The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-26 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 26, 1857.

A GANG OF SWINDLERS.-CAUTION TO
MERCHANTS AND OTHERS.

On Thursday Mr. Yardley was engaged for several
hours, at the Thames Police-court, in the investigation
of a charge of fraud. The person accused is Henry
Devall, a burly-looking fellow, about 40 years of age,
formerly a cabdriver, afterwards a waiter, next a thief,
and, lastly, a swindler on a very large scale. He was
charged with conspiring with George Bristow, a prisoner
for debt in Whitecross-street prison, and others, in ob.
taining goods under false pretences from merchants and
manufacturers in London, Birmingham, Manchester,
Dudley, Wolverhampton, Stourbridge, and other places.
Mr. Metcalfe, barrister, instructed by Mr. J. Smith,
solicitor, of Albion-square, Stepney, conduced the pro-
secution ; Mr. Lewis, jun., of Ely.place, defended the
prisoner.

It may be necessary to state that on Wednesday an
application was made to Mr. Selfe, one of the magistrates
of this court, by Mr. Joseph Smith, for a warrant to
apprehend Geo. Bristow, one of the gang of swindlers,
now in custody of the Sheriff of Middlesex, on a charge
of obtaining a see of new harness, value 121, from Mr.
T. Orme, harness reaker, 7, King's-place, Commercial-
road. Tire harness was obtained by a false representa-
tion, and Mr. Ssife immediately granted the warrant, on
which it is intended to found an application to a judge for
a writ of habeas corpus. The application wilt be made
this day. Bristow had petitioned the Insolvent Debtors'
Court fur relief, and when he appeared before Mr. Com-
missioner Phillips that learned gentleman said the insol-
vent ought to be sent to Newgate, an that he should
remand him to the prison from whence he came until he
could produce Devall, by whom it was pretended the
whole of the insolvent's goods and fixtures in the Crown
Coffee-house, Duke-street, London-bridge, had been
seized under a bill of sale. The capture of Devall,
who was missing from his usual haunts for several weeks,
was cleverly effected by Sheridan, a police-constable, in
Little Albany-street, Regent's-park, where the prisoner
had been cohabiting with the wife of a burglar under
the assumed name of Jones. Devall was always con•
sidered by the metropolitan police as the most clever
but dangerous thief at the west end of London, where
he practised his vocation, and several experienced officers
are firmly convinced that he stole the Royal nursery
plate and other property, on its way from Buckingham
Palace to the Great Western Railway, but they could
never trace the property, and although many detective
officers were constantly on the prisoner's track, they
could not bring the offence home to him.
It appeared that a few months since Devall and Bris-
tow hired Union-wharf, Narrow-street, Ratcliff, for no
other purpose than swindling on a large scale, and
Bristow's son, who was in custody a few weeks since and
discharged, was engaged as clerk. There was another
clerk, called Joe, whose real name is not known, abut
the age of 28 years, of great business talent, good and
lively address, and an excellent letter-writer. He was
always on the premises in Ratcliff, and was the means of
communicating and corresponding between the swind-
lers and their victims. The gang had no sooner ob-
tained possession of Union-wharf than they gave large
orders for goods to merchants and manufacturers.
Devall was represented by Joe to be a respectable met.-

chant and shipowner, and a large shipper of goods to
Australia. The firm commenced by giving an order for
900/, worth of water-closets, which they represented
were to be exported to Sydney, and this order wou d

_
have been executed but for the activity of Sheridno, the
constable employed in the case, who stopped the goods
on their way to the wharf alter 501. worth of water-
closets had been delivered at
.the wharf, and sold for

much less than the cost price. Mr. Robert Moseley, of
Fetter-lane, Fleet-street, agent. to Mr. W. Simpson, a
Birmingham manufacturer, supplied Devall and Co.
with fenders to the amount of 641, on a representation
that they were to be shipped for Sydney in the prisoner's
own ship. The clerk Joe referred Mr. Moseley to the
house of Messrs. M`Kinnell and Co., late Alfred Gibson

