The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-23 00:00:00

THAMES.

AN UNJUST STEWARD.—John Thomas, a man of colour,
aged 25, was brought before Mr. Paget charged with
stealing three bottles of French brandy.
Tho prisoner is the steward of the ship Margaret Smith,
lying in the West India Dock. He was leaving the dock
yesterday 'afternoon and his bulky appearance attracted
the notice of a constable, who searched him and discovered
a bottle of brandy in each sleeve of his coat, and a third
bottle of brandy under his arm. He said he picked up the
bottles of brandy in the forecastle of the Margaret Smith.
On a reference to the chief officer of the ship, it turned
out that the brandy was abstracted from the stores in the
cabin of which the prisoner had charge.
The prisoner made no defence, and Mr Paget sentenced
him to be imprisoned and kept to hard labour for two
months for the unlawful possesbion of the brandy.
ASSAULTS ON THE POLICE. —William Ironside, a seaman,
was brought before Mr. Paget, charged with assaulting
Paul Orchard, a police-constable, No. 321 K.
The prisoner was intoxicated and making a disturbance
in High-street, Shadwell, last night, and the constable re-
quested him to go home. He refused t‘i do so, and made
use of the most infamous language and threats. When the
constable attempted to take him into custody he struck him
several times, and on the way to the station-house he
kicked and plunged fearfully and gave much trouble.
The prisoner, in defence, said he came to London from
Cardiff yesterday afternoon.
Mr. Paget—And the first thing you do on reaching
London is to get drunk and assault the police-constable.
:You are sentenced to one month's imprisonment and hard
labour.

James Donovan, an Irish labourer, was sentenced to 14
days' imprisonment and hard labour for assaulting police-
constable 334 K.

The prisoner—Please to fine me, your honour. Don't
send me to prison. _ _

- Mr. Paget—No, I will not impose fines in those cases. I
wish it to be distinctly understood that in all cases of vio-
lence towards the police I shall commit the offenders to
prison. That is the proper punishment. The police have
difficult and dangerous duties to perform, and I will pro-
tect them.

WESTMINSTER.

THE SOCIAL Evn, IN THE PARKS.—Emma Andrews,
Elizabeth Lake, Elizabeth Haines, and Amelia Hubble,
prostitutes, were charged with being drunk, riotous, fight-
ing, and using obscene language at Buckingham-gate.
Sergeant John Davis, 19 A, said that at 2 o'clock that
morning he was in Birdcage-walk, and saw prisoners with
eight or ten other prostitutes, calling one another names,
fighting, and making a noise. He ordered them to go away.
They moved across the road, Andrews calling out with an
oath, " You can't fellow us now, we aro off your beat."
Shortly after he hear the same noise, and found them
fighting again and using bad language, whereupon with
assistance they were taken into custody. lie knew them
all as frequenters of the park ; they were very noisy. Lake
been had at Bow-street last week.
George Mew, 72 A, corroborated the last witness. They
took two prisoners each. Andrews, who was known by
the name of Oxfordshire Emma, was very riotous all the
way to the station. She could fight like a man, and was a
deal of trouble.
Andrews accused this witness of taking liberties with
her on Sunday in the Park, and ascribed her presence
before the magistrate this morning to her refusal. She was
struck by a soldier and woman, and returned the blow.
Lake had nothing to say, and the other two, who live in
Drury-lane, said they were there quite by accident.
The police proved that Andrews had been before con-
victed, and then she made an indecent charge against the
constable.

Andrews was sentenced to fourteen days and Lake to
seven dayb' hard. labour. The others were discharged
with a caution.

GREAT BRITAIN'S LlTTLENESS—occasionally—is
thus illustrated by the Spectator;—" What is it
which every now and then gives our Government so mean
an aspect? The War-office is claiming all kinds of credit
for accepting the Snider scheme of converting rifles. Mr.
Snider spent eight years of his life over it, and yet when
he requested £2,700 for outlays and work done, he was re-
ferred by Lord Hartington to the solicitor to the depart-
ment, who awarded him £l,OOO. He took it, and paid it
away to his creditors, and is now lying sick, paralytic, and
hopeless, while the inventor of the Prussian gun is an
honoured and wealthy favourite of his Sovereign. It is
said that on one occasion, in 1859, Mr. Snider was ordered
to try a new gun with some Government powder aud bul-
lets, and was sued by the department for their value, £1
2s. 9d. ! Are we entirely governed by clerks, or is an aris-
tocrat necessarily the meanest of human beings ?"
HTER."
DEATH OF THE AUTHOR OF " THE LAMPLIG
—Miss Maria S. Cummins, daughter of the late
er Judge
David Cummins, died on Monday morning
at h resi-
dence in Dorchester, after a long illness. Sue is best known
perhaps as the author of "The Lamplighter," a novel
which was published in 1853, and passed through several
editions, both in this country and in England. Among her
other books were " Mabel Vaughan," " El Fureidis," and
" Haunted Hearts." Of late, we believe, her writings have
been chiefly confined to contributions to the Atlantic
Monthly and Our Young Folks.—Boston Advertiser: