The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-02 00:00:00

SIIORTING INTELLIGENCE.

, i CHESTER RACES—TUESDAY.
n the single item of sport the meeting as yet has ex-
111,Rliie; ricithing very remarkable, the general. indications are
"eo 'lleouraging. More horses are now in the town for
1411" D than have been seen here on any former occasion ; and
groanthe al breaks- down should arise from the hardness of
,14Y ul7 we may look for at least 25 at the post. That
weig.h'L be started without great difficulty, or, fairly under
No, ' that they will get round so narrow and awkward a
th eito without accident or disappointment, is more to be desired
• B:Pected. We are glad to find that in adopting the
t"„4rdi ~at,,e the clerk of the course has taken one step
.t 0,4"0,4"
,4" tot,';eventing the " untoward " proceedings thatexcited
-'"al At dissatisfaction and prejudice last year. The ar-
froh,B 11P to th,qhp the present time are unusually numerous; and
Cl 4 aft; crowd that a moderate list attracted to the course
stigr, ands;lll,,oon, there cannot be a doubt that the Cup or
aY will be a bumper. The only feature of any
-;s4tirtieys- the racing to-day was the defeat of
1(7 rna'd'eu a; one of the favourites for the Oaks.
old wretched exhibition, and, we take it
Fraated
will not see Epsom. The two-year
I,lll(liffea-ea brought a field, average in number, but of a very
-',,erbyri,e"t qualitv We need not look amongst them for a
ed-• /, "r Oaks (ay. ourite. The sport in other respects
little
tharci of e o'clock, the last a few minutes before seven—a cbs
q't ,'ne of the cardinal virtues of the Turf, punctuality,
tisillitinat have been serviceable to the proprietors of tnne,
• habg,„ booths, but was anything but agreeable to those i
,s4eot, "„,of attending Newmarket, Liverpool, Goodwood, and
wtTrial Sfakes not having filled, the racing coin-
"
44SIG UP TO TWELVE O'CLOCK ON TUESDAY NIGHT.
3 to THE CUP.
i to ` aglt Kent's two—t. 20 to 1 agst Alice Hawthorn
I
/to agst Red Deer 20 to 1 agst Everton
/to agBt Pagan 20 to 1 agst Rowland
11 to ; agst Bramble 20 to 1 agst Jamie Forest
IS agst Cattonite 22 to 1 agst Pharaoh
1 re, 411 to „
b: LILWII.II 25 to 1 apt Xanthus
Est Freedom 25 to 1 agst Greenfinch.

Sto2
42 agst R DE
Ratan—taken
alPt IJAyßuck—t.

33Y.
11 to 1 agst Leander—taken
30 to 1 apt K. oftheGipsies.

rile fono . LIGHT ON CAPE ROCA.
„s wing has been received, at Lloyd's :
• Admiralty, April 29, 1844. an -
lilatt's—gltTlithreference.to my letter of the 2d instant,
eon
/ De Ito at no light will be shown from theLigohfthroeupsair7,
Zlla ea during die present month on account
ty ctTlialttarnled by my Lords Commissioners. of the Ad. mi-
„ l' trl.„ e.quaint you, for the information of the. Committee
4t
i"ai;lng the affairs of Lloyd's, that her Majesty's Consul
44 1)00°1111as stated that at his representation the rep.M.rns
Nl4eri;ll"ed, and that the light will not be discontinued i
enoe thereof until the 15th of next June.
41'e lt, (Signed)
" • bobson, Esq., Secretary, L7o3Odn's.N,,
1,,T1F, 1, - BARROW.
01'4;e:tight Hon, the Earl of Lauderdale, Sir G.
&Nil rider of Lochend ; Sir John Hall, of Dunlass. • Mr.
tli:ili2.-Iltio4ileciris: °f Barney-hill, and other proprietors in the
Ilt..eizen, Qod of Dunbar, have already made. permanent ar-
Itlsh II as to the indemnity to be received by the North
''lle'lvickalq,.lwa3rra singr through their respective properties.