and Co., and how that' firm was imposed upon did
not appear in the investigation. Mr. Small, of
Lawrence Pountney-hill, agent to Messrs. Paul,
Moore, and Co., of Birmingham, supplied wire to the
prisoner's order, and it was forwarded to the wharf. Mr.
Nurtben, of No. 14, Vauxball-walk, stone potter, and
Mr. Michael Brown, of No. 1, Park-place, East-street,
Walworth, were favoured with orders from the gang, the
tormer for hard goods, and the latter for a horse worth
271. Brown is a poor man, and the manner in which he
was swindled by the gang excited much sympathy. Joe
always represen.ed that his principal (llevall) was on his
eastern and north-eastern journey, when any of the gen-
tlemen defrauded called at the wharf, and a letter was
once written in London and despatched to Sudbury, in
Suffolk, where it was posted, to giv + colour to the re-
presentation that Devall was on his commercial travels.
The letter was read, and handed to Mr. Yardley. It
was to the following effect, and addressed to Messrs.
Paul, Moore, and Co., Birmingham :

"Sudbury, Oct. 23, 1857.
"Gentlemen,—Your immediate attention to the annexed
order will oblige. I have not Mr. Small's address with
me, and, with a view to time, have forwarded order direct
to you, of which I have by this post advised my clerk. 1
will remit your cheque, or pay Mr. Snail, if he will be
good enough to call upon me on my return, for your little
account to Michaelmas.—l am, gentlemen, yours respect-
fully,

HENRY DEVALL,
of Union wharf, Narrow-street, London."

The above letter was written by Joe, and it had the
desired effect—a second parcel of brass and iron ware
was sent to the wharf and immediately sold at 2 j per
cent, below the invoiced price. It happened that 200
tons of railway iron had been left on the wharf by a
former occupier. The gang turned this to good account,
and Joe always represented that the iron was to be
shipped to Australia in Devall's own ship, which he was
freighting.

James Richard Taylor said be was in the employ of
the prisoner for three weeks at Union-wharf, and gave
an account of the modus operandi of the gang. Ho was
hired by Devall and Bristow to sell goods for them. He
remembered crates of fenders, water-closets, bricks, wire,
and other goods coming to the wharf, and he sold some
of tht m by the prisoner's orders for less than the price
they were to give for them. Devall never went out of
town upon an eastern or north-eastern journey ; but he
was in the practice of coming to the wharf every morn-
ing looking about, consulting with Bristow, and then
making a journey to the nearest public-house, where he
spent the day. He bad often told the prisoner and
Bristow that he could sell the goods with which they
were supplied at a profit, but both Devaq and Bristow
said the things must be sold at once for half price or
any pric-, as they must get a capital. The*goDds were
removed from the wharf as fast as they came in carts.
Mr. Lewis, jun.—To be shipped
Mr. Metcalfe—Perhaps Mr. Lewis will oblige me with
the name of the ship.
In cross-examination, Taylor said he had been tried
and acquitted on a charge of embezzlement. His em-
ployer owed him some money, and he paid himself out
of moneys he received from customers. Bristow kept a
coffee-shep in Duke-street, London-bridge, and Devall
acted as waiter there. Bristow paid for the carriage of
bricks from Stourbridge.
Mr. Yardley—Had the prisoner a ship of his ownl
Witness—No, sir, be bad not.
Mr. Metcalfe—He did not, sir.

Joseph Grant, a police-constable, No. 1041\i, said --
I know Bristow as keeping the Crown Coffee-shep, near
London-Fridge, on the Surrey side, and I have seen
pevalt acting there as waiter, with a white apron.
Dapter, 346 A, said—l have known the pri-
soner 7or 8 years. I knew him to be a cabdriver, and
in n‘msequence of strong suspicion that he had been
concerned in two burglaries he lost his license. I was
not able to catch him, or I should have arrested him for
the burglaries.
A policeman named Neale said—l always considered
the prison-r to be the most dangerous thief in ',onion.
I have seen him repeatedly in Oxford-street and Re.

