The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-26 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—March 26.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

WILFULLY SMASHING A WIFE'S PORTRAIT AT A
PHOTOGRAPHER'S.—CURIOUS CASE.-Mr. Henry Willis,
tobacconist, of 58, Oxford-street, was charged with wilfully
destroying or damaging two portraits and two glass cases, a
351, Oxford-street, the property of Mr. Frederick Brooks,
artist. •

The complainant said the accused came to his passage
about eight the previous evening, and with a stick he had
in his hand broke two specimens exhibited in a case, one of
them being that of the accused's wife, which he had bought.
—the damage being two guineas.
In answer to the charge, the defendant said the portrait
was that of his wife. He had felt very much annoyed at
seeing it publicly exhibited, and had requested the com-
plainant several times to remove it. He considered it a
very great nuisance having his wife's portrait exhibited
every Sunday morning at the complainant's door, and
having it pointed out to passers by by a " touter." Another
thing in the case was that it was not a specimen of the
complainant's work—therefore besides the annoyance it arc II
a delusion on the public. A case had been decided at
Southwark Police Court that a person under the circum-
stances had a right to destroy a portrait after giving notice
that it should be removed.

The complainant said he bought it and therefore consi-
dered he had a right to exhibit it.
Mr. Bingham said he would give his decision on the case
on another occasion—it was of too much importance to de-
cide hastily.

The accused said he had done it on public ground;
—complainant had no right to exhibit a portrait under such
circumstances.

The accused's own recognizance was then taken for hi
re-appearance.

THAMES.

STEALING TEA IN THE LONDON DOCKS.—John Shaw,
a labourer, aged 35, of No. 9, Holloway-court, Rosemary-
lane, Whitechapel, was brought before Mr. Yardley,
charged with stealing 41bs. of tea, value, without the duty,
35., and with the duty 145., the property of the London
Dock Company. Yesterday afternoon the prisoner was
seen by a labourer named Joseph Royall, in the West Quay
warehouse of the dock, where he had no right to be. He
was seen to pass along Tea-alley, between many thousand
chests of tea, and he stooped by one which was broken and
filled his pockets with tea. As he was leaving the ware-
house he was tak en into custody by George' Rudkins, a
dock constable, on the information, of Royall, and 41ba. of
a superior description of tea taken out of his pockets. Ha
then said to Royall, " What will you do ; I suppose you
want to make a case of it?" The prisoner said he would
plead guilty. He was a poor man, with a large family,
and his necessities compelled him to do what he had done.

Mr. Yardley—You have committed a flagrantrobie;;;
it is a very bad case, and you are sentenced to three months

imprisonment and hard labour.

