The Sun.
London, England, 1852-11-08 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS-(THIS DAY.)

The Speaker took the chair at one o'clock.
The business of the day consisted in the adminis-
tration to the members of the oaths prescribed by
law. For the purpose of swearing in members, the
clerk of the house goes through the list of counties in
alphabetical order, and the members are formed into
groups consisting of numbers as large as can be con-
veniently accommodated at the table.

The swearing in was proceeded with up to four
o'clock, when the House adjourned till to-morrow.

LAW INTELLIGENCE-(THIS DAY.)

QUEEN'S BENCH.
CRIMINAL INFORMATION-CROLL V. TALLIS.

Sir Fred. Thesiger said he was instructed to move for
a rule to show cause why a criminal information should
not bo filed against Mr. John Tallis, printer and pub-
lisher of St. John-square, Smithfield, for a libel which
ho had very extensively circulated against Alexander
Croll, who was ono of the Sheriffs of the City of London,
and joint Sheriff for the county of Middlesex. Mr.
Croll was a very considerable shareholder in the Great
Central Gas Consumers' Company, which was incorpo-
rated by Act of Parliament in 1851. Ire was also en-
gineer to the company,
by a pany, and supplied it with gas which
was
manufactured
process for which he had obtained
co a
patent. It appeared that Mr. Tallis had employed the
company to supply him with gas for some time, but hav-
ing discontinued dealing with the company, an action
was brought against him for the arrears duo by him
for gns, and that action was pending when the
libel was published, and continued to bo so still. Mr. Croll
was elected Sheriff on the 30th of August last, during
bis absence from London; and on the 30th of September
he gave his inauguration dinner at the London Tavern.
He was first made aware of the publication, by a letter
which he received on the 22d of October last, enclosing
the handbill or libel of which he complained. On the
following day he saw an advertisement in the Times
newspaper, beaded, "Important to every gas consumer in
the kingdom,"
and intimating that there might ho had
gratis, at the publisher's, Messrs. Tallis, or on the receipt
of two
postage stamps, an address in reply to one
which had been issued by the Groat Central Gas Con-
sumers' Company, on the 28th September, 1852. Now,
Mr. Croll stated that ho was not aware of any address
having been published by the company, at all reflecting
on Mr. Tallis, and that, therefore, he could neither be
directly nor indirectly, a party to such a production.
The libel in question was very extensively circulated,
and in a form which was likely to make it very attrac-
tive, because it was accompanied by notices of certain
cheap publications which were issued by iSlr. Tallis.
The learned counsel then read portions of the alleged
libel. Alluding to the growing cry of dissatisfaction
among gas consumers, it went on to say that the engineer
of the Great Central Company, who held 125 shares, and
also the directors, began to tremble for their investments,
and that they would have to resort to a little more lying,
boasting, and chicanery, in order to make the increased
cost of their gas, compared with that of other companies,
less gross and apparent. Mention was then made of the
clique of hungry speculators, who had contrived to make
their contractor Sheriff, and of their having
called into aid a Sheriff's dinner, at the
London Tavern, for the purpose of promoting the 'Views
of the company. The article next insinuated that Mr.
Tallis had no chance of a fair trial, as Mr. Croll had
been elected sheriff, because as he was not unacquainted
with the mode of cooking accounts in joint-stock cora-
paniet, it was just possible ho might cook the jury panel.
Loid Campbell—lf there is any charge that Mr. Croll
had cooked accounts, there would bo a good ground for
a rule.
Sir Frederick Thesiger—That is not directly charged

againtt him, but it is insinuated that ho is not unac-
quainted with making fraudulent and deceptiYe accounts,
and tke inference is raised that ho would so utterly dis-
regarl his responsible duties as Sheriff as to unfairly
strike the jury panel.
Letd Campbell—The offloo of Sheriff' is ono of went

responsibility and peril, and of great importance to the
public, and the Court thinks that Mr. Croll is entitled
to the protection of the law. I presume, of course, that
he denies any improper interference with the accounts ?
Sir Frederick Thesiger—So entirely, that he says he
had nothing whatever to do with the accounts, which
are audited by persons appointed by the Corporation of
London.

Lord Campbell—You may have a rule, but this cm
is not to bo taken as a precedent fur the Court inter-
fering iu matters of dispute between shareholders and
directors.
Sir Frederick Thesiger—l can °sly Gay that if this
case had been merely one of that description, we would
not have trespaseed on the Court by making such an
application.
Ilule granted.

