The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-06-06 00:00:00

"FLOATKD.

•
A remarkable action is that of a Mr. Twycross afodrist
in
trial
arlosio"b Grantw"
enr
appliedimcandhueo nb ctoturri Messrs.
the
Baron 'ne di. a havingyCantaok ..dbwoUd obtained
week. it
r d aci concession
get a lap
ap7e 's
:od tramway,
that
"wfyrti;
or
carrying out the works The Baron oonsequently entered
Into contracts with Messrs Clark, Puncbard, and Co.,
and • prospectus was than issued, sketching in glowing
colours the financial prospects of the undertaking. The
plaintiff was one of many others who were bidumd to take
shares, but in commencing this suit he alleged that
there had been • secret understanding between
Baron Grant and the contractors, by which the
latter were to pay the Baron, out of the money
they were to receive from the company for constructing
the works, the sum of £40,000 in cash and £5,800 in cash
or shares, in consideration of his having' floated' the
concern. In consequence of this overweighting of the con-
tract,the undertaking was said to have been an utter
failure, and the plaintiff had lost COO in his 70 shares.
The proceedings at law were commenced it'd a year ago,
but great efforts seem to have been made to delay them,
150 "applications to chamber," having been made by the
defendants. On the care being called on, the counsel for
the defendante, having first offered to consent to • verdict
for .C 1001 which was refused, stated that their clients had
determined to withdraw their plass and that no defence
would be offered. And the astonishment of the crowded
court did not stop here. Sir Henry James, in opening the
case, alleged that when the prospectus was issued the pro-
moters thought it necessearr " to secure the press (mean-
ing the London press) by buying their statement of: the
rood opinion of a concern of which they knew nothing.'
In proof of this statement be read an affidavit
made by Baron Grant. of which the followitm is
an extract—"! find from my ledger that on the 27th
of September, 1871, £5O was paid to Mr. Evans, who wan
then the City editor of the Standard newspaper. On the
Mine day £lO was paid to Mr. Evan's son, who used
occasionally to assist his father. On the same day ;275
was paid to Mr. Sampson, who was then the City editor
of the Times. On the Eith of September, 1571, £5O was
Paid to Mr. Atter, who was then on the City editorial
department of the Daily New. On the same day £2O
was paid to Mr. Lyon, who was • clerk in the City office
of the Daily Telegraph. The sums which I have men-
tioned (except what was paid to Sampson) were aa •
compliment to these persons instead of giving them an
allotment of stock. They had not applied for any stock.
and the money was paid to them to prevent their so
applying." Subsequently representatives of the four
newspapers in question were called as witnesses and
proved the notices in their respective journals. Mr.
Lawrence Keith, secretary of the Tramways ComPaor,
was also a witness, and, in answer to a question by Sir
Henry James, dated that the company received in elk •
quarter of a million sterling, and had now 13.. Bd. in
cash. Owing to the illness of one of the jurymen, the
trial has not been concluded.

SIR WILFRID LAWSON ON TIIR DERBY DAY.
. • .

