The Sun.
London, England, 1833-10-02 00:00:00

(PRICE 7D.)

tlble at the bottom of the room, and stops there the whole
of the day.
" Is that always the case?—Yes.
" At whose expense was that provided ?—The clerk's.
" Your expense ?—Yes.
" How long have you been in the habit of doing it ?
Ever since I have been clerk.
" You have been clerk for 30 years ?—Yes, for thirty
years.
• • • •

" What is it that the collation usually costs you ?—I
cannot exactly say—from 101. to 201.
" The collation costs you that for the day P—No, for
two days.
" From 101. to 20/. you paid for that collation ?—Not
for the collation a!one ; but so much for the rooms, two
guineas each day for the rooms ; and there are pens and
paper—they charged for everything which the Commis-
sioners bad.
• • • • • •

" Was there any entertainment, or little dinner parties,
amongst the clerks and people connected with the Magis-
trates afterwards ?—I believe they were in the habit of
dining together—the constables and Mr. B—, but I was
never present.

"At whose expense was that?—At my expense.
. . . . * .

" Do you entertain these parties up to the present
time?—There was none the last time, but the gentlemen
sot till six or seven o'clock at night ; what was on the
table the persons tool; a bit of, and went away."
Our readers were not perhaps aware that ma-
gistrates and constables dine together after the
licensing is over, when the clerk, who pays the
expense, thinks it beneath him ever to attend.
Mr. Richards is examined farther as to his
notions of this treating :
" Do you think it just and right that you should be put
to such an expense for collation fur the Magistrates ?
That was not considered by the clerk ; they come nine or
ten miles in the morning.
" Did any of the Magistrates ever offer to pay for them-
selves ?—Never."

Nov the emoluments out of which the clerk
must treat the magistrates and constables, are
just six shillings and sixpence for each license.
There were last year 405 licenses ; there are
fewer now. But besides treating the magi-
strates, Mr. Richards had to pay to Mr. Bigg,
his deputy, 401.
We regret that our limits will not allow us to
give the whole of the very curious evidence
given by Mr. Richards with regard to this deputy
of his, Mr. Bigg, but we shall give some very
instructive parts of it. Of course Mr. Richards
did not know that Mr. Bigg received any money
from the publicans. Our readers were prepared
for that—it is selon les regles. But what is
more, he does not believe yet that he did re-
ceive any :

" Did you hear any report of Mr. Williams having paid
some money for obtaining a license ?—I cannot say I heard
of that ; I have heard there was a demand made upon him.
" By whom ?—lt was said there was a demand made
upon biro by Mr. Bigg.
" Do you believe that or do you not ?—I cannot form
any opinion exactly.

" I ask you whether you believe it or not ?—I am not
able to form an opinion upon it.
" One asserts it, and the other denies it ; I ask you
which you believe ?—I cannot say which I believe.
" Do you mean to say you do not believe the one more
than the other?—One is as touch entitled to credit as the
other.

" Do you or do you not believe what was said of
Mr. Bigv, that he had received money from Mr. WA-
liams?—l should suppose, if it was asserted that he had
received money for a license, it would not be asserted if it
was not the fact.

" Do you believe it ?—I should suppose, if it is asserted,
it is in be believed.

" My question is, whether you do believe it, that Mr.
Bigg received the money or not ceonot say ; I have
no belief on the subject ; I cannot fuim an opinion upon it.

" Do you disbelieve that Mr. Bigg has received money
improperly in this way ?—I should say he has not re-
ceived money from the man for the license.
" Then you can form something like an opinion ?—lf I
pronounce any opinion, I shoulri say he had not.
" Did you ever hear at all of any other persons con-
nected with the office in granting licenses; did you ever
hear of any other persons taking money in this way ?
Never; I have heard of money being demanded; but I
paid no attention to it."

This questio❑ and answer reminds us of
Dennis Brldgruddery's answer in the play, to
one who asked him it he had ever seen a bailiff ?

—He might, if he had been curious that way !
but that he was running, and he did not like
to look behind him.

Mr. Richards improved upon the character
of Biao :

" Had you any particular conversation with Mr. Flower
in consego,:nce of the conversation about this 50/. ?—No,
it was mentioned probably at the meeting of the Magis.
trat:,s.

" And no steps were taken by the Magistrates?--No,
none at all.

" What was the cause of Bigg's resigning the office ?
That he best knows.

" Was it voluntary ?—Yes, it was a voluntary res;g

❑ation.
" He was not called upon by the Magistrates to resign ?
—Certainly not.
" Do you believe him to be an honest man, and a man
to be credited upon his word ?—I have no doubt of that.
• • • • • •
" Yo❑ say you saw Bigg after his resignation ?—Yes.
" Had you any conversation about his resignation !
Nothing particularly.
" Did he ever tell you why he resigned ?-11e did not.
" Did you ask him ?—I did not.
• • • •
" You say some publicans made complaints against
him ?—Yes.
.‘ What should induce him to tell you this morning that
be was ordered out of the room several times?—We were
talking generally upon the subject of the licences.
Do you mean to represent that the person who acted
with you several years, resigned his office, and never
spoke to you upon the subject of his resignation, or stated
why he resigned ?—Never.
" Although you have seen him constantly since ?—Yes."
Mr. Bigg, of course, conceives himself a
deeply injured man, and according to his own
account no Vestal is purer.
Mr. Williams, the publican's evidence, is
exceedingly curious ; on a future day we shall
give it umnutilated.
Mr. Flower, on a subsequent examination,
states—
" Do you recollect whether Williams's license was sus-
pended at any time ?—No, I think not ; but it is general'y
customary for the Clerks to give out the licenses after the
Magistrates have signed them, on the day on which they
came before us ; Williams called upon me some few days
afterwards, and said, 'Mr. Bigg, the Deputy Clerk will
not give me a license, because he demanded either 401. or
50/., and I refused, and said that he had got 50/. or 60/.
before, and I said to him, ' Have you nut had your
license?' And he said, no. And I said, 'My carriage
is at the door, and go with me, and I will tike you to
Mr. Richards, the only responsible person, and see why
you do not get your license.' When I got to Richards's.
house, I said, Where is that license of Mr. Williams?
and he said, 'He shall have it in time ;' and I said, I
will not go out of this room till Mr. Williams has his
license;' and lie poked about for it for some dine, and at
lust found it. I gave it to Mr. Williams, and said, There .
is your license.' That was kept back for some reason
which I could not understand ; but certainly he has never
had his license suspended in any way. There was a com-
plaint made at Marlborough-street, for serving a glass of
ruin after eleven o'clock one Sunday morning ; and it
then turned out that this man Spicer bad given fourteen
shillings to the informer, to go and catch him."
This is a ,curious subject altogether. It is,