FLASH HOUSES.—Mr. Thomas brought to the bar of Bow Street,
on Tuesday, nine women and a number of men, whom he had captured in a house called the White Lion, in Wych Street. The women at least seven of them, were known as street-walkers ; the men had the appear- ance of being no better than they should be. The Magistrate discharged the whole gang,—hoping that Mr. Thomas would be able to make out a better case the next time ; which, however, Mr. Thomas said he despaired of doing, and we believe he might justly say so. It is evident that, whether the power of licensing gin-sellers shall remain with the Bench of Magis- trates or not, it is essential to the decency and safety of the public that the power of suspension and deprivation of the licence so granted should be vested somewhere else. This is the true punishment for such cases as that of the White Lion. The ladies and gentlemen were assembled at a concert ; one of them was playing the piano !
DISCIPLINE or MERCHANT VESSELS.—A number of warrants have been applied for at Thames Street Police-office, by men lately belonging to vessels of the China fleet ; some have been granted, and some refused. The decisions of the Magistrates exhibited, as usual, a beautiful specimen of consistency.
A sailor named Thomas Lamb applied for a warrant against Captain Burnett, Commander of the Scaleby Castle. It appeared, from his state- ment, that on the 24th of December last, while the ship was at Canton, one of the crew was about to be punished; and great violence being used towards him, he called for assistance. Lamb stepped up, and asked the captain by what authority he punished the man ; and he himself was instantly seized. The crew rushed forward in a very threatening manner; signals was raised, and the officers and captains of other ves- sels came on board, and the mutinous feeling of the crew was quickly purdavn. Lamb, to -escape a flogging, got up into the rigging; but on
(me of the officers threatening to fire at him, he came down, and was ordered to receive five dozen ladies. Captain Richbell refused to grant the warrant, on the ground that Lamb must have been guilty of very bad and mutinous conduct, to have received such a heavy punishment as five dozen lashes.
John Donning applied for a warrant against the Captain of the General Kyd. Donning was ordered on watch before his turn, and objected ; and he received two dozen of lashes in consequence. He was a landsman. Mr. Ballantine told the applicant, he would grant the warrant, in order that a proper investigation might be entered into ; as he could not suppose such a state of circumstances to exist on board a merchant ship, which could render it necessary for a commander to flog any of his erew.
Three men belonging to the Lowther Castle applied for warrants against Captain Bettie. One had received two dozen, one three dozen lashes ; and the third was put in irons because he neglected to clean himself to go out with the officers to assist in a rowing-match ! Mr. Broderip said, Captain Hattie was already bound over to appear at the next Admiralty Sessions, to take his trial for an assault on one of his seaman, and he saw no necessity for issuing fresh warrants.
A warrant was granted, on the application of a seaman of the Inglis, against the first mate, for beating him with a broomstick.
The three men belonging to the same ship have been admitted to bail.
STRAY CMLDREN.—A woman named Higgins was charged, on Tuesday, at Marylebone, Avith beating a child. She had been carried to the station-house the previous night. We have repeatedly teen it stated that the constables had orders not to take any one in custody on account of a breach of the peace which they did not witness ; but here, a lady, as she is called; tells a policeman that a woman has been beating her baby, and forthwith, without inquiring into the circumstance, and even without a form of charge, slic is confined for the night with a crowd of prostitutes and pickpockets ! Had the lady beaten her child, and the poor woman complained to the policeman, would he have acted on the information ? The fine lady, whose nerves were so affected by the cries of the child that nothing could compose them but sending both child and mother to the watchhouse, did not make her appearance. The more curious part of the case is to come. The .taning woman denied that she had beaten thechild ; and went on to state, that ten days before, while sittino.b in the New Road, a female had asked her to watch the child for afew minutes ; that being herself a mother, her sympathy made her readily con- sent to the request ; that the female then went away, and she had never seen her since. The poor woman begged very earnestly to have the child taken off her hands. Site had, she said, taken it to St. Pancras Workhouse the day after it was left with her, mid Mr. l'rice was not at home : she returued next day, and was referred to the Board, Mr.Pricebeingengaged ; by the Board, which she got access to the day after, she was sent to St. Giles's ; at St. Giles's she was told to go about her business ; she then applied to the Marlborough Street Magistrates, and they gave her the same answer. On Monday night, she went to the New Road again, to see whether Providence would, by its kindness, send back the mother of the infant ; mid there her prayers were heard by the Police, and she was put in prison, because by her own simplicity and the insolence and negligence and downright injustice of a parcel of overseers and magistrates she habeen compelled for ten whole days, while in want of necessaries herself,' to keep arlother person's offspring ! Now let us hear Mr. Griffiths. "
Mr. Griffith observed, that it was a very singular case; he was not able to point out what course the poor woman could adopt ! The wo- man said, that it was extremely hard for her to keep the child. On Which Mr. Griffith desired the coesti.ble to convey the infant to the workhouse. In the course of an hour, the constable returned with the child, and stated to the Magistrate, that upon presenting the child, the parish-officers stated that they would have nothing to do with it. He told them he was sent by Mr. Griffith with the child ; but they replied they did not care for the Magistrate any more than for the child. [This resolute answer seems to have reduced Mr. Griffith to his former enviable state of indecision, but he was determined to puzzle it out this time.] Mr. Griffith—" As the child has come into your possession, you must keep it." Woman—" I have three small children of my own, and my husband is cut of work, and very often my own children have not a bit of bread." Mr. Griffith—" As the child was left with her in St. Pan- cras, take it there, and desire them from one to take it in." Whether this third judgment was followed up, does not appear ; but the child had not returned " when our reporter left."
WORKS OF THE BraNn.—A Chelsea pensioner named Hayes, who had lost his sight, was charged at Hatton Garden, on Tuesday, with a most brutal assault on a fellow pensioner, who was in the same state of darkness. The assailant had beaten his comrade in a terrible manner with a stick ; and not content with this, he had bitten his lip in a dread- ful way, and nearly torn his thumb off. The wife of the assaulted pen- sioner brought a light into the room while the parties were struggling; but the wife of the essailant immediately blew it out, with the wise as well as economical observation, that two men in their predicament could fight it out in the dark as well as in the light. The Sergeant of Police was at length attracted by the cries of murder, and succeeded with great difficulty in separating the combatants ; not until the prisoner (who seems to have very cannibal propensities) had bitten his leg severely. Apiece of the lip of his antagonist, which he had bitten off, was afterwards found in the room, and carried thence to the hospital, whither the wounded man was removed ; but it was too late—so said the doctor—to attempt to replace it. The prisoner, when charged with biting his, companion's mouth, alleged in mitigation' that his companion had attempted to bite off his nose, and that he had been compelled to use his teeth in self-defence. He was admitted to bail, on his own recognizances !
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