The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-16 00:00:00

THAMES.

INDUCING SEAMEN TO DESERT FROM THE ROYAL
NAVY.—William Kretschmere, a young man, a native of
Germany, and waiter at a coffee-shop, of No. 8, St. George-
street, alias Ratcliff-highway, appeared before Mr. Selfe,
to answer two summonses which charged him with " un-
lawfully persuading James Gray and Frederick Alfred,
persons in her Majesty's Navy, to desert and improperly
absent themselves from their duty in the ship Imperieuse,
belonging to her Majesty," by which he had rendered him-
self liable to a penalty of £2O, or imprisonment and hard
labour, not exceeding six months in each case.

Mr. Charles Young, solicitor, Arbour-square, Stepney,
defended the accused party.

Mr. West, a barrister, instructed by the Admiralty soli-
citor, said the prosecution was directed by the Lords of the
Admiralty, and it was of the highest possible importance
that the law should be made known, and that persons who
tampered with seamen in our navy should be punished.
Gray and Alfred, the seamen who were asked by the de-
fendant to desert from the Royal Navy, were examined at
great length. It appeared that on the Ist of the present
month they had leave to go on shore at Portsmouth. Thek
leave of absence expired on the sth. They came to London
and saw the defendant, who told them they could make a
good thing of it, and that he could ship them on board an
I Austrian barque. They agreed on the solicitation of the
defendant to abandon the Royal Navy. The defendant
provided them with a lodging, and afterwards said he could
not ship them in the Austrian barque but would
provide them with berths on board an American
ship bound to Australia. The defendant also
promised them one or two months wages in advance, but
did not mention the rate of wages. They were taken ono
evening to an American shipping office, kept by a person
named Moss Phillips, in Ratcliffe. Tbey were not shipped
in consequence of the lateness of the hour, and were told to
call again, but on the following day they were appre-
hended as deserters, and sent on board the Crocodile, re-
ceiving ship, off the Tower.

Alfred, who was whiskerlois, also deposed that he had a
very large pair of whiskers, and the defendant advised him
to have them shaved off to prevent identification. Gray,
who was a shaver, exterminated his whiskers.
In cross-examination by Mr. Young, the witnesses said
they came on shore at Portsmouth to have a spree, and
were drunk in that town, and were also intoxicated every
day they were in London.
Edward Cray, a clerk employed by Moss Phillips, an
agent for American ships, said the defendant brought Gray
and Alfred to his master's shop, and said, " Can you ship
these two men ? I want to get them away in an American
ship as soon as possible." He told the defendant it was too
late, and that he must come next day and ho would then
ship them.

Mr. Young, in an able address, contended that the
sailors, who were continually drunk while on shore, could
not be depended upon, and that the defendant was not aware
they belonged to the Royal Navy when he introduced them
to the American shipping office.

Mr. Selfe was of opinion the case was clearly made out
against the defendant, who had been unwisely and illegally
interfering with two of our sailors, and inducing them to
leave the service of their country. He fined the defendant
£2O in each case, and in default of payment, sentenced him
to six months' imprisonment.

THE NEW COPPER COINAGE.

(From, the Derbyshire Courier.)

