The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-02 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

The January Quarter Sessions for the county commenced
yesterday, at ten o'clock, before Mr. Walesby and a full
bench of Magistrates, at the Court-house, Clerkenwell-green.
The calendar was comparatively heavy, there being no less than
58 names upon the prisoners' list, charged with various offences.
Hannah Monday, aged 17 years, was indicted for stealing
various articles of wearing .apparel,- the property of Thomas
Holt, from the person of William Maxam. This was one of
those cases so frequent in London amongst the thieves who are
watching to plunder children.
It appeared that Mr. Holt sent the goods named in the in-
dictment to No. 6, Goodge-street, Tottenhatn-court-road, by
Maxam, a boy less than ten years of age, who deposed that he
met the prisoner in Oxford- street, who promised him 6d. if he
would go No. 4, Blenheim-steps, and inquire for Mrs. James,
and that in the mean time she would take care of the parcel.
When he went to the house he found it empty, and on his re-
turn the prisoner and parcel were gone.
On the CHAIRMAN questioning the boy, he displayed the
most lamentable ignorance upon the subject of an oath and all
other religious observances, and was unable to write, not even
knowing the letters of the alphabet.
The COURT commented strongly upon a boy of 10 years
of age being, in those times of national schools, and other
sources of education for the children of the poorer classes, in
a state of such disgraceful ignorance.
The Jury said although the lad Maxam showed much na-
tural intelligence, yet, owing to his ignorance of the solemn
nature of an oath, they should not rely on his evidence
The prisoner was then acquitted.
Three wretched-looking youths, named Johnson, Harris,
and Purday, were indioted for stealing a loaf of bread, the
property of Thomas Goodway.
The case di.played the usual manifestations by which hun-
ger and destitution was the parent of crime.
A verdict of guilty being returned, the COURT sentenced
the prisoners each to three months imprisonment with hard
labour.

Several other cases of a similar nature, for stealing trifling
articles of food, were tried during the morning, in all of which
the prisoners pleaded hunger as the cause of their offences.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

(YESTERDAY.)
MANSION-ROUSE.

The Lord Mayor having sent for some of the principal
officers of the police, in order to give them directions
with respect to the scavengers appointed to convey the
mud from the streets of the City who might neglect to
perform their duty strictly, Major Shaw, the superinten-
dent, waited upon his Lordship, and stated that he should
communicate with the Commissioner upon the subject.
The Superintendentinfortned the Lord Mayor that ob-
jections were made by some of the inhabitants of the great
thoroughfares to have the dirt and mud removed by the
servants from the fronts of their houses on Sundays,
upon the pretence that it was contrary to law to work,
or cause work to be done, by others, on the Sabbath.
The LORD MAYOR—Have you the name of any par-
ticular person who refused to have the pathway in the
front of his house cleaned on Sunday ? Major Shaw—
Yes' my Lord. A highly respectable man in Ludgate..
hill has declared that there is no law to oblige him to
remove dirt from his doorway on Sunday, and he has
refused to comply with the order of which general notice
has been given.
The Loup MAYOR—Let that gentleman be sum-
moned. He is just the sort of person I wish to see.
The summons was immediately issued for the attend-
ance of the person who expressed his intention of resist-
ing the order.
The LORD MAYOR requested that the press would
acknowledge the receipt of 51. from a lady resident at
Thetford for the poor-box ; 10s. (annoymous) as a New
Year's gift -for the poor-box ; 10L from the Goldsmith's
Company ; 101. from a lady of Wimbledon-common ;
and 10s. (post-office order), also for charity.
111 ARLBORO UGH. S TR E ET.

- -
ANOTHER MANIAC. Theodore Mitchell, a slim young
man, with a singularly wild cast of countenance, was placed
at the bar, charged with having committed a violent assault
upon his brother, and threatened the life of his father. While
the prisoner was waiting in the anti-room of the Court. before
his examination; he gave unquestionable proof of his being of
deranged intellect, continuing to talk with great incoherency.
It was also evident that be was labouring under various delu-
sions—one of which was, that he had been privately married to
the Queen, he should claim her in a short time, and take
her away from Prince Albert, but, as some compensa-
tion to him, he should put him into a snug little busi-
ness in the coal and potatoe line. It appears that he is
the son of Mr. Lecompte Mitchell, a highly respectable
tailor, residing at No. 44, Gilbert-street, Grosvenor-square,
he had latterly absented himself for days and nights together
from home, although he had no money or the means of pro-
curing food. Between eleven and twelve o'clock on Satur-
day night he commenced abusing his father and threatened his
life, and afterwards struck his brother violently on the cheek.
At length his conduct became so outrageous, shrieking murder,
&c., that he was given into the charge of the police.
Mr. MALTBY—HOW long has the prisoner shown these
symptoms of being deranged ? Mr. Mitchell—Only five days.
The prisoner, while at the bar, went on in a rambling,
unconnected statement, asserting that he had aright to drown
himself if he liked.

Mr. MALTBY said he would have the prisoner's state of mind
inquired into, and ordered him to be committed for the present
to Westminster Bridewell.
MARYLEBOIVE.

