The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-29 00:00:00

AN OLD TRICK SUCCESSFULLY
PLAYED OFF.
On Friday last two men, named John Lee and John
Johnson, were brought up at the Borough Court,
charged with obtaining two 51. notes by the old practice
of " megging."
The prosecutor, a middle-aged man, named Edward
Marsh, a nail-maker, from Chowbent, stated that, on the
Ist inst. he came to Manchester on business ; and, as he
was passing the Infirmary Lee accosted him, saying that
he had just arrived from America, and was intending to
purchase goods in Manchester to take back with him.
Prosecutor remarked that he was in the nail trade; and
the prisoner said he would purchase any thing upon
which he could make a profit, adding that business was
very brisk in New York, and that there was a great deal
of building going on. He then invited the prosecutor
to go to the Brunswick Hotel, Piccadilly, and take a
glass of ale. They went into a private room, and had not
been.there long when the prisoner Johnson came in, when
Lee said to him, "Landlord, will you fill me a glass of ale ?"
Johnson replied, "I am not the landlord, Sir; I wish
I was." Immediately afterwards, Johnson said, "I have
been a working man all the days of my life; but I have
lately received a fortune, and some land is come to me.
My cousin has been holding it from me for three or
four years, but I have got it at last ;" and he then
drew from his pocket a roll of papers, resembling bank-
notes, saying, " Here I have got some of the money
with me, and I will now enjoy myself." He appeared
very careless about the papers, and Lee offered to assist
him to wrap them up; he consented to this, and the
roll was afterwards safely deposited in his fob. Lee
then took out of his pocket a similar roll, and per-
formed the same office for himself as he had done for
Johnson; after which, as the prisoners had exhibited
their money, the prosecutor thought he would show
his also, and took from his pocket two 51.
notes. These Lee took from his hand, wrapped
them up in a paper, as the prosecutor thought, and then
placed them in his pocket book, telling him to take care
of it. Prosecutor having returned the book to his
pocket, Lee proposed that, as Johnson had obtained a
fortune, he should treat each of them with a handker-
chief, and he took them out for that purpose; but the pro-
secutor was soon left alone, and, on examining his pocket-
book, he found that the two 5/. notes had disappeared.
Nothing was heard of either of theprisoners until Thurs-
day last when the prosecutor met Lee in High-street and
charged him with the robbery. He denied the charge, and
said that he was landlord of the Turk's Head, Shudehill.
The prosecutor accompanied him to the Turk's Head,
where the prisoner Johnson was found, and both were
given into the custody of Inspector M'Elroy and police-
constable Wm. Sutclifte. Both the prisoners denied the
charge; but, the prosecutor swearing positively to them,
they were committed for trial at the sessions.—Manches
ter Guardian.

IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CITY.
Those who have been absent from the " City end" of
this great metropolis for a series of years will be some-
what startled if they have occasion to pay a visit to that
part of London. " Stands the City where it did ?"
may perhaps be their exclamation of astonishment
on contemplating the march of improvement, which is
now rapidl approaching its climacteric point. To say
nothing o the immense advantages obtained some
t years bac y the removal of Old-London-bridge and
ki
its contiguuous abominations, the abolition of Crooked-
lane and the purlieus of the once famous " Boar's
Head Tavern," and the opening of a new bridge across
" Old Father Thames," with handsome and spacious ap-
proaches, it is only necessary to make a circuit of
half a mile round the Royal Exchange, in order to be
made in some degree acquainted with the reforms
effected from time to time in that important com-
mercial locality. Some of our more elderly readers
may perhaps have a faint recollection of old Princes-
street, on the west side of the Bank of England, which
some 15 years ago was not wider, if we rightly remem-
ber, than Finch-lane is at present. Now, on the other
hand, we have a fine wide street, which, continued
by Moorgate-street, forms one grand and direct
line of communication from the Mansion House
to Islington. On the eastern side of the Bank,
Bartholomew-lane has been latterly most con-
veniently widened, and the old ruined tower which
formerly reared its head at the north -western
corner, flanked by a boot-maker's stall (for it could
hardly to be dignified by the term " shop") has given
place to a handsome facade of buildings, which very
worthily hold up their heads by the side of the new
Royal Exchange. Going still further, it will be found
that the old and ugly little church of St. Benet Finek is
now on its last legs, and on the eve of final extinction.
The unsightly heap of bricks and mortar yclept " Bank-
buildings" is already levelled with the ground, and the
elegant portico of the new Exchange may now be
viewed to some advantage. By the encroachment of
this edifice, two very ancient City thoroughfares,
Castle-alley and Bank-street, have been utterly
annihilated, but, of course, without any disadvantage to
the public. The alley of " chop and steak" houses,
cigar shops, &c., which formerly ran along the east
side of the old Exchange, has also &en destroyed.
although Finch-lane still remains intact and unimproved.
In Threadneedle-street the increased width of the
thoroughfare will shortly be carried out along its
whole length by the removal of the houses and shops
in front of Merchant Tailors'-hall ; and the " Hall of
Commerce" (as it is termed) has been erected, since
1842, upon the site formerly occupied by the old
French Protestant church—as ugly a building, per-
haps, as architect ever devised. It had stood, how-
ever, for nearly 300 years, and some curious antiqua- 1
rian discoveries were made beneath the foundations I
when it was pulled down by Mr. Moxhay. These are
a few of the principal improvements recently effected,
and it seems a pity they have not been extended much
further. The view of the new Royal Exchange from
the large open space in front of the Mansion-house, will
be grand in the extreme, especially when the Welling-
ton statue is erected, as no less than six great thorough-
fares pour their stream of traffic into that central point.
—Times.

