The Sun.
London, England, 1829-10-08 00:00:00

LONDONI
- a'7 111 )(q) 7 7 Of 8 1,'.20

POLICE INTELLIGENCE,.

34,4,1tib10N-110USZ.

Yesterday Mr. Taylor, the common-councilinan,
waited upon the Loao MAYOR for the purpose of
complaining to his Lordship of the conduct of
certain police magistrates, and that of a. worthy
Alderman who bad acted as if in conceit with those-
obnoxious gentlemen. • •
.Mr. Tat for stated, that the ward of Farringdon-
without being on the botinduries of the county of
Middlesex, the plan adopted by the police magis-
trates, for getting rid of the swarms of thievee and
- vagabonds, had placed the representatives of the,
vard in considerable difficulty. The- new police
made a practice of driViog all offensive perScins who
appeared in the neighbourhood of Holboro, Hatton-
garden, &c., into the city, which would, if the prae-
tice were not discontinued, have the . effect of con-
verting the city into a receptacle for all the refuse
of society. It- was, he submitted, rather uncon-
scionable. to get rid of a great evil by saddling it
upon others. In fact, the inconvenience now con-
stantly experienced rendered it necessary that the
• chief 'magistrate should interpoge. The common-
council of the ward found it impossible. to perfoun,;
their .duties -to their constituents if the ward were
subject to such visitations. • •
The LORD MAYOR said the evil was certainly a
serious one ; but be could not sec how any thing he
was authorized to do could tend to remedy it. Ile
had no means of controlling the Middlesex magis-
trateg, nor of punishing the new police for driving
bad or disorderly characters out of their districts.
It appeared to him to be the duty of police-officers
to remove all such pet sons as hail becti described
from the districts which they were directed to protect.
Mr. Taylor said that the conduct of Ald?rmao
Scholey of late, at the Justice-room of Guildhall,
appeared to him to be very reprehensible. Sixteen
or seventeen. disorderly persons had been brought
before the Alderman. It was stated that they had
been diiven by the new police into the city, where
their behaviour underwent no improvement. Alder-
man SeholeY, however, thought tit to dh-charge
every one of the defendants; and when expostu-
lived with, and told that the common-councilmen
would not be able to discharge their duties effect-
ively if the aldermen did not second their efforts,
he said nothing but "•Oh, I know what all of you
gentlemen of the ,common-council wish to be: -you
all th sire to be aldermen." This sort of treatment
had the effect of making the city police-efficers pay
but little regard to the orders of the representatives
of the ward.

The LORD MAYOR was still as much in the dark
as to the course be should pursue. He could not
think of sitting is judgment upon a brother Alder-
man, and he had no power whatever in such a case.
If the members of this ward would draw up a peti-
tion or memorial upon the subject, lie should most
willingly present it to Mr. Peel, whose anxiety for
the protection of all his Majesty's sujects was well
known, and who, no doubt, would take the matter
of complaint at mice into consideration.
Mr. Taylor will, we believe, adopt his Lordship's
suggestion immediately.
His Lormstutp frequently, in the course of the
last week, stated, that from all he had heard the
new police regulations had already been productive
of great good, and that he should advise that they
be, as soon as possible, extended to the city. His
Lordship often sevetely condemned the plan of pa-
rochial watching as excessively defective, and
fimight with evils of great magnitude. He had, he
said, been lately engaged in an inquiry into the cir-
cumstances of a most daring robbery which had been
commiited in the neighbourhood of the Mansion-
house, and he had every reason to believe that the
constable who had charge of the district had a know-
ledge of what had been meditated by the thieves; if
not, the =Ws conduct was wholly inexplicable, and
at all events he was unfit for the situation. It is
believed that Mr. Peel will iecommend the adoption
of the new police to the city as the only remedy.

