The Sun.
London, England, 1833-05-08 00:00:00

MAR YLEB

George Smith was yesterday placed at the bar, charged
before Mr. HosKitis, o❑ suspicion of stealing a quantity
of linen, cheese, brandy, vinegar, and other property, to
a considerable amount, from No. 2, Duchess-street, Port-
land-place, the residence of the late Mrs. Kenyon.
William Bridgeland, police constable of the E division,
deposed, that at half-past 10 o'clock on Monday night he
saw the prisoner come out of the area-gate of the above-
named premises, which was opened by a female, and that
he was carrying a large clothes basket ful of linen, &c.
On the witness questioning him as to where he was going,
the reply was, " I am going to take the things to
Frederick-street, Regent's-park, to my wife, who washes
regularly for the family." Prisoner cv,is then taken to the
station-house. On searching his lodgings, various articles,
consisting of knives, forks, cheese, brandy, jam, &c., were
found tied up, and placed in different parts of the room.
On the prisoner's person were four keys and a bottle of
white pepper.
Francis Searancke, Esq., nephew of the late Mrs.
Kenyon, being sworn, stated, that since the decease of
his aunt, whose funeral he had that morning attended, he
had received information that the premises ought to be
carefully watched, his informant, who was a perfect
stranger to him, intimating, in no very indirect terms
his suspicions, that during the time Mrs. Kenyon lay
dead, property to some amount had been clandestinely
removed. Witness went on to state, that there were four
female servants in the house, one of whom wis Smith's,
the prisoner's, wife, who was engaged for a short period
as charwoman. He, witness, should have thought it
proper to have taken an inventory of Mrs. Kenyon's goods
at the time of her decease, if he had not consiibred that
from the number of years the servants, particularly Mary
Weaver, the cook, had lived with her, every ci.nfidenee
might be placed in them ; he had subsequently ascertained
that at Smith's house there was a great quantity of linen,
which, ❑o doubt, was int: oiled to be kept, as it ought
long since to have been sent home.
Prisoner was in the habit of going to Mrs. Kenyon's
house on Mondays for clothes, and was not aware of any-
thing being wrong on the occasion alluded to.
Mr. HosKiNs desired an officer to bring the women
servants before him immediately.
In about half an hour Martha Weaver, the cook, Louisa
Weaver, her niece, Smith's wife, and Martha Groom, the
housemaid, arrived.
Alr. Hosxtsts then asked the policeman if he could dis-
cover among the women the one who let the prisoner out
at the area gate?
The policeman could not swear to either of them, but
be was told by the prisoner that Martha Groom had given
him the linen to take home.
Martha Groom said if the magistrate would allow her
she would explain the affair. The things in the basket
belonged principally to herself ; some of them, it was true,
were her late dear mistress's, and she had sent them to he
washed. _ _ _

The policeman here drew from the basket a loaf of
sugar, some candles, soap, &c., when
Mr. HOSKINS (addressing the female witness) slid—
How came those things in the basket? Were they sent to
be washtd too ?—Martha Groom said that the sugar be-

longed to her uncle ; the brandy, vinegar, &c., were
her own.

Mary Smith (prisoner's wife) said that she knew no
mote about it than that her husband was going to take
the linen home. Ile cheese was her own, Mary Weaver
(the cook) having given it to her.
Mary Weaver admitted this, and contended, that as the
property was her own she bad a right to give it to whom
she thought proper.
Louisa Weaver said, she had been in the house but a
short time, and knew nothing at all about the matter.

Mr. HOSKINS desired that all the servants should be
kept in custody till the evening, in the mean time a strict
search should be made for other property, which the
policeman said there was good reason for supposing might
by that time be discovered.
Mr. Searaneke said that Mrs. Kenyon had left by will
one hundred pounds to the cook, Mary Weaver, together
with all the linen she possessed at the time of her death.
At seven o'clock the prisoners were again placed at the
bar, when additional evidence was gone into, from which
it appeared that during the afternoon a further search had
been made at Smith's house, as also at Weaver's (who is
the eon of Mary Weaver, the cook) in Wimpole-mews, at
which place property of various descriptions was disco-
vered, a great part of which was identified as having be-
longed to the late Mrs. Kenyon.

The prisoners were all remanded till Thursday, with
the exception of Louisa Weaver, who was discharged.
The floor of the office was literally strewed with the
property, the 7alue of which must have been considerable.

A WOMAN OLDER THAN HER PULSE.—.
A Scotch paper notices an old woman living at Gloslough,
who is a hundred and thirty years of age ; and adds, that
" her pulse does not exceed scventy."—Scotsman.
Private accounts from the Mauritius state that
General NICOLAY has acted with so much decision, promp-
titude, and firmness, that there is the greatest reason to
believe that the island will soon be restored to complete
tranquillity.
PARTY AT ASHBURNHAM HOUSE.—•The
Russian Ambassador gave a grand dinner, on Sunday
evening, to his Royal Highness the Duke of BRUN S-
wicK and his suite. Amongst the distinguished com-
pany invited to meet his Rjal Highness were—The
Marquis and Marchioness of Cr—tram/1/4 ROE, Lord PAL-
mEttsToti, Earl and Countess of HA RROWEY, Lord and
Lady FREDERICK FITZCLARENCE, Lord JOll N RUSSELL,
Earl Bnowtit.ow, Lord and Lady WILTON, Baron de 13u-
Low WENDMAUSKINT, Maim. BAUSE, Lord AUCKLAND, &e.