The proceedings in the Bail Court, the Court of
Exchequer, and the Court of Common Pleas, this
morning, were entirely devoid of interest except to the
parties concerned. 'The Bail Court only sat two or
three minutes.

FUNERAL OF THEDUKE OF WELLINGTON

(From the Morning Herald.)
We have received the following letter from Vienna.
which accounts for the Austrian Government declin-
ing
to send a general to attend the Duke of Welling-
ton's funeral. Russie, Prussia, the Netherlands,
Spain, Portugal, and llanDver, will depute their most
distinguished officers for that purpose

" VIENNA, Nov. 1.
.4 We believe the Austrian Government will not be
able' to send an officer to carry their Marshal's baton at
the funeral of the Duke of Wellington, for the very con-
clusive reason that the marshals in their service have no
baton. The distinctive mark of their marshals is in the
uniform, to which belongs is cane with a sword-knot to
it, but which the officers get for himself, the Govern-
ment having nothing to do with if. The Emperor and
his army have, however, done so much, both in Vienna
and in all tbeir garrison towns, to mark their respect
for the Duke, that they can baldly regret being deprived
of this opportunity of repeating it, and they will thus
be 'mire from any affront to the Austrian uniform from
tho Austrian refugees now congregated in London—by
a repetition of such scenes as the attack on Marshal
Usynau, or tha ovations of Mons. Kossuth."

A rlbrirr
vanfitlloeifecce on
'D
M.
P.tor Ain
vaepanEelyThilas beFen crUreaEtsedEltin"the directionf of the
the
estprlensedniat
Company by the death of General Caulfield, who expiredraabni(i
again
in 'lrshiuer.sdisAyt.
tTheheladsetceased,
generalw heolehetaido:rtehveioguasili
neednereret aiini
political appointments ill India, was elected ad. several
nem d
returned without opposition for the borough of Abingdon, wase
which he had twice contested beftre
Attorney-Genera', Sir F. Thesiger, onse inwlitBll4,th
in 1847. lle was the seventh son of the Venn;
finding
lei? him
CauAlfiNeoldr,naErclthdEesxcronErioifiKvEilmiotroeß,
ROBBERY
ascloArzin in
all7lB:Bß.AjoNhTn.
—On Saturday, information Wl3 received, of amen
Henry Bell, a Newcastle c ,llier, who had been out
4001.
from
the
diggings in California, and had just rnei'7ed
assayer for the gold dust he had gathered,hapdiub
Cornhill by two of that class of metropolitan
nominated ' magsmen,' who wheedled him stout from plunderers
de-
deprive_, place to
place, and plying him with liquour, eventuaily
of the fruits of his hard labour, the poor dupe
in a brothel in Kent-street, Borough, without a fart' • himself
ling.
FATAL ACCIDENT ON TIIE RIVER.—On Saturday,
a lighterman, named William Bentinck, reSding in Long_--,
lane, Bermondsey, was working the barge Swlt, coal-laden
out of Bugsby's Hole, and was standing •l the gunwale '
amidships, when the wash raised by a pursing steamer
caused the craft to lurch, and the poor man NI overboard
The accident was witnessed by several person°, but no fears
The oar that went down with him speedily rose. rut no more.
was seen of him. Drags were used, but the bsdy was net
recovered. He leaves a wife and four children.
ESCAPE AND RECAPTURE OF A CoNricr. A
convict, named Stephan 'fillet, 19 years of ags,, escaped
from the gang to which he was attached while at work on
board the Cormorant, in the east dock at Woolwich dock.
yard, by putting on some of the shipwrights clothes,
had been laid aside when they were at work, and slipped
away unperceived by the guard, and succeeded in getting
over the dockyard wall at the west end, near the factory
eiaiinney. Sergeant Gill, 28, lt, was passing downthe
Albion-road at the time, and, happening to turn reind hi,
head, he witnessed the convict drop from the top of tit, wall
into the road; but he looked so unlike a convict, dressed as
he was in a good frock coat, thick trousers, and a clot'', cap,
with anchor buttons, that had it not been that Scrieant
Gill witnessed his mode of egress from the yard he night
have passed unnoticed. The convict Tdlett crossed the load
Upper, liarding-street, hut, as it is croNed
North Kent Ralway, there is no thoroughfare, Ind
hie return back through the street he was captured \,y
ba3n,dthweent along
on IS
Sergeant Gill, and when taken to the dockyard, it was sg.
ained that he had not been missed up to
the time le
wasert
brought back to the Cormorant. Stephen Tillett escape! c
before about three months ago and was retaken, and will bl
lioyerely paililhed for W§CEIPiPZ 4 UMW PPM