ROBBERY OF THE ROYAL MINT.—A workman, of the name of
George Keith, contrived on Saturday morning to steal from the Mint, 2804 pieces of gold, termed blanks, or unstamped sovereigns. We have obtained a more accurate ac- count of the particulars than any that has yet appeared in the newspapers. Keith is a Scotcliman ; be had been in the employ of the company of Moneyers since 1813, and was looked upon as one of their most trusty servants, not only by his employers, but by the whole establishment; so much so, that when, loaded as he was with 60 lbs. weight of gold, he passed and spoke to several of his fel- low workmen, not one of them had the slightest suspicion of what was passing He came, as usual, to his work at a little before seven in the morning; and, as usual, received the gold to undergo the operation of his particular department, that of annealing and blanching. There was another individual, who had been in the service of the Moneyers since 1805; and while this person was busy, Keith contrived to charge himself with four small bags, each parcel (technically termed a journey) containing 15 lbs. or 701 of the unstamped gold pieces ; and so rapid were his movements, that on the theft being discovered, it was found that he had got clear out of the Mint by a quarter after seven. On arriving at the entrance gate, the porter, whose duty it is to examine with a Cerberus eye every indivi- dual who has ingress or egress, questioned him as to leaving his employment so soon after coming to it: he unhesitatingly replied—" I am going for my break- fast, and I shall not be wanted till ten o'clock." This answer, from an old and unsuspected servant, was sufficient.; the porter let him pass ; and he soon shel- tered himself from pursuit, in some place of concealment. Every exertion for his apprehension has been made by the officers of his Majesty's Mint; handbills, offering a reward of five hundred pounds, were forwarded by Sir Francis Freeling to all parts ; messengers were sent to every outlet by which it was possible to escape from the country. There has been no such audacious robbery in the Mint
i since that by Turnbull, n 1798. Turnbull took precisely the same weight of gold and number of pieces; but they were ready coined,—whereas Keith's booty
is uncoined, and the difficulty of converting . it into current money increases the chances of his detection. Up to this hour' however, his haunt has not been dis- covered. Keith was extremely domestic in his habits: he shunned associates, and devoted himself to his family.
At one of the Ward inquests at Guildhall, on Monday, Mr. Alderman Wtrod who represented the Mayor on that occasion, expressed his admiration of the NewPolice, and stated that it was in contemplation to introducelit into the City. John Langley, William Langley, and William Langley's wife, were brought up at Marlborough Street on Wednesday, on a charge of having robbed Jeremiah Durant, William Langley's father-in-law, of 144,sovereigns, the savings of a life- time. They had, it appeared, intended to sail. for New South Wales with their booty, and had actually paid 75 sovereigns as passage-money. Among the disonlerlies at Worship Street on Wednesday morning, was a Mr. John Williams, who had been found in a state of intoxication on the street. Ile stated to the watchman, that on his parting with a friend with whom he had been dining in the Commercial Road,he was attacked by two girls of the town, knocked down, and robbed of five ten-pound notes. Some sovereigns in another pocket escaped ; and as he knew the numbers of the notes, he hoped to recover them.
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