The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-09 00:00:00

COMMERCIAL SWINDLERS.

(From the Times' City Article.)
Among the peculiar features of the past two
years has been the general extension of commercial
frauds and forgeries, by parties well acquainted
with mercantile usages, and who, perhaps, have
been thrown out of more dignified modes of exer-
cising their talent by the break up of the great
swindling " firms" in 1857 which had previously
enjoyed the support of provincial banks and dis-
count houses. Annexed is another illustration :
" Sir,—As a very old subscriber, arid a merchant of 20
years' standing in the city, I venture to request you to give
publicity to the following ingenious mode of swindling, re-
cently adopted at Madrid.
" Two or three Chevaliers d'lndustrie' of some social
position, enough to give them respectable references, adopt
three different signatures, representing as many different
commercial houses, and procure, subsequently, the esta-
blishment of a "sham" house at Lisbon, on whom they can
draw, and remit—by aid of the three Madrid signatures—
apparently negotiated paper to London.
"The next stop is to find a victim in our credulous city,
and this is generally a matter of ease where so many com-
peting commission houses are anxious for business. The
modus operandi is the following :
" Paper on Lisbon, respectably indicated,' with case of
need' on, &c., en rgle, is sent to the London house selected
as the victim, and they are drawn against the same remit-
tance at 90 days' date—not as a banking operation, that
trick would be too shallow--but as a facility to enable the
Madrid house to despatch on consignment a stated quantity
of wool within a very short period.
"The London house, in expectation of all beimg benefit°
and in hopes of gaining a couple of hundred pounds' oonr
mission, accepts in good faith. Need 1 tell my more vigi-
lant commercial brethren that when the bills at Lisbon fall
due they are not paid, and also that when those on. the
London victim are presented he has received no wool, but
learnt that the parties who defrauded the takers of the bills
at Madrid are enjoying themselves in Leicester-square ou
the proceeds ?
" I enclose my card in proof of my good faith as regards
the above statement, which I have no doubt the comraorkal
community as well as myself will have reason to be thy'
ful to see published in your columns, with the additional
information on my part that parties trading with Spain nia.7;
be furnished with proofs of the swindle and the names ea
the swindlers at the office of
"Your obedient servant,
THS VICTI3f."
" Austinfriars. E.C., Dec. 7.

SPORTING IN AUSTRALIA.—The great race for
the championship of the Australian colonies was run on
the Ist of October, before a concourse of 40,000 person•-•
the largest multitude ever assembled in Australia. Ti
winner Buck) es a Victorian horse, and was Seely
named in the betting.
On
THE DRAUGHTS MATCH AT GLASGOW:- ~
Wednesday two games were played, one of which w,aswcr
by M'Kerrow, and the other resulted in a draw. 'ri Zell
three hours were occupied in contesting the galne_,!*-8 ;
M'Kerrow won. The match now stands—Me
M'Kerrow, 5 ; with 16 games yet to be played.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA.—The dates from this c,olonY
by the present mail are Adelaide, Oct. 19. Business. %oil-
tinuos in a healthy state ; bu. stocks have increased in se
articles to an extent much above the wants of that colony
The pastoral interests had encountered hardshi
ps and lora
The
from great drought. The Governor of the Colony. hsl.l
The Parliament
director
was
of in
recess.
prison .
Adelaide to make explorations in the northern dist'!'"
