The Sun.
London, England, 1828-05-28 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOUSE.—The water bailiff of the City: of
Londoni accompanied:by Nelson, the -assistant water bailiff,
appeared before the LORD MAYOR, to complain against two
Thames fishermen, whose nets were also brought forward.
Ae this question regarded the fishing of the river, and par-
ticularly that civic delicacy white bait, the jnstice room was
crowded. The scene was extremely diverting.
Nelson, who is at this season the great• terror of the
fishermen, and whose voice has contracted by long hahitthe
hoarseness of the river itself, said, that in obedience to the
Lord Mayor's orders, he had done every thing in hi, pcswer.
to prevent the fishing for white bait by stationing a spy
vessel or water nose down near Woolwich, and by, ordering
, his men to be greatly on the alert; that, notwirhstanding his
vigilance, the defendants and several others bad resolved to
persevere and haul up all the bait they could; -and that on
the preceding day, whilst he was en the look optior taking
a squint at the Thames, be pounced upon a whole party in
the act of fishing for white bait, and that they all ecaorpered
away at his appearance, and managed to get away their nets,
with the exception of the defendants; who could,pat be so
quick on account of a heavy bawl of fish of whiclithey
were robbing the river. The witness produced two trawl'
nets which were so closely worked as to be caphle of
securing the smallest fish that swims. " You might .as
well," said Nelson, " wash a blank woman' white, as pre-
vent them from catching the prohibited ,fish. It's no use:
they will have
The defendants, on being called on for their defence,
stated, that they had wives and children to support, and
that they must fish for white bait, or starve, or hang.; .for
as to apprehending any other fish in the Thames now, it
was quite out of the question. • .• s
The. Loan MAYOR. assured the defendants, .that it was
for the purpose, if possible, of restoring.and preserving the
various species of fish which used formerly to be found in
the Thames, that he had issuedniders to•check the:practice
of fishing for white bait, and he had not even determined
on this step, until he had received a-petition as long as his
arm; signed by a large body of fishermen, and complaining
that Omit. occupation was totally put an .end to by white-
bait fishing, in consequence of the destruction of,theryoung
biond:of:all other fish,: which mai swept into the nets.- He
was therefore deteriained to. make-the experiment Tor one
year, autt to ascertain, it' possible, 'whether' the taking of
white-bait really was the cause of the, extraordinary absence
of almost all kinds of fish from the. river in- those parts
which, ran through the metropolis.
" No, please you; my Lord," said Mitchell, one of the
defendants, "it isn't the taking of:them-ere white-bait as
destroys the young fish ; it's the &sit catnitOnies and- the
common sewers, and .other filthy nuisances that's always
pouring into the Thames, that's poisoning, the: fish and the
people, and will kill us all,. ifs don% :look -after it.—(A
laugh.)—There is now upwards of .100 of • us. starving,
with our families, from the failurenf.the fisheries, and 'it's
cruel-to hinder us front getting.i bitof honest bread." -
Nelson said that he bad offered •to employ this man on
the Lord Mayor's preventive service twaseist in putting e-
stop to the catching 'of white-bait, and that Mitchell had
ri plied that he would be hanged-first, and that whitebait
would be caught-and sold as long al. twine was made and
to be had for money, and so long as men had, mouths and
stomachs.
The Loan MAYOR feared that-this was too true iia• he

