The Sun.
London, England, 1842-11-16 00:00:00

SECONDARIES' COURT, Nov. 15.

Mr. Secondary James sat in the Court of Common
Pleas at Guildhall, to-day.

FALSE IMPRISONMENT-BARRETT V. BUTTERFIELD.

This was an action to recover damages from the
defendant for his having caused the plaintiff to be
falsely imprisoned: Judgment had been allowed to go
by default. Mr. Humphreys appeared for the plaintiff,
and Mr. Marsh for the defendant.

The plaintiff in this case is a joiner, and the defend-
ant resides in Fleet-street, and is a laceman. Mr.
Chas. Brown, a surgeon dentist, about five years ago,
took some apartments from the defendant. In October
last, he removed to Ludgate-hill, but stilt, retained
possession of the premises. When he removed, he
employed the plaintiff to put up a plate on the door of
the defendant, in order to acquaint the public of his
(Mr. Brown's) removal. When the plaintiff was putting
up the plate, the defendant came to him and ordered
him to desist, and he refused to do so. In conse-
quence of his refusal, the defendant gave him into
custody of a policeman, and he was conveyed to
Guildhall police-court, and there charged with the
offence of wilfully damaging the premises of the de-
fendant. The plaintiff remained in prison all night,
and when brought up before the Magistrate the next
morning, he was discharged, the Magistrate believ-
ing that no offence had been committed. The plain-
tiff in consequence of this commenced the present
action for false imprisonment.
Mr. Brown was called, who proved these facts.
The Learned SECONDARY summed up the evidence
and the Jury gave a verdict for plaintiff—Damages 51

INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT, Nov. 15.
IN RE FRANCES MARIA BURN.

The insolvent was described in her schedule as the
proprietor of the Lansdowne Hotel, Dover-street,
Piccadilly, and also as having carried on business as a
milliner, in Berners-street, Oxford-street. She was
sued as Frances Maria Wright, and Mr. Nicholls op-
posed her petition for Mr. Edward Samuel Swan, on
the ground of a false description in her schedule, and
also with undue preference for an alleged creditor.
Mr. COOKE said the onus lay with the other side to
prove a misnomer, and cited several precedents to
show that, under circumstances similar to the present,
an individual could not be made amenable to the
criminal law.

Mr. NICHOLLS then proceeded to examine the in-
solvent, to establish the charge of undue preference.
She stated that in January,lB42, she sold all the fur-
niture of the Lansdowne Hotel for 2,5001., with which
she paid off two bills for 5001. each. The furniture
of her house in Berners-street was taken in execution
Dy a friend named Bruyer.
Mr. COOKE, having addressed the Court in support
of the petition, she was ordered to be discharged.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
(YE STE RDAY.)
GUILDHALL.

Yesterday Sir P. Laurie called at the Justice-room
and said, he attended Mr. Alderman J. Johnson for
the purpose of submitting to him two letters which he
had received from the Envoy of the Imaum of Muscat
and Sir C. Forbes, whose philanthropy was prover-
bial, relative to their refusal to facilitate a marriage
between one of the Imaum's subjects, the Captain of
the Sultana, and Jane Lockhart. He read the let-
ters, as follows :

" Fitzroy-square, Nov. 11.

My dear Sir Peter,—l amsure you will have
pleasure in making known the contents of the accom-
panying letter from the Envoy of the Imaum of
Muscat, in reference to what the newspapers have
lately put forth.
" Much is said about slavery in the East ; but were
the choice placed before me of being an unfortunate
pauper in this free country, or a slave under the Go-
vernment of the Imaum, I would prefer the latter.
You will perhaps be surprised when I tell you the
Governors of his Highness's two towns of Muscat and
Zanzibar were originally slaves, to whom the highest
offices in the state are open in the east.
"I remain, my dei. Sir Peter, yours very truly,
CPI rAt lRa niPHS odtFel°, RBo
vE.
O.
" Sir—My attention having beenr in the Timesrawn to your
proceedings,tmhaeg4isthteriinasltant,andtnyou
asr
reP°ted
remarks on that occasion,
in a case relating to a person belonging tohis
High-
ness the Imaum of Muscat's sloop of war Sultana, I
deem it right to inform you that I have issued posi-
tive instructions to the commander of the Sultana that
no European female whatever shall be permitted to
depart from England in that vessel.
" I forbear to offer any observations on the state-
ments that have been published, reflecting on the crew
of the Sultana, whose first visit to England, and
consequent ignorance of its usages, might have pleaded
as an apology fir them with the enlightened people
of this country, had any irregularities really occurred
on their part ; but I am happy to think that nothing
of the kind has taken place during a period of four
months and upwards that they have been in England,
no complaint whatever having been made of their con-
duct in any quarter.
" With reference to the insinuations regarding the
sale of English females at Zanzibar, they could only
have been put forth in ignorance of the attachment of
the Sovereign of that country to the British Govern-
ment, and his hospitality to British subjects.—l have
the honour to be, with the highest consideration, Sir,
your obedient servant,
" ALI BEN NASSIR,

" Envoy from his Highness the Imaum of Muscat.
" To Sir P. Laurie."