at Aix having du r11:1 g
fete
the last few days observed some mysterious. 112°_,Yerafrses
amongst the condemned prisoners, who are kept aPeA'stor
the others, endeavoured to discover the cause ; and 8....% by
day, on looking through a hole in A door of their ward, by
which he could see without being seen, he perceived 4 ioi•
named Bentajou, who is under sentence to hard lah°_,llrbish
life, cutting a hole in the wall with a piece of il"°.,.„.n't the
had evidently been pulled from his bedstead, Iv', or
de
other prisoners stood near him. The director seil_"; .a•
tachments of gendarmes and troops, and they hevelmete
fixed, secured all the prisoners before any resistance denly entered the place with swords drawn and °N.-
CO re
be attempted. Bentajou and some others of the prix
were placed in irons, among them the two Greeks sent'
to hard labour for life for a murder at Marseillea
An extraordinary affair (says Galignanie 8. A
senger) has occurred at Chadapeau, in the CoreB_4.arl a
y•
physician of a neighbouring village was satrmenhada-
in the morning of Sunday to see a led,' °' • te 011
peau, and as he knew that she had been enc. cin But
or seven months, he took with him a midwife' after
to his surprise, on entering her chamber, she, this
you examine my wound
ordering the servants to leave, said, "I- haritieted
night discharged a gun in my abdomen, and have Theeore
a wound, which causes me to suffer horribly 1 Bud J./100$
the gun you will find there!" The physician in au enee
stated washaving
o tbf sheetehne haddilady'sch discharged
dischargedr gselgdipoapienfretswo.ththheoeoguii:nwsxbtsberyforoopermtue ,:janintioniniutaethiniaisi
ing room found en the floor a gun which had the aPr, near it
trigger with her too, and that she had
spect the gun in order that there might be
matter. The doctor found the wound a grave °ll hour,, •
spite of all he could do the lady died ill a fenot it°
'I hough she was conscious to the last, alma gae-elmaitthle
slightest explanation as to her reason for ,er To her
suicide, neither did she leave any letter or Per;sterYt 88
family and friends, her motive is a complete n!J to coin •
she was loved by all, and appeared to have nothltnLt frau
nrattio doeuhlianondthebi
plain of. Her husband had been two days e„held ll
home. He was sub-prefect of Brives in 1849, 11"eysignee•
higher position under the Government of Gen. C ,
gin
THE TEA TREE IN INDIA.—Afr. Henry Mann-0
enterprising gentleman who left China about five•Ye.BrB,oo7.l.e.
rT2eilipeorMt mileseflraa
has introduced the tea tree to Southern India, havlueshing•
upon
above tGh GovernmentahtTasahnolaetpeleil‘napttuiaotbniloisnohfie;d6soanitneoilliett,s6wil
an exposure to the north-east, and contains ah°.,,,t th!
plants. The ground occupied is about four ac.7l roost
plantation is on a slope. The forest land is four leaf
suitable for the plants. It now only remains to test_
_vow
and to procure skilled manufacturers. This the Itee, bet
ment were asked to do by the Conservator of Fe the
the hi'
the application has been refused on the grounds 0 iv enter'
expediency of Government interference with private a
prise. The importation of skilled manufacturers 0,1
_,,ate
lation will not probably be ventured upon by any _ l';fl tbe
individual for many years. The cultivation-of tea an. , 0
hill districts of India seems to be spreading fes'zekolse•
these are the localities recommended tor European ._ tot%
tion, we may yet see India rivalling China in this
_l,OO
and sturdy Anglo-Saxon pickers depicted on theta
instead of almond-eyed, long-tailed men of China. 4'
Hurkaru.
the reeri
IMPROVEMENNTS IN PARIS.—FroM
of the Prefect of the Seine to the Municipal. Co_ute,„'.
nf
appears that the number of houses demolished in Part g 39
whit% ..,
the course of the present year has been 724, the /18/11
of
were taken down after expropriation, that is, by
_emoted
cipality, and 385 by the owners. The number el
by il
from 1852 to 1858 having been 3,625 (1,897 number exPrePr 0
tier, 1,728 voluntarily), it follows that the total._ltaseic
demolitions in the last seven years is 4 349 .
t:
pears that in the course of the present
year 1,430 helB-8 th have been been built, and that from 1152 to 0 e re,
total of 9 617. The
constructed was I'lB7, giving a , ..e,_,, thie
port likewise states that in the houses demolished e
year were only 6,025 lettings, whilst
built there are 8,204. It further appears from sad
arrondissements of Sceaa% ins,
report that in the p f
tu
ear
of _ a n..
Saint Denis, which form part of the re ec
_tha bean
the demolitions in the course of the present yp,,,!:,"l:tid
302, and in the six years preceding 2,7B4—total,rii n) and
that the number of new constructions this y_ea__,V2.