Joseph Norman, a cab-driver,; was charged with a violent
assault upon Robert Beeson, a very old man, also a cab-driver.
The complainant said that he had known the prisoner's father
for many years, and had recommended him not to employ him
(the prisoner) in driving his cabs, as he was such a notoriously
bad character. The prisoner took umbrage at this advice, and
on Friday last he came up to complainant, and struck him such
a blow on the eye that it was laid open to the bone. Com-
plainant did not give him into custody then for his father's sake,
hut at a later hour the same evening, he again came up behind
complainant, and struck him a violent blow on the head with a
stone. He then escaped, and complainant did not see him
again till Saturday, when he came up to the cab:.rank in Sey-
mour-street, with a lot of infamous characters, and assaulted
the complainant a third time. A policeman came up and took
him into custody.
He had no defence to make, and Mr. RAWLINSON said that
he was determined to make an example of him, and fined him
51., or two months in the House of Correction.
David Inglis, a boy about fourteen years of age, was
charged with having robbed his brother of ss.
Mr. RawtaNsoN asked the complainant if he wished to
prosecute, and was answered in the affirmative. The evidence
was very clear that the boy had arisen in the morning, and
taken the money out of his brother's pocket. When taken
into custody he had above 4s. 6th. remaining.
Mr. RAWLINSON, who seemed reluctant to commit the boy,
Asked his brother a second time if he meant to prosecute him
for the offence. The brother was determined to do so, and
the prisoner was sent to Newgate in consequence.

WINTER ASSIZES.
NORTHERN CIRCUIT, Liverpool, Dec. 29.
(Before Mr. Justice WIGHTMAN)
John Cabrew,
a sea-captain, was indicted under the
Merchant Seaman's Act, for unlawfully forcing and
leaving on shore in parts beyond the seas one John Hill,
one of his crew, before the completion of the voyage for
which he was engaged-
Mr. Brondt and Mr. Whigham conducted the case for
the prosecution; the prisoner was defended by Mr. James
and Mr. Drinkwatcr.
The defendant was Captain of the Mediterranean, a
vessel belonging to Mr. T. Tobin, which sailed on an
African es voypre in March, 1842, and returned in No-
vember, 1843.
llenry herro; stated that he was chief mate of
Mediterranean.the
t Ambreeze, on the coast of
e a t
ra
Africa, they shipped a new hand named John Hill, front
the frigate Madagascar. Believed it was in July, 1842.
About three days before the Gth of December, Hill was
put in irons, and kept in irons until that day, when he
was seized up the main rigging and flogged, and imme-
diately afterwards was ordered tteget his traps ready to
go ashore. This was by the captain, who ordered the
Kroo-boys to get the canoe ready, and the captain or-
dered him to get into the canoe. The canoe returned
with Hill in about an hour and a halt; saying the beach
was so bad they could not land him, the surf ran too
high. One of the Kroo-men came on board, and went
down into the cabin with the captain. llis name was
" Bottle of Beer." The, Kroo-men got into the canoe
again, and they shoved off; the captain telling them to
land him, and the canoe returned the following morning
without Hill. The vessel was then off Chillongo. Should
say Hill went at against his will.
Cross-examined.—The defendant had a factory there,
and at several places beside. They were stations where
he kept his goods, and a person to take care of them.
hill-- was a very disorderly sailor. The reason of his
being put in irons was in consequence of his attempting
to take away a canoe, and to run away from the ship.
That was on the 2(1 of December, in the night. He
wa: put in irons the following morning. Did not hear
him say he would not do any ord-. He was put into
irons about eight o'clock in the morning ; but it is
stated to be at eight o'clock in the evening in the log.
That and many other entries made by witness, were not
true. Witness swears he did not hear any one ask him
to return to work, and he would be taken out of irons.
Under the circumstances, did not think it his duty to ask
him to return to work. Hill refused to work in Sep-
tember, whilst witness and the captain were at dinner.
Ile used very abusive language, and said he would not
do any more work on board the vessel. On his return
home witness was discharged by the captain, as ho said,
for misconduct. Boden and Russell are not here as wit-
nesses. They wore never punished during the voyage.
All the rest of the witnesses in attendance, except
Brown, were punished. Hill was flogged with a birch
or heather rod. Ile had sixty strokes, and was asked
about every dozen strokes whether he would return to
work. Ile said, it was no use going to work for he
should get no wages. We cruised about the coast for
twelve months, and were frequently at Loango and
Chillongo. There were six men from our ship taken
on board a man-of-war, and we received four from that
vessel, only one of whom was fit fur the helm. Believed
there was a town about three miles from where Hill was
pmt on shore. Told the captain there would be a day
of reckoning.
Other witnesses gave a similar account of the manner
in which Hill was put on shore.
Henry --4te-iII 1
ins, a black man, the steward of the
vessel, deposed to Hill coming to the factory at Loango,
of which the witness was in charge, two days after he
was put on shore in a state of exhaustion ; he remained
two or three days, and was carried off by an American
on board her Majesty's man-of-war Rapid. When the
Mediteranean came to Loango the captain came on
shore and asked after Ilill, and was told that he had
gone on board the Rapid. Loango is about thirty miles
from Chillongo.
Mr. James then proceeded to address the jury for the
defence. It was clear the captain had a mutinous and
worthless crew to deal with, and therefore it became his
duty to the owner of the ship to resort to flogging, which
he was perfectly justified in doing, but it did not appear
that there was any cruelty in the flogging, as it was
merely with a Won rod: He remarked upon the con-