The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-05-03 00:00:00

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MEETING OF ATTORNEYS.-YESTERDAT

A meeting of the Attorneys of Liverpool was held at
twelve o'clock, yesterday, in the Clarendon-rooms, Soutn.
John-street, to take into consideration the provisions ut
" The County Court Acts Amendment Bill new bebre
Parliament. The meeting, which was convened by
circular, was very numerously attended. The chair wag
occupied by Mr. John Yates, jun.
The Chairman briefly stated the circumstances under
which the meeting had been summoned, and called on 1)/i
Almond to explain to then the character of the
which they had met to consider.
Mr. Almond said that since the bill had been put in..°
his hands he had bestowed some little attention on ns
clauses, but particularly on those which most affected tpe
interests, not only of the profession in Liverpool, but.
profession generally. Many of the clauses were ea
decided
improvement, but there were others, which not onl9
foreign to the principle of county courts, but also matel.ic,
ally injured the working of other courts which hither
had a concurrent jurisdiction. Mr. Almond then pro-
ceeded through the objectionable clauses in their ord.ertt
and pointed out the injurious manner in Whied
they would operate both on the profession an
suitors. One of the most objectionable of th°st;
clauses was that which referred to local boreuf
courts, and which involved the very existence of t,l
Court of Passage, inasmuch, as if the bill passed :in
present form, costs could not be obtained by the
in any action under £2O on contract, or £5 in tOrt, We
zg t
in that court. The Court of Passage had proved of gresd
advantage to the mercantile community of Liverpool, 311110
he thought it was the interest, both of the public and tile
profession, to see that its action was not limited in
way now contemplated. (Hear, hear.) As to the ut"o
clauses of the bill, he considered that the power Ls,
clients, attorneys, or agents, to serve their own preens be
should be more largely extended than appeared to
intended, and that when a case was brought in the superioicli
courts involving any principle of law, the judges slic°ll/
not have the power accorded to them in the present
to remit the case to the County Court. The clause refusir!g
to the attorney costs between the attorney and client !a„
actions where the demand was less than £2O, and t 11;
clause which allowed costs in actions where
the demand was above £2O, but only on h
obtaining of a written agreement from the client'
were most objectionable, and would undoubtedly prove
mischievous to all parties in their operation. In cone'7:
sion, Mr. Almond declared that if the bill passed in
present form, the County Court would be the all-prevalent
court in Liverpool ; and moved a resolution to the effee
that, in the opinion of the meeting, the bill contained
many objectionable clauses, some of which injurionae
affected the interests of the profession, and others th

interest of suitors. the
Mr. Evans second the motion. and stated that
Guardian Society would co-operate with the meeting ld
opposing the objectionable portions of the bill. He an
the slociety had always considered the Court of Passageh-p
valuable court, aLsl they conceived that it would va
injurous to the community if its efficiency were impair
e
in any way.
Mr. Bremner supported the motion, and menti°ll4
that Mr. Shuttleworth and Mr. Venn had: both told Mir;
that the Corporation would petition against the bill.
in the event of its first being opposed by the solicito..
and Guardian Society of Liverpool. If the bill passed.l;:
its present state, the Court of Passage could not bear
ld
own expenses, and in that event, the Corporation vic°
likely take no measure to support the court.
The resolution was unanimously adopted. far.
On the motion of Mr. Bremner, seconded by Mr. ,
tin, a petition embracing the objections of the profess°
was unanimously adopted.
On the motion of Mr. Bremner, seconded by Mr Cr °ss.'
the Chairman, Mr. Almond, and Mr. Bremner, were aPi
pointed a deputation to proceed to London in support of
the petition.
The meeting then separated.

SUICIDE AT WEST DERBY.