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.
FROM THE EVENING PAPERS OF YESTERDAY.
GLOBE.—The law of debtor and creditor in this
country was, until the last few years, in a most imper-
fect state. Instead of being founded on the obviously
rational and just principle of rendering the property
of the debtor available to the payment of his debts—
which in other -countries is principally aimed at by
their laws on this subject—personal restraint, aptly
described as a " power which exposes the liberty of
one man to the passions of another," was the remedy
provided by the Legislature for securing the payment
of debts. The unfortunate and the fraudulent were
treated alike. The dishonest debtor was no more
subjected to imprisonment than the honest one.
The man who had long struggled with misfor-
tunes—who had daily submitted to privations of or-
dinary comforts, that his means of meeting the pecu-
mary claims upon him mi.sht be increased, and who had
distributed every pound he could acquire and save to
avert the calamities that eventually overtook him, was
regarded with equal eye by the law with the reckless
spendthrift, the headlong speculator, and the fraudulent
practitioner ! An alteration in this cruel and im-
politic system was contemplated with reluctance.
Partial ameliorations of its rigour were made at dis-
tant intervals, by the Legislature, which thus showed
the confidence that was felt in the efficiency of imprison-
ment to coerce payment of pecuniary claims, not merely
from the fraudulent, but from the unfortunate and impo-
verished. On moving last night in the House of Lords•
the second reading of the Bill for assimilating the ex-
isting laws of creditor and debtor, Lord Cottenham
entered largely into the legislative history of the sub-
ject. To the Noble Lord's masterly exposition of the
imperfect principles and defective operation of the
successive changes which were made by Parliament,
we refer those who desire to become acquainted with
the past. They will there see how unwilling the Legis- ,
lature showed itself to interfere with the system of in-
discriminate imprisonment ; and, when it did interfere,
what inexplicable distinctions were recognised and ap-
plied to different class of debtors. The poorest, and
most unfriended—alike destitute of resources and of
help—were doomed to a prison. Persons who
could not meet their obligations to their creditors, if
their debts were of large amount, were relieved,
partially or wholly, from the degradation and misery-
of incarceration. The law only reserved its un-
mitigated 'Vengeance for the poorer classes—those
whose debts were small, and whose destitution was
absolute! Lord Cottenham, by the Bill which he has in-
troduced, seeks to remove those distinctions, and to
place the law of creditor and debtor on principles more
consonant with sound policy. Its object is to assimilate
the law relating to bankrupts and insolvents, by abolish-
ing altogether imprisonment for debt, and giving to the
creditor greater facilities for obtaining cessio bonorum.
Debts contracted without prospect of being able to pay
them are to be treated as fraudulent transactions; and
the delinquents may be tried before a jury, and punished
according to the flagrancy of the case. The future pro.
perty of insolvents, that of bankrupts, is to be ex-
empted from the power of former creditors; and all pro-
ceedings in bankruptcy and insolvency are to be assimi-
lated, and carried on in one court, before one set of
judges. Such is the outline of this greatly beneficial mea-
sure, which will, we trust, shortly receive the sanction of
the Legislature. The honest and unfortunate debtor will
be relieved by it from imprisonment. Thus punishment
will be reserved wholly for the fraudulent debtor ; whose
case will be regarded, as it ought to be, in the light of

