Rogers, a journeyman painter, of Jane Street, St.
Luke's, charged his son, a boy twelve years of age,
with Robbery. The father stated that the prisoner was
the youngest of his several children, and that his evil
courses have kept the family in constant distress and
privation. He had repeatedly broken open his father's
drawers, and carried off the contents to turn them into
money; and several times when the father had fallen
asleep in his chair after his day's work, the young
reprobate had cut off his waistcoat-pocket with all his
wages in it, and disappeared till he has spent all the
money. In the same manner, while his mother was
lately sitting at work, he stealthily raised her dress, cut
out her pocket, carried off all her money, and
disappeared for several days. Shortly after he came home
on the last occasion, he was intrusted with a shilling by
a friend of his father, and was sent out to make a
trifling purchase in the neighbourhood: but he never
returned; and nothing was heard of him until the
following evening, when the owner of a fruit-stall in
the same street came and complained that he had gone
off with another piece of silver given him to get changed.
He had a glazier's diamond which he tried to sell; and
the father found, on examination, that his drawer had
again been broken open and this diamond stolen. A
lad produced the diamond in court, and stated that the
young thief had sold it to him under pretence that his
father had done with it. It appeared that the prisoner
had been once before summarily convicted and
imprisoned for six weeks. He was committed for trial.

At the Insolvent Debtors Court, on the 17th, John
Mills, described as an author, who applied under the
Protection Act, was opposed by two creditors named
Magniss and Thompson.—The opposing creditors were
holders of bills of exchange given by the insolvent, and
the question was, what reasonable expectations the
insolvent had for contracting his debts. His wife was
in expectation of money by the death of a relative, and
a friend expected a chancery suit to be settled. He had
made himself liable for debts, and had sold for £120
furniture which had cost him more than £300. Mr.
Magniss had discounted bills for the insolvent, and
admitted that he had charged 30 per cent. as discount.
The insolvent said that Mr. Magniss had charged him
60 per cent.—Mr. Commissioner Phillips said that if the
opposition stood alone he should pay little attention to
it, but he looked at the schedule and saw the manner
in which some of the debts had been contracted. He
should give no assistance to gentlemen—and it should
be made public—who took, by their own admission,
30 per cent. They were their own insurers, and need
not complain.—Mr. Thompson, the other complainant,
said he was in the same "boat" as the other. He had
charged 30 per cent.—Mr. Commissioner Phillips: Do
not call it boat, call it craft.—Mr. Thompson said he
had lost £1000 by the persons from whom he took the
bills of the insolvent.—Mr. Commissioner Phillips had
no doubt bill discounters ran great risks—it was part of
their profession. They were their own insurers, and
were not, under the Prisoners' Act, entitled to any
protection. This case was under the Protection Act,
and upon the face of the schedule it was clear that the
insolvent had incurred debts without reasonable
expectations of payment. He had no authority under the
act to name a day for the final order, and therefore it
must be adjourned sine die without protection.

At a very early hour on the morning of the 16th, a
Robbery took place in St. Andrew's-road, Newington-
causeway, most extraordinary in its extent and success.
Some thieves effected an entrance into two empty
houses, and from thence walked each way amongst
those which were inhabited, until they had succeeded
in tearing from their settings, and carrying away,
the coppers from no less than ten adjoining houses.
The thieves also abstracted several live ducks from the
yards, a quantity of bacon, as well as dressed and
undressed food from the larders, and other articles; with
the whole of which they got clear off. To effect these
robberies must have occupied at least two hours (and it
may be observed that several attempts had been made),
while the weight of the coppers alone was not less
than three or four cwt., which it must have required a
horse and cart to remove, and this must have been kept
waiting close on the spot for a considerable time, at a
most unseasonable hour of the night, without being
noticed by any of the police.

The sentence on Sarah Ann Hills, convicted at York
for the Murder of her new-born infant, has been
commuted to transportation for life.

A Commission of Lunacy has been sitting during the
greater part of this month to inquire into the sanity of
Mrs. Catherine Cumming, an aged widow-lady residing
at St. John's Wood. The inquiry was promoted by her
married daughters, Mrs. Ince and Mrs. Hooper, who
alleged that their mother, having a considerable
property at her disposal, was not, from her state of mind,
competent to its management, and was under the influence
of persons who profited by her imbecility. The
circumstances of the case were excessively complicated,
involving many family quarrels and legal disputes and
transactions, of no public interest. The allegation of
insanity, or of incapacity to manage her affairs, was
denied on the part of Mrs. Cumming herself; and an
investigation of enormous length took place, in the
course of which a host of witnesses were examined on
both sides,—relations, friends, acquaintances, servants,
solicitors and other legal advisers, and medical men;
and the mass of evidence, reported at great length in
the daily papers, was accumulated of the most confused
and contradictory kind. After sitting for sixteen days,
the proceedings of the Commission were terminated by
a verdict finding that Mrs. Cumming was of unsound
mind, and incapable of managing her affairs, and had
been so from May 1, 1846. It has been announced,
however, that Mrs. Cumming is to institute proceedings
to set aside the verdict, in consequence of the opinion,
formally delivered by her counsel, that the verdict is
manifestly against the evidence. This "monster"
inquiry has been carried on at the rate of £350 per day;
the total expence being £5600.

At the Clerkenwell Police Court, on the 24th, Ann
White, a miserable, dissipated-looking young woman,
was put at the bar for final examination on the charge
of having Murdered her Infant Child, of nine months old.
On her first examination, it appeared that she had resided
in Somers'-town, with her two children, one seven years
old, and the deceased; that they were frequently left
by her without food, fire, or clothes, and otherwise so
utterly neglected that her landlord eventually deemed
it his duty to call in a constable, with whose assistance
the poor sufferers were removed to St. Pancras
workhouse, and she was shortly afterwards found rolling
about drunk and taken into custody. The deceased and
the other child were speedily examined by Mr. Robinson,
the parochial surgeon, who found them sinking rapidly
from the combined want of food and general neglect;
that they were in a state almost impossible to describe,
and swarming with vermin. Everything which humanity
could dictate was immediately bestowed on the
little helpless creatures; but death happily terminated
the sufferings of the one, and the other is recovering.
The board of St. Pancras, on the former inquiries, had
declined to prosecute, and were severely censured by
the magistrate, who said that, in a matter of such
atrocity, importance, and nicety, a meanness ought not
to exist, especially with a parochial body, and he wished
them to review their decision. It now appeared the
parish-officers had profited by the recommendation of
the magistrate, as the clerk to the vestry appeared as
public prosecutor, and called another witness, who
proved almost unheard-of brutality by the accused
towards her poor children. The magistrate, at the
conclusion of the examination, said it was a most painful
case, and committed the prisoner to Newgate to take
her trial.

An action has been tried at the Marylebone County
Court bearing upon the subject of Medical Fees. The
plaintiff was Mr. Brown, a consulting surgeon in Oxford-
square, and the defendant was Mr. Bankes, a gentleman
residing in the same neighbourhood. Mr. Brown stated
that, on the 23rd of May last, the defendant asked him
to go immediately to his sister, Mrs. Haffenden, of
Layton Hall, Notts, who was dangerously ill. He did
so, the distance from town being about 150 miles. The
usual charge is 10s. 6d. per mile, or 15 guineas per day,
and 7s. 6d., for 300 miles, was not a large sum. The old