Star.
London, England, 1828-07-29 00:00:00

ward for the return astolen goods. Whether, In order'
to effect this, it may be advisable to mitigate the punish-
ment now enacted by and 8 Geo. IV. c. 20. for the
latter offence, or to make the compoundiag a higher
felony, belongs to future deliberation on the details of
the measure.
Your Committee are well aware that it may seem
severe to proceed with rigour *germ an act, which at
first sight contains nothing repugnant to honesty—
namely, helping an owner to regain, or he himself re-
gaining, the property of which he had been robbed.—
But their inquiries have too satisfactorily convinced
them, that the frequency of these seemingly blameless
transactions, have led to the organisation of a system
which undermines *e security of all valuable property,
which gives police officers a direct interest that robbe-
ries to a large amount should not be prevented; and
which has established a set of ' putters up,' and g fences,'
with means of evading, if not defying the arm of the
law; who are wealthy enough, if large rewards are
offered for their detection, to dots* them for their
impunity ; and who would in one case have given one
thousand pounds to get rid of a single witness. Some
of these persons ostensibly carry on a trade; one wh
bad been tried formerly for robbing a coach afterwards
carried on business as a Smithfield drover, and died
worth 15,0001. Your Committee could not ascertain
how many of these persons their are at present, but four
of the principal have been pointed out. One is the
farmer of one of the greatest turnpike trusts in the me•
tropolis. He was formerly tried for receiving thecon.
tents of a stolen letters and as a receiver of tolls now
employed by him was also tried for stealing that very
letter, being then a postman, it is not too much to infer,
that the possession of these turnpikes is not unserviceable
for the purposes of depredation. Another has, it is
said, been a•surgeon in the army. The two others
of the four have no trade,'-but live like men of pro-
perty; and one rf these, who appears to be the chief
of the whole set, is sell known on the turf, and is started,
on good grounds, to be worth 30,0001. It is alarming
to have observed how long these persons have sue.+
cessfully carried on their plans of plunder; themselves,
living in affluence acd apparent respectability, bribing
confidential servants to betray the transactions of
their employers, possessing accurate information as to
the means and precautions by which valuable parcels
are transmitted; then corrupting others to perpetrate
the robberies planned in consequence, and finally re-
ceiving, by means of these compromises, a large emo-
lument, with secure impunity to themselves and their
accomplices. It is scarcely necessary to pcint out the
difficulties which must obstruct these persons, even alter
they may have amassed a fortune, in betaking to any
honest pursuit. This, your Committee have evidence,
is deeply felt by themselves ; and the fear of being be-
trayed by their confederates, should, they desert them ;
and of becoming objects for sacrifice by the police, to
whom they at present consider themselves of use, leaves,
little hope of any stop to their career but by detection
and justice. The owners of stolen property have cilia
purchased indemnity for present losses, by strengthen•
ing and continuing a system which re-acts upon theoi.4l
selves and tfie casmunity, by reiterated depredations;
committed with almost certain: success and safety.--:
Your Committee believe they have not drawn a strorigers
picture than the evidence before them warrants; and
whatever measures may be necessary to abolish •uch
system, such measures, howevar severe, should be pro-
vided.TO be continued.

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