The Sun.
London, England, 1828-11-24 00:00:00

THAMES POLICE.

George Pickering alias Card, the person in cus-
tody upon the charge of being One of the crew en-
gacz4 in the navigation of the sloop called the
4"llfhttlflioFror;, :;ei.:K.d in October at Gravesend,
with a large cargo f'',celitt;ahainti:'spirits, t?, aT•4
silk, was brought on Saturday bdoreMesst.',Bitoi
DERIP and RICHBELL, for final examination.
Mr' Shepherd appeared. as Counsel, and Mr.
ThVelieray,,Qup,Q;J:uri colic;_tors to the. Customs, at-
tended for the
and
-sinirt.lgLgalinugg ti
hatrmai,saateteloidned for die' prigonerro t • :
The information exhibited against the prisoner for
this was of great length, and
was ui;(.;ei: NI and 7th of the present King. It
charged thitilk battig 4 f.ilikse;;l cf this realm, did
unlawfully enter ai certain'
,yiver. :in retie county a
Essex, not being driven by stress of Weather .or:uro.
avoidable accident, with a sloop laden with contra-
&find spirits 0 brcoV, geneva, tea, and silk, to the
valtie'a 6,00b1. V,;ell knowing the same to '4e stnrg7.
gled, and' with intent-to cheat iand 'ilefrata his Ma:-
?esty's revehire, for which he wast liablel4o ;the for-

feiture of 100/., and under the Gth of the present
King, to five years' service in the navy.
The prisoner, who is an athletic and determined-
looking man, pleaded " not guilty."
Mr. Shepherd stated to the bench the facts by
which he meant to maintain this information, and
directed their attention to the sections of the acts
awarding for the offence the penalties described.
He called

Mr. Benjamin Donn, one of the customs' inspec-
tors of the port of London, who stated that on the
18th of last month he was on duty at Gravesend.
At about five o'clock :in the evening, he hailed a
large sloop then sailing on the wind towards the
Thames. The man at the helm said, "We are from
Southampton, with-corn." He directed his .men to
row around her stern, and he perceived painted on
it, " Nancy, Boston." He again hailed her, and got
alongside, and requested to see the register, and may-
ter: a voice in the sloop said, " Noakes, you are
wanted," and a stout man came alongside, and said
he was the master, and had been 12 months on
board. He saw the register and asked for the cargo-
book, but the man who was called Noakes said a
boy had burned it. Witness boarded her, and went
into the cabin to look at the Southampton custom-
papers. He saw the prisoner near the companion,
and is of opinion that he could not avoid hearing the
conversation.

Some discussion here arose, upon the admissibility
of the conversation, Mr. Kelly contending that as it
was doubtful whether the prisoner heard it all, it
could not be admitted. it was ultimately decided
that the conversation should not be received in
evidence.

Mr. Donn stated, that finding some confusion, the
master's name not being endorsed in the register, he
was examining the papers, when he heard some one
say, " Oh, they are off in the boat." He ran upon
deck, and saw the three men belonging to the sloop
rowing to the Essex shore, where they landed and
ran away. He then seized the sloop, and brought
her to an anchor. He eventually found that she was
laden with above 1,000 casks of spirits, tea, and
silk. The contraband goods were stowed below
the main deck, under a strong platform of three-inch
deals, which ran from side to side of the sloop, to
the full extent of her width. The concealment was
made perfect by sacks of corn five or six in depth,
being placed over the platform up to the hatchway.
The vessel was certainly not constructed for the fair
trade, She was in ballast to the depth which a full
cargo of corn might be supposed to sink her in the
water. He took Noakes before the mayor at Graves-
end, who committed him to prison, but he after-
wards escaped. He saw the prisoner in the dock
for about five seconds; he is quite certain he was
the man.

In his cross-examination by Mr. Kelly, the, wit-
ness said that although he did not fix his attention
particularly upon the prisoner, yet he felt satisfied as
to his identity. The cargo was not worth 10,0001.,
but perhaps 6,000/. He, under some circum-
stances, is entitled to a share of the seizure. He
will receive a share in this, but that cannot in any
way be affected by the prisoner's conviction or dis-
charge,
In reply to a question from Mr. BROGERIP, he
said he knew the prisoner when stationed at Hast-
ings by the name of Pickering, grandson of George
Curd.

Some of the Custom-house watermen who board-
ed the sloop with the inspector, identified the pri-
soner, and said he was one of the men who escaped
in the boat.

Evidence was then given as to the transmission of
the sloop from Gravesend to the Custom-house, anti
the appraisement of her cargo of spirits was described
to be 6,0001. The tea was sent to the Excise.
This was the case for the information.

Mr. Kelly then took some objections to the infor-
mation, upon the ground that it never could be as-
sumed by the Act of Parliament to propose two
modes of punishing one offence. He contended that
the punishment of fly? year:; service in the Pavy
could not be implied when the other Act gave a
positive penalty of 1001, and directed detention in
prison until it be paid. He urged at considerable
length these objections, and cited the clauses of
the Act in support of them ; therefore he argued
that the information was not maintainable, as it
ought to have been expressly laid under one or the
other of the Acts of Parliament, the ayetrwtfi of
both of which it set forth,

