Star.
London, England, 1816-08-30 00:00:00

FRIDAY, AUGUST 39, 1816.

general character; some of them have been condoc-
tors of the iiatrole, or in some such employ within
the view of the Magistrates, for a great length of
time; they have in some instances been otherwise
recommended, but not within Sir Nathaniel's time;
but always with characters that the Magistrates
thought would answer the purposes of the Public--
He should always look to the establishment, and to
the conductors in the first instance, and in the ap-
pointment of the eight Police Officers. Somme men
also would possibly present themselves from other
•Police Offices whose characters and qualifications
were particularly desirable.
In rewards given by Act of Parliament on the con-
•iction of a felon, the Court where the offender is tried
settles the distribution of the money, and at order goes
to the Sheriffs to pay it. At the Old Bailey, the Re-
corder appoints a time for all claimants to attend him
at the end of the Sessions. The Act of the 4th Wil-
liam 111. provides, if there ia any dispute among the,
claimants, the Judge shall apportion the reward in
such way as be shall see lust; and the certificate spe-
cifies what each party is to receive. The advertise-
ments in the Gazette by the Secretary of State have
two objects in view—a reward, which is generally
specified to be paid by the party injured; and a par-
don to any accomplice who informs; these rewards
are settled privately between the parties.
Persons apprehending a burglar are entitled by Act
of Parliament to a Tyburn ticket, or exemption from
parochial duties in the parish where the offence is com-
mitted. Those tickets are once assignable, and per-
sons receiving them assign them to some inhabitant
of the place, to whom only they are valuable. It
there is any dispute as to the money arising from the
sale, there is an apportionment by the Judge, as in
the case of the ,C4O; and when sold, each claimant
gets his share. They generally sell for about W2O. It
is the 10th and I Ith of William under which persons
are entitled to a Tyburn ticket. They become enti-
tled to it for discovering or apprehending► any bur-
glar, horse-steiler, or shop-lifter. In burglary, this
certificate is superadded to the money that is paid by
the statute of William and Mary, amounting to 440
on tit:- conviction for certain offences.

The party aggrieved is generally the person bound
over to prosecute; bat, in the Police-offices, if no other
person is ostensible For that object, the Justices al mays
bind over one of the police officers, or a constable, to
do it; if he is a witness in any part of the case, he is
bound over of course; but the apprehender is the per-
son entitled to the reward. When the Justices find the
person aggrieved, they compel him to prosecute, and
bind over all the witnesses who can give evidence in
the prosecution. The officns regularly ask persons
for money, on account of the time they have given up
in their endeavours to find an offender. Tne Justices
generally restrain this practice, but do not always
think it their duty. If a banker came to Sir Nathaniel
and said, that out of a mail coach 5 or ielo,ooo worth
of bills had been taken the night before, and he wished ,
Sir Nathaniel would do every thing he could to dis-
cover it, or, rather, to get the property (for that
would be the primary object), he should send per.
haps six or eight officers in different directions, either
to check the circulation of those notes, or to search for
and apprehend the felons ; but he should tell the per-
son he must be at the charge of this expensive exer.
deo s on the contrary, in all cases of great public con-
cern, he should, without any second consideration of
any kind, direct the officers to use every exertion, with
so view or expectation of other recompense than he
should see occasion to give.
It is not universally the practice for the officers of
the police to ask for money from every individual who
applies to the Office in consequence of having suf-
fered any injury to his person or property. There is
a fee of ls.ofor executing a warrant, and this increases
according to the distance ; but there is a disposition
in every person who applies to another to exert him-
self in objects personally interesting, to give some
gratuity for the trouble and loss of time they occasion.
Sir Nathaniel thinks the officer is entitled to say to
the party prosecuting, I receive one guinea a-week in
my engagement as a Police.officer : and because a
person wishes that I should go 20 miles off, at a mi-
nute's notice, and employ all my time, I do net think
that a guinea is a sufficient retainer for such excessive
duty, possibly at the hazard of my life, and certainly
at some expense. He has told them a hundred times,
he would have the duty done upon all occasions of
public concern. They receive their guinea a-week as
a general retainer for objects of Police, which' they
are subject to perform night and day. It is not at all
universal that they take private rewards from indivi-
duals; and the Magistrates always control them where-
ever they can, andaecompense them from other funds.
Sir Nathaniel thinks, that the system of the pay.
ment of rewards for the detection of offenders is one
productive of public benefit. He thinks, that every
inducement that can be held out for the detection of
offenders is desirable, and the expectation of pecu-
niary reward for their trouble is the greatest that can
be ; and the Magistrates always reward them, where
it is not expedient that they should have it from indi.
viduals. He does not observe in practice, that there
being no reward for the conviction of persons commit.
tins small offences, makes it the interest of the Police
to pay little attention to the detectibn of offenders.—
He has not the least idea that . any person whom be
has seen employed in the Police had the speculation
of letting offenders continue in the career of small
crimes in which they are engaged till they commit
some felony by which the officers, or persons con-
nected with the Police, can take their share of the
£4O settled by the Stfute on their conviction.
He has heard it said, that " an offender was not
yet ripe for detection"—that " he does not weigh £4O
ypt." but has no knowledge of it in practice; and never
blew any individual employed is the detection of of-
fenders neglect to take them, where these was evidence
gobs found against them, upon such a speculation.
The pecuniary rewards offered by indivichials cer•
'tajoly. we great stinsolants to the exertions of the Of-
fieere. The officer would/saw ssiploy his time what

