The Sun.
London, England, 1850-06-10 00:00:00

1846.

100. , t.

1849.

iaso.

Stock this day
Price el Y. C. . • ..
DellYery last week . •
Ditto,from June :I
Arrivals last week .
Ditto from June '1 ...
Price of Town ......

10,102
42s 3d
to is Od
451
264
202
443

42s Od

7,275 8,618
508 Od 4t* 64
t 9 51s 04. to 45$ Od

735 !
,1,339 2,054

264 509
I 515 3,141
53s Od 47s 6d

'24 8215
36s 6d to
Os Od
1,045
1,303

' 25,906
36s 9d
ta37i Od
723
945

155 1,202-
111 i 1;287

394 6d 1383 Od

QUEEN'S BEN CH.—(T HIS DAY.)
Sittings in Banco, before Lord CAMPBELL, and Sus-
ticed raprEsort, COLERIDGE, and ELME.)

THE QUEEN.• V. STEVENB.,-CRIMINAL INFORMATION.

Sir FREDERICK THESIGER said -he was instructed, to
apply to their Lordships for a criminal informatiOn on
behalf of Count Baptiste Metaxa, a foreigner who, had
been a long time settled in this country, and had married
"a lady who was connected with some of the first families
in it By that marriage he had four children' and his
family and himself had long moved in the very best
society. He (Sir F. Thesiger) made this application
in consequence of a libel which had been, published by 'a
gentleman named Thomas Brook Bridges Stevens, an
attorney of this court, is which he had chosen'to stig-
matise' Count • Metaxa as an adventurer and impostor,
and stating that ~he hat• gained a footing in society by
assuming a title which did not belong to him. This libel
bad been published in a most offentive way, by sending
copies of it to Sir. Archibald Maclean, with whom the
Count had been acquaintedfor 25 years, and other parties
private friends of the Count. The libel was contained
in an alleged letter, dated. May 20, 1850, which was
printed and addressed, by Mr. Stevens to person 'of the
name of Decree, in which the foll Owing passages
occurred:— "

