The Sun.
London, England, 1842-01-05 00:00:00

NEW COURT.

William Pearce, aged 45, described in the calendar as
a servant, pleaded Guilty to an indictment charging him
with stealing two pair of reins, two back-bands, a pair
of stirrup leathers, and other articles, the property of his
master, Basil George Wood, and was sentenced to seven
years transportation, he having been before convicted of
a similar offence.

lVitiam Elkrson, a shoemaker, pleaded guilty of
stealing various articles, the property of James Sawyer,
and was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment and
hard labour.

James Collins pleaded guilty to an indictment charging
him with stealing a pair of trowsers, value 93., and was
sentenced to seven years' transportation, he having been
several times convicted previously.
EmnezzLEMENT.—Thomas Parker, a most respectable
looking man, pleaded to an indictment charging him
with embezzling the money of his employers, Messrs.
Kent and Co., the brush-makers, of Falcon-square.
After the prisoner had pleaded guilty, he begged of
the Court to allow him to withdraw his plea, Counsel on
his behalf having been employed. The Court granted
the prisoner's request, but shortly afterwards he stated
that it was his determination to persevere in his plea
of guilty.
From the statements of Mr. Kent it appeared that the
prisoner had been employed by him as his clerk and
book-keeper for many years, and that he appeared to
have adopted a regular system for years by which, even
on scrutinising his books, his embezzlement could not be
discovered. The prosecutor considered that he had lost
upwards of 700/. through the prisoner's delinquencies.
The COMMON SEARGEANT did not consider he should
be doing his duty to the public unless he passed a severe
sentence upon the prisoner. His embezzlements were
to a large amount, and had been conducted in a manner
calculated to escape detection. The sentence of the
Court was that he should be transported for seven years.
The prisoner bore his sentence with considerable firmness.
William Clements, 15, was convicted of stealing 131
cigars, value 75., the property of Thomas Mansford, and
was sentenced to one month's imprisonment.
Thomas Humber, 31, was indicted with stealing seven
dozen of hose, the property of Isaac Wilson and another,
his masters. It appeared from the evidence that the
prisoner was the warehoUseman of Messrs. Wilson and
Co., who carry on a large hosiery business at 35, Milk-
street, and also at Nottingham and Derby. He had
been in their employ for two years and upwards, and
while there had committed the depredations with which
he was charged. It appeared that the prisoner after
committing the depredation offered the stockings for
sale to a person named Leman, who kept an old clothes
shop in Beer-lane, Spitalfields, and that from the infor-
mation given by Leman to Messrs. Wilson the robbery
was discovered. The prisoner also offerell a pair of
the stockings to Mr. Dewey, the landlord of the Swan-
with-Two-Necks tap, for I s., and the price asked appear-
ing to him inadequa:e, he suspected that the prisoner
had not come honestly by the property, and caused him
to be apprehended.
Mr. Phillips conducted the prosecution, and Mr.
Ballantyne defended the prisoner, and called several
persons who gave gave him an excellent character.

- The COMMON SERGEANT summed up, and the Jury,
after a short consultation, found the prisoner Guilty, but
recommended him to mercy.
The COURT sentenced him to nine months' imprison.
ment and hard labour.

The prisoner begged that the latter part of the sen-
tence might be remitted, as he was in an ill state of
health from rupture.
The COMMON SERGEANT observed that the visiting
Magistrates would remit that part of the sentence if it
was found necessary.

POLICE IN'T'ELLIGENCE.
MANSIOIV-HOUSE.

The Lord Mayor, within the last few days, received
some letters which contain an interesting narrative of
an adventure which separated one part of the crew of a
vessel from the other, and excited apprehensions amongst
those who remained on board that their shipmates were
murdered upon being sent to an island for fresh water.
The communication arose out of the following circum-
stances :—Four of the crew of a ship called the Victoria
waited on the Lord Mayor to consult his Lordship about
the recovery of their wages in respect of a voyage from
London to Vera Cruz. It appeared from their statement,
that during the voyage they were sent ashore on the
coast of Cuba with the ship's boat to get a supply of fresh
water ; and that having succeeded, after considerable dif-
ficulty, in filling three casks, they prepared to return to
their vessel, when, to their great dismay, they found she
had disappeared. After having waited for some time,
during which they experienced many hardships, they
hailed a Spanish brig, bound to Cuba, and were taken on
board. On their arrival at Cuba, the British Consul
showed them every kindness, and sent them home with
all possible expedition.
The LORD MAYOR, though thoroughly understanding
all questions which have reference to shipping and the
claims of seamen, closely questioned the men, took the
case up with the greatest alacrity, and sent for the agents
of the owners of the Victoria.
Mr. Devett, of the firm of Devett and Moore, imme-
diately attended to his Lordship's message ; and, on,
being informed of the circumstances, gave, without hesi-
tation, the amount of money necessary for the support cf
the poor men until farther inquiry could be made, and
promised that if, on the arrival of the West India packet,
which was expected daily, any intelligence shou'd be re-
ceived confirmatory of the truth of their statement, he
would leave the decision as to the amount of wages, &c.,
to be paid to them to his Lordship's judgment. A few
days afterwards the packet arrived, and brought letters
confirmatory of the allegations of the individuals, whom
the writers believed to have been murdered. The follow-
ing is one of the letters :

