The Sun.
London, England, 1868-11-05 00:00:00

THAMES.

CANINE PROVISIONS.—James Arnold, aged 18
years, an,' James Burns, 23, were brought be-
fore Mr. Paget, charged with assaulting James
Reading.

The case originated out of a night coffee-stall
row in the Commercial-road, and a question arose
whether the prosecutor did not provoke the assault
committed upon him by the prisoners by flourishing
a large stick. After much contradictory evidence,
Mr. Paget said he would adjourn the case for a
week if any respectable man would guarantee the
prisoners would be forthcoming again.
Mr. Pelham, solicitor, said the young men were
in the service of Mr. Henry Briant, a large exporter
of horse flesh from France and Germ Any, whose
premises were in North-street, Whitechapel-roal,
and who also kept a large public-house called the
Princess Royal in the same street.

Briaut, a healthy portly man, entered the
witness-box, and the magistrate said, " Why you
do not live on horseflesh surely." (A laugh.)
Mr. Briant —No, sir ; I supply numerous dealers
in canine provisions—with horseflesh, English and
foreign.

Mr. Paget—l suppose the trade has been seri-
ously affected by the recent edict of Sir Richard
Mayne in removing the dogs from the streets,
muzzling, and destroying so many. (Laughter.)
Mr. Briant—l can assure you, sir, it has almost
destroyed the trade. It has effected me to the ex-
tent of £2O or more per week. Some of the
itinerant dealers have laid up their barrows.
Mr. Paget —Then the dogs' meat men have
greatly suffered.

Mr. Briant—Very much, indeed, sir.
Mr. Paget—Has not the consumption of horse
flesh entered another channel ? (Laughter.)
Mr. Pelham—l will take care no horse flesh shall
enter me. (Loud laughter.) lam no hippopha-
gist. I can assure you that Mr. Briant, who is an
old client of mine, is a most respectable man and a
large ratepayer.

Mr. Briant here took his banker's cheque book
and a roll of Bank of England notes from his poc-
ket, and was about to offer them as a deposit with
the magistrate, when Mr. Paget told him to return
them to his pocket, and said his word was enough.
He would most willingly accept Mr. Briant's bail,
and he hoped trade would revive with him.
Mr. Briaut —I hope so, sir. Many poor dogs'
meat men will have to go to the workhouse if Sir
Richard Mayne's law is enforced all the winter.
Mr. Pelham said as the price of the raw material
in which his client dealt so largely had been so
materially reduced, there ought to be a correspond-
ing reduction in the price of German sausages,
saveloys, and other delicaciesof that nature. (Roars
of laughter.)

The bail was then tendered and the prisoner
liberated.

A SPANISH THIEF AND THE ROAST BEEF OF
OLD ENGL AND. —Rainloudi Luosi, a lad belonging
to the Spanish war corvette, Arapiles, lying in the
New Millwall Dock, Poplar,,was brought before Mr.
Paget, charged with stealing 131bs of beef from the
shop of Mr. George Butcher, of No. 2, Queen's-
terrace, Manchester-road, Poplar.
The prosecutor said that he was Butcher by
name and a butcher by trade. Last evening at
half-past nine o'clock he was standing near his
window, and saw the prisoner enter the shop and
take down a large piece of prime beef from the
hook to which it was hanging, and walk away
with it. Ile called to the prisoner before
he got out of the shop, but he made off
with the beef. He followed him and stopped
him. While on :the way to the station-house a
man accosted him, and said " What, have you
only just taken that young chap? I saw him with
that piece of beef in a field two hours ago." The
observation led to an inquiry, and another and a
larger piece of flesh was found in a field in the Isle
of Dogs.

Mr. Paget—Who does that belong to ?
Mr. Butcher—l don't know, sir—the owner has
not been discovered. My piece of beef weighs
131b5., and is worth 7s.

The Prisoner said a boy, whom he met in the
strect,went into Mr. Butchi:r's shop, and took upthe
piece of beef and gave it to him. lle was about to
take it on board ship and cook it. He had never
tasted the roast beef of Old England.
Mr. Butcher —The prisonr has told a falsehood.
I swear he was alone when he came into my shop.
There was not a soul with him.

The prisoner said he would pay for the beef if
the magistrate would discharge him.
Mr. Paget said he could not do that, and caused
the whole of the evidence to be interpreted to the
prisoner, who was committed for trial.

It is said is Lisboa that the Duke of Moutpensier
will not return to Spain until the question of futuro Go-
vernment has been definitely decided.