" From what hex recently come to my knowledge of
this Mr. Metaza, . I belteie there is no act of meanness,
falsehood, and, cowardice 01-.. which' he is not capable.
.- . . . Within the last few days I learned from
the highest authority, that many years ego this'. Greek
,attempted, to get: himself, presented to- her. Majesty's,
representative, the Lord high Commissioner of the
lonian Isles, under his assumed name ,of .Count, but the
officers in attendance on his gxcellency,. flisaveiiik the
f,aud, of course refused to . acquiesce . in, it,':- and
ttie soi•disant Count had the honour of being
`permitted
to pass before his Excellency after having been
publicly:announced as Mr. Baptiste Meta;a. -There-he
was nearer home, and consequently easily deteeted; but.
Cheltenham- is a ..long way troth -Greece :(tind although
your poodle dog halt as much right to the title of Count.
asthis adventurer); whose business is it in Cheiteitham 4o
expose the imposture? : It becomes, :however, quite an-
other question when the .fraud is to ,beiplayed
eff at .the Court of her Majesty the Queen 0e Great
Britain. It is the Lord Chamberlain's office„ I elieie,
to Protect the Royal presence of our Queen ,fr ai the
nonillion of such , brazen. impudence, and doubt as his
Lordship-knows how todischarge his duty, wch -is
I
rendered the- more- easy by the fortunate preit cc; at
this moment in Leaden-of the former NettleGoVe nor. of
the :lonian Isles; end the very Aide-de-Camp. ho
4
in-
troduced :Mr. i B -x aptiste! Metaa to," hie',Ei Ilency,
-
as .just :mentioned. The , course I. -puratis, s that
suggested .by. a sense 'of what is 2, due -to my station
as a British gentleman, and'aon et, a4soldier, *hi shed
his blood, and laid' down, his life ,ta,debnce of,hls king
and Country. That my
.conduct, -meets , your sanction
and approval is a greetti,litlO:Cation. to me, and efiCou-
rages the hepefthat'it Will..a.'W Meet with the a rObti-
t
gen of all honourable men, into whose' hands t e nor-
-respondence between the ' Greek impoiter' and yself
may happen- to- fall:"
Now (Continued Sir F. Thesiger) there was not the
slightest pretence for saying the Giant bad aa.,
sUmed_thitt:title. lie was the legitimate son -of's Count,
was born in Cephalonia, and was-nearly relatedloietint
Andre Metaxa, who had lately held-the. effice,ofTritne
Minit:ter of Greece.. In 1.691, in, consequence of the
distinguished military servicet,ot his andestordjaPtain
Angola Metaxe, the State of .Venice, by a decree4hich
issued from' the Ducal Palace in that year, mire ed 'oil
that.ancettorthe title of Count, to him and his leg haste:
Male.destendantsin perpetuity. The count wee- Itigi-.
timater Male destendant of the 'original possegto oUthe
title, ' Ile wets :born in Cephatottia,. in d was: biPti ed: by
I
tthenantes of Baptiste Angola Metaza. By adecie of the
pnited,Statee-of -thalenian. Islet that title •of .CO t was
recognized to belong. to the Count sail to his two b others
-by. name. In: 1834 he was.presented to, his late- ajesity
Williani 0.,„47:. the,. Secretary of State for, the. COontes
'.by .his title of .COOnt, and was frettaently invited to the
palace Under thift"'Jleaiguatidii., , Be also frcqueutfyha4
'the honour of dining with - her Royal nightie a -thn.
Duchess of Kent" 'lple was presented 'to her•Majesty-on-
her..aeceasion :6 the throne by the'same title, and him-
'self and, his Countess haVe had frequently the honour of
being invited to the palace. Abroad he was-also known
by: that title, and ,he was. introduced by the Ongtith
Ambastadors by it . to the - late King of the
- French, .;,Louie -- Philippe, sad-, o the - 'King Of the.
Belgians. Under ,those circumstances the Count telt
that the ptiblietitlina in question was a most serious re-
flection'en his character, and was likely, to iejure his
Position in seciety,.as well as to be injurious to his family
in the highest degree; and he (Sir F. Thesiger) epprei-
headed there would be no doubt whatever that' hcit.'Was,
entitled to ask at the 'bandit of their`Lerdshifis' far is,
'criminal- information.. The ;Court `would` i7iiiiiirally 41-
k:quire -what were-the motives which - had irtiitiguted Mr,
3-titevens to publish this libel on.-the Count Abe (Sir F.
..Thesiger) was extremely. anxious' not to intrbdupa the
names ot,ot,bee iriclividnals) but be: mightstate-ge erally
that the Count, as ,an Act of ,friendship, had inter!' ed in
a private affair, in which lqc_i.ead of his was deepl Inte.-.
rested: Mr:Stevent,s,,tipt per,sonilly coneee.ted with
that affair,,but was acquainted with one of thiPartics.-
and he . teethed' to have resented thenOnd Mit of the Count.
in the matter. -Accordingly 'henircurated a re'poit-that
'the Count had bean Ptiblicly,'hlifseOhipped; On iVh(chthe
Count wrote a letter 'id 4tr.'Stefetis on die24-th...ef:
April last,Tin which he cud .;,..,- : .„ ,;A.4 -At .1.,. li
~il4:
~,.
_,, :- . ;,„ • ' 4.1 London,.Aprit24-1419"" ' i'il
, , -,, --• ' 0 13, Cumberland street, BrYitnatottnesquare..
:" Siro-e-Captain -..-e T.— having .circulatedtur false ca-;
:lumnyrespeeting_myself, that I had been publicly horse-
,,whipped in Chelten4M, was reqUired by mato give' up
the.name of tho author of this falsehood, or:to. abide the
consequences;, and in your. answer he has stated that
you baye told him so, and shit you desired him tti refer
to you as his authOrity; As it will be necessary,.if'this
statement EirCaptitin ..t---`iit true that a different` kind
of proceedingshould be adopted with vespect tolourself,
I Mast ' requestlryou to-_;gi've' 'me an explicit-answer,
whether you -diollnlike,any such .statement to Captain
--, and what iayour authority.for,heviogdohe so? ~,
" I remain your obedient kerv4o4-,,:, • .„4;;,..,
I. 1:W 117.14 ME
" 1., Wmfftt
In reply to this, Mr...Stevensian,the 25th of April ;wr.lte.
a most offensive letter to the cquntl /hich he saidi"--
" I replied that I scatday-line you, but 'that a
gentleman from Cheltenham had teld'ine,; without any
ieserYe, thatyou lead been hersewhippe& tbere;- he mis-
takes me .when.he sayslauthorieed :hits .to say this."
On the receipt "of that letter the Count wrote as fol
lowa to Mr. Stevens:-1 . : ..,. -:

ilia I , •,, " April,29, 1850..
`'l3, C4milerlankritTeet,pryapAttla-square,
46$0nday. at twrk
" Sir Your leder, though fell or etl§gwous state-
,—
mcnts against a gentleman now abseil
u.ntaina no answer to the only que.Aion:ll2 ' Which I'aw
concerned. From whom did you' reteiYe the filso Bud