Henry Palmer, a man of fashionable exterior, was tried at
the 'Middlesex Sessions on Tuesday, before Mr. Hutch and a bench of Magistrates, on a charge of receiving, knowing them to be stolen, ten bills of exchange, drawn by Mr. Francis Dugdale Astley on Praed and Co., for 500/. each. Mr. Astley, the prosecutor, is the son of Sir John .Astley, the Member for Wiltshire, and son-in.law to Sir Thomas Lethbridge: he is heir to a very large property, but appears to have fallen into the company of gamblers, who have pillaged him unmerci- fully. One of his acquaintances was. the notorious Stuart, who kept a house of bail fame in Brydges Street ; though Mr. Astley did not know that it was a brothel and a gambling-house tiil he went there.
It appeared from the evidence, that •Mr. Astley was tempted by an advertisement to apply to a person who called himself P. Moreton, but whose real name is John Minter Hart, for a loan of 5,000/. He gave blank acceptances for that sum, in ten bills of 3001. each, to Hart, but never received any money in exchange. The bills got into circula- tion; and some of them were traced to the prisoner, who had been a clerk, and was connected in swindling transactions with Hart. The bills were filled up in the prisoner's handwriting. Ile .pretended that he had discounted them in the way of business ; but did not attempt to prove that he bad given a valuable consideration for them. He cross- examined Mr. Astley at great length, and elicited some extremely dis- creditable details respecting that gentleman's habits and associates. The prisoner objected most strongly to being tried by Mr. Rotch, whom he had subpeenaed as one of his witnesses, but did not examine. He was found guilty by the Jury, after five minutes' consultation. His sentence was fourteen years' transportation : upon hearing which he fell into a fit.
:Mr. Adolphus stated that he had been convicted before of defrauding Sir T. Champneys, under similar circumstances.
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