Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-12-29 00:00:00

DESTITUTION IN WICK, CAITHNESS-SHIRE.

We have been requested to call the attention of the
public to the following statement and appeal:—ln con-
sequence of the partial failure of the herring fishing on
the' coast of Caitbness during the last three seasons,
and the fact that the fish-curers have on hand a super-
abundant stock of materials for next season, the greater
portion of the coopers (who number in All about 400)
have been out of employment since the commencement
of October, and the result has been greatly to affeet•the
other operative trades of• the place, to,throw,the trades-
men out of employment, and to reduce many families to
a condition of entire 'destitution.

Winter has also come ,upon the place with premature
and severe rigour, and the result is that the unemployed
in the locality are brought to a. condition of great want,
much beyond the ability of the more favoured inhabitants
to relieve, and likely to continue for four months to come.
Hitherto the destitution has' been partly mitigated by
private benevolence, but its proportions have now as-
sumed such a form that an appeal to the public beComes
imperative, to secure such aid as shall, along with local
subscriptions, enable the committee appointed for the
purpose to devise such Measures as will, as far as pos-
sible, afford relief to the hundreds of families now
suffering severe privation.
It may be proper to remark that as the average wages
of coopers, when in employment, do not exceed 12s. per
week, it is impossible for them to provide for such a
contingency as the present, and that taken as a whole
these industrious men are sober and industrious in their
habits. It is also considered desirable to state that the
town was visited with cholera about the middle of Sep-
tember ; and that while it has pleased Providence in the'
meantime to withdraw that deadly disease from the
loeality, it is the opinion of Dr. Littlejohn of Edinburgh,
and others of experience, that, in the circumstances of
the place, a renewed attack of the drusease is possible in
spring, and that it is of the most vital iiiiportance, with
such a possibility, that work be secured for -the an—
employcd, oo as to obtain a good nourishing diet for
themselves and their families, and bring their systems
into a sound and healthy condition.
With such a view the present appear is made. It is
not intended to apply the subscriptions in eleemosynary
relief; but to set the unemployed'to work on some public
improvement, so as to prevent them fronr being placed
in the position of recipients of charity, and enable them
to maintain their industrial independence, without at the
same time promoting any private interest.
At a'meeting held in the•Tbvrn-hall, on Saturday, the
17th December, a subscription was set on foot, and a
committee, composed 'of the- clergyhen, magistrates, and
other inhabitants, was appointed, to dispose of the same
and of any sums which liberal-minded. parties at a dis-.
tance may kindly forward; and it is fervently hoped
that the present appeal, will receive a , liberal response
from those whom Providence has placed in a position, of
comparative abundance and comfort.
It were enough to add that after the meeting. of Satur-
day relief 'was afforded to many families with whom
neither food nor fuel was to be found,' that in three 'days
no fewer than 843 individuals were relieved, and that
the committee believe there, are out of a -population of
about 7,000 inhabitants, more than 1,200 men, women,
and-childien'in a state of destitution.

