The Sun.
London, England, 1841-11-26 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE
MAIVSION-HOUSE.

IMPROPER INTERFERENCE OF THE POLlCE.—Robert
Towers, brass-turner, of No. 4, Slade's-place, Clerken-
well, was placed at the bar before Mr. Coombe, charged
by George Vincent, a parish constable, residing at No.
5, Portpool-lane, Grays Inn-lane, with having committed
an assault.
The prosecutor, having been sworn, stated that on
Tuesday last he was employed by Louis Worms, an ap-
praiser, of Brook-hill, Clerkenwell, to distrain upon the
goods of the prisoner for rent, when he proceeded to his
lodgings with his warrant to seize his goods. On his
di-rival he found the prisoner's wife in the room, and on
explaining his business she consented to have the goods
impounded. In the course of the evening the prisoner
entered the rcom, and questioned witness's right to be
there, and ordered him out of the place, when he struck
witness, and turned him out. He proceeded to the
street, and called police-constable No. 189 to his assist-
ance, and on returning to the room, they found the door
fastened. Witness demanded admittance, but he was re-
fused, when he forced open the door, and gave the pri-
soner into custody, on which he gave witness a severe
blow on the face.
Mr. COMBE, with some warmth, told the witness that
he had acted most improperly. What 'right had he to
eject the prisoner froth his room, when he had posses-
sion ? Vincent—l think I had a right to get him out
after the goods were impounded.
Mr. COHBE said be was not going to argue his right
with him. He had no right.
The prisoner said he was absent from home when the
prosecutor entered his place. He returned and found
him in his room, when he asked him what business he
had there, and ordered him out of the place. He was
tipsy, and seized hold of his son, nine years of age, and
fell down with him, over the bed. He (prisoner) went
to his son's assistance, and turned the prosecutor out of
the room. The prosecutor struck him. He did not deny
having struck him, and when he got him out he fastened
the door.

Police constable 189 G, being sworn, stated that the
ptiosecutor came to him and informedhim, that he had
destrained on the prisoner's goods and he had assaulted
him. He accompanied him to the prisoner's room door,
which was fastened, when the prosecutor forced it open
and gave him into custody.
Mr. CoMBE—And do you mean to say that
,you did
right ? (To Inspector Penny)—This conduct is• very

wrong.
Inspector Penny—Very wrong, your Worship.
Mr. CosinE—Here is a constable, without seeing any
assault committed, going, at the request of the prosecutor,
to talc 4 a man into custody in his own place. Such con-
duct ought to be made known to the Commissioners. No
man would be safe•in his own house if such proceedings
were encouraged: if so, anybody might go to a constable
and say that he (Mr. Combe) had committed an assault,
and then come and break into his houses and give him
into custody.
The Chief Clerk suggested that a clause in the new
Police Act gave the constable a due discretion to exercise.
Mr. COMBE—I can only say that it is not law ; and, if
it is, the sooner it is done away with the better. Ile pe-
rused the clause of the Act alluded to, and said it re-
ferred to aggravated assaults, but here it appeared there
were no marks of violence on Vincent's person, or any-
thing to justify the proceeding.
The policeman said that he would not have taken the
prisoner into custody, but Mr. Worms, the broker, was
present at the time.

Mr. COMBE—What of that ? Worms is not a magis-
trate ; he had no power to order you.
In answer to questions, the policeman said that Vin-
cent was sober. He kicked the door open. The pri-
soner's wife and children were in the room. The prisoner
struck Vincent a severe blow on the face after he was in

custody. Did not hear Vincent say anything to the pri

soner.

Prisoner—He did; he tantalised me all the time, which
caused me to strike him.

Mr. ComnE said he would discharge the prisoner. He
had a right to he in his own place after the prosecutor
had left it, stud the parties had acted extremely impro-
perly in the affair. If the constable had been killed, he
did not know but it would be justified. However, the pri-
soner would be justified in striking him or anybody else
under the circumstances. He had no doubt the prisoner
had played a trick upon the broker, and he recom-
mended him to pay the demand upon him. He was then
discharged.

CROYDON POLICE.
In consequence ,of the numerous robberies of carts,
and accidents occasioned by the negligence of the dri-
vers, who generally, upon leaving the metropolis with
their teams, go to sleep, and allow their horses to travel
-along the road as they please, the Commissioners of
Police have recently issued instructions to all the con-
stables belonging to that force to summon every carter
whom they may find asleep in his vehicle, or who is rid-
ing without reins, or acting in any way so as not
to have the proper controul and management of his
horses. The police have,. in consequence, been diligent
in their endeavours to remedy the evil complained of, and
at the last meeting of the Bench of Magistrates held at
Croydon, Mr. M'Lcan, the superintendent of the 1'
division, attended for the purpose of supporting a num-
ber of informations laid, under his directions, against
different parties for infringing the law in the above re-
spect. Many of the cases were of a most aggravated
character. The drivers, in some instances, were in beer-,
shops drinking, while their vehicles were in the
dark, straggling about the road in all directions, so that,
according to the testimony adduced, if a carriage or
any other vehicle had come up, a serious accident might
have taken place. In other cases the drivers were found
fast asleep in their carts, trusting entirely to the sagacity
of their horses. The Bench inflicted fines in different
amounts upon all the offenders; they at the same time
ob3erved, that this offence was becoming a most serious
evil, and in their own experience hardly a day elapsed
without some accident occurring in consequence of it.
They were determined to put a stop to it by inflict-
ing heavy fines upon all who were convicted of it;
and they also said that the public were indebted to Mr.
M‘Lean, the superintendent, for the pains he had taken
in the matter. Some of the defendants having expressed
their inability to pay the fines, were ordered to be
committed for short periods to the House of Correction,
and the Magistrates said they hoped this would be a
warning to others, and prevent a recurrence of the offence.
WANDSWORTH POLICE.
Yesterday James Scott and James Parker, two labour-
ing men, were brought up on a warrant, harged with
poaching upon an estate at Wimbledon, belonging to the
Duke of Cambridge.