a crime against society ; subject to be dealt with, as
other offences against socieiy are, by a court of crimi-
nal jurisdiction, and be no longer left to the partial
and frequently malevolent passions of individuals.
Speaking . of imprisonment fur debt, Mr. Burke long
since said, " Every process of judicial order is subverted
by this proceeding. If the insolvency be no crime, why
is it punished with arbitrary imprisonment ? If it be a
crime, why is it delivered into private hands to
pardon without discretion, or to punish with-
out mercy and without measure ?" The credi-
tors of an insolvent will, by this measure,
obtain prompt possession and early and equal distribu-
tion of the assets of his estate, comprehending every de-
scription of his property. This principle of cessio Gonorum
has been long found to work most advantageously
in Scotland, and has been frequently urged on the con-
sideration and adoption of the Legislature, as well
calculated in this country to secure the property of insol-
vent traders from waste, by delay and mal-appropriation.
STANDA RD.—Lord Cottenhatn last nie ht introduced
a Bill for the abolition, in all cases, of imprisonment for
debt, leaving the fraudulently incurring of debt, or the
fraudulently withholding payment of a just debt which
the party is able to pay, to be dealt with criminally, as
a substantive offence. The Bill met the unanimous ap-
probation of the House, and we trust will soon be the
law of the land. The power of imprisonment for debt is
the most unjust, and, in a country where ninety-nine men
out of a hundred have no estate but in their time and
their character, the most cruel tyranny that it is pos-
sible to imagine. Of the injustice of leaving with one
subject the power of depriving, another of liberty, charac-
ter, and occupation—if the latter happens to be his
debtor—whether by misfortune, venial imprudence, or
the arts of the creditor himself—of the injustice of in-
vesting the richer class with this tyranny, to be ex-
exercised at their caprice, it is unnecessary to say
anything after all that has been said and written upon
the subject during the last 200 years. The injustice of
the tyranny is acknowledged universally ; but the
degree of its cruelty is. not so generally appreciated.
The injury inflicted upon a debtor by imprison-
ment, is frequently measured merely by the amount
of the pain of three months' confinement and by
three months' loss of time ; .but this is a ridiculously
inadequate measure ; in the vast majority of cases—
we should say, that in every case where the debtor is
really an honest and industrious man—imprisonment is
ruin. They are only the knaves and the dissolute who
make light of it. The poor labourer, the artisan, the clerk,
the professional man, who has no prospect in life but the
fruit of patient labour and of a fair character, finds impri-
sonment for three months a very dreadful matter ; turn-
ed loose at the three months' end, he finds the place
that he formerly- occupied filled up, and has to begin the
world anew, and work out a new place for himself
with worse than no reputation—with a damaged reputa-
tion. So dreadful are these consequences of impri-
sonment to industrious men of proper feeling,
that they will submit to any terms of em-
ployers to avoid it, or make any bargain with
usurers. Few who know the real lives of the
struggling millions can have escaped seeing many
examples of men who might have adorned and served
their country in the highest stations creeping in obscure
employments to mean graves, in terror of the horrid
phantom of ignominious improvement. But it will be
said, creditors are not generally so hard-hearted in
this Christian country. We do not know what to say to
this ; the love of money has a great tendency to harden
the heart ; and with the example of Mr. Oastler's
three years' suffering, and the knowledge of the fact
that that gentleman's wealthy creditor, after wringing
two or three thousand pounds from the compassion
and sympathy of the people, still maintains his
position in society, we can hardly say that such
hard-heartedness is either rare or unpopular in Eng-
land. The truth is, however, that the creditor
is not always the party to blame. He, a poor man,
perhaps, wants his money ; a ready solicitor sty,-
gests that it can be had on a peremptory demand%
the demand is made, costs accumulate ; these
costs must be paid by the creditor himself, if he
cannot extract them from the debtor or the deb-
tor's friends ; so that he (the creditor) having once
begun, is forced to push matters to extremity,
if he would evade greater loss. This is not
hard-heartedness—it is merely folly at first and
necessity afterwards. Abolish imprisonment for
debt, however, and what do you effect ?
You take from creditors the temptation to commit this
folly, and you destroy at a stroke the trade of the worst
description of usurers—the tnen who lend money at high
interest upou bills of exchange; in contemplation of
actions upon those bills, the lenders upon cognovits
and warrant to confess judgment.. In nearly
every case these loans are contracted in
.order to
pay detts, because debts unpaid drag a man to
prison and to ruin ; but abolish imprisonment,
and men will have no motive for changing cre-
ditors at the exorbitant cost of flying to usurers. In
this way a pestilent trade will be extinguished, and a
considerable amount of capital let loose for fair
,com-
mercial purposes; while the moral effect inu.stl?e
hence the value of character by making character the
only safe ground for giving credit. - •

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, MAY 2, 1544.

Mr. OBBARD seconded the resolutions.
! Mr. LAWRENCE objected to the resolutions. He moved
the previous question.
Mr. BURN seconded the amendment.
The amendment was negatived, and the resolutions
were agreed to.—Adjourned.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
(YESTERDAY.)
MANSION-HOUSE.

Two young nivn named Hart and Johnson, who were
fashionably dressed, and had very much the appearance
of medical students, and a little boy named Johnny
Britton, who was what is called " very tidily togged
out," and walked between the other two, in quality of a
little brother, were brought before the Lord Mayor
charged with having made repeated attempts to pick
pockets.
Richard Tyas, a beadle, who once belonged to the
police, and, has a pretty extensive knowledge of the
" pocket shakers " of the metropolis, stated, that between
twelve and one o'clock in the day, he saw the three pri-
soners, all of whom he knew to he thieves, walking along
Cheapside, and " trying it on " with the passers-by.
Hart walked alongside of Johnny Britton, and contrived
to hold a cloak before him, to enable him to work at his
ease without detection, and the little thief, with very
amusing skill, made several experiments, while Johnson
was on the look-out behind. They at last observed that
the whims was following them, and they quickly passed
out of the street. The witness, however, continued to
follow them, and told them that he should give all the
officers he should meet notice of their business, and that
they had better go over the water to the Borough,where
they were well known. Johnson retaliated in strong
language, but " little Johnny " scorned the use of words
on such an occasion, and made a straight-forward blow
at the beadle, who received it on his mouth, and speedily
showed blood.
Every one in the justice-room was surprised at hear-
ing of the pluck of so diminutive an antagonist, but
Johnny looked contemptuously at the beadle.
The witness added that Johnson and Hart showed
every disposition to follow the example of the little-un,
but were prevented by the interference of other people.
The LORD MAYOR—Did you see them attempt to pick
pockets ? Witness—yes ; the last persun they
.tried
was a lady, and Britton handled her all about in an
extraordinary manner.

