The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-09-30 00:00:00

THE STATES,6I,O4I4.

GASE OF GRBAT PUBLIC IMPORTANCE.
ABUSES IN THE COAL mum
GUILDHALL. —Yesterday a case of great Import•
anre to all classes of the community, came on at this
office. It was a prosecution instituted by the Gover-
nor and Company of the Bank of England, against
Mr. ;obit Johnson, of South Lambeth, an eminent
coal.merchant for a non.compliance with the regu-
lations laid down in the Statute of the 47th of the
present King. The information contained 48 counts.
The first count charged the, Defendant with selling
and delivering coals without the meter's ticket, and
the remaining counts with doing so without for•
aishiug the vender's ticket, countersigned by the
meter, as required by the Act mentioned. Mr.
Freshfield, of the house of Kaye and Fresfield, at•
attooded for the Bank. of England. Mr. FRESIIIIIED
begged it to be distinctly understood, that they were
not actuated by any vindictive motives. The only
object the Bank had in view was the protection of the
Public, and although the Defendant bad incurred
penalties amounting to 9701. they would be quite
satisfied; and their object as well answered by a sin-
gle conviction, and a single penalty even of one
shilling. In the 47th of the present reign it wee
thought stecessary to pass an Act for the protection
of the Public against .jho frauds practised in the Coal
Trade. This Aet required, that coati should be sold
only in the regular toal.Tharket, .and the venders
thereof were subject to a pensity of
,one bemired
pounds should they refuse' to sell them to any indi.
widestl wishing to purchase. In the next piaie,
in
etder to insure legal measure, the vender was obliged
before the coals were conveyed away, to furnish a
ticket from the meter, certifying, that he had sur-
veyed and measured them. Neat es to the quality
of the coals, for the protection of those who chose
to have them of a superior quality, for there
was a variation in the value of from eight to
ten shillings per chaldron, the following regu-
lations were laid down in the Act :—First,
the " Fitter" at the place where a vessel took
in her cargo was required to furnish to the Captain a
certificate Of the quality of the coals, with which the
ship was freighted. This certificate, on the arrival of
the vessel at the place of discharging her cargo, was
given to the meter, and the latter was bound to fur•
nish another certificate, stating into what barge or
barges the cargo was discharged, and to what wharf
they were conveyed. Thus the chain was carried
from the very mine which produced the coals to the
vender of them. In order, however, to continue the
chain even to the purchaser of the article, the vender
was compelled to give a certificate that the coils serv-
ed to the customer were the same in quality as those
ordered. This certificate, to prevent the possibility
of fraud, was to be countersigned by a meter.—He
(Mr. Freshfield) would show in evidence, that im-
proper means had been adopted to evade these regu-
lations. He should prove that tickets had been fur-
nished with the coals served by the Defendant, in
which was inserted the name of an individual who
never existed as a cost meter. It could also be prov-
ed that the tickets thus furnished were surreptitiously
obtained, and that they came without the meter's
countersign. Mr. Freshfield went on to state, that
the coals served by the Defendant were deficient both
in quantity and quality.
Mr. Asnieres-4s having intimated, that the Defend-
ant would plead guilty, Mr. Freshfield abstained
from calling witnesses.
Considering all the circumstances of the case. Sir
CL. uotus HUNTER thought proper to fine Mr. John-
son ten shillings on each information. The whole
amounted to 251.
Mr. ANDREWS expressed his Client satisfied.—Mr.
Faesneter.” said, that a moiety being the property of
the informer, he should thank the Magistrate to or.
der ona.half of that moiety to the Spital.fields poor,
and the other half to the Society for the Relief of
Small Dehtors.—Sir CLAUDIUS HUNTER very much
approved of this conclusion. He then desired it to
he understood, that in the event of any similar error
upon the part of coal-merchants, a more heavy pe-
nalty should certainly be infIicted.—Mr.FRUNIFIELD
did not press the costs.


