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

-
POLICE INTELLIGENCE.--This Day. Rebecca Riots in Opposition to the New
I
Salmon Fishery Laws.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
REFRACTORY CONDUCT IN A WORKHOUSE.—Three
rough-looking young men, named Thomas Challenger,
William Peel, and Albert M`Grady, were charged before
Mr. Knox with refractory conduct in St. James's Work-
house.
William Henry Knigkt, superintendent of labour in the
workhouse, said that he was informed that the prisoners
were making a great noise in ono of the halls, and on
proceeding there he found that the prisoner had been up-
setting the tables and jumping up)n them, and their con-
duct was of such a disorderly nature that the old men
were afraid of them.
William Judge, an inmate of the workhouse, and act-
ing as " captain" of the third hall, said that last night
the prisoners commenced upsetting the tables and broke
some jugs, and they then fastened the door, so that no one
could either get in or out. The prisoners had been pre-
viosly snowballing and upsetting the whole house.
Peel asked the witness whether he bad not said to him
"Out of the workhouse into a prison—out of a prison into
a workhouse r
The witness said he never made such a remark.
Peel then asked the witness whether he had not told him
that the reason why he was in the workhouse was because
he could not go. out with his blacking box in snowy
weather ?
Burgess, 142 C, said that on taking the prisoners into
custody at the workhouse, they said they would do what
they could for the officer Knight, and they would like to
have a mouth for him.
In answer to Mr. Knox, Knight said that he believed
Challenger bad been brought up in the workhouse school.
The others had been six times in the house. Their con-
duct had been very bad. That morning they had made
use of bad language, and thrown their bread about.
Mr. Knox said that the prisoners had been guilty of re-
fractory conduct, as proved by the second witness; and
the constable had proved that they bad threatned the
officer Knight. He should commit-them for fourteen days
each.
As the prisoners were leaving the court they observed
be officer Knight, and stated that they would do some-
hing for him when they came out of prison.

BOW-STREET.
A SOI-DISANT CLEUGYNIAN.—John M'Lennan, a middle
aged, shabby-genteel-looking man,livas placed at the bar
on remand, charged with stealing a mutton chop, value 3d.,
from the shop of Mr. 'Payne, butcher, Drury-lane.
The case against the prisoner was, of itself, a very trivial
one, but the prisoner himself had acquired a notoriety
amongst the police from the number of, times he had been
taken into custody on various charges of theft. On one
occasion ho was charged with stealing a book from a
railway-station, and he having on that occasion repre-
sented himself as an ordained niinistor of the Church of
England. He was fully committed for trial ; and being
tried at the Surrey Sessions the presiding judge addressed
him at some length for the disgraceful position he
occupied for one in his station of life. He on that occasion
got off with a very few weeks' imprisonment, the judge
not being acquainted with his real character, as he had
carefully changed his name on each occasion of his being
taken into custody.
To-day Lockerby, the officer appointed by the magis-
trates to identify offenders, attended at. Bow-street, and
informed Mr. Vaughan, the magistrate, that he had known
the prisoner ever since 1852, during which he had been
convicted no loss than between 14 and 15 times. He was
a regular old thief.
Mr. Vaughan having cautioned the prisoner, ho said in
his defence he was innocent of stealing the chop, and that
the whole thing was a mistake.
The magistrate said he thought otherwise, and therefore
he should fully commit him for trial.

Some years since the press of this kingdom teemed with
narrations of the unlawful doings of a body of men who,
banded together under the title of "Rebecca and her
daughters," destroyed the turnpike-gates and levelled the
toll-houses in certain parts of Breconshire and Radnorshire.
The cause which led to those riotous and lawless pro-
ceedings has been partially removed,but the same turbulent
spirit now shows itself in armed opposition to the salmon
fishery laws. It is well known to residents in Radnor-
shire that in the houses of many persona living on the
banks of the Wye and its tributaries, the Khon
and other rivers, a score or two of " kipper," i.e.,
unseasonable salmon dried, take the place of the
honest English labourers' flitch of bacon, these salmon
being the product of spearing expeditions while salmon
are ascending the streams to their spawning grounds,
when engaged in depositing their ova, or of spent fish when
in a state totally unfit for human fool.
Great exertions have, up to this time, been made by the
board of conservators of the Wye Fishery to prevent this
wholesale destruction of salmon by those who live on the

