POLICE OF LONDON.

A butcher was brought to Hatton-garden pn Saturday, to answer to the charge of havinq struck his wife. The blow was given in a moment of irritation ; and the wife's temper having cooled, she expressed great unwilling

ness to press the charge against her husband. Mr. Laing (turning to Mr. Serjeant Sellon)" Let us fine bins 5s. and the costs. We'll let these parties know they are not to give unnecessary trouble to the magistrates, or, if they do, they must take the consequences." Mr. Sedeant Sellon inquired where the assault was committed? Complainant—" At No. 11, Howard's-place, Lock's-gardens." Mr. Serjeant Sellon—" It was in a private house—not in the streets ? The public had nothing to do with it ?" Complainant" No, sir." Mr. Laing—" That does not alter the mattyr. An assault is an assault, wherever committed." 31r. Serjeant Selloi.—" I don't think so : there was no breach of the public peace in this ins: .• ••.." Mr. Laing " Then I differ with von, for an assault must be an wherever com

mitted ; and if you like to sit here and have your time and labour trifled with in this manner, you may.: I'm sure I don't care." Mr. Serjeant Sellon, without replying, resumed the newspaper he had been previously reading. By a recent act, two magistrates must concur in inflicting penalties in cases of assault ; and for want of this concurrence in the present case, the defendant was discharged, upon payment of is, fee.

Five men have been committed from Mary-le-bonne, on the charge of having at different times robbed Messrs. Scott, cornchandlers, of Shepherd's Bush, of quantities of corn. One poor fellow named Joseph Hawes, who was slightly suspected of being concerned with them, was informed by an officer that he would probably be wanted at the office. This had such an effect upon his mind, that he went and hanged himself in his master's stable. He was repeatedly heard to express his entire innocence of the transaction.

Three men and three women have been examined at Bow-street, before Sir Richard Birnie, on a number of charges of fraud and swindling which have been preferred against them. Some tradesmen stated their grievances, and not a few others were in attendance for the same purpose ; but as there was not the least chance of their bills being paid, they were not anxious to come forward. Sir Richard was of opinion that a charge of conspiracy to defraud and swindle could be made out against the gang, if a charge of felony could not be established ; and they were committed for trial. The Society for the Prevention of Swindling are to prosecute the prisoners. They are the companions and agents of the woman Sutton, mentioned last week in our Police report.

This woman has since been apprehened ; and was examined on Thursday, by Sir Richard Birnie. She is accused te' having about three years since hired a harp, and afterwards pawned it ; and of having employed one of her accomplices to hire a piano-forte, a week or two since, which has also disappeared : there are various other charges of a deeper character. In ordering her to be remanded, Sir Richard intimated his intention of committing her for felony.

An officer belonging to the Mansion-house last week apprehended a woman who had been begging, with an emaciated child of two or three years old in her arms. As he was taking her away, she begged that he would allow her something to drink, out of the money he had taken from her. He consented ; and in a little time ninepence worth of gin was consumed,---one glass full of which he saw the child swallow without hesitation. The officer mentioned to the magistrate, on Monday, that the child had died in prieon ; and the last cry from its throat was" pn,gin." The poor little wretch could not be prevailed upon to take a drop of medicine, or gruel, or anything else up to its dying moments but "gin, gin."

The Queen-square police-office was crowded on Monday by a number of well-dressed females to hear a case of assault brought hy 11fre. Mary Heath, of Cumberland-place, Chelsea, against Mrs. Eleanor Baker, a neighbour. It turned out an ordinary case of depravity ; but the pleadings were graced by the oratory of Mrs. Baker, a sister of Shaw the celebrated Lifeguardsman—a powerful woman. who in suiting the action to the word, hit a gentleman at the bar behind her a blow on the nose, which caueol the blood to flow copiously. The magistrate at last got quite weary of the endeuce, and the defendant was fined 40s. and costs.

A journeyman gold-beater named Neate, was on Tuesday brought before the magistrate at Guildhall, charged with having stolen 'fourteen pennyweights of gold, part of a quantity delivered to him to be beaten into leaf. The magistrate expressed himself satisfied of the dishonesty of the prisoner's intentions, and committed him to prison.

