The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-21 00:00:00

Q UEEN-SQ UA RE.

On Monday, Mrs. Pelhain, who underwent several
examinations at this Court a short time ago on the
charge of gross neglect and cruelty to her son, Brent
Spencer, a lunatic, and against whom a true bill has
been found, accompanied by Mr. Head, from the
office of Mr. Steel, solicitor, waited upon the magis-
trate.

Mr. Head stated that the object of his visit was to
reply to a romantic statement which had been made
at that Court on Saturday last. The magistrate
would remember that a female named Bird had come
before him, and said that about one or two-and-
twenty years ago her child had been taken from her
by Mrs. Pelham, and that she had never been able to
find her until that day, when she recognised her at
Chelsea workhouse. Mrs. Pelham had felt it her
duty to come forward, and was now prepared to meet
the charge, which had not the slightest foundation,
and which was calculated to do her a very serious
injury. She had enough to answer at the present
moment without being made the victim of such idle
stories as these, and was desirous of putting the ma-
gistrate in possession of such facts as must leave the
inference on his mind that she was innocent of this
charge. The woman's child was stated by her to be
one or two-and-twenty years of age, while Wilson
Pelham, the conjectured offspring, was above three-
and•twenty, and, as regarded property, there was not
a penny coming to him in any way. There was a
total absence of all motive in the affair, as Mrs. Pel-
ham had not the slightest expectancy, by substitution
or otherwise, of receiving any emolument by him,
and moreover, she could distinctly prove that he was
her own child. Mr. Ryder had, it appeared to him,
been extraordinarily zealous in this matter, far indeed,
he considered, beyond his duty as chairman of the
Board of Guardians.
Mr. ButtaELL interrupted the gentleman. He did
not agree with what he said of Mr. Ryder.
Mr. Head continued—Some observations had been
made on the subject of some property—an allowance
received by Mrs. Pelham from Edinburgh ; that pro-
perty had been left to Mrs. Pelham thirty-one years
ago by her own mother, and he held in his hand at
that moment a letter from the North British Rail-
way Company, treating with her on the subject of
her property, which was situate in the Canongate, at
Edinburgh. He concluded by repeating that there
was not the slightest grounds for this charge, and ex-
pressed a hope that as the poison had gone forth so
would the antidote. _ _

Mr. BURRELL said he had no control over the press,
nor ought he to have. A statement had been made
to him on Saturday, which was under consideration.
Mr. Head observed that, although the story was so
idle, Mrs. Pelham had considered it her duty to come
forward and repel the accusation.
Mr. BURRELL said that he had not yet taken any
steps in the matter, as his mind was undecided.
Mr. Head and Mrs. Pelham then withdrew.

EXTENSIVE GANG OF YORK
SHIRE BURGLARS.

The proceedings of an extensive gang of house-
breakers, who have been carrying on their operations for
some time in the West Riding of this county, have just
been brought to light. At the last assizes, four men,
named James Hudson, Charles Gomersall, Joseph
Hudson, and George Heald, were convicted of bur-
glary, and sentenced to twenty years' transportation.
After their conviction, two of them made a confession
of the various transactions in which they and eight
i
other persons had been mplicated. The gang appears
to have consisted of n o fewer than twelve individuals,
and already the police have obtained information of
their having perpetrated burglaries at Crigglestone,
Normanton, Methley, New Miller Dam, Wakefield,
Gilderstone, Rothwell, and Silcoates ; also of a high-
way robbery between Wakefield and Dewsbury, and
several cases of sheep stealing, including thirty sheep
which had been stolen in that locality. After the
assizes, Mr. Child, inspector of police at Leeds, Mr.
Wilkinson, of Whitley, and Mr. Fox, an officer of
police at Elland, prosecuted their investigations into
these various robberies, which involved property to an
enormous amount, exceeding in the aggregate 2,0001.
Their labours resulted in the apprehension of five
more of the gang, named Squire Walker, Thomas
Hudson, John Hampshire, George Fisher, and James
Glover, who were all lodged in York Castle. The two
former (Walker and Hudson) were examined on Fri-
day at York, before B. Hague, Esq., and were by him
committed for trial at the next assizes, Walker for a
burglary at Methley, and Hudson for burglaries at Nor-
manton and Methley. Hampshire, Fisher, and Glover,
were remanded for further examination on Tuesday,
when John Hampshire was committed for trial at the
next assizes, charged with having, on the 12th of
March, burglariously entered the dwelling-house of
Isaac Beaumont, of (iildersome, and stolen therefrom
a piece of check. The other parties charged along
with Hampshire (Clover and Fisher) were discharged.
True bills were found at the last assizes against two
others of the gang, and bench warrants are now out
for their apprehension ; another is in Wakefield
House of Correction, and will be apprehended on this
charge so soon as his present term of imprisonment
is terminated, and the other individual, to complete
the number, is well known, and, no doubt, will soon
be taken. Mr. Sanderson, solicitor, of Leeds, is con-
ducting the prosecution against the prisoners, and
there is little doubt that ultimately the whole of this
formidable gang will be brought to justice.—Doncas-
ter Gazette.

TIIE NEW POLICE COURTS.—The New Police
Court which has been lately erected at Stones-end,
Borough, in lieu of Union-hall, has just been com-
pleted. The cabinets have been taken from Union-hall
to undergo repair, previous to their being placed in the
new Court, which will be opened for business at Michael-
mas. The new Court at Kensington will be completed
at the same time.
REVIVAL or TRADE.—We have received the fol-
lowing from an intelligent correspondent:--Sunderland,
15th August—After a long
-season of depression, trade is
evidently reviving with us.' Coals are more plentiful ;
in fact, more plentiful than ships, as there are very few
left in the harbour, and in consequence freights have
advanced, 8/. los. per keel having been given for Hum-
burgh.—D erham Advertiser.
EXTRAORDINARILY LOW TIDE.--The river on Sa-
turday and Sunday presented a most remarkable and
unusual appearance, in consequence of the tide, which
was so low at one period as to cause the greatest diffi-
culty among the steam-boats and other vessels in navi-
gating the river, particularly between London-bridge
and Chelsea. At Waterloo and Blackfriars the river
had more the appearance of a canal, and might have
been easily waded through. The business at Blackfriars-
pier was considerably impeded, in embarking and land-
ing the passengers who were arriving by the various
boats. The Waterman steamer No. 4 was aground off
Blackfriars for some time, and notwithstanding the re-
peated efforts to remove her, she was compelled to
tranship her
-passengers on to another 'vessel after a de-
lay of half an hour. Many (were aground off West-
minster for some time on Saturday, but were able to
proceed at the return of the tide, which has not been so
low for many years. -
FEMALE OURAN•OETANG.—The Salem Gazette
mentions the arrival at that port of a female ouran-
outang in a ship from Africa. The animal, which is
stated to be very docile and intelligent, had attracted
much attention. In the course of the voyage she had
greatly amused the sailors by her pranks. On one occa-
sion, having seen one of the crew employed in painting,
she watched her opportunity and ran aloft with the paint
pot and brushes, and, determined to display her powers
on canvass, she daubed upon one of the sails a series of
figures, such as, it may be safely said, were never at-
tempted by any human artist. She is fond of the un-
feminine accomplishment of smoking cigars, and she
puffs away at the weed greatly to the delight of her
Yankee visitors. It is said, that she is even polite
enough to hand her cigar to any gentleman rear her
whose appearance is sufficiently prepossessitT to win
her favour. She is also something of a housewife, and a
disciple of the manual labour school, for she can help
herself to coffee, and draw water from the pump as
readily as any of her more favoured human sisterhood.