The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-12-09 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

SEYMOUR e. BUTTERWORTN.—This trial came oft in the
Court of Queen's Bench on Tuesday and Wedneaday,
before Lord Chief Justice Cockburn and a special jury.
Mr. Lush, Q.C.,, and Mr. Keane, appeared for the
plaintiff, and Mr. Sergeant Shee and Mr. Hawkins,
Q.C. for the defendant. The plaintiff was Mr. W. D.
Seymour, Q.C. and M.P., for Southampton, and the
defendant, Mr. Butterworth, the publisher of the Low
Times and Lute Review. The libel complained of
appeared in an article °annoying 91 pages of the May
number of defendant's journal in the current year,
and Was read at length. It professes to refute Mr.
Seymour's assertion, that he came to England with
"the muse of Swift upon him," and was unpopular
solely because he was an Irishman, it delicately attri-
butes this misfortune to his belonging to the worst type
of Irishmen—to which genus it applies some of the
most Ariotophanic epithets to be found in our language.
"There is also the Irish blackguard, swaggering, foul-
mouthed, and shameless, the most insolent of upstarts,
and the moat unblushing of swindlers ; never destitute
of • quarrel, never at • loss for a lie." If thia language,
when written and aimed at a person whose identity
cannot be mistaken, is not libel, then the insults
exchanged between two infuriated cabdrivers are not
slander. Nor does the writer stop here. He expressly
declares that the sister island has contributed "some
of its blackest sheep" to the English Bar, and affects
wonder that one of thew should be aggrieved by finding
"the motto hie niryer eat coupled with his name."
I He repeats rumours, which he does not pretend to verify,
respecting "an agreement of a peculiar nature" entered
into between Mr. Seymour and his-father-in-law, •
solicitor, and respecting the elm-011144310es under which
he obtained the Recordership of Newcastle. Though
he admits that Mr. Seymour was "not solely in the
wrong," he rakes up a story about "an undignified
squabble" with the Bar at those Sessions, and deplores
the "fatality for hot water" of which Seymour was the
victim. He tells us that the who did not know Mr.
Seymour were astonished to find him violating the
pledges given on the hnstings at Southampton by voting
with the Liberals when the Conservative party WRS
doomed, but that those who did "were by no means
surprised." He states that nothinv could excuse Mr.
Seymour's promotion to the rank of Queen's Counsel,
and "has heard" that Lord Campbell expressed regret
for it before his death. He mentions as a matter of
notoriety that the Reeordership as well as the latter
appointment were "the result of negotiations in the
Division lobby." He accuses him of "publicly
stating that the Benchers had given a verdictin his
favour when be held their condemnation in his hands."
He is clearly of opinion that the Benchers "ought to
have disbarred him," and while he thinks that such
inquiries should be private, points out that mischief
may arise from this practice "whoa an unscrupulous
man makes capital out of the very privacy which has
alone saved him from utter ruin." The jury found
for the defendant. Damages 40s.
Amor; AGAINST Boa G. Garr.—A the Court of
Common Pleas, on Thursday, Mr. O'Malley Irvin, a
member of the Irish bar, brought an action against Sir
G. Grey, for having neglected to lay before the Queen
a petition oi right, and laid his damages at £lOO,OOO.
Lord Palmerston, the Lord Cnancellor, Sir G. Grey,
Six G. C. Lewis, and the Hon. S. Walpole were
present, having been subpoenaed as witnesses. The ease
excited much interest and not a little amusement to
those present. After the proceedings had gone on for
about 5 hours, a letter sent to the plaintiff was jpro-
duoed which proved that Sir George had laid the
petition before the Qneen at the proper time, the letter
in question being the official reply from the Home
Office. The Lord Chief Justice consequently directed
the jury to find a verdict for the defendant.

Air brairsious DEVlCZ.—Tomkine (to Mra. T., who
is nervous about robbers) : "There, mydear, we'll stick
that up in the garden while I'm in the City, and I
think you may make yourself easy about robbers for
the future." [Placard exhibited: "This house to let
unfurnished; for particulars apply to the policeman
within."]—Punch._
. _

" YESTERD-A7,-"BEN8011'8 GREAT CLOCK, which has
taken snob a time to complete, was at last finished and
at work. As a sample of English clockwork on a large
wale, the works of this are probably the finest finished
that have ever been seen in this country. No chrono-
meter could be fitted with more perfect or carefully ad-
justed mechanism. The moat curious fact connected
with this clock is that, in addition to the four dials
over the caw, it also moves the great dial over the en-
trance in the Cromwell Road, which is 300 feet distant,
and 90 feet above the works themselves. Altogether
this is the most important specimen of English clock-
work in the building."—Times, 11th June, 1862, article
on the International Exhibition. In the manufacture
of the above clock new steam machinery was brought
into action, and the very great accuraoy of truth with
which every part is made is in great measure attribut-
able to this fact. The same machinery is employed
by J. W. Benson in the manufacture of his turret
and house clocks, and thus the expense of manufac-
ture is considerably reduced, so that he is enabled to
supply these articles at much lower prices than
usually charged. Another advantage is the greater
truth and precision which are attained by this means
than when the pieces are ClUlt or cat by hand. He
produces not only the large and elaborately finished
church or cathedral clock at 2,000 guineas, but also
the simpler but almost equally accurate timepiece for
the village church or school at 16 guineas. A refer-
ence to his catalogue will supply the reader with much
interesting information regarding the rise and progreas
of the art of clock-making, and of the various de-
scriptions of time-keepers now made. It also contains
a full list of prices of clocks limitable for drawing and
dining rooms, the library, the hall, staircase, offiee,
or ommting-house, with the more elaborate and expert-
sive musical and chime clocks, and the highly-finished
timepieces for railways, post-offices, Ise., kc. It can
be had gratis on application, or it will be gent post-
free by enclosing 2 stamps to J. W. Benson, 33 and
34, Ludgate Kill, London, LC. Established 1749.