The Sun.
London, England, 1829-06-22 00:00:00

THAMES OFFICE.

On Saturday an aged man, named Thomas ill'Auley,
was charged with maliciously setting fire to his
house in Cooper's-row, Aldgate, with the alleged
intention of defrauding a benefit society.
Mr. William Young, Secretary to a society called
the Female Social Compact, held at Mr. Weston's,
the Cock and Magpie, Wilson-street, Finsbury, de-
posed that the prisoner's wife was a member of the
society, which gave compensation for any losses
sustained by accidental fire. On Wednesday after-
noon she called upon him with a list of furniture
and apparel which she said had that day been de-
stroyed by a fire in her house. She claimed about
131. He questioned her as to how the fire origina-
ted, and she said it had occurred in the parlour of
her house, during her absence, but how it origi-
nated she could not find out. He referred her claim
to two of the visitors belonging to the society, and
they reported that the damage was not so great as
charged, and about 5/. would be a sufficient remune-
ration. She was, therefore, on Thursday directenl
tg.make out a correct estimate of her loss, and on
Friday she again called, and said the fire had again

broken out and had destroyed all her clothes, an
201. would not cover her loss. He went himtelf
to make a proper inspection of the place, an
found that the house rented by the prisms'.
was let out in lodgings—the only part occupie
by the prisoner and his wife was the parlour. Thi
room was small. He observed that the wainscot
was scorched in five different places, distinct fro*
each other by some feet. He asked to see the re'
mains of the apparel and furniture alleged to have
been destroyed, and was shown a chest of drawer',
a box, and two beds. The inside of the drawers
was scorched, and a bundle of rags, reduced to tin'
der, the female prisoner said was all that remained
of her clothes. The inside of the box was also
burned and that also contained burnt rags. The
ticking of the bed was likewise burnt, but the fea-
thers and bedstead were uninjured. The flooring
of the room was partially scorched. Judging from
all the circumstances that this fire was not acci-
dentally caused, he applied at this office, and the
prisoner was apprehended, and his wife followed
him to the office.
The box was produced. The exterior of it was
altogether uninjured, but a part of the inside was
burned quite black ; a heap of rags, evidently of ci-
lia) and linen, reduced to tinder, was all it contained.
Mr. Evans, the chief surveyor, described the si-
tuation of Cooper's-row; it was a close cluster of
houses occupied by Irish room-keepers. The pri-
soners had several lodgers, some of whom were in
bed when the fire broke out.
Ellis, an officer, said.the fire was evidently wilfully
caused : it was quite impossible an accidental lire
could have broken out in so many places at once. ,
The prisoner's wife here enumerated a variety O 1
expensive articles of dress which she said had been
destroyed. She did not make any claim for her,
niece's clothes; she could not, " for the life of het;
tell how the tire broke out on Wednesday or Friday.
She left home about twenty minutes after six on the
latter morning. Her husband was then in bed, and
upon her return about eight o'clock she found the
neighbours putting out the fire. Her husband was
gone to his woric
Captain RIcHBELL observed this was quite At
variance with the evidence of a woman who saw her
there at half-past seven o'clock, before the fire wail
discovered. _ .

Mrs. M'Auley (in great agitation).—That is Msg.
Prisoner—Och, hone ! sure no one will swear goy
life away ; would you take my life, Judy ? (lookip%
at a woman about to be examined.)
This woman stated she was a lodger of the prisoner's
She heard the prisoner and his ‘vife MOVi7
at a quarter past seven o'clock on Friday
At half-past seven she was alarmed by the
fire. She and another lodger went down
ceived smoke issuing from the cracks of
The window-shutters were closed. She f

door was locked. She alarmed the other

who were in bed, they burst open the door,
tinguished the tire, which was in " patch(
at different parts of the room. Neither the
nor his wife were then there ; they retur
the fire was put out. The prisoner was r
with the lodgers for putting it out. He said
the -- did you go near it ; why didn'
it burn to -- ?" His wife was vel
agitated.
Mr. BRODERIP directed Mrs. M'Auley
taken into custody, and placed in the bar by bilf
husband's side.
Two of the lodgers proved having extingulabe4
the tire, and the prisoner's angry observations to '

them.
M'Auley said he was as inncocent as the &Ott
unborn. He did not even know his wife beloura.
to any club.
Mr. Young said that was untrue, because he had
seen him in company with his wife at the club.
The female lodger here exclaimed, " Well, as I
am upon my oath, I'll tell all I know about it."
Mr. BRODERIP reminded her that she was sworn
to speak the whole truth, and nothing more, and
she would be protected from any violence or threat
whatsoever.
Captain RICHBELL desired her to speak strictly
that which was the truth.

