The Sun.
London, England, 1832-10-19 00:00:00

G UILDHALL.

Henry Blake, the driver of Burnett's Winche.-
ter waggon, was yesterdky charged with recklessl
driving against the carriage of J. Wilson, Esq. of
Cateaton-street, and endangering the lives of Mr-.
Wilson and another lady.
Mr. Alderman KELLY fined the defendant 215., a.
the amount of the damage, and 20s. more for mis-
conduct as a driver.

The fine was paid, but an appeal was threatened.
several inhabitants of St. Dunstan's, Fleet-street.
attended on summonses for refusing to pay th,
church-rate; 39 householders had been summoned
Those who attended asked for a little delay, whicl
was granted ; and one only, Mr. Gilman, the truss.
maker, in Fleet-street, protested against the ra't
itself. He said he ought not to be rated, becaust
the churchwardens had suffered four houses in a
court by the side of his house to continue brothel.
for the last twelve years. Such horrid scenes wen
enacted in this court that he could neither let th,
upper part of his house nor bring his own family int,
it. And again, divine service had not been per-
formed in the church for three or four years past.
Mr. Westcott, an behalf of the churchwardens,
said they had already expended 100/. of the rates it
endeavouring to get rid of these nuisances, and he
believed Mr. Gawan would admit the houses wen
now much improved in their general management.

Mr. Alderman KELLY asked if Mr. Gawan wa,
not likely to be placed in the office of churchwardei
or overseer himself ? Mr. Westcott replied yes; hi,
name was now on the list. Mr. Gawan was rater
lightly.
Mr. Alderman KELLY begged that, as he would
soon have an opportunity of doing all for the public
morals and safety he desired to do, he would, in tht
interim, pay all the rates, without giving the officer•
trouble. The suspension of divine worship seemed
to be unavoidable, as the rebuilding of the chura
was deemed necessary.
Mr. Gawan promised to pay the amount.
B 0 TV-STREET..

Yesterday, a young woman, named .Ann Dican,
was brought in custody before Mr. MINSHULL and
Mr. BECKETT, a county magistrate, charged with the
wilful murder of her infant child.

William Cunningham, a private in the Coldstream
Guards, deposed to his having cohabited with tht
prisoner until about a year ago, when she confessed
to him that on the night of the 27th of Novembet
last she was delivered of a child, of which ht
(witness) was the father,in the Peacock public-house,
Clare-market, where she then lived as a servant.
She told him that on the night in question, having
given birth to a child, she went down to the tap-
room by herself, the family being asleep, and de•
stroyed the infant by placing it on the fire until it
was consumed.

Mr. MINSHULL asked if the prisoner said whether
the child was alive or dead when she took it to th.
tap-room.
Cunningham replied that the prisoner did not tel
him whether the infant was dead or alive. She.
however, fully confessed to him the manner in which
she had destroyed it. She told him that she took
the key of the tap-room from the stairs, where it wen,
usual for the landlord to place it at night; that she
went to the room, and, having made a large fire,
placed the infant on it, and waited until it was re-
duced to a cinder.

The prisoner denied that she had made any state-
ment of the kind to the soldier. She admitted
having cohabited with him, and raid that during
their acquaintance she miscarried, but that event oc-
curred last March twelvemonth, and since that time
she solemnly declared she had not been pregnant
She remembered while living at the Peacock, that
she was taken suddenly ill one night with the rheu-
matism, but it did not lay her up. She declared,
in conclusion, that Cunningham brought the charg,
against her through spite, she having refused to live
with him in consequence of his ill-usage.
Cunningham denied this, And said that the priso-
ner was always in the habit of annoying him, and
he was at last obliged to tell her that be was a mar-
ried man.

Police constable Kirkman said, that when he went
to take the prisoner into custody, he found her
concealed in a cupboard.
Mr. MINSHULL directed that the landlord of the
Peacock should be sent for immediately, and an)
other persons residing in the house who could give
evidence touching the charge.
Mr. Jones, landlord of the Peacock, soon after
appeared, and having been sworn, stated, answer
to questions put by the Magistrate, that the prisoner
lived in his service for a year and a half. She might
have been poorly on the night of the 27th of last
November, but he had no reason to suppose that
she was pregnant prior to that time.
Mr. MiNsituLL—Could the prisoner have de-
stroyed her infant by means of the tap-room fire
without your knowledge ? Witness—lt might be
possible to have done it in the night time, as the
key of the tap-room is left on the stairs for the ser-
vant to make the fire in the morning.
Mr. MINSIItILL—Do you remember having per-
ceived any unusually offensive smell ?—The witnes:,
had no recollection of anv.

- ---•—•--- ---,-
Sally Anderson, a lodger at the Peacock, proved
that she knew the prisoner, and remembered the
time referred to. She had never any reason to sup-

A day seldom passes without some one or more
miserable objects being brought to this office for
selling unstamped publications, by individuals who
represent themselves as employed by the Stamp-
office solicitor to lay informations against persons so
offending. In each case where a conviction takes
place the informant receives 205., and some idea
may be formed of the profitable nature of the infar•
mer's occupation, by the fact of 57 convictions has
ing taken place within the last month at this office
alone, in cases brought before the Magistrates by
two persons named Currie and Colley, One rather
remarkable circumstance has attended the cases
lately of these individuals—that within an hour or
so after the offenders have procured some of these
unlawful publications, they have fallen in the way
of these informers, and in many instances have com-
pleted the offence by making their first sale to theta,
The majority of those who have been committed
are lads from the country, most of them grossly
ignorant, and all of them in such a sate of utter des-
titution as to make it probable that the temptation
of half a crown would induce them to lend them-
selves to the views of the interested.

Mr. CONANT inquired of Currie, who brought one
of these cases before him yesterday, if he received
the same reward on conviction at every other office,
as he appeared to have cases at most of them
Currie replied in the affirmative.

Mr. CONANT then asked who had employed him
to lay these informations ?—Currie answered Mr.
Simons, the solicitor to the Stamp-office, gave him
daily instructions, and in fact he did not touch any-
thing without receiving due directions.
Mr. CONANT, on signing the committal of tb,:=
man, observed, that he wished the penalty had nos
been awarded for the first offence, as he felt assured
that some who were brought before him must have
erred through ignorance, and though he did not
think there had been anything improper in any cases
brought by Currie before him, yet the system did
certainly hold out an inducement for collusion be-
tween the person who laid the information and the
offender.