Chi th& constable, said he knew the prisoners to be
expert and daring thieves. The boy was regularly co-
vered by the other two, and he could whip out a purse as
cleverly as a handkerchief. A great deal was done in
that way.
Britton—That's a lie. You never saw me—not one of
you—before ; and we were going quietly along about
our business when you came up and called us thieves.
Why should we stand that sort of rig ? We a'nt no
thieves.

A policeman said he saw the three prisoners upon the
beadle, and he took hold of Britton, who, though much
the smallest, was certainly the most formidable. They
were all known at the station-house.

The LORD MAYOR—I have no doubt that Hart and
Johnson look upon the boy as an instrument with which
to commit robberies. lam sorry I cannot send them to
the Central Criminal Court fur trial, for they are most
dangerous. I shall, however, send each of them for
three months to Bridewell as rogues and vagabonds.
Johnny Britton—There's 11. 3s. 6d. of ourn in the
pockets of these here police fellows. They a'nt agoing
to have that, are they ?
Hart—These police ought not to treat us this way:
Johnny Britton—Not a bit of it. I give these rubbish
many a shilling.—(Laughter.)
The LORD MAvoa—You are showing us that the
officers are fully correct in their accounts of you.
Johnny Britton—They ought not to take our money
if they meant to go it this way. That a'nt fair, I'm
sure. Arter all they didn't see us take anything ; and
if they did, don't we tip 'em to keep 'em quiet ?
The prisoners were then committed to Bridewell.
The wretched boy left the bar vowing vengeance against
the beadle. _

A young woman, named Louisa Johnson, was brought
up charged by. Mr. Prentice, pastry-cook, of Cheapside.
The complainant stated that the defendant walked
into his shop on Tuesday evening, and demanded money,
from his wife, as recompense for eight months' impri-
sonment. She had upon those occasions broken his
windows, and been punished by the Lord Mayor, and
she had visited him immediately after her discharge
from gaol upon each occasion. Witness, the moment his
wife uttered the name of " Louisa Johnson," naturally
turned his attention to the defendant, whose name was
associated with the word "smash," and asked her what
she meant by persecuting his family. She replied that
*he had been eight months in prison, and money she
must have, or she would smash Mrs. Prentice and every-
thing else. As there was n,) reason whatever to doubt
the disposition or the power of such a customer, witness
immediately took hold of her to prevent mischief, and
called a policeman to deal with her.
Defendant—l say, old fellow, what an out-and-out
liar you are ! I never said no sich thing.
The LORD MAYOR—I have often had occasion to
punish you. Defendant—Not at all. You know nothing
at all about me.

The LORD MAYOR—You • are altogether incorrigib!e.
You applied to me to take you out of prison, and you
promised to conduct yourself well. Defendant—No
sich a thing. You blame me for what other peop!e did.
I never saw you afore.
The LORD Maxon—You were locked up in a parti-
cular manner in prison, in consequence of your riotous
conduct, which prevented the performance of divine wor-
ship in the chapel. Defendant—No, I wasn't.. I tell
you I know nothing about you, and I don't want to know
nothing about you.
Complainant—For the last 'two ye-ars I have been
subject to the most dreadful persecution from this woman.
The moment she has been committed for smashing my
windows, she has promised when she should come out to
do the same, and she has performed her promise. I
wish to know what reason she has for attacking me ?
Defendant—l have reasons for it. •

The LORD MAYOR—He asks you what they are ?
Defendant—l don't choose to make him or you as wise
as myself ; no mistake about that old fellow.
The complainant declared that his wife was suffering
in her health from the conduct of the defendant, and was
unable to appear to give evidence.
Defendant—" Take that you old rascal-(throwing a
small scent bottle at the complainant), give it you."
The LORD MAYOR, having censured the officers for
not having searched so desperate a woman before they
brought her to the bar, directed the complainant to ap
pear at the Quarter Sessions on Saturday, to exhibit ar-
ticles of the peace against her. His Lordship then com-
mitted the defendant, in default of bail, to appear at the
sessions.

