The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-10-14 00:00:00

POLICE.

MaNsioN-House.—Ye7=ilte LORD MAYOR ELECT,
TAO sat for the Lord Mayor, was waited upon by Mr. Prince,
a Common Councilman, with the captain of a ship trading
so the Bay of Honduras. They requested his Lordship's.
advice as to the disposal of three orphan children, who had
been recently. landed at Poplar.
The Captain, whose name is J. Antmm, of the ship
Lops, stated. that on the 31st of July last lie sailed from
Honduras. Before he departed from that settlement, he,
consented to receive on board one of the families of the
unfortunate Poyais settlers, the remnant of whom had
sought the proteetion of the British authorities at Hon-
floras, and hail received all the succour which the humane
Governor, General Codil, had it in his power to give them.
The unfortnnate creatures who had survived the effects of,
their shout residence on the desert swamp to which they
had been taken, acre sent back by the different vessels
which sailed from Honduras. The family which Captain
Antram consented, front motives of chanty, to receive,
consisted of Thomas Chalmers, his wife, and three children.
The husband and wife, when received on board, were both
311 with the fever which they contracted in the swamp,
and hotli died in the course of the passage. The husband
died first in great misery, and the wife did not long sur-
vive him.
The Captain said he bad landed the three orphans, who
were utterly destitute, at Poplar, and he now requested
his Lordship's advice es to the best means of getting them
provided for.
The Loan MAYOR ELECT asked whether the children
were old enough to know any of their friends or relations
in the parish they came from.
Captain Antram r.plied in the negative. The eldest
was not now more than seven years old, and could give
no information. The parents sailed with the otbei deluded
emigrants from Leith; but the mother told him bidets abs
died that she had not a friend in the world to maid Ilbe'
could commend the me of the infants.
The LORD MAYOR ELECT stated dislike legitimate mode
of obtaining relief for the unfortunate creatures would bta
by application to the parish officers of the parish whew
they bad been landed. Doubtless the pariah officers would
*Guider the case to he one demanding particular attention;
but should they object, they must he immediately sum-
moned before the Magistrate of the district, to show cease
for their refusal. Truly melancholy as the ease was, the
Chief Magistrate had no power himself to afford relief.
Mr. Prince observed, that the captain, in eensequeneeof
his charity in receiving the poor emigrants, had himself
caught Eke fever that carried them off, and he bad narrowly
escaped. Indeed the whole frame of the captain will bear
lasting testimony to his sufferings. He stated that above
WO of the victims of delusion had returned from the Mei.
quit° shore to Honduras in a state of utter destitution sad
of di , which terminated the sufferings of a great part
of them soon after. They must all have died but for the
charity of the"people and the authorities of Honduras. The
poor creatures had been led by Witmer to expect• eland
where they waulil live in the greatest plenty—where every
thing was flourishing and but little labour woald be re,-
(pared. It was mentioned to them as a mark of the im-
provement of the place, that a fine theatre had been esta-
blished. and other improvements indicative net merely of
civilisation and comfort, but of luxury. Captain Antram
stated a charge which the poor creatures had preferred to
him against M•Oregor. Most of those who sailed from
Leith were poor people, who had by their frugality saved
wall sums of from 15/. to 30., perhaps the savings from a
toil of a whole life. hl,tiregor learned the property the
settlers had with them, & telling them Scotch money would
not pass at the settlement, persuaded them to give it all up
to him, and talc* his draughts for the amount upon " his
Bankers at Poyais." The savings were all given up to him,
and, it is, perhaps, nun yto add, that the settlers on
their arrival at the houseless wilds of Poyais found that no
such thing as a banking-house was in existence. Captain
Antram regretted that he bad notsrrived sooner, uanother
ship had sailed with settlers for the saws place, just before
I:is arrival, and it was too mach to be feared would fall a
sacrifice to the delusion. He had thought it his duty to
snake a statement publicly, that the poor might be put on
their guard.
The gentlemen having thanked the Lord Mayor for his
attention to the case, retired with the intention of pursuing
the course he bad recommended.
Three boys who had been apprehended on suspicion of
having attempted to pick the pocket of a gentleman in
Dishopogate-street, were brought up for final examination.
A gentleman, it appeared, was passing through the
streets, when he missed his pocket handkerchief. The
three prisoners, who were near him at the time. attempted
to get away, but were pursued and secured. No hantilter-
chef, however, was found upon them. and the gentleman
did not attempt to prosecute, neitber did any come
forward to give them a character. They were now there-
fore discharged with an admonition by the Lord Mayor
Elect. Soon after, they were brought into the office again,
Illy some of the police officers, wheatated, that the prisoners
had complained, that money had been taken from them by
Morris, the constable, who had them in custody, ander
circumstances which they (the officers) conceived ought to
eeri to the knowledge of nis Lordship. The three boys
then stated. that just before they were p,:t to the bar,
Norris 116 d told them that if they paid him, he would get
them off. They had been induced to give him all they bad,
which was two half-crowns, two shillings and a sixpence,
upon the assurance that if the money were paid nothing
shapld happen to them; but finding it was not by any
<lxertioas in his they had got off, they complained in the
' presence of the officers.
Morris was now fetched hack, and placed at the bar, by
order of the. Lord Mayor Elect, who questioned him so
sternly as quite to confound him. He at first affected not
to undier.t.ind the charge, and hesitated to admit that he
bad taken the money. His Lordship ordered him to be
searched instantly, that it might be seen whether he bad
such sum about him. Morris here began to tremble, anti
involuntarily putting his hand in his pocket, he pulled out
the two half crowns, the two shillings, and the sixpence.
which be returned to the boys. As soon as he could recover
from his confusion, he said it bad been put into his hand,
he did not know what for.
he LORD MAYOR ELECT expresssed strong indignities
at the fellow's conduct, and asked him how he dared to
t Eke the money trom the boys, and thus commit a robbery
(for it was no less under such circumstances) in the Court
of Justice itself. A man capable of such an abominable
practice could no longer be permitted to hold arty office,
and be was now no longer a constable. His Lordship said
lie should consider of the best means of prosecuting him as
an example; and in the mean time ordered Mr. Brown, the
Marshal, to report the case to the Ward of Bishopsgate, in
which Morris is a patrol, and to take such steps as to pre-
vent him from bolding any office of the kind for the future.
The officers of the Police Establishment were anxious to
have it clearly understood that Morris was ouly a ward
officer, and did not belong to their body.
llow•srecer.—lesterday two rough-looking men, who
stated their names to be Joiner Gill and Barney Riley.
were brought up in the custody of Bond, jun., ou tt warrant
charged with committing an assault upon Mr. Francis
Hoya. Toecircutustances of this case afford another proof
of the knavery of those who conduct the regular gaming-
boners, and the extreme folly of their dupes.
The complainant stated, that he is an Odicer on half-
pay, and had been in the habit, unfortunately, of visiting
at No. 70. Jenny:l:street, a common gaming-ouse, for a
considerable time past. The house was.kept by one Carroll,
assisted by a gang of French fellows. He had lost con-
sidirable sums of money, and having, on his last visit, been
stripped of all the cash he had, he called Carroll aside,
aid asked him for a loan. The latter promised hint a
supply, and in a few. moments they retired, as witness