The Sun.
London, England, 1835-07-15 00:00:00

WORSHIP-STREET.

Yesterday a middle-aged man and his wife, named John
and Margaret Peterson, were finally examined before Mr.
BROUGHTON, on charges of receiving various articles, stolen
by a boy numed James Bromley, ten years of age, whom they
had harboured for the purpose of profiting by the felonies he
committed.

The boy Bromley had disappeared from home without any
apparent cause, and was lost to his parents for seven or eight
months ; but his father having ascertained that he was a pri-
soner in the House of Correction, took him home on his dis-
charge from thence, and afterwards gave such information to
the police as -led to the apprehension of the prisoners, who
lived in George-street, Bethnal-green.
The male prisoner stated himself to be a shoemaker, but it
was stated by the officers that he had been several times in
custody, and had been imprisoned six months for stealing and
skinning cats.
It appeared from the statement of young Bromley that the
first cause of his absenting himself from home was meeting
with another boy, who having some money took him to Cam-
berwell fair, and kept him about for two days and nights. He
afterwards found his way to Billingsgate, where he became
acquainted with a girl eighteen or nineteen years of age,
daughter of the prisoners, who took him to their place in
Bethnal-green, and he then remained there, being afraid to
return home. The clothes which he had on were quickly dis-
posed of, and some old ones given him to wear; and he after-
wards went about with the girl, receiving articles which she
stole, and carrying them home to the prisoners, who disposed
of them. Numerous robberies were committed by them, the
property being, according to the boy's account, invariably stolen
by the girl, and handed to him to run away with. At length,
however, they were detected stealing a pair of shoes, and he
was imprisoned for three months in the House of Correction,
where his father found him.

The boy said that besides him and the daughter of the pri.
soners, there were other boys and girls frequenting the place,
and living in the same way.
Mr. BROUGHTON questioned him as to the treatment he had
experienced, whilst living with the prisoners.
The boy said they sometimes beat, and frequently abused
him, for not bringing him home more than he did. The week
before his committal for stealing the shoes they beat him, and
told him that he had made a bad week's work, and that, if he
did no better next week, he should be turned out entirely, to
shift for himself.

Mr. BROUGHTON__Why did you not go away from them,
and return to your parents?
The boy said he should not then have been able to find his
father; but he was seldom left to himself, the girl generally
going about with him, until she was herself apprehended and
sent to prison.
The boy said they received everything brought home by
him and their daughter, and sometimes gave him a few pence
out of the produce ; but they made him pay 6d. a week for
house room.

The father said that the boy since his return home, had be-
haved extremely well, and frequently expressed his detestation
of the life which he had been leading.
Mr. BROUGHTON, after some remarks, suggested by the ex-
traordinary circumstances of the case, committed both the pri-
soners to Newgato for trial for feloniously receiving the pro-
perty stolen by the boy.

On Sunday morning a sermon was preached at St.
George's, Hanover-square, by the Bishop of Bath and Wells,
for the benefit of the Royal Dispensary for Diseases of the
Ear, and the Deaf and Dumb, Dean-street, Soho-square.
His Lordship stated, that since the establishment of the insti-
tution, in 1816, upwards of 9,030 patients afflicted with deaf-
ness, and other diseases of the ear, had been cured or relieved,
including several cases of deaf and dumb. The Rev. Prelate
remarked, that though Nature rarely errs in the perfection of
her:works, and that it is onlyin a few insolated cases that a real
structural deficiency in the organ of hearing exists, yet it is a
remarkable fact, and indicative of the almost total neglect with
which diseases of the ear have in general been treated, that in
Europe alone there are upwards of 137,000 persons deaf and
dumb, so that here is an additional evidence of the need there
was of such an institution, and of the misery it may in future
be the means of averting. After the sermon, several children
born deaf and dumb, who had obtained their hearing and
speech at the Dispensary, attended in the Vestry; among
whom were two boys sent by order of the King. Also a
young woman likewise born deaf and dumb, who readily an-
swered the various questions put to her by the Bishop and
others.