The woman, whose name is Conolly, said she
would speak nothing but the truth, as she would
answer before God.
The male prisoner became much agitated, and
endeavoured to catch the witness's attention.
The witness said she heard the prisoner and his
wife at seven o'clock in their parlour, as site was
washing the passage. They were speaking in a low
tone. She heard him say, " Are you ready ?" Hje
wife answered, " What about these two beds ? 1
won't leave them ; I'll get 'em out." He answered
with an oath, " Oh ! let them alone, let them burn
to the devil, we will get double the value." Hie
wife said, " Well, here's that old shawl; I'll chair
3s. for that." In a minute or two after, the prr
soner went into the kitchen; he looked very white
and frightened, and " morc like a criminal going to
be hanged than any body else." He had some-.
thing grasped in his hands. He did not notice the
witness, but passed up into his room, and shut the
door. The witness was surprised when she heard
the alarm, because she believed both prisoners were
within.
Captain IticnnELL—Was the key leftin the door ?
—Witness : No, Sir, it was not ; I saw M'Aulef
take it off a spout afterwards. The door was burst
open by the lodgers.
Mr. BRooEstP—Were the parlour:window-sbutters
fastened inside 2:—Witness : Yes, Sir, they were.
I don't know whether or not they were opened that
morning. The prisoners' niece slept in the same
room with them ; there were two beds in the
room.

The prisoners said the whole of the statement was
false, and wished to have legal advice.
Mr. BRoDERIP said the case was one of extreme
suspicioun, and required the most minute invesik

gation.
Captain RICUBELL concurred with his collemple•
and said, so far as he was concerned, he would 4'
vestigate it to the very utmost.
Directions were then given to Mr. Evans OKI,
Ellis to pursue certain inquiries, and the prism."
were remanded until Thursday nev.

An extensive failure, caused by speculation'
in indigo, took place on Saturday at Liverpool.
The latest accounts from Rio de Janes
state, that a man had given himself up to the British At
miral on the Brazilian station, who said that be was oos o'
the crew of a piratical vessel which took, north of 413 e,
Line, after a hard-fought action, the British packet Rea'
pole, and that all her crew had been put to death by -d's
pirates.

BIRTHS.
On the 19th inst. in Clarges-strest, the lastly of A.
Spearman, Esq. of a daughter.
On the 19th inst. the lady of W. G. Rickman, Egi• °f
a daughter.

MARRIED.
On the 20th inst. at St. George's, Bloomsbury, Mr. I'
Evans, of Cork, to Charlotte, youngest daughter of JO
Fairhairn, of Carlisle, Esq. deceased.
On the 18th inst. at Trinity-church, Regent's Fat
John Green, Esq. of Soho-square, to Miss Friend,

Albany-street, Regent's Park.
DIED. t•
On the 17th inst. at Fairfield, near Ross, deeply Istrl.o
ed, Isabella, wife of Jens Wolff, Essi., late Consul W
Danish Majesty at the Court of London.
On the 19th inst. Anne, the wife of T. Spooner, Zlit'
of Bedford-place, Russell-square.
On the 18th inst. Miss Mary Ann Holmes, of
Ormond-street.
On the 2lst inst., Emma, eldest daughter of P. Perris/P

Esq. of Brunswick-square. I, so
On the 19th inst. aged 72, Mrs. S. Simons, CO
place, Kent-road.
On the 19th inst. in Manchester-street, Manchete;
square, M. S. M'Carthey, Esq. late Colonial Pay".
at the Cape of Good Hope, aged 59. 10'
On the 20th inst., William, eldest son of Mr. it•
nell, of Islington, aged 25.
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