upper part of the river; and very close supervision is being
exercised by bodies of night watchers and water bailiffs.
Rebecca and her Daughters (who really are the Welsh far-
mers, and who have been wont to assert their right to take
salmon how, when, and where they will) have been for some
time seen gathering in large numbers on the Upper Wye
and the Khon, and lighting the streams by flambeaux spear
the salmon in large numbers; but the force of watchers is
so comparatively small that it was not deemed prudent to
attempt a capture of the poachers, who have recently an-
nounced their marauding expeditions by the firing of guns.
The gangs of these poachers had become so formidable
in December that an increased body of water bailiffs were
put on the Khon ; and, supported by a gentleman of the
neighbourhood and his gamekeepers, at eleven o'clock on
the night of the 22d ult. they came upon a gang of about
twenty poachers, disguised in various ways, armed with
spears, pikes, bludgeons, and other weapons, some of whom
were carrying flambeaux of straw to light the streams and
attract the fish, while the rest pursued their work of
spearing., The water bailiffs concealed themselves in
a wood by the side of the Khon until the poachers wont
into the stream, and were at their work, when they showed
a bold front by rushing into the stream. The poachers,
probably fancying the number of water bailiffs to bo
greater than they really were, darted out of the stream on
theopposite side, and clearing some rails, got into the
meadows beyond, where they wheeled round, and form-
ing themselves into line, presented their spears at the
watchers. Samuel Owens, the superintendent bailiff,
asked them what they meant to do, and if they would
deliver up their weapons, upon which they exclaimed,
" Fight!" Hereupon the watchers closed upon them,
and a determined encounter followed, in which a
gamekeeper named Lloyd was seriously injured,
and the poachers and watchers terribly punished, but the
watchers, after a fight which lasted for a quarter of an
hour, proved themselves victorious by capturing four men
and driving the others off the field. During the encounter
one of the poachers, named Edward Hamar, the son of a
large and wealthy farmer, threw the superintendent, and,
keeping him on his back, made an attempt to "gouge"
him, and was only prevented by the timely assistance of a
watcher named Williams.
This encounter and capture served to dispel a belief en-
tertained by many that these salmon poachers were poor,
needy labourers, and has shown that " Rebecca and her
Daughters" are chiefly composed of the largest occupiers of
land in the district ; for two of the persons captured are the
sons of one of the wealthiest farmers thereabouts, and it is
now well known that most of the gang are men well to do.
The four prisoners were brought upbefore T. P. Severne,
Esq., and E. M. Evans, Esq., at Penybont Petty Ses-
sions, on Dec. 27 and 28. The occasion drew together the
whole population of the district for many miles round, and
the greatest excitement prevailed.
The evidence of the whole of the water bailiffs, and the
gamekeeper (Lloyd), who was nearly scalped by a blow
with a spear, proved the narrative above given.
Mr. Evans, the magistrate, said that on one account he
was not sorry this disturbance had taken place, for it had
served to dispel the delusion that only farm servants were
guilty of these outrages, for it was now clear that some
large and respectable farmers themselves took part in
them. A tenant of his own was charged with salmon
poaching on the previous day and expected to be turned
out of his farm, but he did not think that was the way
to deal with tenants at will, though he should in all pro-
bability get 50 per cent. more rent from another. Their
proper punishment was not a notice to quit their farms, but
the infliction of the specific penalty furnished by the law for
its infraction. After referring at length to the evidence, Mr.
Evans continued :—Looking at all that has transpired, I do
hope that all persons who are owners of property on the
banks of the river will assemble their tenants and come to
a clear understanding with them in reference to this ishing
question. There is no doubt that the inhabitants of
these salmon districts occupy a peculiar position. Most
of those persons 1 see before me have, almost from their
cradles, been in the hah't of killing unscas)nable salmon.
,This habit, until recently, has, if not actually been per-
mitted, at least been connived at. You are, therefore,
very.xnuch in the position of one_of.yonr wild Radnorshire
ponfbs which has, from the hour it was foaled, been allowed
to run restrained over its native hills. After it is well ad-
vanced in years it is suddenly caught, a bridle is put upon
its head, a bit in its mouth, and a saddle on its back.
What is the consequence ? Why, it naturally kicks. Now,
what I want you to understand is this —it is not some
half-dozen or dozen Radnorshire magistrates who saddle
and bridle you ;it is the Legislature which dons so. It is
useless for you to feel exasperated towards us. You may,
if you will, kill us. You will find fresh authorities
will rise up and step into our shoes. You cannot kill
the law. I do implore you, therefore, before there is
bloodshed, and bloodshed there will bo if things go on as
they have, I implore you all I see before me, especially the
large and respectable farmers, to use your influence among
your children, servants, and dependants, to put down the
present state of things, and do not oblige the magistrates to
subject the ratepayers to the expense and the country to
the disgrace of applying fora large police force to maintain
the supremacy of the law. The prisoners were discharged.
At a meeting of the Fishery Board, on Wednesday, Sir
Velters Cornewall in the chair, it was resolved to lay the
matter before the Home Secretary.

BANK OF FRANCE.

PARIS, Jan.. 3

The following is the return of the Bank of France
for the week ending to-day, together with the cor
responding figures of the previous account
DEBTOR.
Jan, 3.

Dec. 27.
c. - fr.
182,500,000

Capital of the Bank....
Profits in addition to
capital (Art. 8, Law,
June 9, 1857)
Reserve of the Bank

182,500,000 -

7,044,776 62

7,044,776 02

22,105,750 14

and its branches
Reserve in landed pro-
perty 4,000,000
Notes in circulation
Banknotes to order and
receipts payable at
sight
Treasury account cur-

22,603,730 14

4,000,000
936,969,825

16,578,406 78

15,618,609 42

rent creditor
Current accounts, Paris
Do. branch banks
Dividends payable
Discounts and sundry

185,033,312 81
210,039,320 37
39,844,905 -
12,398,251 75

230,370,628 58
259,593,558 98
33,496,959 -
14,556,434 75

1,088,037 12

interests
Rediscounted the last

six months
Surplus of receipts not
distributed
Sundries

1,574,256 34