The Express.
London, England, 1851-07-12 00:00:00

Mr. Serjeant Shco' contended that no cioc was made aut.
Lord Campbell said he thought th consent to enter up
satisfaction was evidence of payment. Whatever it might
be in law, it was in fact, a representation that all the bills
were paid ; he should direct a verdict for the plaintiff upon
the issue of whether or not the plaintiff had discharged the
defendant by .;iving time to the acceptor, end for the de-
fendant on the defendant on the plea of payment, reserving
liberty to the plaintiff to move to cuter a verdict for him if
the court should think that the plaintiff was not estopped
by the consent to enter satisfaction for denying the payment
of the bill.

Verdict accordingly.
Lord Campbell then discharged the jurymen, and said he
had the satisfaction of congratulating them on the fact that,
although there had been more causes in the list thou there
bad been at the corresponding sitting of last year, they hod
succeeded in disposing of the whole in a shortar time than
usual by ma'am of their unremitted attention.

SHERIFFS' COURT.—YESTERO.IY.
TIM QUEEN E. BAIIEL:8, AN ALIEN.
This was a proceeding instituted on the part of the crown
to ascertain, first, whether Louis Bareiss was a foreigner;
and secondly, what property became vested in him as cue-
cuter of John Gottlieb Iriou, a foreigner who died in the
'county of 3lidiLesex in May, 1840.
It appeared that Mr. Ilion, a native of Wurtemburg, had
during a residence of many years in this country antas.ed
considerable property in Middlesex. He disposed of such
property by will, and appointed four executors, three of
whom alter his death declined to act. The fourth was Mr.
Bareiss, also a native of Wurtentburg, a party to the pre-
sent proceeding. The inquiry was to a•certain the precise
amount of the property left by Mr. Irian, so as to enable the
crown to give the parties entitled to it a legal title under the
alien law.

Evidence was given which showed that Mr. Irion died
posse,sed of i.roperty value 270 t. a year, and that Mr.
liareiss was au alien. The jury found accordingly.

COURT OF BANKRIXTCY.—YESTERDAY.
Davao, ('o mmisliimEa
TUE AIIILANULMLNT CLAI'2I:S.

A case came before his honour in which a trader had pe-
titioned the court under the ith division of the Bankruptcy
Consolidation Act, commonly known as the Arrangement
Clauses. By the 211th clause, any trader unable to meet
his engagements with his creditors may petition the court
for protection, whereupon the court is empowered to grant
a private sitting and appoint an official assignee for the
estate. If three-fifths in number and value of the creditors
above 101. wao have proved their debts assent to the pro-
posal of the petitioner, a meeting is appointed for its con-
firmation, and protection is granted in the meantime. The
clause under which this case came before the court was the
220th, by which it was enacted that if any difficulty arose
in the executionof the arrangement, a subsequent meeting
might be held.
Ilia lione.a sold the cases which came under these
arrangement clauses were full of difficulty .and complies-
tion. The person who drew them up, having no clear or
definite idea in his head, had left the act iu such a state
that it was impossibk for the court to find its way to a
conclusion. In some of the clauses excessive precaution
had been taken with regard to the attendance of creditors,;
whilst in subsequent clauses those precautions were dis-
pensed with. A great deal of inconvenience had arisen
from abandoning the old mode of giving notice to creditors
through the Getzetle, and substituting a course that was!
clumsy and inefficient.. This trader owed a large stun to
securedcreditors, and 1,5001. to those who were unsecured.
Ile had petitioned the court, and made as proposal, otkring
through a friend to secure a dividend of 3s. in the pound,
and to put at the disposal of the official assignee 3W/. But
some time had elapsed, and the whole sum wnich had
reached the official assignee was .51. The petitioner asked
for another meeting; but, in such a case, the court thought
lbankruptcy preferable to any other course. The expense
of carrying out the proposed arrangement would be (Jul. or
70'., and, after all, it would probably fall through. Ile
must decline to grant another meeting, unless the whole of
the expenses were deposited with the messenger, and sulfi-
cient security given that the Kum offered would be forth-
coming. lie could not but lament the careless way in
which these clauses had beta drawn up.

CENTRAL CRLII7NAL co URT.

OLD COURT. —iESTERDA Y.
Bum.. Mu. Ju rico; W10111,14N.
.AI4ON BY AN ATTORNEY.

James Iluggsra, 37, a person of gentlemanly appearanee,
described in the calendar uau attorney, was indicted for
wilfully, feloniously, and maliciously setting fire to a
dwelliam-house, William Strong and Elizabeth, his wife,
being therein at the time.
In a number of other counts the intent of the prisoner
was said to be to injure Anne Huggins, and also to defraud
the Guardian, Atlas, and Phoenix Insurance Companies.
The facts of this case have been brought before the public
in the successive I:insioa-house police reports of the
press, and are resumed in Mr. Clarkson's opening state-
ment.

