The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-31 00:00:00

MARYLEBONE.

Yesterday Captain Charles Irvine, R.N., who is
upwards of seventy years of age, was brought up on a
warrant to answer the charge of having written and
sent a letter to Edward Walter Forester Walker, a
Captain in the Scots Fusileer Guards, with intent to
induce him to fight a duel with him.
Captain Walker handed in the letter containing a
challenge to fight with swords, when
Mr. LONG, after be had perused the same, asked
_a
ptain Irvine (who admitted that the writing was
his) what he had to say ?
t Captain Irvine—l have
his to say, Sir, that I called on Captain Walker to

meet me in Belgium, and under these circumstances I
submit, that no breach of the peace having been con-
templated in this country, there is nothing of which
you can take cognizance.
Mr. LONG —This letter clearly contains a chal-
lenge to Captain Walker, and it is my duty to do all
in my power to prevent this duel from taking plaice.
Captain Irvine—As I before observed, Sir, I wished
Captain Walker to meet me in Belgium. I had no
intention whatever of committing a breach of the peace
in this country.
Mr. LONG—I must take care that you do not.
Captain Irvine—l ought to have brought Captain
Walker here instead of his bringing me before you;
he has abused me in the grossest terms.
Mr. LONG—I shall require you to find bail to keep
the peace, yourself in 2001., and two sureties in 1001.
each.

Captain Walker read extracts from other letters
addressed to him and Captain Hamilton (also of the
Fusilier Guards), and the magistrate perused some
of the epistles ; they were penned by Captain Irvine,
who upon more than one occasion had challenged the
above-named military gentlemen to fight him with
swords. In one of the letters were these words :
" I'll cut you in pieces, or you shall me." The letter
was (said Captain Walker) a most extraordinary pro-
duction.

It appeared Captain Hamilton was in the first in-
stance challenged by Captain Irvine to fight him at
Ostend. Captain Walker, in consequence of the
extreme age of Captain Irvine, and taking the cir-
cumstances of the case altogether into consideration,
advised his friend to decline the " honour" of being
" cut into pieces" abroad, and hence arose the chal-
lenge to himself for his interference in the matter.
Mr. LONG (to Captain Irvine)—l shall alter my
former decision, and call upon you and your sureties
for double the amount of bail which I had before
fixed upon.
Captain Irvine—A most gross attempt has been
made to swindle me out of 4001. Captain Walker
and Captain Hamilton have both virtually challenged
me to fight, and they can't deny the fact.
Captain Walker—l do deny it.
Captain Irvine (to Mr. Long)—May I ask you,
Sir, what has induced you to double the bail ?
Mr. LONG—I have doubled it, believing that your
circumstances are such as to warrant my doing so. If
you are really disposed to keep the peace, the sum in
which you and your friends are bound over can be of
no importance.
Captain Irvine—For what period am I to be
bound, Sir ?
Mr. LONG—For twelve months.

Captain Irvine (after some little hesitation)—Very
well.—The required recognisances were then entered
into for Captain Irvine keeping the peace towards all
her Majesty's subjects, but more particularly towards
Captain Walker and Captain Hamilton, for the next
twelve months.

The sureties were Major Charles Walker, of Lea-
mington House, near Ipswich, and a barrister named
Hawkins, of Lincoln's Inn.

QUEEN-SQUARE.

Yesterday a very respectable-looking man, in busi-
ness as a dairyman, was charged on suspicion of
stealing a watch from a person who had met the pri-
soner and four or five other acquaintances on the pre-
vious evening at a skittle-ground, and had not been
there many minutes before he fell asleep. When he
awoke he discovered that his watch had been stolen
from his pocket. As the only reason assigned for sus-
pecting the prisoner and giving him into custody was
that he had endeavoured to rouse the prosecutor to
give him some drink, and had left the company before
the watch was missed, and as a respectable trades-
man stated that the accused was a very honest well-
conducted man,
Mr. BOND said that there was not the least ground
for suspQcting the prisoner more than any other of
the party, and immediately discharged him.
A general dealer, residing at 26, Little Chapel-
street, having been recently fined 10s., at the instance
of the police, for exposing goods in the front of his
premises, so as to obstruct the footway, he complained
of being singled out when others were permitted to
violate the law without being at all interfered with,
and took a summons against his next door neighbour
for a similar offence.

Mr. BOND inflicted the penalty of 103.
Defendant thought it very hard, and said it was all
spite.
Mr. BOND observed that the public were much in-
convenienced by goods being exposed on the foot and
carriage-way.
LAMBETH-STREET.

Some weeks since a number of wretched-looking
objects applied at this court for intercession to obtain
for them the amount of gratuities due to them from
the Spanish Government, or such other relief as would
protect or remove them from the state of wretched-
ness into which they were plunged by withholding
the pensions and gratuities due to them. The state-
ment made by the applicants was such as was calcu-
lated to awaken the deepest sympathy, but from the
numerous communications which have since reached
Mr. Henry it is quite clear that some of them, at
least, do not deserve all that sympathy which was at
first awakened. Amongst other communications re-
ceived by Mr. Henry was one from an officer in the
Spanish Legion, who appeared to be intimately ac-
quainted with the whole merits of the case, and who
commenced his letter as follows :--

" Sir,—l regret to perceive by art account in the news-
papers that your sympathy and he public charity have
been imposed on by a scamp of the name of Dl‘Cormack,
formerly in the Spanish service."
The communication went on to state that the man
M'Cormack (who had been spokesman on the occa-
sion alluded to, and to whom a benevolent individual
had since sent 10s.)was undeserving of the slightest
sympathy. A communication was also received from
Senor Castaneda, the commissioner for the settlement
of the claims of the Spanish Legion, from which it
appeared that the case of M'Cormack had undergone
the most strict and impartial investigation, and that,
so far from his having cause to complain, he had been
most liberally treated.
William Duran, the secon 1 mate on board the
Prince Oscar brig, who has been remanded for some
weeks on a charge of gouging and forcing out one of
the eyes of his captain with his thumb, and also in-
flicting other injuries on his person, was brought up
for final examination.

The following letter received by the chief clerk
from: Captain Lawson, dated " South Shields, Oct.
26," was read :

I must acknowledge Mr. Henry's kindness in not
enforcing my appearance at the sessions, as it would be
attended with considerable pecuniary loss to me as well
as inconvenience ; and, considering the way I am situate,
it would be inflicting a greater punishment on me than
a longer imprisonment would on the prisoner Duvall ;
and as I trust in the course of a week to be able to pro-
ceed on my intended voyage, I must, with many thanks
to Mr. Henry for his endeavour to give the prisoner a
just punishment for his offence, be content with the
punishment that is in Mr. Henry's power to inflict upon
him."

Mr. HENRY expressed the strongest reluctance to
part with the prisoner until he took his trial, and was
adequately punished for his ruffianly conduct; but
feeling that by compelling Captain Lawson to come
to town to prosecute when he was on the point of
sailing with his vessel, he would be, as the captain
himself expressed it, subjecting him to considerable
pecuniary loss—in fact, adding something like injus-
tice to injury—he should not insist upon his attend-
ance, but should hold the prisoner to bail for six
months, so thrt captain Lawson, on his return from
Alexandria, might have an opportunity of indicting
and prosecuting him for the serious injury he had in-
flicted upon him. The prisoner was ordered to find
two sureties in 401. each for six months.