The Sun.
London, England, 1830-01-26 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGINCIL

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS, JAN. 25.
DAVIS V. GARRATT.

This was an action against the defendant 23
owner of a barge, to recover the value of a cargo
of lime, which had been lost in consequence of the
alleged misconduct of the master of the barge. It
appeared on the trial, which took place before the
Lord Chief Justice at the last London sittings, that
the defendant's barge was hired to convey the lime
from the plaintiff's kilns, near Rochester, to Lon-
don ; but the master of the barge, having taken two
passengers, who were supposed to have been smug-
glers, on board, on arriving at the mouth of the
Medway, instead of steering up the river towards
London, took the opposite direction, and proceeded
down the East Swale, and took shelter its a little
port celebrated for smuggling. Here he was de-
layed, as alleged by him, through stress of weather,
for a day and a half, and was then proceeding along
the south and south-east coast of the Isle of Sheppy,
on his course to London, when, owing to the tem-
pestuous state of the weather, the lime becoming
wet, ignited; and both cargo and barge were
burned to the water's edge, the crew having effected
their escape with considerable difficulty. As to the
alleged smuggling part of the transaction, there was
conflicting evidence; but the Jury found a verdict
for the plaintiff for the amount of the damages
claimed.
Mr. Seijeant TADDY now moved to set aside
the verdict, on the ground that it was contrary to
the weight of the evidence, as there had been 110
agreement to bind the barge-master not to deviate
from any particular course, nor to take any passen-
gers on board. The Learned Seijeant also moved
in arrest of judgment, on the ground that the decla-
ration, after alleging that the goods had been deli-
vered to the defendant for carriage to London, aver-
red, by way of inference from that fact, that it was
his duty to carry them in a direct course, which in-
ference was too large to be supported in law by the
premises.
The COURT said that the general question, upon
the facts of the case, had been properly disposed of
by the Jury, but granted a rule to show cause on
the minor point of deviation, and also upon the point
in arrest of judgment.

POLICE INTELLIGIiaNCE.

tANSION-riOUSE.

dir PETER LAURIE, who continues to sit for the
Lord Mayor, observed to Mr. Cope, the Marshal,
who attended at the justice-room, that his Lordship
regretted to learn from the reports in the news-
papers that a charge of negligence had been brought
against the city police. It appeared that Alderman
Wood had said in the Court of Common Council,
in allusion to the conduct of the city police during
the funeral procession of Sir Thomas Lawrence to
St. Paul's, that the streets in the immediate neigh-
bourhood had been most disgracefully neglected, and
that he had not seen in the whole line from Temple-
bar to St. Paul's any officers to restrain the labours
of the pick-pockets, and protect the public. Sir
Peter wished to know whether Mr. Cope, as one
of the directors of the police, had any observations to
make on the subject of the charge.
Mr. Cope had precepted the constables of the se-
veral wards of Castle-baynard, Furringdon-within
and Furringdon-without, through which the proces-
sion had been ordered to pas', and they had all at-
tended in waiting at the various watch-houses. In
conformity with the usual practice, a due regard had
been had to the traffic in the city, but the streets
were all cleared of vehicles of all kinds before the
procession entered the gates.
Sir PETER LAURIE never saw a line of coaches
more regularly kept than that alluded to. For his
own part he did not know at what time Alderman
Wood passed through the street, but when he (Sir
Peter) passed there appeared to have been much
more regularity and order kept at the east than at
the west of Temple-bar. (It appears that Alderman
Wood had instituted a comparison between the con-
duct of the new police and the city police greatly in
favour of the former.) If there were to be reforms
of the police, measured and temperate statements
should be made in bringing charges against those
who now did the duty, and not an attack of sweep-
ing and general nature.
Sir PETER LAURIR said, that the Lord Mayor
had received a letter of thanks from the executors
(as we understood him) of Sir Thomas Lawrence on
the subject.
A man named Page, alias Nicholls, was brought
up charged wtth having broken into two shops in
Sweeting's-alley, and from thence through a wall
into another house and into the cellars, and with
having stolen a quantity of plate, &c.
The prisoner was remanded for further exami-
nation.

SINGULAR OCCURRENCE.—Four very fine
rein-deer, recently landed at Bristol, were being conveyed
in a waggon to the Royal Menagerie, King's_rnews, Char-
ing-cross, far which purpose the front of the waggon was
prepared for them, and they were placed in it securely, as •UILDMALL
;t was thought. On the waggon arriving. at Maidenhead -
on Wednu Mday night, the man who had charge of the animals -r• Showell, the keeper of a farm-house for - lane, Southwark, waited upon Mr.
fed them, and ascertained their safety, but in the morning in
paupers, Bear
when about to unload at the inn in the Old Bailey, he lis-
Alderman COPELAND to meet the complaint of a
covered that one was MiSsigg ; inquiry was made, but in man named Welsh, respecting the dampness of the
vain, and the man returned to Maidenhead in search of it; room in which he was placed, the want of fuel, &c.
in the evening a gentleman, who was aware of the circum- The overseers of St. Andrew's, Holborn, who had
stance, was mentioning it to sonic friends, whea one of placed Welch at this asylum, were also in attendance.
them observed that he had been the means of saving a rein- I The Alderman having caused the minutes of the
deer from being killed that morning. It was found on the paupers to be read,
road by the Reading waggoner, who brought it to town, Mr. Showell said Welch had been in the house
and not knowing its value, was about to kill it. It seems , five weeks,
ng petiod he had not made a
that the animal must have effected it,
escape at Maiden- ;sillgle complaint of the dampness of the room or of
head, and run with great speed towards London ; when
found by the Reading waggoner .it was nearly exhausted, his bed-clothing. He had once asked for some
and he without difficulty placed it in his waggon, and it coals, and was told that if he would sit up so late
actually arrived in London four Lours before the others, ias eleven o'clock at night? and so unnecessarily ex-
,

pend his supply of coals, he must suffer for his folly ;
but more coals were given to him after 'he had been
thus admonished. One day he complained of being
ill, and a nurse and a medical man were sent to him.
It was unnecessary to say more upon the subject, as
the worthy Alderman had himself sent a person
over to inspect the premises on• the same day that
the pauper made his complaint. This person had
questioned the paupers as he pleased, when no party
belonging to the establishment was present to in-
fluence them as to their replies. The pauper had
himself selected the ward he would live in.

Mr. Alderman COPELAND said the complainant's
account of the dampness of the room was much
overcharged, and the quantity of provisions allowed
to the inmates seemed to be ample. He was quite
satisfied with the treatment of the paupers at Mr.
Showell's.
Mr. Showell thanked the Alderman and retired.