MARLEOROUGU-STltErro-7444ear Bryan *as
charged with murder,-in ceasing the death of. a girl
named Doyen, brio,'" ,auk,sie years old, by
spiriteous liquors.
It appeared in evidence that the Prisoner lodged
in the same house with the mother of the child, and
on Monday morning, during the temporary absence
of the mother, the Prisoner, who is much addicted
to drinking, took the child out with her, and peram-
bulated St. Giles's. She acknowledged that she had
given her two glasses of gin mid a glass of peppermint,
besides which she took part of two pots of porter.—
On the child being broeght home she fell into a sound
sleep, which was succeeded by fits in the evesiog,
and which caused her death.
The confession of the Prisoner was cortoborsted
by a landlord in St. Giles's, where the first glass of
gin was had. He proved that he served the gin, and
he law the Prisoner give it to the child. He sup-
posed that she only meant the girl to taste it, bat she
emptied the glass. •
The evidence of the surgeon went to prove that
the child died by excess of 'drink, end the Prisoner
was remanded until Friday.--A Coroner's Inquest
will sit on the body of the child this day.
Untort-stat.a.—The Office was yesterday 'sua-
sively crowded by persons who were anxious tb wit.
ness the examination of Joseph Iveso and John
Owes, apprehended by Snow, the constable, and
charged with numerous robberies and burglaries in',
the?cootity of Surrey. Subsequently to the appro.
!tension of the Prisoners, Soow discovered the names
and residence of two.girls with whom they cohabited ;
they also were taken into cestody, and were yester-
day put to the bar with Ireson and Owen.
At the apartments of the females various articles
of stolen property were found, which had been given
them by the other Prisoners. A purl necklace
found upon Harriet Oliver, one of the Prisoners,
was identified by Miss Hull to be her property; it
was stolen from the house of
.her father, in Rose-
teery-branch-lane, Peckham, a few nights previoit
to the apprehension of Ireton and Oweo. A pair of
*filtrable ear-rings was also found in the apartments
of the female Prisoners: Several silk handkerchiefs,
some of which were found upon Oliver, and others
upon Harriet Wilcot, the other female Prisoner,
were owned by Mr. Dhooghe, a merchant, whose
country residence, at Camberwell, was brake open
and robbed about ten days ago. Mr. Ritchie, bf thZ
Gloucester- Coffae-house, in the Kent-road, whose
dwelling was broke open, plundered of a large qua°.
tity of drapery, about twelve days ago, having at.
tended the examination from motives of curiosity,
discovered on the neck of lemon a new silk handker-
chief, one out of many of which belted been robbed,
he took it from the Prisoner's neck and deposited it
in his pocket.
Miss Racheel Wilkinson, of Burdett-street, Wal-
worth, identified Leeson as the man who about a
fortnight ago, on a bright moon-light night, attempt-
ed to enter at her chamber window on the first floor,
bat the noise awaking her, she leaped out of bed arid
gave en alarm, and be effected his escape.
THAWS, Kennelman and B. Boos.
man, two sailors, were yesterday charged with mu.
tiny.—J. Swainer stated, that be was Master sif the
ship Romeo, of Liverpool, and had shipped the
Prisoners at Buenos Apes in May lest. Lie gave
the men a year's pay is advance, A day or two
previous to his sailing he heard a great noise, about
three o'clock in the morning, and on getting up, he
found the cabin bolted, and the companion fastened
down, which he was forced to burst open. On com-
ing upon deck, he missed the Prisoners, and found
they had taken the ship's boat. He weot on shore,
and apprehended them a little way up the country.--
The Prisoners were teat home on board a ship of
war by oar Consul at Buenos Ayres.
The MAGISTKATIZ observed, that as the Prisoners
bad their pay in advance, they might svi,h to spend
some of it on show and probably intended to return
to the ship. lie asked, if he thought the men in-
tended to seize the ship?
The Captain answered, be did not.,
Boosman (a Norwegian), in defence, said, that
be wished to see a young woman on shore, to
whom he was attached,. Keuttelman said, it was a
drunken frolic, and that wishing to have a cruise on
shore previous to one at tea, he had taken that leave
which he knew it was useless to try to obtain. Both
said, it was their intention to have returned to the
ship.—They were discharged.
Wegainp.rrßEEL,....Yesterday a lad, named IF'll.
liarn IVhitehead, was charged with disturbing the
congregation et Houton Academy Chapel, on-Sunday
last, by letting fly several birds amongst the nor-
shippers. One bird having his head cut off sprinkled
the people pith blood. Forty pounds is the penalty
which the Legislature has enacted for such offences.
It was proved that the Prisoner's father was ex-
tremely poor, and also that he possessed no matron!
over his son.—Prisoner was recommended to the Re-
fuge for the Destitute.

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ROBBERY op APARTMEN79.--4 Lady in appear.
once called at the house of Mr. Campbell, Short.
street, Moorfields, on Monday afternoon, under
pretence of looking at the apartments, which *tre to
be let, but during the absence of Mrs. Campbell she
contrived to secrete several articles of value, with
which she got off undetected. This is only one of
several attempts made by her that day. She appears
passably genteel, of a motherly look, and is about
.30 years of age. She pretends to have a mother, for
whom she wishes to take lodgings, &c. In her hand
was a couple of black ostrich feathers, and a market
two-handle basket, into which she must have threst the
articles stolen, via.: a silk shawl, two tee-spoons,
three gold seals which were attached to a watch, lay.
ing on the mantle-piece (not stolen), two others
lying loose, and a gold eratth-ke7, together with a
small table-cloth.
A Gentleman of property. owned Raine, while
looking at a print shop in Oxford-street, had his
coat-pocket completely cut out with his pocket-book,
containing Bank.ontes and Bills of Estrange, to the
amount of 3801. There was a quantity of )01. notes
of the Bank of England, and country notes to the
amount of 1001. of the Dorchester Bank. A man
was taken into ceatody by Mr. Raine, apron tilt spot,
I but he proved lobe a respectable person.

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