The Express.
London, England, 1855-01-15 00:00:00

otherwise penman Ike complaint *Walt Thomas 800,
who bad bees fined 2s. Od. for *anode( shire sad trabblve
for sale on the South Sands at Scarborough. The question
intended to be raised for the comilderation of the court was,
whether the Improvement Commissioners had Jurisdiction
over the Swath Sands.
The Chief Justice, however, intimated that the affidavits
did not properly raise the point ; and the matter was di-
rected to stead over, in order that the affidavits might be
amended.

ADMIRALTY COURT.—JAx. 13.
SIMS IL 1.1111113P5T05.
Til
This was a proceeding in icesain for condemnation, and
the court at once pronounced the vessel a lawful prise.
EIS VIUSIABOB.—EXAD MONET.
The Qeeen's Advocate prayed for a certificate of the
numberfollowing cireastances :—On the night of the
27th of inns, 1884, whilst her Majesty's steam-vowel Cuckoo
(Lieutenant Murray commander) was cruising off the Aland
Islands, the officer of the watch reported that a Russian
msa-of war, with colours flying and her boats in tow, was
standing towards her. The crew of the Cuckoo were im-
mediately beat to quinine, and it was found that the enemy
was a large schooner crowded with man, about a eable's
length on the starboard quarter, and that she was coming
up with the evident intention of boarding. On finding,
however, that the Cuckoo war a armed 'termer, she
put her helm up and ran off before the win&
towers., the land, throwing down her bulwarks and eleattell
hug for action. The Cuckoo immediately wore round auk
began firing shot and shell, several of the latter of +hide
burst on board the schooner. At one o'clock in the mewl
jog the Cuckoo was near enough to fire grape; but Lime-
teaant Mulvey being ignotaut of the rocks and shook
amongst which the enemy was leading hint, was obliged Mil
slacken speed. The Mutt was that the Russians h,viasi
gained nearly a mile on the Cuckoo were enabled to sake
their escape to a email battery which was about a hundred,
yards distant, bat one of their boats was observed to Im
struck by a shot and never reached the shore. The helm of
the schooner being lashed aka and the sales trimmed, As 1
nut out front the land and wu taken possenien of by the
Cuckoo, with her colours and pendant still flying. On
boarding her several papers ware [mild scattered about, hut
they referred to other vestals, and there was nothing to de-
note the name and character of the schooner herself, except
the word Vengear in smell black letters on her stns. She
was pierced for four broadside guns and a long gun, which
was the only one found on board, and wheels was
dismounted, and bad had one of its trunnions knocked off.
The next day the Cuckoo joined Admiral Plumridge with
her prise. A heavy gale, however, came on, and the';
schooner's anchors not holding, she began to drive ashore,
when the admiral ordered her to be set on firs, to prevent
her falling again into the hands of the enemy. Under these'
circumstances, the Queen's Advocate prayed the court, in
pursuance of the 11th section of the Prise Act, to grant a
certificate that there were at the commencement of the
action SO men on board the Vengeur, in order that the
captors might receive fit. head money for each. This was
the course pointed out by the act in cases like the present
in which the vessel had been destroyed, in which there
were no papers relating to the manning of the ship, and in
which the enem7's crew had all souped. The evidence of
the number was supplied by an affidavit of Lieut. Murray
and three of his officers; and when the court recollected
that the schooner was 70 feet long, and was represented to
have been "crowded with men," it would probably be
thought that sixty was a very moderate estimate.
Dr. Lashington pronounced for sixty men.
BLOCKADE CASII3.-711 UNION.
The Union was a Danish ship, and had been takes
by her Majesty's ship Cruiser, on the 21st of May, near
Lyseroot. She had sailed on the 13th or 14th of that month
from Flensburg, with the intention of proceeding to Rigs,
if that port should not be blockaded, or, if there was a
blockade, to Memel. On behalf of the claimants it was con-
tended that the vessel had been captured as she was pro-
ceedtng to make inquiries as to whether there was a blockade
subsisting at Memel, and that she had not had the least in-
tention of violating such blockade. It was further urged
that by the Gasorte, of the 16th June, the blockade was
stated to have commenced on the 28th el May, and that
it WAS not until the 12th of August that a supplementary
Garells announced it to have been in existence from the'
17th of April.
The Queen's Advocate said that the existents of the
blockade was a matter of perfect notoriety, and that in this
case the vessel had been actually warned by the Jaggoreno,
which had been prevented from entering Riga on the 17th
of April, and which had returned to Flensbtug before the
Union left.
Dr. Addams, in reply, contended, that the Union won,
Illititlat herself to have received warning instead of being'
captured ; and that even supposing the laggorenn to have
returned to Flensburg before the Union left with the
intelligence that she had been ordered back front Riga, it'
suld not be maintained that that would constitute a suffi-
cient notice of the blockade.
The court deferred its judgment.
7111 JELNNI MAWS.
This case was the first of a series which differed some-
what from • the preceding ones. In those the vessels
claimed bad been seised for breaking the blockade by en-
deavouring to enter Riga; whereas the Jeanne Marie was
alleged to have committed the same offence by leaving the
port after the blockade bad been established. She had, in
fan, sailed on the 29th of May, and had been captured on
the fellowicg
.day.
The court in this as in all the other eases reserved its
judgment until the whole should have been heard.

COURT OF BA]
22201.2 MI.

.71f.-JAx. 13.
VAIII.