" Brig Victoria, Oct.B, 1841.
" Messrs. Sadd, May, and Co., Maldon.
" Gentlemen—At the request of Captain Johnson, I
have taken the liberty of forwarding to you the follow-
ing particulars relative to the loss we have sustained
within the last three days. Being becalmed off Cuba
on the 4th, and our water being out, it was determined,
if the want of wind should continue, to send the boat on
shore next day to fill a couple of casks from a fresh-
water river, of which there are four or five running
from the mountains. On the sth, at six A.M., the boat
left the ship, having on board the following persons, viz.,
the first mate, J. Waddington, Hugh Owen, George Lee,
James Strutt, and Charles Hunter. About a quarter past
eight, A m., a very heavy squall, with much rain,
came suddenly on ; and we, being very short of
hands, were obliged to let go by the run
some of the sails. We stopped up the scuppers
and collected the water in empty barrels and pickle-tubs
by means of pots and basins, and anything that came
handy. Captain Johnson not liking the appearance of
the weather, asked me to fire my gun, as a signal for
the boat to return to the ship, which I did nine or ten
times, loading so as to make the loudest report I could.
We were at that time about seven miles from the shore,
and could see the boat distinctly with the naked eye
gradually nearing it ; but they took no notice of the
firing. Twelve o'clock came, and we were rather sur-
prised that we 'could not see the boat returning, as Mr.
Waddington said he should not be gone above four
hours, and the weather was now quite fine, with a
beautiful breeze off the land ; and Captain Johnson,
anxious not to lose it, we continued cruising up and
down the land opposite the creek till four o'clock, P.M.
Captain Johnson then began to be alarmed for the fate of
the boat and her crew, which he now supposed had
been seized immediately on its arrival by the natives,
and the people murdered. Six o'clock came and no boat
in sight. At dusk we hoisted a lantern at the Peak
End, in case our suspicions should not be true. We
then got up the fire arms, loaded and double-shotted the
muskets and pistols (not having sufficient gunpowder to
load the swivels, as it had been left behind), and arming
ourselves with a cutlass each, watched anxiously all
night long, so as not to be taken by surprise, in case the
Spaniards attempted to board us in the ship's 3oat (which
is their plan) as we were detablined to sell our lives as
dearly as possible, knowing we that if once they got on
board, every soul would be murdered. In the night
(which *as as dark as pitch) a heavy squall occurred,
and we were obliged to run out to sea a little way.
" The next morning we stood in shore, and as soon as
it was light, what should we see coming out of the creek
where our boat went ashore, but a large low suspicious-
looking schooner. We hoisted a signal of distress, and
fired a gun or two, but no notice was taken of it. After
a time the schooner having run close along the land,
till she got to windward of us a good way, made all sail
she could upon us, till we could see that her decks were
filled with men. We then immediately set stu'nsail and
everything that would draw, fearing her designs upon
us, and knowing that it would be perfectly useless to
contend against a force so palpably superior. The
schooner, after a short chase, finding that she did not
gain upon us, shortened sail, and stood in for the land
again. There being a fair breeze and nothing to be seen
of our unfortunate boat's crew, we thought it better,
even in the crippled state in which we were, to continue
our course for Vera Cruz than run the risk of life and
property by keeping the ship
in such close connexion
with the land, and with such a vessel. Trusting that in
the course of a short time something of certainty will be
known with regard to the fate of the unfortunate
boat's crew, •

" I remain, Gentlemen, your most obedient servant.
"E. J. PERRY."