A' measure has been introduced in the House of
Commons, by Mr. Gladstone, for a new copper
coinage. It appears that the presentcopper coinage
consists chiefly of coins defaced, and injured by
wear and tear, of foreign coins, and of counterfeits.
Only 15 per cent. of the copper coinage is since
1852. From examinations made in the large towns
it appears that one-third of the coin is below its
legal state. " The whole value of the copper coin-
age," says Mr. Gladstone, "is £BOO,OOO, and the
quantity of copper is 3,530 tons. Taking the
copper at £lO7 10s. the ton, the actual value is
only £379,000, so that the copper coin is a pure
token, the intrinsic value being less than one-nalf
of the nominal or apparent value." The French
have recently issued a coinage of a bronze metal,
which is in appearance, in durability, in lightness,
and size, much more convenient than their old and
greatly effaced and battered copper. The demand
for this new coin by the public has increased 50 per
cent., but nevertheless the French Government has
derived a profit of nearly £500,000, after paying
all expenses, by the substitution of this new coin.
Mr. Gladstone proposes to issue a bronze coinage,
similar to that in use in Nova Scotia and Canada,
and he expects that a considerable profit will accrue
in this country, after paying all expenses, by the
substitution of the new bronze token for the copper
penny. We believe this move of Mr. Gladstone to
be in the right direction. The present copper
penny pretends to be of intrinsic value, but is,
as Mr. Gladstone observes, a pure token. The
new bronze penny will be a pure token, and it will
bear what it is on its face and in appearance.
The use of money is to provide a medium for the
exchange of commodities, and a legal means of dis-
charging indebtedness, and paying taxes. Former
attempts to supply a copper coinage have in a
great measure failed ; for no sooner did the price
of copper rise above that at which the coinage was
calculated, than the coins were withdrawn from
circulation and melted down. The bronze coins
will be liable to no such objection ; they will be
intrinsically only about one-half of their nominal
value, and will, therefore, not be melted or ex-
ported, but will continue to discharge the function
of money for which they will be made. This is an
entire departure from the bullionist principle that
money should possess intrinsic valve. It is true
that the silver coinage is about 7 per cent. below
its intrinsic value, and to that circumstance we are
indebted for the retention of our silver money at
home, and for its not being melted. But this new
bronze coinage will go much farther; it will pos-
sess but one-half of its nominal value, and be a mere
token. The defect of our gold coinage is that
being of intrinsic value, therefore it is liable to be
exported- and melted, and Peel's system makes the
whole of our circulating medium, bank notes, as
well as the commerc'al money of the country—
namely, cheques and bills of exchange, depend on
this gold basis, which is constantly liable to be
greatly contracted by. exportation. Hence com-
mercial depression, panics, ruin, and distress. These
things this country has been content to endure for
the last 40 years in support of the bullionist theory
that money should possess intrinsic value. And
merely in support of an abstract theory, for prac-
tically whenever a severe drain of bullion takes
place, as in 1825, 1847, and 1857, the Bank is em-
powered to issue paper money without the neces-
sary amount of gold in its coffers to ensure con-
vertibility, and thus maintain the principle of the
intrinsic value of the bank note, the supposed
representative of the sovereign.

A chapel, lately occupied by a congregation of
Independents, in Wilson-street, Drury-lane, at the back of
St. Martin's Hall, has been purchased for £1,600 by a
Catholic gentleman, and presented by him to the diocese.
It is speedily to be opened under the patronage of our Lady
of Dolours and St. Charles Borromeo.—Weekly Register.

SPORTING NOTES.

THE YORK GATHERING.

Racing men displayed much alacrity in quitting London
for York. They :, pect a great meeting at the city of un-
known a/lE.:pity, and they believe that they will recover
much of their recent losses. The' programme certainly'
presents an extraordinary array of stakes, and ifspecula-
tion be languid, money-, and not opportunity, wilt be the'
cause. Still the old betting spirit seems' to have departed
from the Ring, and the "Phantom Bookmakers" ailapven
afraid of their own shadows. It. would be f.lisurd
to state that Summerside would win the Third !Bien-
i
nial Stakes, because, as Hamlet would sI y, it
"needs no ghost to tell us that." But a doub exists
respecting her running, and if she be reserved f r the
Leger, John Scott will carry off the stake with either
Gamester or Phantom. I

The remarks which I have penned
.respecting Sulumer-
side apply to all her engagements at York, and I amithere-
fore compelled to place her chance out of- consideration for
every race for which she may be engaged. I must, there-
fore, look to Yellow. Rose to win the Yorkshire Oaks.
For the Convivial Stakes, I have received a favciurable
report of the Rap, and if a "darkie" wins I shall 'expect
him to pull through.
For the Chesterfield Handicap I shall stand upon Hare-
foot and Bankrupt.

To-morrow I shall discuss the chances for the Ebor
Handicap. A FRESH MAN.

ARRIVALS AT YORK

Hepatica, Grenadier, Lord Milton, Vesta, Merrimac,
Maid of Derwent, Layton, Flash-in-Pan, Restes, Starke,
Grand Mistress, High Treason, Olympias, The Dove, Qui
Vive, Leprochaun, Etoile du Nord, Polianthus, Sabreur
Vanquisher, Volatile, Lanchester, and. Whitehouse.