had heard that White' bait was to be had in, almost every
respectable tavern. A dish of it had been 'put, before him
since he had issued his prohibition, for the.purpose, he
nupposed, of ascertaining whether he could resist the temp-
tation and give a good practical illustration of the establish-
ment of his rule. He had, howett, disappointed the ex-
pectationsOf those who laid the hart for him, for he morti-
fied the lusts of the flesh by resisting -the fiescination 'of the
fish.' " His Lordship then inquirid .-whit4.was the punish-
ment affixed to the offence, and vtas•informed.that it con-
sisted of a penalty of 51,, mitigable to one hall; and the
forfeiture, of the nets, which were probably worth that sttm.
It was then stated that the white ;bait. was most plentiful
this Year, and though the season is young, pne pf the prin-
.cipal- taverns in 'Greenwich has already dished uptiardi of
a million of the dainty fish, and it was 'declared, that a
dozen Water-bailiffs would he foiled in their endeavours to
'check the practice, which, like that of poaching, was in.-
'curable by any coercive Measure+.• ,
His I.,ottnsurP adjudged the nets to be fotfeitetli but re-
mitted the penalty. Ile feared that le.should be compelled
to inflict the full penalty in the next case. ,• •
The white-bait, it is stated, never 'has, been'known to.
come higher' up the river than Blackwall. Mr. Goldham,
the superintendent of Billingsgate-market, stated in .his
evidence before the Commissioners appointed by the, }lease
of Commons to examine the Thames water, they e con-
sidered the•white-bait to he a distinct species'of fish. Dr.
Roget asked him his reason. Mr. Goldham replied, that
he had found roe in many of them when he .opened' them.
Dr. Roget said this fact was certainly decisive on tlre point.
BOW-STREET.--Yesterday, a woman, named Ben-
jamin, who keeps a fish-shop in Drury-lane, appeared to
prefer' a charge Of assault against
.a well-looking young
wottatti,.'named Ann Christopher, who carried
.an infant
in'heearme.- 4 •
'The isThiplainant stated that the defendant was a wicked
girl,. that she had ruined her domestic 4rayipitteos,. and had
the shameless effrontery openly to carry on an intrigue, the
fruit pf which she now bore in her arms, with her (the com-
plainant's) husband, 'even under the very roof of.the house
in which she lived, and where the ungrateful girl obtained
an asylurn.when she had no home to •go to.
"Poor woman," said Mr. Morsatum., " you-are-indeed
to be pitied. The defendant must be an abandoned woman,
if your story is true. But what is the assault you com Plain
of?„
The complainant,, who was more than once interrupted
by the defendant, who manifested a strong desire to
speak, then went on to state, that on Sunday last she went
in great distress of mind to the defendant, to, beg,of her, if
she*did not wish'to he the ruin of herself and fainily, to
g:ve up the connexion she had formed with her husband. •
" As soon as the defendant saw me," your Worship,"
continued the complainant, "she flew at me like a tigress,
and beat me black and blue."
" Will your Worship hear me," said the defendant
eagerly. " I have no friend to take my part, and I throw
myself entirely upon your justice., The defendant is a vile,
woman," she added, nearly choaked by her excess of feel-
ing : " it is she who' first seduced and ruined me 'ffir
ever." .
" Why, how is this?" asked Mr. MINSHULL, in' sur-
prise. " What do you mean by saying that she seduced
yon ?"
"You shall hear, your Worship," said the defendaiit.
" This woman, this Mrs. Benjamin, is the keeper of a
brothel. It was she who brought me to her house under
pretence of procuring me a situation, and her husband—the
villain—having made' me intoxicated one night, effected
my ruin." The defendant then went on to state, that
about a year ago, as she and another girl were one day
walking in the Ilaymarket, the complainant, who had fol-
lowed them for some time, asked them' if they were look-
ing for a lodging, adding, " If you will go with me, my
pretty girls, I will take you to a place where you shall be
well provided for, and live like ladies. You can earn at
least 301. a-week, and have silk dresses and trinkets in
abundance." •" .In an evil hour we consented to -go with
her," added the defendant, " and when she brought us
hgme, she called her husband up stairs, and said to him,
" See what a nice pair of' wholesome country girls have
picked up, don't you think they will do ?" "My compa-
nion," continued the defendant, " soon found out the pur-
pose for which we were wanted, and left the house. She
is since married ; but I, having no friend to whom I could
apply for protecticn, remaimed in this infamoss' woman's
house ; but, as' God is my judge, although frequently surged
to prostitute myself for money, I never.could consent to do
and, hilt fur her Inishand, I had never ktugwn :flame."
Mr. 41iNstiur.A.--This is really one of'the most infa-
mous cases I have ever bad before me.
r. luilaNT tg,
The complainant, withoutactually denying the truth of
ft 4 g4l.
the defendant's story, contented herself with repeating, that
it was a great hardship 9u her part, who had, been a wife
for 17 years, to have her husband's affections weaned from
her y a
I firmly belieye hvr stateutep,t, And I
have no (164 of your keeping a brothel.
The complainant depied that she did to.,
Forq, the gaoler, however, and other officers, who wevv
bbnr°tirTltaoneb.
Ares ;it, ccintrylic,tad an, so she was well
e tl,,i,eakeerepasbolnal;:haotisduseedoFotyhda,t4(.l,eisscrnoi description o n inout-
side the office, not wishing to come forward." ,
Mr. Mtosnuu
.—I shall discharge the warrant; and I
only wish
4 were in my,power to punish this infamous
YPff,n as til9 4tvrypo,.
I to have no redrest, arid is she. to
take hu4and from me entirely, your Worship?
The defe9darit said she had no wish whatever, to go he,
tween man and wife and 'she never would have gone to
complainant's hpsba}jd bat foy the child Which 'slie carried
at her breast;
and w'lrich she had no means snppooing
unless assisted by its father.
Mr,llltostior.t'—You shall immediately swear to the
child him_,:,and in the mean time you shall be supported
in the poorfinuse. AS to the VOllleiiinaht, she has been
rightly served, She had hoppd to profit by an onfortonate
girl's proatitutign, and the crime recoiled upon herself by
making her own husband the medium. by which it was
effected.
The parties then left the office, Mrs, penj4miti having

