The Sun.
London, England, 1827-08-11 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOUSE.—Mary Mudie, cook at the
York Coffee-house, near the Royal Exchange, was charg-
ed, in conjunction with a man named Joshua Redding,
with having robbed the house of several articles at dif-
ferent times.
The circumstances under which the various robberies
were effected are of more frequent occurrence than is gene-
rally imagined. Redding was introduced to the servants
as the husband of Mary Mudie, and he constantly visited
her there, without having excited any suspicion of the
actual nature of his acquaintance with her. The head
waiter, however, found that property for which he was ac•
countable was disappearing. Bottles of spirits, wine-
glasses, Ece. Bcc., were missed. At last three silver spoons
vanished. It was then time to look about. The male
prisoner, who was frequently backwards and forwards, was
followed, and in his lodgings were found three bottles, con-
taining spirits, three wine-glasses, some segars, and other
property. The bottles had the marks of the proprietor
upon them, and it was believed that all the articles
were stolen from the Coffee-house. It also appeared
that Redding had a wife and three children, in the
greatest distress, and that he merely visited the female
prisoner for the purpose of committing depredations in
the house.

Mary Mudie, upon being first put to the bar, &bated.
It was stated that proof could be brought forward to
show that the male prisoner had possessed himself of the
key of the bar, and applied to a locksmith for a counterpart
of it, and that he declined leaving it for any length of time,
in the fear that it would be missed.—The prisoners were
remanded for a few days. . _ _

An elderly gentleman, who said that he was a collecting
clerk in a house of respectability in the city, charged a
young woman of the town with haying, with the assistance
of another female, robbed him of ten sovereigns. The com-
plainant, with a smile, told the Lord Mayor that he was
rather tipsy when he met the prisoner and her com-
panion, who led him from place to place, and were ♦ery
sweet upon him, until he missed his purse. Ono of the
ladies then fled, but he secured the other, and gave her to
a watchman.

The Lour, MA You. thought that it would be useless
to send the prisoner to the Old Bailey upon the mere
words of a drunken man, and told the prosecutor that
nothing less than robbery could be expected tinder the cir-
cumstances.

Prosecutor—But, my Lord, I hope you think that I
hare done my duty in bringing her forward. I might
have been robbed of a much larger sum.

The LORD MAYOR—Oh, I think it quite patriotic in
ycu to come forward and submit to such an exposure.—
(A laugh. )
The old gentleman then retired, and the prisoner was
sent to Bridewell for a month.

BOW-STREET.—Yesterday, Eliza Elliott, a decent
looking woman, was brought befOre Sir RICHARD BIRNIE,
for final examination on a charge of robbing her master,
Mr. Neele, an engraver, in the Strand, in whose service she
had been for a few weeks only.
-It appeared in evidence, that soon after she had been
domiciled in the prosecutor's house, various trifling things
were missed, but no notice was taken, and no suspicion
excited against the prisoner until a Si. note disappeared, a
few days since, under circumstances which left little room
to doubt as to the thief. It was then remembered that a
valuable brooch had been missed from the house of a friend
immediately after the prisoner, who had been there upon an
errand, had left it. A constable was in consequence called
in, and the prisoner's box being searched, several of the
missing things were found in it. Upon inquiry it was dis-
covered that the prisoner had purchased some articles of
dress at a shop in Greek-street, Sobo, for which she paid
with the Si. note ; and the brooch was found at a pawn-
broker's shop in Drury-lane, where the prisoner had sold it
for five shillings.
The prisoner seemed a good deal affected, and declined
saying any thing in her defence.
The prosecutor's wife bore testimony to the prisoner's
excellent qualities as a servant, and this departure from the
path of honesty is attributed to an unfortunate connectio❑
she had formed with a private soldier. She was committed
for trial.

