures were attached ? Witness—Never. The
plates from which there notes were struck off appear
to have been genuine, but not one of the signatures is so.
Sir PETER LAURIE—Has any clue been discovered
as to how the notes got into the prisoner's possession ?
Mr. Bodkin—l shall cal Mr. Bacon, of Fleet-street,
that engraved the plate.
Mr. Joshua B. Bacon, of 69, Fleet-street, stated that
the house with which he was engaged engraved very
largely for the country banks. He had seen several of
the notes. Tile), were taken from the genuine plates,
which ware never out of his possession, and were proof
impressions. Considerable ingenuity had been exer-
cised in making them capabl of receiving signatures.
When country bankers wanted to change their plates,
they sent to him tor copies of the various banks, and
the copies were struck off from the plates in his posses-
shin), upon India paper of exceedingly thin texture, upon
which the ink was sure to run. He always requested
that the bankers would return the impressions af‘er ex-
amination, not because it Was supposed possible that any
forgery or fraud would be attempted with them, but
because the house did not wish to be at the expense of
threepence a piece for copies. He did not know how
many might not have been returned, but in most
instances they had be;ri sent back. It appeared that
by some clever process the impressions now exhibited
had been made to adhere to piper of a thicker texture,
and that each note was not only made more firm, but
was rendered capable of receiving the ink more per-
fectly.
Sir PETER LAURIE—I have frequently said from this
seat that the crimes of ingenuity are becoming exceed-
ingly numerous. Can the witness form any opinion as
to the manner in which the prisoner became possessed
of these copies?

Mr. Bacon said that he on no occasion sent speci-
mens to any persons who were not bankers. These
copies might. have been sent to some banking-house
which foiled, and which, in the confusion arising from
misfortunes, had not returned them. The whole set of
specimens which he usually transmitted to country
bankers amounted to between twenty and forty. Per-
haps the prisoner formerly was a clerk in some banking-
house to which a set might have been sent.
Mr. Bodkin said that he should again apply that the
prisoner be remanded, in order that cases against him
might be established in the most perfect manner.
The prisoner, who made no remark, was then re-
manded.

EXPLOSION AT THE ROYAL EXCHANGE.—JaiII
Seabrook and Timothy Bond, two labouring men, were
brought before the I,4rd Mayor under the following
circumstances. At a little before six o'clock on Thurs-
day evening, a most frightful explosion of gunpowder
took place in the excavations of the Royal Exchange at
which the men of Mr. Webb, the contractor, were em-
ployed. The windows of several shops in Cornhill, in
the immediate neighbourhood of the New Royal Ex-
change were broken, and fatal mischief was very near
being committed.

Henry Taylor, a policeman, stated that he was on
his beat at the time of the explosion, and a large piece
of brick passed within two or three inches of his face.
He heard a noise of the breaking of glass, and he went
into the house or Mr. Baldwin, one of tne windows of
which was smashed, and saw a piece of brick lying on
the floor. Other windows were broken ; and one win-
dow of plate glass, of the value of 101., was smashed by
the flying bricks. The terror which prevailed was very
great.

The LORD MAYOR sent Inspector Maclean to the
city surveyor to desire his attendance at the Justice-
room ; whe❑ it was soon ascertained that the defend-
ants, who had b.:en at work in the foundation of the New
Royal Exchange, had deposited a greater charge of gun-
powder than was proper fur the purpose of blowing up
some hard materials. It was stated upon the part cf
the contractor that there was no danger in blowing up
with gunpowder when performed by skilful and expe-
rienced men, and that the two defendants were mistaken
in their calculation of the necessary quantity.

Tilt? LORD MAYOR expressed great surprise and in-
dignation at the introduction of gunpowder while work-
ing under ground in such a place as Gemini!, and directed
that care should be taken to prevent anything of the
kind from being done again.
The contractor having engaged to pay for all the
damage that had been done, and also having undertaken
that no other explosion by gunpowder should be re-
sorted to, the prisoners were discharged.