The Sun.
London, England, 1848-08-24 00:00:00

CAPTURE OF PIRATES.

Her Majesty's sloop Scout, on her way to Foo-chow-
foo on the Ist inst., when opposite Chimmo Bay, fell in
with a fishing boat, the crew of which pointed out two
auspicious-looking junks standing otf the land, which
they stated had that morning attacked some trading ves-
sels working up the coast. The Scout immediately
gave chase, and fired at the smaller junk, which tacked
in shore. Three boats were then dispatched under the
command of the senior lieutenant, E. G. Blake, which
took possession of her. tike was found to be armed with
a two. pounder, gingalls, matchlocks, firepots, &c., and
carried a crew of 32 men, several of whom jumped over-
board and were drowned. Four men were found
in her hold bound hand and foot, who said they
had been taken out of a fishing boat two days pre-
viously. The Scout having secured her prize, tacked
in pursuit of the larger junk, which she hailed, and
ordered to lower her sail, but as she still kept her
course the forcastle guns were fired from the Scout,
which being returned by the junk, a running fight
was kept up for nearly three hours, when the junk
got into shallow water and the wind fell. Two
boats were dispatched under Lieutenant Josling,
who commenced firing as soon as he got within
range. The boats pulled alongside under a shower
of bullets and stinkpots, by which one seaman was
killed, and Lieutenant Jesting, Mr. Midshipman Stanley,
and four seamen were wounded. The wind having again
sprung up, the Scout ran alongside the junk, under
a heavy fire from giegalls and matchlocks, while
numbers of firepots fell on deck, wounding Com-
mander Johnston and two of the crew; another sea-
man was wounded by an explosion of gunpowder
on board the prize, which on being taken possession of
was found to have a crew of 120 .men, with four
6-pounder guns and an immense number of gingalls,
matchlocks, and other Chinese weapons. Shortly after
she was captured she fell over on her beam -ends and
went down. Only thirty-six of the pirates were
secured, the rest bating 'been either shot during the
engagement, jumped overboard of their own accord, or
gone down with the vessel when she sank. The sur-
vivors were handed over to the mandarins at Amoy. It
appears these two pirates were lying in wait for the
Amoy sugar junks, now daily going northwest; and the
destruction of them by the Scout is said to be considered
by the native merchants at Amoy as a most acceptable
service.—China Mail, June 15.

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
NORTHERN ClRCUl7'.—Liverpool, Aug. 21.
(Before Mr. Justice CeessvvEm..)
Alexander Worrell, John Street, Isaac Jackson, and
Catherine Gibson, were indicted for a burglary in the
house of Joseph Crossley, at Salford.
Mr. Pollock and Mr. Wheeler conducted the prosecu-
tion; the prisoner Street was defended by Mr. Monk,
and Jackson by Mr. Mew. Worrall pleaded guilty.
It appeared that the shop of the prosecutor had been
entered by the skylight, and a large quantity of pro-
perty had been removed. The chief witness against the
prisoners was a person of the name of Bacon, who al •
leged that he had been in the company of the prisoners
at a public-house in the neighbourhood the night of the
robbery, and that he was solicited by them to join in it.
They bad several times asked him before, but he had
always declined. He said, however, that he had gone
to the house with the others; that it was pointed out to
him as a place where robbery could conveniently be com-
mitted, as no one slept in the house, and that he was
wandering about the neighbourhood while the robbery
was committed. There was no other direct evidence
against the prisoners, except some casual observations
which were sworn to have passed in the dock while be-
fore the magistrates between Jackson and Street, im-
plying their presence at the robbery.
The jury found Street and Jackson Guilty.
His LORDSHIP sentenced Street to be transported for
fifteen years, and Jackson and Worrell for ten.
Michael Hogan was indicted for cutting and wounding
John Williamson, a constable, in the execution of his
duty, with intent to do him grievous bodily harm.
Mr. Cobbett conducted the prosecution; Mr. Pollock
the defence.
It appeared from the statement of the prosecutor that
he was on duty at Manchester, late at night, when he
found a number of women of loose character making a
noise in the street. He told them to move on; while he
was doing so, the prisoner came up, and asked if he had
seen the woman whom he (the prisoner) was looking
for, using at the same time some very coarse expressions.
The officer took him by the shoulder and told him to go
home, on which the prisoner drew from under his cost a
bar of iron about two feet and a halt long, having a han-
dle formed by twine lapped round it, and struck him
blow on the temple, inflicting a severe wound. The pri-
soner then ran away, but was pursued by the prosecutor
and another officer. He ran into a court, but found
there was no exit at the other end. In returning he
met the prosecutor, and again struck him, but was fi-
nally secured. The weapon he used, and which was
now produced, was a most murderous one, having a
sharp point at one end, and being formed like a chisel
at the other.
Witnesses were called for the defence, to show that
the prosecutor had behaved improperly to one of the
women in the street, who appeared to be the prisoner':;
wife, and afterwards assailed the prisoner when ho in-
terfered in her defence, but this was not made out.
Verdict, Guilty.—Sentence deferred.
CROWN COURT.--Liverpool, Aug. 22.
(Before Mr. Justice CRESSWELL.)

