The Sun.
London, England, 1845-04-09 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESJIONS

The sessions commenced yesterday at ten o'clock, be-
fore the Assistant Judge (fir. Sergeant Adams), and a full
bench of magistrates.
The JuDGE charged the grand jury at considerable length
upon the manner in which they should discharge their
duties, and the kind of evidence by which they should be
governed in finding or rejecting billy. He recommended
them to take the larceny cases first, because the Court would
take none other this day, the cases of assault, fraud, nui-
sance, &c., being postponed to another day. To return in-
dictments first in the latter class of cases would be a waste
of the juries' own time, as well as of the magistrates'; and
time was of some importance, as they had a very heavy
calendar to deal with.
The grand jury having retired, the Court proceeded to
swear in the common juries. A great number of persons
-summoned were excused on pleas of illness and other grounds.
A gentleman, who described hiniself as a teacher in a public
institution, claimed to be excused on the ground that he is
required to give a lecture upon anatomy daily, and that the
season is at hand when those lectures must be suspended.
The applicant was excused.
A veterinary surgeon claimed to be exempted, also, on
account of his professional engagements.
The Count. did not think that the case was so strong as
that of the last applicant. There was nothing particulariy
pressing as to time of year in the pro&ssion of the present
claimant for exemption.
The gentleman said that he attended a great many gentle-
men's horses by contract, and as the town wes now very full,
the calls up') his attention were numerous. It' a horse,
belonging to any of his cult, triers, were to die w hilst he was
detained hare as a juror, the owner might have an action
against him.—(A laugh.)
Mr. Sergeant ADAMS—Oh. pooh ! If any action is brought
against you, call me as a witness to prove that you were de-
tained by your duty here —(A laugh.)
Mr. James L. Wilson, of Highbury-terrace, applied to the
Court to be released from the rine tir non-attendance to his
summons as a grand juror, on the ground that he had been
unavoidably detained, and was only live minutes late.
The JUDGE—You are excused.
The officer— My Lord, the gentleman refuses to be sworn.
The .JUDGE—How is that? Mr. Wilson—l have religious
scruples to take an oath.
The JUDGE—What are you? Mr. Wilson—l am a gen-
tleman.

.....
The JutY.3E—•That is not what we want to know. What
religious profession are you of, to entitle you to exemption
from an oath ? It is a very serious claim to set up, and Ica
ought to know that you have legal grounds. If you have
not, your refusal to take an oath might prevent, in some pro-
bable case, the acquittal of an innocent person. What are
you? Mr. Wilson—l consider myself a gentleman; but I
am summoned here as a merchant. _

The JUDGE— Pray can you not answer a question ? You
claim to be exempted from taking an oath, and I ask you
what you are to have that claim? Air. Wilson—l am a
linen-draper; that is, it is part of my business; but I am
described as a merchant. .

The JUDGE—StiII you don't answer me. Do you attend
in your shop to do business as a linen-draper? Sir. Wilson
—Yes, I do.
The JUDGE—You come here to say that you have reli
gious scruples against taking an oath, yet you cannot answer
a simple quest .n. You first say you are a gentleman, and
then it conus out that you are a linen-draper attendingyour
own shop. You are fined 11.
THE SPA-FIELDS GRAVE-YARD BAL-
LANTYNE, on the part of Robert Vmal and the other de-
fendants in this case, applied upon affidavits to have the trial
postponed to next session. Ile put in the affidavits of Mr.
Lewis, solicitor for the defence, to the effect that the accus,cl
could not be prepared for trial in the present ssssioa, there
being seventy witnesses to examine.
Mr. Lewis—l have only sworn to seventy, but there are
now one hundred and twenty summoned.
The JUDGE said that if he. were to postpone the case in the
terms of the application, the case would cane on upon a
Saturday. Now, did the Learned Counsel think the case
could be concluded in one day ?
Mr. WILD, who appeared for the prosecution, said it would
occupy two or three days.
The JUDGE had a great objection to take a case of this
kind on a Saturday, as it would be spread all Over the
country in an unfinished state by means of the Sunday
papers.
After some further conversation between the bench and
the bar, it was ultimately agreed that the trial should take
place on Monday, the 28th of April.
The Court was occupied the rest of the morning with cases
of larceny possessing no particulars of the least public in-
tank

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MAN SION. HOUSE.

A young man named Clare Hunt; who had been in
the service of Mr. Reynolds, merchant, of No. 12, Austin-
friars, was brought up for final examination, charged
with having committed forgery.
J. M. Passenger, a person in the service of Mr. T.
Pierce, of Ludgate-hill, dealer in cut glass, stated that,
on the 10th of February, the prisoner brought an order
to the fulloa ing purport ?---" Mrs. Reynolds would feel
obliged by Pearce sending her by the bearer two pair
of handsome quart decanters." IrVir4r•ss directed the
goods mentioned in the order to be packed up and de-
livered to the prisoner.

