The Sun.
London, England, 1844-06-05 00:00:00

searched, and upon his person was fount a certificate recom-
mending him to charity, to which the signatures with sums
of money were attached. Just at that period several frauds
had ben committed, and amongst the rest a letter in the
French language bad been addressed to a .French gentleman,
which came under this description. After a fttll examination.
which lasted the whole of that and the following day, the ma-
gistrates were satisfied that Moore had written the certificate
himself, and that the letter addressed to the French gentleman
was in his handwritine.,andthey sentenced him to three months'
imprisonment on the charger of obtaining money under false pre-
tences. lie had received thisexplanation from the mayor. He must
say that upon the whole he thought that the magistrates had
exercised due caution bdore they came to their decision, and
he had felt that it was not a case in which he could recommend
the prisoner to mercy. In the letter which he had written to
the prisoner h' had stated that the term of his imprisonment
having expired, there was then no course open to him but to
proceed at law against the magistrates for false imprisonment.
He was of opinion that under the circumstances three months'
imprisonment with hard labour was not too severe a punishment.
Mr. HUME begged to ask of the Right Hon. Baronet whe-
ther there had been a single witness brought forward against
the prisoner beside the policeman?
Sir JAMES GRAHAM said it was impossible for him to
try the facts over again.--( Hear.) He believed the magistrates
had no interest in distorting the facts.—(Hear.)
Mr. WAKLEY wished to know from the Right Hon. Ba-
ronet whether he considered that it was lawful for the officer
to take from this man his papers, when he had been arrested
merely on a charge of drunkenness?—( Hear.)
Sir JAMES GRAHAM said the police-officer complained
of the man's conduct, when he became noisy and disorderly,
upon that he was taken to the station-house, and on being
taken to the station-house his person was searched.
Mr. WAKLEY asked was that orderly?
Sir JAMES GRAHAM said he believed it was.

Mr. A GLIONBY said he was not aware that the magis-
trates had the power of summary conviction for obtaining
money under file pretences.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM said he must really object to dis-
cussing the question of law against the acuteness of the Hon.
and Learned Gentleman, but out of courtesy he would do what
he could to satisfy him. He demurred to sitting there to try
the conduct of the magistrates.—( Hear, hear.)
Mr. AGLIONBY said all he wished to know was, whether
the man was punished for obtaining money under false pretences?
Sir JAMES GRAHAM then read the minutes of the pro-
ceedings before the magistrates, in which it was stated that the
prisoner, on the 26:.h of August last, endeavoured to procure
charitable contribution. under false and fraudulent pretences,
and the conviction for obtaining money by those means. Theßight
Hon. Baronet als1) read the clause under which he was con-
victed. He observed that. it was a most inconvenient practice
to endeavour to turn that House into a court of appeal in such
cases.

Mr. WAKLEY agreed witirthe Right Hon. Baronet in
considering it an inconvenient practice to make that House a
court of appeal from the decision of magistrates; and it would
be a most objectionable practice if it were pozsible to do without
it. It was true the courts of law were open ; but what could
a pcor man without money do there ? He had no prospect of
justice unless he employed a lawyer, and no lawyer
would assist him without money. He considered that
in the present instance a grievous wrong had been done
—( Hear, hear)—and the case had not been made
better by the manner in which it had been argued by the
lion. Member for Shrewsbury. It was a perversion of his
powers to. attempt by eloquence and wit to gloss over the
atrocious conduct of the authorities of Shrewsbury.—( Hear. )
The man had been arrested en a charge of drunkenness, and
that charge had never been investigated—he had never been
acquitted or convicted on it.--( Hear, hear.) The Right Hon.
Gentleman said that the charge had been proved. Now there
was no proof whatever of it—no ritness had been exa-
mined, except the officer who had felt his official
dignity offended by the conduct of the man, and
they all knew how captious police-officers were. Ile
made no complaint of the manner in which the Right
Honourable Baronet performed his duty with regard to the
gaols, but he could assure the Right Hon. Baronet that in
many instances a sentence of imprisonment, even for a short
period, amounted in fact to a sentence of death ; he had se-
veral cases before him recently of this nature ; and these cases
of suhimary conviction could not claim too much of the atten-
tion of the Government, or be too closely investigated by that
House. He firmly believed that there were hundreos—he
might say thousands—of innocent persons incarcerated at the
present moment.—(Hear.) Yes, he firmly believed such was
the fact. He wished to ask the Right Honourable Baronet
one question. This man had been taken into custody simply
on a charge of drunkerness. He had been asked for his li-
cense, and that he had produced.
Mr. D'IS R A ELI— He was abusive. _ _