Tha Magistrates declined hearing Mr.' Shepherd
in reply, considering the information to have been
properly laid.
Mr. Kelly next submitted that they were bound
to show the prisoner was a subject of the King, and
also that he had incurred 4 penalty.
This was also overruled, as a clause of the act
threw the onus of that upon the ticeused.
Mr. Kelly next addressed the Magistrates upon
the facts of the case, and hoped, as the decision they
must come to in this case wenld be Anal and irre-
trievable, they would give it calm and mature de-
liberation. They stood in the relation of judge and
jury, and if, hereafter, upon more calm consideration,
they felt they ought to revoke that decision, they
had no power, no opportunity, or the most 'emote
chance of reversing it, The witnesses for the
Crown, he trusted_ it would h,e recollected, were
deeply 'interested in this matter, because, upon con-
viction of the offender, they then came in for three-
fourths of the seizure, and under such circumstances,
perhaps, leaned too Rie4 against the accused. The
qnestion, he contended, now for their consideration
ti a.s did the unfortunate man know of the smuggled
goods being op board. It had been proved they
were out of sight, so concealed that no person mold
see them. It ought also to he shown that he WA
have that knowlpdp., atld where he entered the
slO.op. tie 'arifortunately was without the means of
showing his innocence, because the very men who
were his witnesses, and Who could prove when and
where he entered on board, had fled to avoid the
vengeance of the Crown. He urged that the evi-
dence of Mr. Potip we to shoiw the s'aoop. hac4
eveiy r,ppei2irau4c ti fair trader, and .fend;rit
might be deceived into a belief that she was solely
laden with corn. As to his running away, what, he
would ask, could he do in the alarm and confusion
of the moment, when he saw the others leave ?
Flight was his only alternative. In the absence of
all cogent evidence of this guilty knowledge, lie sub-
Ofteit that to e9trrtort pliarit:y it lv.!as bpt right to
assume lie bad been deceived into the vessel.
Mr: Shepherd rose to reply.
.Nr, Kelly objectedi and said hp had no fight to
reply lit itSes of this Kurd.'
Mr. Shepherd contended that he had, and stood
upon his right.
After some deliberation, the Magistrates desired
Mr. Shepherd to proceed in his reply.
Tire parned pFntleinan said, liad the prisoner
been tinaWaie.of the nature 'Of Ihe,catio, 'hag full
opportunity to show where he shipped from, and
what his pursuits were. The guilty knowledge was
manifested by him throughout. Why did he run
from the sloop before the officers made the dis-
'POVery 1 it wtoPid have keen a ocd 4rguiTter,t in
favour Of his alaffit it he had fled:AA the (11146diery
was made. He had said nothing which could ex-
culpate himself,
.or show he was not the character
deposed to. The evidence, he submitted, had con-
clusively brought the case home to the prisoner, and
II upoa the #.44,gis;:Ngs, as tits
Of thli Crown, to tititilkiP duty by cdnitietink hint
Mr. BRODERIP, after 'constrlting. with Cipthin
RICHBELL, said if they had any doubts, the prisoner
would certainly have had the .benefit of them ' but
they WI iiorte,,,.thp pittt-v had keep ''royptt..endthq
tiwarded and adjudged the '1 prtsoder to'serVg
Majesty's navy for five years as a sailor.
The, prisoner was sent off in the evening to the
Nore, and will be put on board the first ship of war
going on a foreign station.
UNION-HALL. •

A few days agoi the' fihn ofl•ATessrs. Christy, the
extensive hat-MarufactUters Of Bermondsey; disco-
vered that immense quantities of their property were
stolen. •Qn the- discovery, every method was used
fin the purposirof detecting the offenders, nridit'silis

at length ascertained that a man named Bowkilej
warehouseman in their service, and who had 6"
the situation for a great number of years, Was c"
caned in the robberies of his employers.
Amongst the witnesses to give evidence a
him, upon which he was fully committed, 10
"0
they warehouseman named John Henry Fran''
had been in the employ of Messrs. Christy fori.
years, and who had been taken at an early .1e..,„,
a charitable institution into their service. t
dividual, who was one of the chief witnesses or-isi.
Bowker, was himself suspected of having heeOey
gaged in robbing his employers, and on trivestil;e
tion of the matter, it was also discovered ttiof
was concerned with Bowker, and had aisposl,oo
several hats without accounting to those by Oles
he was employed, and on Saturday he was also °

into custody, and brought to this office.
L
As there were a great many cases against tri
toner of his having sold hats belonging to thetve
and converted the proeeeds to his own usel'ior
out of the number were selected, by whick:oe
peared that it was the prisoner's duty to take OP
of, enter, and sell hats belonging to the firo3:4oP
the 13th of September he sold a hat to Sri. or
named Harding, for which he did not aced
,t'the
enter in any of the books of the concern. ti;cir
16th of August he sold another, under sirniroof
cumstances, to a Mr. Molson ; and in the Hasp
May he also disposed of another to Mr. IliO
The individuals who had purchased the hats!,,ibt
prisoner attended, and,proved that they had ry, sod
them under the circumstances above mentioned
several witnesses belonging to the manntrof
were examined, who identified them as the plvr„,oe
of Messrs. Christy, and that the prisoner had S; st
no entry of the property he had thus disposeit,
accounted for the money he had received for Oro,
The prisoner was committed on the three-001
the Magistrate (Mr. .Hone) remarking thats,o
useless to enter into all that had been alleged ir
him. st•
In the course of the day an elderly gentletep
tended for the purpose of giving. information tog
following robbery : —He described that be resifie
Croydon, and that for some years past he hoopOr
engaged in making important discoveries in tbC spd
system, and also with respect to the north stsfor
polar istance, all of which calculations he had, igcli
mitted to paper ; and for the better safety 01,jor
experiments in the science of astronomy, he haopr
ed them between the ticken of his bed. On ~1.1.1 r
day last, having occasion to go to Ewell, on °St
turn he found that his premises had been cooo'
and the whole of the papers containing his
....104
Y
veries stolen. The applicant added, that he .
his discoveries at least at 2001., and would IP
handsome reward if they were restored to him' ir
Mr. HONE told hint that the robbery shouldholo
serted in the daily report transmitted from this
to Bow-street.
Upon which assurance the applicant withdreft.