A. Zurich letter states that a convention has been con-
chided between' Sardinia and Switzerland to facilitate
telegraphic correspondence with 'Lombardy.
THE SNOW DROWNING OUT ENGINE EIRES.—The
engine-driiers in winter, when snow falls, heavily, have
an: enemy to contend with which few people would think
of. In driving through snow of any considerabladepth,
the•snow aceumulates in a heap. under the engine, the
onward motion of which presses the heap upwards-against
thelfurnace bars, and literally droving out the fire. This
took place a few days ago between:Arbroath and'Guth.-.
rie station, and brought the engine to a stand-still.—
Airtirentla Guide.
Tlts 'FINANCES OrTHE Unrrsn.STATss.—The.Trea-
sury Secretary at Washington has made the following
statement t 0 the nous& of Representatives •
Suet—Agreeably to the joint resolution of Congress,. of Ja-
nuary 7, 1840, I have the honour to.transmit,.for the informa-
tion of the Hoare of Representatives, printed estimates of the
appropriations prop4ed to be made for the fiscal year ending
June 30, 1861, as follows :--- '
Civil Lists, Foreign Intereourse, and, Miscel-
laneous, including. expeiases • of collecting
the revenue from sales of public lands and dots.
expenses of Courts. • 10,225,625 79
To supply deficiencies in the revenues of the
General Post-office
Pensions • 543,000 00
Indian Department 1,918,502 38
Army proper, &c., including miscellaneous
objects
Military Academy
.Fortifications; Ordnance, &c.
Naval Establishment- 11,244,545 63.
Total
It appears by the statement of the estimated balances
of existing appropriations. which will
,be unexpended, on
Stine 30, 1860; the sum of 1,207,278 dollars 45 cents
may be :tarried to the surplus fund., Aecomp•anying the
estimates there 'are- simdry. papers Airnished hy the
several departments, containing explinationsin regard
to them..." It appears. that • the annual and permanent
Miropriations required 'for the service ofitbe year end-
ing June 303 1861, exclusive of public debt, amount to'
51;065;85.5 dollars 70, cents. ' •
Fox, OR A TOUGH STORY;—In a recent
,
lecture, iippn his experience in Arctic life, Dr. Rae Said.
theloiirney I saw a 'very ctirious• instance' of the.
sagacity of the Arctic fox. Conscious :that , I was.
aiming at him, he tucked hig tail iind.er chiS legk 'cocked
up his. ears, and enilavoured to leek; as like a hare as.
possible (which is au' eemParatively worthless).
Another fact of this kind occurred to • me, whilst 'being
detained at a particular plade, where our ,Ifavourite
amusement was trapping wild aniinels. Our -Mode', Of
doing this:was With a spruig gun connected With a., bait,
which, when touched Produced{ 'the ' e4plosiOn. One
instance showed `us 'Wet a fok,' either from, observation
66'do1rnianiPre's fate, or from hard-earned 'experience,
Kati gone up, to the gun, bit tiff•the cord -connected.' With
the-bait,
.end' the danger being averted;l7-went and ate
the Meet in Undisqurbed comfort. And,ft_is a common
occurrence for the fox 'to make a trench tip to the bait,
seize 'the bait,. ind permit the charge to pass: over his.
head;"
MaitUtlai CRIME. The Court of Assizes of the
Bouchesdik.-:,Rhone, sitting at Aix, has jastbeen occupied
intnang a man, named Boyer, for a ':trouble murder
anal obb,ery. The, .victims were a carrier and his
dater. ;Nilo. had, been to garseilles with a quantity of
'" , and, were ~.returning, home, with the Money for
w4sOlt they haft-sold tbeni.„,,Oii the Morning of the 12th
Otte4'.ier their...horse and. cart were perceived
un-
Ideal on thi highway near itagnac, by setae, Men at
WO rk:on the road. :On examining' he cart, the inurdered
ddies of a man and a young vretaait were 'found 'in
It,; ;and. the: police soon ascertained that the deceased
.had.-stayed the previous night at an inn by 'the
roadside, and , left, in the, ,morning, accompanied by
a man who was travelling in the same direction. This
man, the prisoner Boyer, was immediately suspected of
the murders, and, the people, af,the inn, gave so accurate
a description of,him, owing to a male on ; his face,lhat.
he was soon 'after arrested at,.-Marseilles. A 'hamnier,_
with ,which he had committed the murders, was food in,
the cart, and it was clearly established that Boyer had
purchased it of a marine-store dealer at Marseillei, ,It
was proved also that for some time before the Murder
.Boyer had been in great, destitution, but soon after he.
was seen inpossession of 1,500 f. or more, the origin of
which. he could not explain. The pripner Jittempted to
set up an alibi; but without success. Ihe-jurY, brought
in a verdict of guilty, and the prisoner was condemned
to death.
THE PROTESTANTS IN AusTßlA.—,The two Austrian
Protestant communions of the confessions of Augsburgh
and Geneva having been-informed by their consiatories
that the! government was meditating improvements in
their position, they availed themselves of theopportu-
'hit), to 'hold a common assembly, at which a memorial
was drawn up stating the changes which they think
desirable. In the first place, they insist on the necessity!:
of extending the representative constitution-of the Church
by councils of elders and general synods, embracing all -
the congregations of each province, and if possible of all
the Sclavonian and 'German countries of the empire.
' Secondly, they call for smile share in the selection of
the persons chosen by the state for the supervision-of the
Protestant communities.: Thirdly, they pray tote placed
'upon the 'same 'footing as the Roman, Catholics with,
respeat to mixed marriages -and •conversions from one
religionto another. 'They also require the suppression
.6f certain restrictions in forming- new :congregations,
and' claim a right for all Protestant churebses to-share
in
the subventions 'of the state. Lastly, they peint out
certain 'abuses in the 'selection of school inspectors, and
propose that in mixed schools, attended by both Roman
Catholics
and Protestants, the teachers HO longer be
exclusively Roman Catholics; also; that a - Pratesta.nt •
nnis'ersity shall be founded, or. Protestant professars
added to the Roman Catholic ones. -

