The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-31 00:00:00

]~-

of •Messrs. Barber, Bre wer's•quay, said he had engaged
~khe prisoner Smith to assist in packing some casks of
butter-on" Friday; but from the great quantity of that
article in store, he had not been able to detect whether
any had been stolen.

The officer—The way_in which the butter is abstracted
is this. A few hoops are knocked .off the end of the cask,
when the bottom falls out. A piece of wire is then used
to cut off slices, which the thief rolls up and places
round his body till he leaves the'premises,,and hands the
plunder to a confederate. It does not take more than a
couple of minutes to put the bottom of the cask in again.
The Lord Mayor—But the butter would not be long
melting, if secreted about a man's person, would it /
The Officer—Butter is pretty hard about this time of
the year, my lord, and we have lately had very cold
easterly winds which would keep it pretty firm, The
father of the boy keeps a shop where he eels butter and
eggs, and things of that sort.
Hodson—The truth is this, my lord. My father-in-law
keeps a shop in Kent-street. He sent me to meet this
man (Smith), and if I had refused to go he would have
knocked me about. Just after Smith gave me the butter,
the police took me into custody. Smith has given ate a
basket of butter on a former occasion.

The Lord Mayor—Where is Hudson's father !
The Officer—i ordered him to bs present at 11 o'clock
this morning, but he is not here.
J. Wright, skittle maker, of 20$, Kent-street, here
stepped into the box, and said that he was in the habit
of occasionally employing Hudson, who, he believed,
had been lOcked up on two formei occasions for theft.
"Ile-added that Hudson's father and mothet had been
unable to. keep him from bad company.
Hudson—You know very well that when I have been
in your house you have asked me whether I was going
over the water to meet Smith. You are all three very
thick together.
The Lord Mayor said he should not dispose of the case
until the officer had made further inquiries, and obtained
the presence of Hudson's father.

EXTENSIVE EMBPZZLEMENT OFPDBLIC
-MONEY BY A CLERK OF THE BOARD
OF OIIDNANCE.

PORT§IfOUTII). March 30:L--A considerable sensation
has been created in this place by the -detection of the
embezzlement of the sum of 1,1301. by a clerk employed
at the gun wharf, under the Board of Ordnance, in this
garrison, which was effected on Friday afternoon. In
addition to the ordinary weekly salaries of the workmen
and labourers, the above was the day for pay;ng the
oulrterly salaries of the officers and clerks at the Gun
Wa of and on the Milldam. The amount required to do
rso betortarai ds of ordrr to draw this amount

Mr. Stewart, the etortkeepe;aithe Gun Wharf,lEtihe
hart is of Mr. Charlie; one of the 'chief clerks, fie be
taken t) the bank to be cashed. In conformity with
;um, a porter was sent with. Mr. Charlier to carry the
bag of money, the custom being to receive the money is
coin. Mr. Charlier was in possession of a salary of 2001.
per 3101111 M. He was a married man with a &tinily, His
wife was struck with consternation at his absconding,,
and is unable to give any reason, pecuniary or otherwise,
for his taking ouch a step.
Tha following facts have transpbed in reference to the
matter :—Mr. Charlier left the Gun-wharf with the
office Messenger, named Joseph Sheppard, at about
-half-past twelve, for the bank. On arriving there he
sent Sheppard :to Mr. Nance's Railway Office, in
broadrstreet, for a time bill, telling him to meet lint at
the Gun-wharf gates. Sheppard procured the bi lan I
went direct to the gates, and after waiting there pro-
ceeded to the bank to meet Mr. Charlier, when he found
that he bad been there, obtained the money, and left.
Sheppard Accordingly went back to the Gun-wharf, and
inquiries Were at once instituted, Mr. Lege;att, the s'up-n--
intendeT,t of police, commencing-the trace in about half
an hour after the money had been received. At this time
it must have been at toast 1 o'clock, so that if Charlier
left the town be must. have done so by the 1.46 South-
C ,ast train, as in a few minutes after this time the sta-
tion, the steam-boat pier, and the other outlets of the
borough, were placed wider the strict watch of persons
having a full description of Charlier's personal appear-
ante.

It is suspected that a former female servant, who is
missing, has gone away in company with him. It is re-
ported that it was only a few days since that Char-
lier purchased a pair of false whiskers and inonAsehe at
a hairdresser's in rortsmoutb, and having had them
fitted on asked the peruquier if he should hare known
him if ho had met him in the street.

The greatest commiseration is felt. for Mrs. Cbarlier,
wh, is a Edy of the most estirnab4) character, and for
her two children. It is sli,oking to contempla'e the
misery to which they are reduced by this act of madness
on the part of their natural protector, whose capture is
A matter of certainty. Indeed we underztand that this
afternoon it is hourly expected to be announced. From
private information we learn that Mr. Cbarlier was
la,bourinct under heavy pecuniary embarraPsm,nts.
In addition to the salary possessed by Mr. Cbarlier,
with house tolive in, &e., Mrs. Coat'lier hal as income
in Ler own right of NO/. per annum.

SUNDAY; 10 p.m.
•
Mr. Superintendent Leggett has p,rrived by the South.
Western traie, just in, with the prisoner Charlier, whom
he captured Sr ssed as a widow in " and has
lodized him in Portsmouth gaol, together with the wo-
man Jones, who was his companion, .and with whom he
cohabited. They were taken in London this day.
upwards of 1,1001. was found upon the male n*'.