SmoKn.—ln the voluminous report on smoke,
lately made to the House of Commons, by a Select Commit-
tee, some curious facts are ,meutioned ; for example, Mr.
Chandler, camellia grower at Wandsworth, states that on
account of the great increase of chimneys from manufacto-
ries in that vicinity, plants which formerly might be handled
without any bad effect, now soil the hands to the greatest
extent. Among other plants which formerly flourished, but
will not now grow in the neighbourhood of the metropolis,
are China roses, rhododendron hirsutum, rhododendron vir-
ginium, and many others of the prettiest varieties, now quite
extinct. Mr. Anderson, the curator of the Physic Gardens at
Chelsea, testifies to the noxious effects of what he calls the
" bitter smoke" upon the trees of that establishment, parti-
cularly on evergreens, and on two magnificent cedars which
have so long been an ornament to the gardens, and form a very conspicuous object from the river. It appears that the
sooty particles are attracted to and attached by the resinous
exudations of the leaves, while the large surface of the foliage
above prevents their being washed away by the rains, so
that the functional action of the leaves is disturbed, if not
entirely destroyed.
THE BANK or FRANCE.—The National observes
that " the obstinacy of the Bank of France to continue the
rate of discount at from four per cent. is producing its fruits.
We have before us some returns which demonstrate that,
whilst the value of all public securities have risen, the Bank
Shares have fallen in one year 220 francs per share, or 22 per
cent. on their original cost, and everything leads us to believe
that this fall will continue. Now, if we compare the value
of Bank shares with railroad shares, we find a sensible dif- •
ference, as the first have fallen 22 per cent., whilst the latter
have risen from 10 to 45 per cent. We shall have occasion
to return to the subject of railroad shares."

DARING BURGLARY, GALLANT
CAPTURE, AND SPEEDY CONVICTION.
Information having been received by Mr. Goodyer,
chief constable of the Leicestershire constabulary, that
a number of burglaries were contemplated in the neigh-
bourhood of Leicester, by a gang well known to the bo-
rough police, he immediately took steps to secure the
burglars in the very act of committing the offence, and the
result shows the signal success attending his plans, the
whole of the gang being captured and convicted within a
few hours after the perpetration of the burglary. The
first house which it was intended to plunder was that of
Mr. Davenport of Evington. On Sunday, the 24th inst.,
constables Rowley, Allard, Iliffe, Wardle, Dawson, and
specialconstable Widdowson, were sent over singly to Ev-
ington, and arrived at the house at different periods to
prevent any suspicion being entertained of the premises
being watched. A little after six o'clock, Mrs. Davenport
and her servants went to chapel, leaving the police in the
house, who then divided themselves into two parties,
agreeing on a signal which Allard was to give when he
required their assistance, Allard, Dawson. and Wid-
dowson secreting themselves in the drawing room, and
Rowley, Wardle and Mlle locking themselves up
in the servants' bed-room. In a few minutes they
heard a smart rap at the door, and shortly
after two men came up stairs into the drawing-
room. When they had got into the room two
others followed, and having procured a light, imme-
diately broke open the escruitoire, from which they began
to remove the plate, one of the gang remarking, " Look
here, you —, here's plenty of swag." The burglars
(whose names are John Boulter, James Merritt], Frede-
rick Noon, and Edward Gibbons) had removed ready for
carrying away, the following articles of plate:—Coffee-
urn, 2 decanter-stands, cream jug, 13 dessert-spoons, 5
tablespoons, pepper castors, toast racks, wine strainers,
pint cup, candlestick, snuffers, and extinguishers; and a
prettily-ornamented work-basket, when they were dis-
turbed by Allard, who gave the signal previouly
agreed upon. The lamp which the thieves had with
them was immediately extinguished, and they made
a rush at Allard, whose lamp was put out in the scuffle,
and who was knocked down on the stairs, but
kept his hold of the burglar nearest to him, which
proved to be Noon. The other party of police ar-
rived on the spot at this juncture, Iliffe tripping
Merrall's heels up as he passed him, and Rowley seizing
him as he was rising at the bottom of the stairs. Boul-
ter then made a rush, but was seized by Wardle, and
the two rolled together down two flights of stairs,
where, after a desperate resistance, 'Wardle succeeded
in securing him. The only remaining burglar,
Gibbons, sprang at Iliffe, and struck him a severe
blow on the back with a "jemmy." On Ilitte turn-
ing upon him with his staff, he retreated into the bed-
room and crept under the bed, from which place he was
dragged by Iliffe, and conveyed to his companions in cap-
tivity. Underneath the bed where he had been concealed
were found a number of skeleton keys, a jemmy, and a
quantity of silver spoons. The police having now got pos-
session of the whole gang, secured them, and brought them
over to Leicester. Oa the following afternoon they under-
went an examination before the Rev. J. M. Cooper and
J. D. Burnaby, Esq., and were fully committed for trial.
In about an hour afterwards they were arraigned before
Baron Gurney, when they pleaded Guilty. The next
morning they were sentenced as follows :—Merrall,
Noon, and Boulter to transportation for life ; and
Gibbons (who received a good character), to 12 months
imprisonment to hard labour.—Leicestershire Mercury.