PRICE SEV RN-PRN t •

h e could gain, than where he could not e ard, there-
fore, a reward for detecting small offences would ope:.
rate. Certainly, the officer would rather be employed
in detectingoffenders wherehecould be gaining money,
than where he gained nothing.
It would be an improvement of the present establish-
ment of the Pclice to allow the Magistrates to give
small rewards for the detection of persons guilty of
inferior offences, picking of pockets, &c. but it would
' be a great burden on the public account.
The persons d!. Abed in the Statute as objects of
reward, receiving tis technically called « blood-
money," are persons rtit employed by the Magistrates
in the capacity of Police-officers : it is the party pro-
secuting or detecting, and frequently not a Police-
officer. If the party injured is-extremely poor and in-
capable of carrying on his prosecution. the Magis-
trate will, and frequently does, at his own private ex•
pence, direct a Constable to carry on the prosecution,
and, in some instances, even to maintain the party in-
jured, till the time of the trial; he has known that
done in many instances.
As to the ordinary costs of a common criminal pro-
secution, if the prosecutor has to maintain the wit.
nesses during the time of the trial (which, at the Old
Bailey, often requires an attendance of six or seven
days) which he is not bound to do; but witnesses art
not willing to stand at the door of a Court of Justice
eight or ten hours in a day, for days together, with-
out receiving refreshment, which will frequently cost
the prosecutor four or £5, and, if he employs Coun-
sel and an Attorney, which is seldom absolutely ne.
cessary, it will cost him more than double that :
he should say, from 10 to £l2. From four to AO
is the 'minimum of the expense, if the witnesses are to
be maintained, and are long in attendance (but that
is not compulsive) ; and the necessary expense would
only Ic the indictment and a fee for swearing the
witnesses; and these expenses are allowed by the Court,
and also loss of time to poor witnesses, it arplied for.
In this view, the necessary costs of a prosecutor in
felony is nothing. The charne upon the county of
Middlesex, for allowances at the Old Bailey, it more
than £4OOO a year.

It is asked, whether the ends of justice would be
promoted, supposing the officers, who now receive a
guinea a week, w. a;.: to be allowed a larger sum by
the public, and to be allowed their expenses, at the
discretion of the Magistrates, for going into the coun.
try, not being permired to take ally reward froM in-
dividuals. Sir Nathaniel answers, whatever facilitated
the demand for %police officers, e,pecially to a dis-
tance, would require the number (,t police officers to
be greatly increased; and he much doubts whether
the advantage to the public would be adequate to the
expense. _ _