FIRE AND EXPLOSION OF
• AT BRISTOL;

tnisToL, ;ii: .30.--44sotet
tire fire this nuriling at the warehou
and Co.,tirysalters-and wholesale tiff
in P.tcr-s.reet. The fi
which is wl,oliy unknlwn, was first ob..

t Nelve and one o'clock, in the sear of the pie.e..
owing to the quantities of oil, turpentine, ros'n,
and *other combustibles in store, it spread with tremen-
dous rapidity, and the whole building was speedily
wrapped in flame. .The engines were soon on the spot,
and the firemen and police exerted themselves to the
utmost to prevent the spread of the conflagration, but
withouteiuccess, and at between two and three u'cl ck
the fire reached the gunpowder store, which exploded
wth a noise resembling the roar of artiliery. Tne shock
greatly damaged the building immediately adjacent, and
smashed a number of windows in the wadebonses of
Messrs. Hull and Co., founders ; Mr. Roberts, seeds-
man ; Mr. Coombs, tea dealer, and others more remote.
Several persons were injured by the explosion, among;
whom was a police-sergeant, but as far as could be
learned none of them are butt very seriously. It is
thought that some of the burning embers ulna have been
forced by the 'hock of the explosion into the shatter( d
roofs of the adjacent houses, for; at about six o'clock,
when it was thought all the danger was pat, it was dis-
covered that the premises of Messrs. Thornton and
Bond, hosiers and lacemen, and Messrs. C!arke, bout
and shoe manufacturers, embracing three entire houses,
were in flames. All efforts t arrest the progress of the
fire proved unavaiine until all those houses had been
completely gutted and' considerable injutydone to the
premises and stock of Miss Coombs, grocer, and Mr.
Street, linen draper. Messrs. 'Milers were insured in
the West of •England, Messrs. Thompson and Bond in
the Imperial, Messrs. Clarke in the Unity, and
Mr. Coombs in the Norwich Union. The entire lots
mast be very great.

CIVIC AND MAGISTERIAL BUSINESS IN
THE CITY FUR APRIL.

The following is the order of the civic and magisterial
business appointed by the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor
for the month of April, with the names of the several
magistrates upon the rota for the performance of the

same
CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.—Sixth session opens nn
Monday, April the 7th. Aldermen upon the rota—Sir
Peter Lawrie, Kra., Sir Chapman Marshall, Knt., Sir
James Duke, Bart., M.P ~Alderman Challis, M.P. Sir
Robert Walter Carden, Knt , and Sir H. Muggeridge,
Knt.

EASTER TERM.—Rota of Aldermen to meet the Judges
at St. Paul's, April the 20th—Aldermen Hunter, Chal-
lis, Carter, Cubitt, M.P., Sir Henry Muggeridge, and
Mr. Alderman Eagleton. .

SESSIONS IN SOUTHWARK.—Second session opens
Friday, April the 11th. Rota of Aldermen—The Right
Hon. the Lori Mayor, Mr. Alderman Farebrother, Mr.
Alderman Humphery, Mr. Alderman Farncoiab, and
Mr. Alderman Sidney. . _

VISITING MAGISTRATES (PRISONS).—Rota of Vialting
Magistrates from the 9th of April—Aldermen Humphery
and Sir W. Carden, Knt.

COURTS OF ALDERMEN.—Tuesday, April 1, and Tues•
day, April 22.

COURTS OF CODISION COUNClL.—Thursday, April 3,
April 24.

JUSTICE ROOM, GIIILDHILL.—Rota of Justices-7th
of April to 30th—Mr. Alderman Wire, 7th to 12th ;
Alderman Carter, 14th to 19th ; Alderman Cubitt,
M.P., 21st to 2Gtli ; and Sir Henry Muggeridge, Knt.,
23th to May 3d.
The following magistrates will sit 012 Saturdays at the
Police Committees :—Mr. Alderman Humphery and Sir
R. W. Carden, Mat., on the sth of April ; Sir W. Mag.
nay, Dart., and Alderman Lawrence, on the 12th ; Sir
George Carroll, Knt., and Mr. Alderman Finnic, on the
19th ; and Sir James Duke, Bart., and Sir F. G. Moon,
Bart , on the 26th.

WARWICKSHIRE REFORMATORY AMER.—The first
stone of this building was laid on Wednesday last by the
Right Hon. Lady Leigh, of Stoneleigh. The site is
situate at Weston, about three miles and a half beyond
Babbenhall.
PERILOUS VOYAGE TO TASMANIA.—The barque Vice-
Admiral Gobius (Captain A. A. Van Der Linder,
agents Kerr, Boyle, and Co.), left London on the 21st
April last, and arrived at Hobart Town on the Ist Dec.
The Tasmanian Daily News says that the passage was
prosperous until she rounded the Cape of Good Hope,
and then she encountered a continuation of gales, in-
tense beyond all previous experience, against which she
contended for sixlvaelplcdaring which time her bulwarks
were carried away, her boats stove, and all on board
experienced the agonies of anticipated shipwreck. She
put into Sourabayd for repairs on the '9th:Atigust, and
it was found that she had hardly a bolt which had sot
started, rendering it little short of a miracle that she
held together at all. She remained at Sourabayd two
months, the cabin passengers, of whom there were nines
being accommodated at an hotel, and the intermediate
passengers, 20 in number, in a store fitted up for them.
Among the cabin passengers were Messrs. Pears (York)
and Roberts, students from Kneller Hall, who went out
as teachers to the Tasmanian Training Institution.