The Sun.
London, England, 1835-04-21 00:00:00

HATTON-GARDEN.

Edward Akkrman, coachmaker, of George-street,
Battle-bridge, was brought from the station-house, in the
custody of a policeman of the F division, charged by the
landlord of the Coach and Horses public-house, Holborn,
with having uttered a counterfeit, half sovereign, under the
following extraordinary circumstances. The office was
crowded by the prisoner's friends, and the case excited great
interest, in consequence of his respectability, and having
such a charge preferred against him.
The prosecutor deposed that about one o'clock on Mon-
day morning the prisoner entered his house in company
with a female, and asked witness's wife to fill a bottle with
some gin. On being served he threw down a piece of coin
resembling a half soveteign, the sound of which attracted
witness's car, and 'he said it was not a half sovereign, but
a gilt sixpence. The prisoner said it was a good one, and
persisted in saying so, and a policeman hearing the dispute
entered the place, and Mr. Alderman was given into cus-
tody, taken to the station-house, and locked up all night as
an utterer of base coin.

Mr. Alderman assured the magistrates that it was a good
half sovereign, and he had received it on Saturday night
from Davies, a glass dealer, of Saffron-hill.

Mr. BENNETT looked at the half sovereign, and said
that it certainly had a queer sound, and appeared small, but
it was evidently pure gold, and not a gilt sixpence, or
counterfeit.

Mr. LAING concurred with Mr. BENNETT, and ordered
the clerk to wcigh it in the office scales against another
half sovereign.
The clerk did so, and found it to be the exact weight,
and every body in Court was satisfied that it was a good
half sovereign, but felt astonished and anxious to know why
the Mint should issue half sovereigns so widely different in
size and sound to each other.

Mr. LAING said that the half sovereign was evidently, a
good half sovereign, and the prisoner was discharged.
Mr. Alderman complained of the hardship of having been
given into custody on such a charge, and imprisoned, and
on quitting the office with his friends, lie expressed his de-
termination of proceeding instantly to his solicitor to com-
mence legal proceedings against his prosecutors.

QUEEN-SQUARE.
Yesterday a very respectably-dressed man, a messenger
at the Treasury, was. placed at the bar before Mr. HOSKINS
upon a charge of felony.
The name of the prisoner is Samuel .21litchc11, and he
has held a situation of 1501. per annum at the Treasury for
some years past. In consequence of several valuable books
and official documents having lately been missed from the.
Office information was given to the police, who for the last
six weeks had kept a watchful eye upon the prisoner.
Mr. Carter, one of the inspectors of the A division of
police, had received infordiafion from Mr. Haines, one of
the office-keepers, that a quantity of paper and a number
of books had been stolen. On Saturday last he observed
the prisoner come out of the office with a large box, and a
bag apparently filled with papers and books, which he depo-
sited at the residence of Sir G. Clerk in Downing-street.
Prom thence he watched him into Martlett's-court, Drury-
lane, where he also deposited another bag, and he imme-
diately took him into custody. Upon his person he found
a number of keys, one of which belonged to Mr. Arbuthnot,
the Secretary of Sir G. Clerk% Upon searching the pri-
soner's lodgings, No. 4, Upper Ebury-street, Pimlico, a
whole series of the Mirror of Parliament, a number of vo-
lumes, handsomely bound, of the Reports of Committees of
the House of Commons, and a quantity of writing-paper of
every description, all belonging to the Treasury, were found.
Mr. George Arbuthnot, of the Treasury, deposed that
the prisoner was employed as a messenger there. The key
of the Stationery Department was constantly kept in his
(witness's) bureau, and the key produced by Inspector
Carter was the one belonging to his bureau. Mr. Arbuth-
not identified an ebony inkstand which had been found at
the prisoner's lodgings as one which had been ordered for
Sir George Clerk.
Anthony Thompson, servant to Sir George Clerk, stated
that on Saturday last the prisoner left the box and bag,
containing part of the stolen property, in Downing-street.
He had promised to return in the evening and take it away,
but in the interim he was apprehended.
Mr. Haines identified the property as belonging to the
Treasury, and said that some of the books found .at the
prisoner's lodgings bad been missed at the office.
Mr. HOSKINS committed him to Newgate for trial.