Three fellows, named Wilkes, Skipp, and Cain, were on Monday

charged before the Lord Mayor with breaking into and plundering a warehouse in Upper Thames Street. The booty was not great. It consisted of a coat, a pair of boots, a pair of shoes, a weighing-dial, and a counterfeit sovereign, half-sovereign, and a crown.

The Lord Mayor--" Well, prisoners, what have you to say to this serious cha me against you ?"

Wilkes said that the charge was true enough, and the three of them were in it. He was not himself thinking any thing of a robbery, when Skipp and Cain called upon him, and said that 501. or 601. a piece could be made by passing down through the skylight. He consented to go. The skylight was ready broken by one of them when he went, which was on Sunday morning about six o'clock. The three of them got up to the skylight. Skipp entered first, for he had been on the premises before, and the other two followed. " We let ourselves down," said Wilkes, "by a rope and a plank, and we searched the place all over. I stole the dial; we broke open the desks, and searched the place all over ; and we were about an hour and a half in the place. We then tied up all the things, went back through the skylight again with our bags, and were going along quite com- fortable, when the officers came across us."

The simple and straightforward method of getting at the truth adopted by the Lord Mayor seems to have mightily astonished Alder- man Seholey. The regular rule in such cases is for the Magistrate to endeavour, by all means possible, to prevent the prisoners from speak- ing a word of truth, which Justice considers to be an article not only not worth a search, but which is not worth having unless when a search precedes the acquisition of it.

The Alderman asked, whether his Lordship's mode of proceeding was not calculated to entrap prisoners into acknowledgments which might be prejudicial to them?

The Lord Mayor said, it was his determination always to question persons charged before him with offences; that he considered it very great nonsense to caution prisoners not to say any thing calculated to criminate themselves, or to induce them to say they were not guilty, when they knew in their consciences they were guilty. In ha opinion, such conduct was opposite to reason and common sense.

And a good sound opinion it is. We hope Sir Peter's example will be followed. The other two thieves confessed as Wilkes had done; they were all committed.

On Wednesday, Mr. Dowries, the proprietor of a stand in Crockford's Bazaar, St. James's Street, applied to Messrs. Dyer and Conant, the Marlborough Street Magistrates, for a warrant to apprehend two young ladies on a charge of felony, committed by them on Friday the 9th. The solicitor, who accompanied Mr. Downes, observed that the parties had not been given into custody at the time when the discovery was made, simply because the young woman who had been left in care of the shop was inexperienced in such matters. He added, that he had heard it stated, that if a tradesman attempted to institute an inquiry into such a case, it was sure to bring ruin upon him ; but Mr. Downes was determined, whatever the consequences might be to himself, that public justice should be vindicated. The solicitor then proceeded to call the following evidence, on which he grounded his application for a warrant.

Margaret Findlay, the young woman in charge of the stall, gave evidence to the fact of the theft. " On briday week, the 9th of November, three ladies, apparently mother and daughters, came into the bazaar ; the two young- est came up stairs to my stand, and one of them requested to be shown a boa clasp, to obtain which I was obliged to go to the further end of the stand. While they were making the purchase, the two young ladies requested to be shown a gold seal and a gold locket ; which I gave into their hands to inspect. After they had quitted the counter, I missed both those articles. I made a strict search, in which I was assisted by two or three of the bazaar young ladies. Not being able to 'find the articles, I went down stairs, and saw the young ladies at another jeweller's stand : I accosted one of them, and requested to know if the seal and locket had not accidentally stuck to the fringe of thew shawls. They shook their shawls ; and afterwards examined their reticules at my request, without discovering any thing. I applied to the inspectress, Mrs. Johnson, who requested the two young ladies would accompany her up stairs; which they did, and in two or three minutes after they came back to- my stand. I then found the seal and locket placed on some black ornaments, which were on the counter. I am quite positive they were not there before the young ladies came up the se- cond time. Having stated that I had missed another seal, in a few moments after the first discovery, I found it on the other side of the counter. The voung ladies were standing close by the places where all the articles were found. -Upon proceeding to count the stock of pins, I missed two of them, which were afterwards shown to me. They were taken from a pocket behind one of the young ladies by the inspector."