An impudent application was on Tuesday made at Marlborough-street office by Suttie, a watch patrol. Some days before, Mr. Davison, a tradesman residing in the neighbourhood of Bloomsbury, was about to depart upon business to Scotland by one of the Leith smacks, and proceeded in a hackney-coach from his residence to the Tower-stairs, to embark. Suttie, \ V110 was one of his acquaintances, was also in the coach ; and Mr. Davison having fallen asleep, was deprived of his pocket-book, containing twenty sovereigns. The pocket-book was missed, a vain search was made for it, and suspicions began to arise in Mr. Davison's mind that his friend Suttie had taken it. Settle advised another search, and the pocket-book was found in a pocket which had been previously searched ten times. When the money was counted by Davison there were only nineteen sovereigns ; but when Suttie went through the operation of reckoning them they were there in full tale. After Suttie had departed, Mr. Davison missed his watch ; upon which he communicated the whole affair to a beadle. Slane confessed that he had stolen the pocket-book and, the sovereigns, and replaced them ; and also that he had taken the watch, which he had pawned,—the duplicate being found upon him. Mr. Roe wished that Mr. Davison would come forward and pro.: secute for the robbery ; but as this was highly improbable, Static had the audacity to ask for the duplicate of the stolen property. The application was of course refused.

The final examination of 111r. Austin took place at Bow-street on Wednesday ; but, as on former occasions, it was strictly private, no one being allowed to be present but the legal gentlemen and the witnesses. An outline of the evidence, has however transpired ; and from that imperfectsource, the following facts are collected. Mr. John Brown, Deputy Secretary at Greenwich, spoke to the fact of Mr. Austin having been Chief Clerk and Deputy Treasurer of the Hospital : in which situation he was in the habit of receiving and paying away monies belonging to the establishment. As Deputy Treasurer, he was entitled to do this by Act of Parliament ; and in fact, the greater part of the money received at the Hospital was paid to Mr.

Austin. He was also in the habit of selling out stock for the Hospital. Mr.

H. Paine succeeded Mr. Austin as Deputy Treasurer. Among, Mr. Austin's papers, he found one containing the following directions from the General Court of Commissioners and Governors of Greenwich Hospital of the 12th of January, 1827; "The Court approved of the sum of 100,0001., of the Hospital stock in the 3 per Cent. Reduced, being sold out in the name of the Treasurer and Deputy Treasurer, for the purpose of carrying on the public service, and that a power of attorney be prepared, and pass the Hospital seal for that purpose accordingly." The prisoner has rendered ac counts to the Hospital, from a date prior to the sale of the stock on the 4th of February last to the time that he was superseded ; but in none of these accounts is there any entry of the sum of 12,813/. 12s. 6d. as the produce of any stock sold. Mr. Austin has, since the 4th of February, paid over cer tain balances of money to the Hospital ; but after all such payments, there is still a greater deficiency than 12,843/.12s. 6d. due from the prisoner to the Hospital. That particular sum is altogether unaccounted for, and there are still other sums unaccounted for by Wm. The accounts rendered by the prisoner were rendered in the Hospital. He had apartments in the Hospital, amid an office, and there the books were kept, and there the accounts were made out. Mr. Paine had examined bills of exchange and promissory notes, to the amount of about 15,000/., and some acceptances of Mr. Austin found