There is now a discretionary power vested in the
Magistrates, as to whether those officers should or
should not be employed, for the Magistrates never
stop a moment in case of a serious offence to the
public it a person at the farthest end of the neigh-
bouring counties gave notice of a murder, or any
atrocious offence being committed, one, two, or three
officers wtesld be immediately sent to the spot for in-
formation, and others sent in all directions to search
out the offenders ; and no party would ever be ap-
plied to for the expense. In every case in which the
assistance of a Bow•street officer is demanded, the
Magistrates always grant it, when it is near hand;
but where much expense is to be incurred, they hold
a discretion over the application, and the applicant is
told it must be at his own expense, the case not being
sufficiently a public concern to incur large expenses.
All the expenses the Magistrates countenance are the
' officer's journey backwards and forwards by the stage
coach, and perhaps a guinea a day far his other ex-
penses and trouble.
The Magistrates would be guided a gond deal, in
giving the assistance of a Bow-street officer, by the
disposition of the party to pay the expenses ; but to
the poor, or in cases purely of a public nature, nO
charge is ever countenanced by the Magistrates.
The provision of the Office in Bow-,treet, applica-
ble to distant objects, is eight constables or police
officers, and three Magistrates, always upon the spot,
to use their best endeavours for the furtherance of
the public security : their legal powers are confined
to the county of Middlesex and neighbourhood of the
metropolis; but they extend their endeavours towards
the preservation of the public peace, and the appre-
hending of felons, to every part of the kingdom,
whenever it is found desirable.

The Magistrates at Bow-street have communica-
tions with die seven Police Offices, and with the City
Establishments of Police, upon all pressing occasions,
but not as to lesser offences, or by any regular sys-
tem. The Offices all act independently of each other,
except where special circumstances may tall for ge-
neral co-operation.
Sir Nathaniel personally communicates with the
Secretary of State every day ; and, indeed, all the
Police Offices communicate to the Secret try of State
all matters of deep public interest. It it were con-
fined to objects of great atrocity, or rfleat importance,
it would be well to have one central Police Establish-
theft, Which might be the organ to thetovetnment,
and under which all the We; different Establish-
ments shouldbe considered to be ;by which means
there would be formed a regul ir system of commu-
nication from all the different inferior Po:ice Esta.
blishments in the metropolis directed to one object;
but if every sort of cfrence that is committed and
brought to the Offices were sent Over to a central
point, the lessee offences (although, perhaps, felonies)
would be infinitely the greater 'number, and there
could be no practical benefit from their being com-
municated from one end of the town to the other;
and it would throw a cloud over the whc'li transac-
tion, and the few important cases would be obssoired
by the number of indefinite con nianications.
, It has been thought that the City of London, being
jealous of their privileges, impeded the search after
felons; but, in fact, the City Magistrates have always
been desirous of facilitating the pursuit of offenders.
(To be contiotreds)

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FRENCII PAPERS.

STOCKHOLM, AUGUST S.
el. The Diet of Nor Way has allotted an annual sum
of 1,407,100 crowns for the expenses of the yearn
1816, 1617, 1818 Out of this sum the- King' will
have 64,000 crowns, the Prince Royal 8‘2,000, and
Prince' Oscar 16,000. During the time of the stay:
of the Prince Royal in Norway, all Isis discourses in
fublie were eery flaunting for the Norwegians, and
particularly for the representatives of the people. It
was remarked that, 'during his discourse at the Diet,
he made use of the term Scandinavian Peninsula, the
ancient denomination, which. also included Denmark.
The BaillieChriitie, President tithe Diet, employed
in his answer -the expression Rwthern Peninsula.—
'Prince Oscar has been arpointed Vicrroy of Norway.
Whilst Nor Way was United to Den Mark, the expenses
of the first of these lauschims amounted to only
900,000 crowns, but lit, present they are 1400,000
crowns.

An Ordinance has appeared•. at Christiania, con.
' taming modifications and dispOsitiolis relative to the
armed force of the kingdom of Norway. The armed
force of the kingdom is composed of forces by land
and sea : the land force consists of .troops of the line
and militia. The number of the troops of the line is
fixed at 12,000, but only 2000 are enlisted.
On the Ist of this month two Russian brigs passed
the S mind, coming from Cronstadt for Archang4
with a.tillery and other necessaries for the equipping
ot,oz frigates.