ItAy.6 took :occasion to observe that the want of
pro Per books to enter the »i4htl-charges in at the
diffe.rrot pr;ll;..e s tetions, as NV!l,'.the case under the
old sy.stern, was a material fneeneenience, and a
pos,ttee,defeet. At present it appeared to be the
custom of the insi.ectors, who acted as night .con-
staliles, to enter the charges wh:ch were brought
before them, not in a regular charge-book, but on a
.printed sheet of paper, which was placedibefora the
Mdgistrates in the morning. The charges so enter-
, cad merely do scrilyed, in general terms, the respective
otrenves of which parties were acruseri. This prac-
Eke-, he conceived, was one which might katteadcd
with censiderable abuse ; as a charge of felony, for
instance, might, when brought before the Niagis-
trates,. he so softened and explained away, that the.
real nature of the charge might not appear, which
could not he the case if a more particular description
of the offence were entered in a regular charge-
bock. The old custom, too, of requiring, parties
xeho preferred charges at .night to sign their names
in The book, as a sort of guarantee for their appear-
ance in the morning, scented to be discontinued
together. This omission, and the want of regular
charge-books, our-ht, in hivpirrion, to be remedi
as speedily as possible,-and he-begged that Inspec.
ter Preece would mention the matter to the Com-
missioners, as he (Mr. Halls) felt it to be cc subject
of so math importance, that he should otherwise
deem it to be his daty to represent it in person to ,
the Secretary of State.

Inspector Preece said he shntild certainly report
the Magistrate's opinion to his superior officer, who
would no doubt mention the matter to the Commir-
sioners.

The driver of one of the Woolwich -stages, named
.Jeeves, was chat,ged by the Rev. Wiibarn Henry
Onslow with having threatened to assault him,- and
al=o with having used blasphemous language.
The Reverend complainant stated, that on Mon-
'day last he engaged inside places in the defendant's
coach for himself and his brother, at the Ship Ta-
vern, Charing-cross, for which he paid 3s. When
he went with his brother to take their phices at
three o'clock, the defendant told him that ail the in-
side places were already occupied; upon which he
(the complainnnt) requested him to return him the
amount of the fare, which, however, the defendant
tefused to do; and upon being:, remonstrated with
upon the impropriety of such conduct, he threatened
to pull his (the complainant's) nose, and knock him
down. He also used expressions the most insulting
and blasphemous, and upon mounting his box stood
up in the seat in a menacing attitude, repeating his
offensive language.
l`dr. HAtns called upon the defendant to answer
the charge, okerving that it was rather too bad to
threaten to pull the noses of those who had paid
for the accommodation of his- coach without deriv-
ing the stipulated benefv.
The coachman was about to explain the reason
why the coach had been occupied, but .

i♦'lr. HALLS bail him he had nothing to da with
that part of the case, mid had only to deal with the
charge %Aida appeared before him,—namely, the
threatening an assault and abusive language.

The coachman declared, that to the best of his
knowledge, he used no bad language whatever, and
even admitting that he had, he conceived be was
justified in doing so, the complainant having called
him a robber and a thief. Such language, he coa-
ceived, ought not to be addressed to a respectable
tradesman, let the rank of the gentleman be what
it might.
Sic BIRNIE—Do you tall yourself a trades-
Man ? 'Defendant—Yes, Sir Richard; lam a re-
spectable coach-proprietor, and am %veil known upon
the road for these ten years.
Mr. IlaLt.s asked the complainant if it was true,
as stated by the defendant, that he was paid back
the amount of the fare ? The complainant said that
the money was certainly returned, but not until he
had charged the defendant with robbery and :heft.

The MAGISTRATE then asked the defendant if he
meant to deny having threatened to pull the gentle-
man's nose ? The defendant said that he would
not he positive, and might certainly have used the
words, having, as he conceived, received sufficient
aggravation. " Could any man," he a$ ell, "stand
tamely by, and hear hitnielf charged with robbery ?''
Mr. HALLS said he certainly thought it would
have been better if the Rev. Gentleman had ab-
stained front expressioLs which were calculated to
cause a breach of the peace.

The defentlaa was tined 10s. and co,tg, agtin.,t
which decision he entered into the usual sureties to
appeal at the Sessions.