Sir P. PAURIE said he was sure his esteemed col-
league would learn with deep gratification that their
refusal had led to this prohibition of exporting females,
and, while giving full credit to the Envoy's assurance
of the Imaum's excellent intentions, as expressed in
his letter, it was, unhappily, out of the power of any
authority, however well disposed, to prevent outrages
upon humanity in a settlement where slavery, in its
worst form, was allowed to exist, and a slave-market
tolerated.

Mr. Alderman JOHNSON was glad the Envoy had
settled the matter so discreetly.

BO W-S TREE T.
Bridget Kielty, a servant at the King William
Hotel, King William-street, Strand, was charged on
suspicion of stealing seven sovereigns, the property of
Mr. Francis Meadows.

The prosecutor stated that he arrived in London on
Sunday afternoon, and went immediately to the King
William Hot
Hotel. He slept there that night, and having
seven sovereigns in his pocket, he wrapped them up in
a paper and put them under the pillow. Ile had oc-
casion to go out early in the morning, and forgot to
front under the pillow. He did not
return emoney
until the evening, when he discovered that he
had left the money behind. He went to the bed and
found it gone.

Mrs. Mott, the !landlady, stated that she sent the
prisoner into the prosecutor's room to make the bed
immediately after the prosecutor left the house. She
was the only person in the room during the day. She
was charged with the robbery, and her boxes were
searched, but no money found. Several articles, how-
ever, were found in the boxes belonging to her mis-
tress, which had not been given to her, and which
had bQen missed.

The prisoner said she knew nothing of the money,
and had only a few weeks ago found a purse of gold,
which she immediately took to her mistress.
Mrs. Mott said this was true, but the prisoner was
under notice to quit for next Monday.
Mr. JARDINE said he should remand the prisoner,
that further search might be made.
Thomas Manning was charged with offering for
sale one long and two hearth brooms, he not having
been duly licensed.
Skinner, an informer of 23 years' standing, stated
that he last night saw the defendant hawk and en-
deavour to sell the three brooms, and on his asking
for the production of the defendant's license, the
latter became abusive, and he was compelled to place
him in custody.

Manning stated that the articles in question were
his own manufacture, and denied that he was aware of
infringing the Act of Parliament. The " good gen-
tleman " (meaning Skinner) had asked him for half-
a-crown to let him go, but being too poor, having a
wife and eight children to support, he was unable to
comply with the informer's demand. He (the de-
fendant) had been a teetotaller for some time past,
otherwise he could not have assisted to support his
family. He repeatedly protested he had no knowledge
he was doing wrong.
Skinner denied that he was the manufacturer of the
brooms from the appearance of his hands, and also tl.e
statement of the half-crown affair.
Mr. JARDINE said that the licensed hawker and
tradesman must be protected, and the defendant was
sentenced to imprisonment for fourteen days in the
House of Correction.
MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

A tall gaunt elderly man, dressed in a faded suit
en militaire, was charged with shop-lifting. An as-
sistant of Mr. Waugh, of Regent-street, chemist and
druggist, stated that about eight o'clock on the pre-
vious evening, the prisoner entered his employer's
shop, and made a purchase of medicine to a trifling
am9unt, and left immediately afterwards. Wit-
ness missed from that part of the counter near to
which the prisoner had been standing, a bottle of
the " Milk of Roses," of the value of 3s. 6d. The
prisoner was pursued and taken into custody in Con-
duit-street, and on being taken back was searched,
and the stolen property found upon him. The witness
added, that for upwards of twelve months past, dif-
ferent articles of value from 2s. to 7s. Gd., were missed
once or twice a Week from off the counter, and al-
though the prisoner was known as being a frequent
customer to the shop for trifling articles, suspicion
did not immediately attach to him.
The prisoner said he had held a commission for
twenty-one years in the army, and served his country
in such a manner as to distinguish himself with
honour. Fortune was at present frowning upon him,
but notwithstanding he was in the shalow of poverty,
his integrity was unimpeachable. To deny that the
stolen property in this case was found upon him,
would be a confirmation of the suspicion against him,
that he !had feloniously possessed himself of it,
but he solemnly asserted that he took the article
" involuntarily."

Mr. MALTBY said that the case was so clearly
made out, that he deemei it his duty to send it lip:
the consideration of a Jury. He should commit the
prisoner for trial at the Westminster Sessions, which
commence to-morrow.