Receiving or buying stolen goods jewels and plate. Ripping and stealing lead, iron, copper, &c. or buying or receiving. Stealing (or receiving when stolen) ore from black lead mines. Stealing from furnished lodgings. Setting fire to underwood. Stealing letters, or destroying a letter or packet, advancing the postage, and secreting the money. Embezzling naval stores, in certain cases. Petty Larceny, or thefts under one shilling. Aliens returning after being ordered out of the kingdom. Stealing fish from a pond or river-fishing in enclosed ponds, and buying stolen fish. Stealing roots, trees, or plants, of the value of 55. or destroying them. Stealing children with their apparel. Bigamy, or marrying more wives or husbands than one (now punishable with transportation). Assault and cutting, or burning clothes. Counterfeiting the copper coin, &c. Marriage, solemnizing clandestinely. Manslaughter, or killing another without malice, &c. Cutting or stealing timber trees, &c. &c. &c. Watermen carrying too many passengers on the FLASHMEN See BURGLARY. FORGERIES, GREAT and PETTY, In a great Metropolis, like London, where trade and commerce have arrived at such an astonishing height, height, and where from the extensive transactions in the funds, and the opulence of the people, the interchange of property is so expanded, it ceases to be a matter of wonder that forgeries and frauds should prevail, in a certain degree :-the question of difficulty is, why the Laws and the means of prevention, have not kept pace with the progressive advancement of the Country; so as to check and keep within bounds those nefarious practices? Forgeries of the higher class, so dangerous in a commercial country, have by the wise policy of the Executive Government, in shutting out all hopes of the extension of the Royal Mercy to the guilty, received a most severe check; beneficial in the highest degree to the country, and clearly manifested by the records of the Old Bailey, where trials for offences of this nature certainly do not increase in number. But it is to be lamented, that, with regard to petty forgeries and frauds, this is by no means the case, for they seem to multiply and advance with the opulence and luxury of the country; and to branch out into innumerable different shades, varying as the fashions of the year, and as the resources for the perpetration of this species of fraud change their aspect. When those depraved people who (to use a vul gar phrase) live entirely by their wits-find that any tricks which they have practiced for a certain length of time become stale, (such as pricking the belt for a wager, or dropping the ring,) they abandon these; and have recourse to other devices more novel, and more likely to be effectual in cheating and defrauding the unwary. One of the most prevailing and successful of these, is the fraud practised upon shop-keepers, tradesmen, publicans, publicans, and others, by the circulation of forged copper-plate notes and bills for small sums, of 51. and 10l. the latter purporting to be drawn, by bankers in the manufacturing and sea port towns, of different banking houses in London. This species of forgery has been carried to a considerable extent; suggested no doubt by the confi dence which is established from the extensive circulation of country bankers' notes and bills, now made payable in London; by which the deception is, in some degree, covered, and detection rendered more difficult. Colquhoun. FORTUNE-TELLERS. These cheats impose on the credulity of the public, by advertisements and cards; pretending a power, from their knowledge of astrology, to foretel future events, to discover stolen property, lucky numbers in the lottery, &c. The extent to which this mischief goes in the metropolis is almost beyond belief; particularly during the drawing of the lottery.-The folly and phrenzy which prevail in vulgar life, lead ignorant and deluded people into the snare of adding to the misfortunes which the lottery occasions, by additional advances of money (obtained generally by pawning goods or apparel) paid to pretended astrologers for suggesting lucky numbers, upon which they are advised to make insurances; and under the influence of this unaccountable delusion, they are too often induced to increase their risks, and ruin their families. One of these impostors who lived long in the Curtain Road, Shoreditch, is said, in conjunction with his associates, to have made near 300l. a year by by practising upon the credulity of the lower orders of the people.-He stiled himself (in his cir'culating cards) an Astronomer and Astrologer; and stated, That he gave advice to Gentlemen and Ladies on business, trade, contracts, removals, journies by land or water, marriages, children, lawsuits, absent friends, &c. And further, that be calculated nativities accurately. His fee was half-a-crown. A person having property stolen from him, went to consult the conjuror respecting the thief; who having described something like the person of a man whom he suspected, his credulity and folly so far got the better of his reason and reflection, as to induce him upon the authority of this impostor actually to charge his neighbour with a felony, and to cause him to be apprehended. The Magistrates settled the matter by discharging the prisoner; reprimanding the accuser severely, and ordering the conjuror to be taken into custody, according to law, as a rogue and a vagabond. But the delusion with regard to Fortune-tellers is not confined to vulgar life, since it is known, that ladies of rank, fashion, and fortune, contribute to the encouragement of this fraudulent profession in particular, by their visits to a pretended astrologer of their own sex in the neighbourhood of Tottenham-Court-Road: This woman, to the disgrace of her votaries, whose education ought to have taught them the folly and weakness of countenancing such gross impositions, found the practice of it extremely productive. The encouragement which this impostor received from the weaker part of the females of rank and fortune in the Metropolis, raised up others; who had the effrontery to insult the understanding of the public, by advertising in the news-papers. L The The act of the 9th George the Second, cap, 5, punishes all persons pretending skill in any crafty science, or telling fortunes, or where stolen goods may be found, with a year's imprisonment, and standing four times in the pillory (once every quarter) during the term of such imprisonment. The act called the Vagrant Act, made the 17th year of the same reign, (cap. 5) declares such persons to be rogues and va gabonds, and liable to be punished as such. It is sincerely to be hoped that those at least who are convinced from having suffered by the gross imposition practised upon the credulity of the people by these pests of society, will enable the civil magistrate, by proper informations, to suppress so great an evil. Colquhoun. FRAUDS. Among the number of petty frauds may be included the adulteration of milk in the metropolis, which not merely affects the pockets but the health of the inhabitants of London. The number of milch cows kept for the purpose of supplying the metropolis with this article is stated, after very diligent enquiry, at 8,500, and each cow is supposed to afford nine quarts of milk per day. When the families of fashion are in London for the winter season, the consumption, and consequent deterioration of the milk are at the highest during the summer months, when such families are for the most part in the country, the milk may probably. be of rather a better quality. The milk is always given in its genuine state to the retail dealers; and as it is sold to them by the, eow-keepers after the rate of twopence and 1-8th of a penny per quart, and is retailed by them at three 2 pence |