Police.
The Times, 1824-10-19T00:00:00

JANI~5ON-liOusE..A few diays ago a case, thje imaperfect iatel- ligeacee as to the mnerits of which prevented us from publisbing any of the particulars before this dayt occurred at the Justice-room, be- fore the LoitD MAsros, who, aware of the great importance of thesubectto he aus ofhumnit, tokthe necessry rsteps to ap- ply It to the publc serthtvice.inan cipaionof slve i th Wet Idiesis prces ofa very expen. siveatue te swe-wner hoeve aniou hemay be to give freeom t choe wo hae seved intfaithifully, not having the power to resign hit authorf'v at an exense less considerable than a Atirr amiounting to from 1001. to 13I frheemancipation of each silave. It is upon the assumption th atlae entertain such.r an un.I conquierable abhorrence to work, Incoonsequenice ef the long and pain- fisi compulsion upon their early days, as to refurse future exertion, that the slave-owner is obliged to depos%it this large sumn, in order to indemnif'y the parish latthe event of the former becoming chargeable. The Colonial Government have long established this deposit as; a sinie qiae non in the act ofmanuxtftiosion. The acet is, besides, cloggedi with a vaLriety of expensive provisions and forms, which present, in mnany cases an insurmountable barrier againet the acquisition of the blessings oihibertyby aslave. Thus itis that many slaves possests,, what is consider bytem, large property, without beiniz able to purchase t'heir freedom., and become, strange as it may sounid, mas-. terA of other slaves, while they are themselves suffering underall the usunal disqualifications'. in a correspondence which took place on. the ease whicih occurred at the AMansion-house, it will be seen thate these difficultices are entirely obviated; and that by a process in which the Society for the abolition of slavery, have promised to assist, slaves may be taken oiut of bondage at a comparatively inconsiderable ex- pense, and withi the utmost e.,,pedition. The following letter wras received by Mlr. Hobler, addressed as the Lostn MAYRon'S "secretary e te No,.I1, North-strand, littiblin, 27th Sept. 94 ir,T h~e hehonour to inform you, that I have recently re- turned from the West Indies, and that I have been authoriied by, a Power of attorney from tvio persons, soldiers in uhe Ist WVest Indaa regimncrt1 stationedc itt BDarbadoes, to manumit two of their children born in slveisy. I am totally ignorant of the mode of proceeding, %-flrher than that it must be through the i1partntent of the Lord Mlayor of London. Your favostring me with informnation and direc- tion on the subject, and whether I am to forwardl the powK.e of at. torney to you or not, wil mucds oblige your obedient hunmble scr- vant, PETER HALSTEAD." T'he LostD MfAyoRreferred this letter, which h-Adbeehaddt him by the thief clerk, to Air. Hobler, jun., whio is well versed in aU the forml of the ttansfer of Weat [rilia. property. MIr. lHobler wrote an answer, *hieh in substance stated thaut the objcect of' lr. Hfalstead might be eaily acco'mplished, in a manner of which the applicant would be informed, if hie applied personally at the AMan- sion-house, but that it could not be efflected by trarnsmnitting the powr o atorny;tha th maumisin musgt be performed per. sonaly bythe ppliant to wom tebcildren were assgned as slaes) an tht a oah mst e mdebefore the Lord Mi~yor by a ~dsou ho itnesed he eremny.The expelise of the witaun- misionby hi prces, i ws aso ustd~woulc not amount to itore Somne difficulty, it appears, was entertained ott the suibject by Air. Hiaistead, who wrete the following letter to theSecretary 01 thie A-nti- Slaver7, Society "Siri-.I have the~ honou- to inform you, that I hiave lately arrived from the island of Barbadoes, and have rcceiv'ed a power of atterney froma two very interesting characters there, for the purpose of gainin'g the freedom of their chiltiren, and also a sum of 51. (hardly earned by the parents) to defray the expenses. Having landedl at Ports- mouth, and in great haste passed througgh London, I hadi barely time to call at the AMansionl-houise, where I coiuld not he informned of aLny particular relative to the transaction. I therefore deemned irprudenttio write to the Lard Mlayor's secretary, to whiich letter I have received the enclosed anaswer. I enclose for youir inspection the power of at- torney, and bey: your interest in