.
Mr. Reynolds stated that the "prisorwr had left his
service previously to the date of the order. The order
was not in the handwriting of the witness's wife, nor was
the prisoner authorised to apply for the goods either on
behalf of witness or his wife.
A clerk in Mr. Reynolds's house proved that the order
was in the hand wrising of the prisoner.
Three similar cases of forgery—one upon the pr-secti-
don of Mr. Bailey, of the firm o 1 Bailey and Walke-,
ironmongers, another upon the prosecution of Messrs.
Davenport and Co., of Fleet-street, china and glass
manufacturers, and a third on the prosecution of Mr.
Muchi. of Leaddnhall-street, cutler,—were also brought
forward, and the prisoner was committed for trial.
Henry Pratt, who has undergone several examinations
before the Lord Mayor, upon charges of fraud, practised
with remarkable ingenuity and success, was brought up,
for the purpose of being formally' committed fur trial.
The prisoner, it appeared, mentioned to the principal
turnkey of the Compter, immediately before he left that
prison for the Mansion House, that he had been busily
occupied in his bed on the preceding night. " About
whit?" asked the tazuhey. " Why," said 019 Ciftsi,4)

laughing, "I have been reckoning up bow many girls I
have regularly done ; and how many do you think ?
Why, I reckoned up fie hundred that I can savar to,
and that's not Rh."

The depositions in a case in which Pratt was charged
with having committed ft forgery upon the baliki,4.
house of lierries and Co., in a eheotto for t n euinea-,
purporting to bo dawn by Nlajor lferris, an officer in
India, whom the prisoner pesouated with astomAing
audacity, were then road o,.er.
Prat had tnanal:,ed to impose sr) cornpletr-ly upon
Mr. Williams, of No. 4, Ali,emarle-street, hotel and
tavern-keeper, who knew the fau.ily of the Right lion.
Mr. IL-rries, by st4ting that he we- Major Ilerries, t
returned from ILdia, thot, Mr. Will ms actually 'At nt to
the banking house hi N hieh be vt a kii:vrn. at d
that he had seen the Maj••r sign it, .1-.4-que,
for a gold watch, procured from Mr Dent. watchmaker,
in the Strand.-

It appeared that the prisoner was either a very ac-
complished impostor, or that he was lucky enough to
find people who could be easly dupecl. Amor gst the
statements which did nit form evidei,ce in any ea
which is to be prosecuted, wt re several exhibiting w hat
the Lord Mayor considered to he curious instances of
gullibility:—
A publican, who resPes in the "wide awake" localit:.
of Drury-lane, was visited last Decembor b' the cap-
tain. who not only (although a tot.d stranger) contrived
to run up a score ter se:eral gla.,sts of brandy-and-
wester, but borrowed five shillings fri m the pnWicati, and
.five shillings more from a frinnd of the publican, who
unfortunately lent a v illir g ear to the captain's his•ory
of his adventures, his rail, and his expecralons. Upon
that interesting occasion the captain solic.ted a vi,•it to
his vessel from the pub icon e d his wife. and daughrer,
to the latter of whom he promised a beautiful parrot.
Three or four months ago the Captain called upon a
tailor in Red Lion-plissag". and ask-11 him how he did.
" I don't know you, Sir." said the tailor. "Oh yes
you do," cried the Captain. " I know you, and many
of your friends. Come over the way and have a bit of
lunch." The tailor refused, and suspected that the
captain was a bad'un, but his suspicion was removed by
a publican in the neighbourhood, who said it was ;.11
right, and he sold a waistcoat to his customer for 15

shillings, which he was never to see. It was soon found
that the publican bad himself been done, and that th• y
had received invitations to the ship and promises of
parrots,
A gentleman, who resides near Berkeley square w,s,
it appeared, introduced by his s• •licit.tr to the captain,
who hearing that this gentleman had been educated us a
surgeon, said without hesitation that he had himself
walked Guy's Hospital. They agree.! to sup together
with a party, of which the captain was to be chair-
man. The captain, however, imparted to his
new acquaintance that he wanted the loan of
a suit of private clothes for the ocea-ion, as he
had no clothes within his imm, (Fate reach except naval
uniforms. By his off-hand addres, the Captain succeeded
in getting a new coat, value four guineas, and a pair of
boots from this victim, ant he easily supplied the other
deficiencies his dress from the wardr. be of an.,ther.
To the supper the Captain brought a soldier, or a cot-
p ral of the Girirds, to the surprise of all, hut he ma-
naged to make a satisfactory apology. The clothes
were, as urght-be expected, never returned ; the gentle•
man had 1....ked everywhere about the docks for the
captain, but he de: paired of ever catching him, until he
saw an account of his adventures in the Times.

The pri4oner was committ+ r? upon the charve of for.
fiery upon the house of 11.-rries and Co., and upon the
s.parate charges of fraud committed upon Mr. G;%+ land,
Mr. Stammers, Mr. R-b,on, and Mr. Howard.

It was considered unnecessary to take the derosi
in any other case ; but it was stated that since the 19,h
of 14:t. month upwaFds of fi ty clear cases could he es-
tatd,shed.