The Express.
London, England, 1861-08-16 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY EVENING, AUGUST 16, 1861.

sOUTHAMPTON DOCK COMPANY.

The half-yearly report of the director% of this
company shows a net revenue, after pa tit of the interest
on the debenture debt, of the divdeoi on the preference
stocks, and of all the working tepee ses, repairs, dtc., for the
half-year ended the 31kh of June. 1961, amounting to ti,KW.
2t. ; add surplus carried over from laet half-yeer,
nil. 11, making au available lialauce of ee. 91 From
this the directors recommend that a dividend be decieredfor
the half-year of 11. 10a. per cent., payable on the 31st in-
stant (being at the rate of 3 per cut. per miaow,. amount-
is; on 3n0.3501. ordinary stock, to 5,4u11. fs— femme a "T-
O," to he carried forward of 1,7K9. M. 9d. The
accompanying accounte exhibit “u iucrease in the
amount of earnings as compered with the preceding
halt-Year, end a diminution in the vim kiln expenses.
The directors will lose no opportunity of 'leaking such fur-
ther 'eduction as may be practicable without impairing
efficiency ; but they look principally to an increase of traffic
fey such is progreselve increase of dividend as may realise
the just expectations of the prom ietory. With regard to
Certain =dings reported in the news:ewers, which have
taken p in the Court of Quecu's Bench, and more
recently at the Winchester Assizes, whereby a few inch-
have been endeevouring to compel the commission-
.of the ier and harbour of the pert of Southampton to
demand from the dock company a considerable sum of
money, being the alleged difference between the sum of
1,010. per minium, which the dock company were required
in 1543 to guarantee to the commissiouers of the pier and
harbeer. and the rates actually received by them, on goods,
watt., and iiterchundise, the directors state that the object
of this gum:cote° was to secure to the pier and harbour
a revenue to that extent ; and further, to secure the
interests the bondholders who had advanced money to
the conitoienimers ;and this object lms been more than ful-
filled. The effect of the coustructien and opening of the
&eke, instead of diminishing the income of the her and
Harbour Commissiooers (as hail Levu apprehended, and on
eecouot of which the guarantee had been required) has la-en
a large adelitiou to their general revenue, nothwithstanding a
falling off in their receipts for goods, wares, and merlon-
' thee. The commissioners and the town council were both
fully aware of this fact, and of the greet advantages derived
by the port, and by the town of Southampton generally
from the docks and the operations of the dock
cowpony, and in a liberal and enlightened spirit
feit that they had no claim upon the flock company ;
:.i..1 have never, in the 15 years dune."' which the alleged u-
tter has bees ateurnulatieg, made any claim ma account thereof.
The law proceeliugs above referred to have been instituted
by Cie parties before mentioned, who are endeavoring to
Nem the corporate.° to compel the Pier and Harbour tom-
miesioners to demand from the dock company the alleged
armee. These have been hitherto ex parte proceedings;
the dock emeepany not haying limo heard, and having taken
no pert in them. Should thew individuels be successful in
compelling the Pier and Harbour Commasiouen to attempt
to enforce the peynient of this alleged arrear, which is are
tainls tea probable, the directors are advised that the flock
tympany are neither legally nor equitably liable to pay
any such armee ; and that the Pier and Harbour Com-
missioners can establish no claim on the dock company in
respect thereof.

iLatu Enid'tents.
COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.—Auuusr 15.
(Before Mr. Couuniasioser FonMarque.)
FE M ARTIN.

The bankrupt, James Martin, described as a jeweller mid
silversmith, of laveraham, applied to pan hie examinatiou.
The balance-4.QC prepared by Messrs. Harding, Ball,
and Bush, extends from the 2.sth of April, 18110, to the let
of July, 1+e;1, disclosing these items :—Dr. : To sundry
creditor:, 4791. 116.; ditto claiming to be paid in full,
; ditto claiming to hold security, 1441. 3a. lido ; profits
on trading. 3434 14. 7d. ; surplus, 28th of April,
1800, LIP. 10.. Ild. ; difference m books, 11. 116.. lid. ;
total, 1,157 f. 13a. lid. Cr.: By debtors, good, :V.
3. Ad. ; cash in the hands of the messenger,
If. Is. 7d. • property given up to assignew,
arthasted to ;value 2110 f. • ditto held by creditors, 1:10f. ;
uicel,&Pd articles, lOC losses, NO,. 3s. isl. ; trade expenses,
2131. Is. 7d. ; personal, 1404 3s. lid. J. Martin, 5en.,501.;
Mr.. Martin, 4,4. Is. lid. ; total, 1,157/. Ito. lid.

Plunkett, from tlie office of Mesas. Langford and
Marsden, apprz,red for the assignees ; Mr. Linkletor sup-
ported the bankrupt.
Mr. Plunkett laud before he proceeded with the examina-
tion be wished to base Mr. Johnson, the official assignee,
present. Mr. dolmen yesterday efteruooo said, " the
accounts were made up on falsified books."
Mr. Linklater—His clerk is present.
Mr. Hnzlitt (Hargistmr)-31r. Johnson is very likely out of
town.

Mr. Plunkett—No, Le was at his of this morning.
The Conitnismoner said he could not wait, and they must
proceed with the merits of the case.
Mr. Plunkett—The official assignee has not even sent the
book over. (After a brief delay the books were brcught
into court.)
The examination wee then proceeded with. The bank.
rapt admitted some of the entries in his books were not
correct.

Mr. LinLlater said all the items objocted to had been in-
quired into before the official auignee, who considered the
bankrupt's ainowers aid& wady satisfactory.
Mr. Plunkett l saw the official assignee yesterday after-
noon, and deny that statenieut.
Ultimately au adjounnient was ordered to tho 6th of
October nest.

