WATER POLICE COURT. - The Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848) - 21 Jan 1841 (original) (raw)

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Thu 21 Jan 1841 - The Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848)
Page 2 - WATER POLICE COURT.

Mr. Jos. Hunter, master of the whaling

barque Pocklington, appeared upon a sum-

mons at the Water Police Office, last Mon-

day, to answer a charge preferred against

him, for having wilfully and wrongfully left

behind, at an island called Tetheroa, in the

South Seas, one of the seamen of the said

barque, named John Stanmore, contrary to

the 40th sec. of the 5th and 6th William

It appeared in evidence, that in March,

1839, the prosecutor, with several other

seamen on board the Pocklington, refused

to attend to their duty, in consequence, as

they said, of the badness of the provisions,

and that the captain had agreed to put

them on shore at Tahiti. This, however,

the Queen Pomaree refused to permit,

unless the sum of thirty dollars was paid

for each man. The captain refused to pay

this sum, and the men afterwards agreed

to land at Tetheroa, and were put ashore

accordingly ; three others absconding from

the ship at the same time. There were

no Europeans on the island, it being in-

habited by a few natives employed in

collecting cocoa nut oil ; and being the

resort of the natives of Pomoota, a neigh-

bouring island, for the purpose of fishing.

It was proved, also, that the captain had

taken the precaution of having the written

consent of the men taken in the presence

of his officers, and certified by them, before

he consented to allow the seamen to quit

the ship ; also, that there was a vast

quantity of hogs, fowls, and cocoa-nuts on

Mr Nichols, who appeared for the de-

fendant, addressed the magistrate at some

length, contending that the captain had

not been guilty of any offence against the

statute. The men had gone ashore of their

own accord, and he had procured a cer-

tificate of the fact from the only persons

who could give it, namely, the officers of

the vessel. He (Mr N.) regretted that the

captain had not brought them home in

irons and tried them for a revolt, of which,

they had undoubtedly been guilty.

The Bench, after a short consultation,

The Annual Meeting of the Australian

Wesleyan Missionary Society took place

in Macquarie-street Chapel, on Monday

last, when Alexander M'Leay, Esq., was

called to the chair, and several resolutions

for the appointment of office bearers, &c.,

were adopted. The annual report was

read by the Rev. Mr. Sweetman, and ap-

peared to set forth at great length the

flourishing condition of the Auxiliary

Society and that of the Parent Association

from which it had sprung, together with

the success with which the labors of the

Wesleyan missionaries in all parts of the

world had been attended. Several able

addresses were also made to the meeting,

and a subscription was entered into at the

conclusion of the proceedings, by which

the sum of £18 was collected.

INQUEST. — A Coroner's Inquest was held

at Jenning's public-house, on the body of a

youth named Robert Pearce, who expired

in a convulsive fit on the previous day.

Verdict ; Died by the Visitation of God.

Another Inquest was held yesterday

afternoon, at Driver's public-house, Eliza-

beth-street, on the body of a compositor

named Frederic Paterson, employed in the

office of the Sydney Gazette, who was

found drowned on Tuesday last, near the

rock usually known as Lady Macquarie's

Chair, in the Government Domain, and

was supposed to have met his death by

getting out of his depth while in the act of

bathing. Verdict — Found Drowned.

A man named M'Gregor was placed at

the bar of the Police Court, on Tuesday

last, charged with disorderly and indecent

conduct at the funeral of his sister-in-law,

on the previous Saturday. Mr. Kelly, the

person by whom the defendant was given

in charge, stated that he (the defendant)

was amusing himself on the day in question

by performing the popular dance of Jim

Crow, and other equally extravagant

gestures, alongside the coffin, which was

ultimately overturned and partially broken

open through these means. The prisoner

in defence stated, that the actions alluded

to were occasioned on his part solely by the

excess of his grief for the loss of the

deceased, and stated positively that he had

taken no liquor which could have had a

share in causing the excitement. Mr.

Windever remarked, that in consequence

of Mr. Kelly not being able to swear that

the coffin contained a corpse, he should

discharge the prisoner with a caution to be

more circumspect in his future behaviour ;

if, however, that little irregularity had not

occurred in the evidence, he would not

A man named William Jones was

brought before the Police Court yesterday,

on the charge of uttering a forged order

for the sum of £1, (purporting to be

drawn by Mr. Henry Dangar in favor of J.

Thompson,) with intent to defraud Mr.

Reuben, to whom he tendered the note in

question, in payment for certain articles

which he had bought from that person.

From the evidence of Mr. Reuben, it ap-

peared, that entertaining some doubts of

the genuine nature of the order, he had

sent a messenger immediately to Mr. Dan-

gar, by whom it was immediately pro-

nounced a forgery, and the prisoner was

shortly afterwards given into the custody of

the police. After hearing the evidence of

Mr. Reuben, the Bench determined upon

remanding the prisoner till this day, for the

evidence of Mr Danger. These kind of

orders are greatly used, and independent

of the easy system of fraud which they

offer to the forger, are at all times a danger-

ous and inconvenient kind of currency, and

as such ought to be regarded with extreme

caution by every tradesman to whom they

are presented. The safest way indeed is

to refuse them altogether, except in cases

where the individual to whom they are

offered is himself aware of their accuracy.

We call the attention of our sporting

readers to the extensive sale of Mr. Bar-

ker's stud of valuable horses, which takes

place at Nonorrah, Cowpastures, on Thurs-

day, the 28th instant. Catalogues are

being prepared, and will be furnished at

the sale, giving the pedigrees, &c., of each

The Regatta will be brilliantly patron-

ized on the 26th instant. We trust that

the weather may be favourable. Our

countrymen will meet at Barnes's and

celebrate the auspicious day by a dinner

which will be numerously attended.

As we enticipated, the failures in the

town are daily increasing in number, and

involve some of the most apparently

respectable. Where this will end, it is

impossible to say! Things are truly alarm-

Ouseley Condell, Esq. — This person

was detected in an act of gross indecency

on the South Head-road on Sunday last.

The particulars will not bear detail. He

was lodged in the watch-house but was

shortly afterwards bailed out, and finally

liberated upon payment of the highest fine

recognised by the law, namely, £10 and

Sydney Bank Shares. — Mr. Lyons will

sell, this forenoon, at eleven o'clock, at his

Mart, two hundred shares in this flourish-

ing establishment, upon which £4 per

Mr. George Peck (who for sometime was

connected with the Sydney and Hobart

Town Theatres), was exhibiting in Sep-

tember last, his ingenious model of Hobart

Town, and a moving Panorama of Sydney,

at the Royal Suffolk-street gallery. Both

are well spoken of by the London press.

Parties desirous of improving their

libraries should pay Mr. Evans the book

seller, a visit. By the recent arrivals he

has received an excellent selection of

books, amongst which are to be found the

work of Moore, Campbell, Boz, &c, besides

many of the new publications that have

very lately issued from the London press,

and ''though last, not least,'' the Annuals

for 1841, which we can with pleasure intro-

duce to the notice of our fair friends.