The Express.
London, England, 1853-12-16 00:00:00

CHASES.

These chases, which were intended to come off yesterday
and to-day, are postponed, in consequence of the übfasours
able state of the weather. Due notice will be given of the
next appointment.

THE RUSSIAN CLERGY.

The 11ete York Courier has the subjoined:

Nobody, we believe, ever accused the Russian ecclesias-
tics of being superior to their Greek friends in learning,
whether of a religious or secular character; and they have
the credit—or travellers greatly belie them—of being pecu-
liarly addicted to the Russian vice of brandy-bibbing. The
French chargé, Liouzon le Due, whose work on " The
Russian Question" we not long since referred to, bears
strong testimony on this subject, and relates an anecdote
which is more curious, perhaps, than agreeable. " How
cau it be expected " (he asks) " that the Russian populace
will abstain from intoxication, when the practice is sanctified
daily in their eyes by the example of the priests, their
natural instructor ? In one parish in the interior, it is
within the author's knowledge that the inhabitants, for •
long time past, have invariably kept their spiritual pa=tor
under lock and key from Saturday evening until 12 o'clock
on Sunday, to prevent his becoming too much intoxicated to
be able to perform the mass ; yet, in some cases, they have
been deceived, and be has staggered into the church, thanks
to the bottle of brandy he had concealed beneath his
frock:" _

This reminds us of a passage in Sir George Simpson's
book, where, recording the observance of his first Sunday
at sea in a Russian vessel, in which be crossed the Pacific,
he says:—" Though the Alexander did not carry a chaplain
of her own, yet she happened to have a priest on board,
who had been degraded at Sitka for drunkenness. Having
been kept sober on purpose, our reverend friend went
through the duty in the most impre‘sive manner, being a
man of commanding appearance, with a voice of surpassing
mellowness and strength." Sir George, it is but just to
say, speaks in terms of respect of other Russian clergymen,
and especially of two or three church dignitaries wnom he
met in the course of his " Journey Round the World ;" but
so far as regards the lower clergy of the Greek faith in the
Csar's dominions, the testimony of travellers, in general,
is anything but favourable. The Christian church in Tur-
key stands in very greatneed of reform ; but we may doubt
whether Rimier' example or the ministrations of an im-
perial Patriarch would, were the experiment tried as the
Cr a desires to try it, be likely to result in any change for
the better.

THE RusslAN AEGRESSION.—A crowded meeting
was held at the Town Hall, Paisley, on Monday evening
last, Provost Macfarlane in the chair, to consider the un-
warrantable aggression made by Russia ou Turkey, and to
memorialise the government on the subject. Mr. Macrae.
lane having made a few introductory remarks, Mr.
Urquhart delivered an address, which occupied tint
two hours sad a quarter. Re summed up in the
following terms—Either the British squadron was is
the Bosphorus to coerce Russia or coerce Turkey. Russia
, 111. l not be c ,ere...l till after a dee' cation of war. What
the people of England had n'iw to do wee, to call on their
sovereign to riquire that either war ►hould be proclaimed
against Russia, or the British squadron withdrawn from the
Turkish waters. Resolutions bearing on the subject .war•
afterwards moved by the Rev. Patrick Brewster and
otht r g. linemen, and carried unanimeui iy.

ititelltqcmc.

EQUITY cut
111 k ttkt CIIANC. I I 4•YI1 It .11 IR.

I'AKTY. LE EDMONDS.