Mr. WAK LEY admitted he might have used abusive lan-
guage. Drunken men were not often civil; and he won•
dered what the officer expected from a drunken man ; but the
man having been taken into custody simply on a charge of
drunkenness, he wished to ask the Right Honourable Baro-
net if he considered it lawful on the part of the offi-
cers of Shrewsbury to search the nan— to take
his papers from him, to submit them to the meddling, officious
Mayor of Shrewsbury, who, by a prying, pettifogging, paltry
examination of these documents, had, when no charge but
drunkenness was brought again,t the man, manufactured a
charge out of those documents, which he had no hesitation in
saying the authorities of Shrewsbury had stolen from this man's
person.—(Hear, hear, from Mr. D'lsraeli.) There was
no law to justify their taking them. If there
were, let the Honourable Gentleman produce the
Act of Parliament which justified them in what they had
done. The Right Hon. Gentleman said that it had been
proved that the rum had made an attempt to procure money—.
there was not one tittle of evidence to that effect—there was
not any deposition of any witness proving that any application
for money had been made.—( Hear, hear.) He trusted his
Hon. Friend would see further into it, and would, with the
aid of others, furnish the man with means to go into
a court of law.--(Cries of " Hear, hear.") He for one
would willingly assist the man in getting his case tried—
(lronical cheers from the Ministerial benches)--and as Hon.
Gentlemen opposite seemed so delighted at the idea, he trusted
that they too would grant their aid, and then not a word further
would be said on the subject until it had been submitted to a
legal ti !burial.
Themotion was then negatived without a division.
Mr. WALLACE moved for ecopy of the protest, with the
signatures attached thereto, as delivered to the judges or the
clerk of wsizes, by ten of the jury who were impannelled to
try Alexander Walker, on the 3d day of May last, at the assizes
held in the city of Glasgow, on that and other days of the said
month, " for an assault with an intent to ravish ;" also the
names of the judges before whom the said case was called and
tried, on the said, 3d day of May, and the name
or names of the advocate-depute or deputes, assis-
taut or assistants, who appeared or acted as public
prosecutor in the aforesaid case. Also, copy of an entry or
entries in the records of assizes, or in the records of the Court
of Justiciary, or books of adjournal referable to the said case.
Also, return of the number of civil cases which were intimated
or put down for trial with a jury at the time the aforesaid
assizes were held in Glasgow, but which were not then tried;
also, the names of the parties to each cause, and the date of its
commencement, and the name of the court in which it was
originally instituted.—Agreed to.
Mr. HUME moved that the petition; of the Agricultural
and Horticultural Societies of the East Indies be printed with
the Votes.—Agreed to.
Sir R. H. INGLIS moved that a Committee be appointed
to inquire into the state of Westminster-bridge.—The Com-
mittee was accordingly appointed.
On the motion that the report of the Committee of Ways
and Means be brought up,
Mr. P. M. STEWART inquired when the Sugar Duties
Bill would be again brought before the House.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the
Sugar Duties Bill would b' the first thing introduced on Mon-
day next, and the Bank Charter Bill on the Thursday fol-
lowing.
The Report was then brought up, and the resolutions were
agreed to ; after which leave was. given to bring in a Bill
founded thereon, and the Bill was read a first time, and ordered
to be read a second time on Thursday. •
The other Orders of the Day were disposed of, and the House
adjourned at a Quarter ta One o'clock.

