The Sun.
London, England, 1832-02-04 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Kent and the Fria-
cess Victoria honoured Covent.garden Theatre with their pre-
sence last evening, to witness the Haunted Tower, and Haile.
quin Hop o'my Thumb.

The Duchess of Cumberland came to town yesterday after-
noon from her residence at Kew.

The Minister from Buenss.Ayres transacted business on
Thursday at the office of the Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs.

Mr. Mayers, the agent for Barbadoes, had an interview with
Viscount Goderich yesterday, at the Colonial-office.

Lord Milton and Lord John-Russell visited Viscount Althorp
yesterday at the Treasury.

Despatches were sent ofr from the Colonial-office, on Thur:i-
day evening, for Lord Aylmer, the Governor of Lower Canada ;
for the Earl of Belmore, the Governor of Jamaica; and also for
Sir James Lyon, the Governor of Barbadoes.

Lord Hill, the Commander of the Forces, visited Earl Grvy
yesterday at the Treasury.

The Duke of Wellington left town yesterday for his seat at
Strathfieldsaye.

COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE.

The Haunted Tower was last night revived here, probably
for the purpose of enabling Miss INVERAIIITY and Miss SIMI
REFF to appear in the same piece. The former lady sustained
the character of Lady Elinor, and the latter that of Adela. The
applause was divided between the two ladies throughout the
piece Their respective friends, however, were rather indiscreet
in their zeal that justice should be done to each, and we were
at every song seriously. threatened with repetitions which, if
persisted in, must have proved no trifling call upon the patictwo
of those who had no private partiality to gratify. This metho.
dical practice of encoring indiscriminately is becoming quite a
nuisance at our theatres, and ought to receive less countenance
from the performers themselves. Mr. BRAHAM appeared as Lord
if'illiam, and went through the part with considerable sang
froid. Mr. BARTLEY made the part of the Baron quite a
laughable as the author intended it to be, and Mr. 6.:PENSON,2
Edward, did all that could be required of the character.

THE LATE EXTRAORDINARY CHARGE

OF FRAUD.

FURTHER PROCEEDINGS.—QUEZA^S-SQUA RE.
It will be recollected that, on Wednesday last, Mr. Edward
Fordham, a gentleman of the highest respectability, and Mr.
Edward Tatham,' jun., of the firm of Tatham and Son, sword-
cutlers at Charing-cross, were charged before Mr. Marriott with
defrauding Esther Tompkins, a fruiterer, at No. 11, Charing_
cross, of eighteen shillings and two shillings' worth of oranges;
and, on the evidence which has already appeared in the news-
papers, these gentlemen were fully committed for trial at the
"next Weitminiter Sessions; subsequently, however, bail was
taken for their appearance to answer the charge, and they were
dismissed.
It is impossible to describe the extraordinary sensation which
this decision produced amongst the friends of the accused, who
immediately came forward after reading the reports of the pro-
ceedings.
Mr. Gurney, the King's Counsel, had an interview with Mr.
Marriott on the occasion, and at his solicitation, we understand,
he consented to hear the case over again.
Yesterday afternoon, at one o'clock, Mr. Fordham and Mr.
Tatham, jun., were in attendance at the office. Mr. Adolphus,
Mr. C. Phillips, and Mr. Harmer attended on the part of the ac-
cused ; and Mr. Isaacs, the solicitor, attended on behalf of Mr.
Philip Garcia, the proprietor of the fruit shop where Esther
Tompkins, the complainant, lived as servant.
Mr. MARRIOTT, Mr. WHITE, and Mr. GREGORIE,
were on the bench, and the office was crowded to such excess
that it was with difficulty we could get admission.
Amongst the gentlemen present were Sir John Sebright,
Bart., M.P., Lord Dacre, Mr. Byng, M.P., and a host of per-
sons of the first respectability.
Mr. ADOLPHUS addressed the bench—He said, that as he
understood the present case, his clients had gone into a fruit-
erer's shop to purchase two shillings' worth of oranges, that
Mr. Fordham had asked for change of a sovereign, which was
given to him by the woman, Esther Tompkins, and that on his
going out of the shop she had charged him with not having paid
her the sovereign. Convinced in his own mind that he had
done so, a dispute arose, when he was given in charge to a police
constable, and taken to the station-house ; and that, on the fol-
lowing morning, both Mr. Fordham and Mr. Tatham were com-
mitted for trial for the fraud. He was convinced that no Ma.
gistrate would have committed the accused under such circum-
stances, had there not been some erroneous impression on his
mind at the time. Under these circumstances, he had to re-
quest that the proceedings against his clients might be heard
de novo.
Mr. MARRIOTT said, that it appeared to him that the beet
mode of proceeding would be, to call those witnesses to character
which he understood were in attendance. The woman swore
to the facts, and Mr. Fordham called no person as to character.
A gentleman here observed, that became voluntarily forward
to speak to the character of the parties.
Mr. MARRIOTT begged he might not be interrupted. Mr.
Tatham's father had interfered in the case while the parties
were under examination, and he told him that as he was not a
professional man lie could not hear him but upon oath. He
asked Mr. Tatham, sen., whether he would speak to his son's
character, and that gentleman declined doing so. That being
the state of the case, he felt himself in a very painful situation.
There was a defenceless woman before him, whom he believed
the witness of truth, according to her statements on oath. Mr.
Fordham had offered a sovereign at the station-house, and had
even said that he would give ten sovereigns to have no more to
do with the business ; she, however, would not take the money
without he admitted that he had not paid her, which he re.
fused to do, and this he thought made the case worse. It was
most extraordinary to him that a defenceless woman would at-
tempt to defraud two respectable men of a sovereign. It was
impressed upon his mind that she dared not have attempted to
do so in the manner stated, and then havecalled in the aid of
the police constable. It would have been a source of great re.
lief to his mind if, in the first instance, witnesses as to cha-
racter had been called.
Mr. Charles Phillips was quite sure that every man who ki.ew
him (Mr. Marriott) could never doubt his character; for a tie-
fief of years it was well known to the world for impartiality,
honour, and integrity. No man could cast the slightest slur
upon it; but every man must be aware that the best of men
might be liable to an error of judgment. Mr. Fordham was a
gentleman of the first respectability; he was an extensive land.
holder in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, and well known
to every person of respectability in the neighbourhood where
he resided, as a man utterly incapable of such an offence as that
alleged against him. Mr. Tatham, sen., had been sworn on the
first examination, and had given evidence as to the character of
his son. Mr. Tatham was ready in the office to swear to it, and
so was his son. With regard to the circumstance of suspicion
alluded to by Mr. Marriott, of Mr. Fordham having offered a
sovereign at the station-house to get rid of the business, he took
a very different view of the motives which induced a gentleman
to act in that manner—showing any thing but a proof of guilt.
Sooner than be annoyed with such a charge, he did offer the
woman a sovereign when he found that he was likely to be con_
! fined all night on a charge of felony, and locked up in a police-
station, in all probability with common felons; but when the
woman refused to take the money without Mr. Fordham would
declare that he had never paid her the sovereign at all, his
client, with that indignation which would operate on every ho-
nourable mind, refused to admit that he had committed a fraud,
and rested on his well-known character and reputation to give.
him his liberty. His clients were indebted to the public press,
which had given publicity to the proceedings ; for a gentleman
had come forward, a total stranger to the parties, to bear testi.
mony that he had been charged by the complainant in a similar
manner about a sovereign.
Mr. MARRIOTT would not allow Messrs. Tatham to be
examined on oath as to Mr. Tatham, sen., having given evi-
dence to the character of his son on the first examination.
Mr. Adolphus would proceed to call his witnesses.
The first witness called was Lord Dacre.
Mr. Adolphus—ls your Lordship acquainted with Mr. Ford.
ham