INSOLVENT DEBTORS COURT.—AuursT 15.
(Before the Chief Commissioner.)

This was the first sitting in the vacation, and the court
was thronged from 10 o'clock in the morning. 'Dere were
as many e 4 txi,e., besides protection cases and other
matters in the cause list.

IN RE RA( HET. I.E\7aoN.

This insolvent, an enameller of Lidice faces, applied to
be discharged on sureties till the bearing.
Mr. Macrae opposed for Me.srs. t.rant and Cask, silk
mercers, of Oxford-street ; Mr. Dowse (with Mr. Robertson
Griffiths) supported.
pr4no:leection was taken on the ground that one of the
sureties sought to justify on some goods in an
auction room. There bad Ikron law p • between the
insolvent and the opposing creditors, and she was in cus-
tody at their suit.
Mr. Macrae raised an objection to the application on the
ground that the insolvent was a minor, and therefore could
not legally petition under the Prison Act.
The Chief Commissioner was of opinion that the point as
to the infancy could remain over until the bearing, and with
respect to the amount of bail in this case he should reduce it
from 41Mw. to 2001.

The discharge was ordered.
IN RE GEORGE PIERSON 111

This insolvent, whose case had been adjourned sine die
ender the Protection Act. applied for a protecting order.
Mr. Dowse opposed, and Mr. Griffiths supported.
It was elicited from the insolvent that be had since the
adjournment of the ease been residing at the same place,
and had not avoided his creditors. He said he was not
aware that a sheriff's officer had been endeavouring to find
him, with the view of an arrest.
Mr. Griffiths remarked that the insolvent had been 12
months without protection.
The Chief l'ammiasioner said if there were no new facts
the insolvent might have his protecting order, founded on
the affidavit made by the insolvent on which the present
application was made.
Mr. Dowse intimated that a sheriff's officer had tried to
find the insolvent, but could not, or he would have been
arreeted.

Ha Honour said there was no evidence to that effect,
but, on the contrary, the insolvent bad sworn that he had
bon accessible to the creditor. He thought that there was
main to prevent the insolvent having his protecting order.
Order accordingly.

very unhappy • au she dill not know all that had taken
place until several montns afterwards, when the plaintiff in.
formed her of the conduct of the defendant, and said that she
had written twenty letters to NM and he had not answered
one of them. -Upon receiving this information she
wrote to the defendant, entreating him to do justice to
her daughter, aad to keep the promise he had made, but he
sent her no reply. In September List she determined to
see the defendant, and found him at an inn iu Lynn, and
she asked him why he had not answered her daughter's
letters Y He replied that this was no business of hers, and
upon her asking him whether or not he intended to many
her daughter, he said that he would not take notice of any
girl who took notice of other men. Witness asked him
what he meant by this statement, and the defendant re-
plied—" She knows." Witness was very angry with him at
this, and said she would take that cloak of religion off him if
possible.
Serjeant Sbee—l believe the defendant did always profess
to he very religious, and used to talk about the solemnity of
marriage.
Witness—Yes, be always professed to be a very religious
man, and said th►t he and his family entertained very high
church principles, and that he was in the habit of expound-
ing the Scriptures to the boys in his parish once a week.
(A laugh.)
The witness added that she told the defendant at the
same interview that she was determined to appeal to the
law if she could 410 so.
Crowexamined—The first time she saw the defendant at
her house was in 1859, but she had heard before that that
he had been in the habit of paying her attention whenever
he met her, and that he used to leave any company he was
with to go up to her and shake hands whenever he
met ber.

Matthew Middleton, the brother of the plaintiff, proved
that upon one nomaion, after the defendant bad been intro-
duced to the family in February, 1859, they wore smoking a
pipe together, when the defendant said to him, " I suppose
you know upon what terms lam come here upon Wit-
ness told him he did not know, but he had an idea, and he
should know when be told him. The defendant then said,
" I have been seeking your sister a length of time, and we
have agreed to be married as soon as the arrangement. can
be made ;" and witness replied that he was god of it. and
hoped they would be happy.
This was the plaintiffs PAC
•..... . . . . .

Serjeant Shee then briefly, and in most eloquent terms,
summed up the evidence, and said that it was clear that the
defendant was unable to adduce one tittle of evidence to sup-
port the insinuation he had made spinet the character of
the plaintiff, and there we. not the slightest doubt that ho
had been guilty of a most heartless act of seduction, which
called for exemplary damages-
Mr. Denman then made a most able address to the jury
for the defendant. He said that as the law at present stood
in regard to cotes of this description, there was this
anomaly,that a plaintiff or defendant could not be examined
to show the jury under what circumstances the promise was
made, and he could not therefore place the defendant before
them to give his version of the transaction. He then pro-
ceeded to remark upon the slight evidence there was that
any promise had been given, or am to the position of the
defendant, and be asked the jury for both these
reasons not to give any more than a moderate amount of
da
Mrma .Justice Blackburn in Bumming up, observed upon the
absence of any information being afforded on either side
whether or not a child had been born.

Scrjeant Shoe mid it would be admitted that no child was.
born.

The learned jwlge then proceeded with his gumming up,
and said that he hoped the jury would take this and all the
other circumstances of the case into their consideration,
and give such an amount of damages as they considered
reasonable.

thst the detention of the luggage was merely a device to
!recur., at least part of that mosey.
The prisoner Crosby was found guilty of unlawful wound-
ing, and was sentenced to one muntles Imprisouuteut.
The other was discharged.