The Express.
London, England, 1867-08-14 00:00:00

IMPRISONMENT FOR NONPAYMENT OP
CHURCH BATES.

At the Bankruptcy-court yerterday, before Mr.
Commiesioner Goa!burn, Yr. J. B. Grant, Lae of Kettle-
burgh, Suffolk, was brought up in cumody from White-
cressotreet Priam. lie had previously filed the following
account :

Mr. Charles Barnes, Kettlebargb, Suffolk,
claims for law carts, 257 t. Cr.—Assets, none. Mr.
Barnes, who claims the above amount, is journeyman in
what he calls an establishment,' and has more than once
delivered me bills for servic,es which I never had. Of
course, I retwed to pay him, for I never dealt at his ee-
tabliahment, but took the trouble and expense of going
three miles further for what I required, because out of the
thirty-nine different articles kept by his employers, some
I regarded as highly deleterious, and at the branch ' es-
tablishments,' especially that in Broad-street, the princi-
pals themselves were of the same opinion • while at the
High-stet branch they had a view of their own as to
what their articles really were. Yet they all carried on
their business as solemnly as if they were really doing a
genuine trade, boasting that they had been ' established'
more than three hundred years, and that all their articles
bad been in stock from the beginning. Moreover, fourteen
times every year, on fixed days, they consigned me to
eternal torments for not liking some of their articles,
about which they themselves were quarrelling. I there-
fore have had no dealings at the ' establishment ' Mr.
Barnes represents, yet 1.11 1864 he brought me a bill of
33e. 7d. for new roofing the building,. and when I refused
to pay took proceedings in the ecclesiastical court, which
coat on both sides more than 8001,, and he has now im-
prisoned me nineteen weeks, while he knows that my
trade creditors have taken all my property. I ought, how-
ever, to state that he now abandon, his original demand
of 3:;s. 7d., and I hope he does so from a conviction of its
in.judies ; for, although the law is on his side to-day, it
will be on my side to-morrow, justice alone being sovereign
and eternal."

2teferring to this account, the official assignee said
that the bankrupt had made some " mad statement "
to which the oommissioner, on heaving that the bank-
rupt had been arrested for 2571. for law costs, said
I that it was enough to drive any man mad. No opposition
lbeing offered, a discharge was granted, and Mr. Grant
will forthwith apply for his release.

