The Sun.
London, England, 1851-01-07 00:00:00

probably a less degree of punishment would satisfy the
ends of justice. The sentence cf the Court upon the
prisoner was, that he be imprisoned and kept to
hard lab; ur for the term cf twelva calendar months.

The prif.oLer said there was one thing he wished to
name. The action (which the Recorder had just men-
tioned to Mr. Bailey) was commenced in consequLnce
of sums which Mr. Burrell had paid to the amount of
101. 16s. 6d.

The Recorder—Mr. Burrell's evidence is directly
contrary to that statement ; he states that he had no
notion of bringing such an action. After a further con-
versation with Mr. Bailey, the Recorder observed that
the duty of the Court was very plain and clear, a,,d a
much higher sentence would have been passed had the
prisoner been convicted on the other counts cf the
indictment.
Tee prisoner Ras then removed.

FILL, JAN. 6.—Sld. Minerva, Jamaica; Sir Henry
Pottinger, Savannah; Ssmuel, ditto. Put back, Arab
and Nestor, Africa, and both sailed 6th.

OFF DARTMOUTH.— Mathelde, Laguna, fur Ham-
burgh.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MANSION-HOUSE.

ID consequence of the receipt of several letters from
various prts of the country on the subject of the mock
mercantile agency of a gang of London swindlers,
the Lord 1.11.1y0r caused inquiries to be made by the
police acting in the various localities to which the
correspondence referred.
The practice of the persons alluded to is to send to
tradesmen circulars, confidentially informing them of
certain facilities of procuring cash for bills, or as loans
upon goods, and, upon receipt of the securities or the
property, to turn the whole to their own advantage,
leaving their credulous dupes to get over their aggra-
vated embarrassment, caused by the active prose-
cution of the system, with the help of Providence
alone.

The following are paragraphs from one of the
circulars :

" We shall have no objection to make an advance of 201.
per cent. on amount of invoice, if at any time you should
happen to have goods on hand and find sales dull; and
we will use our best exertions to turn them into money
fur you to advantage, towards paying your bait as they
become due, or remit you th© cash as V.ey are sold."
" With respect to goods and parcels, please to advise
by letter first; and when goods are sent to turn into
c.sh to pay bills with, they must be forwarded in suffi-
cient time."

" Our house will afford every facility, and be disposed
to accommodate in every practicable way the reipect4ble
trader, and we trust that our exertions to give satisfac-
tion will be attended, as hitherto, with mutual benefit to
all parties who may honour us with their confidence.
Any further information requested will be immediately
forwarded, and all commands obtain prompt and con-
fidential attention.— We are, Sir, yours respectfully,
" B. MTHERSON and Co., General Factors.
" 10, Union-row, Kingsland."
One of his Lordship's correspondents said in his
letter—

" I was induced.to put myself in communication with
the writers, B. M'Pherson and Co., self-styled general
factors,' 10, Union-row, Kingsland, solely to find out the
manner of their transacting business, and to give your
Lordship, who through the press can inform those who
are in want (thank God I am not) of their assistance,
that nothing can result from an Experiment but an ex-
posure of the want of money, accompanied by the utter
want of principle. I received an answer to my fictitious
case, and in reply was informed that I could be accom-
modated with any amount, from 3001. to 500/. The
persons at the same time stated that I shout I be recom-
mended by them to a respectable broker. I wrote a
second letter, when back came the form of a bill, a copy
of which I enclose; also the broker's address. I need
not add more on the subject. Probably the a4sutued
names are all well knon to Mr. Goodman, who will
doubtless put in execution any plan your Lordship may
think necessary to suggest to check this villauy. Should
I be instrumental in putting an end to it the purpose for
which I have taken the trouble will be fully answered.
I write by this post to the bill-broker to know from that
worthy his terms, and will in due course give your Lord-
ship the result."

The following is a copy of the form of the bill re
ferred to in the letter :

" London.
" £3oo—Twelve months after date ray to my order
in London Three Hundred Pounde, value received.

"Cu. EDWARDi.

" To Mr. W. W—, Shipping merchant, Liverpool."
Across the copy of the bill were the words " Ac-
cepted at Messrs. Rogers, Olding, and Co., bankers,
London ;" and on the bank were, " Pay Mr. I). 8.,
or order, Charles Edwards."
Sergeant Dubois, of the N division of the metro-
politan police force, said-1 went at the request of
Four Lordship to the address No. 10, Union-row,
Kingsland. The row consisted of a few very small
houses, and I inquired at all the houses there, but could
hear nothing at all of M'Pherson and Co. Even the
postman, for whom I waited, could give me no infor-
mation about them. However, upon looking over
some papers which I seiz:,cl some time ago from a
gang of swindlers, I fund the circular identical with
that issued by M'Pherson and Co., with the exception
of the name of the firm, which is, I understand,
changed as occasion may require to Wigram and Co.,
Masterrnan and C,a, or Bosanquet and Co. lam
convinced that M'Pherson is no other than Wigram,
whose real name is Spurrell, and whom I have known
for years as a bill stealer. The gang ;s an extensive
one, and has been very successful, particularly in Ire-
land, where Wigram has a son, who is of great use to
the villanous system. Some time ago 4001. worth of
paintings were procured by Bosanquet from a gentle-
man in Kilkenny through Wigratn's son. The per-
son who sustained the less called upon me to repre-
sent the circumstances, and I took him to Wigram,
who then lived in George-street, Kingsland, and
asked him whether that was the man with whom the
dealing had been had. The dupe, however, could not
swear to the identity of Wigram, nho merely said,
on hearing the charge, " Well, you were a -- fool
to part with your property."
The Loan Maros—My object in publicly bring-
ing forward the subject of imposing upon men in
pecuniary difficulties by means of these circulars is,
to protect the community as far as I am able, as
chief magistrate of London, against a very extensive
mode of plunder. I have received numerous communi-
cations from persons who have sustained irreparable
mischief by the plan of operations thus adopted, and
among the dupes are several clergymen, as well as
men engaged in industrious trades, who, after having
entrusted their bills to those fellows, who had stolen
the names of eminent bankers and merchants, never
heard of the fate of their securities until applied to for
payment. I can, under the present circumstances,
do nothing but advise those who may receive com-
munications of this kind to avoid holding any corre-
spondence with the writers, and to express my hope
that this exposure may be the means of saving many
a rem and many a poor family from distress. I think
it is but due to the officer who has given me the in-
telligence to state that the citizens of London are
much indebted to him for the exertions he has made
to detect the gang, and that the continuance of such
activity may enable the magistracy one day to punish
the delinquents.
A little boy, named Joseph Neville, was charged
wish having picked a gentleman's pocket of a hand-
kerchief. The prisoner was not expert at the attempt
and was caught in the act by the prosecutor, who
seized and held him.

The LORD MAYOR—How long have you been
picking pockets ? Prisoner—l have been at it just
three months, sir.

The LORD MAYOR—And how many pockets have
you picked during that time ? Prisoner (shaking
his head)—l really don't know.
The LORD Mayor—Do you mean that you don't
know because they were so many ? Prisoner, I do,
your Lordship. _

The LORD MAYOR then sentenced the wretched
child to be imprisoned for one month, and gave some
particular directions respecting him to the principal
gaoler.