Louisa Johnson had, previously to her attacks upon
the windows-of Mr, Prentice,gone-the ". whole hog" upon
the windows of other tradespeople, and would probably
have transferred her powers froM him to his neighbours,
if he had not resolutely followed her up to punishment.
The defendant, after leaving the bar, said she would
" call again."

i t
yTasR ET. a
eerStEaienrobUriSbesC,llini t
iA
P;
George Weston, a sergeant of the F division of police, was
summoned before Mr. Twyford, charged with receiving
certain parties against whom warrants had been issued.
It appeared that there have latterly
ilebCe-eoiffil
aCegF,retaOtsmeraeneyn
indictments issued by the parish authorities, for the sup-
pression of certain houses of ill-fame in this district. The
warrants in these indictments were entrusted to Weston,
to execute,al laatnultyn the
appearedpresenthe fo
chargerthe IVO,' that he had
into
given, fix bribes, information to the parties, whereby they
were
complainant, and
Mr. Clarkson for the defence.
The
enabled
case
was t o
goneescape pu t
s Imtheilit
thins d.
Mr. Bay week, but owing
to its length it was adjourned till to-day, in order that
the defendant might have an opportunity to prepare his
defence. The facts are shortly these as detailed in the
evidence :—ln the month of June last, indictments were
preferred against a man named Orchin and his
wife for keeping a house of ill-fame in Shire-lane.
In that month, the defendant called upon a
hairdresser of the name of Clem2nts, who was an ac-
quaintance of the Orchins, and told him to write to them to
inform them that there was a warrant out against them.
The witness wrote to them at Maidstone to guard against
it. After this Weston called again, and said that Orchin
had not given him what he had promised, and told wit-
ness to write to them about it. The witness did so, and
t nbe
ys s was
the order cashed, and the money
cross-examination sabpoops-tb-ooyfficegootrder was returned for 10s. The witness's
and they corroborated The Orchins were called, the
evidence of the other witness. Another witness was
subjected e cgiven
t o to
a
Clarkson, but his evidence was not shaken.
thseevedreefencdroasnt sexit
called, named Anne White, and she swore
in that she had
paid Weston several sums of money, order that he
should protect
her against the effect of a warrant that
was out against her for keeping a house of ill-fame.B h
Mr. Clarkson addressed the Bench at great length,
and called witnesses (policemen), who stated that they
had often heard the witnesses who had been called state
that they would have the coat off Weston's back.
Mr. TWYFORD deferred his judgment tin Saturday.

QUEEN-SQUARE.
Six lads were placed at the bar, charged by Mr.
Elliott, the master, with riotous and disorderly conduct
in St. Margaret's woilehouse.
From the statement of Mr. Sewell, an inmate of the
workhouse, and who has the- direction of the boys, it,
appeared that he was desired to send the defendants
with a truck, containing stones, to a stonemason's in
Regent-street, Westminster. They proceeded a short
distance when they threw up the shafts of the truck,
and upsE t the stones in the middle of the street. They
laughed and made fun of the matter, and were not in-
duced, without much trouble, to reload the truck, and
convey it to its destination. On their return to the
workhouse they became exceedingly riotous, and set the
" powers that be" at defiance. Their language was
most offensive and abusive, and the master and the more
peaceable inmates were sorely vexed and embarrassed
by the utter recklessness of the juvenile law. breakers.
The police were called in, and the master begged of them
wast o take the
soonerth e
saidde delinquents ntqhua ennt s
done.into
The o
custody.lde This, however,
and most incor-
rigible of the party, mounted some railings, and de-
fended his position with some courage and perseverance;
He was ultimately taken into custody,.but not before he
had assaulted the policeman. -The other lads, whose
conduct was equally violent, decamped on the first
appearance of the police. Some of them ran up into
one of the wards, and ensconced themselves under the
beds, and were only taken after considerable exertions
on the part of the constables.. They were ultimately
lodged in safety in the cells of the station-house. -
Mr. Elliott said the lads were an incorrigible set, and
were continually causing broils and battles in the work-
house. They were occasional inmates.
The defendants severally entered into the 4 merits of
the case." One (he who mounted the railings ad defied