The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-24 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—Nov. 23.

MANSION-HOUSE.—Mr. Wth. tot
Morris, of 13, wise-lane, appeared before the L rd
Mayor in answer to a summons at the instance of
Mit Mitehells, inspector of police, charging
him with having Stored upon his pro-
mises 19,000 gallons of naphtha, to the great terror,
alarm, and danger of the neighbourhood.
The City Solicitor, who appeared in support of
the prosecutiOn, Said it had been for a long time
doubted whether it was a criminal offence to keep
explosive materials, chemical substances, within
crowded neighbourhoods. However, the ity some
time since thought it right to prosecute in a case
exactly similar to the present, and they indicted a
person of the name of Lester for having upon his
premises a quantity of naphtha. That indictment
was tried before one of the judges at the Central
Criminal Court, and the jury found a verdict
against the defendant, subject to the opinion of
thecourt above as to whether it was an indictable
offence. That question was argued at great length
at Westminster before the judges, and finally a
decision was pronounced, the whole body, with the
exception of one, being of opinion that for any per-
son to keep in a warehouse, in a crowded city,
a quantity of explosive materials, which in the
judgment of reflecting persons was calculated to
produce danger and alarm; cons ituted an in-
dictable offence. He was spared the necessity of
adducing evidence in the present case, as he under-
stood thatthe defendant, with gre it discretion, judg-
ment, and good feeling, had intimated to the au-
thorities that he had removed, or would imme-
diately remove, the whole of the naphtha from the
premises, and take care that no combustible or ex-
plosive material should be again di-posited there.
The defendant, in reply to the Lord Mayor, said
he had already agreed to give up the cellar in which
the naphtha was stored. He intend dto send the
naphtha to the Custom-house.
Dr. Letheby, the medical officer of health for the
City, said that naphtha was a spirit which was dis-
tilled from wood, and was called wood spirit,'or
wood naphtha. It was very much more inflam-
mable than, and was used for many of the same
purposes as, spirits of wine. It would fire at a
temperature of 140, whereas spirits of wine re-
quired a much higher temperature than that. A
little carelessness in removing the carboys of naph-
tha, to say nothing of the danger of burning gas in
the cellar, might lead to most serious consequences.
The summons was adjourned for a fortnight, on
the understanding that proceedings against the de-
fendant would be discontinued if within that pe-
riod he removed the naphtha from his premises.
Mr. Thomas Piper, jun., builder, of 173, Bishops-
gate-street, and Mr. John Young, architect, of 35,
King-street, Cheapside, were charged, upon the in-
formation of Mr. •W. J. Mitchell, inspector of
police, " for that they, on the 19th day of Novem-
ber inst., in Blomfield-street, Moorfields, did un-
lawfully and indecently disinter and dig up the
dead bodies of divers persons whose names are un-
known, and did unlawfully, knowingly, and inju-
riously place and permit the said dead bodies, and
parts of dead bodies, then in a state of decomposi-
tion, to be and remain exposed to the open air,
whereby divers unwholesome smells did arise there-
from, and the air was thereby greatly corrupted
and infected, to the danger and common nuisance
of all the liege subjects of our. lady the Queen there
inhabiting and residing."
The City Solicitor appeared in support of the
prosecution, and Mr. Harting attended for the de-
fendants, who occupied seats by the side of their
professional adviser.