John W hittwn was indicted for having, on the 34 of
April last, committed a violent assault on Richard Blee,
a collector of accounts, residing in Acton-atreet, in
Manchester, with intent to do him some grievous bodily
. .

injury.
Mr. Pow.ocK stated the case.
It appeared that in the month of January last the pro-
secutor called upon the prisoner, who owed an account
to Mr. Whitehead, surgeon, of Oxford-street. It was
arranged at the prisoner's request that the account should
be paid by instalments of one shilling per week. On
the 3d of April the prisoner went to the prosecutor's
house, ar,d, being drunk, threw down a shilling upon the
table, and said to the prosecutor, with an oath, " Tell me
whether you will take it or not." Seeing that the pri-
soner was drunk, and his wife indisposed, the prosecutor
asked the prisoner to leave the house, and come again
when he was sober. Ile declined to do so, and became
very abusive. The prosecutor then turned towards the
fire, and tcok up the poker to stir up the fire. The pro-
secutor's wife then said to the prisoner, " Do, for God's
sake, my good man, go home, and come again when
you are sober," when the prisoner struck her a violent
blow on the mouth, which knocked her down, and
rendered her insensible. The prosecutor, on hearing
the screams of his wife, hastily turned from the fire with
the poker in his hand, when the prisoner wrested it from
him, and struck him with it on the head. The blow cut
the prosecutor's head nearly to the bone, and a niece of
the prosecutor's then gave an alarm to the neighbours,
which caused some of them to run into the house, whore
they found the prosecutor bleeding from the head, and his
wife fainting. The prisoner had the poker in his hand,
and threatened to kill any one who came near him. The
poker was ultimately taken from him, and he was appre-
hended.

Several witnesses having proved these facts,
Mr. Golland, surgeon to the Manchester police force,
stated that he attended the prosecutor and found a seri-
ous wound on the head, which, for some time, he thought
was dangerous.
The jury, after some deliberation, found the prisoner
Guilty of an assault.—Sentence deferred.

Willan pleaded guilty to having, in Salford, in
June last, forged the endorsement to a bill of exchange,
with intent to defraud Wm. Charles Brown.—Sentence
deferred.

Samuel IT orthington, 27, was charged with having,
at Pendleton, on the 27th ult., stolen a variety of
articles from the house of William Hesketh, and having
afterwards burglariously broken out of the said dwell-
ing-house.
It appeared that on the night of the day in question,
and for two or three previous evenings, the prisoner had
slept at the house of the prosecutor, his brother-in-law,
at Pendleton; that during the night of the 27th ult. he
left the house of his brother-in-law, and that after he
had gone, a clock, some candlesticks, and a quantity of
wearing apparel, were missed. The prisoner on the
following morning went to the detective office, at the
Town-hall, Manchester, and gave himself up for the
robbery.
The jury returned a verdict of Guilty.
The prisoner, who was convicted of felony at the
spring assizes for 1847, and was sentenced to imprison-
ment fur fifteen months, was now transported for seven
years.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.
OLD COURT'.

George Thomas Witchell, 25, postman, was indicted
for stealing a post letter, containing two sixpences and
a pawnbroker's duplicate.
The same counsel were engaged for the prosecution,
and Mr. Ballantine was engaged for the defence.
This charge was clearly established against the pri-
soner. He was engaged in sorting letters, and was ob-
served by one of the inspectors at the General Post-
office to act in such a manner with regard to one of the
letters as excited his suspicion. The letter in question
was found shortly afterwards in one of the water-closets
,
torn in half, and its contents abstracted. The duplicate
was found in the closet and on the
prisoacr being ques-
tioned he admitted his guilt. He had, it appeared, been
married shortly before the offence was committed.
The jury found the prisoner Guilty.
li'lltiant Harvey, a
in-
dictedpost office
for secreting and stealing a newspaper, value :id.,
the property of the Postmaster-General.
office letter-carrier, was
Mr. CLARKSON said that the offence with which the
prisoner was charged was not felony, but misdemeanour,
created by a recent statute, which enacted that if any
person employed in the Post office embezzled or stole
any printed paper open at the sides and sent. through
the Post•office, whether a Parliamentary paper, news-
paper, or any other document of a similar character, he