UNION-HALL.—Yesterday Shepherd, the driver of a
cabriolet, No. 21, was summoned before the sitting Magis-
trate, J. T. Honx, Esq., charged with demanding more
than his fare, and also with making use of abusive language
to a gentleman named Hunt, residing in Great Surrey-
street, Blackfriars-road.
The complainant stated, that on Wednesday last he hired
the cabriolet in question on the coach-stand opposite Bow
Church, in Cheapside, and was driven over Blackfriars-
bridge, to the corner of Upper Ground-street, at the foot
of the bridge, where he alighted, and tendered the defendant
Bd., the distance being within the mile. The defendant
said his fare was a shilling. Mr. Hunt, however, con-
vinced that he had tendered the legal fare, refused to give
any more, offering his card, and observing, that the driver
bad his remedy at this office if he considered he bad not
received his due. The defendant, instead of accepting either
card or money, immediately seised Mr. Hunt by the collar,
and calling him a shabby fellow, said, " If I can't get it
out of you by fair means, I'll shake it out of you." He
then proceeded to shove Mr. Hunt about, pointing him out
to several people, who had by this time 'collected on the
spot, as a fellow who went about bilking coachmen of their
fares. The complainant having endured this kind of treat-
ment for some time, at length gave the fellow a shilling,
glad to escape out of the midst of a rabble who, influenced
by the defendant, called out after him, and hooted as he
walked away. Mr. Hunt added, that he never experienced
more gross conduct in his life, even from that class of per-
sons, as Ire di4 prent occasion from the defendant,
who, if it shonld cost 11.44. mr. Hunt) 207.,:he was deter-
mined on punishing, as an example to hackney-coachmen
and cabriolet drivers.
Mr. HONE-.---This is a very aggravated case. What have
you to say in your defence ?
The defendant endeavoured to palliate his conduct by
stating, that at the time he demanded the shilling from the
complainant, he told him that if it was more than the fare,
he bad his remedy by summoning him (the driver) at a
police-office. He also called his master, who certainly
spoke favourably of his former character.
The Magistrate, however, under all the circumstances,
inflicted a penalty of 40s. and costs on the defendant.
A Mrs. Bowdell and her daughter were brought up,
charged under the Wilful Damage Act, with having cut
up, and destroyed a rope mat, belonging to Mrs. Lumley,
their next door neighbour. This case exhibited in a re-
markable degree the sway a fortune-teller possessed over a
superstitious mind,
The complainant briefly stated the circumstances. She
said that a few evenings ago being absent from home, on
her return she found the hall door-mat cut up in a thousand
pieces. Ou subsequent inquiries, she ascertained to her

satisfaction that the damage was committed by the de-
fendants.

Mr. HONE—Where are your witnesses ? Let them bs
called.

Complainant—l have no witnesses in attendance ;I am
on my oath, and I hope that will be sufficient to convict
those two persons. She here produced the remains of the
mat, tied up in a sloth, and, looking earnestly at the de-
fendants, said, " You know you have destroyed my goods."
Mr. Howe—My good woman, we must have evidence
to prove the case against the persons you have given into
custody.
Defendant—Your worship, she consulted a fortune-teller
about her mat, and the fellow told her that I and my
daughter were the persons who spoiled it, and that has in-
duced her to make the charge against us.
Mr. Hostiz—How do you know that fact ? Has she told
you that she has been with a fortune-teller on the subject ?
Defendant replied, that the complainant had admitted to
a female, then in attendance, that the moment she dis-
covered her mat had been cut, she proceeded to the fortune-
teller, who attributed the offence to have been committed
by her and her daughter.
This person was accordingly called, and in reply to the
Magistrate's questions, she said, that in a conversation she
had with the complainant, after the mat was destroyed, she
stated that she had been with the " cunning man," who,
on being made acquainted with what had happened, drew
the likenesses of Mrs. Bowden and her daughter to the life,
adding, that they were the persons who did the damage.
The complainant, on being questioned relative to her
having been with a fortune-teller about the business, did
not deny the fact, and still asserted that she was persuaded
the defendants had acted in the manner she described.

The Magistrate, having discharged the defendants, ex-
pressed a particular desire to know the residence of the
" cunning man," who, he observed, would be a most ex-
cellent subject for the tread-wheel.
Mrs. Lumley, who was the only person present who could
give the information required, flaunted out of the office,
saying, she had no idea of making other people wiser than
herself.

PROVIDENT LIFE INSURANCE COM•

PANY.

The third Septennial Meeting of the Members of
this institution was held yesterday, at the Office of
the Company, Regent-street. At one o'clock Sir
GEORGE DUCKETT, Bart., was called to the Chair,
and after a few prefatory observations, requested the
attention of the Members to the Report of the
Board of Directors, which would be read to them.

Mr. BARBER BEAUMONT, jun., read the Report,
which exhibited the flourishing state of the Corn-
pany's affairs, but which, from its length, we are
obliged to omit. _

