The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-17 00:00:00

THAMES.

FRAUD ON RECRUITING SERGEANTS.—WiIIiam Shep-
herd, alias Charles Roots, alias George Roots, a tall young
man, was charged with obtaining ls. from William Ll.yd,
and Is. 6d. from Charles Berry, by means of false and
fraudulent pretences.

Lloyd is a sergeant in the Royal Marines and said, Yes-
terday morning the prisoner came to me on Tower-hill,
and said he wanted to enlist. I asked him his name and
address, to which he replied George Roots, No. 10, Ber-
mondsey-street. I enlisted him, and gave him a shilling,
and took him to Westminster. The prisoner also said he
was not married. I asked him if he had ever served in the
army, navy, Royal Marines, the forces of the East India
Company, her Majesty's naval coast volunteers, or the
militia, to the whole of which he answered in the negative.
He was examined by the doctor, passed his examination,
and I left him with another sergeant.
Charles Berry, a sergeant in the Royal Marines, said the
prisoner was left with him, and he took him and gave him
ls. 6d., and directed him to bring back 2d., the Is. 4d. being
his day's pay. The prisoner did not return with the change,
and when he inquired for him he ascertained that he had
absconded. He went to Hungerford-market, and found
the prisoner on board a penny steam-boat on his way to
London-bridge. He told the prisoner that he ought to be
ashamed of himself, and that he had made the poor re-
cruits pay 3d. for his dinner, and then ran away. The pri-
soner then led him a dance all over the Borough, and could
not find out his house. He then took the prisoner
to the station-house adjoining the Southwark Police-
court, and the prisoner again said his name was Charles
Roots, and tlt he lived at No. 10, Bermondsey-street.
The inspector of police said, " I know you (Isn't live there,"
and the prisoner then said his real name was Shepherd, and
that he lived at No. 1, Park-street, Bow. No Park-street
could be found in Bow, but an Upper Park-street was dis-
covered in Bromley, and the prisoner's wife was found at
No. 5, and she handed to him a parchment certificate of her
husband's discharge from the Land Transport Corps on the
7th August, 1856.

The discharge was put in, and the prisoner, on being
called upon for his defence, said he was out of work, and
imposed upon tho two sergeants to obtain a fow shillings to
procure food.

Mr. Paynter said the prisoner had told a great many
falsehoods. He sentenced him to be imprisoned and kept
to hard labour for six weeks.

THE METROPOLITAN BOROUGHS COMMITTEE.-
The adjourned meeting of the electors for [the discussion of
the scheme of the Metropolitan Boroughs Committee for
obtainin6 seven additional members for Marylebone, and
for dividing this and the other metropolitan boroughs into
smaller constituencies, will take place this evening at half-
past seven o'clock.

CAPTURE OF A SHARK IN THE TYNE.—On
Tuesday afternoon, about two o'clock, a young shark was
caught in the Tyne, at Jarrow, by Mr. David Campbell,
blacksmith of Jarrow. The receding tide had left the shark
in the bight of the slake, and after lying there for three or
four hours it was discovered nearly dead, and of course an
easy subject for capture. Tho shark is quite a young one,
measuring nearly five in length.
REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, &0., IN IRELAND.—
Ireland is to receive, at the hands of the present Ministry,
the benefit of a bill for the registration of births, deaths,
and marriages. Power is given to the Lord-Lieutenant of
Ireland to form new districts, to appoint registrars and
deputy-registrars, and, word, to organise all the machi-
nery requisite for the attainment of the important object
contemplated by the bill.
THE DISASTER TO THE CALAIS STEAMER.—The
Board of Trade have ordered a formal investigation, under
the provisions ofthe Merchant Shipping Act, 1864, into the
circumstances attending the recent casualty to the Royal
Mail steam-packet Prince Frederick William, and which is
to be held at the Custom House, at Dover, on the 23d
instant.

ST. JAMES'S HALL—The great success which
attended the performance of Mendelssohn's " Ave Maria,"
by the Vocal Association, has induced the directors to re-
peat the work on Wednesday Evening, Marco 23d.
Hander s "Adis and Galatea" (with Mozart's additional
accompaniments) will also be performed. The band and
choir, under the direction of M. Benedict, will number 400
performers.
GOVERNMENT EMIGRATION.--Her Majesty's
Emigration Commissioners have given notice of their in-
tention to receive tenders this day (Thursday) for a ship to
proceed to Sydney, New South Wales, to be ready for the
reception of passengers on such days as the:Commissioners
may appoint between the 25th of April and the sth of May.
The specie by the Africa, £133,000, was delivered
yesterday. About £15,000 is in English silver; there are
also a quantity of Mexican dollars, which have been soldat
60Id. per ounce. The whslo of the gold except about
£15,000 has been taken fig the Continent,