The Sun.
London, England, 1847-11-30 00:00:00

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

Mr. Attenborough, pawnbroker, Oxford.street, was
summoned before Mr. Bingham for detaining a quantity
of plate, the property of General Sir George Berkeley,
as alleged illegally pawned with him.
Mr. Clarkson said he appeared for General Sir George
Berkeley, who sought to recover some family plate
pledged with the defendant, a most respectable pawn-
broker, under circumstances which it would be for the
magistrate to ascertain if they did not bring the pledger
within a charge of felony. He wished first to know
whether the property was in court ?
Mr. Petersdorff, for the defendant, required such a
statement to be made as would warrant the production
of the property.
Mr. Clarkson said, in November, 1846, General Sir
George Berkeley was appointed to a post at the Cape of
Good Hope. Sir George Berkeley packed up his goods
in 41 cases, one of which contained some valuable family
plate, and consigned them to Mr. Silvester, an agent,
for the purpose of his transmitting the property to its
place of destination. in October last year Mr. Silvester
became embarrassed, and he should show that he broke
open one of the cases, took out some candlestieks, and
other articles of plate, and pawned them with Mr. At-
tenborough, the defendant. The transaction having
become known, Lady Berkeley applied to Mr. Atten-
borough, and was at once told that the articles in question
were in his possession. Mr. Attenborough further stated
that Mr. Silvester said the property belonged to a client,
and that under the 6th and 7th Victoria, he was justi-
fied in detaining it, as he had a lien on it. (The Learned
Counsel here read the datuse in the Act in question,
whi;:h had reference to certain privileges granted to
agents who were entrusted with goods.) He contended
that this we, a case, notwithstanding the Act in ques-
tion, in which the magistrate had the power of giving
the property back again into Sir George Berkeley's
possession, through the agency of the Police Act,
leaving Mr. Attenborough to his remedy by action
against Sir George Berkeley. Mr. Silvester had broken
bulk without leave, and had pawned some of them, as
he should show, at a time when Sir G. Berkeley was in
London, namely, on the 3d December last, when the
last pawning took place. When the property was pro-
duced, he should be able to prove that the articles in
question were old family plate, bearing either the crest
or the arms of the Berkeley family. If the defence was
rested on the sth and 6th Victoria, he should beg the
Court to ask what the character of agent meant. Mr.
Silvester was an agent, but not a mercantile agent ; and
as he had stated to Mr. Attenborough that the property
belonged to a client, the question arose whether Mr.
Attenborough was justified, without sufficient inquiry,
in taking the goods into pledge.
Witnesses were examined, and the case argued at con
siderable length, but the substance is contained in the
preceding statement.
Mr. BlNGreaar said the case involved so many points
of great nicety, and particularly with reference to the
construction of the sth and 6th Victoria and other Acts of
Parliament, that he should take until next Monday to
consider his decision.
MARY L EB ONE.
ASSAULT UPON A POLICE-CONSTABLE BY A " GEN-
TLEMAN."—A gentlemanly-looking person, who gave
his name and address William hunter, No. 5, Upper
Harley-street, Cavendish-square, was placed at the bar
before Mr. Long, charged with having conducted him-
self in a grossly indecent manner towards Bartlett, 83 D.
The accused appeared much agitated upon his entering
the court. The evidence (the full details of which are
quite unfit for publication) went to show that on the
previous • night, about eleven o'clock, complainant, while
on duty in Harley-street, was accosted by the prisoner,
who walked with him for some distance round his beat,
and upon more than one occasion put questions to him
of a shamefully gross and indelicate nature. He (pri-
soner) at length committed the indecent assault for
which he was brought up to answer before the bench,
and upon his being told at the period of the perpetration
of the offence, that he must be taken to the station-
house, he knelt down, cried, and begged complainant's
pardon, at the same time offering to give up to him
his gold watch, and all else that he was then pos-
sessed of, exclaiming also, " Oh, dear! what shall I do?
It will be all published in the papers. What have I
done ?"

Badrick, 36 D, corroborated the evidence of the first
policeman as to the prisoner's offering all he had to be
Let off.

Mr. LONG remarked that Bartlett ought not to have
suffered the prisoner to walk with him so long a time
as he did without any serious notice being taken of his
behaviour.

The prisoner, in answer to the charge, denied that
he had been guilty of the indecent behaviour imputed
to him.

The MAGISTRATE said that he felt bound to send the
case before a jury, but would take bail for the prisoner
being forthcoming to answer the charge at the sessions.
The amount of bail which he should require would be,
the accused in 5004, and two sureties in 2501. each, with
notice thereof.

The prisoner was then locked up.
SOUTHWARK.

Thomas Dennis, carpenter of the Margaret Hughes
brig, was charged with smuggling tobacco.
Mr. Pritchard, a landing surveyor, stated that he
went on board the Margaret Hughes, and on examina-
tion of the defendant's chest, in the forecastle, he disco-
vered a quantity of Cavendish tobacco; the vessel bad
recently arrived from Newfoundland.
In answer to the Magistrate, it was stated that the
tobacco in question was to be bought for one shilling per
pound in Newfoundland, and that the duty here was
nine shillings per pound.
The defendant said he made no secret of having the
tobacco ; that it was entirely for his own consumption ;
andhTh
couldaht
vheea ot
stowed
fit
e,c,hadawesrie ha:aeiihtdaaantywhylaieysniett
aoehumne
ttrei
of
brought
bight.eoe efreghi in the
the
ashore,
ore
a similar defence when they got
into
ttrloieuhblaebiftorofb
tobaccoTh e MAGISTRATEi thiso country,
makingringing
thed defendant had incurred a
heavy penalty for the offence, but that under the circum-
stances he should mitigate it to 50g.
The defendant, however, refused to pay the fine, and
he was committed to gaol.
WORSHIP-STREET.
THE LATE CASE OF MATRICIDE, AT HACKNEY.—This
appointed by Mr. Hammill for the final
themurder of his mother, Mrs. Frances
examinationbeingtedayof prisoner, William Stewart Sheridan,
for the alleged i
an officer in the army, and late of
Sheridan, widow o
who, it will be remembered,
Mare-street, hackney,