behalf of the Poor slaves, and 'A en- treat for their sakes, as well as to prevent mly hiaving the disagreceable office of conveying the melancholy tidings of myv being unable to execute their commission, which to them is the tei.rl objert cf lifi, that you will as early as posible informi me of the best mode ifaoct- ing, as I am uinder orders to proceed to Athlone, in the centre of this counoty, to be stationed there, andi my leave of absence is neatrly expired. As Mr. Halstead had received no more tihan 51., the expense of manumrission presented an Impediiment. but Alir. 11anbury, the Se - cretary to the Anti-Slavery Society, promilsedi to obviate. that diffi- cult by pproriatng te fuds o theSociety' to tihe furthierance of te ojec. I tunedniC tht te istrument whichi the imilitary gentema ha, wo cold ot e epeced to be acquainted with the natue ofuch hing, wa a ded o asignmenjt of thie slave, in trust to mnumi the. Mr Hanury herfore inforined him, that lie migt tanferth slvestosom oe i Lndon, -who wouldI mans- mt te acodntolW. Some futher correspondence hias take paeotesujc,and the reutis, that the slaves will be sssine. toMr.Hanurvhimself, who will mainumit them, anid son the deed of mauision to the Society's agent at Barbadoes, where it will be duly registre,and thie prrocess will be complete. Itwsstated to the Loa AYOaL, who hiad taken a strong in- terest in tliemeasure; thatt tetwo slaves will be thus m-anumitted at litldeor no expense, and that thiefacility of this mode of manui-nis- slo.n will enable a great multitude of persons to become free who would not have it in their powver to attain their freedom on the spot where they are subject to such unnatural control. The process is extremelY simple. The slaves miust he assignetd, according to cer- tain forms of law, to s,omn onie coining over to or actuallyv in thisr country. Tbat person may manumit them before the Lar'd AMavor accrdinig to law; and all the impediments thrown in the way oif Iac- com;lishing so paramount a labouir of liumanity by the authorities in thle West Indies will be effectually removed. The expense of this course can never exceed 71., whilst in our colonirs It would, in same eases, amount to 1601., in conformity with the regulations. Thou- sands, in consequence of the exorbitan-t demands of deposit, and time want of information as to tlse mode of avoiding the necessity, of unak. Ing anyt all, have lingered out their existenice in slavery. Forms o ee of assignmenmt of slaves in trust to mianiumit them will be matle out, and kept by thec Anti-Slavery Societv, to ,rend to persons in the West Indies who may have occasion fo'r thiem, with instructions, and we believe we arc justifieai in statin~ that slaves, may be assiigned to the Secretary of the Anti-Slavery Society, that lie will perform the office of manumission, and sendI the deedIs of manumnission to the Society's agents, wvho will cause thiem to be duly registered, and thiat thie Society will render evie-y assistance for the attainment of such objects. The LORD~ AAY0ot was happy to learn ttitat such extensive ad- vantages to the persecuted natives of our colonies were likeiy to re- sult from the exertiona of the friends of huinanity in thist counitry, and wvas cotivinced that when the practicability of bestowing liberty at sosmiall an expense was generally known,thme condition of the slav'e population would undiergo imiprovement. Str.Honi.yra, jun., baajust nmanumnitted several slaves, according to the principle described, upon deedis of assignment. The manumission of a al ave in this country is decidedly valid, and the colonial government cannot exact a depoisit or security frontl a% person made free under these circumstances; aad has no power of preventing the necessary formns from being adlministered hiere. BOW-ST REET..