A meeting of the Commissioners of the Patriotic
Fund was held at the Palace at Westminster yesterday.
There were present—The Earl of Usedwicks (chairman),
Lord Rokeby, Lord St. Leonard', Lord Lyveden, the
Right Hon. H. T. L. Cony, the Right Hon. Sir
John Pakington. Colonel J. Wilson Patten, M.P.
Fisbbourne, R.N., C. 8., and Brigadier-Genera{
Lsfroy, RA. 7414weorarysecterAlial
JUDICIAL Brraticans saroaltastlVlArLotte.
—On Thursday judgment will be given in the " Overmsd,
Gurney, and Co." case. On the same day the Wilke
peerage case will be concluded, and the Breadalbaae peer-
age will be proceeded with, but in wither of these eases
is judgment expected to be delivered this session—in fact,
the Breadalbane case will only have been partially opened.
The law lords will also before the close oft he session give
" judgment" in the Bishop of Exeter's ease, stating, it is
understood, their reasons why they agree in the unani-
mous " opinions" recently delivered by the judges. No
further appeals will come on for argument during the pre-
sent 'melon. There will be no outstanding judgments, as
was formerly the case.
EARL VANE'S RETURN TROY RUHRIA. —Earl Vane,
on his return frees Russia, was received by his neighbours
at Stockton-ea. Tess csi Monday with great demonstrations
of welcome. The railway station was decorated with tea-
town of evergreens mounted on ornamental wirework, the
bells of the parish church rang out merry peals, and seve-
ral cannon homed forth on the arrival of the train. As
soon as his lordship alighted from the carriage and had got
outside the station, accompanied by Lady Vane, Lady
Churchill, and Lord Seaham, his son,he wen loudly cheered.
When the cheering had subsided Dr. Charles Trotter,
J.P., on behalf of the inhabitants, congratulated his
lordship on the very high honour that her Majesty had con-
ferred on him in selecting his lordship to invest the Empe-
ror of Russia with the honourable Order of the Garter.
Earl Vane said, in reply :—" Mr. Trotter, ladies and gen-
tlemen, this is not the first time I have had reason to be
grateful and thankful for a reception received from the
town of Stockton-on-Tees. I can look back with pleasure
to the time of my coming of age, and also to the time when I
first introduced Lady Vane into thin country, and although
I don't mean to say that the reception I received from the
people of Stockton on these two occasions was unexpected,
I can safely say that the reception I have met with to-day
is far beyond my expectations and deserts. I can honestly
declare that the reception I have met with to-day is not
the least acceptable of the three. I can assure you that no
man felt more deeply than myself the honour which her Ma-
jesty conferred upon me in selecting me as her ambeendor to
confer the highest honour which England can possibly giro
on his Majesty the Emperor of All the 'Curies. It was
with feelings of pride and satisfaction I left England for
the Russian empire, and during the time of our stay there
nothing was left undone that could possibly contribute to
our happiness and comfort, and nothing could exceed the
kind reception we received, not only from his Majesty the
Emperor of Russia, but also from those with whom it was
our good fortune to emaciate." After speaking of the
honours conferred upon him during his stay in Russia, his
lordship thanked Mr. Trotter and the gentlemen present
for the unexpected and kind reception with which they
had welcomed. him. His lordship, Lady Vane, Lord Sea-
ham, and Lady Churchill then entered their carriage and
drove to Wynyard amidst loud thee%
CO-OPERATION. —A conference of persons con-
nected with 00-operative societies was held on Monday
1 afternoon and evening at the Sussex Hotel, Bouverie-
street. The eonference was attended by the represents-
' tires of several provincial societies, who were passing
through London in order to attend the International Co-
operative Congress at Paris. The subjects for dimension
were—the organisation of the Association for Promoting
Co-operation, the operation of the London and Home
Counties Wholesale Purchase Association, the starting of
a weekly publication devoted to co-operation, and the
establishment of • co-operative bank. The following reso-
lution was adopted—" That in the opinion of this meet-
ing it is desirable that the Association for the Promotion.
of Co-operation should be extended into • national organi-
-1 ration, including representatives from co-operative retie-
ties of every denomination ; that a national conference
be convened for that purpose, and that in the mesa-
, time • coninatee be appointed to prepare a detailed
' plan." A second resolution wan also adopted to the effect
'that the Metropolitan and Home Counties Purchasing
Association was worthy of the support of the co-operative
societies in and around London. A propeal to anialgo-
mate with the North of England Purohasing Society was
received with favour.
Lady Milton's wedding ring was altogether the
work of the noble bridegroom, being fashioned by his on
hands from a nugget dug by him in British Columbia,
during his visit to the gold-fields after his " North-west
Passage by Land," the marvellous incidents of which he
and Dr. Cheadle have so well narrated.—Leda Mercury.
THE FRENCH IN COCHIN CHINA.--The chief in-
telligeace of interest is the sane:Woo by the French
of the remaining three provinces of Cochin China. The
acquisitive tendencies of our neighbours in Saigon have
beau long evident, and it was not thought that the native
prince would long resist their encroachment. However,
the announcement Las come rather suddenly upon us, at
a time when our attention was rather called to Cambodia,
which seemed to be meet threatirJed, and which, as part
of the hereditary suzerainty of our friend and ally the
King of Siam, excited the Interest of people here.
The sense assigned seems to be that the native
prime' poor fellow, was nosh's for some time back
to maintain what the Frees& authorities deemed interns*
Quiet in his dcrainkaa.-3sraits Tina, July 7.