SINGULAR CASE OF ROBBERY.—Margaret Mulcahy, an
Irishwoman, who is living apart from her husband, and
has been some time cohabiting with an old mannamed Ritt,
a ballast heaver, at No. 4, Cooper-row, Upper East Smith-
field, was brought up on remand before Mr. Yardley,
charged with stealing a purse containing £7 10s., the pro-
perty and moneys of Mary Ryan and her husband.
Mr. Stoddart, solicitor, defended the prisoner.
It appeared from the evidence that the Ryans, a well-to-
do Irish couple, carry on the business of a greengrocer
and dealer in coals and potatoes, at No. 10, Green-yard,
Upper East Smithfield ; and their happiness would have
been unimpaired if they had not indulged in strong drinks
and entertained so many gossips. A few days since Mrs.
Ryan charged her husband, a tall and manly-loeking fel-
low, with assaulting her. It was stated there were faults
on both sides, and Ryan was held to bail to appear a week
afterwards. Before that time expired the parties quarrelled
again, and Mr. Ryan was brought up before another magi-
strate upon a warrant, charged with assaulting his wife ;
and the wife's father, after giving evidence against his son-
in-law, became bail for him to appear before the magistrate
who heard the first case. In the interim a robbery occurred,
which has reconciled Mr. and Mrs. Ryan towards each
other, and they joined in preparing a charge of robbery
against Mrs. Mulcaby. Mrs. Ryan, upon quarrelling with
her husband, was in the practice of making a banker of her
sister, Catherine Williams, of Rosemary-lane. On Thurs-
day, the 18th inst., Mrs. Ryan deposited a purse, containing
£7 10s. in gold, with her sister. On the following night
Mrs. Ryan sent her errand boy, Cornelius Donovan, for
her purse and money, which was given to the boy in
exactly the same state as it was received. When the boy
returned to the shop of his mistress she was attending to
some customers. Mrs. Mulcahy was there waiting to be
served with 6d. worth of eggs, and seeing the purse
in the boy's hand, she took it from him in the
presence of his mistress, opened it and looked
at it. The prisoner said, " It's all right ;" and the boy,
supposing she would return it to his mistress, took no
further notice of the matter. When Mrs. Ryan asked the
boy for the purse he told her what he had done with it.
Mrs. Mulcahy (the prisoner) was not to be found, and she
was absent until the following Sunday afternoon, when she
was found in bed with her old paramour, Kitt, at No. 4,
Cooper's-row. Neither the purse nor money have been re-
covered. An Irishwoman confirmed the statement of the
boy Donovan, as to his giving Mrs. Ryan's purse and
money to the prisoner in the shop.

Mr. Stoddart, in defence, said the parties had quarrelled
on the Friday night in question, and upon the next day
(Saturday, the 19th) the prisoner was in and about the
Thames Police-court all day, obtained a summons against
Mrs. Ryan for an assault, and retained him to conduct her
case. The purse which the boy gave to Mrs. Mulcaby was
her own, which she had dropped on the floor, awl the boy
picked it up.

Mr. Yardley said the case was full of singularities, and
determined on commiting the prisoner for trial.

