The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-25 00:00:00

CHARGE OF CONSPIRACY.

Yesterday, at 2 o'clock, Henry D. Lloyd, 42 years
of age, described as one of a firm of merchants trad-
ing under the style of H. D. Lloyd and Co., at 26,
Philpot-lane, was placed at the bar of the Mansion-
house, before Mr. Alderman Hale (who sat for the
Lord Mayor), charged on remand with conspiring
with a man named Solomon and others not in cus-
tody in obtaining a large quantity of alkali, worth
about £750, with intent to cheat and defraud
Messrs. W. Jefferson and Co., chemical manufac-
turers at Jarrow-hill, near Newcastle-on-Tyne.
Mr. R. Mullens again attended to conduct the
case for the prosecution. The prisoner was defended
by Mr. Miller.
To render the evidence intelligible it is necessary
to state, on the authority of Mr. Mullens in his
opening address, that the prisoner had given a re-
ference as to his respectability in the transaction
under consideration to Messrs. Alex. Bell and Son,
38, Threadneedle-street, and that it so happens a
firm of the highest respectability named Alexander
Bell and Sons carry on business as merchants at the
corner of Finch-lane, which adjoins Threadneedle-
street.

Mr. John Trotter, clerk to Messrs. Jefferson and
Co., the prosecutors, said on the first examination
of the prisoner he recollected receiving a letter on
the Bth Oct. last, written by procuration of H. D.
Lloyd and Co., asking to be favoured with the price
and a sample of their soda ash, with a view to from
50 to 100 tons being shipped at Gateshead for
export to Hamburg and Stettin. On the following
day Mr. Jefferson wrote them with the price,which
was to be payable in 14 days in cash, and on the
15th a sample of the article was sent. In the letter
accompanying the sample, witness, writing for his
employers, asked for a reference, as the firm of H.
D. Lloyd and Co. was unknown to them. On the
10th H. D. Lloyd and Co. wrote in reply, referring
them to Messrs. Alex. Bell and Son, 38, Thread-
needle-street, and asking when they could under-
take to deliver 100 tons of soda ash, in case of an
order. The reply, written by witness on the 17th,
was that they could ship 50 tons in 14 days from
the receipt of the preparation order, a vessel for
Stettin being then on the berth, and another 50 tons
in a week after, but not sooner, as they had contracts
which would exhaust the remainder of their stock
in that time. Before writing that letter, Mr. Jef-
ferson being then from home, witness consulted Mr,
Livingstone, a friend of Mr. Jefferson's in New-
castle, and a member of the firm of Stenhouse and
Co., in London. Mr. Livingstone then wrote a
letter to Alex. Bell and Son, whose names had been
given as referees. On the 18th the prisoner's firm
wrote to the effect that, as they had quotations
from other sources, it was necessary that they should
know whether they could ship the 50 tons by the
Stettin vessel; adding that, the season being far ad-
vane Ed, they could admit of no delay. About the
same time, and before the prosecutors had executed
the order, Mr. Livingstone had received a letter
from Alex. Bell and Son. (This letter was not al-
lowed to be read, so that the contents did not tran-
spire.) On the 19th of October, Mr. Livingstone,
writing for the prosecutors to the prisoner's firm,
said they could lave 50 tons of soda ash ready the
next week. They wrote in reply, an the 21st, that
they were willing Jefferson and Co. should engage
freight for 50 tons, or more if they could have it
ready, by the vessel for Stettin referred to, and the
remainder of the 100 tons to be shipped the week
knowing for Hamburg. They added they preferred
the bills of lading made out in their (Lloyd and
Co.'s) names, as the shippers of the goods and deli-
verable to order. They enclosed the customary
" bought and sold note," which stipulated
that the soda ash was to be subject to Mr. John
Pattinson's test, and the payment was to be 14 days
prompt from the date of the bills of lading, less 21
per cent. discount. A duplicate of this note was in
due course sent to the prisoner's firm, signed on be-
half of the prosecutors. On the 28th witness wrote
to the prisoner's firm that9s caskd of the soda ash
had been shipped on board the Vistula,lying at New-
castle, for Stettin, to their order, the value of which
was £469 15s 7d, and he Froduced the bill of lading
signed by the captain. On the 6th of November 27
more casks were shipped by the Chevy Chase to
Hamburg. The prosecutors had intended to ship 55
by that vessel, but she could not take more than 27 ;
and on the 13th the remaining 28 were shipped on
board the 0 tho, the value of those two shipments
together being £279 16s 10d. On the 11thofNo-
vember, when the time for payment of the first
ship-
ment had arrived, witness wrote to the prisoner's