The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-20 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE. (This Day.)

THAMES.

EXTENSIVE CIRCULATION OF 13-ASE COIN BY LASCARS.

—Omar, a Lascar, who has lately deserted a ship from
the East Indies, and become a mendicant and utterer of
base coin, was brought before Mr. Yardley charged with
passing several pieces of bad money.
Sophia Thomas, an elderly woman, stated that she
was a vendor of fruit, and kept a ',tall in the street.
Last night the prisoner came to her and bought a half-
penny apple, for which he tendered, in payment, a shil-
ling, which she diseovered to be a counterfeit one, and
returned it to him. He expressed his surprise, and said
he had received it of a man in the bar of a public-house
opposite. She advised him to go back with it, and he
went away and returned in a few minutes, and selected a
halfpenny apple for which he tendered a sixpence, which
she put into her purse believing it to be a good one, and
asked him what he had dove with the base shilling, and
he said he had got rid of it at the public-house. She
said that a uod j)b, and gave him change for the six-
pence. He then left her and returned to her a third rime
and bought another, halfpenny apple, and tendered in
payment a fourpenny piece which she also put in her
purse, and gave him 30. in change. Soon afterwards,
in consequence of what a man said to her, she looked at
the sixpence and fourpenny piece, and found both to be
counterfeit. She had no silver in her purse at all.
Catherine Lawleee said the prisoner came to her yes-
terday morning and purchased a halfpenny apple for
which he tendered in payment a fourpenny piece, and
1, gave him 3icl be change. Soon afterwards see dis-
covered the piece to be counterfeit.
Joseph Crittenhall, a costermonger, said the prisoner
was passing base coin on Sunday night last, and two
foregn counterfeit pieces were taken from hint and
broken up. Last night he saw the prisoner again, fol-
lowed him, and gave him in custody.
Roche, the gaoler of the court, said that several Las-
cars bad been recently charged with passi,g bad money
in the district, and one had lately been committed for
trial.

Inspector Griffin, of the K division, said that many
La•cars had been charged at nearly every police court
in the metropolis, and they were dismissed by the magi-
strates, who believed they were imposed upon, or made
the tools of others. _ _

Mr. Yardley—l am of a different opinion. The Las-
cars know what they are about. They display more
acuteness than appears. Let the prisoner be remanded
until Tuesday.

COMMUNICATION BETTVEEN LONDON AND

DUBLIN.

DUBLIN, THURSDAY.
In the report read yesterday at the half-yearly
meeting of the City of Dublin Steampacket Com-
pany the following passages occur in reference to
the promised improvement in the pa•sage and pas-
singer communication bet ween London and Dublin
via Holyhead
"There are to be two mails daily--one in the morn-
ing, and one in the evening—in each direction ; the
morning departure from London to be half-past seven,
and from Kingstown seven o'clock ; the night departure
from London half-past eight, and from Kingstown half-
oast seven. The entire distance to be accomplished in
11 hours as a maximum, subject to the penalty of 345.
for each minute's delay ; but such penalty not to be
incurred foto fogs or other causes certified as be-
yond the control of the companies. Four large packets,
at least 300 feet in length, and with 600 horses power
each, to be butlt for the service. Special express
trains for the Irish mails and passenger traffic to run
between Holyhead and London in connection with
these packets. The contract to be for 14 years from its
commencement, which is to take place within two years,
subject to a power of Government of putting an end
to it after the first five years, if they have reason to be
dissatisfied with the manner in which it is generally
performed, in which ease they will purchase the ships at
cost price. The revenue of the new service, irduding
passenger receipts, wdb commence at 120,000/. a-year,
and halt of the increase of the future traffic to belong to
the company ; the other half to go in reduction of the
contract payment.
"The directors are aware of but two drawbacks to
the satisfaction which the announcement of the improved
service will produce in the public mind. The first is
the very e.rly hour which has been appointed by
the Poet-office, solely with reference to the exigencies
of that department, for the morning departures from
Kingstown and from London. The board of the
London and North-Western Company were so much
impressed with the desire to provide for the c..n-
venience of the travelling public that they have
en••aged to reduce their charge for running the special
trains 10,0001. annually, provided the time' of the morn-
ing departure be made an hour later—that is eight
o'clock from Kingstown, instead of 7, and half-past 8
from London, instea lof 7. This very large reduction,
it may be hoped, will induce the Post-office authorities,
to entertain more favourably the desire for such a change.
" The second mater, as causing, some degree of dis-
appointment, was the announcement in the House of
Commons that the new service would not commence for
two years. Toe directors of the company have commu-
nicated to Government that they will be quite prepared
with the new vessels early in the Bummer of 1859, so
that if the temporary landing pier at Holyhead is
ready by that time for the use the arrangements
may then be commenced ; and they have further
communicated that iu the meantime some very consider-
able measures of improvement for the accommodation of
the public could be adopted pending the completion of
arrangements for the new service. The directors' report
concludes by recommending the paymant of a dividend
of 2i per cent. free of income-tax out of the profits of the
half-year, after the allocation of 1 per cent. on the paid-
up capital, as required by the Company's Act of Par-
liament, and which has been invested in Government
stock."