The Sun.
London, England, 1856-08-18 00:00:00

SOUTHWARK.

ROBBERY BY THIMBLE RIGGERS.—Robert Costello,
a man well known at races and fairs as the King of the
Thimble riggers, from the expert manner in which he
changes the pea, was brought before Mr. Secker, for
further examination, charged with stealing a 5/. Bank of
England note from the person of Philip Rives, a Jersey
sailor.

Mr. M'Oubrey, of the northern circuit, instructed by
Mr. Howe, attended on behalf of the prisoner.
It appeared from the evidence given on a former occa-
sion, that on Wednesday morning, the 6th inst., the pro-
secutor and two other sailors left their ship at Lime-
house in a cab for the purpose of proceeding to Jersey,
by the South-Western Railway. Being too early for the
train they all went to a cook shop opposite the Victoria
Theatre and partook of refreshments. On leaving the house
they were accosted by a young man who asked them to
partake of a glass of ale with him, when they all entered
a beer-shop in Webber-street. While sitting there
drinking the prisoner came in, and offered the two
breast-pins for sale, which they declined to purchase.
The prisoner then took out three thimbles and a pea,
which he kept shifting about, telling them that they
should have the fun for nothing if they could tell him
which thimble the pea was under. Some of the men
sitting there were making bets, and, thinking that he
might win something, he agreed to bet, and put his
hand in his fob-pocket to get at his money. He had
in that pocket a 51. Bank of England note, a hall-
crown piece, and some gold. In endeavouring to get
at the half-crown the note came partially out of his
pocket, when the prisoner ran up to him and snatched

it from him, and ran away with it. On the Friday
afterwards prosecutor saw the prisoner enter the
Hit-or-Miss beer-shop, in the Waterloo-road, when
he told a police-constable, and they entered that
house and found the prisoner secreted upitairs
There were several men with the prisoner,
and as some of them are supposed to be in league with
him, Mr. Seeker remanded him until to-day to give the
officer (Weston, 65 L) an opportunity of finding them.
The prosecutor was also bound over to attend. When
the case was called on,

Weston said that the prosecutor, wag not in
attendance, and he undcrstood that he had, since the
last examination, sailed to Australia.

Mr. Seeker asked whether there was any witness who
saw the prisoner snatch the
,note ?

Weston replied in the negative.
Mr. M'Oubrey said that the prosecutor Lad made a
mistake in his man ; that was the reason he was not in
attendance. Rad he been present he should have been
able to show the prisoner's innocence.

Mr. Seeker said that as there was no prosecutor in the
case the prisoner must be discharged.

FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT IN HOLLAND.----An acci
dent, with loss of life, occurred last Sunday eveninz by
a collision on the railway between Schiedam and Rot-
terdam. Two carriages wore shattered to fragments, a
third was also broken, and another very much damaged.
Three persons were killed on the spot., and about 30 are
said to have been injured, one of whom died on Mon-
day, and several others are in a precarious state.
VACANCIES, APPOINTMENTS, AND PROMOTIONS IN THE
Civil, SERVICE—The Foreign Department. —The consul•
ship of Smyrna has become vacant by the death of Mr.
R. W. Brant ; salary 7001. General Post-office--- Mr. W.
R. Derrar, of the Second-class Accountant's Office, Ge-
neral Post office, Edinburgh, has, after a competitive
examination, been promoted to the second class in the
Secretary's Office. Prisons Department—Mr. Wm.
Byers Penny has !Yen appointed junior clerk in the
Queen's Prisor, Southwark, and passed his examination.
The Board of Trade—Mr. Jackson, fourth class clerk in
the General R lister and Record Office for Seamen, has
been appointed a clerk in the junior class at the Board
of Trade ; salary 1001., rising by 15/. per annum to
3001. Mr. Simpkine, senior supplementary clerk,
Board of Trade, has been appointed accountant to the
Department of Arts and Designs, Marlborough Homy.
A vacancy has been caused in the fourth class
f clerks in the General Register and Record of Seamen
Office by the promotion of Mr. Jackson. The second
vacancy in the same office and class, caused by the resig-
nation of Mr. SA ayne last year, will, it is expe.Aed, be
sh2rtly filled up. The Seaman's Savings Bank Act,
lately passed, will render necessary some addition to the
clerical staff under the Board of Trade. Customs.—Mr.
F. W. Chaplin, clerk fifth class, has been prom( ttcl to
clerk fourth class, Long Room, London. Mr. Joseph
Evans, extra clerk, bas been promoted to ninth clerk,
Belfast ; Mr. Richard Flanagan has been appeinte 1
clerk in the East and West India Docks, London. In-
land Revenue Department : Stamps and Taxes Branch.
—Mr..E. H. Row, Surveyor of Taxes, Dorchester, has
been promoted to the Nottingham Division. Mr. Samuel
T. Oram, surveyor of taxes for the Coventry. district,
has been promoted to the district of Watlingten, Ox-
fordshire.—Civil Service Gazette.
NATIONAL GALL'3IRY.—On Saturday last some Italian
pictures were placed in the rooms in Trafalgar-square.
By far the most important of these acquisitions is a por-
tion of an altarpiece by Pietro Perugino. It consists of
three compartments—the centre portion represents the
Virgin adoring the child, who is presented to her by an
angel ; some distant angels, standing on clouds and
singing, appear above. The compartment on the left of
the spectator represents the Archangel Michael, that on
the tight the Archangel Raphael with the young Tobias.
This picture, with other less important accompaniments,
was formerly in the church of the Certosa near Pavia,
for which, Vasari tells us, it was painted. For the last-
-70 years the principal portion above describtd had been
in the p,:bseession of the Melzi family, of Milan ; it was
purchased from the present representative of that family
in February last. There is some ground for supposing
that Raphael co operated in this work ; the opinions to
this effect, of good authorities, founded on internal evi-
dence, are corroborated by the existence of a drawing
by the youthful Raphael, now in the Randolph Mu-
seum at Oxford, of that portion of the work v high
represents Tobias and the Archangel. With regard
to the state of the -picture, it is evident that a small
portion of sky has been formerly added (with good
effect as regards the shape, though it tas darkened
.in
colour), in the upper part of each of the compartirent ;
but the repair,, properly so called, apparently
some years since, are minute in extent, and di not affect
the impression of the work. A committee, invited to
examine the picture on its arrival, unanimously rerom
mended that it should be placed in the gallery with, ut
again undergoing the ordeal of restoration. Of four
other pictures which have been added to the gallery,
three are inscribed with the artists' names; they are, rt -
spectively, by Bartolommeo Vivarini, of Murano; Fran-
cesco Tacconi, of Cremona ; and Bartolommeo Vene-
ziano, a distinct painter from the first named; the fourth
picture is by Girolamo da' Libri, of Verona. All these
are more or less antiquated in style. It is uuderstood
that several pictures, forming part of a collection pur-
chased in Venice by the travelling, agent, in December
last, in order to secure a few eligible specimen', now in
the gallery, will be si.ld in the next year, together with
a portion of the Minden pictures. This will be the fire'
trial of the effect of the act of Parliament recently
passed, which, on the purchase of an entire collection,
provides for the disposal of the pictures " not required "
for the rational co. I AP.