Yesterday, an inquest was held at the West Der
Hospital, on view of a body which was identified as t.,_
corpse of Mr. Fielden, who, it was said, resided in Bri``a
port street, off London-road. On the previous days ache,
labourer was going to his employment, he discovered
body of the deceased in a field behind Newsham-hoeus:
r
West Derby. The man's head was shot away, and r 09*.
ments of the skull were found at some yards distance .1. nf
the body. The deceased was between 40 and 50 year:.-re
age, was dressed in a black coat, and his other a'',"o,
denoted that he was above the common labourer.
yards from him was found a basket or tin box of car,
such as are used by the military ; a tin box contain.
swan shot ; a paper of powder ; a tin box of matche%,
and a paper containing carbonate of soda. In his pocket:
were found a bottle containing laudanum, bearing the I:tbei,
of Mr. Shaw, chemist, Russell-street; a :penknife, an
some scraps of paper, but nothing leading to the discovergf
as to who the wretched man was. One of the scraps „.
paper appeared to be a part of a letter of recorel*:;l,
dation for some situation, " bookkeeper," and Ods
hall-street," being the only two intelligible Ivor
A large horse pistol was also found within a few yards °I
the body, and from the general appearance, there C0.t1"...,
be no doubt left but that this was the instrument Notstl;
which the deceased had destroyed himself; and from t' t
general appearance, it would seem that the pistol mtis,
have been loaded to the muzzle—the whole skull havillic"
been shattered to pieces—aod the pistol jerking
some yards. The pistol is a very strong one, in complete
trim. After a most careful and minute enquiry befoi:_
the County Coroner, 14Ir. Duffield, the jury gave a led
diet in accordance with the facts—" That the decease
had destroyed himself, but in what state of mind he Iva 3
in at the time was unknown."

DARING ATTEI\IPT AT PRISON-BREAKING

AT GLASGOW,

A daring attempt was made on Tuesday afternoon,
a desperate gang of convicts, to escape from the Soon;
Prison in Glasgow. It appears that at about half-Pas
three o'clock, Nicol M'lntyre, who has been a turni
for upwards of seventeen years, was proceeding to Ic/c
up a convicted prisoner, along with a number of other:
sentenced at Tuesday's court, and had just opened th
cell door, when the prisoners, to the number of seven or
eight, rushed out, and overpowering him, dragged
into the cell, and locked the door. They then
into the southern court or square, and meeting in th
progress another of the turnkeys, named SaMne.,
51`Lauchlan, they surrounded him, wrenched a large kit.
from his hand, and would, undoubtedly, have beaten 17
his skull, had he not, by a desperate effort, succeeded ale
getting hold of the key. Meantime, one of the Ira am.
turnkeys, attracted by the noise, at once gave the ai rde
Seeing that they were discovered, the prisoners lola
for the northern court or square, but finding n° °f
foay r
escape, they armed themselves. One of them, na—
M'Millan, about nineteen years of age, got hold of ,
poker, and threatened to murder the first Man thP.i darr_
to lay hands upon him. Another armed himself with i
e°
rushee.
iron gas bracket, another with the staff of a broom, itirijg
remainder with coals, pieces of bricks, Bce. °tin-
behind an iron gate at the end of a close, which
municates with the northern and southern cour‘%‘°,lg
squares, they swore they would hold it against the at_tror,
of all the Russians (meaning the police) in the Go
After a delay of a few minutes, the gate was thruiice
open by one of the officers present, when the Put
rushed in and secured the prisoners ; but not with° ea,
desperate resistance on the part of those who were armoes
all of whom struck out and inflicted some severe hill were
on the constables. The leaders in this daring revolt
James M'Alillan, a returned convict, senteneed',.,u;ned
years' transportation ; Charles Edwards, also a 1,,,e1:0,10s
convict, sentenced to 21 years' transportation ; -1— both
Black, also a returned convict, awl John Dunean;ortner
of whom were sentenced to transportation, the coma
to 21, and the latter to 15 years. It is only just to t in
of the convicted to say that they refused to take Pasrhead
the disturbance, 111‘Lauchlan, the turnkey, had 1.1,1„ot of
cut severely in several places, but his wounds arrnificted
a serious nature, neither are any of the wounds ;:re, Re
on the police. As for the other turnkey, 1‘1";,;0-1 into
have been informed that, previous to dragging —• nod,
the cell, they knocked him down, jumped ",P,o2' broke
besides kicking and otherwise maltreating ou"'t been
one of his fingers. Had the attempted escaPe IT, doors
observed in time, to prevent the opening the Clone had
to the other prisoners, which they would have." ,s
they gained possession of M‘Lauchlan the turnkey moral,
a wholesale escape would have been attempted. '
British Mail.