Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-06-12 00:00:00

BEFORE MR. COMMISSIONER GOULBURN.

in re MORRIS ROBERTS STERS, JAMES WALKER, AND
DANIEL BACKHOUSE SYERS.—The bankrupts were merchants
trading in copartnership at Ball-alley, Lombard street;
London, as Syers, Walker, and Co., and at Liverpool as
Byers, Walker, and Byers. Their accounts, as prepared by
Messrs. Hart, were now filed. They extend from. January
1, 1854, to December 13, 1856, and contain the following,
items :—Dr.—Unsecured creditors, £165,066 ; creditors
holding security, £199,010; profits, £67,065; surplus,
January 1, 1854, £8,557. Cr.—Good debtors, • £21,706 ;
cash, £6,121 ; goods, £3,226 ; trade expenses, £34,744 ;
losses on ships, trading, and bad debts, £180,205; drawings
by M. R. Byers, £4,228; by D. B. Byers, £1,920; by
Walker, £2,854 ; property held- by creditors, • £lBO 241.
Upon these amounts the official assignee reports that
£18,769 will be the deficiency accruing from the security
creditors' accounts, which, with £68,195 of liabilities, will
make the total liabilities of the bankrupts £252,032. to
meet which there are assets £35,506. Of these assets
£10,500 have been realised, and from £lO,OOO to £15,000
more may perhaps be realised. The bankrupts' transac-
tions, the official assignee states, appear to have been
recorded in their books, and the cashbaok• has,:lbeen kept
with remarkable clearness, and been balanced regularly
every month. This was the examination mebting. Mr.
Lawrence, for the creditors, asked for ash -•rt adjournment.
The bankrupts had presented a petition for private arrange-
ment on the 29th of May, 1856, and no balance-sheet had
been filed under the bankruptcy until the 29th of May,
1857. Under such circumstances it was only reasonable
that the creditors should be allowed a short timeto investi-
gate the accounts. Mr. Linklater, for the assignees, felt
that no good could result from an adjournment : they were
anxious, however, that every creditor should be satisfied.
The Commissioner remarked that a long time had, been
occupied in preparing the accounts—twelve months.
Linklater : They relate to transactions to the amount of a
million of money. His Honour ordered an adjournment
for three weeks ; in the meantime the bankrupts' allowance
isJuld be continued.

A t LEWIS & COMPANY'S, Racelagh street,
BOYS are CLOTHED from the Aees of 6 to 20 Years,

IMPORTANT TO SEAMEN.

In rise Court or Queen's Bench, an acticn was brought
by a seaman against the defendant, master of the ship
Mobile, to recover the sum of 4'40, due upon a promissory
note given by the defendant, under these circumstances :
—The plaintiff shipped at Liverpool as an able seaman,
and signed ship's articles at per month, from Liver.
pool to Port Phillip ; from there, if required, to any port
and places in the Pacific Ocean, or China Seas, &c. ; and
then to England. The ship sailed from England to Port
Phillip with emigrants and a crew of 36 hands on board,
and on arriving there a number of the crew deserted, and
were sent to prison. The vessel was then required to go
to Bombay, bw as t here were only 19 men left, only four
of whom were able seamen, an arrangement was made
between the master arid the four.ahle seamen, that if they
would go with the ship to Bombay he would pay each of
them £4O. A note in this form was then signed by the
master:—" Port Philip, October 8, 1851.-1 promise to
pay, in Liverpool, to Robert Hartley, the suns of ..e4O
sterling, provided he assist in taking the ship Mobile from
this port to Bombay, with a crew of 19 hands.—As wit-
ness my hand, Henry Ponsonby. Witnessed by John
Dowries." The ship accordingly sailed to Bombay, and
thence to England ; but as the defendant refused to pay
the money this action was brought. The action has been
twice tried, and on both occasions the plaintiff obtained a
verdict. When the case had been argued, Lord Camp-
bell said he was of opinion that the verdict should stand.
The other judges were of the same opinion. Mr. Justice
Erie added that he was strongly impressed with the con-
viction that sailors ought not to be encouraged in a mo-
ment of difficulty to insist on higher wages; but, on the
other hand, he also thought that there was a point where
it was unreasonable for the roaster to require the crew to
go on. He (Mr. Justice Erie) had, therefore, taken care
to explain these matters to the jury, who found that it
would have been unreasonable in the master to require
the erew to go to sea. The men were, therefore, free
sailors, and in the same position as other sailors at Port
Phillip. Rule discharged.

Exclusively for CLOTHING BOYS from 6 to 20 Year 4

LEWIS & COMPANY, Ranelagh street.

THE 'WIZARD" HARRISON, 01.71:DONE.

MORE LEEDS FORTUNE TELLERS.

On Wednesday, at the Wakefield Court House, two
cases were heard which might almost be considered of a
fabulous nature in this matter-of-fact age. A young lady
of East Ardsley, named Ritty Littlewood, of prepos-
sessing appearance, and who is in independent circum-
stanceN, brought a charge against a woman named
Caroline Rarnsdeu, of Leeds, of having obtained money
from her on false pretences Miss Littlewood having
found herself in a bad state of health sent for Ramsdell.
When the latter came, and saw Miss Littlewood, she at
once pronounced her bewitched, and undertook to cure
her upon being paid a sovereign. This Miss Littlewood
agreed to give. Ramsden then prepared same cakes,
which she told the young lady he was to burn, and that
they, in conjunction with some medicine which she also
gave her, would act as a charm against the influence of a
man who was " witching' her. She subsequently received
various sums of money from Miss Littlewood, £2 at one
time, and other sums. The last time Miss Littlewood
sent for Ramsden was on the 16th May. She came on the
17th, and remained till the 18th, during which time she
professed to cure her by " charms." The prisoner was
committed to the house of correct ion for two months.—
A. cadaverous, revolting looking, elderly man, who
appeared to be almost blind, and who gave the name
of Isaac Rushworth, was then charged with having
administered " grainsof paradise"to Ritty Littlewood, to
procure abortion. Miss Littlewood stated that she had
seen the defendant about a year ago in her father's house
at Sheffield. He then proposed to tell her her fortune, but
said he must consult her planet. He afterwards came
over to East Ardsley, when site consulted him as to the
state of her health and the probability of obtaining a
husband. Rushworth undertook to cure her, and also to
get her a husband, in 'return for which he asked her to
comply with the most infamous proposals, and to give him
£5. These propositions the poor, weak-minded creature
complied with. She found herself enceinte in process of
time, and Rushworth gave her grains of paradise. Detec-
tive Cavanagh, of the rural police, stated that when he
went over to Leeds, to apprehend the prisoner, he found
him surrounded with a number of books covered with
sham hieroglyphics, and pretended works on astrology.
The atrocious villian, who admitted his guilt, was com-
mitted to take his trial at the nest York assizes,