DISSENTERS' CHAPELS BILL.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SlR,—The Wesleyans, in their petitions against the Dis-
senters' Chapel Bill, aver that if the Bill became law it would
dangerously interfere with the trusts of their chapels.
Now the clause, about which so much has wrongly been
put forth, runs thus :—" To prevent chapels, in the trust
deeds of which there is no requirement as to the particular
doctrines to be taught, from being taken away from their
present holders."
This is intelligible enough ; and who can say it would, in
the most remote degree, infringe upon the trusts of any
chapel, much more endanger them ? If the Wesleyans were
ignorant of this, they ought before petitioning to have in-
formed themselves of the plain fact.
June 3. TRUTH.

Yesterday Mr. Toole, of the East India House
proceeded down the river in the Vesper steam-packet
with a chest of books, consisting of the works of Sir
Walter Scott, Charles Dickens, the Penny Magazine,
the Lives of Wellington and Napoleon, and some reli-
gious books, to the Wellesley transport, lying off Graves-
end, and delivered the same to W. Toiler, master, for
the use of the Hon. East India Company's troops about
to sail for India. The chest contained about 160 vo-
lumes, and is termed a " military library," and every
soldier on board has the free use of the volumes for
three days ; but if he tears or defaces them the amount
of damage is stopped out of his pay. Some officers also
proceeded by the same packet to join the Wellesley.
LAUNCH OF THE MONAUCH.—The launch of an
Indiaman of the first class, from the yard of Mr. Green, at
Blackwall, took place on Saturday, in the presence of
thousands of spectators. The yard, which was very kindly
thrown open to the public by the spirited proprietor, was
crowded with visitors ; carriages were continually arriving
for some time with people of rank and fashion, and the
steamers and railroad trains were pouring fresh supplies into
the town of Poplar. This very fine vessel, the Monarch, is
built upon the .improved principles of naval architecture, and
is one of the best models of a ship of her class : she is formed
for speed in sailing, with sufficient breadth of beam to make
her a good sea-boat, and with plenty of room for stowage of a
cargo and the accommodation of passengers. Her tonnage
by measurement is 1.150 tons. The naming of the vessel, by
breaking a bottle of wine upon her bows, at the signal that
she was off the slips, was performed in the usual manner by
one of the ladies of Mr. Green's family, for whom, and for
those immediately around her, a platform was erected for
their better accommodation. A large booth, which contained
some hundreds of persons, was also erected on one side of the
vessel, and in it were those who bad the privilege of an
entrée. There was plenty of room for everybody, and all who
came to see the launch were treated with politeness and pro-
vided with places.. It was half-past one o'clock when this
fine ship floated into the Thames, amid the firing of some
small pieces of ordnance and the cheers of the immense host
of persons assembled. She was ornamented with the union
jack and other flags, and her deck was covered with people,
who returned the cheers of those on shore. In the course of

the day she was towed by a tug steamer into the basin of the
East India Docks. _ _ _

LYCEUM IHEATEE.—The following distinguished
'Persons have visited this theatre during the week
The Duke and Duchess of Leeds, Marquis and Mar-
chioness of Normanbv, Earl and Countess of Sheffield,
Lord and Lady Dartmouth, Lady Villiers Stewart, Earl
and Countess Kenmare, Lady kinloeh, Lord and Lady
Brougham, Lord George Loftus, Lord Marcus Hill,
Lord and Lady Adair, Earl and Countess Wilton, Lord
Beaumont, Lord Hawke, Marquis of Huntly, Lord Car-
rington, Lady Mary Christopher, Lord Braybrook, Lady
Kinnoul, Sr Winston and Lady Barrow, Sir C. and Lady
Constable, Sir T. Gage, Sir H. and Lady Harland, Sir
John Gerard, Captain and Hon. Mrs. ,Ramsay, Mrs.
Mountjoy Martyn, Hon. Mrs. llamsden, Hon. Mrs.
Murray, B. J3otfield, Esq., M.P., and family ; E. R.
Travers, Esq., Colnnd Gwynne, George Wombwell, Esq.,
Mr. Whitbread, MT., &c.
Yesterday the Committee of the Baronetage for Pri-
vileges, held their anniversary meeting at the Clarendon
Hotel.