. Lord Dacre—l am; I have known him for many years ; he is
a gentleman of fortune, and of the first respectability. He be-
lieved it impossible that he would commit such an offence as
that laid to his charge.

Nicholas Calvert,Esq., had known Mr. Fordham for many
years, and spoke in the highest terms of his character. He be-
lieved that he was far more likely to give a person a sovereign
than to attempt to defraud any one.
Sir John Sebright, Baronet, M.P. knew Mr. Fordham as a
highly respectable and honourable man ; when he read the ac-
count in the newspapers he was surprised and astonished, and
immediately offered to come forward as witness in his behalf.
Mr. Gurney, the King's Counsel, had known Mr. Fordham for
upwards of thirty years, and sincerely believed him incapable of
a mean action.

Sir John Sebright was entirely of that opinion.
George Byng, Esq., M.P., declined being sworn, but said that
he would state his reasons for coming forward on this occasion :
In the first place he was not personally known to Mr. Ford-
ham, though he had known that the family was of the first re-
spectability; he had always heard the name of Mr. Fordham
mentioned with the greatest respect; when he heard of the
offence with which he was charged, he felt for him, and that is
duced him to come forward, for he considered that if the chara,
ter and liberty of Mr. Fordham was not safe, he himself was not
safe from such a charge.
George Christopher, a wine-merchant, on behalf of Mr.
Tatham, jun. had known him ever since he was in his cradle,
and believed him to be a steady, active, and industrious young
man, wholly incapable of such an offence as that laid to his charge.
James Ashley, Esq., a banker, had known Mr. Tatham from
his childhood, and bore testimony to the honour and integrity
of his character.

Mr. Garcia was quite convinced of the respectability of the
parties, and had no doubt but there had been a mistake.

Mr. Isaacs said, that had not the present proceeding taken
place, it was his intention, as the professional adviser of Mr.
Garcia, to have applied to have the recognizances withdrawn.
Mr. MARRIOTT said, that about an hour after the first
examination in this case, on a representation being made to
bins by a friend of one of the accused parties, he had directed
the recognizances to he stayed. He congratulated Messrs.
Fordham and Tatham on the result of this investigation.
Messrs. Fordham and Tatham then received the hearty con-
gratulations of a host of friends who bad come forward, and
left the office without the slightest stain on their character or

eputation.
Mr. MARRIOTT ordered all the recognizances entered
nto by the bail to be immediately withdrawn.