The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-12-19 00:00:00

-Aoriat Countil Express.

TUESDAY. DECEMBER 1, 187&

"NOTES OF THE WEEK.

Many visitors of the recent Fat Cattle Show
at the Agricultural Hall wert shocked and
disgusted at the spectacle of several prime
specimens of diseased obesity, certain parts of
S hose bodies had actually to lie rivetted together
with iron-clanks, to prevent the protrusion of
the bowels. Many wondered, at the time,
whether such a disgraceful circumstance would
escape the vigilance of " The Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals,' and we
have since learnt that representations on the
subject wore laid before them from various
quarters, and that the society communicated
immediately with the exhibitors, who thought
it wise to withdraw the beasts from the Show
considerably before its close. Surely over-feed-
ing is almost as great a piece of cruelty to an
animal as starving it.

There is a difficulty at the Reform Club, and
on a subject on which a Liberal Club should be
the last to take action. It appears there are
old fogies in the Reform as elsewhere ; and one
of these lights of other days objected to Mr.
Black, the novelist, that he was " a chiel
among them takin notes." This was reported
to the Committee, and the Club has sat to
consider the propriety of members of the Club
writing for the provincial press, and reporting,
as it is hinted, some of ,he secrete of this
august Cabinet of the Old Whigs. The thing is
too absurd to be spoken of seriously.

"While tumbling down the turbid stream,
Lord lore us! how we apples swim !"
Who ever hoard of anything sp)ken of in the
Reform which was not known to the street-
sweeper in Pall Mall It is not there that
the Liberal party Ity their heads together and
Cu ncoct the plans of the coining campaign.
But fogeyism likes to think so ; hence its resent-
ment at the thought of an e ivesdropper in their
midst.

A county court case, trial at Kingston-on-Thames
last Friday, gives some curious illustrations of the law
of the land as regards bete posted in the hands of
stakeholders. The plaintiff, one Evans, &cattle dealer,
had listcked Camellia for the Oaks, taking £l6 to £4,
with one Dean, a bootmaker. The plaintiff staked his
share of the bet with defendant, the latter thus
becoming stakeholder to both. parties, of which he
himself was one. Cam-Ilia ran a deal heat with
Enguerrandle, and the (lead heat was not run off (the
mares dividing the stake.) By the laws of betting the
backer of an animal that rune a dead heat loses half
his bet, and also wins half. Or, to put in another form,
the way to settle beta is to put the money tirgether,
and then divide it. Thus, Mr. Evans won half of
the 1:16 which he had backed Camellia to win for him,
and joist half of the I:4 which he had staked to cover
his poseible lolls. The same result would plainly
have been obtained by putting together the £l6
and £4, and then dividing the sum. Mr. Evans
was thus entitled (by betting law) to draw CS from Mr.
Dean to his winnings, and besides as the half of his
stake which was not lost. Mr. Dean paid him £6 on
account of his winninrs, lint refused to pay more. The
action was then brought to recover the stake, which, if
recovered, would make Mr. Evans quits as regards the
amount he was entitled to receive by betting law.
Once in the atinisiphere of the county court the law
changes. By rules of any betting club Mr. Evans
amid have recovered his £4, or have pieta! Mr. Dean
as defaulter ; but he could not have further enforcei the
award made in his favour. Both winnings and stake
were equally recoverable by !leftism law, so far as the
latter has any power to enforce its mandates. But by
common law all that,Mr. Evans was entitled to recover
WWI his stake, not any of his winnings. The latter
amid not be reme,mise.l as hieing the pnweeds of a con-
tract iif itself void at law pith and 9th Vict. c., 109, a.
But. on the other liana, though Mr. Evans had
really lost half of his stake, lie was none the law en-
titled ti i have the while if it back. The judge, in giving
his award for Mr. statedvans, stat. that he acted upon the
equity of the mite, hut knew of no precedent to guide
lain.