The Sun.
London, England, 1821-10-31 00:00:00

DIVIDENDS.

Nov. 27, J. Beck,. Sweeting's-alley, Cornbill, watchmaker
—Dec. 1, J. Du4fill, Broornsgrove, 'Worcestershire, grocer—
Dec; 4, J. Peet, Ashton-within-Mackerfield, -Lancashire,
hinge manufacturer—Nov. 21, P. Dewsbury, Altrincham,
Cheshire, corn-dealer—Nov. 21, T. Stafford, Bath, jeweller—
Nov. 24, H. HaY and T. A. Torner, Newcastle-street, Strand,
printers—Nov. 6, C. R. 11. Bailey, Swallowfield, Wilt-
shire, dealer—Nov. 17, J. Richardson, Sloane-street, Chelsea,
apothecary—Nov. 24, C. Marsh, widow, L. Deane, widow, R.
;Westbrook, sen., and H. B. Deane, Reading, .113erkshire,
bankers—Nov. 20, G. Gardiner, St. John-street, ironmonger
.-Nov. 24, D. Pitt, Fenchurch-street, hosier—Nov. 22, T.
Dowding, West Stower, Dorsetshire, yeoman—Nov. 22,
C. Thick, 'Shaftesbury, Dorsetshire, maltster—Nov. 24,
IV. Phipps, Shoreditch, willow-square-manufacturer—Nov.
24, A. Nordblad and H. Middleton, Kingston-upon-Hull,
merchants—Dec. 1. J. Clay, Kingston-upon-Hull, merchant—
Nov. 24, J. Warwick, St. Alban's, draper—Nov. 24, P.D.
Abbott, Powis-place, Great Ormond-street, insurance-broker—
Nov. 22, R. Bass, Colchester, maltster—Nov. 3, G. Hardisty
and J. Cowing, Bedford-court, Covent-garden, woollen-drapers
—Nov.2o, R. A. Cox, G. Weston, J. Furbe, and G. Cox,
Little Britain, bankers.
CERTIFICATES—Nov. 20. •
U. Yarrow, of Chiswell-street, shop-keeper—A. Redford,
London-road, stationer—S. Davis, of the Butts, Staffordshire,
Maltster—J. Coombes, Lower Shadwell, cooper—J. Storr,
Churwell, Yorkshire, clothier—T. Barehead, New 3lalton,
Yorkshire, corn-factor—R. Ray, Southampton-row, Blooms-
bury, man-milliner—C. Palk, East Teignmouth, Devonshire,
linen-draper--J. Tyerman,
:Bristol, haberdasher—J. Nelson,
Kendall, Westmorland, corn.ilealer.
s PARTNERSHIPS DISSOLVED.
B. Latchford and W. Davis, Birmingham, pearl button-
makers—J. Daulby and Co. Tranniore, Cheshire, ship-builders
—J. Dove and F. Collier, Shipston-upon-Stower, Worcester-
shire, surgeons—R. Godden and Co. Tenterden, Kent, bankers
—J. Hibbert and Co. Manchester—W. Sydenham and J. Jol-
lyffe, Charles-street, Westminster, saddlers—Rev. R. Phillips
and R. B. Phillips, Fotherley Hall, Staffordshire, school-mas-
ters—W. Lacon, Jun. and Co. New Bridge, Denbighshire, iron
ininers—W. L. Bryan and R. G. Grinnell, Pouliry,•printers.

FORG Eirf on the BANK of SCOTLAND.

