Star.
London, England, 1824-01-28 00:00:00

MBETII-STREET.

.1. charged with setting bis house on fire, in York-street,
I%lile-end Old Town, was re-examined, when the landlord not being
willing to press the charge, the prisoner was discharged.
MARLBOItOUGII-STREET.

Yesterday, a young Gentleman, who gave his name henry Mac-
donald, was charged with defrauding, under false pretences, Mr.
Sheppard, who keeps the Hotel called the Imperial Caffe, iN Bond-
street. Mr. Sheppard stated, that a few days ago Mr. Macdonald
drove up to his house in a gig, handed his great coat, which was
stained with blood, to one of the servants to be cleaned, and walked
into the coffee-room, where he had some refreshment. He called
the next day, and again took refreshment, arid borrowed five shil-
lings in silver. He had been previously known to Mr. Sheppard.
On Wednesday night last he came again, accompanied by a Gentle-
man, whom be represented to Mr. Sheppard as Sir John Murray,
a Gentleman of great fortune, and said—" Now, Sheppard, I have
brought you a good customer, and we shall have some good dinners."
They drank six bottles of burnt claret, and Mr. Macdonald ordered
dinner for four for the following Friday. The party accordingly
met and dined on that day. Towards the close of the evening Mr.
Sheppard came into the room, and, in conversation with Mr. Mac-
donald, another dinner was spoken of for the following day. Ile
mentioned the circumstance to his wife, on going down stairs, and
she immediately said it was plain they intended not to pay the bill
at present, and that she would speak to the first of the party that
came down, which she accordingly did. Mr. Sheppard, on enter-
ing the room soon after, was spoken to by Mr. Macdonald in a very
angry tone, as one of his friends had been spoken to by Mrs. Shep-
pard about the bill, and said he would give a check for 151. The
person who was represented to him as Sir John Murray then said,
•. Never mind ; it's all woman's talk :" and added,. " Come, Shep-
pard, let you have a draft on my bankers tur 10/." The amount
of the dinner hill was 71. He drew on the b.ink of Messrs. Lad-
broke and Co. Bank-buildings, for the 101. and Mr. Macdonald
then said—" Now, Sheppard, you have got the draft, let us have
more wine for the balance," which they had. The next morning
Mr. Sheppard presented the draft for payment, and was told at the
bank that the drawer was unknown there.

Mr. CONANT here asked the prisoner what he had to say to this
ClaUrsa-, :Laid quest 14,...,41 I ' VILIZeIy :IS to who he was, as well as the
company he had with him ? lle replied that his father was a Co-
lonel in the Inverness Militia, that he had been in the habit of
dining at Sheppard's Hotel with partici, and that he had regularly
paid his bills, two of which were produced, but doubts of their
being in the hand-writing of Mr. Sheppard having been suggested,
the waiter was called, who proved that they were. He denied
having represented Mr. Murray as Sir John Murray, and said that
he was the son of Sir John, and that he cautioned Mr. Sheppard
against running a bill with him, as he was but a minor. His other
two friends were, he said, Mr. rinroe, a Solicitor, and Mr. Amid,
an Officer on half-pay. Hr disclaimed all intention of not paying
Mr. Sheppard, and said that he begged him to hold Mr. Murray's
draft for a few days, which he relused to do; and which if he had
done, it would have been paid. lie was asked where his father's
address was? He replied at Chelsea, but did not recollect the
number. It further appeared that he directed Sheppard, to whom
he represented Idniselt as Colonel Macdonald, to say to any person
that might ask for him at the hotel, that he was to be seen every
evening at live o'clock.

Mr.CoNasr. said, lie conceived the case of fake pretence was
clearly made out from the circumstance that Mr. Sheppard so
pointedly stated, of his (the prisoner's) having called for more wine
on the credit of a check which turned out to be a false one, and or-
dered him to find bail to answer the charge at the Sessions.