4,987, in the six years preceding 22,905—total •Zi
here hall
SCOTCH MARRIAGE SPECULATIONS.
commissions.
been upwards of 40 marries among the non-con
~
_„, arrival
officers and men of the 78th Highlanders since
_tniel'aive beau
in Fort George. About one-half of the nunioe_r_ronandint
contracted without the permission of the
we't en are no•
officer. The consequence of this is that such
_.7370f course,
entitled to the privileges of a barrack-room,
ease,
and pig
can only follow the regiment at their own e
thew who °
result with fof do
for lodging. The opposite is the asked
a
thin their commanding-officer's consent. Asa rasked in
rage in the female mind for marriage, one was e she
engag ' roof
local market, held for hiring, if she would
answered in the affirmative, and, after the usual
,lheut n
as to ability and knowledge of the work she ,w. "'she askete
undertake, was asked what wages she want•
.„ Bower•
what place it was to. " Campbeltown,” wasas
er;wits aura
s
She then said she would require no wag s
-teh's 78th, Were ohs
of soon getting a husband from among.
ous. lye ha;
staying in thaevillage. The girl was quite Bert rl welt
notbut ale gl .
not heard how the engagement terminated, been there tiar';
' to service in Campbeltown, and had only
to cule °`
days, when, as she predicted, she was contracted.„.eered br,
the corps. Another female, a few days ago,rwanted.
fore the commanding officer of the regiment,,alL__n wort
be directed to her husband, to whom she_ h.ag,,De_F„...irneure
two days previously, and who belonged to,
btoTtai,
She had her marriage lines along with her,
girl the 11
as to
a false name. A parade was formed, so
when, altil°6llP
an opportunity of singling out her husband,_
on big upperor.
his beard was shaved, and the bulk of hair
Bonn; but unf , _
considerably lessened, she recognised the . *oi is t!:l
tunately he had another wife in the garn
He bai.been inners
end of a spree, or rather the result. II
_,,serities, .
r.
to his first wife for several years. The aw'04.8., aura
e —invert d• the
understand, are investigating the case.— • .thstan ing
OCEAN MAIL CONTRACTS.—NotV/1
the
Committee
feeling excited by the evidence furnifehed to
creinent pear
*scoure. rise
on Steam Contracts respecting the di
to
every enterp
c.
veringly shown by the Government
to Anita
calculated to demonstrate that the mail the t eorpool
_.
could be carried on without a subsidy, rm'
had to address esone
New York Steam Company have again 0
have been tre
itt;
plaints to the treasury, which appea t
• again
only 001'1'4
with little regard. This company is
the
company without
a mail grant, and, although
..7,,s et .
ment, it possen awl.
reed% ad a penny from the G9vern
tin the Atlantic on Yerecord..
present momenta tonnageneviga g
line, end, ~,,. tote
1,509 tons net registerless than the Cunard
t r General, nie'- Ilse
ing to the report of. the latePostmve e
the Postmaster-General,
that serviceA eat
a speed very little inferior to
granted without
only, however, was the Galway contraet h the -
for although , the
their being allowed to compete it,
should no. -
received 'adistinet intimation that such _ facilities
case, but there still seems every disposition to TT° ih
wing ~-e
end by 1.1'• pecan'
to their subsidised rivals, which must
_.e
_,,,,ri o
from the field. In April last they
.adopted tlcl I"' e•
euccess•et, .Li
rove -- qua.
ing at Cork harbour, and this havi
contract,. el,
variation was forthwith made in the Cunard
at thle pea
enables those vessels to compete with themth
dian
ard,
point, while it is further understood that
ThongreBt h or
Company have arranged a similar system.
of both. theso Govnie
.1
ship, however, is that the vessels o
a.._ 4 their .*.
ment lines are able to take advent .0 "
emigratiol
Government Liverpool
grant to escape from the
like the ort
laws. The Canadian line, which,
its chief suPP I),
and New York Company, den ves
under this ruiforoo
from steerage traffic, will,
it
is
said,without deteationiAt;
enabled to embark their passengers day Or 11 Zava
s of the
Government supervision at all ho
whichr the TreasillYetuew
and, in the face of this privilege,
eorts of indeeenueets ere
absolutely refused to the unaided
ste.,-
if the Liverpool steare ..h
terprise, it will be marvellous
Should, however,_rove
still enaled to work on at a profit. offered them wut; th•
be the case, the discouragement
t üblic, since wile earcoll
most valuable in its results to p
1. ont it Will 6
o b°
before Par lain thus
entire question shall come
additional evidence
vi .e._ .a
be possible to resist the
h national resources
ohaliV;
afforded of the waste of t o
nt carried out ann roper 0
subsidising system as at prese .
mstancee it is P con'
'touching on these circu ~7. , be
bat
volves. In .
ce has from tho nst t
but y
admit that the Cunard servi
credit
upon the countrY, wing fel
to reflect
0,. fie
ducted in away
the eneral question lau
has nothing to do with.
3,g„..., ,r.i le.
play to all parties. 2' one Ceti 4t c