The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-18 00:00:00

THE IRON TRADE.

This great staple trade of our district has retained
an unchanged aspect of dulness and depression. If
any alteration can be noticed, it has been a further
tendency to decline rather than to improvement; and
the trifling transactions of the last fortnight appear, in
several instances, to have been concluded upon some-
what lower terms. It would be difficult, however, to
define any actual limit of variation in the prices of iron
either at the present moment or during the last six
months ; but while the first makes are commanding
something near the nominal figures, it is not going too
far to say that others are now to be had at 159. per ton
lower. Among the purchasers of pig. iron a strong dis-
inclination is shown to forestall the requirements of the
approaching quarter; while holders of materials are
everywhere endeavouring to press forward their sales.
From the Scotch market accounts are gloomy, re •
porting 3d. per ton decline. The unusually short
supply of water in the various canals is also inflicting a
serious injury, increasing the expense of transit both
upon iron itself and the materials for its manufacture.
Notwithstanding these adverse symptoms, it is gene-
rally expected that there will be no declaration of red
duction at the approaching quarterly meeting, but that
some
agoatissfoaefaterryaspteosietnietneretaarinlyainhto.hpee.
sporfiahgcr
Among
gaga
existingeem prices will be maintained at Christmas ; and
other reasons for suchare a a
more
opinion, it is stated that the.
first-rate works
orders, and maintain their tolerablylttatwi well supplied with
that no ac cumulation of stocks, eitherons with. firmnhetss ,
unwrought iron, has taken place during the lastor
twelve months of. depression; that the principal al evil
felt is rather the impossibility of obtaining remunera-
tionp than an absolute scarcity of demand ; and that
while it is impossible that the home consumption
should suffer further, the commencement of the

spring trade will bring an additional accession to the
continually increasing amount of export demand
sufficient to warrant higher pretensions. It is also
naturally expected that the iron trade will participate
in the beneficial effects resulting trom an abundant
and growing supply of the precious metals, which
will not only insure low rates of discount at home,
but will have a tendency to enhance the value of
articles of commeice, both here and among all our
foreign connexions. Of the correctness of such views
those who are interested must, however, form their
own judgment.—Birniingham Gazette.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT;
OLD COURT.
THE TRIAL OF ISAAC BOYD.
(Continued from The Sun of yesterday.)

Some witnesses were examined to show that, du-
ring the period between January and June, 1851,
the defendant had obtained a large quantity of silk
from the other firms, the whole of which had been
pledged.
Mr. Josiah Robinson was next called as a witness.
He deposed that he carried on the business of a silk
merchant in partnership with a gentleman named
Drakeford. He knew the defendant, and had sold
him goods in his trade, and they had had many trans-
actions together. He believed the defendant was in
their debt at the present time, but they had not
proved under the bankruptcy. The last time their
firm sold anything to the defendant was in January
of the present year, and after that period, from what
they heard of him, they should have declined to give
him credit if he had applied for it. Between the
months of January and June, 1851, the defendant
deposited silk with them, for which they ad-
vanced 2,800/. Oa the 17th April he gave the
defendant 6001. as an advance. On the same day
he deposited three parcels of silk with them. This
silk was all in the state in which manufacturers
of the article obtained it from the merchant. The
money was advanced upon the general account of the
silk that had been deposited with them for sale. On the
20th April they received two hundred weight of silk
from the defendant, and advanced him 2001. On the
17th May a further sum of 1601. was paid to him, and
he deposited another parcel of silk. On the 11th
June the defendant deposited two other parcels of silk
weighing 256 pounds, and he was paid 2401. Wit-
ness remembered ,purchasing a quantity of silk from
Mr. Attenborough. The defendant came to them,
and represented that he knew a person who had a
quantity of silk for sale, and that he should be paid a
commission for selling it. The defendant produced a
sample of the silk, and after some negotiation they
agreed to purchase it. A person named Pawley acted
as the agent of Mr. Attenborough, and received the
money for the goods. Witness could not say posi-
tively when this occurred, but it was certainly
before the bankruptcy of the defendant. in June.
Witness could not say whether it was in April,
May, or June, as he had not got his books, and
he would have produced his books if he had been
required to do so. He could, therefore, only give
an opinion as to the time. It was certainly more
than six weeks before the bankruptcy when the
transaction with Mr. Pawley and the defendant
took place. He could not say the exact amount that
was paid, because he had not got his books ; but he
believed it was from 2,0001. to 2,5001. (A book was
here handed to the witness.) He saw by the book
he had just examined that the transaction took place
on the 27th of May. The quantity of silk he pur-
chased from Mr. Attenborough appeared to be 2,259
lbs., but no price was mentioned. The whole of this
silk, as well as all that he received from the bank-
rupt, had been sold, and no portion of it had gone
back to the bankrupt.
By Mr. CLA.RlitON—Their firm was in the habit of
advancing money in this manner upon unmanufac-
tured silk.
By the COURT—It was their custom to receive the
silk, and sell it on commission, advancing money
upon it in the first instance. The whole value of the
silk was accounted for to the defendant.