in the House of Commons, on Tuesday night, during
the discussion which arose on Mr. Ditraelre motion,
"That this House at its rising do adjourn until Thursday
next," Sir Wilfrid Lawson said he did not dispute that
that motion might be in accordance with the general
wish of the House,. but at the same time there was a
considerable minority who disapproved it. it was the
fashion for members in bringing matters before the House
to say that the question they were discussing was not a
party one: but he thought the present motion was •
party question. it was supported by the party of senti-
ment and opposed by the party of sense. asinghter.)
He agreed with an bon. gentleman who had told them
that one-half of their lives WU made up of sentiment,
and that life would be a poor thing without it. But the
question was whether the sentiment here was sufficiently
worthy of support to overbear the reasons which could he
adduced against that motion. That he ventured to say
wast just one of those motions which ought not to be
carried, or even proposed, against the feelings of • con-
siderable and a respectable minority. The practice of
adjourning for the rby was not thirty years old, and
the minority against it was Increasing slowly, but
steadily. In 1872 they numbered SS ;in 1874 they were
lit; in 1875 they reached SI. and if they went on at that
rate they would some day or other throw out the motion.
it was • had precedent to adjourn the House in honour of
any particular sport. Just now horse-racing was the
popu r sport, but some day they might he called on to
adjourn in honour of pigeon shooting. (A laugh.) Not
long ago a letter appeared in The Times from Admiral
Roux, who said that were it not against the law he would
go a good hundred miles any day to see a cock fight, and
who knew but that some day the House might be called
upon to adjourn for that pastime? (Laughter). He was
encouraged to ask some hon. gentlemen opposite to vote
on that motion even against the Government, because he
bad seen how nine of them, headed by the boo. baronet
the member for Mid-Kent, voted on a question of
adjournment against their leader the other night, and he
hoped they would do so again. (A laugh.) The news-
papers informed them during the autumn that the Prime
Minister went to refresh himself by attending the St.
, Leger Race In Yorkshire, but that, unfortunately, while ,
he was on his journey there a collison occurred at the
railway station, when great excitement and alarm arose.
in the midst of which, however, the right hon. gentleman
P°' the most dignified calm, never even raising his
' eyes from the Stersdard he was reeding. (Laughter.) In
• debate in that House they had been told that or..
racing was an inspiriting, a noble, • manly, and a
national amusement' but be denied that it was in any
way bound up with the honour or the wellbeing of the
country, lie was quite sure it was not connected with
! the maintenance of the Church and State (laughter),
though he believed that when a horse which won the
Derby went home to its native village in the West of
England the church bells rang a merry peal. (A laugh.)
That, however, was not enough to make it a national
question, because in Lancashire, af tar • contested election,
when the Conservatives won, the church bells rang, and
flags waved from all the breweries. (Laughter.) Home
racing was not noble; it was entirely a money making
business, like stock-jobbing. The Sultan of
, Zanzi-
bar while in England was taken to Ascot, and he
remarked that they ran horses in his country, but
they ran them in • straight course, and for the mere
glory of winning, whereas in England, if ha was
rightly informed, the case was different, and many
lam of rupees passed from pocket to pocket the day '
after the race. Not long ago there appeared in all the
paper's a memorial from the owners and trainers of horses
to the Jockey Club against the practice of " tips" be
given to the public by 'touts." But if they ywlo
to prevent thM, why did they not put forth authentic
information to the public 1 The fact, however, was that
these people wanted to keep the whole thing dark in order
to put money in their pockets. He read lAM year in a
journal that was not very squeamish—the Daily Telegraph
—a description of the Derby. It is said that Epsom DOWD/
would contain "the grandest assemblage of blackguardism
on the face of the earth;" and a little further on it added
(there was no accounting for tastes), "the sight is one of
the prettiest in the world "—(laughter.) What, he asked,
would they think of • Home Rule Parliament were it to
adjourn all the business of the nation in honour of a
WWI of that kind? A French writer, referring to the
motion of adjournment for the Derby made in that House
last year, said he was " opposed by a revolutionary
member, named Sir Lawson (laughter); further observ-
ing that if such a thing had been proposed in groom for
a race on a week day there would have been • "Aeries,:
Weals "—whatever that might be. (A laugh.) We did
things differently here. We adjourned on Wedueday for
gambling, and we kept the Sunday strictly for drinking
(Laughter.) He was not objecting to people going to the
Derby if they liked, but only to the House doing so in its
national capacity. (Hear, hear.) After speaking on the
subject last year, he saw a paragraph in the paper stating
that Sir Wilfrid Lawson had been seen at the Derby in a
scarlet coat and • green tie. (Laughter.) He should not
have objected to the statement If it had been true, but he
would have given a reward of a £lOO to anybody who
could have proved it. The Poll Mall Gazette said it might
very fairly be argued that the presence on the course of
an Assembly of the first gentlemen in Europe might
redeem the by from the state of decadence into which
it had fallen, and lend its little of the respectability of
which it stood so much in need. (Laughter.) His opinion
was that they had better make themselves respectable
before they attempted to elevate the Derby. (Laughter.)
If individual members wanted to go to Epsom, he would
say by all means let them go; but there was no reason
why the House should cease its legislative functions
because a particular race was coming off. The advocates
of the measure could not plead that they wanted a holi-
day, because the House was to adjourn for • week on
Thursday. Besides, they had the Easter vacation not long
ago, and it could not be said they were overworked In
that House. (Laughter.) There was a Bill down for to-
morrow which he sure the home Rulers would not mind
coming down to support, and they might also have some
interesting speeches on colonial marriage'. (Laughter.)
He hoped hon. members would seriously consider whether
the motion was one which tended to promote the credit
and dignity of the House. He felt that if hon. members
would see that the opposition to it was not without reason
and he hoped on this occasion to have • good follewing
of members on both sides who would protest by their
votes against a proceeding which was somewhat incon-
venient and slightly mischievous, altogether childish, and
thoroughly contemptible. (Hear.)