Mr. Devett read several other letters to his Lordship,
and said that they most satisfactorily proved the validity
of the claims of the men upon the owners, who would at
once render them every service to which they were entitled.
The LORD MAYOR said he expected nothing less from
gentlemen of such high character as the owners of the
vessel. His experience enabled him to form correct
opinions, in general, of the romantic casualties to which
sailors were often subjected; and he rejoiced to find that
so little of the sort of tragedy which was frequently
mixed with the adventures of the sea was to be found in
the details which had been mentioned. He certainly con-
sidered that the men were entitled to their wages for the
whole voyage. Mr. Devett--They shall receive their
wages for the whole voyage my Lord.
G U/E/3RALL-
i n gSaalrlatiih/i lineaments, a woman
ofa
gypsy out, 4w6a year ea t• s
placedof
aa age, et ,h be ebaar
bar
before Mr. Alderman COPELAND under the following
extraordinary circumstances.:—
Elizabeth Goldsmith said, the prisoner came to the
house, No. 37, Green-street, where she (witness) lived
as housemaid, and inquired if she wished to puichase
any lace or small articles of millinery. Being An-
swered in the negative, she. then asked if she
wanted her fortune told, and said she could tell, what
kind of a husband was fated for her—whether he was
rich or poor, fair or 40,r1c, longfor short, &c. &c. Not

tong able to resist a temptation so alluring to wins
(she was a pretty little girl shout 17 ..r 4,-
prisoner wa. IE-4iiight down to;:iielitcilli•Al
fortune-tellers usually are ; after which she said she
should be unable " to rule the stars " in her favour
unless she had some of her dresses for a short time, and
that a watch would be necessary to ensure the greater
certainty in the incantations she was about to perform.
The witness then got. her three dresses of her own, worth
about 31, and went up to the room of a lodger, " one Mr.
Thomas Brown," and brought down his watch, worth
51., which was ticking over the mantel-shelf, and handed
them over to the sybil, who went through a number
of mummeries, when she tied up the whole in a bundle,
saving, it should not be touched for some time. or the
charm would be unavailing. She then departed after
getting " something hot," and was never seen by the
prosecutrix until arrested by the policeman. As may be
well guessed, upon opening the bundle the watch was
gone. The watch bore an oak tree as a crest, and the
initials W.C.

Two fellow-servants of the prosecutrix, swore to the
prisoner's identity, and that she was at that moment
wearing her (prosecutrix's) clothes, and also Joseph Dal-
ton, the constable who arrested her. She was fully com-
mitted for trial, and the parties bound over to prosecute.

CHICHESTER SESSIONS.-JAN. 3.
This being the day appointed for the trials of
William Styles Goodeve, and William Williams, the late
cashiers of the Chichester Old Bank, from an early hour
every avenue leading to the Town Hall was crowded,
and the greatest interest was excited by the proceedings.
W. A. Bridges, Esq., the Recorder, at ten o'clock, took
his seat on the bench, as also Dr. Cavanger, the Mayor,
and several other Magistrates. Lord George Lennox
was accommodated with a seat on the bench, as also the
assignees appointed under Messrs. Ridge's bankruptcy.
Mr. SHERWOOD, the solicitor to the prisoners, applied
to have the prisoner Williams tried first.
William Williams was then placed in the dock. The
prisoner was respectably attired, and appeared about
fifty years of age, and pleaded to the indictment, in a
firm voice, Not Guilty. -
There were two indictments against the prisoners, one
for the cash, and the other for the notes. The first one
gone into was for the cash portion of the deficiency.
A lengthened examination of witnesses then took
place, but it was destitute of public interest.
The Jury retired at a quarter before eight, and after
an absence of a quarter of an hour, returned a verdict of
Not Guilty.
The announcement was followed by shouts of ap-
plause. The trial lasted nearly ten hours.
Mr. Johnson, for the prosecution, said that as he had
precisely the same evidence to offer, he should not pro-
ceed on any of the other indictments, either against the
prisoner or Goodeve.

The prisoner, FVet. Williams,. was then arraigned on
the second indictment, to which he pleaded Not Guilty ;
and no evidence being adduced for the prosecution, a
verdict of acquittal was recorded.
Wm. Styles Goodeve was then placed in the dock, and
arraigned on two indictments, to both of which he
pleaded Not Guilty.
No evidence being offered for the prosecution, a ver-
dict of acquittal was recorded in both cases.

DISTRESS 1N THE COUNTY OF

RENFREW.

