The Sun.
London, England, 1833-09-27 00:00:00

LONDON PICKPOCKETS.

I was walking one day down into the City, and
stopped for a moment to look at some pic uses in a
window in St. Paul's Churchyard. Before I had
lime to say Jack Robinson half-v-dozen fellows kept
pushing close round me, and at last I felt a little tug
at my pocket, and discovered that my purse had
disappeared like lightning. I seized on the fellow
who was standing next me, and intended at all
events to have the pleasure of breaking every bone
in his skin, when a genteel-looking young fellow
came up, and says, " You've had a loss, I fear,
Sir ?" " Loss!" says I, "to he sure I have; and
this little owld rascal here denies he has got my

purse, though he has been clue to my pocket this
last quarter of an hour." " May I beg,' says the
gentleman again, " may I beg to inquire if your
loss is very serious ?" " Faith it's more than I can
afford, especially for so hole satisfaction as only
thrashing this little owld thief here." " How much,
may I ask, Sir ? I assure you lam deeply inte-
rested by your misfortune." " Why, then, there
was exactly fourteen sovereigns •in gold and a ten-
pound Batik of England note." " Are you aware
of the number of the note, so as to stop at the
Bank ?" " Not I," said I, " I should riot know it
from Adam." " Then, Sir," replied my compas-
sionate friend, " I am very much obliged to you for
your information, for that - rascal Jim Scraggs,
that forked your cloy, swore there was nothing but
five sovereigns. Trere are three of us in the lay,
and it's just eight pounds a-piece." Before I had
time to double my fist and knock his brains out on
the spot he had disappeared up some dark alley. In
the meantime a great crowd had collected, and the
man I had seized by the collar waited very patiently
till he saw a policeman, and immediately gave me

in charge for an assault. On looking at the man he
really seemed a very quiet respectable sort of person,
and I was sorry for having mistaken him for a thief.
I apologized to him as well as I could, and offered
him any compensation he chose. He swore it was
a hard thing for a gentleman, though unfortunately
I educed in circumstances,t obe accused of robbery
in the public streets, but at :last consented to accept
a douceur of twenty pounds. Luckily I was known
at a shop in the neighbourhood, where I went and
borrowed the requisite funds. The moment he got
the money into his hands, he said, " Now, don't
you go telling Bill Filch or Jun Scraggs about this
here trifle, as it's quite a private transaction 'tween
ourselves—but I must be off for my share of the
twenty-foul—good bye ;" so that the three gentle-
men made a very good thing of it, though the vil-
lains have never thought of making up for it by the
smallest present.—Col. 0' Loony, in Nights at Mess.
—(Blackwood.)

A GOOD SUBJECT.—Mrs. Jaffray, widow
of the late George Jaffi ay, of Monquhitter, may be
well rank,il among those who have been; useful in their
day and generation. She travelled to Aberdeen last week,
and had the pleasure of visiting ten of her great grand
children. The exact number of her progeny at the pre-
sent time is—sons 17, daugl:teis 3, grandchildren 26,
great grandchildren 25—in all, seventy and one !--
Aberdeen Journal.