Mr. Dyer—" Were there any other ladies purchasing goods at your stand at the time?"

Witness—" The tw. young ladies were the only customers I had during the day. There was no cr,..v.,1 at all about my stand when they purchased the boa- clasp, but some persons collected, owing to the search which I was making."

The solicitor said the name of the ladies was Turton, and that they resided at East Sheen.

Miss Findlay, on being questioned, said the elder lady did not come to her stall, and neither of the young ladies made any observation when the seals were found.

Clements, an officer of this establishment, was ordered to follow the ladies when they entered their equipage, which was a very handsome one. He'saw them set down at their residence in East Sheen; be called and saw the butler, who stated that the ladies resided there.

The value of the articles stolen was stated to be about three guineas.

Notwithstanding the show of public-spirit made by Mr. Downes, it appears that the prosecution must fall to the ground, solely by reason of Mr. Downes's refusal to go forward with it. As soon as the war- rant for the apprehension of the Misses Turton had been made out, it was confided to Goddard ; who proceeded to make arrangements for executing it. He informed Mr. Downes, that he or Miss Findlay must accompany him to East Sheen, to identify the parties ; but was positively refused by both ! Downes again entered the office ; when he

was told that it was the invariable practice for the person obtaining the •

warrant to accompany the officer.

Mr. Downes—" Cannot Clements go, for he saw the ladies ?" Mr. Dyer—" No, he cannot go; for he stated here that he did not see them take any thing. But Miss Findlay, upon whose information the warrant was granted, says that the persons of the young ladies arc known to her." Mr. Downes—" I cannot get her to go." Mr. Dyer—" You see the officer himself does not know that the accused are living at East Sheen." Mr. Downes—" They are all living there, for I have been to the house." Mr. Dyer—" When did you go there?"

Mr. Downes—" I went down on Tuesday evening."

Mr. Dyer—" For what purpose did you go down ? ' Mr. Downes—" Understanding it was a respectable family, I went down for

the purpose of informing Mr. Turton that I intended to obtain a warrant, not

wishing him to be taken by surprise." Mr. Dyer—" Oh."

Nothing has in consequence been done, or will be.

The serving-girl who took the bill of 5001. from one of the Bank clerks, when presented for payment at a shop in Regent Street (Mr. Curry's), on Saturday fortnight, was held to bail at Bow Street, yester- day, for a trespass on the property. Sir F. Roe did not think a felo- nious intent was made out.

The following letter to the Governor of Newgate, from Kennedy, one of the men tried for the murder of Mr. Wilkinson, on the Thames, is exceedingly creditable to his instructor. The convict could neither write nor read when be was committed. We question if many of the pupils of the " Schoolmaster Abroad" make so rapid progress as this pupil of the schoolmaster in Newgate.

" Respected Sir—I cannot leave this prison without expressing to you my most grateful acknowledgments for the kind care and attention you paid to me and my un- fortunate fellowprisoner and companion, William Brown. I am fully aware, that to you we were indebted for our long stay in Newg,ate after our unexpected and most mer- ciful reprieve ; for which neither I nor my companion can ever be sufficiently grateful. It was your kindness and charity which placed us hi a yard and ward where we expe- rienced every attention our dreadfujoituation required, and where we were taught to read and write, and have been learned to pray to God, who lath mercifully spared oar lives. And oh, Sir, I earnestly and sincerely pray that God may bless, preserve. and keep you and that he may continue me in the grateful remembrance of your kindness and his mercy, is the sincere prayer of, Sir, your t umble servant and prisoner,

" WILLIAM KENNEDY."

_ In the report of the last batch of convicts, it is ordered that four pri- soners, whose offences were of the worst character, should be impri- soned in solitary confinement for two months in the House of Correc- tion, kept to had labour at the treadmill for ten months, and after- wards transported for life. Formerly those whose sentences were com- muted from capital punishment to transportation for life were sent away as soon as possible. Government are now determined to try the effect of that dreadful sort of imprisonment which is considered by many as worse than death. Convicts who have been transported are to be treated with salutary severity ; they no longer can boast of living at their ease.