The ease was argued on I uraelay last, and judgment was
postponed.
It way a petition of Messrs. sharebrokers of I
Liverpool, proyicg that the moaners art Nlll,am and
Thomas Edmond., bankrupts, might be directed to kart in
and •iitcute to the petitisamen .r their nominees. • tramfer
el 100 •hare•, LO SLAM, and 25 shares in the 11.9 a/ Aiss•
ranee Company, contracted to bx sold by the petitioners lot
Will,am Rellatemds. It appeared that in Jane. 1346. the
lisp,' Assurance Conspasiy was formed in Liverp.rd, sad
was completely repented on die ljth of June. Out the
7th el July William Edsaunle appla d tor sue obtained 200
of the 20/ shares of the contemn', on which he paid • de-
post ci 11. and • premium of loe , and took a receipt on
the letter of allotment. On the 3rd of December, 160,
4112 Edatokiis went to ISt/missy. leaving • power of at-
tune) with his brother Thomas, authorising him to act in
his chairs and in the sale of lug shares. Oa 9th D. timber,
hll, Thomas Edenon.ts peel a farther call of 1/. per share
en the 200 shares in else stun. William Edmonds did not
execute rue dee el of bit" m. ,t nor recteve the strip of the
shares before he went to dodo. and altheugh 'Teruo,
Edmunds peeve. d to execute it
ney, it was thought that he bad not the seceseary power to
do so. In 1646 the eetiteouen were directed by Thomas
Edmond. to sell the 2111) share.. and they sold 155 of them
in porticos of eighty. fifty, and twenty-6%e each, and trans-
hre *tie ea.-aged by l home. Edmonds and the purchasers,
but the corepany'e solicitor thinking that the transfers could
sot Ise registered until N tlltem Eitnonile had executed the
deed of settlement, the registration wes euetpuned,
March, 1866, Williven and Thomas Etinsoncfs. became bank-
rupts, arid their amputees refuted to concur in the transfer
Cl the shares. Mr. Commissioner Bkinow decided that
William Edmonds nut having teen • duly registered share-
holder in cumquats of hi. not having executed the deed
of settlement, all that had been done was inoperative,
and that the assignees were entitled to the shares. as part of
the unite. The question now came on on appeal
from this decasiou, and was whether an ailottee of
skates scold sell his interest without executing the share-
holders' deed of settlement, and Whig duly registered, and
whether such a contract to sell could be sustained con-is'-
eatly with the 26th section of the Registration Act, 7 and 8
Victoria, e. 110, which provides " that with regard to sub-
scribers and every potion 1 ntitled to any share in any joint
stock company, the formation of which shall he commenced
titer the let day of November, :1841, that until such joint
stock company shall have obtained • certificate of complete
reguernt.an and until any ouch subscriber or person shall have
been duly registered as a tharenoller in the said registry
Mice, it Anil' not be lawful fur such person to dispute by
sale or mortgage of such share or of any interest therein,
sad that ever, contract for, or sale er disposal of such
slime said interest shall be void, and that terry person
entering into such contract shall forfeit a sum nut exceed-
ing 161."
Their lordships now delivered judgment, and stated that
the consideration which they had given to the ease had not
altered the first impression they entertained, that it
was not one in which there wee any difference in equity in
the principle of law, that the legislator* had made it im-
perative that before any one couid sell his interest in any
joint stork shares he must be a completely registered share-
holder of • company. la tho latter branch of the 26th sec-
tion of the Joint Stock Act there was no ambiguity with
vegand to the meenieg of the words "subscriber" and
"shat chattier," and it did not leave the matter in any doubt
that the legislature was of opinion that contracts of the
nature of that in this ease writ injurious to the public in-
terest', fora penalty was inflicted on any such dealings.
The court, theref .re, was bound to say that it was contrary
to the policy of the statute that such dealings should take
place; brines which, they were declared by the act to be ahem-
lutely:aull and void. That being so, the question arose, what
the position of Messrs. Nielson was. They had sold the
shares in question at the instance of the bankrupt,
who did not have them to sell, and they had,
perhaps, Mewled • action, loss. That *mid not
b helped, and whether they had • remedy by action
against the assignees of the bankrupts. or could prove under
the baulesuptcy for the value of the shares as so much
money, it wag not for the court to say. Bat it clear that
they could not hate any greater right than the purchaser
of the shares had, and which the legislature had laid down.
There was no alternative but to dismiss the petition with
costs.

SUMS TXU NUM& OT TU WALL
DA XXIX V. MOULIN.
Piziatiff is the wide" of the late Rev. Ches. Darkin, who
was a baptist minister at Cirencester. Her maiden name
was PeffAlDOre, and she was entitled, to her separate use,
limier the will of Elizabeth Permeate, to 1,0001. stock in
the Royal :Aching' Assurance Office ; and also to the resi-
due of the ("aurae" estate, which consisted amongst other
things of two promissory notes of 1001., and 60r., and to
some leasehold houses. She married Mr. Darkin in 1828,
and previous to the marriage a deed;of settlement was exe-
cuted, whereby 3,6501., Three per Cent. Console, wu; trans-
ferred to trustee" for her separate use. The income
arising from this property, together with Mr. Darkin's
professional income, was more then sufficient for the sup-
port of Mr. and Mrs. Harkin, and savings were made which
were from time to time invested in the funds, in the joint
names of Mr. and Mrs. Darkin. In 1845 Mr. Darkin was
desirous of bujiag a piece of land in Cirencester, and
building thereon a house for his residence; and, as plaintiff
alleged, it MAI agreed between him and her that a put
of the stock which had been purchased with the savings
should be sold out, and the produce applied in the porches"
of the land aid building the house; and it was an under-
lauding that if Mr.Darkin survived her, the property should
be as much hers as was the property which was held in trust
for her. Plaintiff, however, happening to see the conveyance
found that the land was conveyed to Mr. Darkin absolutely,
on which she protested against it; and thereupon Mr.
Darkin, " in order to utility her," made a will devising
the lead to her. la October, 1852, Mr. Darkin died, and
then it was found that he had made a subsequent will, by
which he devised all his property to his brother, who, un-
der that devise, claimed the land in question and the house
which bad been built upon it. Under these circumstances
plaintiff filed this bill claiming the house and land, inas-
much as they had been bought with money which
had been settled to her separate use. She also
claimed the two promissory notes for 1001. and 601.
which had been renewed and given to Mr Darkin,
in his owe name, and a share in the Chartered Oas Com-
pany. Mr. Darkin, it was stated, bad no property of his
own, and his professional income never exceeded 1001. a
year, and for some years before his death did not amount to
more than 801. a year.
His Honour said he was disposed to think that it was
acciiental only that it had been necessary to bring this case
before the court, and that neither the husband, nor the
wife, nor the brother, had intended to have any dispute
about it. In his will, by which he bequeathed his property
to his brother, Mr. Darkin did not formally revoke Me
former will. The later will had that effect, it wee trio,
but it was probable he did not know that, and that be
thought that his former will secured the land and law to
his wife ; and he intended to leave the rest of his pro-
perty to his brother, Ilia Honour added that he considered
plaintiff was entitled to all the relief she sought, and there
most be a declaration to that effect, with costs, so far as the
husband's estate would pay them.