The Sun.
London, England, 1828-09-13 00:00:00

animadverted on in the recent Police Report.
Sir William, .evidently a single-minded honour-
able man, was indignant at the idea that so-
ciety could only be safe under the care and pro-
tection of dishonest men—" Set a thief to catch
a thief," he says, " is a proverbial saying, which
like many others is very apt to mislead through an
association of ideas, and occasion a conduct hurt-
ful to the peace and interest of society." He was
shocked at the intimacy of the union which then
subsisted between Magistrates, Police-officers,
and thieves ; and being a determined operator,
he thought the extermination of the iklagistrates
and Police would be of more benefit to the pub.
lie than the extermination of the nonzinal
thieves.. Sir William was an active member of
the London Military Foot Association, which
exerted itself in the repression of outrages which
were then disgracefully frequent, and the perusal
of his work affords us this consolation, that
roguery is at all events conducted now in a more
pleasant and gentlemanly manner than forty years
ago. The following is his narrative of some ex-
cursions made to secure offenders, in 1780 :
" We were several times on this duty, attended
by peace officers, particularly two, who have been
long employed in the art and mystery of thief-
taking. We visited Chick-lane, Field-lane, Black-
boy-alley., and other such kind of places, where we
escorted many recognised criminals to prison. The
buildings in these parts constitute a sort of distinct
town, or district, calculated for the reception of the
darkest and most dangerous enemies to society ; in
which, when pursued for the commission of crimes,
they easily conceal themselves, or from which,by the
construction of the houses, they can as readily
escape. The houses are divided from top to bottom,
into many apartments, with doors of communication
among them all, and also with the adjacent houses;
some have two, others three, many four doors
opening into different alleys. To such an height
has our neglect of police arrived, that the owners
of these houses make no secret of their being
let for the entertainment of thieve r! One woman
a rosy veteran, being questioned on this head,
answered, where are they to go, if we de not
admit them? Thus they support on principle
the propriety of maintaining the republic of thieves,
In many of the rooms were six, seven, eight, nine,
and ten men, in bed ; in one loft, into which we
were obliged to creep through a trap-door, were
eight men. At a certain house near West Smith-
field, reported to be employed chiefly for the recep-
tion of highwaymen and thieves, it was with
difficulty we obtained admittance. At the end
of a little passage up stairs, we observed a small
deal door : there we demanded to be let in, but
were answered in a rough tone of voice, " I
am a half-pay officer, and will not admit you."—
We explained our business and authority, pro-
mising to treat him with civility. At length
we were admitted into a small bed-room, in
great disorder. From this apartment a door
opened into a room which appeared to be at least
fifty feet long, and proportionably broad. Here
were all kinds of implements of artisans—saws,
screw's, various sorts of instruments for cutting, a
quantity of spirit of nitre, a furnace, crucibles, burnt
bones, locks, hinges, &c ..
officers and keepers of these houses were well ac-
quainted with each other, and on much better terms
than is compatible with the distinction between
honesty and roguery. Our jealousy was increased
the more, as these persons insisted there could be no
motive for going into many houses, although from
thence we brought away the most suspected persons;
while the same officers conducted us into places
where there appeared to. he the least ground for sus-
picion; nor could they be prevailed on to go up
stairs at some houses, where we desired their at-
tendance.

I was lately on a service that afforded me much
matter for observation. Information was given to
the Chief Magistrate, that several of a large party
of convicts that had escaped from a vessel intended
to convey them to the Coast of Aft ica, had been seen
in Gravel-lane, &c., in the neighbourhood of
Houndsditch. The Artillery Company were imme-
diately applied to for assistance, arid about forty of
the gentlemen marched silently from the Armoury
House about two in the morning. They were joined
by an Alderman, one of the Marshals, and some con
stables belonging to a Justice's office. The dispo-
sition that was made on this occasion did certainly
great credit to the active Adjutant Clark; for, at the
same moment every avenue of the district of Gravel-
lane was secured; so that it would have been im-
possible for any person to have escaped. A de-
tachment then searched all the houses; and though
perhaps on any other night, numbers of the most
abandoned wretches might have been here found,
yet on this occasion, so far from meeting with
the objects of our research,- Nve hardly discover-
'ed one man in the place, excepting the keepers
of houses. We observed the dwellings to be con-
structed on the like principle as those in Chick-law,
&c. The constables also appeared to be on the
most familiar terms with the landlords and landladies,
hailing them in a friendly mariner, winking at them,
whispering, and drinking drams with them. No-
thing could, be plainer, than the keepers of these
househad been informed of our intended visit . .
. . . Struck with horror at the murder of
Mr, Hurd, and the continual robberies and acts of
violence committed in the roads about Islington, a
party of the Gentlemen of the Honourable Artillery
Company, accompanied by peace•officers, went for
many nights on a spirited search after the villains.
They took up several suspicious persons, and, what
is worthy observation, when on art occasion they pre-
sented some of thesw to a Magistrate for examina-
tion, he rebuked them for meddling with a busi-
ness which he said his own people much bettor
understood."

This is a sample of die London Police between
forty and fifty years ago, and with a very few
variations, it would serve far the present day,
with the exception that there are now several
N'fagistrates whom we believe to be honourable
men, whereas, by universal assent, there was
hardly
one who then merite4 that title. But the
honesty of the Magistrate, where it exists, avails
public little, because it appears from the evi-
dence, that they are led by the officers ; they
support all the pretensions of the latter, and
contribute as much to the.securing of their pro-
Ctable monopoly,
as it' they themselves actually
benetitt4d by it. No one can suppose' that this
system is now l''fonr"t'nheinfir:ill itt;smtcglinces.:l,ll,tio the
any
,(ili„-717Tsn'lintleinta'n ounce of sense,. suppose that a
police-officer'would remain an honest man, in
-week ? that he w
this expensive m etropolis, on
idri‘i'leo-tanbde-tzrecnetTi
ttsiol:7iritilliantlier2las%i?l: eriel,ffelaiitsy,
.11 theiscrl
kielxitrp,oac3a‘elitl.of society?
dove that
on the
u1.;;-ii:tef4117711-V depielsa?mo'rrthal abhorrence
lawyers of main-
of
tainincr
England have always,
of truth and honesty. Ever. whpn .they mean
to do good, they cannot bear the idea Of going
about the hu,:tivss without false pretexts and
subterfuge. Their njoiality has had more in-
fluence on the nation than inight ai first be sup-
posed. Every thing
pretext. We Iciched out a ing, and told him
with us, is fiction and false
he had abdicated. We have an .Oligarchy, who
choose to call the men whom they name to vote
taxes, to he shared among themselves an'l their
dependants, Representatives of the People. The
privilege to poison and plunder the public',
• through the power which licensing gives to .Jus—
tices, is called guardianship of the morals of the
irple• seems to be thought by those who
core the tone to the nation, that hypocrisy and
fld.se pretexts are essential to good administra-