29 NOVEMBER 1828, Page 7

POLICE OF LONDON.—ROBBERIES. — Green alias White, was charged before

the Lord Mayor, on Tuesday, with having been found lurking about the premises of Mr. Brown, Basinghall-street, with intent to rob. The Lord Mayor recollected that the prisoner had been formerly transported for theft His father also was transported for robbery. It was proposed to imprison him for three months, as a rogue and vagabond. The prisoner objected, that the Act did not include his case, and pointed out a clause which he thought placed him beyond its operation. He was nevertheless sent to the House of Correction.

Robert Sheraton was charged at Guildhall, with stealing 100/. worth of trinkets from the house of Mr. Palmer, of Great Cumberland-street, in which he had been permitted to sleep by his sister, who was cook in the family. He was committed for trial. An old man and his wife who had pawned the articles, and a female with whom he had squandered the money, were also committed as receivers.

Dennis Mac-carty, who has recently returned from transportation, was com- mitted for having attempted to steal a gold watch from a female at the English Opera House, John King was committed for having stolen three 5/. notes from Messrs. Abbott and Bradley, of Furnival's-inn. J. Williams was committed from Mary-le-bone office on Thursday, on the charge of having stolen a pair of carriage-lamps. The prisoner denied the charge; but the Magistrate remarked that three witnesses had spoken to the fact, and he should therefore send him to tell his story in another place. "Thank your Worship," replied the prisoner; "and there I shall find a better judge."

ASSAULT.—Kearney, a married woman, was charged, at Union-hall, on Monday, with having stabbed Mary Donovan. The injured woman had in- formed the prisoner's husband of her ill conduct during his occasional absence front home ; and, to be revenged, she struck her with a knife, and wounded her in the arm. Kearney pleaded hard for his unfaithful spouse; and as be had forgiven her errors, he wished the Magistrate to follow his example. The Magistrate, however, fined her.

A Paddington coachman was on Tuesday brought before the Lord Mayor, charged with having wantonly struck a man with his whip. The complainant appeared in the justice-room with the blood streaming from his head anti face. The coachman had become sensible of his fault : and, dropping on his knees, implored the forgiveness of the prosecutor, in "consideration of his wife and six children." The complainant appeared willing to forgive the man. The' Lord Mayor would not allow him to escape with impunity : and, in default of bail, the coachman was committed to prison.

Ta*Nse Quinn Fsxo.w.—Charles Yates was on Tuesday examined at Bow.

street, on the charge of haying returned from transportatio4. He had been convicted of a burglary at the Old Bailey sessions, and -sentenced to death; but that sentence had been commuted. He was again committed for trial.

Finx-FixEs.—The following extraordinary, and to the inhabitants of London, most important decision, was made on Tuesday, by Mr. Griffith, the sitting magistrate at Marylebone-office. Mr. Williams, a gentleman residing in Stafford-street, New-road, was summoned to pay the legal fees to the fire- engines, for extinguishing a fire in his chimney. A lad who described himself as getting his living " any how he could," deposed that he saw a large crowd collected in the street, and a great blaze proceeding from the chimney° . No. 6. Mr. Williams was about to speak, when Mr. Griffith interrupted hin• with—" Sir, the case is proved ; there is an end of the business." Mr Williams—" The witness has proved rather too much. I will prove that so far from a blaze, there was no fire at all. I was in the house, and, if I could be sworn, would depose to the fact." Mr. Griffith—" You cannot prove a negative." Mr. Williams—" Not an abstract negative, but I can disprove a contingent negative. I have my neighbours present to prove that, prior to the collection of the crowd at the first cry of fire, they had watched the chimney being in positions from which they must have seen flames or sparks had any such existed. They will depose that there were neither—that there was not even a greater degree of smoke than is every day seen front kitchen-chimnies." Mr. Griffith—" But the boy has sworn there was a flame." Mr. Williams—" It is a contest of evidence for the magistrate to decide. The neighbourhood is most vile, and the boy can give no account of himself, but that he gets his living how he can. He should be cross- examined. The act of Parliament, however wise, holds out an immense temptation to getting up these cases of fire. The reward to chimney-sweepers, 8-c. makes the oath of sparks seen out of a chimney a most profitable job." Mr. Griffith—" I have already decided the case, sir. I will hear no inure." Mr. Williams—"That is my complaint. You have decided the case without hearing it—you have stopped me in the points I wished to put—you refuse my evidence. It is not for me to dispute a magistrate's decision on hearing a case ; but I insist, sir, you do not decide without hearing it." Mr. Griffith- " You may indict the boy for perjury." Mr. Williams—" It is not, sir, for a magistrate to amerce the public by an intemperate or incautious decision, and then refer people to such an expensive and troublesome remedy. Your scrutiny and sagacity as a magistrate will, I hope, preventthe necessity of any such indictment." Mr. Griffith (impassioned)—" Well, sir, then bring for- ward your witnesses." Three persons, named Neale, Preston, and Mills, de- posed on oath, that they watched the chimney on the first cry of fire prior to the point at which the boy said he saw the flame, and that there was not even a spark or a greater smoke than they had often seen before. Mr. Williams ---" I was present all the time in the kitchen, and on the roof, and can po- sitively swear there was no fire. Many more neighbours can depose to the same." Mr. Griffith—"You can't prove a negative." Mr. Williams—" Four persons are watching the same object ; one, under the influence of a high reward, deposed to seeing what the other three being impartial, deposed not to have existed. The conflict of testimony is the point for the magistrate to decide." Mr. G riffi th—" Not one of your witnesses say any thing more than I could say sitting on this bench." Mr. Williams, with great warmth—" That, sir, I assert, in the strongest terms I can use, to be a great error—an error, too, on the only point on which the case turns. The witnesses swear that they were in a position front which they must have seen the fire had it existed. Could you, sir, have seen it from that bench ? Mr. Griffith—" I won't, sir, be cross-examined in this manner." Mr. Williams—" By your decision any man, unawed by cross-examination, and fearless of contradictory evidence, has only to swear to a flame or sparks out of a chimney, and the householder must pay about 5/. penalty. The inha- bitants of London will be much obliged to you for such a proceeding. I shall appeal against the decision." Mr. Griffith—" You may ; but I don't advise you. Mr. Williams.—" Few persons advise appeals by which their judgments are to be exposed." Mr. Griffith (mildly)—" There will be an execution in your house if you don't pay." Mr. Williams—" Which ought to have made the magistrate the more cautious in his decision. The act fixes a maximum, and the magistrate may award a less sum." Mr. Griffith—" Our rule is, to make gentlemen pay the maximum, and those not gentlemen to pay less." Mr. Williams—" It is not for me to decry the monstrous absurdity of this rule. The meaning of the act and the public interest do not turn upon gentleman on- not gentleman. This rule is a lure to make gentlemen the victims of these fire impositions so common in London. Promptitude of assistance is the object of the law; and, in this instance, the first engine (a hand engine) did not arrive until some time after the pretended fire was acknowledged to be out."