The Sun.
London, England, 1842-09-23 00:00:00

THAMES-POLICE.

Yesterday William Henry Stokes, Thomas Brom-
ley, and Thomas Turnbull, appeared before Mr. Bal-
lantine, charged with obstructing and assaulting Mr.
Robert Garrett, the London Dock-master, in the exe-
cution of his duty, and blockading the entrance lock,
at Wapping, in such a manner, that the egress of
vessels and craft was for some time prevented, and
great confusion prevailed.
Mr. Humphreys, the solicitor, prosecuted on the
part of the London Dock Company, and said the de-
fendants were all lightermen. He read several
clauses in the Dock Act giving authority to the Dock-
ml..ster to regulate the admission and departure, as
well as the mooring and unmooring, removal and
stations, of all vessels and craft.

Mr. Robert Garrett, the Dock- master, stated that
on the evening of the 13th, about eight o'clock, and
an hour before high water, the whole width of the
lock at the entrance next the river was blockaded by
the defentlants' barges, and nothing could pass either
in or out of the lock, and there were several barges
at the time in the lock ready to come out, and the
dock basin at the north end of the lock was quite full
of vessels and craft. He ordered the defendants to
shove astern, and make room for the craft to come
out, which they refused to do, and held on by the
pier-head with their long staves, or boat-hooks, each
endeavouring to get before the others. He unhooked
their hitchers, but as fast as he did so they were
hooked on again, and the defendants attempted to
bring their craft in, although it was impossible for
them to pass through. Ile then sent down a man
named Adams to shove the barges astern, but finding
he was not attended to, he went down into the lock
himself, and got upon the defendant's barges and
removed their boat-hooks, but they immediately
hooked on again to the corner of the pier-head, and as
often as he removed them the boat-hooks were made
fast again. One of the prisoners said, " l'Ve will
heave the - overboard, he has no business in our
craft," and they hustled and shouldered him in a most
violent manner. Stokes eventually took up a broom-
stick, and with both hands made a blow at his head,
which he parried, and caught the blow with his hands,
and while he was struggling to get the broomstick
from him, Stokes struck him a violent blow on the face
with his fist. He afterwards obtained the assistance
of the lockman and the river police, and their barges
were removed, the craft in the lock passed out into
the river, and after some time the business was pro-
ceeded with.

Mr. BALLANTINE fined the defendant Stokes 31.,
and the other defendants 40s. each.

At the intercession of Mr. Humphreys, who said
the object of the Dock Company was answered by a
conviction, the Magistrate reduced the penalty on
Stokes to 205., and upon the others to 10s. each, for
which they expressed thanks.

Joseph- Hates, a waterman and lighterman, was
Sned 205., for illegally navigating three barges to-
gether, and taking others in tow on the river.

T.
2GO._
JLAohSnG
M"CraeA, sawyer,S SIZEanSd.
Catherine
SF r
MTa yor 211'Crae his servant, were charged with
the cruel and barbarous treatment, or wilful and cul-
pable neglect, of the male prisoner's wife, a person of
weak or unsound mind, in so far as on the 28th of May
last, and afterwards up to the 3d day of August, by
having fitted up a press in the kitchen of the house in
Coburg-lane, of a size and structure utterly unfit for
the habitation of a human being—only three feet six
inches in height, two feet and a half in breadth in
front, and diminishing to one foot four inches at the
back, and two feet six inches in height to a shelf
above, in which the said woman Margaret Cameron or
M'Crae, was kept night and day with the door fixed
with a hook and eye, and which press contained no
bed or bedclothes, but was littered with straw on
the floor.
The charge against the female prisoner was cruelly,
barbarously, wilfully, and culpably neglecting to
take charge of her mistress, allowing her to remain in
a state of nakedness, and in a filthy and squalid con-
dition, by all which she became reduced to a state of
idiotcy, lost the power of her limbs, and was put in
danger of her life.
Both prisoners pleaded Not Guilty.
After a lengthened trial, the Jury, without leaving
the box, returned a verdict, finding John M'Crae
Guilty of the wilful and culpable neglect charged,
and Catharine M'Crae Guilty of the culpable neglec
charged.
Lord M'Kenzie then sentenced John M'Crae to
one year's imprisonment.
Tile female prisoner was then allowed to go from
the bar. The caseoccupied upwards of nine hours.

I'i MING THE CREEL.—One day last week an ang-
ling friend of ours: after whipping the Doon for a long
time without success, observed a young wild duck
sailing down quietly with the stream. Examining
his tackle to see that all was right, and determined,
since he had captured no fish, to make a trial of his
luck with fowl, he succeeded in throwing a light
Limerick hook gently over the neck of the bird. Birr
went the reel--away squattered the duck—and, after
a few desperate efforts to escape, she was safely
brought to land and put into the basket " I think,"
said a youth who observed the transaction, "that's the
best filledcreel 3,e have had this season."—Ayr Observer
Mehemet Ali has presented to his Majesty Louis
Philippe a male giraffe. The Cameleon steamer is
about to proceed to Alexandria receive this curious
present,