The Sun.
London, England, 1850-05-30 00:00:00

contribute a sum of money to the poor-box. He was
a man of great respectability, and his family were
much distresed at the situation in which he wA4
placed.
Mr. BROUGLITON having ascertained that the Com-
missioners were willing to leave the case entirely in
his hands, and that they had no desire to prosecute,
remarked that the respectability of the prisoner was
an aggravation of the offence; but under all the cir-
cumstances he should deal with it as one of misde-
meanour and not as a felony, and for the unlawful
possession of the bricks he inflicted a penalty of 505.,
or one month's imprisonment in the House of Cor-
rection.

The fine was immediately paid.
LAMBETH.

Amongst the applicants to Air. Elliott for some re-
lief from the funds of the poor-box was an aged and
enfeebled person, of lady-like manners, whose case
was found to be so deserving, that Mr. Elliott, who
is generally exceedingly careful in the distribution of
the funds placed at his disposal by the benevolent, at
once ordered her 51. from the poor•box.
The applicant, it appears, is the granddaughter of
John Robertson, author of " Elements of Naviga-
tion," who died in 1776, leaving a daughter totally
unprovided for. Mr. Robertson had been master of
the Naval School at Portsmouth (now the Naval Col-
lege), was subsequently appointed librarian to the
Royal Society, and died while holding that appoint-
ment. His daughter, the mother of the present ap-
plicant, had married the son of a clergyman, who
died, leaving her with a young family, without
the slightest means of providing for them, and she
was, in consequence, compelled to apply to the
friends of her late father for support and
assistance. The funds at the disposal of the Royal
Society being very limited, the managers were only
enabled to allow her 101. a year during her life ;
but a nobleman, the late Earl of Dysart, who had
been educated by her father, had generously allowed
her 501. a year, and this allowance was paid by his
successors up to 1846, when she departed this life.
Oa the death of her mother the pension and allow-
ance had ceased, and the applicant and her afflicted
sister had been compelled since then to work all day
and a great part of the night' at bead work, and the
utmost they could earn at that employment was six
shillings or seven shillings a week ; and such was
their close application to that labour, with the hope
and expectation of supporting themselves, that the
sight of both became so impaired that neither were
able to work at it present,_ and therefore they saw
nothing before! them but starvation or a workhouse,
and the thought of going to the latter was to them'
worse if possible than death itself. An effort had been
made by a benevolent clergyman to procure for them
a pension from the Admiralty, but this was found
impossible. He had, however, received from the
Government a grant of 301., and from the late
lamented and benevolent Queen Dowager 201., on
their behalf. These sums, notwithstanding the most
rigid economy, were not sufficient for their perma-
nent support, and, as before stated, nothing was left
for them but starvation or the inside of a workhouse.
Before making application for the grant of a small
pension from Government,. the Misses Coppard had
written to several distinguished admirals and officers
of the Royal Navy, requesting their opinions of the
merit of the work written by their grandfather, John
Robertson, and the following reply is selected from
about one hundred :

" Admiralty, Sept. 5, 1848.
" Madam,—l greatly regret to find, from your letter,
that you are suffering under such privations, which in-
deed a just and grateful country ought not to permit to
be the case of a granddaughter of the celebrated John
Robertson, for no man in England ever did so much for
the improvement of her seamen. His book was th• first
work that placed practical navigation on the basis of
science; it taught the sailor to understand the empirical
processes he was employing, and it has remained to this
day the text book from which all succeeding treatises
have more or less borrowed their materials.

" I wish I could do anything that would sooth the re-
maining years of your own and your sister's life, but
really nothing is in my power beyond the free permis-
sion to use this note in any manner you please, and the
hearty sympathy of—Yours, very truly,
" Miss A. M. Coppard." " F. BEAI7/ORT.
Similar testimonials were received from Admirals
Sir E. Codrington, Sir C. Malcolm, Sir T. B. Mar-
tin, Sir C. Ikins, Captain W. H. Smyth, and other
distinguished officers, and all expressed the deepest
sympathy with the distressing situation of the grand-
daughters of so distinguished a man, and one who, by
his writing, had conferred such benefits on the naval
profession.
The poor lady, on receiving the 51. ordered to be
given to her by the magistrate, expressed her deepest
Kratitude ; but liberal as the sum was, it will fall
tfr short of affording her and her afflicted sister a per-
manent means of subsistence.
THAMES.

Mr. George Hobson, a bookseller, residing near
the George, in the Commercial-road, appeared before
Mr. Norton, who sat for Mr. Yardley, charged with
assaulting Mr. Edward Smith, a mathematical instru-
ment maker, residing in the same vicinity.
Mr. Pelham appeared for the defence.
The complainant stated that about eighteen months
since the wife of a Captain Garrett, a woman well
known to the police, resided at his house, and owing
to some previous indiscretions, her husband, on going
to sea, requested witness to look snarply after her.
After her husband left she came home in liquor, ac-
companied by Mr. Hobson, who went with her into
her bedrobm. Witness's wife felt it her duty to ap-
prise Mrs. Hobson of the fact, and that lady came to
the house, but nothing arose. Since that time he had
been repeatedly threatened by the defendant; and last
Saturday, whilst on board the Jane Morris, Mr.
Hobson struck him three severe blows on the head.
Mr. Pelham, for the defence, said that there was i
not the slightest foundation for imputing anything
criminal to his client with respect to Mrs. Garrett,
who is now a widow, and whose late husband was
Mr. Hobson's particular friend. She had taken a
little drop too much on parting with her husband, and
it was at his particular request that Mr. Hobson saw
her home, being accompanied at the time by her sis-
ter, a married woman. Mrs. Hobson, one of the par-
ties most interested in the matter, was then in the
court, and did not believe a single word of the slander
which Smith had circulated against her husband, and
which would be made the subject of inquiry in an-
other place.
Here Mrs. Hobson stepped forward, and said she
had the utmost reliance on her husband's conjugal
fidelity.
Mr. Pelham---Smith, not satisfied with insulting
my client, sets his children to the same work as they
pass the door. He admitted that on the occasion al-
luded to Mr. Hobson did strike Smith a back-handed
blow, having been grossly provoked by his sneering
gestures.
Mr. NORTON said it was indiscreet in the defendant
to conduct a drunken woman to her bedroom, but as
his wife did not think anything improper occurred
he was so far fortunate. It was certainly very pro-
voking to be taunted for an offence of which he felt
innocent. The defendant must enter into his own
security to keep the peace for six months, and the
complainant would do well to govern his tongue, and
show his children a better example.