The LORD CHANCELLOR said that the Government
had not only received the report alluded to by the Noble
Lord, but several reports from other places, upon which
they intended to act as speedily as possible.
Earl FITZ WILLIAM presented several petitions for
the abolition of slavery; also a petition from the members
of the political union of Glasgow, praying for the repeal
of the corn laws.

Mr. BERNAL and others brought up the Personal
Estates Bill, Cotton Duty Repeal Bill, Tiles Duty Repeal
Bill, and several Road Bills.

Earl GREY presented petitions from London and other
places for the entire abolition of slavery.
The Duke of SUSSEX presented a petition, agreed to
at Exeter-hall, for an ulteiation in the criminal laws of
the country. The petition was signed by 5,300 persons,
several of whom stated that they had not come forward
to prosecute in several cases owing to thi severity of the
laws. In looking over certain tables he had found that
when the punishment for any offence was capital, the
number of acquittals increased, whilst, when the punish-
ment was slight, the acquittals were on the decrease.
Lord LYNDHURST called the attention of the
House to a Bill which passed the House at a late period of
the last session, which changed the punishment of death
lor horse-stealing to transportation for lif , and in
twenty-nine cases out of thirty the law was enforced.
As the law at present stood, the greater crime might be
punished by imprisonment for twelve months, while
the lesser was punished by transportation for life. The
avowed object of the Bill he complained of was to make
punishment certain ; but could not that he done by leaving
a discretion in the court ? No doubt one offence might
be tried before a judge who was more severe than another ;
there the punishment for the same offence would be different;
but he did nut consider that a sufficient reason why the

judge should he deprived of that discretion which he had
always heretofore used. Ie it were right to take away
that discretion, iu this particular case, it would be
expedient to do it in all. He threw out these hints for
the consideration of the Noble Viscount, and entreated
him to bring in a Bill to amend that one of which he
complained. One other subject be would lay before
them, which was, the great incre:-.se f crime within the last
20 years. 1(11822, the number of criminals did not amount to
much more than 6,000, while in 1832 they amounted to
upwards of 20,000. This was not confined to any parti-
cular district, but was the same in agricultural as in
manufacturing districts. Neither bad it been in any
year, but had bern gradually progressing.—( Hear,
hear, hear.) He made these statements from returns
on their Lordships' table, and, therefore, entreated the
Noble Viscount and his Majesty's Government, first of all,
to see whether there was any fallacy in the returns, and
if they proved correct, anxiously to inquire into and
ascertain the cause.

Lord MELBOURNE answered the Noble Lord at some
length, observing that in no case where a judge had re-
commended a mitigation of the sentence, had it yet been

retused.
Lord LYNDHURST explained, that the amendment
referred to by the Noble and Learned Lord had been
made on the suggestion by the Lord Chief Justice of the
Common Pleas, and supported by the late Lord Tenterden.
Lord SUFFIELD presented petitions for an alteration
in the criminal code from Londonderry and another plice,
and also praying that persons under conviction, or for

trial, be better maintained.
The Bills brought up from the Commons were then
read a first time, and the House adjourned at half•past
six o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, 1114 tr 7.
The SPEAKER took the Chair at a little before five
o'clock.

QUAKERS' AFFIRMATION.

Some private business having been disposed of, the
Coleraine Election Committee came to the table to be
scorn, and was called over in the following order :—Mr.
Irton, Lord Sandon, Sir Stephen Glynne, Mr. Parrott,
Captain Clietwynd, Mr. Pease, Mr. Chaytor, Mr. Hardy,
and three others. The names having been called over—
The SPEAKER said, I wish to call the attention of the
House to the situation in which it is now placed for the
first time. I feel it to be my duty thus to arrest the
course of its business; but when I have stated the cause
of my having done so, it will he for the House to decide
what course it will pursue. The reduced list of eleven
Members in this Election Committee has now been re-
turned to this House. The Act states that these eleven
shall be embodied into a Committee, and, before it
proceeds to any business, shall be sworn at the
table. One of the Members so returned, the House has
decided is competent to discharge his duties as a Member
of the House on making his affirmation. But the ques-
tion for the House now to consider is, whether that deci-
sion necessarily comprehends the duty to be performed by
a member of this Select Committee under a special Act
of Parliament. Can the Hon. Member sit in this Com-
mittee without taking that oath, or doing something Cise
which the House shall decido to be synonymous, and equi-
valent to that oath? In other words, is the affirmation
upon which the Hon. Member performed the duties of a
Member of this House to be considered equivalent to the
oath directed to be taken by this separate Art ot Parliament?
Mr. O'CONNELL-1 rise to move that the affirmation
of the Hon. Member fcellurham be taken as equivalent to
the oath required by the Act to be taken by the members
of Election Committees. The principle on which we for-
merly o!cided that the Hon. Member could take his seat
on inaking his affirmation clearly governs this case. That
decision tat ours rested upon tbeconstruction of various Acts
of Parliament enabling the people called Quakers to nuke
an affirmation instead of taking an oath. Those Acts do
nit expressly contemplate the else of a Quaker becoming d
Member of Parliament; but the House considered it to be
implied, and the implication seems of necessity to follow
in the present ease. The principal Act of Parliament re-
ferred to oubstituto t,tn affirmation in All cases, with three