Thursday, December 29, IS r.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

EDINBURGH COURT OF SESSION.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24.
THE LIQUIDATORS OF THE WESTERN BANK V.
THE LATE DIRECTORS OF THE BANK.
This important case has occupied a considerable por- •
tion of Lord Kinloch's attention during the past week.
It was stated by Mr. Shand, one of the counsel for the
pursuers, that a number of preliminary'pleas had been
stated by the defenders which it was very desirable to
have disposed of as early as possible, so that the
parties might be enabled to reach the merits of the
question between them. Amongst other prelijninary
pleas, it is maintained by the defenders that all the
principal officers of the bank, the Boards .of Directors at
Edinburgh and Dundee, and a- number of the bank's
agents in different. parts of the country, ought to have
been called as defenders.
This morning, when his Lordship intimated that he
was to pronounce an interlocutor repelling the plea,
and called upon the defenders, in terms of the statute,
to say whether they , intended to acquiesce in the
judgment, or to 'reclaim against it to the Inner House.
They stated their intention to reclaim against it.
The note by Lord Xinloch states that the present
action has been raised by the liqUidators of the Wester%
Bank, as representing the Bank, against the directors in
office for a nuMber of successive years (or their repre-
sentativeS), and alio against the late manager, and the
representatives of a former, in order to obtain reimburse-
ment of the loss alleged to have been caused by their
mal-administration of the' Bank affairs. The ,plea, as
stated in the defences and argued to the Lord Ordinary,
is, that certain individuals; whose names are specifi-
cally given, officers of the company under various desig-
nations, local agents at different branches, and members
of local boards, ought to have been called, as defenders,
and that the- action cannot proceed in their absence.
The pursuers do not charge the individuals in question
with any participation in the wrongs of which they cora-
' plain. or is-their statement such as infers such partici-
pation by any necessary implication. It is difficult to
perceive why the pursuers should be held bound to direct, ,
their.action against Persons whom they do not seek tomake
liable, and against whim they set ferth, no ground Of liabi-
litY. . The defenders themselves do not allege any culpa-
bility against the persons whom they contend the pur-
suers-should have. made defenders. They merely state
i them. to be officers- of the bank fir Various positiesS,
In, so far as the action is laid on fraudulent=mrit e-
sentation or fraudulent concealment; there is the further
answer to the .plea,. that the pimmers:were not bound to
call any other wrongdoers (supposifigthere were others)
than those whoni they chose to select. The plea that
all interested, are not called has mil); place where either
the contract shows on its face other parties.than those
called jointly bound with them, or, at all events, where
such joint responsibility is necessarily implied in the
nature of the case set forth. The lord ordinary can dis
cover nothing of the kind in the preient case in the
statements either of pursuers or defenders.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22.
TROUT V. SALMON FISHING IN SCOTCH RIVI:11:-
IMPORTANT DECISION.
LORD sontEßvrux AND OTHERS V. SMITH.

