The Sun.
London, England, 1834-08-30 00:00:00

QUEEN-SQUARE.

Yesterday Peter Quinn, a navigator at Kensington, was
brought before Messrs. GREGORIE and BURRELL, charged
with a violent assault and outrage on the person of Mr.
John Macleans, at Kensington.

Mr. GREGOIiIE fined him in the full penalty of 51. ; in
default of payment he was committed for two months to
the House of Correction.

THAMES POLICE.

A case of great importance to owners and masters of
ships came on for hearing at this office yesterday. Captain
John Begg, the master of the barque Alice, lying in Cox
and Curling's dock, appeared before Mr. BRODERIP, to
show cause why he refused to pay the sum of 191, 19s. 6d.,
the balance of wages due to James Wolff, a seaman, for his
services on board during a voyage from London to Grenada
and other places, and back.
The complainant had been eleven months and thirteen
days on board, and did his duty as able seaman a portion
of the time, and the remainder as second mate. The gross
sum claimed by him was 281. 175., and the balance claimed
was due.

The Captain said the gross sum due was only 271. 17s. 6d.
The Sailor—But you promised to give me ss. extra a
month for acting as second mate.

The Captain" showed that his first agreement with the
sailor was 2/. ss. a month, and that he had allowed him in
his account .ss. a month extra while he was acting as second
mate.

The sailor contended that he was entitled to 21. 10s. a
month from the time of the ship leaving London. ,

Mr. BRODERIP decided that the seaman could not be
entitled to wages as mate until he entered into that office.
The Captain then read over money laid out and paid
over to the complainant during the voyage, from which it
appeared that Wolff had been attacked by fever while at
Grenada, and that the Captain had paid 41. for sick attend-
ance, and 5/. 17s. 4d. for a doctor, which he wished to de-
duct from the complainant's wages.
The sailor admitted that 41. had been paid for attendance,
but declared he knew nothing whatever of the doctor's bill.
Mr. BRODERIP inquired how long the medical man at-
tended upon him ? Captain—l don't know.
Sailor—lt was sixteen days.
The Captain said the sailor was twenty days in sick
lodgings.
Mr. BRODERIP said if a seaman fell sick in the perform-
ance of his ordinary duties he was entitled to his wages du-
ring the time he was unable to work, and the Captain had
not attempted to stop them ; but he doubted whether the
Captain was liable for the amount of the doctor's bill. If
there was no doctor in the ship he was inclined to think the
seaman must pay for medical assistance. The case was not
like that of an apprentice, whom the master was bound to
keep in sickness and health, and to provide for him medical
assistance if necessary. He believed the Captain of a ship
was not bound to pay the doctor for attendance on one of
his crew who had fallen sick. He then asked Mr. Symons,
the chief clerk, if that was not so.
Mr. Symons referred the Magistrate to the late Lord
Tenderden's able work on maritime affairs.
Mr. BRODERIP, after referring_ to many books on the
subject, particularly the work " Abbott on Shipping," said
that it appeared from the several authorities he had con-
sulted that the Captain was liable for the charge of medi-
cal attendance, and could not deduct it from the seamen's
wages, provided that he fell sick during the voyage, and
not in the pursuit of his own private concerns.
The seaman was engaged in the hold, and, while sweat-
ing from every pore, he was sent on the deck in the cold
during a heavy shower of rain to discharge some cornmeal
on the wharfs at Grenada, the consequence of which was
that he caught a cold, and a fever ensued.
Mr. BammtiP.—According to the authorities I have
quoted, the man must be cured at the expense of the ship.
These were the very words of Lord Tenterden in his very
excellent work on maritime affairs. If the sailor wished
for extra medical attendance, or any extra expense rendered
to him, he must pay for it. But this was not the case in
the present instance, for the mart had no more medical ad-

vice than he would be entitled to had he been on board the
ship. The Captain Was therefore bound to pay the money.
The Captain could not deny that the seaman's illness
tvas caused in the way he had stated. He alleged, how-
ever, that be had got drunk at another place, and had left
the ship.without leave, and came ashore and abused him.

Mr. BRODERIP said that had nothing to do with the
present case, except the Captain meant to charge the sailor
with mutinous conduct, and with refusing to obey orders,
as a ground for not paying him his-wages.
The Captain did not mean to do that ; there was medi-
cal assistance on board the vessel, and the man ought to
have remained.

Mr. BRODERIP.—You are not charged for his expenses
ashore. You have therefore no reason to grumble. Per-
haps it was to your advantage that the man did go ashore,
for he no doubt recovered much sooner than he would in
the close atmosphere of a merchant ship's berth.
The Captain had been master of a ship for 16 years, and
the payment of doctors' bills had never been questioned
before.

Mr. BRODERIP.—Very likely the point was never raised
before.

The worthy MAGISTRATE then ordered the amount
claimed to be paid, and 3s. costs.

The Captain now began to charge the seaman with gene-
rally disorderly and mutinous conduct during the voyage.
Mr. BRoDERIP was not going to be played fast and loose
with. The Captain had first stated that he had no charge
of the sort to make, nor had he accused the man with mu-
tinous conduct when he offered to pay him all but the sum
in dispute at the owner's office.
The money was then paid.

UNION-HALL.
Yesterday, Eliabeth Gardner, a young female, was
brought before Mr. Traill, charged with stealing a gold
watch and other articles of jewellery, the property of Mrs.
Luke, a Lady residing in Friendly-place, Kent-road.
It appeared that the prisoner had access to Mrs. Luke's
bedchamber, where she had been sitting with her for a few
hours on Friday morning last. On that occasion the com-
plainant, having wound up her watch, hung it up afterwards
on the bedpost, and requested the prisoner to go down
stairs, telling her that she should quickly follow. The lat-
ter, however, made some excuse to stop longer, and after
the lapse of about half an hour they left the room together,
and when the prisoner got down stairs she evinced great
anxiety to leave the house, which she did in haste. Soon
after her departure the complainant, on going up stairs
again to her bedchamber, missed the watch, together with
two gold finger-rings and a locket ; and convinced in her
own mind that the prisoner was the thief, she subsequently
gave information of the robbery,. and Sergeant Collier, of
the P division, took her into custody at her father's house.
On seeing the sergeant she requested permission to go
down stairs, and being watched she was caught in the act
of concealing her pocket under the water-butt in the yard.
On searching her pocket the guard and one of the seals
belonging to the complainant's watch were found, besides
the duplicate of the gold watch, which it appeared that the
prisoner had pledged at the shop of William Barnes, a
pawnbroker, residing in Lucas-street, Rotherhithe, whose
shopman attended the examination.
The Magistrate, on examining the duplicate, and finding
the pawnbroker had only lent ss. on a watch that was worth
ten guineas, expressed his astonishment that any respectable
tradesman should have acted in such a manner.

The shopman's excuse was that he had seen, the prisoner
at the shop before in the way of business, and being a cus-
tomer did not think it necessary to ask any questions.
Mr. TRAILL, in strong terms, condemned such a prac-
tice of conducting business, and in committing the prisoner
for trial a note was appended to the depositions recom-
mending the Court not to allow the usual expenses to the
pawnbroker.