The Sun.
London, England, 1867-04-01 00:00:00

THAMES

STEALING BRANDT FROM 1.--Slllr.—Henry Wharks, a
ship-keeper, was brought before Mr. Paget, charged with
stealing two bdttles of brandy from the ship Victory, in
the West India Dock.
A dock constable named Henry West stated that last
night at seven o'clock he saw the prisoner passing along
the West India export dock. He stopped him and found on
his person two full bottles of brandy. He asked the pri-
soner how he became possessed of them, to which he re-
plied that his father was ship-keeper of the Victory, and
that he gave him the brandy. A few minutes afterwards
the prisoner's father came to the dock gate very much
intoxicated with a bunch of keys in his hand. One of the
keys opened the 'tween decks in the afterhold of a
ship in which ho found a case of brandy which origi-
nally contained twelve bottles. Six bottles had been taken
out of the case. The label on the bottles taken from the
prisoner and the labels on the bottles corresponded.
Mr. Paget—When does the ship sail ?
The witness--I don't know, sir.
Mr. Paget said the suspicion was that the prisoner's
father had some hand in the abstraction of the brandy.
He remanded the prisoner until Friday.
The court was closed this day for repairs, much
required, and the magistrate and clerks were accommo-
dated in a small private room in front of the building. Of
course, with a few exceptions, it was necessary to exclude
the public. Sittings were provided for the press and
solicitors at a table near the magistrate. The repairs,
painting, and alterations, will occupy one month.
SAVAGE ASSAULT ON ♦ POLICE CONSTABLE.—WiIIiam
Stevens, aged 35, a labourer, of No. 2, Plummer's-row,
Whitechapel,was charged with violently assaulting Charles
Fountain, a police constable, No. 310 K, and being in en-
closed premises for the purpose of committing a felony.
Yesterday afternoon, at half-past four o'clock, Mr.
Bradwell, the manager of the largo congreve and inciter-
match factory in the Fairfield-road, Bow, saw the prisoner
getting over the wall of the factory. Ho asked him his
business, to which the prisoner replied, " I am no thief ; I
am a dock labourer. He had money in his pocket, and
that he sometimes did very strange things, owing to his
receiving a sunstroke in India." He was given
into the custody of Fountain, a police-constable,
on whom he made A desperate attack, and swore
ho would kill him. The prisoner knocked down
the constable and kicked him. The policeman was soon
on his feet again, and was again struck by the prisoner.
A desperate struggle ensued, and assistance having been
procured the prisoner was secured. He severely injured
and disabled the constable.

The prisoner, in defence, said he had been a soldier in
India, where ho had a sunstroke which injured his head.
Mr. Paget was of opinion that the prisoner went to the
Fairfield Congreve Works for the purpose of committing a
felony, but he was stopped on his entrance. He should
punish the prisoner for the violent assault he committed on
the constable. It was no excuse that he was afflicted with
a sunstroke in India. He sentenced the prisoner to be
imprisoned for two months and kept to hard labour.

IL form League Deputation to Mr. Gladstone.

A deputation from the Reform League waited
upon the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, at his
residence in Carlton-gardens, on Saturday, for the

purpose of laying before him their views with re-
spect to the length of residence, terms of rating, a
lodger franchise, and other clauses of the Govern-
ment Reform Bill. The deputation, which con-

Eizted of Col. Dick Eon, dr. Baxter Langley, Mr.

Mantle, Mr. Connolly (stonemason), Mr. Lucraft

(joiner), Mr. Bradlaugh, and about 25 others, were

introduced by

Mr. BEALt.s, M.A., who, in addressing Mr. Glad-
stone, said that the deputation attended from the
Reform League for the purpose of representing their

•
views with regard to the Government measure of
Reform. The bill appeared to have been transferred

from the Governnient to Parliament, aud, conei-

dering that fact, the Reform League, which repre-
sented the feelings of great mazsea of the people
—for considering the large maetings which they
had held in all the large towns throughout the

country, and the support which they had always
received, the League might justly be considered as
representing the sentiments of the working classes
and the people generally—had considered it their
duty to wait upon the right hon. gentleman at this
crisis as the leader of the Liberal party in the House

of Commons, for the purpose of conferringwith him
upon the question as to how the bill could be made
most satisfactory to the people and calculated to
effect a permanent settlement of the question. The
principles of the League were residential and regis-
tered manhood suffrage, protected by the ballot, and
they were of opinion that the nearer the bill was
brought into harmony with those principles the more
satisfactory and permanent would be its results.
(Hear, hear.) They objected to the rate-paying
clauses.
Mr. GLADSTONE—WiII you kindly state what you
mean by the rate-paying clauses, because there exists,
in the House of Commons and elsewhere, consider-
able confusion as to the meaning of those clauses.
Do you object to the provisionsrestraining the fran-
chise to those occupiers who are themselves per-
sonally rated, excluding those who pay their rates in
the form of rent ; or do you object to the provisions
which would require that these persons who are
personally rated shall actually have paid the rates
before being placed on the register ; or do you ob-
ject to both ? I draw a very great distinction, in
point of importance, respecting them.
Mr. BEALES said that they objected to the whole
of the ratepaying clauses.
Mr. GLADSTONE—There is a great difference of
opinion in the House of Commons upon those two
principles. There are a great many persons who
would feel that it was a great injustice to place the
compound householders upon a footing of relative
disadvantage, and who yet think, wisely or not,
that the clause with respect to the paying of rates
should be retained. _ _

Mr. BEALES said that they not only objected to
the invidious distinction drawn by the bill between
the compound and other householders, or, in fact,
between the wealthier and the poorer householders,
and which imposed the greater difficulty and trouble
on the latter, but they objected more particularly
to the third clause, which made the non-payment of
rates tantamount to a forfeiture of a vote.
Mr. GLADSTONE.—We abolished the ratepaying
cLuses in our bill of last year.
BEALES continued—He said taxation and
representation should be coequal. The men who
aharel the burden of the State ought to share the

representation of the State. (Cheers.) This was
the argument for the residential and registered
manhood suffrage, because this suffrage would give
the vote to every payer of taxes. To say that these

Inca whom the suffrage would enfranchise were not
taxpayers was one of the greatest of fallacies. He
did not use these words against the right hon.