In giving judgment in this case the Lord President.
of the Court stated that 'this case "involved iiiipartallt.
questions- as to the extent to which property in sal-
mon fishings may be interfered with by the - pro-
prietors on. the opposite side of the river in; the
exercise of the right of trout-fishing. No 'question i 5
raised as"- to Lord Somerville's right to the saknon
fishing, and it is not-now disputed, 'and could not well
be disptited, that proprietors have a right of &out'
fishing ei'iidverso of their lands, anti. that those' having
leave from them. have a right to fish for trout. The
case related solely to the' mode in which trout fishing
could beexereiSed. The Prayer of the original' petitio°
was couched in very broad terms, and it was against
standing: on the property of oilier proprietors,. u°d.
against using any rod or line fer taking any kind of
fish; 4... proof had. been allowed: 'Which related to
wading' and .the mode of fishing I am not aware
of anyslaw, for holding that fishing in a salmon-
is an illegal act on, the part of •it trout-fisher, under,
all circumstances, and whatever-- be the nature '
his right:- Salmca-fishing is an important right. 'The
fish may be in various parts of the river, and the Salla'n—
fisher:is-under no restraint. that E krt3vr of in regard to
Where he fishes in the river. Nor am I aware of
law-far restraining a trout-fisher from 'fishing for 00'41
wherever they are to be found:. It is said ill °nem.
the: pleas here that the proprietor on one side u.
no entitled to cast his line' beyond the centre .0 '
the Hier. I not aware of any law for that eitllßri
Smith viiis.andng for trout with tackle properly suited
for:, trout. 'think . there is. no ground for suppurl
that he was fishing for salmon, and, although he,-D
heeled a salmon aceidentalln. that could not have oort
:elusively showed that his ob'.eet •was'to lei= salmon+ ,„:;
is not said he is One oCthese dexterous anglers-l+
'Mr. Perdie, .who can kill a:sabnon with a single low:
:hair ; and therefore, we cannot hold that, under. 1/re,
tence of 'fishing'for trout, his object was to diStilrb*
Salmon. The question is.limited to whether pa/ties
the opposite side are entitled to fish far trout (whateve
r
may betheir rights) in salmon pools that are- tu"rd°
his (the pinsuer',s) side of the river:".
r:"•
are the leading points. described: let,
o
That on)the particular.-occasion referred to the defend,
was.net wading hi the- river or trespassing on the loll:
of the•noblepursuerbut was' on the' opposite or 50..11w
side of the river-;2nd;; That the defender was not of'
ing foe Salmon, or- with a rod, adapted for salinso%
or with tackle Suitable for 'catching salmon,
did not Catch 'or raise- any salmon, but was lt~l
ing for trout with a very small rod: adapted aiVe.
Tor that purpose; and with: the ordinary tag 0%
for fishing trout;; 3d, That lie was. so, fishing for tr"ta
in a part of the river which is- within, the limits of,
ri pursuer's ,ohthif'grilnion-fishine. andsez adeerso 01 ,„,,t
lands, and which is sometimes frequented by salmon/
3
in which the defender had previously killed trout, 7
in which, on the occasion in question, he did kill trio.
That it is not proved either that on the occasion inlti as
tion the defender trespassed' on the pursuer's tishirer
alleged, or,tished in the manner mentiOned in the to
of the or:, petition,. or that he had been in. !9,„0-
'do so previously: In point 'of' law, that in thesel-r;atot
stances the pursuers are not entitled to interdict sP7
the defender as prayed for:
v101(04
MDRDEN.ROBBJERY, AND INCENDIARISit
--:-The,Court of Assizes of the Gironde, held at Bolutail
was two days :ago occupied with the trial of .a_ct
named Vinson, on a charge of murder, robbery, 11,;t
oandiarism. ,it apeared from the indietmellt, led
the 23rd of October last, a man named MasSierflain
at the house of a farmer, named Moulineau, .res,tor,.
be
the village • of, Azac. Oa approaching the "_.„
saw a very, thick smoke rising from the ebilli.if4re-
thoagh the place was on fire. Having knockaeaSeeed
ceived no- answer, he and another mall, Yill');_"4,1,:ollt/
to come past at the time, opened the door, Whioeu.L.. bodice
on the latch, and were harrer-struck at seei% .1,11:of the
of the farmer and his wife lying in tho iuwat'd by the
room on a-pile of burning straw and favot-wo
flames of which they were half consuma The e'botli
nation of the bodies proved that they had
killed. by blows from some heavy instrument/el-e.
ill!
derer afterwards making the fire to conceal the°
ellou'f
cupboard bad ;been broken open for the4p
purpose
Ste?d.
ed
bery; as several coins were found droppo 210_he
Suspicion , fell on a man named Vinson, " 1,0 fro;
near the house, and was the terror of the phis hos,
his. bad character. He' was arrested, and
v°h_i which
being searched, several things were disco hesl7,
Confirtned,_,,the • ed:
iron bar was found, which had been recent'''. P__lf-Yoki.
out
first entertain
to ,remove stains, and some articles of el tnl,-,4 siot
bore marks of blood. There was also foall,(1.0t
200 f., for the' possession of which he couT.nued that;
factorily account, 'and •- it was also asceri.72of too •
on the day after the murder he had gi!,',,,n„d piaotitig
woman whom he wasabout to marry, and
been pbe
huissier named 011 ires Which bauthe critl'; of
since,:lBs7.- Vinson, _ vrhe did not • deny ,he ho five
.had committed, stated that he had gone to to recvol
Moulineau in the evening• by' apPoln tnifeen,ta hie3'3teet
2001., which the latter had promised to rder to pro hie
taken an ion bar with him in
himself in case the should have been. u°_tetftstaelt?olikpeeP.
,waynhome. • Monliiaeau,' however, lead
-his promise, saying that his wife_ objecniLevii7, royeut
pate, having arisen, he had,; in a w° haviugyertliec
committed. the murder, admittedturned a
and
ho
467 f. from the caPheard. The jug. I.,,tfiticeel
.0 guilty, guilty, without- extenuating: cireuwe
was, condemned to death,