should be deemed guilty of the offence of misdemeanour.
The Learned Counsel said, that in consequence of
the numerous complaints of irregularity in the delivery
of marked papers vassing through the post, this enact-
ment had become necessary; and, although he property
stolen was not of any very considerable value, yet it
was perfectly clear that the offence was one of a very
mischievous character, and which required to be re-
pressed. He then stated the facts, from which it ap-
peared that on the 13th of July the Times newspaper
was posted addressed to a lady named Robinson, in the
New-road, Croydon, and this paper never came to hand.
A few days afterwards a search was made in the house
of the prisoner, who is a postman ut Croydon, and the
fragments of a newspaper, which, fritm certain marks
upon it, there was very little doubt was the one sent to
Mrs. Robinson, were found in it; and on his being ques-
tioned he at first refused to give any explanation, but at
length said that he could not account fur the possession
of the paper.
These facts were proved by the witnesses, but Mrs.
Robinson, in answer to a question put to her by Mr.
Ballantine, said that she had known the prisoner as a
letter-carrier for a considerable period, and he had
always delivered her letters and papers correctly, and
she thought he must have tOrgotten the paper in question.
Mr. BALLANTINE adopted this line of deleitcs, and
urged that it was not probable a matt who bore a good
character, and who had for a long period conducted
himself with propriety, should sacrifice his position for
the sake of an article of such trifling value ; and that it
was far more likely he had taken the paper home by
forgetfulness, and while lying about it had been torn up
either by his wife or some other person.
Several highly resptctable witnesses, who had known
the prisoner a great number of years, gave him an ex-
cellent character for honesty.
The jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty.
The Learned BARON remarked that although they
had come to this conclusion, it was clearly a case in
which it was the duty of the Postmaster-General to in-
stitute an inquiry. Where suspicion was directed to a
public officer there was no alternative but to send the
case before a jury, in order that it might be properly in-
quired into.

_
The jury said they quite concurred in the observations
of his Lordship. They thought it was a very proper case
for inquiry. . _ _

Mfr.BAILANTINE said, on the part of the prisoner, he
did not offer any complaint of the proceeding. Indeed,
the experience he had had of the manner in which the
solicitor for the Post-office performed his duty satisfied
him that no case would be sent for trial which did not
demand an inquiry to be made for the interest of the
public.
John Prenderville. 39, letter-carrier, was indicted for
feloniously stealing a letter containing a cheque for
291. 7s. ld., the property of the Postmaster-General; and
on a second count he was charged, in conformity with the
statute, which has only become law within the last few
days, with feloniously receiving the cheque, knowing it to
have been stolen.

The same counsel were engaged for the prosecution.
Mr. Prendergast defended the prisoner.
The evidence adduced in support of the indictment
was of the most conclusive character. It appeared that
on the Ist of July a gentleman named Grainger, who
carries on business in ,the City, enclosed a cheque for
291. 7s. id. in a letter addressed to Mr. Ponsford,,
South Wharf•road, Paddington. The letter was never
received, and on the 4th of July, three days afterwards,
the prisoners went to the establishment of Messrs.
Moses, in the Minories, accompanied by another man,
and represented his name to be Marshall, and required
clothes to be made for himself and companion, the price
of which amounted to 71. 12s. On his being asked for a
deposit he tendered the cheque in question, and Messrs.
Moses having sent a messenger to Messrs. Stone, Martin,
and Stone's, where it was made payable, and ascertained
that it was a genuine cheque, they gave the difference,
and it was arranged that the clothes should be ready
and be sent for on the following Thursday. The
cheque, it appeared was marked " and C 0.," so that in
the ordinary course it would only be payable through
a banker, and Messrs. Moses having endorsed it " Bank,"
they keeping a banking account at the Bank of Eng-
land, it was paid in due course. On the 10th of Jelly
the prisoner sent a boy with a letter to Messrs. Moses,
requiring them to deliver up the clothes, but in conse-
quence of a communication they bad had with the Post-
office authorities the boy was questioned by the police,
and from his statement suspicion was immediately
directed to the prisoner, who, directly afterwards ab-
sconded. In addition to these facts it was shown that
the prisoner was employed on the Ist of July as a su-
pernumerary letter carrier in the North Paddington
district, and it was suggested that by some mistake
in the sorting, the letter in question, which belonged
to the South Paddington district, had come into
his possession. The prisoner was followed to Liver-
pool, where he was taken into custody by Peake the
officer, and he then made a statement to him that he had
met a person, with whom he had some slight acquaint-
ance, who told him that he had found a cheque which
could only be cashed through a banker's, and he advised
him to go to Moses' and get it changed, and he con-
sented to accompany him. Ha declared that in the first
instance he had no suspicion of there being anything
wrong about the cheque, but ho admitted that he did
subsequently suspect it had been improperly obtained,
and lie was, therefore, induced to abscond for fear of the
consequences to himself for the share he had taken in
the transaction.

Mr. Baron PLATT, at the close of the case for the pro-
secution, remarked that Messrs. Moses appeared to have
acted very incautiously in taking a cheque from a
stranger which they could see, by being marked " and
Co. " was only intended to be passed through a banker,
and giving validity to it by sending it through their own
honker; and he said they ought to have detained the
cheque, and not have assisted in passing it.
The jury found the prisoner Guilty of feloniously re.
ceiving the cheque, and he was sentenced to be transported
for ten years.