-.A man of the name of Cla'vis, who keeps a little poulterer's shop in Crown-street, Soho, was brought up, charged on suspicion of havlng received a large quanitity of~ pigeons, the pro- perty of Sir Gilbett East, Bart., of Hill-place, Berks, knowing thiemr to be stolen. It aopeared from the statement of Sir Gilbert East, that on theI night between the 13th and 14th of September, his dove-cote was broken open, and the whole stock of pigeons stolen. There was, no onie upon wvhom he chuld fix suspicion, but lie caused active in- quiries to be made, and it was ascertained that on the morning of the robbery, about three o'clock, one of the long stagecroacheR, ito pping at Maftidenhiead Thicket, took up twto large 'bags filled with pigeons, whilch were hr ought there by a couintryman. This. clue was followed up, and it wvas discovere,d thtat the bags were di- reeted to the defendant, at hiis hiouse in Crown-street, and that when the coachi stopped at the Glocester Coffee.house, Picc-adilly, the poor birdg were found by the porter so miserably crushed toge- ther, that lie took soime oft temR out and put themi into a hamnper. Ile then sent one la off with the bags, and anothier shortly fe with thehampe.r. Thebfrst boy, upon arriving at the defendant's house, was asked by the latter where he broughit the parcel from, and was ainswered, the Gtocester Cotibe-house. "1 But who sent it"' said the defendant. "1That is more than I can tell you, Sir," isaid the boy, and there their conversation ended. When the second lad went with the other parcel, thedefendantsaid, "Oh, very well; it's all rigkt; what's to pay ?" The boy told him 7sR. Gd., which he paid, and gave him the Dr'ice ofa pint of beer for himself. Vh.en Sir Gil- bert went to the de'fendant's hotiise, thie pigeons were not to be found; bitt he thought it proper so have the defendant brought before the magistrate. The defendant, in answer to the charge, dleclared he was entirely free from any guilty knowledge in this transaction. It was a verv common thing for fiersonls in the country to Send up poultry, of afll descriptions, to dealers in London, andl he took the pigeons itn ques- tion, without knowing from whom they camne, or any thing about te,concluiding, as a matter of' course, that the owner would soon sthakmhi appearance. In this conclusion he was right, for in less tahafan,,our after the seoond boy was gone, a country-looking man ame,andclaied he pgeos ashisown, offering, at the sanie tim, t sll he attherae o ls. erdozen. Defendant offered 12g, wichhe houht he ullvale;but the countrymaLn refused to akeIt,andtoo th pieon awy ith himn. '['his was all that Sir G. East.-And so you paid 7s. 6d. for a parcel, without kinow- ing who sent it, or any thing'about it?P Defensdant.-Yes, because you know I had good security for my money. Sir G. Eastb-Did the countryman pay you back the 7s. 6d. Defendant.--Did he pay me back the 7s. 6d. !-0.-0-O--yes, of course he did; certainly-certainly. MAGISTRnATE.-And the pint of beer? Defendant.-No, not the pint of beer. AIAGISTItATE..-ArC you usually so liberal to strangers, without Mendant-Whythetruth is, that you see, that I forgot lb. I am that three-pence out of pocket, stire enoughi. Sir G. East was about to put a question to thet defendant, when the latter interrupted him wivielt- I 11 tell. yoa wvhat, Sir Gilbert East, When you came to my place the other day, you brought a man iith vou, and wanted to confse me, by assking me all sorts of questions. you have any charge againsst me it is your business to make it out, if you can; but yea have no business to be cross-questioning of me." After some further conversation, the Magistrate ordered the de. fendant to give bail for his appearasce on a future day for further exa- rAination. AlAULBonoIoU-STXEET.-TWWm Carey, a private in the 7th lssars, and servant to Captain Edwards, of that regiment, was charged with being found secreted in the house of Captain Durand, ef the 40th Regiment of Foot, who resides in Lower Belgrave-street, Pimlico. Henry V.. Robinson, nephew to C4ptain Durand, stated that he wsM in his uncle's house on Sundav mniht, the faniily were all out; hissisterreturnedhomebetween lband 11 o'clock, and imrmedi. ately went tSp stars, when, in a few n3inutes, he heard her scream- ing Sviolently, and running down rtairsin the greatest alaTrm, saying that a strange man was in one of the beds up stairs. The alarm was immediately gisven, and a watsnnano calle-d i, who, on proceeding tp tairs, found the prisoner lying on the rservant girl's bed in the back attic. Miss Robinson, sister to the last witness, stated, that she had been out eo a3 party, andon sher return home at the time stated by, her brother, she proceedsed ap slairs, accompanied bythe servant girl, forthepurpaso ofuikinmroff'some of her cothess in the?girl's apart. ment, which she usuall'y did when she came home- She was great- ly terrified, whsen te girl entered the room, to hear her say