The Sun.
London, England, 1827-08-21 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOUSE.—The Inquest Jury of Cripple-
gate, by whom Briggs, of Grub-street, was summoned to
Guildhall on Saturday, for having used false weights and
measures, by which he defrauded the public, applied to
the Lord Mayor yesterday for a summons, calling upon
Briggs to appear before his Lordship on the same subject.
They exhibited to his Lordship the scales which had been
taken from Briggs.

The Loan 'Hilton said, he perceived that the inquest
had not been punctual in their attendance at Guildhall on
Saturday, when the case came on before Alderman Crow-
der, and advised them to make another application at that
office, if they thought they had a case.
The inquest excused themselves for want of punctuality,
by stating that the delay arose from the unavoidable absence
of their vestry clerk. They particularly wished to have
the case heard before his Lordship, as it was one of great
public importance.
The Loan MAYOR—And for what do you wish me to
summon him ?

Inquest—For using false weights and measures.
The Loup iIIAYoR said that Briggs's weights and mea-
sures could not be called false.

The Inquest stated, that the string by which Briggs
contrived to defraud the public made the weights and mea-
sures false.

His LORDSHIP said, that the Act of Parliament did not
so designate false weights, and he could not conceive how
a charge under the act could be substantiated. The string
was certainly a device, by which Briggs contrived to
practice frauds upon the public, but the weights and mea-
sures would be found upon the closest examination to be
liKe others.

Mr. Holder thought that the Inquest ought to have gone
more deliberately to work, and have ascertained the defici.
cures in the article which Briggs sold in half-a-dozen in-
stances. There would then have been no difficulty in sup-
porting an indictment for fraud.
The LOAD 3lAyoa expressed the utmost willingness to
assist in punishing so vile a system of fraud as that Briggs
had practised with so much skill, if the means were pointed
out to him ; but he could not see in what manner he could
interfere.

The Inquest still pressed for a summons, but his Lord-
ship declined granting one, upon the ground that he was
not authorized by the Act to inflict a penalty after hearing
the case.

The Ward Inquest, who manifested a great deal of
praiseworthy anxiety upon the subject, hoped that the ne-
ces6ary exposure would be given to all eases of the kind,
however defective the evidence might be as required by the
Act of Parliament.

BOW-STREET.-11'n Alan.— George Palmer, a rough-
looking fellow, in the dress of a sailor, was charged with
having fraudulently obtained some goods, from Mr. Wilson,
a perfumer, in the Strand. It appeared that, on Tuesday
last, the prisoner went into Mr. Wilson's shop, and inquired
of Mr. Wilson if there was any other perfumer's shop be-
tween his and Northumberland-house ?—Mr. Wilson said,
there was not.—" Oh, then," said the prisoner, " I sup-
pose this is the shop to which I was sent." He added, " I
was directed by Captain Turner, of Bloomsbury-square, to
desire you would send him some dressing-cases, and also
some teeth, nail, and hair-brushes, as he wishes to see a
variety, before he determines upon purchasing them."
" Now," said the prisoner, "I am going to the Admiralty;
and, if you will pack up the dressing-eases and the brushes,
your boy can accompany me, and receive the money from
the Captain, for any portion he may select."—Mr. Wilson
agreed to the arrangement. The prisoner went to the Ad-
miralty ; and, when he returned from thence, he found the
boy, with the parcel, waiting to accompany him. They,
accordingly, set out for Bloomsbury-square; but, when
they arrived at the corner of Kingsgate-street, in Holborn,
the prisoner told the boy to wait while he went into a house
for a letter which he was to call for, for his master. He
came out in a few minutes, and then said, that the letter
was not written, and requested the boy to wait until it was.
finished. The prisoner then disappeared, and hastening to
the Strand, he went again to Mr. Wilson's shop, said that
the Captain had examined the things that had been sent,
but that he wanted a smaller dressing-case, and some
clothes-brushes, and if they were sent immediately, he
would pay the boy for them altogether. Mr. Wilson, be-
lieving the man's statement, gave him the dressing-case
and a couple of clothes-brushes, and he left the shop. In
the mean time, the boy having stood about Kingsgate-street
until he was quite tired, went to Bloomsbury-square, and
made inquiry for Captain Turner; and being unable to find
him, returned home. The fraud was then discovered. On
Saturday last the boy, whose name is Waghorn, saw the
prisoner in Westminster, and, having followed him till
he saw him enter a public-house, procured a constable, and
had him taken into custody. The desk and brushes he had
obtained were valued at 18s.

When called upon for his defence, he said he should re-
serve what he had to say for another occasion.
He was remanded, and the officer who took him into
custody was instructed to make inquiry, to discover if he
had committed any other frauds.

The improvements in St. James's-park are
proceeding with rapidity. They are now raising a large
mound of earth, as it is intended to prevent any view of
the building for the use of the Horse Guards from the
Royal Palace, erecting on the site of Buckingham House.
The water in St. James's-park is to be converted into a
serpentine canal, which is to be interspersed with small
elevated islands, planted with various rare and curious
shrubs.

The Prince of Wales and Mr. Pitt were walk-
ing in the gardens of Stowe, apart from the general com-
pany, who followed them at some distance. They were
engaged in earnest conversation, when Lord Cobham ex-
pressed his apprehension to one of his guests that Mr. Pitt
would draw the Prince into some measures of which his
Lordship disapproved. The gentleman observed, that the
tete-a-tete could not be of long duration. 4, sir," said
Lord Cobham, with eagerness, "you don't know Mr..
Pitt's talent of insinuation ; in a very short quarter of an
hour be can persuade any one of any thing. "..,,Butler's
Reminiscences.

USEFUL PENANCE.--A Neapolitan curate,
whose parish was miserably bare of wood, hit upon the
following plan to supply the deficiency, after advice and
exhortation had failed. When persons came before him in
confession, instead of prescribing a certain number of pater-
nosters or litanies to be recited as a penance, he directed
the sinner to plant a fruit or forest tree, and so abundant
was the crop of iniquity, that when be died, after an in-
cumbency of 33 years, the parish was like a large orchard.
—Scotsman.

Several pieces of ancient coin were found, on
pulling down the organ gallery in St. James's Church,
Bury St. Edmund's ; and, what is rather singular, a small
knife and fork in a case were also found under one of the
pillars, the handles of which are very curious, having
figures, &c. on them. They are supposed to have been in
the Church upwards of 100 years. The sexton sold
them to an innkeeper, 'who has had since his purchase
many visitors.