gent-street with thieves and rsturned convicts. He was
detected in attempting to commit a burglary in War-
wick-street, Gold en, quare. •
William Parsonage, police-constable, 73 C, said—
The prisoner Devall has been the associate of the worst
of thieves for four or five years.
Devall—l will get an honest living, but you won't
let me do it.
Mr. Lewis, jun..—Will you hold your tongue '1
Witness—l took him into custody for attempting to
commit a burglary, and he was nommitted from the
Marlborough-street Police-court as a rogue and a
vagabond for Pfx weeks, and kept to hard labour. I
know bim up to 12 months ago to be a thief, and the
associate of the worst of characters.
Mr. Metcalfe--That is all the evidence I can offer
to-day. I intend to introduce others of the gang be-
fore you another time.
Mr. Yardley—There is quite enough to justify a
remand.

Mr. Lewig, jun --Will you take bail ?
Mr. Yardley—Yes, I will take bail, the prisoner in
2001. and two sureties of 1001 each. I must have good
bad.

—Mr. Joseph Smith—And notice of btil to be given ?
Mr. Yardley—Cor'a7oly. I hope the details of this
caNe will wake manufacturers, agents, and merchants
morn cauti,ato in future.
The pri.!oner, who could not find bail, was sent away
in the prison vae.

CHATHAM, DEC. 25.—The large tidal basin at this
drcliyird being nearly completed, the Lards of the Ad-
miralty have empleyed Messrs. Rigby, the cintractors,
in lengthening No. 3 old dock, which is to be extended
inwards nearly 100 feet. For several months past some
hundreds of men have been employed in making the
necessary excavations, which are carried to a depth of
nearly 50 feet, in order to form the concrete bottom of
the basin. During the progress of the works the water
has frequenely broken in, to prevent which two powerful
steam engines have been erected, which are kept pump-
ing day and night, discharging four tons of water per
minute. The pumps were at work last night, when one
of them became useles., and the consequence was that
the works were soon flooded, the water rising at the rate
of 6 tons per minute. During the whole o. to-day the
workmen have been engaged in repairing the engine,
and pumps, which, it is hoped, will be put into working
order tonight.

NAVAL AND MIL ETA RY INTELLIGENCE.

The steamship Australasian, Capt. Sceales, sailed
from Plymouth Sound yesterday morning, for
Madras: She has in all 23 officers, 465 rank and
of the 69th Regiment, 25 tons, was embarked at
file, one woman, and three children. The baggage
Plymouth, under charge of Lieut. Gildea, with 30
men, of whom 12 returned to barracks, there not
being sufficient accommodation for them on board.
The 69,h went to India via Suez. The Australian
is appointed to call at St. Vincent's and at the
Cape of Good Hope. The season being unpropi-
tious, she will not touch at the Mauritius unless
absolutely II( cessary.
L;eut.-Col. Kirkland, who had been authorised
to embody 1,000 men as the second battalion of the
sth Foot, has succeeded in raising upwards of 800
recruits, and it is expected that the battalion will
be complete in a short time, volunteers coming in
briskly on account of the extra bounty paid on at-
testation.

H. M. steamer Sharpshooter has gone out of har-
bour to Spithead, preparatory to sailing for the
coast of Afric3.

H.M.tamer Geyser sailed for Davonport, to
be paid off into ordinary, on Thursday.
At an early hour yesterday morning an accident
occurred in Chatham Dockyard which is likely to
cause some delay in the execution of the large
works now being carried on at that establishment
for the enlargement of the old docks and the con-
struction of the new tidal basins. During Thurs-
day night one of the pumps became useless, the
consequence of which was that ,the - water began
flowing into the works at the rate of six tunaper
minty e, flooding the excavations and doing a great
deal of mischief. Yesterday a number of men
were busily engaged i epairing the temporary
engines, and hopes were entertained of the
pumps being set to work last night, in order that
excavations might be cleat ed, so as to enable the
men to resume work on Monday morning.
The Racoon, 21, screw steamer, Captain J. A.
Paynter, fitting for sea at Chatham, has taken a
considerable quantity of her sea stores on board,
and is being rigged in order to be made ready for
sailing with all despatch.
The Cuckoo, 3, steamer, which has been paid offont
of commission at Chatham, is mcored alongside the
Resolute, Arctic discovery ship, waiting to be taken
into dock for the purpose of having the injuries
caused by the late accident made good.

