The Sun.
London, England, 1826-01-13 00:00:00

GUMMIALL.

Mr. Charles Newnian, a respectable oilman in Fore-street,
Cripplegate, applied to Mr. Alderman BIRCH, for his advice
as to the manner in which he should proceed under the follow-
ing circumstances :—A few dayi ago, he purchased some flour
of Mrs. Wright,. a baker, residing in the same street, which
upon being made up into a pudding, was discovered to contain
some gritty substance. He immediately applied to Mrs.
Wright upon the subject, who declared that she had served him
with the same description of flour that they made into bread,
and yet ,no such grit was perceptible therein. She however
ascertained herself that there was some unusual mixture in it,
and said she would desist from using any more of the 15 sacks
of it then in the bakehouse. He had taken a portion of tee
flour to Mr. Clarke, Of Apothecaries-Hall, to be analyzed, and
had been informed by him, that it contained a 28th part of
earthy matter, that another, and the principal, part of it was
bean-flour, and that it was every impure article. Mrs. Wright
paid the very best price for this flour, and he had no doubt
whatever that she had not the slightest suspicion of its base
qualities. This opinion of his respecting Mrs. Wright, he had
been informed by 111 r. Payne, the clerk, would prevent him
from originating any proceeding for the tracing and Punishing
.of the party who had actually adulterated the flour. The flour,
it appeared from the marks on the sacks, had come from Mr.
Simmons's mill, in Broad-street, Reading; but Mrs. Wright
purchased it-froni Messrs. Lewin, flour-factors. Mr. Simmons
had heard of the discovery, and denied that any adulteration
had taken place at his mill.
Mr. I3eresford, the Magistrates' legal adviser, said it was a
subject well deserving of serious inquiry ; but that inquiry
must be instituted in a legal manner, and the first step must be
to get a regular-written information drawn up and filled by a
solicitor, upon which the Alderman would summon the party
complained of before him.
Mr. Alderman BIRCH thought that if Mr. Newman ac.
quitted Mrs. Wright of all blame, he certainly could not make
her a defendant here, even to trace out, through her, in whose
hand the flour had been adulterated ; hut perhaps Mrs.
Wright herself would be the proper person to origlnate the
prosecution, and she had better attend before him ohe fol-
lowing day.
On the following day a Miss Wright appeared on the part of
her mother ; but instead of preferring any complaint, she
merely referred the Magistrate to a gentleman who attended as
from the firm of the' factors.

This gentleman called nn Mr. Newman to repeat his state-
ment, which he did in nearly the same terms as on the day
before.

The former then complained that he had been taken by
surprise with regard to the time for meeting this accusation ;
and he felt somewhat at a loss also on account of the applicant
not having obtained the result of Mr. Clarke's analysis in
writing. The matter should not rent here. He would prose-
cute Mr. Newman for the slanders he had circulated; for he
had reported, at first, that the flour contained a large portion of
plaster of Paris ; and also, that Mr. Langstaff, the eminent sur.
geon, had stated that no medicine could counteract the injury
that would be occasioned to the human frame from taking such
a composition into the stomach. The gentleman then vouched
for the purity of the article, and alluded to the evidence with
which, if he had had suffitient notice, he should have met the
charge; but which apparently did not go so much to negative
the imputation that the flour had been adulterated by some-
body, as to relieve the miller, whose mark was upcin the sacks,
from the odium of having been the adulterator—viz, the miller
himself, who would produce the three men employed in hismill
to swear that no adulteration ever took place there, and, se-
condly!, the bringing forward persons who had been supplied
with flour from Simmons's Reading mill; and who had never
complained or heard complaint of it. The gentleman added,
j that he courted inquiry, and that sin sacks were now at Mrs:
`Fright's (Mrs. Wright had admitted having fifteen), and were
open for examination.
Mr. Newman denied that he had circulated either of the al-
leged reports; and as what he had done had been in the cha-
racter of a friend to Mrs. Wright, and for the good of the pub.
lie. he thought it very hard that he should be pulled to pieces
by millers and factors, and run into expensive We-suits. He
had already paid out of his pocket the expense of analyzing the
pudding, a piece of which he now offered for the Magistrate's
inspection.
Mr. Alderman BIRCH said, if Mrs. Wright did not prefer
any complaint, he had no power to interfere; and if it were
not to be followed by some legal proceding, he would not
listen to any further conversation.
The parties then retired, the flour.factor persisting wrath-
fully that he would bring Mr. Newman into a superior court.
Partner, foreman to Air. Lloyd, a town carman, was
put to the bar under the following singular circumstances :
Mr. Eding, a merchant in the Minories, was applied to a
few days since by a Mr. Weiler, who recommended to him as
a capital speculation, the purchasing of some old Dutch hats
which had arrived invoiced at only 265., while the cotton.
printers. by whom they are used, would readily give 345. per
dozen for them. He named Sir Robert Peel and a number of
other extensive manufacturer'', who, upon being written to,
would probably becOme purchasers. Mr. Eding immediately
wrote to the persons named, but only received an answer from
one of them, giving an order for six dozen. On Tuesday,
however, the prisoner came, representing himself to be in the
service of one of the calico-priqtere at Mitcham, and said he
wanted to buy 40 or 60 dozen of old Dutch hats. After some
haggling; a bargain was struck at 84e. a dozen, and the pri-
soner being
.asked if he had the money about him, admitted
that he had not, but said lie would go and get it in a few mi.
nutes. He returned in half an hour, and being again asked
if he had the money, pointed to his breast, and said, " Yew, it
is all rig' t." Mr. Eding then dispatched his clerk, who upon
paying the 265. a dozen, amounting on the lot to upwards of 701.
got the said old hats 'cleared through the Customs, and from
the wharf, and brought them to the door in a cart. The pri.
soner had, in the interim, although he had expressed a wish to
go, been detained at the counting-house; and upon the goods
coming to the door, he was informed of the fact, and asked for
the money. The prisoner then ccrifessedhe had no money, and
under a promise of forgiveness, stated that Mr. Weiler hired
him as he was waiting for a job at the East India warehouses.
in Fenchurch.street, and told him if he would play the mer-
chant for a little while, lie would put three or four pounds into
his pocket. He had never, seen him before, and knew not
where to find him now, but all he had done had been under
his instruction. Mr. Eding gave the prisoner into custody,
merely that he, might be. compelled to give security for his
appearance as, a witness, when Weiler should be fund ;
Weiler having entrapped Mr. Eding into giving 2f3e. a dozen
for an article that never fetched more than 6s. a dozen among
the calico printers.
Mr. Altlerman limas said, that he had no power to bind
over the prisoner as a witness, nor to call on hint to find sure.
ties as such. If Mr. Eding washed to detain the prisoner, he
might indict him for a conspiracy with Weiler, and when
Weiler was found lie might make the prisoner a witness.
Mr. Feting said he would not indict the prisoner, *cam* Jhe
had been merely the dupe of the other party, but he thought
the refusal of his application very extraordinary.
Mr. Alderman finical said, it would be impossible to con.
cede what he required. To call upon a man to find bail to give
evidence against another not in custody nor indicted, would In.
deed be an extraordinary proceeding.—The prisoner was then
discharged.