The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-04-08 00:00:00

Lila S. BAKER'S EXPEDITION TO THE

NILE.
The following are extroots frtni a letter (rem DR S. Baker
to Cwisul Rogers

enr STOURBrtIDGE OBSEETER.

fort • dinlnct coniasid' Won In the paper -Of theaolliwing
week. Ile therefore Insisted that as there was no real Injury
done by the publication In this particular paper, the
damages ought not to be aggravated by the consideration of
hiury done by other publoatims.
Mr. Wyman, tim defendant, was called to support Um
defence, end proved that he never would have inserted such
a psritirspli If he had seen it, that he knew noehiug of the
Ind until it had ben puidishul, and that then the Utmost
regret wee expremcd, and the contradiction Inserted which
was most full and explicit.

Mr. Se: j ssnt Pal otlngatn addremed the jury In mitt.
gallon 01 damages

To Salleltor-General, toy. ply, remlndel the jury that th,
Oslo, if had been put tu c u,stderaule x.uoe in Ininglug
these ,e-lons for the yindic Mon ol his chr: acter.

Toe Lord Chief Jui tics, in slimming up the case to the jary,
sald,—There can be uo doubt that the libel ii moat son.
dalous and abotnittahle, an 1 one for which there was not the
shadow of a tom dad°, It is no alto In respect of which
'here can be no doubt that the plaint If, In tustitiuting Vane
proceedings, has done no more than was necessary to pit a
stop to the circulation of these abominable slanders. N
doubt your verdict must he for the plaintiff. There lins
been no attempt to justify the pubticatlon. It h.,
iodised, been urged In mitigation ut damage that the
ti.fentiant was nu party to the losertion of the libel, aud
that it he had known of it he would ant have permitted it
to app' ar, and if we were considering the measure of
puntahmeutin a criminal case, the conelderations which have
been so forcibly urged by the teamed derjeant would have
been most appropriate. For in a criminal case we consider
the actual malice of the de tdridarit in order to judge how
far he has been culpable. Put in a civil action, which is
only for compeusation, the measure of malice la the amount
of mischief done. it is true that tha publication did not
originate In the personal malice of the defendant; II it had,
probably there c :aid hardly have been any limit to the
measure of the damages you might have awarded. but it is
not on that account that the lid :ry done to the party com-
plaining is tube less considered in measuring the damages
to, be awarded. It Is true the perliAteal is one of a highly
meritorious chances', and that, though tor many years
it has been large'y circulated, It has never before given
occasion to proceed:nee 11l a court of justice. Put
that does not detract from the Injury done by the pub-
'Tattoo of a libel in each a periodical, and inileeil,
in one point of view, rather tends to tggravate It It
appears that these attacks have been made upon the
character of Mr. Goldsehmlitt, and it was essential that
these actions should be brought to vindicate it. It was ne-
cessary to put a stop to each a system of slander. It is
true the caner C oul(1 be morally responsible, but the
printer Is legally responsible, and the emotion Is not so
much Pis personal calpabilify as the Injury to the plaintiff.
The paper is one of large circulation, and any one who saw
a paragraph in it about decoy bud wood be sure to read P.
The platutiff, who is lending a a .u4lesa life, Ends himself
the object of these calumnious attacks, and brings those
actions for his protection. You will consider the Injury he
has sustained, anti thomih, bowed, in one sense, no damages
could compensate hint) yen will give, not vindictive
damages, but such as will mark your sense of the nature
of the libel, wilt vindicate his character and &Herd him
protection In future from the repetition of ouch cruel
aspersions upon It.
The Jury retired to consider their verdict, and returned
after some time with a verdict for the plairitid for £760,
the foreman addlr g emphatically that they telt that no
amount of damages could compensate the plaintiff for the
It jury Inflicted upon hint by so iniquitous a libel.
The next case was then called on alter an ineffectual
attempt by counsel to settle it

Inn and Eating•house Cerliligites.- The justices will
be suthonzed to issue at their discretion ins certificates
and eating-house certificates. The inn certificates will
authofzs the sale d any liquors for consumption on
the premises with the rerriction that such liquors must
be 80 [naively to travellers and persons taking
meal, iel the home. klating-hoeve certificates will not
authorise the sale of spirits under any circumstances
whatever. The justices will have the power of sum-
moning the holder of any such licence for the purpose
of me-, ing any charge made against him of having on.
properly conducting his house, and of withdrawing his
licence. A second couviction in ell cases whl involve
a forfeiture of licence. Toe rifreehinent-house certili•
cate will correspond with that now in force, and will
be granted to ay person in respect of any premises
so 1,11 as those premises are within the statutory
gen& cation.
Existeay Liancu.—Existing holders to have a ten
yri.,rs• tenure, on the payment of a licence rent, at the
end of which the licences will cease but the hoiden
will have a prior right if any of them are renewed.
For a publican's general or a publican's limited certifi•
cote I:2 per cent, will be charged on the gross annual
value. tha premises to be de--m-d to be accessed at not
less than £5O, or more than CAA

POLICE REGULATIONS.

Hours of Opating.—The opening hour for all licenced
houses to 00 7 o'clock mm., with special arrangements
for districts where there are markets, Am The closing
hour will be—in London, midnight, in country towns
11, in rural district. 10. The umoistrates will be em-
powered to make a further reduction in the hours with
the consent of the ratepayers if it is deemed necessary.
On Sunday public-houses will be cloeed except from 1
to 3 in the afternoon and from 7 until 9 in the even-
ing. The bill will CAI, &ill a power to issue six day
licences.
Penaligs.—All the parialties to be endorsed on the
back of tue licence, and if they amount to £6l in three
years, or tlOO in five years, the licence will be forfeited
—the disabi ity to attach both to the house and to the
manager. Tne premises will not be allowed to be used
as a public-house for two years after the lieu es has
' ben thus lost, and the personal disqualification of the
holler or his manager will extend to five 3 core.
Bond lode Trarellers.—A traveller shall be held to
tee one not less than live miles from the place of his
residence, and the burden of proof will be thrown on
the publican. There will be a penalty for persons
palming themselves off as travellers.
Night Houtel.—'l he penal provisions against allow-
log persons of bad character to assemble and remain in
public-houses will apply, whether the purpose of the
persons so assembling and remaining was for pursuing
their Ladling or not. A second offence will lead to the
forfeiture of the licence.
Drunkenness—When a drunken 1 emu has been
supplied with liquor, the but dm of proof will be
thrown on the manager, who will be required to show
that he took reasonable means to ascertain, an had
reasonable grounds for believing, that the drunken
per; on when supplied with liquor was not drunk. The
nilty for drunkenness in public-houses and in the
streets to be raised to 20e., and, in default of pal went,
the offender may be sentenced not only to imprison-
ment, but to imprisonment with hard labour. A
heavier penalty will be imposed on persons found
drunk when they are specially bound to be sober, as ,
when in charge of a horse, or steam-engine, or having
dameruus weapons in their possession.
Adulteration.—The bill provides that samples of
liquor may be taken by the police and inspeclors and
duly tested; and arrangements have been made that
analyses shall be conducted in S unerset House labor,
tory. For the first offence a heavy firm would be im-
posed, with imprisonment at the option of the magis-
trates, and for the second offence a still heavier fine,
together with deprivation of the licence, the magis-
trates having no option.
lespection.—A staff of inspectors will be defrayed
out ot licence rents. There will be one inspector-in-
chief, and England and Wales will be divided into
districts, with an inspector for each, every large town
and district having a superintendent, under whom there
, will be a carefully selected aod well-paid body of men.