The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-11 00:00:00

THE bti-N, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, MARCH 11, 1864.

TEE ALEXANDRA CASE.

HOUSE OF LORDS-THIS DAY.

THE ALEXANDRA C►_SE-APPEAL-TIiE QUEEN V. SELLEM
AND OTHERS CLAIMING THE ALEXANDRA.

This ease came before the House of Lords on appeal this
morning. There were present the Lord Chancellor, Lord
Wensleydale, Lord Kingadown, Lord Cranworth, Lord St.
Leonards, and Lord Chelmsford.

The Attorney-General opened the case on the part of the
Crown. Ho said this was an appeal from a judgment of
the Court of Exchequer Chamber. An appeal from a de-
cision in the Court of Exchequer was made to the Court of
Exchequer Chamber; but their lordships dismissed the
appeal on the ground of incompetence. The Alexandra was
seized in April, 1863, under the Foreign Enlistment Act.
The case came before a special jury in the Court of Exche-
quer in 1863, when a verdict was found for the defendants.
The Crown then proposed to tender a bill of exceptions, and
it was arranged that there should be no difficulty in settling
the terms. However, when Michaelmas term arrived, no
bill of exceptions had been settled, and it was thought
better that a new trial should be moved for, in order that
the whole matter might be brought before the Court of
Appeal. Their lordships had now to decide whether the
rules of the Court of Exchequer, en which the appeal was
dismissed by the Court of Appeal as being ultra wires, were
properly made. If so, the refusal of the Exchequer Cham-
ber to hear the appeal on the part of the Crown was clearly
wrong. The learned Attorney-General proceeded to read
and comment on these rules, and to show how the Com-
mon Law Procedure Act bore upon the question. He cor-
roborated the objections urged by Sir Hugh Cairns on the
part of the defendants in the Court of Exchequer Chamber,
and held that the process and mode of procedure in dealing
with matters on the revenue side otthe Court of Exchequer
meant the entire procedure in snits commenced on the
revenue side of the Court from beginning to end. He next
proceeded to contend that the Queen's Remembrancer's Act
and the Common Law Procedure Art obviously contem-
plated an appeal in error. He dwelt particularly on the
126th clause of the Common Law Procedure Act for that
purpose, and on the fact that by th) 228th dense of the
Common Law Procedure Act it was provided that it
should be lawful to her Majesty, by Order in Council,
from time to time, to direct that all or any part of the pro-
visions of the Act should apply to all or any court or courts
of record in England and Wales.

The learned gentleman was proceeding with the argu-
ment when we went to press.

The feeling of their lordships seems to be decidedly
against the Attorney-General's view of the case.

LAW INTELLIGENCE—This Day.

COURT OF DIVORCE.
CARSTAIRS V. CARSTAIRS, BILLSON, AND BIGG.
(Before the Judge-Ordinary and a Common Jury.
This was a petition presented by the husband, a com-
mercial traveller, residing at West Mailing, on the ground
of adultery committed by his wife with the co-respondents,
who were brewers. All the defendants denied the allega-
tions in the petition, and recriminated the charge.
The parties were married in 1850.

Mr. Howe, landlord of the Bull Inn, West Mailing,
stated that Mr. Dickinson and Mrs, Carstairs had been at
his establishment together.
Henry Ware, formerly a pantry boy at the Bull from
1861 to 1863, stated that he recollected Mr. Dickinson and
Mrs. Carstairs visiting the place several occasions, when
they sometimes had a private room. The gentleman used
to call the lady Ellen.

Lewis Trumpoll, a fly-driver proved conveying the re-
spondent to Staplehuret with the co-respondent,
Laura Lynch, a female domestic servant at the Bull, said
she had frequently seen the respondent in Biggs' as well as
Dickinson's.

Two other witnesses, one of wham was a discharged
policeman, said ho had seen Mr. Dickinson and Mrs. Cal..
stairs together in a field. Dickinson havicg his arm round
the female's waist.
Eliza Bowsher had also seen Mrs. Carstaira with Dickin-
son. She had threatened to tell Mr. Caratairs, and Dicken-
son promised her brandy and water not to do so. This
witness spoke to the alleged act of adultery with Ellison.
In cross-examination she said she was a single woman
and a dressmaker. She had had an illegitimate child, of
which Cole was the father.

Walter Cole corroborated the last witness with respect to
his position. He had seen Mrs. Carstairs with Billson.

Several other witnesses having been examined,
The jury retired for about 20 minutes and found a ver-
dict that the respondent had committed adultery with
Dickinson, but that the charge against the other co-re-
slondents was not proved.

The Court then made a decree nisi with costs, and re-
fused to grant the co-respondents, Billson and 13iggs, their
costs.

coußr OF BANKRUPTCY.
(More Mr. Commissioner Goulburn.)
IN RE G. C. PEARSON.

This was an adjourned meeting for order of discharge.
The case has been before the Court on several occasions
and fully discussed.

Mr. Bagley opposed on behalf of Messrs. Pearce, Howe,
and Howe, bankers, of Hull; and Mr, Broderick, a wine
merchant of the same place.
Mr. Lewis contended that the bankrupt was entitled to
his discharge.

His Honour said he would take time to look through all
the evidence before giving judgment.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE—This s Day.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

OPENING OF THE NEW COURT.—Thanks to the magis-
trates presiding at this court (Messrs. Tyrwhitt and
Knox) the old building in which the police business of
the district has hitherto been carried on has been aban-
doned, and this morning Mr. Knox opened the new court
—a handsome structure, erected on the ground which in
former days was the courtyard of the premises in Marl.
borough-street. Before mentioning some of the advan-
tages of the new bulling, it may not be oat of plate to
allude to a few of the disadvantages of the old one. It
was upstairs (a great fault in itself), there being a stair •
case common to all, the system of ventilation was so bad that
persons attending the court had either to submit to the chance
of being poisoned by foul air or catching a severe cold, as its
construction was such that there was no accommodation
for any one, and at times the greatest confusion unavoidably
prevailed in consequence of profesSional men, complainants,
defendants, and witnesses, all being jumbled amongst those
only attending from curiosity. In the new building great
attention has been paid to the accommodation of everybody.
There is a box set apart for counsel, and seats
on duty. The ventilation and warming of the court
ex-
clusively for attorney
has been admirably effected b
attorneys, witnesses, and the police inspec-
tors.l7 means of shafts. A furnace
of ample dimensions being used for the purpose of
supplying the warm air. The building is lighted by
a lantern roof, and when necessary by depending gas
branches with star burners, similar to those in use at St.
James's Hall. The fittings are of oak and varnished deal,
and have a very neat and tasteful effect. All the offices are
attached to the court, and not as before in diffarent parts of
the building. Great credit is due to Mr. Charles Reeves,
the work has been carried.
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