Star.
London, England, 1829-07-03 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

His MAJESTY, and the company who are staying on
a visit to him at the Royal Lodge in Windsor Park, after dinner
on Wednesday evening, were gratified with the performance of the
King's private band, who were stationed in the conservatory.—
Dancing was introduced by some of the company, and was kept up
till eleven, when.the Kum retired, the band playing '4 Gov save
the King."
The Duke of CLARENCI presided yesterday at the
annual dinner of the Corporation of the Trinity House. on Tower
Hill. The Duke of Wau.snavnx, and others of the Cabinet Minis-
ters, together with a large party of Noblemen and Gentlemen, were
also present.
The Duchess of CLARENCE, the Duke and Duchess
of SAVE WOMAN and the Prince and Princess of Waimea, visited
the Zoological Gardens in the Regent's Park yesterday morning,
and inspected the interesting collection of that establishment.
The Princess AUGUSTA dined with the Duke and
Duchess of CLA acme and the Duke and Duchess of SAX& Wilma&
on Wednesday evening, at the residence of the Duke of CLASEXCI.
in the King's Palace, St. James's.
Baron But.ow, the Prussian Minister, Count LUDO'S,
the Neapolitan Minister, and the Marquis de BARIACZNA, trans•
acted busbies* yesterday at the Office of the Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs.
Mr. Secretary PEEL visited Sir GEORGE MURRAY
yesterday.
Lord ELLENBOROUGH visited the Duke of %cum:a-
tom yesterday.
The King's Palace, St. James's, is to be lighted wilb
gas, instead of oil lamps, as at present. Some of the gas pipes have
already been laid down in the Palace.
COURT OF ALDERMEN.

EXTRAORDINARY CHARGE AGAINST THE RECORDER OF
HAVING SUBSTITUTED A MILD son A HEAVY
PUNISHMENT.

Yesterday a Court was held for the transaction of
some impoitant business. A good deal of conversation
had taken place since the last dig of the late Old
Bailey Sessions on the subject of a very singular in-
nonce of lenity, in the awarding of punishments to the
offenders convicted; and upon this occasion the matter
reached the Court in a serious form, and in the presence
of the Recorder, o ho was the Judge to whom the task
fell of pronouncing the seritei,ce of the Cow t.
One of the Aldermen (we believe Alderman Wood)
rose to present a memorial, which will espial' the
nature of the complaint, and was as follows—

•
"TO THE HONOURABLE COURT 01 ALDERMEN.
" Your Memorialists beg leave to draw the attention of the
Court to the following statement of circumstances connected
with a prosecution they have recently been engaged in ; and
they consider the cue of sufficient importance to occupy the
attention of the Court, as it appears to them that the due
administration of justice has been impeded by improper in.
fluence or interference, and that sentence has been passed,
basing no reference to the crime committed. On the Ist of June
your Memorialists received an anonymous letter, stating ' that
a person in their employment was not acting honestly; and that
by referring to the bills and receipts of a Mr. Potter, in Watling-
street, they should find that goods were had and no entries made.'
Your Memoriali►ts did apply, and discovered the information to
be 'correct; and that Samuel Watts, their warehouseman, had
been in the habit, from January, 1527, of selling goods to Mr.
Potter, giving him a bill of parcels and receiving the money, but
making no entry in your Memorialists' books, or only a partial
one. They found that not less than 35 cases of fraud had been
practised in this way by Watts, who, upon being questioned,
acknowledged his guilt; and, after much hesitation, confessed
that he had received money in a similar manner from three other
persons, but not to a similar extent. Your Memorialists felt
that under such circumstances they could not, consistently with
their duty to the public, forego a prosecution, and applied for a
warrant. Watts was brought before Alderman Brown, and cum•
mitted upon two charges selected from the number. Ms. Sheriff
I Copeland was present at the committal, and Inspected the bills of
parcels and books with Alderman Brown, and was acquainted
with the circumstance that a selection of two cases was made out of
the whole series for the convenience of prosecution. Watts was
arraigned, and pleaded guilty ; and being brought up for sentence
on Friday last, was fined Is. and discharged. Mr. Conway, one of
your Alemorialists, between the time of conviction and the time of
sentence, was told by Mr. Sheriff Copeland that the Recorder had
noted down the punishment, which would be 'two years imprison-
ment, and hard labour; and further, that the prisoner would be
useful as a schoolmaster in Newgate. Soon after hearing the sen-
tence, your Memorialists applied to the Recorder to express their
surprise, and to ascertain the grounds of a sentence so dispropor-
tioned to the offence. To which be replied, that he had been de-
ceived; that the recommendation he bad received was from such au-
thority as to induce him to pass the lenient sentence, which he now
much regretted. Your Memorialists have entered on this prose-
cution (at all times an unpleasant task), and having refused to sign
any petition in Watu's favour, knowing there was no palliating
circumstance to sanction such interference, feel assured that your
Honourable Court will agree with them that the sentence of the
Recorder has not been properly obtained; sad, indeed, may fairly
be considered as a reflection upon the prosecutors; and they trust
that the Court, considering the extent to which depredation Ls well
known to be carried on against the trade of London, and the diffi-
culty of conviction, will be of opinion that some inquiry into the
circumstances of this case is necessary ; and that the Recorder shall
be requested to state the reasons of his decision, and also the high
authority of the recommendation to which he has referred. Your
Memorialists will be ready to afford any further information or
explanation which your Honourable Court may require.
(Signed) " THOMAS CONWAY,
" JOHN PIIILPS,
" JOSEPH RAW,
" Maiden Lane." " THOMAS HAYWARD.

Several Members of the Court expressed an opinion',
that, under the circumstances represented, it would
have been proper in the Recorder to have communi-
cated o ith the Alderman who committed befote a
sentence of a mature se disproportionate to the offence
was passed. The Court, however, was obliged to con.'
tent itself with expressing a disapprobation of the sen-
tence. It could not call upon the Judge to vindicate
himself, nor to state the grounds upon which he sen-
tenced to be fined a shilling and discharged, a person
who bad been guilty of robbing his employers, and had
pleaded guilty to two indictments of that serious nature.
The RECORDER said that he had been led by the
statements made to him relative to the former charac-
ter of the prisoner, and the assurance that he should
be taken into immediate employment, to inflict the
nominal punishment. He regretted that there had been
occasion to complain ; but he considered at the time
that he was doing what would prove most advantage.
ous to the prisoner, without subjecting the public to
injury.
Some of the Members of the Court thought that the
public were likely to sustain serious injury from the
setting at liberty a man who had been guilty of several
depredations upon his employers.
The subject dropped here.
Alderman Vziasscsa, after making some pointed
observations upon the manner in which the sentences
upon prisoners at the Old Bailey were arranged and
passed, gave notice of a Motion, 4, That the Clerk of
the Peace, the Clerk of Arraigns, and the Court, should
be furnished with Sentence Papers; so that the confa.
sion and mistakes which were constantly occurring, to
the disgrace of the Court, might be effectually pre.
vented."