The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-01 00:00:00

(SOMERSET).

This was a writ of enquiry to assess the damages
(L 1,347 Os. 3d.) sustained in consequence of the non-com-
pletion of a contract by the defendants.
For the plaintiff, it was stated that the defendants had
agreed to purchase a cottage and plot of ground, belonging
to the plaintiff, situated in Somerset. Without assigning
any reason or excuse the defendants had, up to the present
time, neglected to complete the purchase, and the present
proceedings were taken to obtain damages.
No one appeared for the defendants, who had suffered
judgment by default, and _ _

The learned:,Secondary having pointed out to the jury
bat it became a mere formal matter,
A verdict passed for £1,347 Os. 3d.

TIM COMMERCIAL BANK FRAUD.

BOW-STREET.-(THIS DAY.)

John Durden, of 9, Park-village East, Regent's-park,
clerk at the late Commercial Bank of London, and James
Holcroft, of 109, Hatton-garden, agent and wholesale boot
and shoe dealer, were placed at the bar on remand, charged
with having defrauded the directors of the said bank of
three sums of money—viz., £156 Os., £149 6s. 4d., and £66
Ild., together with other sums, the said Holcroft being
charged as an accomplice.

It will be recollected that Burden at the last examination
admitted that during his clerkship in the bank he had
robbed the establishment of nearly £70,000. He was em-
ployed as a ledger-clerk, and it was his duty to enter in
his ledger the amount of deposits made by customers. The
other prisoner, according to the statement of Mr Hum-
phreys, jun., the solicitor, who prosecuted, was a nominal
customer of the bank, though a very paltry account in
reality, but which had been swelled to an enormous amount
by fictitious entries made to his credit by Durden, who
then used Holcroft's cheques upon this imaginary account
to effect the embezzlements with which the prisoners were
now charged. This fraud was effected by Durden in the
following manner :—He received the amount of £156, for
example, and entered it to the account of Messrs. Hamil-
ton and Co. ; he at the same time entered the same amount
to Holcroft's account. This was done with a large number
of deposits from day to day, Holcroft's figures being
omitted in the casting up, so that there did not appear any
discrepancy in the sum total.
Mr. Humphreys said—he had intended that a strict in-
vestigation into the accounts kept by the prisoner Durde n
should be made, but that had not yet been completed so
ho could not state the exact amount of that prisoner's
deficit. He should confine himself that day to proving
that three sums of money entered by some other clerks to
three different persons, to the credit of some of the custo-
mers of the bank, had been posted by the prisoner Durden
to the credit of Holcroft.

Mr. Dyson said on the 3d of January the sum of £66
9s. lid. had been entered to the account of Mr. Hooper by
Mr. Little, one of the officials of the bank. On the 11th of

the same month £156 Bs. 6d. was entered to the credit of
Hampton and Russell, and on the 14th the sum of £149
6s. Id. was entered to Mr. W. Hall. No such credits
were entered on either of those ilayii—to the ac-
count of Holcroft. On referring to the ledger
account of Holcroft, which was in the hand-
writing of the prisoner Darden, ha found the following
entries :—On the 3d of January a sum was entered to the
account of Holcroft of £66 95. 11d. ; on the 11th, £156 Bs.
6d. ; and on the 14th, £149 Gs. Id. They are all in the
handwriting of the prisoner. On referring to the account
of Mr. Hooper, in the same ledger, he found that
£66 9s. 11d. was entered to his account, and the
two other sums were also posted in the same book
respectively to Messrs. Hampton, Russell, and M'Hale.
The book produced was the pass-book of the prisoner Hol-
croft with the Commercial Bank, and the balance brought
forward from last year in his favour was stated to be £69
2s. sd. He believed it was in the handwriting of
Durden. On the same page there was an entry, on 3d of
Jan., of £69 9s. 11d. to Holcroft's credit. On 7th Jan. there
was another credit of £156 Bs. Gd., and on the 12th there

was also another of £149 6s. Id. There was no entry in

the cash-book, corresponding with that of the 12th, to
Holcroft's credit. He knew the prisoner Holcroft, as he had
frequently given him the pass-book at the bank. It was
left by him generally about twice a week to be made up.
After the examination of the accountant the prisoners
were again remanded.

21118 DAY'S SHIPPING.

LONDON, March I.—Wind this day at noon—South-
Westerly ; fresh breeze, and dull, squally weather, with
rain.

DEAL, March I.—Wind S.E.—Arrived—Zulla, from
Macao; Rhine, from New York; Roberts, from Shields
for Naples.
KINGSTON, Feb. 28.—Wind S.—Arrived—Home, from
New York.

- -
SWANSEA, Feb. 28.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Pere,
from Caldeira. Sailed—Conqueror, for Coquimbo.
PORTSMOUTH, Feb. 28.—Wind W.N.W.—Arrived—
Joseph Weir, from Demerara. Sailed—Jessy, for Deme-
rara.

WEYMOUTH, Feb. 28.—Wind W.—Sailed—Fame, for
Philadelphia.
SHIELDS, Feb. 28.—Wind S.W.—Sailed—Lord Stanley,
for Grimacha.

FALMOUTH, March I.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Bor-
land, from Cardenas ; William, and Harmonie, from Mar •
seilles.
CLYDE, Feb. 28.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Dicky Sam,
from Jamaica.

(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)
SOUTHAMPTON, Friday Morning.
Arrived, Feb. 28—Seine, steamer, from St. Thomas ;
L'Etoile, from Carentan ; Wocolenta, steamer, from Mes-
sina ; Euroclydon, from Sunderland ; Havre, steamer, from
Havre ' • Mechanics' Own, from Newport ; Duko of Corn-
wall, steamer, from London • Havelock, from Seaham ;
Archimedes, from Cowes ; Enterprise, from Plymouth ;
Anne, from Newport ; Suleka, from Seaham ; Victoria,
from Cardiff.

Sailed, Feb. 28—Mary, for Bristol; Duke of Cornwall,
steamer, for Dublin ; L'Etoile, for Carentan ; Nancy, for
Sunderland; Supply, for Seabam; Black-Eyed Susan, for
Seeking.