PARIS COURT OF EXCISE, OcT. 25.
The trial of James ill'Dougal, alias LT7illiam
Harper, alias Debreton, commenced this day be-
fore the Court of Assizes. 'He was indicted for
having committed certain forgeries upon the
house of BattILLoN and Co. in Paris, and the
Bank of Scotland, and circulating them knowing
them to be forged. The Prisoner, in contradic-
tion to the declarations of numerous witnesses
who recognized him as Wm. harper M'Dougal,
said that his name was James Harper, and that he
had generously substituted himself for his bro-
ther, in order to save him from an ignominious
sentence. The prisoner had lived in Edinburgh
in 1819 under the name of Debreton, where he
taught the French and German languages. He
disappeared suddenly before the forgeries were
discovered, and an outlawry' followed. He re-
paired to Paris, where he assumed the name
of Capt. Wm. Harper, and lodged in the most
elegant hotels he could find. He frequented the
gaming tables, and became intimate with some
English gentlemen of distinction. In the month
of June, 1820, under the name of William Har-
per M'Dougal, he was married to Miss Elizabeth
Bedford Hodges, in the chapel of the English
embassy. Some time after he waited on M.
Barillon, the banker, and presented to him a let-
ter of credit from the Directors of the Bank of
Scotland, for 1,0001. sterling. This pretended
letter of credit, which had a false stamp and all
the appearance of the Bank of Scotland paper,
was not suspected by M. Barillon, who allowed
Harper to draw two bills on him, one for 6001.
and the other for 4001. Drafts which he gave to
different persons in discharge of the expenses of
his marriage, his lodgings, &c., were also paid
without hesitation. The amount of these drafts
was 12,699 francs. The Bank of Scotland, know-
ing nothing of William Harper, allowed his bills
to be protested, and M. Barillon discovered he
had been duped. It was discovered that he had
fled to Ghent, but on the application of the
French Government he was delivered up by the
authorities of-the-Netherlands, and on the 23d of
March lodged in the prison of Lille. He there
made a very strange declaration. He asserted
that he was not the person accused, but his i
brother, and that he had, in concert with the wife
of William M'Dougal, planned his escape.--
Through the management of the wife her,hus-
band bad been sent forward to Lille under the
care of a single officer. The carriage which con-
veyed him was about to leave the yard of an
inn at Courtray, when the prisoner (James),
who bad followed his brother on horseback,
and was dressed exactly like him, stepped into
the coach while the hOrses were changing. He
quickly put on his brother's cloak and cap, who
escaped. James now insisted that he was only
liable to the punishment for assisting in an escape.
The iadictment, however, charges the prisoner
with being the same person who had been suc-
cessively known under the names of Debreton,
Harper, and William M'Dougal, but whose real
name and origin are unknown. The accounts
which he give-s of his voyages from Scotland to
America, and from America to England, are full
of errors, both chronological and geographical.
For instance, he pretends that he has lived
among the Itchignois savages at the distance of
130 or 140 miles from St. Louis, the capital of
the Missouri State, but it has been proved to him
that he must make a mistake of only about 300
leagues in distance. Ire was assisted by an in-
terpreter, because he asserted that he did not
understand the French language, but he soon
grew tired of that slow mode of communication
with the Court and Jury, and began to express
himself in bad French, in which a kind of Scotch
pronunciation was more apparent than the Eng-
lish; but his extreme volubility proved that he
had little difficulty in the choice of expressions.
In answer to questions from the President he
could give no account of his 'birth, because no
registers were kept in Scotland. Respecting the
distribution of the property of his parents, he
said that his father had given him 4001. sterling
when he went to New Orleans, and that he gave
up all the rest of the succession to his brother,
with the exception of the share of the sister, who
married M. Debreton, against whom proceedings
for forgery. had been instituted at Edinburgh.
The President reminded him of the evidence al-
ready given of his identity, in answer to which,
he insisted that they must have been deceived by
this extreme resemblance to his brother. At las
the prisoner objected to be questioned by the
President.

.
President—You do not understand what my duty is.
Prisoner—lt is not. thus a judge acts in England ; a judge
there is impartial. -
The President—So is he also in France. I put questions to
you for your interest, but you do not reply to them with any
precision. I ask you no insidious questions. Why did your
brother call himself Harper ?
Prisoner—Harper is the name of a person who left him mo-
ney, on condition that he should take the name of the tes-
tator.

• President —You say you. got clothes made similar to your
brother's : what tailor made them ? _ _ _

Prisoner—Why do you ask such questions ? As I know that
the Belgian Government is despotic, I shall take good care not
to mention the name of the tailor, for that would only get him
thrown into prison.
In answer to these questions, the prisoner sketched with a
pencil a plan of the yard of the inn at Courtray, to explain the
mode in which lie said his brother escaped.
The Court then proceeded to examine witnesses to prove the
prisoner's identity. Several persons with whom he had lodged
or associated, deposed that he was the William Harper or
M'Dougal described in the indictment, and that he used to
speak French perfectly well.
Major Foley, of the British service, recognised the prisoner.
He had dined with him; and lrad-seen- him more than 50 times.
The prisoner put questions to-the witness' which were inter-
preted to the Court. The Major said that he observed no dif-
ference in hii style, except that in 1820 he spoke like an Eng-
lishman, whereas now he assumed a Scotch accent, which might
be easily imitated.
•
M. Beyerley had become security for the prisoner to the
amount of 800 francs,
which lie was obliged to pay. -He after-
wards challenged him, and they were to meet in the Bois de
Vincennes, where the witness waited three hours and a half
after the time appointed, but prisoner never came.
President. —Are you quite certain of the identity of the
prisoner ?
M. Beyerley.—l have not the least doubt. If Le will take
off the handkerchief which he has tied about his head, you will
see that he is bald.
The prisoner refused to remove the handkerchief until all the
witnesses had been examined respecting the colour of his hair.
He said, the truth was, that M. Beyerley -had endeavoured to
swindle his brother out of 800 francs. This he would prove
by the testimony of Mr. Manning.
Mr. Manning (an English lawyer) was immediately called.
He stated that a Captain Harper, who appeared to be the same
person as the prisoner, had consulted him on his difference
with M. Beyerley. The dispute was settled by arbitration.
Beyerlpy was again called up, -and went into details re-