General Klapka, the representative of the Banque
Generale Suisse, has arrived at Constantinople to make
arrangements with the government and the native capital-
ists about the establishment of the long talked of Bank of
Turkey. The firman has been given jointly to the Banque
Generale Suisse and to Messrs. Rodocanachi and Glad-
stone, representing the British capitalists.
LONDON MECHANICS' INSTITUTION.— At the
quarterly meeting of members, the president, W. L. Birk-
beck, Esq. in the chair, a report was made of the more
favourable state and prospects of the institution, and it
was announced that. about £1,500 had been already, ob-
tained by subscription. Among other votes the following
were carried with acclamation :—Resolved unanimously—
" That the warmest thanks of the members of this institu-
tion are due to the donors who have so munificently con-
tributed towards the fund now being raised for the purpose
of purchasing these premises." It was resolved—" That
the thanks of this meeting are eminently due to the public
press, for its able and disinterested advocacy of the plan for
placing this institution on the solid and durable foundation
now in course of execution."
LONDON MECHANICS'INSTITUTION.—On Monday
next a meeting is to be held at Willis's Rooms in aid of
the funds for the purchase of the premises occupied by the
London Mechanics' Institution, and for the release of the
trustees of that undertaking from the liabilities which they
have incurred on its account. The institution is the parent
of some six hundred others, which have been founded
throughout the length and breadth of the kingdom. It
was founded more than 30 years since ; and Lord Brougham,
one of its promoters, was so practically enthusiastic in the
cause of popular education as to undertake a great portion
of the responsibility at his own risk. It is most unfair,
however, that such high-minded conduct should be recom-
pensed by positive and large pecuniary fine, and it is there-
fore propoted to raise further funds, in addition to a con.
sidcrable fund alre.ady subscribed, to release Lord Brougham
and the trustees from their liabilities. The chair will be
taken on Monday by Lord Carlisle, and we doubt not that
the result of the meeting will be in every way satisfactory.
It cannot but be felt that 'there is in this matter a public
debt to Lord Brougham which it is incumbent upon public
honour at once to discharge:
A r eTHECARIES'-HALL.—The following gentlemen
passed the necessary examination, and were thereupon ad-
mitted licentiates of the Society of Apothecaries at a Court
of Examiners, on Thursday, the 24th March :—Messrs.
Charles Bateman, Leicester • '
Henry Buck, Burnley, Lan-
cashire; Edwin Parker Leicester;
Brighton ; George
Henry. Hamilton, New South Wales ; Robert Turner
Head, East Grinstead ; Charles Nathan Instan, Birming-
ham ;. Tyler• Oughton, Jamaica ; Joseph Packard, Yoxford,
Suffolk; Henry Greenwood Rawdon, Liverpool; and
William Workman, Reading, Berks. At the same court,
Mr. Henry Thompson,• Sandford Drigg, Cumberland, and
Mr. Frederick Victor Diekins,-of- the Royal Infirmary -
Manchester, passed their first examination. The name of
Robert William Dunn was accidentally omitted last week ;
he passed his examination for, and was admitted as, a
licentiate on Thursday, the 17th inst.
HORSFALL'S MONSTER WROUGHT-IRON GUN.—
This immense piece of ordnance will in a few days be per-
manently placed in its position, where it will form a part of
the sea defences of Portsmouth. Midway between Southsea
Castle and the western, auxiliary battery a bed of concrete
has been made in the shingle seven feet in depth, and on
this the gun, with its carriage, platform, and loading crane,
will be erected. The gun, itself, we believe, was manufac-
tured at the works of Messrs. Horsfall and Co., Liverpool,
and by them presented 'to . the Government, who had it
firing,
necessarily occupies in
tested at Shoeburyness, and afterwards forwarded it round
to Portsmouth. As ,
but nothing that would impair
which
light flaw exists in the chamber of the
gunceh i efficiency,
veryienc unlikelyY'unless
it
firiass. From the position
handlings
to obuel tbhee
s ocaseponderous
subjectedfrom
a time
mass.
in which the gun will be placed it will be en-
abled, at a very short distance to command the
entrance to the channel at Portsmouth harbour, and
a single shot from it taking effect on a ship's hull would
doubtles cause an immense amount of mischief. The fol-
lowing are the dimensions of the gun :—Length of gun—
From breech loop to muzzle, 16 ft. 6 in. • from base ring to
muzzle, 13 ft 8 in. Base ring—Circumference, 11 ft. 4 in. ;
diameter, 3 ft. 71 in. Muzzle—Circumference, 7 ft. 11 in. ;
diameter, 2 ft. 31 in. Bore—Diameter, 1 ft. 1 in. ; length,
13 ft. 31 in. Thickness of metal at breech, 1 ft. 10 in. ; at
vent, 1 ft. 3 in. ;at muzzle, 71 in. Trunnions—Circum-
ference, 3 ft. It in. ; diameter, 1 ft. ; length of shoulder,
Ilf in. Distance from centre of trunnions to base ring, 5 ft.
41 in. ; to muzzle, 8 ft. 31 in. Circumference of gun round
the centre piece or band, 12 ft. 9 in. ; weight of gun, 22
tons ; weight of shot, 3 cwt. ; service charge of powder,
781 b. The carriage and platform were manufactured at
Woolwich of teak wood,' and are bolted together in the
strongest possible manner. The carriage weighs 3 tons 2

cwt, ;"the weight of the platform is 4 ton's'. -
STARVATION AT SEA.—During the late prevalence
of soutli-westerly gales, a fleet of French vessels lay at anchor
in Holy Loch, and the stores became so reduced that the men
betook themselves to gathering shellfish, and even snails, to
supply themselves with food. Such was the state of poverty
to which some of the coasting craft, detained by adverse
windS, were reduced, that the master of an Irish vessel was
obliged to beg a gratis passage to Greenock,—Greenock Ad-
vertiser.