Mr. Roe, pointing to the board, asked one of the
policemen if he was aware what the painting represented ?
The policeman replied, that it represented John Bull trampling on the heads of the Dukes of Cumberland and Wellington. Mr. Roe—" And is it your opinion that the painting is intended to bring those persons (John Bull included ?) into public odium and contempt ?" The constable replied in the affirmative.
Who will not admit the propriety of the q. e. d. after such an argu- ment?
Mr. Roe said he was sorry to deprive a young man of his liberty ; but as it was quite clear that the painting in question was a libel, he had no other choice than to call upon him to find bail.
We need not observe on the beautiful impartiality of the law, which as a matter of course even by the confession of its minister, deprives a poor man of his liberty on the pretence of exacting bail from him. ,
TRICOLOURED FLAGS.—On Tuesday, a Captain Waller, residing at Stafford Place, Pimlico, complained at Queen Square, that a neighbour had offended him and good order, by hanging a tricoloured flag out Of his window. The Captain said, did not believe that it was an Eng- lishman that inhabited the house, or he would never have hoisted a tri- coloured flag. He suspected that he was a Frenchman, or a Republican. He thought such flags out not to be hoisted out of a window. If any person in Paris was to hoist the English Union Jack out of a window, he would soon be compelled to take it in ; and he did not see why the tricoloured flag should not be prohibited from being hoisted in London. The Magistrate regretted being unable to render any assistance to this zealous gentleman; and the Captain took nothing in consequence by his motion. [Not at all questioning the atrocity of hoisting a trico- loured flag, and more especially "out of a window," we must yet dm* the propriety of punishing the offender in such cases because the peo- ple of France happen to punish similar offenders. We have heard of a Frenchman, or an Englishman (we forget which), who being detected peeping at the Grand Signior taking his pleasure ' in the Seraglio gar- dens, was immediately strung up as an example tO all such unlawful peepers. Now, suppose Captain Waller, as he lives in that neighbour- 'load, to detect a Turk, or even a Republican, peeping at our King • while perambulating Buckingham House Gardens, would he have him .hanged out of the way on the strength of such a precedent ?] PRINT-SHOPS A NUISANCE IN THE CITY.—Mr. Henry Davis and 'friend, an artist named Jenkins, and a labouring man named Malcolm, were charged at Guildhall, on Thursday, with obstructing the City Police in the performance of their duty. There is a shop at the corner • of Wood Street, Cheapside, where there used to be some very pretty prints displayed. The people of the City have not many print-shops, and they naturally stood still to look at Mr. Tregear's exhibition as b
the sojourners in more westerly regions do at Ackerman's, Colnaghi's, or Dickenson's. This pastime of the public seems to have been hardly borne by the City authorities ; who could understand very well why a man should stop to contemplate the beauties of a ham and beef shop, or to gaze on the prospect of a haunch of venison, but saw no reason why 'he should spend his time in looking to a parcel of black scores on a bit of paper, which in their combination represented nothing :but horses or dogs, or at best men and women—in short, nothing to eat. So they indicted the owner of the shop for a nuisance, for attracting
the public by exhibitions that were of no manner of use ; and they sta- tioned four officers and a sergeant opposite the .window of the shop, to drive on the idlers that might venture to linger while gazing on Mr. Tregear's unsubstantialities. It appears that Mr. Davis and his friend, not having the fear of Aldermen before their eyes, ventured to take a peep; when they were immediately told to move on ; and, not exerting their powers of locomotion, they were moved on—" shoved on," is the common phrase—by the officer. Mr. Hughes Hughes, who officiated as Alderman in the absence of Mr. Scales, delivered his judgment with as laudable a leaning to both sides of the question as Mr. Baring could have done—
It did not appear that the gentlemen had been accosted abruptly and instantly;
hut still he conceived the officer had exceeded the instructions given to him. He could not conceive that a person could be prevented from looking in at the win- dow for a short time ; but zf several persons stopped, it became a serious nui- sance. Mr. Tregear's shop-window was notoriously a nuisance—a resort for offenders of every description, and must be suppressed; but he meant to dismiss the case, after admonishing the officer.
Malcolm, it seems, cried "Shame," and "Mind your pockets." He was dismissed, notwithstanding this libel on the honesty of the City Police; for which he certainly ought to have been held to bail. As Mr. Tregear's shop-window, in Mr. Hughes's opinion, ought to be suppressed, might not the honourable member introduce a clause for closing it up, in his bill for regulating party-walls? Would it not also be well for Mr. Hughes to engage Mr. Carter, the officer—a person who has such a persuasive way with him—to try if he could not make that bill of his move on? it lingers terribly.