upon him when apprehended; these are private bills of Mr. Austin's, not at all connected with the Hospital. Mr. Paine had also examined the contents of a pocket-book, and found theta to consist of sundry checks, drawn by Mr. Austin on the Bank of England, out of the Treasurer's account of Greenwich Hospital in favour of an individual not connected with the Hospital, to the amount of between 4,000 and 5,000/. It appeared also, that there was a sum of 60/, 15s. 7d. due to the Hospital, for freight carried by the Plover packet, commanded by Lieutenant Jennings, which had been paid to Nr. Austin, hut which remained unaccounted for. Mr. Alexander Trotter, a partner in the house of David Marjoribanks and others of Throgmortonstreet, stock-brokers to Greenwich hospital, said, that on the 4th of February they received instructions from Mr. Austin, upon the power of attorney' given by the Commissioners and Governors of Greenwich Hospital, to ;ell out 15,000/. 3 per Cents. Reduced. The stock was sold ; and the net produce was 12,843/. 12s. 6d. The prisoner attended personally and transferred the stock ; and they paid the same sum to the prisoner in Bank notes and eash. On the 27th of March they sold out another sum of 15,000/. 3 per Cents. Reduced, upon the same :power of attorney. The net produce was 12,557/, 10s. and the same was paid to the prisoner. Mr. Edmond Tomalin, caehier in the banking-house of Messrs. Freed and Co. bankers, Fleet-street, spoke to the fact of having paid a bill of exchange indorsed by Mr. Austin for the sum of 60/. 15s. 7d7 Salmon, the Bow-street officer, spoke to the apprehension of the prisoner, and the recovery of the bills and papers alluded to in the examination of Mie Paine. Mr. Austin was traced from Hounslow to Bristol, from Bristol to Milford-Haven, and from Milford-II:wen le Waterford, Cork, and Limerick, where he was taken into cuetiely. The evidence having been concluded, the solicitor for the prosecution pressed to have him committed capitally. A long discussion then took place bet ween the magistrate (Sir R. Birnie) and the learned gentlemen on either side. The prisoner was then committed to Newgate—first, for stealing and embezzling 12,8434 12s. 6d.; second, for stealing and embezzling Mt/. 15s. 7d., the monies of our Lord the King. The prisoner will remain at Neweate until the next assizes for the county of Kent, when he will be removed to Maidstone by habeas corpus, order to stand his trial.

Two men in the employment of a mud-contractor, named Flower, were on Wednesday brought before the Lord Mayor at the Mansien-houee, chareed with having, contrary to the statute, emptied whole barges full of mud, which they had dragged out of the London Docks, into the Thames, to the great prejudice of the navigatiou. The usual mode was to shovel the mud on shore, some distance down the river ; and the farmers gladly carried it away for manure. The prisoners, however, only put off a little way into the river, and threw the contents of their barge into it. To evade the vigilance of the Water-bailiff, the business was done at night ; and in order to disguise themselves before they began to clear out the barge, they took up some of the blackest mud in it, and scrubbed each other's faces and heads in such a manner, as to defy common observers. Nelson, the Water-bailiff, lord, however, no doubt as to their identity. 'Fire defendants said they knew nothing about the business. One of them said, " Vv, you see, my Lord, Master Nelson nor nobody else could nut know nothing at all about us, we was so black vid mud. Yen I vent Ironic to rny vile, I'm Mowed if she knowed me until I vaehed my face vid a visp of straw." (Laughter.) They were tined. 10/. each ; and were taken to prison in default of payment. Their employer attempted to prevail upon the Lord Mayor to remit or abate the fine ; but hie Lordship refusedperemptorily, and said, that for the next offence committed on the river, the fine of 20.1. each mail should be inflicted.

Lady Gresley applied again at Marlborough-street office on Wednesday-, for protection against her two late butlers. 'These men, she said, paraded every day in front of her house, staring up at the windows, making faces at the inmates, and pointing the attention of the passers by to her ladjship's residence. It was not alleged that they had committed a direct breach of he peace ; and so the Magistrates refused to interfere. •: Several tradesmen have been duped by a William Braham, who was on Thursday brought before Mr. Alderman Farebrother, at the Mansionhouse, on the charge of haying attempted to cheat Mr. Kipling, a hosier in the Poultry, of goods to the amount of between 50/. and 604 Braham wanted the goods to fit him out for New South Wales ; and he mentioned that he was nephew to Mr. Ballard, who resided at Dockhead, who was to pay for them. Before the order was executed, Mr. Kiplimg prudently made the necessary inquiries, discovered the cheat, and saved hue goods.

A waterman was brought before Alderman Farebrother on Thursday, charged with having demanded more than his fare to and from a steam-boat lying in the Thames. It is now a common practice with watermen to state, when they are accused of overcharges, that the luggage has been enormously heavy, arid as they are entitled to demand a shilling for every hundred weight above 561b. which a passenger may have conveyed without a charge, they think very little of mistaking the weight of every box or article they carry. On this occasion, there happened to be a box of ladies' bonnets, alone with other things. It was clearly proved that the weight was at. least '1501b. lighter than it was represented to be by the waterman in this case. Alderman Farebrother said that he should be content to fine the defendant 5s., as the man might have laboured under some mistake: the bonnets of the women had of late grown to such a prodigious size, that a man could not judge, front Iris former knowledge of that article of dress, of the weight.

