The Sun.
London, England, 1833-11-25 00:00:00

MARLBOROUGH STREET.

EVASION OF PAROCHIAL RATES.—Several indivi-
duals were summoned by the parish authorities of
St. George's, Hanover-square, for having refused
to pay parish rates:, under peculiar circumstances.
From the statement made by the parish authori-
ties, it appeared that the landlords of a great num-
ber of houses in the parish neglected to pay the
poor, the county, and the police rates, because they
had sublet their houses to other parties, who, they
contended, ought to be called upon to pay such
demands. No., these under tenants were mostly
paupers, receiving relief from their parishes, and
they were only enabled to pay the rent to the real
landlord, by letting the houses out in lodgings. A
double evil was thus created ; for while, on the one
ha-id, it was impossible to collect the poor rate
from such people, on the other the system had the
effect of introducing a colony of paupers into the
parish, and thus proving a most serious evil to rate-
payers.
In the parish of St. George, about Pimlico, a
number of small houses had been erected by different
individuals; arid as whole troops of pauper and va-
grant Irish were thus introduced, owing to the
in
facility of procuring lodgings such houses, that
part of the town would shortly become infested as
thickly as Sr. Giles's. In order to bring the ques-
tion to an issue, whether the real landlord or the
pauper tenant was the proper person to make the
claim of parochial rates upon, the parish had di-
rected summonses to be served on Mr. Cubitt,
landlord of twelve houses ; Mr. Edwards, landlord
of fifteen houses; and Mr. Cowdry, landlord of
eight hou-es of this description.
The Bench looked into the Local Act, and upon
consideration of the 56th clause, became of opinion,
in the case of Mr. Cubitt, that he was not liable for
the rates.

Mr. Chapple, the Vestry Clerk, said the Vestry

considered the point of so much importance that he
had no doubt he should be instructed to apply to
the King's Bench for a mandamus o■ the subject.
The other cases were postponed.
MARY LEB OIVE.
FREAKS OF AN OLD CONVICT.— William Butcher,
guard to the Rocket Portsmouth coach, was charged
with having robbed John Martin, an old grey-headed
sinner, on his transit from the hulks to London. The
old man was on Wednesday last discharged from the
hulks at Portsmouth, when he was presented with
13/., the wages due to him. Transported with joy,
he immediately proceeded to a public-house, where
he soon expended two sovereigns in treating him-
self and all who were present. He next mounted
the Rocket coach, and he insisted on drinking at
every house at which the coach stopped. At Guild-
ford he fell in with some women, whom he treated to
a splendid supper, the cost being discharged by th•
guard, in whose hands the money had been deposited
by the complainant for safety. On arriving at the
Bull and Mouth the 13/. had dwindled down to a
small sum, and the old convict, who had slept off the
indiscretion of the preceding day and night, actually
charged the guard with having appropriated the
money to his own use.
The guard explained this to the satisfaction of the
Magistrate, and was immediately liberated.