The Sun.
London, England, 1833-09-26 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HO USE.
It will be recollected that some days ago Mr.
Mayow, the solicitor to the Excise, applied for an
information against Mr. Richard Heale,jun., and Mr.
Richard Hcale, sen., of -Mincing-lane, having pre-
viously canned a seizure to be made on their premises
of a very large quantity of dried leaves, which the
Board considered to have been prepared in imitation
of tea, and for the purpose of being mixed with tea.
The LORD MAYOR, who advised some months
ago that the Excise or the East India Company
should keep an eye upon the manufactory, although
a patent was gran'ed by his Majesty's Attorney-
General for preparing " the British leaf," very rea-
dily undertook to investigate the case, which was
supporred,on the part of the Excise, by Mr. Adolphus.
Mr. Sergeant Bompas and Mr. Clnrles Phillips
appeared for the defendants.
Mr. Hobler (the Chief Clerk) read the informa-
tion, which contained four counts. The penalties
sought for in this information amounted to 7001.,
but if the Excise sued for the whole of the penalties
to which, in the event of conviction, the defendants
would be liable, from the enormous quantity seized,
the sum would reach to about 60,0001.
The defendants pleaded Not Guilty.
Mr. Adolphus stated the case for the Crown.
Mr. Sergeant Bompas objected to the notice re-
ceived by the defendant, that it did not specify the
statute upon which the Excise intended to proceed.
After some discussion the City Solicitor, who
attended to advise the Lord Mayor, said that the
objection mule by the Learned Counsel could not
be entertained.
Sergeant Bompas then proposed to the Solicitor
of the Excise to transfer the case to the higher tri-
bunal. He pledged himself, as a lawyer, to drop all
notion of technical points in favour of his clients. He
represented that the defendants had a stock to the
amount of some thousands involved in the decision,
and that they would undertake pending the trial not
to sell a pound of the beverage, so that if they were
in error no evil could arise from removing the case
into a higher court. He really could not think how
a public Board could refuse, in common justice, to
accede to such a proposition.
Mr. Adolphus objected to such a course.
The LORD MAYOR ccnsidered that the power to
decide in cases of this kind was given to Magistrates
for the protection of the public, upon whom serious
injury might be inflicted by the delays necessarily
arising from an application to the superior tribunals.
He wished to hear the evidence, and if afterwards
he thought it would be expedient to send the case
before the Judges, he would do so. He considered
that the public were deeply interested.
Mr. Phillips argued strongly upon the necessity of
removing the prosecution to the higher tribunals.
The LORD MAYOR—WiII you agree to destroy
all the stuff? Sergeant Bompas—lf the question is
decided against us, we will.
The LORD MAYOR—There will be no security in
that, for the Excise will destroy it for you in that
event. But the fact is, if you give up the whole
of it you'll sustain no loss.

_
Mr. Phillips—Your Lordship's prejudice con-
vinces us the more of the absolute necessity of
going before a Jury.
Mr. Adolphus then called Mr. Bird, a surveyor
of the Excise, but Sergeant Bompas and Mr. Phil-
lips objected to his testimony, upon the ground that
he was an interested witness. After a considerable
discussion upon this point, the LORD MAYOR de-
cided that the objection was a valid one.
Thomas Dean, a general surveyor of the Excise,
deposed, that he accompanied Mr. Bird to Brent-
ford, on the 14th of last August, to the house of
Joseph Dickons, a grocer, and found:a cask, contain-
ing 1371b5. of .vhat was called British leaf, in an un-
entered place in the back of the garden. Mr.
Dickons produced the bill of parcels.
Here the Lord Mayor looked over the bill, an act
to which Sergeant Bompas objected.
The LORD MAYOR—The bill of parcels can dome
no harm. I wish you were not so much afraid of
your case.

Sergeant Bompas—Our fears are excited by the
disposition of your Lordship to prejudge.
The LORD MAYOR—Fears cannot exist where a
cause is a just one. Go on with the evidence.
Witness stated that on the 26th of August he
went to Mr. Heale's house in Mincing-lane, in com-
pany with Mr. Bird. It was mentioned to Mr.
Heale, senior, that Molland had sold tea (meaning
the British leaf) to Dickons, and Mr. Heale declared
that he knew nothing of Dickons. The bill of
parcels was then produced, and Mr. Heale said he
never sent out a bill of parcels; but Mr. Neale,
junior, said that he had sent it. Upon which wit-
ness asked why he had done so, when the transaction
appeared to have taken place between Molland and
Dickens, and Mr. Heale, senior, replied, " I give
Dick (meaning his son) a turn now and then."
The British leaf was sold at 2s. per pound to
Dickons, according to the bill of parcels, and the
statement of Mr. Heale, senior. 111r.Bird asked how
a profit could arise when the article was sold at 2s.
per pound to a second and a third party ? To
which Mr. Heale replied, " You had better go to
my solicitor." ;n Dickens' shop there was no
appearance whatever of the leaf. It was kept in
private, and Dickons mentioned how he had been
instructed to mix it with tea by Molland. Witness
was present when the great seizure was made at Mr.
Heale's. The article was decidedly in imitation of
tea. He here exhibited several samples. Some
were in the coarse state, some in a less imperfect
condition, and were called "caper teas," and others
were in the finished state. The stalks of the leaves
_ _

had been broken down in a machine, and sifted