The Sun. — 1832-12-12 (London, England)

THAMES POLICE.  DEPRAVITY, WRETCHEDNESS, AND ATTEMPTED SUlClDE.—Yesterday seven wretched females of loose character, named Jane Green, Martha Higgs, Sarah Gardner, alias Jane Harvey, Mary White, Ellen Martin, Elizabeth Mellington, and Ann Friends, were charged with riotous and disorderly conduct. The woman Gardner, who is better known by the name of Harvey, has been committed from this and the Lambeth-street Office more than fifty times during the last eight years. Though not more than twenty-five years of age, she has the appearance of being more than sixty, and a more pitiable spectacle of human misery than she presented was never seen in a police-office. But a few years since she was living in splendour with a Captain Harvey, whose name she adopted. Mr. Fagan, an inspector of K division, said the district was in a constant state of disturbance from the disorderly conduct of the prisoners, and in consequence of the complaints of the inhabitants he had lately taken measures to suppress the nu"sance occasioned by that clues of unfortunate women to which the prisoners belonged. On Monday night, between twelve and one o'clock, he found White, Martin, Friends, and Higgs, in a state of intoxication, and making a disturbauce in Shadwell High-street. Higgs was using the most obscene language, and Martin was fighting with another woman of the same abandoned character. A policeman, on taking White into custody, was assailed with the most dreadful abuse, while the noise made by friends caused the inhabitants to get out of bed and throw open the windows. About the same time Green was found lying dead drunk in the street, with her infant crying by her side. Soon afterwards he discovered Harvey on a dung-heap. She was quite insensible with the liquor she had drank, and almost suffocated. He was compelled to borrow a truck to convey her to the stationhouse, and he believed that, but for the assistance of a surgeon she would have died. She had been often brought to the station-house in the same state, and the commissioners had been put to great expense for medical attendance upon her. Wheeler, a policeman, No. 160 K, stated that he was informed that Mellington, who lived in New Gravel-lane, intended to commit suicide, and had attempted to throw herself out of a window. He went to the house and saw her struggling with another female at the window of the second story, but she succeeded in throwing herself out. He fortunately caught her in his arms, but his whole frame had received such a shock that he thought he should never get the better of it. The prisoner was also much hurt.  Mr. BALLANTINE said, if the fact was not placed beyond doubt, the mass of profligacy and misery before him, if d scribed to the world, would appear a matter of fiction. Here were seven young females, all of whom were in a continual state of Intoxication ; and, though young in years, were in constitution and appearance old women whose days were almost numbered. With respect to the wretched woman Harvey, whom he had frequently sent to her parish, she was a nuisance of the worst kind, and had been found in a state truly horrible. It would be a charity to her and to the public to send her to prison instantly, and he committed her as a vagrant to the House of Correction for three months, to be kept to hard labour. White, Martin, Friends, and Higgs were sentenced to one month's imprisonment each ; and Green, more on account of her infant than herself, was discharged. The Worthy Magistrate then questioned Mellington as to the cause of her attempting the dreadful crime of suicide. The prisoner made no answer; in fact she was too ill to speak. Mr. BALLANTINE said the crime of self-murder should be decried as much as possible; it was opposed to all laws, human and divine. It was forbidden by God, and the Christian religion denounced it. He was satisfied that the best th,ng for morals as well as religion was to mark the atrocity of self-murder, which, if winked at by the constituted authorities, would be productive of much harm. The worthy Magistrate then stated his reasons at great length for adopting a particular line in these cases, though he was opposed to the opinions of others for whom he entertained great respect. He did not wish to do anything hastily, but he was satisfied in his conscience that he was doing right, and that a person who attempted suicide ought to be punished. He should endeavour to find out whether the prisoner was in a sound state of mind, for insanity alone could palliate her offence. If she was a lunatic she should be sent to a proper asylum, but if she was not, she should be compelled to find bail to answer the charge at the Sessions. In the meantime she should have every attendance her situation required.  M. MOZINHO DE ALBUQUERQUE, Minister of the Interior to Don PEDRO, and who accompanied the Marquis PALMELLA to this country, is going to Madrid, it is said, to sign, on the part of the Ex-Emperor, the treaty of negotiation of Donna