The Sun.
London, England, 1841-12-29 00:00:00

AN OLD SMUGGLER.

Monday a man, who gave the name of John Smith,
was brought before Mr. Ballantyne, at the Thames Po.
lice Court, charged on a Custom-house information.
It appeared that on Friday morning last a Custom-
house officer, named William Taylor, was stationed on
board the City of Edinburgh steam-ship, lying off St.
Katherine's, which arrived from Hamburgh on the pre-
ceding night, when the prisoner came to the gangway
and was about to pass out. He was interrogated by
Taylor, who asked him if he bad anything liable to
duty about him. The prisoner replied that he had not,
and passed down the ladder into a boat alongside. The
officer then observed that he appeared very bulky, and
called him back. The prisoner returned to the ♦essel with
much reluctance, and on being overhauled in the cabin
51bs. of foreign-manufactured tobacco and 41bs. of
cigars were taken from his person. The whole was very
ingeniously concealed round his legs and waist. He en-
treated of the revenue officer not to take any notice of
the discovery, as he had a sick wife and dying child at
home. Taylor said he must do his duty, and conveyed
the prisoner to this Court. He bad scarcely entered it
when, taking advantage of the officer speaking to a
person, he started off at full speed down the passage
into the street, passing several policemen and others in
waiting. He was immediately pursued by Taylor, who
called out " Stop thief," but on reaching the end of the
alley, in descending the steps he stumbled and fell head
foremost into the street. He received a severe wound
on the forehead, and was quite disabled by the fall. A
Thames-police constable, named Harry Hambrook, took
up the pursuit, and gave chase to the prisoner along High-
street, Wapping, for some distance. Several persons tried
to stop him, but without success. He knocked down one
man and kicked two others. Hambrook, who is an active
young fellow, chased him over wharfs and barges for some
time, and ultimately gained upon him, when the fellow
darted into the warehouse of Mr. Kimm, a mast and
block-maker, and ran up stairs into a parlour, where
several females were seated, who were greatly alarmed
at the sudden appearance of the intruder, and screamed
aloud. Their screams guided Hambrook to the apart-
ment, and he fell upon the prisoner, secured him, and
brought him back to the office.
The prisoner, in defence, said he was not off the
vessel when the officer called him back, indeed he was
only two stairs down the gangway-ladder, and had there-
fore net unshipped the tobacco.
Mr. BALLANTINE believed the defendant was an old
smuggler, and he sentenced him to pay a fine of 1001.
to the Queen, and be imprisoned till it was paid.

A MERRY COUNCILLOR, OR
COURT FOOL.

" Frederick William was so pleased with Gundling,
that he immediately secured his services; he soon be-
came his Majesty's daily guest, and accompained him
wherever he went for the sake of pleasure. The most
dangerous privilege which the King conferred on
Gundling was free access to the Royal beer and wine
cellar. The Learned Councillor addicted himself to
drinking so immoderately, that, both in the smoking)
party and at the Royal table, he very often appesatareted,
intoxicated, and never quitted it otherwise than cotn.
pletely drunk ; sometimes, indeed, in so helpless a
that he had to be carried home. As the
his provosts wear French bags, thatKing made
they
make the
be regarded as ignominious, so he strove to might
Court gala dress ridiculous, by requiringKG.undling to
appear in no other. This dress th
u tton..hooft
easr red
and
aol
him in 1717, with the appointment of Grand
analtdrn,gglei‘i
niFsaeesrdnetwentrcittohof
bthiaeckCveerlevmeto,niwesit.h consisted
glotldb
cuffs, and a richly embroidered waistcoat. Hitse head
was adorned with a prodigious wig of white goats'-hair
descending in many hundred curls, and a large b
red ostrich feathers. The b
with these he wore breeches were straw-coloured
Thisgala
ore red-heeled shoes.
dress was not long
wearer rarely went in the best condition. The
some ditch or kennel 7 e
sad,without 'vi,
be did chance to
keep upon his legs, he could not escape the very coarse
practical jokes in general at the
if tumbling into
played off upon him,
instigation of the King Once, in winter, when the Grand
Master of the ceremonies. was reeling across the bridge
from the palace of Wustcrhausen, be was seized by four
stout grenadiers, who bound him hand and foot, and let
bim down, with terrible outcries, into the moat,
which was frozen. The rope slipped out of their
hands, and Gundling fell with such violence that the
centre of gravity broke through the ice, and he had the
greatest difficulty to keep himself from sinking with his
elbows and his feet. Means were instantly taken to get
him out, but be lost both hat and wig in this cold bath.
The King was so delighted with the scene that he had
it painted several times. On another occasion, some
mischievous wags put two young bears, remarkable for
their nastiness, and which ran about like yard-dogs at
the palace of Wusterhausen, into Grundling's bed, and
then carried the drunken historian to pass the night
with these delectable bedfellows, who made him in such
a pickle that for several days he was not admitted to the
Royal table."—Campbell's Frederick the, Great and
hi. Timm