Another waterman was summoned for having charged more than his fare for taking a passenger from Alderman's stairs to Blackfriars-bridge. The overcharge was just double. Alderman Farebrother fined the defendant 55., but said that it was evident that the old system would not be broken lip until the full penalty of 51. was inflicted in every case. A well dressed young man, named John Clerk, was on Thursday committed by Sir John Perrin, at Guildhall, for stealing 7s. from the pockel. of a gentleman in Bartholomew Fair. The complainer having seized him, was severely beaten by some of the prisoner's companions, who attempted to rescue him.

A decent looking woman who said she was a soldier's wife, applied on

Thursday at Marlborough-street office, for advice. Her husband, e Ito bud been absent from England for two years, was at present quartered in Jersey ; and she had travelled from Cambridge, carryine her babe along with her, with the intention of joining him. When shebbegan her journey, she liati only 2s. 6d., which was given her by the Mayor of Cambridge; but this was expended before she reached London. She had applied to the agent for the regiment for relief, but had been refused. She had therefore been obliged to walk the streets all night, with her infant in her arms. Both her husband and herself had been born in a marching regiment, and had no claim on any parish. " It is a hard case, Sir," said the poor woman, " that after we have been all our lives in the army, and may husband has served his king and his country for nineteen years, I and nay little child should be allowed to go

about starving through the country in this manner." "Indeed it is a hard case," said the magistrate, and I am sorry I cannot remedy it." Mr. Roe ordered half-a-crown to be given her. A young woman came to the town-hall, Southwark, on Thursday, to complain that her husband, to whom she had been married about five years, had deserted her—left her the inmate of hare walls, and with only half-a-crown for her support. The defence of the husband was, that she was addicted to liquor and lost to all sense of decency ; and having learnt that she had another husband who had a prior claim, he was glad to rid himself of her. The woman said that she deserted her first husband on discovering that he had another wife ; and as she was told she was at liberty to marry again, she took the defendant, who was not ignorant of her situation. To settle the matter, she was ordered to be sent to the parish where her first husband was living. George Bryant, a marble-cutter, was yesterday committed for trial, from Marlborough-street office, for having stolen several valuable marble slabs front a yard in which he had the privilege of working. Mr. Balcolm, a respectable builder, was yesterday charged at Union Hall with having committed an outrageous assault upon Mr. Berry, timber-merchant. The latter had gone to inquire about a hill due to him by the defendant; but the moment he spoke to him, he was pushed away, knocked down, kicked on the head, and knocked down when he attempted to rise. The defendant also struck Mr. Berry's boy when he ran to aid his father. The complainer, in self-defence, struck Mr. 13alcolm once with his whip. These facts were sworn to ; but on behalf of the defendant it was stated by Mrs. Steele, with whom he lodged, and by two carpenters in his employment, that Mr. Berry had been the greater aggressor, and that he hacicollared Mr. Balcolm, and struck him several times across the face with his whip. The magistrate deemed the complainant's evidence the more probable, and fined the defendant 40s. and costs. Mr. Berry is to prosecute the carpenters for perjury. Two urchins, not more than ten years of age, were next brought forward on the charge of having stolen their schoolmaster's spectacles. One of them managed to get hold of the spectacles which the master had laid aside for a moment; and having transferred them to his companion, he went and pledged them with a pawnbroker. They were committed for trial.

A shoemaker, named Savage, applied yesterday at Guildhall, for an order to have a lad admitted into Bartholomew's Hospital, whose head had been deplorably lacerated by a lion, in a wild-beast show at Bartholomew Fair, and for a summons against Morgan the owner. The lad, whilst looking at the beasts, was pressed forward by the crowd to the front of the cage, the bars of which were remarkably wide ; the lion immediately struck one of his fore-paws out, (the claws piercing the hat in several directions into the flesh upon the skull,) and actually lifted him from the ground. The shrieks of those who witnessed the act brought up the keeper, just as the lion was putting its other paw forth, and the lad was borne away covered with blood, and in a state of insensibility. The lion was the same that stripped the flesh off a man's arm at Camberwell Fair a fortnight since, and that killed his keeper about two years ago. Alderman Ansley granted both the order and the summons.