The Sun.
London, England, 1827-09-26 00:00:00

t.

COLOMBIA.

,UFECTAo: f the LIBERATOR'S ADAIINISTRATION.

Tranquillity seemed to prevail at the• .period
, of the departure of the Liberator throughout the
four departmentf. which were under his immediate
controul ; agriculture and industry were recover-
ing from the late shock, and resuming their wonted
activity as rapidly as could reasonably be expected;
and although in regard to Bolivar's financial
measures some complaints have been heard,
raised perhaps by persons interested in the con,
tinuation of abuses, the public revenues have
been placed there oti a footing of regularity long
unknown ; the public functionaries were paid 'up
to that date- ; those who followed General Boli-
var to Carthagena received a monthly payment
in advance,, previously to their quitting La
Guayra ; the floating.debt bad been redeemed
and whilst an eighth of the net produce of the
customs was saved, to be applied to the redemp-
tion of the foreign debt, that of the tobacco.mo-
nopoly, peculiarly appropriated to this object, re-
mained untouched, and was gradually emerging
frets the gate Of decay, I plight say utter ruin,
in which it was involved through the calatnitie
of the late war, as it raged most violently in the
departments in which this revenue is raised.

EXTRAORDINARY AFFAIR.

(From this Leicester Chronicle.)

Many of our readers will doubtless recollect,
that in January last we noticed the, circumstance
of a person having swindled a number of farmers
of the' neighbourhood out of large quantities of
corn, to the amount of between 4001. and 5001.
The fellow, it will be remembered, took a house
and warehouse in Upper Charles-street, in which
'to deposit the cone, and appointed a amcceding
Saturday to fulfil his contracts. Before, hOw-
ever, the time arrived, he left the town, and was
never after heard of. Among the dupes of the
swindler was a farmer named Arrowsmith, who
lives at Braunsten, near this town. In May
last, after four months had elapsed, having heard•
of a person at Hull (a Mr. James Sheppard, a
broker and corn commissioned agent), .who he
understood in some measure resembled the
swindler, this individual went over to Hull, ac-
companied by a person named Harold, who, it
appears, had had some transactions in the corn-
trade with Mr. Sheppard, to ascertain whether
he was the man. They fancied that lie bore
some resemblance to him, but were so satisfied.
that he was not the man, that Harold actually
left with him a considerable sum, to be laid out
in oorn. This commission was moat ho-
nourably executed by Mr. Sheppard, and Harold,
we understand, has had more reasons than one
to be satisfied with his honesty in his business
as a corn factor.l* Here the matter rested, from
May to the Bth instant, when, strange
as it may appear, 'Arrowaniith went be-
fore Mr. Alderman Cook, and made oath that
Mr. Sheppard was the man who defrauded him
of his corn. A warrant was consequently issued,
and Unwin, the police-officer, was despatched to
Hull, accompanied by Arrowsmith, to execute
it. After arriving at Hull, and getting the war-
rant endorsed, they proceeded to .Mr. Shep-
pard's office, took him into custody, and soon
after set off with him for Leicester. On their ar-
rival near Nottingham, Mr. Sheppard was fortu-
nate enough to meet with Mr. Andrew, of Bing,
ham, a highly respectable attorney, and clerk to
the Magistrates there, who had formerly been his
solicitor, whom lie requested to accompany him
to Leicester. On their arrival on Wednesday,
Mr. Sheppard was committed to 'the borough
gaol for the night. On Thursday the prisoner
was brought up to the Exchange, to undergo an
examination, when Arrowsmith again most podi-
Lively swore to his identity, both in his examine-,
Lion in chief and his cross-examination. After
the conclusion of Arrowsinith's examination, Mr.
Andrew called

Mr. Spooner, who deposed that he kept the
Marquis of Granby inn, and that the swindler
alluded to by Mr. Arrowemith rented the ware-
house in Charles-street, of Mr. Wales that he
and his companion were together at ..witness's
house at the time the transaction took place, for
,oihlniesukoeervresvr,oahi
cieled;slwat onatsda daset
about ten days, and that he should know them.
the prisoner'did not at all resemble the swindler,
woreeitherb o tboth
again
i large n person r
whiskers,
e altogetherittheswindle;n:a veryti
different looking man to.the prisoner.
Mr. W. Shenton, flour and. corn-dealer, pur-
chased come of the corn of the, swindler : he
had known the prisoner for the last ten years,
during which period he had had various dealings
with him, in which he always found him very-
honourable ; that he did not at all resemble the
swindler, either in voice or person.
Mr. Joshua Shenton, corn-dealer, &c., also
stated that he had known the prisoner 13 or 14
years, and had had transactions in business with
him, in which he always found.him correct ; that
he regularly attended the corn-market, but never
saw the prisoner there, either
December last, or at any other period during
that time ; and that be did not believe that he
ever wore whiskers.

no:
a Whitet all H
re-
semble t
in January
rki seolsr dtlille
Inn, bought corn of the swindler early
Met, when it was lying at the warehouse in
Charles-street, and thwahop
him, either in yoke or person. Mr.
Waghorne also produced a book, in
which,the
swindler signed a receipt for
the money.
The Messrs. Shenton here stated that they
were well acquainted with
the handwriting of'Mr.
Sheppard • that the • °
name " Hy. Hams, ! signed
in Mr. Waghorne boob, did
a not appear to be a
least
disguised hand ; and that it did not m the
resemble Mr. Sh Il'eppal a writing. s
The examination of the above Witnesses having
been gone through, the prisoner was discharged,
the • Mayor expressing himself fully satisfied of
Mr. Sheppard 's innoceuee.
Thus this unfortunate individual has been
dragged from his home, committed to gaol as a
common felon, and put to great expense, owing
to a too confident belief in his being the person
whom he is not,—astriking instance of the ne-
cessity of great caution in BWearing to strangers
of slight acquaintance.
• Before Mr. Sheppard quitted the presence of
the, Magistrates, 114 r. Andrew, his attorney, de-
manded a copy of the warrant upon which he had
been taken into custody, in order,. as' •
'
m•e sunder_
stand, to ground some future proceedings, which
he obtained.

Yesterday Mr. Harold made an affidavit, confirming
the fads, and adding that when at Hull, he told Mi.
Arrowamith that Mr. Sheppard was no the person Tt he
called himself " Harris," which. Arrowomith himself fre-
quently admitted I At-rosy/smith, Harold also statee, shed
tears while on the road from Hull to Gainsborough, at
the thought that he should have been at the expense of th)
long a journey, and not have found the swindler ! We have
seen the affidavit, but our limits this week do not allow us
to insert it,