The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-17 00:00:00

RATION.

Mr. William Wainwright, of No. 58, -Fore-street, Moorgate,
tobacoonist and billard table keeper, was charged ,with adul-
terating snuff, and having adulterating matter in his posses-
sion. There were four counts in the information, varying the
offence, and laying the penalty in each count at 2001. A
fifth count charged the defendant with having tobacco in a
room not entered, subjecting him to a penalty of 100/.
Mr. Davis, a Custom-house officer, stated that, in conse-
quence of the increase of Chinsura cheroots at the various
tobacconists in London, and the fact that only two chests had
paid duty in the port of London for the last ten years, the
officers were looking sharp after them. On the 29th of De-
cember witness, accompanied by Crawford and Reed, two
other Custom-house officers, visited the defendant's premises,
and discovered a box full of the much-esteemed Chinsuras
in the back parlour. During the search witness discovered a
large box of snuff, as also a sieve filled with the same ; he
tasted the contents, and finding them so grossly adulterated,
he examined several of the jars in the shop and seized them.
The shopwoman told witness it was all brown rappee.—
(Laughter.) Witness- then proceeded to search the house,
and took up some of the flooring in the billiard-room. He
broke open a cupboard, where he found bottles, glasses,
rneasitres, some bottles of port, sherry, and champagne, and
about thirty dozens of stout. There were cupboards on every
floor filled with stout, containing altogether about eighty
dozens. Witness only seized the spirits, cheroots, and snuff.
The defendant said he could show invoices for the cheroots,
and produced one in which he had introduced the word
" Chinsura ;” they were charged at is. 6d. per lb. The duty
on Chinsura cheroots was 9s. per lb. and 5/. per cent. The
defendant told witness he had introduced the word to cover
the goods, as there had been such a disturbance in town
about them. _

Messrs. Reed and Crawford, Custom• house officers, fully
corroborated the last witness.

'
Mr. George Phillips, professor of chemistry, deposed that-
he had tested the article seized. The stuff in the box was a
powder closely resembling brown rappee, but did not contain
a particle of tobacco ; it consisted of 73 5-10ths of vegetable
matter, and 26 5-10ths of common salt and earthy matter.
The contents of the jars were adulterated with earth, sand,
potash, and salt, and the net adulteration was 22 1-6th per
cent. The witness banded a sample out of the box to the
Commissioners, which did not contain a particle of tobacco,
but had the appearance ot brown rappee.
A solicitor addressed the Court in defence, and contended
that Mr. Wainwright sold the articles as he purchased them,
and never mixed his snuff.

Caroline Selby, shopwoman, swore that the defendant
never mixed his snuffs, and that.they purchased them of Mr.
Victor, of Holborn. She had sold a little of the " Gillespie."

CHAIMIAN—Is that the article with no tobacco in it ?
(Laugh ter.)
The witness did not answer the question. Victor, had
called several _times since the seizure ; but he did not appear
to come about it. lie said he had nothing to lose.
Mr. MAynEw—Did you ever sell that trash for snuff ?
Witheis—We sold a small quantity of it, and then pUt it
aside, as we found out it was not good.—(Laughter.)
The'Court said it was a very bad case, and fined the defen-
dant 100/.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
(YESTERDAY.)
MANSION-HOUSE.

The clerk of Messrs. Gregson and Co., solicitors,
applied to Sir Peter Laurie, to be allowed to give in bail
to answer for the appearance of a person who had been
indicted before the grand jury for having published a
libel, reflecting upon the chrracter of another. •
Sir PETER LAURIE said the observations which had
been made on the subject of grand juries last session, at
the Central Criminal Court, were calculated to attract
'Vie attention of the Government in a very emphatic
manner to the question of the propriety of the institution.
It was, of course, known to the gentleman who attended
upon the part of the defendant, a: presentment,' at that
tune, to the. Commissioners of the Central Criminal
Court, deSignatel grand juries as wholly useless, and
rather calculated to defeat than to serve the ends of
justice.
The solicitor said he was aware of the fact.
Sir PETER LAURIE desired to be informed under what
circumstances the case alluded to appeared before the
grand jury. .
The solicitor declared that he believed the defendant
was wholly ignorant of the particulars, but it was con-
jectured that a letter, written by the defendant, con-
taining matter presumed to be libellous, and calculated
to do injury to the individual reflected upon. had been
laid before the grand jury, and a true bill found, and
that a warrant was about to be issued for the apprehen-
sion orthe accused. That was the state. of the case, as
had been by some tneans or other Ascertained by the de-
fendant, who was connected by ties of blood with the cora-
.plitinant. The- prisoner,. upon hearing that the Bill of
indictment had been found, was advised to keep out of
the way until the necessary arrangements should be
made to meet the accusation.

Sir P. LAURIE declared that he felt gratification at
the appearanoe of an opportunity for exciting the obser-
vations of practical men on a subject of such vast import-
ance to the community as the grand jury system. Mr.
Clark, the Clerk of the Arraigns, than whom no man
was a higher authority, with regard to the working of
the system, was most decidedly of opinion that no man
was safe who was subjected to the operation of such a
power. ..11e entirely agreed in the views of that
excellent officer, and considered that there should be no
intermediate authority between • the committing•magis-
trate and the trial of the accused. To say nothing .of
the intolerable inconvenience and expense, the perver-
sion Ofjustiee frequently resulting from the temptations
which presented themselves to persons liable to be tam-
pered with in the interval between a charge and the pre-
ferring of a bill was most frightful. To be sure, the re-
cent order made by the judges that a qualified person
should be present at the sittings of the grand juries to
see that the evidence of the witnesses in support of the
presentments was in accordince'ivith that in support of
the charges when originally made; had accomplished
great good, but still there were inherent faults in. the
syStem which partial applications could not remedy.
Tho solicitor said he was astonished when he' was
told that a bill had been presented and found, upon the
occasion to which the magistrate's attention liad.been
thus particularly called, as the usual mode adopted in
cases of alleged Rd, was tiyeriminal information in the
Court of Queen's Bench, or by action at law. Hai was
rejoiced that his application had called forth the 'obser-
vations of Sir Peter Laurie; as everything sliculd be done
to show the necessity of the prompt interference-of Go-
v_ ernmeut to remedy the grievahce.
Sir P. LAURIE—I believe that no two gentlemen,
however extensive may may
lgitfilelltitoonfothrmanamoir. rcelcaorrkr,ectjubdegtmheCnirt ponractlitiicse,i,m
the Clerk of the Arraigns, and
Mr. Goodman, the chief clerk of the Justice-room. I
aPreorcituanai
should wish to bo guided by them in this matter. I
pkzopwab,inen and
injustice
uhsat
ivceelong
to
which
prosecutorstheo daenlda
y acidwitnessesthe
ba,e been exposed, and I have been always impressed
with the feeling that the accuser and the accused
should be placed face to face, and I trust that her Ma-
jesty's Government will make inquiry into the merits of
a question 'which is becoming daily more important to
the community.
Sir PETER LAURIE then accepted bail in• the usual
form.

---
A deputation of private country bankers, consisting of
Mr. Plumptre (Kent), Mr. Rodvrell (Suffolk), the Hon.
A. L. Melville (Lincolnshire), Mr: Veasey (Hunting-
.tlogshire)..,Mr. Spooner (Birminghani), Mr,. Tweedy
(Cornwall), and -Mr.. Birkbook (Yorkshire), 10_ an in-
terview with Sir Robert Peer yesterday, at his official
residence
-in Downing-street.