The reading of the Report was followed by ex-
pressions of unmixed approbation by the Members.
Mr. BEAUMONT then rose, and stated, that the
sum total of the Company's expences, during the
last twenty-one years, including payments on 590
lives that had dropped, amounted to nearly half a
million; that the balance in hand was considerably
above half a million, in addition to the original capital
and its accumulations, and that after valuing their ex-
isting policies, there remained of surplus profits in hand
the sum of 215,7731., the one half of which was to
be divided, the other to be reserved as an accumu-
lating fund. Mr. Beaumont explained, that by the
peculiar rules of the office, only about one-fourteenth
part of the half to be divided fell to the share-
holders, the rest being divided among the insured,
and that from the probable increase of the surplus
profits during the next seven'years, the part allotted
to the shareholders would not be above one twenty-
fifth part of the whole; but that this comparatively
small portion of the profits assigned to the share-
holders, by contributing most essentially to the ex-
tension of their business, had in reality, and from
that cause, doubled the value of their shares. Mr.
Beaumont then went on, at great length, to state
the advantages of the plan of the Provident Com-
pany as compared with other companies, and con-
cluded a long and able speech, amidst loud and uni-
versal applause.
The CHAIRMAN then rose, and after compliment-
ing Mr. Beaumont upon his very able, luminous,
well-digested, and satisfactory address, put the
question that the Report be agreed to, which was
carried unanimously.
A MEMBER asked, had the accounts referred to in
the Report been audited by auditors unconnected
with the Company ?

. .
The CHAIRKAN said, the Annual Reports had
been duly audited, which the Directors thought ren-
dered the examination of the aggregate accounts
unnecessary.

The MEMBER said, he had not the least doubt
that the accounts were quite correct; still it would
have been satisfactory had the members had the au-
thority of auditors on the subject. The making out
of the accounts had probably been left to the clerk,
over whom some eontroul or inspection might be
exercised with advantage.
The CHAIRMAN asked, did the gentleman recom-
mend that the affairs of the Company should be
submitted for examination to persons unconnected
with it ?

The MEMBER replied that that might not be de-
sirable, and repeated his former observations.
Mr. BRAND:torn' said, the objection had been ob-
viated by the annual inspection of the accounts by
auditors' All the accounts had been checked and
examined by three clerks, the entire of whose time
had been occupied by it for nine months. It was
quite clear, therefore, that no individual, no set of
auditors, could go over those accounts in the same
manner; but every thing necessary to insure their
correctness had been put in practice, and he hoped
he might be permitted to say with success. He
had himself laid down the plans by which the calcu-
lations were worked; but it was impossible for him to
see that each of 4,000 accounts bad been accurately
worked according to those plans. He had, however,oc-
casionally submittednumbers of those accounts to the
test of a rigid examination, and, having found them
uniformly correct, thought he was justified in pre-
suming all were so. (Applause.) Moreover, the
clerks reciprocally checked each other. Under these
circumstances, therefore, he thought the meeting
would agree with him in recognizing the accounts as
perfectly accurate and satisfactory.
The Proprietor who started the objection, again
disclaimed any intention to impute incorrectness,
and repeated his former observation respecting the
accounts, which it had been admitted were left to
the clerks to make out. An annual audit was of
less importance than the audit of the septennial ac-
counts. An incorrectness in the former might be
adjusted before the next annual meeting, while an
inaccuracy in a septennial account must, if detected,
remain over for seven years, before it could be rec-
tified.

Mr. BEAUMONT thought, the tests to which the
labours of the clerks were subjected, sufficiently
guaranteed their accuracy, particularly when it should
be recollected, that the respective employments of
those persons depended solely upon their correctness.
Here the conversation dropped.
A recommendation of the Board, that to the three
clerks employed, gratuities of tool., 501., and 251.
respectively, should be paid, was then proposed and
agreed to. After which,
Earl FERRARS rose, and said, he had been for
many years a Member of the Company, during the
entire of which time, he had witnessed the extreme
zeal, the unwearied activity, and the distinguished
talent and ability, displayed by their Acting Director
in the management of the affairs of the Company,
and to which was, in a great degree, to be ascribed
that high state of prosperity to which they had at-
tained,--(Applause.)—He should, therefore, pro-
pose, that the best thanks of the Meeting be given
to J. T. Barber Beaumoet,Esq., for his active, yet
steady and prudent administration of the affairs of
the Company.
Sir JOHN HARRINGTON seconded the motion,
which passed unanimously.
Mr. BEAUMONT, in returning thanks, dwelt upon
the claims which the Cheirmais had upon the grati-
tude of the Company, not merely for his presiding
there that day, but for his exertions as one a their
Trustees. To the support of that worthy Baronet
(Sir George Duckett) with the able and constant
co-operation of the Noble Earl (Ferrara), rather
than to any ability of his own, should be attributed
the praise which the members had been pleased to

bestow on his exertions, iu the service of the Corn-
pany.—(Applause.)—Mr. Beaumont concluded, by
moving the best thanks of the meeting to the Chair-
man, Sir G. Duckett.
Earl FERRARs put the question, which was una-
nimously agreed to.
The meeting then broke up, the members appa-
rently highly satisfied with the remarkable degree of
prosperity that had attended an undertaking, com-
menced with means which, in the late period of spe-
culations in Joint Stock Companies, would have
been deemed paltry, and totally inadequate to the
proposed object.