The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-18 00:00:00


On Saturday two little ragged and famished-looking
boys, named William and John Hoscroft, of the re-
spective ages of 10 and 12 years, were brought before
Mr. Broughton, at Worship-street, charged with
having stolen a cow-heel from the shop of a tripe
salesman, in Pitfield-street, Hoxton. About six
o'clock on Friday evening police constable Kemp, of
the N division, observed the prisoners looking
wistfully in at the window of the shop, and,
after watching them a few minutes, he saw
the elder one snatch a raw cow-heel from
off the show-board, which they both began to de-
vour with the most ravenous avidity in the presence
of the policeman. On being taken into custody they
cried bitterly, and said they were compelled by
hunger to commit the offence, as they had not eaten
a morsel of food since the previous day. They were
then conveyed to the station-house, but the owner of
the shop refused to appear against them.—Mr.
Broughton asked the officer whether anything was
known respecting the prisoners.—Clements, one of the
summoning officers attached to the Court, said that
he knew the boys, whose father had been a police-
man in the 11 division, but he died about six years
since, leaving a widow with a family of nine children
totally unprovided for. He believed that they were
in a state of deplorable distress ; but to the best of
his knowledge neither of them had ever before been
in custody.—Mr. Broughton observed that the ap-
pearance of the prisoners was that of complete living
skeletons, and directed Clements to make inquiries
as to the state of the unfortunate family, and report
to him the result when he sat on Monday.—Yester-
day Clements reported to the magistrate that, pur-
suant to his orders, he had visited the unfortunate
widow, who, with six of her children, occupied a
wretched room at the house, No. 2, Poole's-place,
Spitalfields, and a scene of greater wretchedness and
destitution he had never witnessed. There was not
a morsel of food in the place, and the only furni-
ture consisted of an old table and two broken
chairs. She had sold her bed last year to procure
food for her children, and they had all been
since compelled to sleep on the bare boards, with
nothing to cover them but the scanty rags that served
them for personal clothing. All they had to
depend upon was the occasional employment which
the poor woman obtained as a charwoman, and the
laborious earnings of the two eldest daughters, who
worked as machine-winders, but whose conjoint exer-
tions never produced more than 4s. or 5s. a week. He
had expended 5s. in the purchase of food and other
necessaries for the unfortunate family.—Mr. Brough-
ton highly approved of the conduct of the officer, and
ordered them to be furnished with a sufficient sum
from the poor-box for he further alleviation of the
distressing case.

SURVEY OF BASS'S STRAITS.
NOTICE TO MARINERS.
The following communication has been received a
Lloyd's :—

" Colonial Land and Emigration-office,
9, Park-street, Westminster, Jan. 13.
" Sir,—I am directed by the Colonial Land and Emi-
gration Commissioners to transmit: to you the inclosed
communication, respecting the results of the survey of
an important part of the coast of New South Wales, by
her Majesty's sloop Beagle, &c.
(Signed) " S. WALCOTT, Secretary.
" ' Her Majesty's sloop Beagle, Hobart Town, March 14.
" The portions of Bass's Straits, surveyed by her Ma-
jesty's sloop Beagle, and the Government cutter Vansit-
tart, during the last year, are as follow :—From sixteen
miles eastward of Comer Inlet to Western Point on its
northern shore, and from Cape. Portland to Circular
Head on the south, with the islands occupying the
greater part of the eastern entrance between Wilson's
Promontory and Cape Portland ; Comer Inlet was
found to be navigable for vessels drawing fourteen
feet, and the eastern side of Wilson's Promontory to
abound with good anchorages in westerly winds ; but
the most important part of the survey has been that
of making known the numerous anchorages among the
islets fronting the western shore of Flinder's Island, and
that the eastern entrance of the strait between Craggy
and Flinder's Islands is free from danger. The only
dangers in that part of the strait are Endeavour Reef and
Beagle Rock. The knowledge of a clear passage be-
tween Craggy and Flinder's Islands, and of the an-
chorages on the western side of the latter, is of great
importance to the commercial interests of the two colo-
nies ; for many vessels have been driven past Port Dal-
rymple in westerly gales, and wrecked on the western
shores of Flinder's Island, in consequence of not knowing
where to run for an anchorage. A very useful anchorage
will be found on the east side of Hummock Island ; in
four and five fathoms ; and that island may be known by
its three remarkable hammocks on the extremes and
centre, which, when first seen, gives it the appearance of
three separate islands. Vessels may reach the anchorage
by either passing round the northern or southern end.
The latter is most convenient, as the anchorage is close
to it. The tides are strong among the islands fronting
Flinder's Island. Vessels approaching Hummock Island
from the northward should keep a good look out for a
rocky patch about a mile off the north-west point of
Flinder's Island. On the south line of the strait from
Cape Portland to Circular Head, a distance of 130 miles,
there are only three anchorages, Waterhouse Island, Fort
_Dalrymple, and Emu Bay. The latter and former are
safe only in westerly winds. A good loop; out should be
kept in passing inside Ninth Island, as the shore front-
ing it has several outlying rocks off it.'
(Signed) " 6 J. I. STOUE3.' "

1-NTELLTGENC5:.
COURT t'IT' CH NCER Y, Jag. 17
slammit e. INNEs. •
The Lord CI:anoelq- w,u, or, th,., wiole day with the
further argumet.ti in this part.iicard ariw.cd.

VICE-CHANCERY COURT, Jan. 17.
BERNSVOAD r. ARMAGH.
The Vice-Chancellor of England was occupied the whole day
with the further arguments in this part-heard case, which
came before the Court upon exceptions.

!COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH, Jan. 17.
( Sittings in Banco. )

THE QUEEN v. THE GRAND ;UNCTION RAILWAY COMPANY.
This was an appeal against a decision of the magistrates as
to the amount upon which the Grand Junction Railway Com-
pany ought to be assessed to the poor-rate of a certain parish
through which the railway passed. The question at issue was
whether the Company was to be rated upon the whole of their
receipts or only upon their tolls.
The Solicitor-General bad last term been heard on behalf of
the Company.
Mr. M. D. HILL, this morning, was heard on the same side,
and contended that it was evident from the Act of Parliament
that the tolls, and the tolls only, were rateable. The South
Western case did net apply to the present case, inas-
much as no tolls were received on that Railway, and it
was not to be reasonably expected that tolls ever would be re-
ceived on that line. But on the Grand Junction line tolls to
a large amount were received, with respect to the carrying
trade of the Company they were to be considered merely as
carriers, carrying on their business in common with other car-
riers who used that railroad and raid the Company tolls for
the use of it. The rateable value of the railroad, then, was the
amount of tolls actually received by the Company from ether
carriers for the use of the railway, plus the amount of tolls which
the Company would have had to pay for the use of the road
as carriers if they had not been the occupiers of the railroad.
Mr. KELLY replied, and contended that the amount of
actual receipts was the basis on which the rate should be calcu-
lated. The annual value of the property was what a tenant
would give for it, and if a landlord were to let the railroad, he
would take all contingencies into his calculation in fixing the
amount of the rent to be paid.
Mr. HILL replied.
The COURT took time to consider its judgment.

BAIL COURT, Jan. 17.
(Before Mr. Justice WILLIAMS.)
CICOAGIC V. MOLD.

This was an action brought to recover the sum of 681. 8s.
6d., the balance of an account arising out of goods which had
been supplied by the plaintiff, a silk mercer, to the defendant, a
dressmaker. Verdict for the plaintiff. Damages 68/. 8s. 6d.
Costs, 40s.