The Sun. — 1818-09-07 (London, England)

FORGERIES.  BOW-STREET —Saturday ;afternoon a most important. investigatifin.took place before RIC 41 ARD BtaNtg, Esq. respectin:! forgeries to an enormous ,mouttt, supposed to be committed by a Gentleman of iiigh• cousiderarou in the trading and nieicantite world. On Friday infortnation was received by the worthy Magistrate ahove named of several forg.eries, but of one definitively, moat he accordingly directed W. Bond to go (Armed with proper authority) in pursuit of. the Gentleman who was suspected to have committed the offence. This Gentleman (for we understand former habits and pursuits ntitle him to that appellation), was fount' by Bond seated in a Kentish Town stage, near St iples inn, he having made an appointment to dine with a friend at Kentish 'Town. The Officer, with every fen ling of kind ness towards the unfortunate Gentleman, column ideated his •errand with all possible delicacy to him, and conveyed 'him to the Office, where he iincteitaysot a cut sory examination before M. BIR Nita, during which time he kept one Or his hands in his coat near his breast, and the worthy Magistrate conceiving that he either was meditating self destruction, or was anxious to destroy instruments which he knew would appear in a criminal shape against him, ordered the officer to take him omit and search his person niligently ; this was done, and in one of his pockets was found a knife fully calculated to effect that which Mr. BIRNIa had contemplated. Upon this occasion the charges against the prisoner were only of a suslicious nature, there being no positive or tangible proof against him ; he was accordingly remanded for examination. Mr. BIRNIE, however, with that precaution which always guides him, made it imperative upon the officer to cause the prisoner to be watched most narrowly during the whole of the night. This order was strictly complied with by Bond, who stated that his captive had experienced a most restless night, and he felt it his duty to take from him his neckerchief's, and.evei y article likely to assist him in the horrid act of suicide. The documents found upon him had, in the interim, undergone an investigation, and the result was, that long before the prisoner's re-examination, John Elwes, Esq. son of the late eccentric and parsimonious Gentleman of that name, appeared,.and, being asked by Mr. BIRNXE it he had been in the habit of accepting bills for large amounts, said, to the best of his recollection, lie had not, in the whole course of his life, accepted more than two. Shortly after three o'clock the accusing parties had arrived, and the prisoner was brought in and placed at the bar. fie is a fine athletic man, extremely well-dressed and powdered. lie was placed at the bar, and, upon seeing Mr. Elwe3, appeared rather affected by his presence; he immediately leaue4 head upon his ham!, and vomit-tried in that posture during the greater pail of the exa mination. He answered to the name of Mr. Adams; and it appears that his name is Balthazar Adam•, residing at Beaulieu, near Southampton ; he has been an emi►►ent ship-builder, and is stated to have built several 74 gun-ships, and has, it would seem, heretofore possessed character and means, which  have entitled him to the best consideration of some of the first people in the metropolis. Indeed Mr. Snow•, oft he banking-house of Snow and E'aul, upon whom he is supposed to have forged to the amount cf 19001. stated that he had been upon intimate terms with them for these last 20 years.  Mr. G. Johnson, of the firm of Hurd and Johnson, Solicitors of the Inner Temple, stated, that he knew the prisoner. On Friday he came to witness, and asked him to discount the Hill produced for 2001. Witness accordingly gave him a cheque for. 1971. 10s. upon the banking house of Messrs Gosling and Sharpe, deducting the ditferenct. (21. 10s.) for the discount. The cheque produced was the one he gaVe the prisoner.—The .bill was nearly as follow:: " BEAULIEUi