The Sun.
London, England, 1806-06-27 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS, f uwz 26.

The Sittings after Term, at 'Westminster, com-
menced this day. At ten o'clock Lord Chief Justice
MANSFIELD took his seat on the Bench, and beard
Prius trials• until four o'clock, when the Court
was adjourned until Saturday, as his Lordship, *accord-
ing to general usage,
_will sit to-morrow at Guildhall,
in the city.' Two causes were heard, and the follow-
ing only was worthy of notice.

STRINGFIELD V. PAGE.

Serjeant BEST, on the part of the Plaintg stated,
that his. client was a butcher, living in J.Lke-street,
Bloomsbury, and this was an a&ion brought against
She D'efendant, asTreasurer of She St. Giles's Volun-
teers, to recover the sum of 71. the valde of four
buttocks of beef which the Defendant, according to
order, had furnished for the use of the Corps. The
Learned Serjeant then went into a particular state-
ment of the circumstances of the case, and conclud-
ed by saying, that he had no doubt, when the al-
dence he bad to produce was heard, of. obtaining. a
verdia to the amount of the damages laid in the
declaration

*Several witnesses were then called, from Whose
testimony it appeared, that the St. Giles's Volun-
teers, since their institution, were in the habit of
dining together annually, on the 3d 01August,
either at Finchley Common, or at some place within
a'feW miles of town. Preparatory to -this festival,
some time previous to the 3d oflast August; an or-
der was sent to the Plaintiff, who lived in the parish,
to'furnish four prime buttocks of beef, not less than
thirty pounds weight each, salted and dressed, by
the evening of the (..)d of August. The day arrived,
and thebeef was ,sent, according to the direCtions,
to the Orderly-room, at the British Museum ; but
not being to the taste of the St. Giles's Volunteers,
the Plaintiff was required to take it batk again, on
an allegation that it stunk so much it was impossible
it could be eaten. - This desire 'was not complied
with, and the allegation contradicted; but when the
bill was fiznished, Abe Treasurer, who is the nominal
Defendant, refused to, discharge it, and the a6tion
Was brought.
The Plaintiff having closed his case-- •
Serjeant SHEPHERD, for the Defendant, Made an
'able and eloquent defence to' the Court ; in the
course of which he stated, that the evidence of the
Plaintiff was perfedly corre6t, but that he would
rely entirely on the account that would be given of
the state of the beef when sent home, on the even-
ing of the 2d,; and of its progress towards putrefac-
tion till the evening of the 4th, when it became so
very offensive that it was interred. •
Ten or twelve Witnesses were then called, who
all stated, that when the beef was brought home
the outside looked black, and though apparently
dyne to-rags, the inside was quite raw.' One of the
pieces stunk abdminably, and bad several maggots
in it ; two others Were very Much tainted, and the
iburth, though it might have been sweet, yet wit. s
cooked in such a„manner that it could not be used,
and, was buried with the rest, on the 4th of August.

The LORD 'CHIRP JUSTICE, in *slimming up the
evidence, informed the Jury that they, were not only
to consider Whether the beef was tainted, but wlie-

ther, ,'ate such veer, and dressed in .wch.a.,con.nTei
as it should have been according totrie

The Jury, after a few moments coni:kdefat
timed a verdiet, for the D6fendant. .The Court
was crowded, the whole time of the trial from
which circumstance, and the
,thimber:of witnesses
called for the Defendant, it was by many belieVed
that the whole,Coips were summoned to give evi-,
deuce.