Mr. Clarkson said that unless the prisoner upset the eri-
donce of the witnesses which he would call before tht in,
the jury could not resist coming to the conviction that the
prisoner was guilty of having wilfully and maliciously set
tire to the building, knowing that two persons were in the
house at the thus. The premises were dilapichded, and
were in the charge of a person of the name of Strong and
his wife, and were insured in three different insurance com-
panies. la 1317, before the prisoner became in possession
of the premises, he insured the building and the rent for
3001. in the l'hcenix Office, and afterwards in the Guardian
Insurance Office for 1,5301., being 1,3501. fur the pre-
mises and 1.501. for the fixtures. The premises had,
however, been insured before then by the freeholder for
1,0001. On the 31st of May, about 11 o'clock at night, a
strong smell of tire, and smoke and flame were found to
issue from the premises, and intimation was immediately
given to the lire brigade. The lower portion of the build-
ing was occupied as a coffee shop. Upon examining the
premises it was discovered that the fire originated under
the stairs, where rubbish had been Kept, and amongst the
rubbish were a funnel, apiece of wax candle, a pire of
cotton, and two trays containing camphine. There could be
no doubt that the premises had been wilfully set on fire.
When the insurance companies had made inquiries into the
circumstances attending the tire, they discovered that
on the 21st of March last a person of the name of Wood
had barn employed in making a hole in the back part of
the premises, and in doing various other jobs. On that day
the prisoner went to the house in Lime-street, and pro-
cured a lighted candle, with which he went into the first-
floor back room, and he remained absent fur an hour and
half, and after that day the key of the cellar was gone rind
there were no means of communication with the cellar, ex-
cept by the means of the hole iu the wall. On the 23rd
of April the prisoner went to an ironmonger at Camber-
well, and ordered a pipe or funnel, according to a drawing
which he produced. On the Ist of May, the pipe having
been delivered on the 211th of April, the prisoner went
to a carpenter of the name of Kemp, whom he ordered
to make a block or stand for the piece of pipe. The
fire took place on the Saturday, and the prisoner was
on the premises on Friday, and he brought in a carpet bag
and a brown paper parcel, and entered the room over the
coffee-room, and afterwards went into the cellar. On Satur-
day he came again, and saw Mrs. Strung, and went into the
room of Mr. Taylor, which was once the comer-nom, in Mr.
Taylor's absence, and was seen also in the cellar. lle was
on the premises on Saturday as late as three or four o'clock.
On thu Monday after the lire the prisoner sent fur Mrs.
Strong, and asked her to explain it, and she said that no
one had been on the premises but the prisoner himself.
Witnesses were then called in support of this statement,
after which

Mr. Bodkin, on behalf of the prisoner, said he would not
attempt to deny that the hand of the accused caused the
fire. The learned gentleman then proceeded to contend
that the absence of adequate motives, and the unnecessary
elaboration and artifice employed by the prisoner, argued
disordered and unbalanced intellect. Ile then called the
sister of the accused, who said that two of his brothers had
diedof brain disease, and that prisoner was from childhood
of very irritable temperament. The evidence of several
witnesses who had lived in the accused's family as servants
proved that he was at times very eccentric in has behaviour.
Dr. Sawyer, of Guildford.strect, attended prisoner in
ISIS for congestion of the beaus, from which he believed
he was still suffering. Ile believed thst his conduct in this
case was that of an insane person. Ile believed that at
times prisoner was unable to distinguish right from wrong.
Dr. Connelly, the physician to the Ilanwell Lunatic Ag-
low, said that, at the request of the prisoner's family, ho
had seen and conversed with the prisoner in Newgate; and
the opinion that he bad formed was, that his mind was not
now perfectly sound, and that his judgment was impaired.
lle had heard the evidence of his conduct, and he was of
opinion that it was the conduct of a man on the verge of
insanity. It was a very common case for a man to be of
unsound mind and yet be quite able to pursue his ordinary
avocations. It was also a very common indication of insa-
nity for a man to imagine that his food was poisoned, and
to suddenly take a dislike to a person for whom he had pre-
viously evinced the greatest affection.
By 3lr. Ballantine—lt was very difficult to draw a line
in ati;..ctions of the mind or to state the exact condition of
disease. He should not say, certainly, that every person
who committed an offence was of unsound mind.

Mr. Ballantine—Do you consider the prisoner was in such
a state of mind as to be incapable of distinguishing betwe,n
right and wrong ?
Dr. Connelly—l cannot answer the question in that form.
There arc many patients in Hanwell who arc decidedly in-
, sane, but who perfectly well know the distinction between
right and wrong, and they would do what they knew to be
wrong and would then say that they could nut be hurt for
it because they were known to be mad.
Mr. Ballentino repeated his question, and Dr. Connelly
said, it was his opinion that the prisoner was incapable of
coming to such a conclusion as would bo formed by ape:redly
nano man.

in answer to further questions, and being pressed upon
the point, Dr. Connelly at length said he was of opinion
that the prisoner was in such a state of mind as to be
tempted to commit a crime and not be able to resist, but at
the some time he might be able to distinguishbetween right
end wrong.- f..ir Aleaander Morrison, Physician to Beth•
leheni Hospital, and Dr. I'help, gave similar evidence.—
The learned Judge having summed inp, the jury, after
deliberating five minutes, found the prisoner Guilty.
Mr. Justice Wightittan then passed sentence, and said
judgment of death would be recorded against the prisoner,
I and it would rest wilt the crown to deride to what extent
that goateuco ghouls), be commuted,