specting the life of the prisoner, who, he,said, had been nur-
sed in Edinburgh, under the name of Debreton, and had un-
der that name published- a French grammar.
The prisoner was repeatedly checked by the Court for put.
ting insolent -questions to the gentlemen and other witnesses.
Several tradesmen with whom the prisoner had dealt identi.
fled him. A Mr. Drake had sold _him three horses, for whicl.
he was paid by bills on M. Barillon.
The prisoner asked this witness whether he thought a Scots.
man could imitate the English accuit.
Mr. Drake.—l cannot tell.
- The Advocate-General.—The witness, it is true, is an En-
glishman ; but he is a connoisseur in horses; and not in lan-
guages. . . . . . .

M. Barilion had not the slightest hesitation in recognizing
the prisoner, who spoke French perfectly. A Captain Harper
had been arrested in London instead of the prisoner, but the in-
nocence of that gentleman was proved, and it was ascertained
that the prisoner's real name was Debreton, and that he had
been a teacher of languages at Edinburgh.
Mr. Sloper, an English lawyer, stated that he had been confulted
by M. Barillon on a letter of credit produced by a person call-
ing himself Harper, and that he had seen no reason to doubt
its authenticity. He had seen the prisoner at M. Barillon's
bank, and now recognized him.
The Court adjourned to five o'clock. Having re-assembled
at that hour, the Advocate-General and the prisoner's Counsel
were heard, after which the President summed up the case.
The Jury having deliberated for three-quarters of an hour,
declared the prisoner guilty—lst,.of forgery of commercial and
banking writings . '2d, of having used a forged stamp of the
Bank of Scotland; 3d, of forgery of private writing.
The sentence of the Court was, EIGHT YEARS HARD LA-
B3IJR, PILLORY, BRANDING, and 500 FRANCS FINE.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

COURT OF RING'S BENCH, OCT. 30.
HAMEL]) V. THORPE.

This was a case sent from Chancery for the opinion of this
Court, as to the validity of the will of one John Stevenson.—
The testator being seized in fee of certain lands and tenements,
by his will devised the same for life to a female named Bell,
with remainder to Mrs. Hatfield. One of the three witnesses
to the will was the husband of the latter. Both Mrs. Bell and
Mrs. Hatfield died without taking the which was now
claimed by the plaintiff as heir-atlaw.
The question for the opinion of the Court was, whether the
will was duly executed in pursuance of the Statute of Frauds,
29 Car. 11. c. 3., and the 25- Gco. 11. c. 6.; the former of which
directs, that all devises of lands and tenements shall not only be
in writing, but signed by the testator, or some other person in
his presence, and by his express direction -; and be subscribed
in his presence by three or four credible witnesses ; and the
latter directs, that the witnesses shall be entirely disinterested
persons, and such as can receive no benefit or advantage by the.
will, and making void all legacies given to witnesses.
Mr. Cwi-rEnrr.a., for the plaintiff, contended,. that the will
was well executed. Admitting the full effect of the Statute of
Frauds, and of the 25 Geo: 11. still though the husband of Mrs.
Hatfield might be an interested witness at the time of the exe-1
cution of the will, and- the devise as to her might thereby be-
come void, yet his wife having died before it took effect, that
would set up the will as it respected the heir at law, Mr. Hat-
field's interest having entirely ceased at the death of his wife.—
The will could not be impeached unless it came-within the ex-
press words of the statutes. It was now attested de facto by
three disinterested witnesses, whatever might have been the ori-
ginal vice in the attestation, and therefore the Court were
bound to give effect to the Will.
Mr. Reader, contra„. relied upon the expresS language of the
Statute of Frauds, and of the Statute of Wills, winch he con-
tended made this will Void-and of no effect. It being admitted
that Dirs. Hatfield could take'nothing under the will, by reason
of this mfonnality,-it was quite clear that her heir at law could
take nothing, because the heir could stand in no better situation
than the devisee herself.