Alfred Dann stated that he lived at Coomb, and was
gamekeeper to his Royal Highness. On Monday after-
noon, about four o'clock, witness was going round Wim-
bledon-common, when he saw the prisoners, who were a-
head of him, enter an enclosed piece of ground called
" The Round." He followed, and saw them beat
about and search for game. He believed they were
in pursuit of hares. When the prisoners saw witness
they tried to hide themselves, and Scott went into a
dense hawthorn to avoid him. Witness, upon getting
nearer to Scott, saw that he had a short gun in his
pocket ; it was a regular poacher's gun. The prisoners
had no dogs. Scott said to witness, " You've met me at
the wrong time of day." Neither of the prisoners had
any game in their possession. Scott had a bag of shot
besides the gun.
Mr. PAYNTER said he had no doubt the prisoners were
there for the purpose of poaching, and fined them 10s.
each, and Is. costs, or in default to be committed for ten
days. The prisoners were both committed.

RUSSIAN ACADEMY.—The Emperor of Russia
addressed on the 27th October a rescript to the Minister
of Public Instruction, announcing his Majesty's de-
termination that the Imperial Russian Academy shall
be incorporated with the Russian Academy of Sciences,
of which it shall form a distinct section, for the Russian
language and literature. The two other sections of the
Academy of Science are-1. Physics and Mathematics;
2. History and Philosophy.—Journal de St. Petersboury,
Nov. 13.

The proof was accordingly adjourned, and Mr. Henry
Roxby, of Lime-street, ship-broker, was chosen assignee.

THE LAWS OF MASTER AND APPRENTICE.--The
parish officers of St. Luke's appeared against Mr. Dunk-
ley, a watch spring maker, upon a summons to compel
him to take back an apprentice bound by that parish.
It was proved in evidence that the master had turned
the boy out of doors, and refused to receive him when
sent back by the officers. In answer to questions from
the Lord Mayor,
Mr. Dualey said that the boy was excessively idle,
and that instead of having been turned out of doors, as
represented, he had absconded, and upon returning was
in so filthy a condition that he could not be received
into the house, that he had upon many occasions grossly
misconducted himself, and when taken before Mr. Bing-
ham, the Magistrate, at Worship-street, that gentleman
said that if the indentures had been produced they should
have been cancelled.
The LORD MAYOR said he should remit the case to
the decision of Mr. Bingham, by whom it had already
been part heard. It was of great importance to the due
administration of justice that there should not appear to
be any struggle for jurisdiction between Magistrates at
different offices, if masters had any reasonable ground
of complaint against apprentices, they-had no right to
take the law into their own hands by turning their ap-
prentices into the streets. It was their duty to summon
the refractory apprentices before the Magistrate of the
district in which they resided, and if the Magistrate
deemed it right he might cancel the indentures. his
Lordship advised Mr. Dunkley and the officers to take
the case at once to Mr. Bingham ; for if the master
should remove his domicile into the City, and again turn
his apprentice into the street, the Magistrate at the
Mansion-house would know how to deal with the case if
brought thither to be decided upon, unless it should ap-
pear that in the meantime the master had made his com-
plaint in form, and procured the cancelling of the in-
dentures.
The City Solicitor, who was present upon other busi-
ness, said he was glad to avail himself of that oppor-
tunity of reiterating the opinion given by him upon a
former occasion, upon which opinion his Lordship had
thought it right to act. He had received letters from
Magistrates and their clerks at Bristol, Birmingham,
and other places, commenting upon the advice which he
had deemed it his duty to give to the Lord Mayor ; and
he understood that Mr, Bingham, the Magistrate of
Worship-street Police Court, had since pronounced' an
opposite judgment. Ire then stated at length his opinion
(at the same time quoting law authorities), that the Ma-
gistrates had jurisdiction whether a premium had been
given or not.
The LORD MAYOR said he entirely concurred in the
opinion of the City Solicitor, and that although it was
of great importance that the decision of Magistrates
should be uniform, he had made up his mind to continue
to enforce what he considered to be the law in all cases
of refractory apprentices brought before him, whatever
might be the practice in other places.
HATTON-GARDEN.