EXTRAORDINARY FRAUD.—At Bow Street, on Monday, William Beatie Lavers, Esq., an officer on half-pay, was charged on the oath of W. J. Crawford, Esq., with having feloniously forged an instrument for the payment of 1,1701., with intent to defraud the Crown. The Globe gives the following particulars of this very singular case from a correspondent at Exeter. Lavers was originally an officer, and sub- sequently became a clerk in the Commissariat department. Since then he has been employed as a clerk in various houses in Exeter : whilst in the service of one of these houses, he found out by some means that a Captain Cosgrove had died a few years previously. He then per- sonated a brother of the Captain, styling himself in his correspondence with Government " George Augustus Cosgrove ; " in this character he wrote to the War Office, that his brother had not died at the time be was supposed to have died, but that he survived about three years, and, having become insane, had not applied for his half-pay ; lie (the brother) being abroad. To substantiate these statements, he counter- feited certificates and affidavits of the usual forms ; and after a con- siderable correspondence, satisfied the Government, and obtained, in April, 1,170/. and upwards, as the arrears due to the deceased Captain, for which he had taken out letters of administration. He swore the assets were under 1,500/. ; on which he paid a stamp-duty of 4.5/. Not content with thus defrauding Government, be applied to the Stamp Office, with the usual affidavits, for the return of stamp-duty, on the ground that his brother died in debt ; and in this second fraud he also succeeded. Within the year, he began a similar attempt on the pre- sumed death of Lieutenant-Colonel Hardy. The circumstances, however, excited suspicion at the War Office, though he had taken the precaution of removing. to Worcester. The letters were traced to him, and on inquiry he was identified with the former transaction. He has been committed.
A clerk in a banking-house in the City has absconded with property of his employers to the amount of nearly 5,000/. About five weeks ago he requested leave of absence for a month, to recruit his health in the country; which was granted. He being settling clerk, he produced his accounts previous to his departure, and at that period every thing proved satisfactory. On Wednesday last, the embezzlement was dis- covered; and yesterday inquiries were made after his wife and family; when it turned out that they had taken their departure for America a week or ten days prior to his pretended visit to the country.—Morning Chronicle.
Between three and four o'clock on Thursday morning, Richard Broderick, police constable on duty in Newton Street, Holborn, observed two suspicious-looking fellows go through a narrow alley leading into Parker Street, and watched them into Gate Street and to Lincoln's Inn Fields ; where their conduct was such as to convince him that they were about to attempt a robbery. They at length went up to the front door of Lincoln's Inn Chambers, which they soon opened, and had got into the hall, when they found Broderick
• close at their heels. He attempted to take them into custody; but the .ruffians seized him behind, and pushing him into a corner, one of Ahem struck him a heavy blow on the back of the head with a blunt ini.strument ; this was followed by several blows on other parts of the head; they then left him weltering in his blood and senseless, in which condition be was found by his sergeant. He was conveyed home, and his skull was found to be fractdred, besides several dreadful cuts. He rallied for a few moments sufficiently to describe the ruffians, but imme.. diately relapsed into insensibility.
Yesterday morning,.& man aimed .Riley, Compton-Stage,.
St. John's Road, killed his wife. The body, when found, presented most extraordinary marks of the violence used by the criminal in effecting his murderous purpose. The eyes were dreadfully swollen and blackened ; on the right side of the head there was a deep trian- gular wound, and on the left an oblong wound extending nearly three inches transversely on the scalp; ten of the ribs were broken on' the left side, and seven on the right ; the left breast over the region of the heart appeared as if it had been beaten in, exhibiting quite a hollow; the right shoulder was dislocated, and the arm' from the apex of the shoulder downwards, was black and broken. The body in various other parts exhibited shocking marks of violence, being literally ect.: vered with bruises. The bed on which the deceased lay was saturated. with blood, as was also the floor of the apartment. The murderer, be- sides his business of a shoemaker, carried on a small business in the shop in the bTindery line, to which the unfortunate deceased used to attad.. Riley is an unprepossessing-looking wretch. His victim was a feeble creature, possessed, it is said, of a most irritable and provoking temper; and apparently between forty and fifty years of age. The criminal is in custody.
A man named John Cayton' formerly a respectable builder, hanged himself on Tuesday evening. He had lost a large sum it appeared„'by the burning of the _Argyll Rooms. On a table in the room was left the following note, addressed to his wife—" Previous to your receiving this' I hope I shall be no more ; yet, in justice to yourself, I must say you have been a good and affectionate wife. I find I cannot refrain from drinking ; and having tried all means to get the better of it, I have, rather than be a burden on earth, chose to leave it, and hope you will be better without me."
A man named Edward Boutle died at the London Hospital on Monday, of hydrophobia, in consequence of having his hand severely bitten bya tame fox belonging to his brother-in-law. The bite was i received n the beginning of May. Boutle was only seized on Sunday; On Sunday, the arms of a young child were found, one in Billings- gate Dock, and the other at Three Cranes Wharf. It was conjectured that they had been used for anatomical purposes ; but the further dis- covery of the legs and thighs in the London Docks on Monday morn- ing created a general belief that a murder had been conmiitted. The limbs found on Monday were shown to a surgeon, and he at once pro- nounced his belief that they had not been detached from the body by a person conversant in anatomical details. What strengthens the suspi- cion of foul play, is the fact of the limbs having been found at such a distance apart from other, with their healthy appearance.
An adjourned inquest was held on Wednesday night, at the Captain Cook, Marmion Street, Commercial Road East, on the body of Mr.. R. Purdy, a retired tradesman. He reached home the night of the 18t11 of last month, in a dreadful state, with three of his ribs broken. He said three men had attacked him in Old Street, for the purpose of plunder, and bad been taken into custody. The Policemen on duty that night had never heard any thing of the circumstance which was al- leged. The deceased died in a week. The Jury returned a verdict " Wilful murder, against some persons unknown."
The Inquest Jury which sat on the little boy who died in consequence of the injuries received in the attempt to extricate him from the-burn- ing house in Oxford Street, returned a verdict "That the deceased came by his death through Jonathan Sinithers wilfully setting his house on fire."