The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-27 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENIAG: SEPTEMBER 27, 180.

up the Bettws Garvon valley, was passed last ses-
sion. Negotiations were pending with the London
and North-Western Company for the working of
the line. The guaranteed interest of 4 per cent. per
annum on the paid-up capital had been duly paid
by the contractor to the 30th of June last.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the
report, said that within the last few days he had in-
spected the line, and was well satisfied with the pro-
gress of the works. He thought it would be one of
the most substantial lines ever made. The embank-
ment was formed almost entirely of the large
boulder stones found in the locality. By the ex-
tension of the line through the town of Carnarvon,
and its junction with the London and North-Wes-
tern Railway, combined with the cordial co-opera-
tion of the residents in the locality, there was a cer-
tainty of the undertaking becoming highly remune-
rative.

Mr. WILSON seconded the motion, which was
adopted, and the proceedings terminated.

NEWRY AND GREENORE.

The half-yearly meeting of this company was
held yesterday at the London Coffee-house, Lud-
gate-hill ; Mr. 0 verend in the chair.
The report stated that the bill of last session had
passed without a contest, the Dundalk and Greenore
Railway Company having withdrawn all opposition
on certain clauses being inserted in the bill. By this
powers were obtained to raise additional capital for
the pier at Greenore. The interest of occupiers
along the line was settled, and £1,914 paid to them.
The contract for the tunnel at Carlingford had been
let, and the works were now in active operation.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the
report, said he was at Carlingford last week, and
was quite satisfied with the works.

Mr. PARKER, in seconding the motion, said the
line would afford an outlet at Greenore for thenorth
of Ireland traffic. The Great Western, who ran
trains to Birkenhead, had never yet been 'able to
develope their traffic properly for want of such an
outlet. The running of the line of steamers between
Greenore and Birkenhead would give them that
facility.
The report was adopted, and a vote of thanks to
the Chairman concluded the proceedings.

claimant, or gave greater facilities to effect his re-
gistration ? He thought the act had the opposite
effect, and that this piece of legislation was a great
mistake.

The Revising Barrister—ln that I agree.
Mr. James—There was no new power given to
the revising barrister ; there were no means of in-
quiring into the claimant's right except through this
court, and the court could only be set in motion to
make that inquiry by the objection. If this course
was to be pursued, there would come on the register
a host of claims, and the agents would be afraid to
object, not only on account of the expense, but of
the disgrace which seemed to attach to making
frivolous or groundless objections.
The Revising Barrister at great length gave the
grounds on which he based his decision, which was,
that he was bound to give costs to the amount of
their actual expenses to the new claimants, but he
would further consider the question.

saw the prisoner in custody on the Ist July in the present
year, with another woman, for picking pockets in an omni _
bus, and she was sentenced by the Lord Mayor to six
weeks' imprisonment. He had known her on and off for
about four years, and had followed her into as many as six
or eight omnibuses in a day in Oxford-street, the Strand,
to Westminster Abbey, and several places.
Mr. Payne said ho would not sentence her to penal ser-
vitude then, but she would have that the next time she
came. The sentence on her was 18 months' imprisonment
and hard labour.

Prisoner—Why not hang me at once ?
She was then removed.

The Revolt of the Portsea Guardians.

A few days ago we gave some account of a singular dis-
agreement between the Poor-law Board and the Guardians
of the Portsea Island union, comprising the parishes of
Portsmouth and Portsea, For many years past it has been
the practices of the guardians at their fortnightly meetings
to adjourn for tea about 5 o'clock, the public business gene-
rally occupying their attention some four or five hours; 14
out of the 21 guardians have been the average attendance
at tea, and the character of the meal may be inferred from
the fact that the cost per head has not exceeded 21d. or
2d., and that the entire cost per quarter has never been £3.
This sum has for many years been paid out of the funds of
the union, although not without remonstrance on the part
of the Poor-law Board. At the meeting of the guardians
on Wednesday fortnight a letter was read from the cen-
tral authority. in which it was certified that the item was
again disallowed, and the rebellion then commenced. It
was argued by several of them that the strictest economy
had been observed, for they had had nothing with them tea
but bread and butter, and that after spending four or five
hours in the discharge of public business such slight
refreshment ought not to be objected to. The Chairman
(Mr. J. F. Pratt declared that he would be taken before
the magistrates rather than pay the money they had been
surcharged, and announced that he had made up his mind
not to attend the Board again unless the same were allowed.
At the close of the discussion it was unanimously resolved
" That the Poor-law Board, having refused to allow the
Guardians to take tea at their meetings, and having sur-
charged certain members of the Board with the amount,
the members of the Board positively refuse to attend any
future meetings to administer the poor law until the Poor-
law Board withdraw their opposition thereto." The Guar-
dians present attached their signatures to the resolution,
which was duly forwarded to the Poor-law Board. A
reply was shortly afterwards received from London,
signed " Enfield, secretary," in which it was stated that if
an auditor considers any expenditure which may appear
in the accounts submitted to him to be illegal, he is
compelled to disallow them, and that if the Poor-law
Board, on appeal, should be of opinion that the audi-
tor was right, they were bound to confirm his de-
cision, having no power to issue any order or regulation
which would make such illegal expenditure lawful. But
they also intimated that if the Guardians were not satisfied
with this decision, they had the right of appeal to the Court
of Queen's Bench, through any Guardian who might have
been surcharged, and that it was competent for the court
to order the costs of the persons prosecuting the certiorari
to be paid by the union. A private meeting of the Guar-
dians was subsequently held, at which 12 members signed
their resignations, and it was understood amongst the body
that no more duty should be performed until there were
some satisfactory adjustment of the question. The conse-
quence was that on Wednesday last not a single member of
the Board was present, and the clerk, the governor of the
union-house, and the relieving officers were the only per-
sons in possession of the Boardroom. The clerk stated that
it would be his duty to notify to the Poor-law Board how
matters stood, and he advised the relieving officers also to
write to that board for instructicns with regard to the out-
door relief. Fortunately, the out-door relief on this day was
unusually light ; but no cheques were signed, and on Thurs-
day the relieving officers were unable to administer any
pecuniary relief to the poor, who clamoured at their doors.
Several of the Guardians were visited with a like result, and
as the Guardians began to see the consequences of their act,
several met during the morning at the offices of the clerk,
and signed cheques for the dispension of outdoor relief.
The fact of the revolt was communicated to the Poor-law
Board on Wednesday night, and a letter has since been re-
ceived from that body, in which they point out to the
Guardians that they have no power to resign, and remind
or rather inform them of the severe penalty to which they
will render themselves liable if their conduct involves
serious consequences to any of the recipients of poor-law
relief. Thursday was the day appointed for the acceptance
of what are called "the long contracts," for the supply of
provisions to the union workhouse for the ensuing quarter,
and of clothing for the half-year. But the Guardians again
absented themselves and no contracts were taken. To-
morrow the old contracts will be at an end, and unless the
Guardians change their determination, or the Governor
accept the contracts on his own responsibility, the latter
will be in the awkward position of having about 1,500
persons to feed and clothe, without having either food or
raiment at his disposal.—Manchester Guardian.