The COURT Said they would consider the case, and certify
their opinion to the Lord Chancellor.

DARTE V. MACKE.

This was a question as to the construction of a lease. The
defendant hcld from the plaintiff certain lands and also a house
,which was then building. The building was completed in the
course of twelve months, and the lease which covenanted that
the les,4ee should assist the lessor in the formation of two foot-
paths and sewers:for the general accommodation expired.
After the execution of the lease a question arose as to whether
the lessee were liable for any part of the expenses incurred in
the formation of the path, &c. which were made during the year
of the tenant's agreement
.Mr. BARNWELL was heard for the lessor, and Mr. ARRA.
ITAM for the lessee, and the CounT at once decided that the
lessee was liable.

OLD BAILEY.

YOUTHFUL DEPRAVITY.

Yesterday George Simmons, a lad only 12 years of age, was
indicted for stealing a coral necklace, the property of James
Scott, from the person of Mary Ann Vernon, a child only three
years old.
By the evidence it appeared that the young culprit was seen
to unclasp the necklace by a little girl, who immediately told
the circumstances,' and pointed out the lad who stole it, to the
per Son Who had the child in charge. The Jury found the pri-
soner—Guilty.
The parents of the prisoner appeared to be very honest peo-
ple, and had set a good example before their son. The Common
Sergeant admonished the lad on the wickedness of his conduct,
and- told him he should be severely chastised and kept to hard
labour.

Henry Harris, aged 14, Richard Prendergast, aged 12, and
Michael Anderson, aged only 10, were indicted for stealing
from the person of a child a coral necklace, the property of
Peter Wright. The prisoners seemed to be hardened in guilt,
although so young in age. They accused one another of the
theft, but each asserted his innocence. They acknowledged
that they ran away, but rave as a reason that each thought one
of the others had.hurt the !child. The infant was observed to
be crying very much as the prisoners ran away from it.
The Jury found all the prisoners Guilty.
• The masters of Prendergast and Anderson appeared to give
them a character, 'and promised to take them back into their
service.

The Court ordered the lads to be wellivhipped, and then dis-
charged. Prendergast and Anderson were given over to their
masters, and Harris was detained at • the request of his mother,
until she was able to send him to sea: This was the only means
left td restrain him from his wicked course's.
TWO more lads of the name of C0,,,,1ian and Harris, the one
aged 13, and the other 14, were indicted for stealing a coral
necklace froni a child, the.property of Blr. Syder.
The daughters of the prosecutor were walking out with their
brother,who was nincyears of age, when Harris came up behind
the child, and loosened the clasp of a coral necklace which was
round its neck. This was observed by a-person who was passing
by, and he immediately took the boy into custody. The pri-
soner Coghan was in his company at, the time.
The jury found Harris Guilty, and acquitted Coghan.
The Court told Harris that he was an old offender, and pro-
mised that he should not have another opportunity of appear-
ing at that bar.
BRUTAL ASSAULT.

John Jacobs was indicted capitally for assaulting Ellen An-
derso., on the King's highway, and violently taking from her
person a shilling, a bonnet, and a silk handkerchief.
The prosecutrix was passing along Rosemary lane on the
evening of the 18th October, with a basin and a shilling to get
some soup. She met the prisoner, who attacked her violently,
snatched the shilling, tore her bonnet, and beet her severely
until two watchmen came up and took him into cuptody.
The prisoner strongly protested his innocence. His employer
was called, and gaVe him an excellent character for honesty.
The Jury found the prisoner GUILTY, but recommended
him to mercy on account of the good character he had received.
The COMMON SEReEANT said he would certainly forward
the recommendation,but when the dreadful state the streets were
now in was considered, by the nightly robberies of such men as
the prisoner, it was necessary to determine what steps were re-
quisite to be taken to put a stop to these continual depredations.
This was a most brutal assault, and might have been the.cause
of the death of the'prosecutrix, had not the watchmen oppor-
tunely interposed. He advised the prisoner not to depend upon
the kind recommendation of the Jury for life, but to prepare for
his awful fate. •