John Pli% ley deposed that he was in the service of
Mr. Attenborough, a pawnbroker. The defendant
bad been in the babit of depositing silk with them for
some time, and advances of money were made upon
it, for which, by agreement, 15 per cent. per annum
interest was charged. The silk that was sold to Mr.
Robinson belonged to the defendant, and was sold by,
his order, and he acted as hit' own broker in the mat-
ter. The amount for which the silk was sold was
2,1681.43. 9d. The sum of 1,7181 had been ad-
vanced upon it to the defendant, and there was 901.
due for interest. The balance was handed to the de-
fendant. _ _

This was the case for the prosecution.
Mr. CLARKSON then addressed the jury for the
defendant. He said that although he was aware,
from the prejudice that must naturally be excited in
the minds of the jury by a case of this description,
that he should have a very difficult task to perform,
yet he trusted he should be able to satisfy them that
the defendant ought not, in law, to be convicted of
this offence. In a moral point of view, he should
not insult them by attempting for a moment to deny

that the defendant bad conducted himself in his
trading transactions in a most reckless and improper
manner, and for that conduct he would be justly ame-
nable to punishment in the Court of Bankruptcy ; but
the question the jury now had to decide was, whether
he, had been guilty of a misdemeanour under this
statute, and whether the evidence would justify them
in saying that he was guilty of that offence. The
Learned Counsel then called the attention of the jury
to the terms of the statute, and contended that there
was no evidence of the defendant having obtained the
property from Messrs. Fordasti by the false pretence
required to support such an indictment; and that,
on the contrary, instead of there being any proof that
he was falsely and colourably carrying on his trade,
the evidence showed that he really was so engaged,
and that the article was required for a particular
'ltiinantigt the
such proceedings were
the
it into
pressure,
purpose. Mr. Clarkson observed upon the facility that
appeared to exist
samemetropolis
ti
time,
e , forth a t thehe dfiesaproesda,l
ino
timesf
money at a ruinous sacri-
ficeccmpelled to pawn goods shortly after
n
to punish criminally those persons
property;
rof en:aininrnidttneugrr::
but too frequently resorted to, and that it would be a
great
possession of them for the purpose
ot
that
if they
p I C
their temporary necessities. The
Learned
concluded by entreating the jury not
t mhoeyin hadhardship
hobtained
t bs
to meet a particular case, and said
were not satisfied that the specific
charge had been legally established, it was their duty
to declare that opinion by their verdict, whatever
ttyhh°ieent lygn lav'g
e
they might think of the proceedings of the defendant
in a moral point of view.
u rt Baron
wereAsummed up. He said that the
opinion that the count in the
indictment
referring to the case of Messrs, Allepson
could not be supported, and the jury would therefore
only have to
Court clearly ElsoN
of
consider the other, on which the defend-
ant was charged with obtaining the property of
Messrs. Fordaett. His Lordship called the attention
of the jury to the terms of the statute, and said that
if they could be of opinion that at the time the goods
were obtained the defendant had no intention of using
pawn them, in that case they would be tthdfo to r the purposes of his trade, but that he in-
enemde
jus-
tified in finding him guilty upon this indictment.
He
however, that the evidence to support
such a must,vie
view say,
of the case appeared to him to be rather
slender, but the jury were the judges upon the ques-
tion of fact, and it was for them to form their own
conclusion upon the subject.
The jury retired, and were absent about an hour,
when they returned into court and gave a verdict of
Guilty against the defendant.
Baron ALDERSON, in passing sentence, told the de-
fendant that he had been convicted by the jury, after
full deliberation, of the offence of obtaining the goods
of Messrs. Fordasti by false pretences. Although
some doubts might exist whether he committed the
specific offence alleged against him under the statute,
there could be none on the mind of the Court, or any
one else, that he had been trading in a very reckless
and fraudulent manner, and that he had become
bankrupt after defrauding his creditors to a very large
amount. The jury having returned a verdict of
guilty, the Court had now to pass sentence upon the
whole case. The offence was a very aggravated one
in a commercial community, and the sentence must
therefore necessarily be a severe one. He then or-
dered the defendant to be kept to hard labour for one
year.

THIRD COURT,
(Before Mr. RUSSELL GURNEY.)
Robert Matthews, 24, labourer, was indicted for
cutting and wounding Harriet Donnow, with intent
to murder her.

Mr. Thompson prosecuted, and Mr. Giffard de-
fended.

It appeared that the prosecutrix had for two years
cohabited with the prisoner, who is an itinerent cake
vendor, and in the early part of last month they had
some quarrels, and she then expressed her determina-
tion to leave; and it would appear that on the 13th
of November she did so. The prisoner, on that day,
was at Greenwich selling his coke, and upon coming
home and finding her gone he became enraged, and
finally traced her to Duke of York public-house. He
went into the tap-room where she was, and said to
her " I want to speak to you," and putting his arm
round her neck, drew from his jacket pocket a large
table knife and drew it across her throat, inflicting a
wound three inches long and one deep, from which
the blood flowed most rapidly. She was immediately
taken to the London Hospital, where the wound was
sown up, and for some time her life was despaired of.
The prisoner had stated that he was deternained not
to let any one else have her.
The jury acquitted the prisoner on the count
charging the intent to murder, finding him guilty of
wounding with intent to do bodily harm.
He was transported for ten years.