The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-20 00:00:00

CLERKENWELL.

Yesterday Mr. James, clerk to the Board of Guar-
dians of the Holborn Union, came before Mr. Comb',
the sitting Magistrate, and stated that Daniel Murphy,
a young man, whom the Magistrate had sent to the
workhouse for admission or relief, on the previous even-
ing, had been refused admission. Murphy had been
four times brought before the Magistrate for insubordi-
nation and misconduct in the workhouse, and the Board
of Guardians had come to the following resolution. Mr.
James then read the resolution, which was to the effect,
that, considering how often and how grossly the prisoner
had misconducted himself, and how " ineffectual, un-
equal, and inconsistent the punishment inflicted on him
by the Magistrate had been," and how much disorderly
and profane behaviour he was guilty of, almost every
sentence he spoke being accompanied with an oath, they
(the Guardians) would not be doing their duty to the
600 paupers under their charge if they did not decline
admitting him, and they accordingly directed their
officers to act on their resolution, and not to admit him.
Mr. James added several instances of misconduct on the
part of the prisoner, who had not been more than a few
days out of the House of Correction, where he had been
imprisoned for seven days for misbehaviour in the work-
house.

Mr. COMBE—What are you going to do for the boy
to-day—he says he is destitute? Mr. James—We can't
do anything to-day for him.
Mr. COMBE—Can't you give him work? Mr. James
—We will not receive him into the house.
Mr. COMBE—I do not ask you; but give him some
work, and, if he misconducts himself, he may be taken
before the Magistrate, and punished.
Mr. James—But although he has used the worst lan-
guage, and even threatened the lives of the officers, he
has not been sentenced to more than seven days' im-
prisonment ; whilst a destitute person, who has been ad-
mitted as casual poor, and refuses to work for his lodg-
ing and breakfast, is sentenced to fourteen days, or a
month's imprisonment.

Mr. Cox-11 E-1 am not aware of any such case, nor
do I think the Board of Guardians have worded their
resolution very discreetly. lam not aware the pri-
soner has been before me hitherto, but I am sure he has
been dealt with as he ought to have been. Magistrates
cannot send persons to prison for an unlimited time.
Regarding the charge of inconsistency brought against
the Magistrates by the Guardians, the inconsistency, if
there be any, is attributable to the Legislature. The
Act of Parliament prescribes twenty-one days as the
longest term of imprisonment for misconduct in the
workhouse, whilst it assigns a month for refusing to
work there. I deny that I have ever sentenced a pri-
soner to a month's or a fortnight's incarceration for re-
fusing to work, unless there were other circumstances of
aggravation. Murphy was destitute, and being so, the
law gave him a right to demand relief, whatever his
character was.

After some further discussion Mr. James promised to
give Murphy employment at the workhouse.
Matilda Neill was charged with stealing a gold chain,
three gold brooches, and three gold rings, the property
of her mistress, Miss Plant, the proprietor of a school in
Cornwall-place, Holloway.
The evidence addneed was of a veryiansatisfactory
nature, and did no more than establish a case of sus-
picion against the prisoner. No portion of the stolen
articles had been found.—She was discharged.
A young man, dressed in the garb of a sailor, who
stated that his name was Henry Williams, and that he
was a carpenter residing at Plymouth, was charged with
the following artful fraud :
About two o'clock on the previous day the prisoner
went to the house of Susannah Hayes, a poor woman,
living in Peter-street, Saffron-hill. He said he had just
returned from Rio Janeiro, where he had seen her son,
who is a seaman, and went out, on board the Blenheim,
to China, at the commencement of the war with that em-
pire. The young man has since left the Blenheim, and
become attached to the Castor. For his services in the
storming of several towns he received batta money, and
with all these circumstances the prisoner seemed per-
fectly conversant, and told the mother that her
son had entrusted him with a letter, and two valuable
lace shawls wrapped in brown paper, in which the letter
was likewise inclosed. When the ship reached Liver-
pool the parcel was seized upon by the Custom-house
officers, and detained for 14s. 2d. Custom duties, and
until that sum was paid the parcel could not be released.
The officer of Customs had, he said, broken open the
letter, and he had seen an order addressed to his mo-
ther for " batta money,' payable by the East India
Company He concluded by saying he was going to
Liverpool on that evening, by the six o'clock train, and
requesting of the prosecutrix to give him the money,
swearing in the most solemn manner he would forward
the parcel to London, when he had released it. He ob-
tained the money, but having been seen in the company
of two girls of the town about two hours after, he was
given in charge. He made a desperate effort to escape,
threw away the money, and knocked down two persons
who endeavoured to stop him.
• The prisoner was fully committed for trial on this
charge, but remanded, as Tate, the constable, expressed I
a belief that several other charges of a like nature would I
be brought against him.

THE EARL or itmutownr.--Tbis venerable noble-
man is labouring under severe indisposition, and we
regret to hear that, from the advanced age of his Lord-
ship (upwards of 80), but little hopes are entertained
Of his again recovering his usual good state of he§ltb.