y..
7~,.~

perfectly recovered her self-possession, and, deeming it
no longer necessary to act the injured wife, went away
laughing.
HATTON-GARDEN.--Yesterday being the day ap-
pointed for the re-examination of Henry Saunders, who
has been in custody since the 23d of April last, charged, on
suspicion, with having been concerned in tl e robbery on
the Greenock Bank of property to the amount of 33,0001.
' Mr. Adolphus, on behalf of the prisoner, and a solicitor
on the part of theprosecution, and two gentlemen deputed
by the bankers, were early in attendance at the office.
Shortly after the Sitting Magistrate, W.. L. ROORRS,
Esq., had taken his seat in.the Justice-room, he inquired
whether Mr. Gates,. solicitor to the' Banker's Company,
were present, is order that the prisoner might be brought
to the bar ?—The solicitor for the prosecution replied that
Mr. Gates having been engaged upon other business of
considerable importance, was unable to attend, and there-
fore requested of him (the solicitor) to discharge this 'duty
for him.
Mr. Rooxes—la it your wish, then, that the .prisoner
be brought up and committed ?—The Solicitor—Let that
be, Sir, as you please ; we shall leave the matter altogether
in your hands. My instructions from Mr. Gates are, to
say that he shall not insist upon the prisoner's cbmmit-
ment, but shall leave it and its alteraative (his discharge)
solely at your discretion. Mr. Gates has deposited 201. in
part payment of the necessary expenses to be incurred in
senditig him' to Greenock.
Mr. ROG ERS--I shall then commit him.
Here a Mr. Hamilton; son-in-law to oue of the bankers,
accompanied by another gentleman, came forward and
stated to the Magistrate, that they had a conversation upon
the subject with Messrs. Smith and Scott, two of the firm,
On the previous night, the. result of which was, that they
had come to a determination not to press the prosecution
further. Besides, there was another fact which was most
material in the case, and which, independently of tbeenor-
mous expences, would induce them. most to decline the
prosecution, and that was, that from the description given
of the prisonerthere was no room left for -a moment's hesi-
tation in asserting positively that he was not the individual
concerned in the robbery.
Mr. ROGERS-1 care not; I shall detain him in custody
till I see the Secretary of State for the Home Department.
The prisoner, who had not been' brought from the lock-
up house, was then ordered to stand committed till Thursday.
MARLBOROUGH-STREET.—Yesterday,' soon after
the sitting Magistrate, Mr. Co sari had taken his place
on the bench, two gentlemen, one representing the house
of Todd, Morison, and Co. wholesale mercers and haber-
' dashers in the city, and the other representing the equally
extensive house in the same line of business, Clarke, Boyd,
andFiench, applied for advice or 'assistance in the follow-
ing. emergency. There •was a very extensive retail-house,
they said, in the neighbourhood of Soho-square, in their
trade, which had been chiefly supplied from their (the ap-
plicants') warehouses, and the proprietors of which were
largely indebted for those supplies of goods ; that owing to
the-embarrassments of the firm in question, a meeting of
their creditors had, by their own desire, been appointed to
be held that morning, at the home of Clarke, Boyd, and
French, in the city, but instead of the persons alluded to
making their appearance at the - appoioted hour, it was