to a person, who turned outobe the prisone, "(3Get out, for the lady is coming." lsiumlectly ra:. t 6w descibod. Sir GFOORGE FARRANT asked the prisoner whiat he had to saylor himself? Tho prisoner replied, that he had been bronght into ths house by, the servantriiaid, Vsith whom helhad been in habits of iWn.4cy for six or seven weeks past; she gave him, from time to iine eVeryen- couragement, bymtaking signls out of thewirdoews, andby constautly valking with him, and also writing him letters. Alatha Cow, the servant-girl, was here examined, and adnitled' that she had made signs to- him from the window, and bad freg tint- ly walked with him, but positivelyswore that shedid not admit blthm into the house that night, and thiat he must have entc&ed through her window from a scaffolding that nearly adjoined it from the next house; she never wrote him but one letter, the substance or whiclh was, that she would meet him near Weztminster.bridge, and beg. ging of him on no account to come near the house. n3s it, she said, probable. that withl the knowledge of ber young lady being in the habit of going into har room when she came home, that she wvould select that very roomn to secrete the prisoner iH ? She was several times interrtpted bv the prisoner, who asserted the; she well knew what sile was saying was faslsp-Captain Dbrand said, the character of the girl was hitherto urimnpeached, and he could not think she wotld swear falsely. He said tbht it was an exceedinglv fortunate thine for the prisoner that he had not discovered him in the house; for that he had always had loaded pi._ rols in his room, anti that he would have had no hesitation in blow- ing his brains out. The scaffolding the girl spoke of, he bieved, must have been the way the prisoner entered the bouse. During this stage of the examination, a controversy arose, as te the words used hy Miss Robinson to the watchman when the pri- soner was taken into custody; and Harrison, the watchman, wvas examined. He stated, that when called in, on going up stairs, he found the prisoner in the attic story, with his coat of, and his hat and boots under thc bed. He came with him very quietly, assert- ing, that the scrvant-girl had brought him into ile house. The watchman fusther said, that Miss Robinson said to himn, in deserib. ing the manner in which she was alarmed on the discovery being made, that she heard the servant girl say to the prisoner, " -ush, hush ! the lady is coming." This part of the wavehman's testimony MiliS obinwn denied; and re-asserted, that what shie heard the servant gTrl say wap, " Get out; the lady is coming." She spoke very favourabIy of the girl's character. Sir Gxoner FAnRATT remarked, that it was difficult to deter- mine whether the prisoner had been brought in by the servant girl, as she swore so positivelv to the contrary, and her having so ged a character from her master and voung mistress. Captain EBlwards, mnaster to the prisoner, who had just enterAl the office, stepped forward, and hegged to say a few words as to th& character of the prisoner Hle said. a better ioldier, ior a moregene- nerallv well-conducted man, he had never met. lVasit at ali, he said, to be believed that, after what wasstated of tle intriguebetweenthis girl and his servant,the continued encourag,ementshehadgiven him by signs from the windows, by letter-writing, and by assignations with him, that it would benecessarv forthe man toget intothehouse in a clandestine way from an adjoining scaffol4ing ? The thing was quite absurd, cnd he appealed to the good sense of Captain Durand, as a marn of the world, whether such s thing as at all probable; and Hf it was not quite clear that the man was introduced into thehouse by the girl? i4e was ready to admit that his co;duct, in going iaw- the hotise at all, witbout CAptain Durand's leave, was highly reprehen- sible, but to suppose it was with any felonious intendon, was quite out of the question. Hie would himself undertake to be respnnsiblc for the appesaance of the man, should Captain Dlarand. on fuirther inquiry, think there were any grotznds to suppose a felonious inten- tion otl the part of his servant Captain Durand said, he felt quite sat.tfed with Captain Edwards' plrdee to have the prisoner forthcorming, hiould any grounds for felony be bronoht against him; and, with this strangement, the pri- soner was discharzcO. POLICE.