(From the Renfrewshire.
Reformer.)
We subjoin a copy of the answer returned by Sir
Robert Peel, on receipt of the memorial from the
county of Renfrew, regarding the state of the country.
The Premier states that he has read with painful inte-
rest the report which that communication conveys, of
the distress which prevails in the town of Paisley and
the neighbouring villages. And so Sir R. Peel may
read with painful interest these statements, when he re-
flects that he was the leader in disbanding Parliament
three months ago, when it should have contined in Ses-
sion_devising means for the relief of the suffering trades-
men at Paisley and other parts of the country. In place
of merely expressing sympathy, however, we should
have preferred having the sincerity of Sir Robert
Peel's pain for the sufferers in this district evinced
by some exercise of the vast power which he pos•esys
to afford relief. There are twenty ways by which the
Cabinet have the means of administering to the relief
of the suffering manufacturing districts. In the first
place they might order the distribution of provisions
at the national cost. In the second they ought in-
stantly, at the very least, to issue an Order in Council
for the sale of grain from bond duty free. The Cabi-
net should also patronise a national subscription : and
this they have refused to do. But in addition to these
means of granting speedy and 'effectual relief ht the
command of the Government, they could, without loss
to the country worthy of name, and with great advan-
tage to our naked population, order a distribution of
clothing from the military stores, particularly bed-
clothes and men's wearing apparel, abundance of which
they have at their disposal :
" Drayton Manor, Dec. 25, 1841.
Sir,—l have had the honour of receiving the com-
munication whieh bears your sighature, entitled the
Memorial of the Noblemen, Commissioners of Supply,
Justices of the Peace, and Magistrates of towns of the
County of Renfrew.

•° I need scarcely assure you that I have read with
great attention, and with painful interest, the report
which that communication conveys of the distress which
prevails in the town of Pait•ley and the neighbouring
villages, and that I will not fail to avail myself of an
early opportunity of bringing it under the notice of my
colleagues.
" I cannot close my acknowledgment of this commu-
nication, without expressing my sincere satisfaction
at learning that the privations to which the labouring
classes have been necessarily exposed have affected the
general health in a less degree than might have been
expected, and without at the same time recording, as
the head of her Majesty's Government, my grateful
Sense of those local exertions which have been made
with so much perseverance, liberality, and sound judg-
ment, for the mitigation of the sufferings of the unem-
ployed in the -neighbourhood of Paisle). I have the
honour to be, Sir, your obedient servant,

" ROBERT PEEL.
" Sir W. Milliken Napier, Bart., Ste."

WEST INDIA MONOPOLISTS AT
WORK AGAIN.
It appears by the last advices from Jamaica, that a
public meeting had been held, at which it was resolved,
" That a memorial be presented to the Lurds Commis-
sioners of her Majesty's Treasury, setting firth the in-
jury inflicted on, and the evils arising to, the British
West India Coffee planters, by the importation through
the Cape of Good Hope of coffee raised and manufactured
by slave labour, and trans-shipped thence into the home
market, and that a Committee be appointed to prepare
the same."

This is a specimen of effrontery unparalleled in the
history of monopoly, and beats the bread taxers hollow ;
for the latter do permit corn to come in at starvation
prices, but these Jamaica worthies would have no other
coffee than their own consumed in England. It appears
by official statements to Parliament, that in the four
years 1837 to 1840, the total quantity of British Planta-
tion Coffee imported was 55.618,206 lbs.
Ditto on H hick duty was paid
The consumption, however, was double 107,768,632 „
The deficiency being made up by East
India Coffee, on which duty was paid 28,499,526 ,9
Foreign Ditto, through the Cape of
Good Hope
It must not be forgotten that during the whole of the
four years, the price of coffee was extravagantly high ;
that the protection duty on Foreign Coffee through the
Cape of Good Hope is 50 per cent. ; and that the
people of England have to pay, in addition, all the extra
charges on shipment to the Cape, and transhipment
there to England.
The importations of British Plantation Coffee were, in
1837 15,208,7551b5.
1838 16,909,716
1839 10,769,655
1840 12,730,080
and so long as discriminating duties are allowed to exist,
it is the interest of the West India Planters to grim just
so much coffee as, at the consequent high prices, will
yield them as large an income as a greater quantity at
lower prices.
Corollary.—The demand for the consumption of Corn
and Coffee in Great Britain exceeding the power of pro-
duction by the two vested monopolies. it is the interest
of both to keep their respective productions below the
wants of the consumers.—(From a Correspondent of the
Liverpool Times.)