learned that early on Monday morning the two partners
quitted London for Liverpool, carrying with them from their
shop hirge quantities of goods, supposed to the amount of
between 2,0001. and 3,000/. ; that a docket had on this dis-
covery been that morning struck against the firm, but the
commission of bankruptcy had not yet issued, and it was
feared,' that-before the powers of the commission, could
have any effect, all the goods thuscarried off.would be dis-
posed of at Liverpool or somewhere else, to the entire loss
of the creditors. The applicants, therefore, wished to
know if the Magistrate could, by his warrant or other
power, cause the parties or the goods to be pursued and
detaibed ?. , •
Mn Costarcr, after referring to the Act of Parliament
which governs the subject in question, said, that he was
sorry he could not assist them in the case, and the appli-
cants withdrew. •
A •youpg lad, named James Holmes, 'an apprentice to
Mr.. Wright, a respectable bookseller in High-street, Blooms-
bury, charged with robbing his employer, and Mark Nor-
den, aJew dealer, residing in Long-acre, charged as a guilty
reeeiver,.both of whom have been in Custody for several days
past, were brought before the Magistrate for filial exami-
nation ; and fully committed for trial.
TOWN-HALL.—john Lenney, the' prize-fighter, was
brought up in custody of Reeves, the Marshal:man, charged
with several desperate assault*
Clara Mansfield, a girl of 18, stated, ihSslkwent a cpw
evenings since, in company with a young wan named Col-
lins, to the Green Man tea-gardens, in the Old Kent-road,
whore they were scarcely seated before the prisoner came
behindher, and said, " You're doing it up nicely." She
asked him what he meant, when he replied with an oath,
" tell you," and with his clinched fist struck her a
dreadful blow in the face, that knocked her down set-melees
(the effects of it were visible). She had given him no pro-
voCation whatever.
Sii,Jottrl PERRINO, who sat for Mr. Alderinan J. J.
Smith, asked her if she was quite certain of that, and she
made answer that she was ; .unless refusing. to permit his
addresses might be deemed so.
John Collins; the young • man who accompanied- her,
said, that on her being struck, he asked the prisoner bow
he could be guilty of such an unmanly act, upon which be
knocked him down also.
Find hail for both assaults," said the, indignant
Magistrate, " as well as good securities, for preserving the
peace tmtil. the Sessions, and• give 24 hours' notice, that
their responsibility may be inquired into. The public must
-be protected against such ruffians." , . ,

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

LIVERPOOL.

MONDAY, MAY • 26.—Arrived the Etna (steamer),
-Emerson, from Dublin, with the 'mail ; Wm.: Huskisson,
Lindsay, from Glasgosv, with sundries ; Eliza, Tell, from
lite isle of Man, with wheat; Mina Castle, Voust, from
ditto, with oats ; Mersey, Beasley, from Newry, with do.
One brig off at eight.

Telegraph Office, May 26.
Passed Point Lynes, inward bound, No. 408, Virginia,
American ship,-from Charleston; Clarendon, British ship,
from Jamaica, at six o'clock.
• Passed Holyhead, inward bound, the Dee, British ship,
from Demerara, at seven a. m. ; the Marchioness Wel-
lesiky (steamer), off Holyhead. Wind South, Ivith a
light breeze.
Passed Holyhead, inward bound, the New York, at 20
-minutes past ten o'clock.
The vessels that sailed, this day were west of the float-
ing light, at 10 past eleven a. m.