further attempts have gradually been looked upon
by scientific men almost as waste of time and
ingenuity. In a paper read before the Society of
Arts in 1850 the improbability of any result being
obtained from electro-magnetism which could en-
able it to compete with steam as a motive power,
was carried nem con. Very recently at a discussion
at the lustitution of Civil Engineers it waseven more
unequivocally condemned, and declared that the
power exhibited by electro-magnetism, though
very great extended through so small a space as
to be practically useless, and that a powerful magnet
might be compared to a steam engine with an enor-
mous piston, but with an exceedingly sherz, stroke
—unquestionably a bad arrangement. Now,
doubtless, -from the points of view at which the
inventions were regarded, these decisions wore
right. It is a certain fact that electro-magnetism
never will supersede steam, and no electrician in
his senses could really have entertained such an
idea. Much as steam has done it has never yet
been able to supersede the water-wheel, wherever
water power is obtainable. But, although steam
must and will always be .employed, electricity can
find place as a motive power in many kinds of
work where steam is now out of the question. The
other objections have Leen, first, the cost of the
power, and, second, the shortness of the space
through which the power is exerted, or in other '
words, the want of adequate stroke or motion in the
force. Thepower of electricity, when applied in the
form of electro-magnet iswonder fully gr a . from come
paratively small means, but its dynamic power de-
creases so rapidly through intervening space, being
" inversely as some unascertained power of the &A-
tenets much greater than there," that the range
of the maximum effect, or valuable portion of. the
motive force with a consequent minimum of con-
sumption extends to so small a distance as to be of
no real value in mechanics. The great problem to
solve has been to contrive such an arrangement of
parts as toconvert this mexielum of the motive force
through a range, although unavailable in itself, into
stroke, or to give it such an extent of motion as to
make it of practical value as a motive power. Mr.
Allan's electro-motive engine has achieved many of
these desiderata. He has utilised all his power—
has obtained length of stroke. By this invention
the maximum portion only of dynamic force is ap-
plied, and by the mechanical arrangement of parts
successively and continuously brought into action
in a direct form, in accordance with the Jaws of
electro-dy naraics. Thus applied Viet eis no loss of
primary force, and any amount of power and any
length of stroke can be obtained. In fact, both
mechanical and electrical conditions aro very simply
and beautifully complied with, and to this alone is
the success of the invention due. The machine may
be simply described as consisting of four galleries,
each of which contains four groups of four electro-
magnets which are alternately opposite in their
polarities, and which therefore by induc ion uatu-
rally react upon and augment their colle-ztive power.
Through these magnets pass rods connected by con-
necting rods and cranks to the shaft of the engine.
Each of these rods has a disc or keeper suspended
on shoulders above each group of magnets. The
keepers are made with a hole in the centre, se as to
slide easily upon the rod, and not impede the mo-
tion of the latter when it is receiving an impulse
from a magnet applied to any of the other keepers
or discs. The same kind of action is produced on
each rod, so that as one completes its portion of the
stroke the next one is commencing in the follow-
ing manner :—At the commencement of the mo-
tion the upper -keeper is placed so near the first
set of magnets that when a current of electricity
is applied to them they draw violently the keeper
to them, and thus move the rod longitudinally
through the space which separated them. The next
keeper is by this means brought within the same
distance from its magnet, and the current of elec-
tricity is at the same instant cut off from the for-
mer and applied to these, which thereupon draw
their keeper to them, and so drag the rod through
an additional space or distance equal to the first.
The other magnets and their keepers beneath re-
spectively act in a similar manner in regular sue-
ceesion, and thus complete the stroke of the rod,
when the next row takes it up," and so on, until
the four rods have worked in the same manner,
and given the utmost both of power and length of
stroke to the machine. Though the machines have
as yet been only fixed vertically, yet it scan easily
be seen that the arrangement of the parts allow it to
be readily adapted to all ordinary purposes, whe-
ther vertical or horizontal.
Thug, as far as the first conditions of power and
length of stroke are concerned, the machine appears
t o have achievel great ends. One has 1-itely been sub-
mitt d to the Emperor Napoleon and the directors
of the Conservatoire as illustrating the first prin-
ciples of the machine which, it is hoped, is to carry
off the French national prize of 2,0001 offered to
any who can solve the question of the practical
utility of electricity as a motive power. The suc-
cess of the competitor there is to be attested by the
cheapness with which he can produce his power.
According to the average price of coals in Paris one
horse steam power per hour can be obtained for 8
centimes. The average price of zinc is 80 centimes
per kilogramme, and. the French conditions for
gaining the prize are that the machine shall work
one horse-power on an expenditure of not more
than half a kilogramme of zinc, or at 40 centimes
the hour. This would make the cost of the electro
motive power in Paris five times greater than that
of steam, but the many advantages which in other
respects it possesses over the latter would iucre than
counterbalance this disadvantage. According to
this rate Mr. Allan's machines in England, where
coal is cheaper, would work at a cost ten times
greater than the present average price of steam ;
yet many of our first machinists and manufactu-
rers say that the invention of electro-motive en •
gines at as much as 18 times the cost for steam
power will pay largely. Mr. Allan professes himself
perfectly confident that he cm produce a machine
not only within the working price we have just
mentioned, but even within the French conditions.
He maintains that it is an error to consider the cost
of electro-motive power as being relatively less
"profitable" than steam, and that the error has
arisen from the misapplication of the electromag-
netic force, not from the necessary consumption of
the electric materials, which consumption is in-
versely as the dynamical ratios of the forte. He
considers that the materials, on the other hand,
from their chemical admixtu e in the battery,
although of no practical avail for the further pro-
duction of the electric fluid, become when produced
on a large scale of considerable market value,
and when sold realise a large percentage of
their original cost. But as the cost of the
power is thus taken as the standard of success, the
expenditure in fairness must be regarded from
various points.of view. Thus, then, we must not
forget that in Madrid and Lisbon the cost of coal
for steam power is twice as dear as at Paris ; that in
most parts of South America, in India, and China,
and throughout the East .-gTnerally, the cost of coal
is twice as much as that again, so that in those coun-
tries where an easily managed motive power is most
wanted, electricity may yet compete with steam on
an equal or even advantageous footing with regard
to cost. But a great reduction in the cost of the
power may be effected by not using zinc at all,
since iron when used on a large scale as an element
in batteries may be regarded as almost equally effi •
cacious with zinc. But the cost of the power must
be at present a subordinate question—at least other
and more important questions must be decided ere
the cost can be ascertained. For instance, Mr. Allan
finds that there must be a certain relation between
the electric current and the diameter and length
of the magnet, though what these conditions are it
is difficult to say at present. With only a slight
modification of the relation of the wire to his
magnet, he suddenly found that he lost four-fifths
of his power. Now, here is a problem the solution
of which must have a vital influence on the electro-
magnetic power, and, therefore, in its cost of pro-
duction. Yet, these disturbing influences, whatever
they are, were not even known to exist until now ;
and every day the general laws which govern the
science of electroenagnetiem are becoming more
and more fully developed. In a very able and a
very impartial paper which was read by Mr. Hunt
before the Institution of Civil Engineers many ob-
jec ions, all more or less sound, wet e urged against
the availability of electricity as a motive force. We
are certain, however, that that gentleman was ig-
norant of the principle upon which the machine of
Mr. Allan is constructed, for a knowledge of it
must have altered the conclusion to which he was
then almost naturally led.
Many who do not take the trouble to judge for
themselves are content to base their disbelief in the
adaptability of electricity as a motive force on the
doctrine of Liebig, that zinc cannot give out more
power than the coal required to smelt it. Of course,
the reputation of Liebig is supposed to be sufficient
to secure implicit credence for„this statement—that
the scientific world, in fact, must hear and obey.
But in science nothing can be taken for granted,
and until Liebig can show that such relation exists
between electricity and heat as to make the mecha
nical power of one the measure of the mechanical
power of the other his doctrine will continue to be
regarded by those who think for themselves as ab-