The Sun.
London, England, 1853-09-16 00:00:00

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY-(THIS DAY.)

(Before Mr. Commissioner Goulburn.)
EXTENSIVE MINING FAILURE.-IN RE COLLETT.

This bankrupt was described as of Size-lane, London,
and Bridge-house, Hendon, dealer in stores,t&c., and to-
day was appointed for consideration of his certificate.
The balance-sheet, prepared by Messrs. Harding and
Pullein, Guildhall-chambers, extending from February,
1845, to May, 1853, shows a capital at the former date
of 10,2611. 15s. Bd. Debtor to creditors, 16,1581. 7s. 6d. ;
to ditto holding security, 19,587/. 12s. 9d. ; liabilities,
3,5561. ; profits, 1,3531. Bs. ; profits of farm at Wood-
ford, 6491. ; received as managing director of the British
Alkali Company, 3,2901. ; creditors' liabilities, as per
contra, 2,5561. ; trade expenses, 3101. 13s. ; interest,
1,2731. 12s. ; discount, 5931. 17s. 3d. ; law, 6711. ; per-
sonal, 6,1681. 3s. ; property in the hands of creditors,
11,2571. is. 7d. ; losses, 30,1681. 6s. 10d.
There was no opposition on the part of the assignees.
Mr. Lawrance, for the bankrupt, urged that the
bankruptcy arose from the depreciation in the value of
the mines--that the bankrupt took the shares as a pri-
vate gentleman, and had lost a large fortune.
His Honour took time to consider his decision.
A FANCY TRADE.-IN RE MAY.

This bankrupt was described as of Edgeware-road,
straw-plait manufacturer, and to-day was appointed for
his last examination.

The accounts, prepared by Messrs. Robinson and
Knowles, show debts to the amount of 1,9051. ; trade
expenses, 1,4401. ss. 4d. ; losses, 9381. 17s. 7d. ; pro-
perty given up, 2751.; domestic expenses, 1,2031.105. 7d.
The heavy loss was attributed to the change of fa-
shions, and bankrupt had opened several establishments
in the country, as the London trade fell off, in order to
get rid of the surplus stock.
The bankrupt passed his last examination.

SHERIFFS' COURT.—(THIS DAY.)
(Before M. M. Ryland, Esq.)
AN IMPORTANT CASE-WHATLEY V. GEORGE.

The plaintiff in this action is a tailor, and defendant is
a licensed victualler, keeping the Falcon Tavern, Gough-
square, city, and the action was brought to recover
the sum of 21., for goods supplied under the following
circumstances.

The plaintiff deposed that he received an order for
some clothes for defendant's grandchild, who was re-
siding with him at the time. He received the order
from the child's father, with instructions to leave them
at defendant's house, which he did, and defendant
promised to pay.
Mr. W. B. Davies contended that the plaintiff must
be nonsuited, inasmuch as, under the statute of Frauds,
a verbal agreement to pay the debt of another is not
binding, and it ought to have been reduced into writing.
The learned Deputy Judge held that a verbal promise
to pay was sufficient.
Defendant was examined, and denied having given
the order or making any promise to pay.
His Honour said the plaintiff swore positively, and
therefore an order for payment must be made.
Judgment for the plaintiff.

ROYAL ARTILLERY, WOOLWICH, SEPT. 15. —A fatal
accident occurred yesterday in the garrison here to a gun-
ner and driver, named Mooney, of Captain Edward
Price's company, 7th battalion B field battery. The
deceased was in the act of harnessing his horses to go out
for exercise, when one of them made a fling with his leg,
and struck the gunner on the short ribs immediately
above the right hip joint, and injured him very severely.
He was placed at once on a stretcher, and conveyed to
the Ordnance-hospital, where the surgeons promptly at-
tended his case, but the accident was of so serious a nature
that he died in the course of the afternoon. The autho-
rities lose no time in getting rid of horses when they
become viciously inclined, the horse belonging to the
reserve battery, and the cause of the death of a gunner
recently at the Royal Arsenal, by kicking him on the
head, having been sold in London last week.
THE PASSENGERS ACT.—On the 20th ult. an act was
passed to amend the Passengers Act of 1852, so far as
relates to the passages of natives of Asia or Africa, and
also passages between the Island of Ceylon and certain
parts of the East Indies. By the Passengers Act it is
provided that no ship shall convey a greater number of
passengers than after the rate of one passenger to every
15 superficial feet of the passenger deck, if such ship be
intended to pass within the tropics. The object of this
act is to alter the provision referred to with regard to
the natives of Asia or Africa. The governors of her
Majesty's possessions abroad are empowered to alter the
rate for the conveyance of such passengers. The act
exempts from the operation of the Passengers Act, vessels
carrying passengers between Ceylon and certain parts of
the East Indies.

MELANCHOLY AND FATAL ACCIDENT.—On Wednesday
a melancholy accident happened on the Manchester,
Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway, which resulted in
the death of Mr. Hugh Edwin Strickland, a gentleman
of some literary and scientific attainments, son of Mr.
Henry Eustatius Strickland, and grandson of Sir George
Strickland, of Boynton, Yorkshire. Mr. Strickland ar-
rived at East Retford on Wednesday morning from Hull,
having attended the recent meeting there of the British
Association, of which he was a member, and which closed
its sittings on Monday night. Mr. Strickland was at-
tached to the geological section of the association, and,
in pursuance of his practical investigations in that
science, he proceeded on Wednesday afternoon to exa-
mine the strata of the deep cuttings on each side of the
Clarbrough tunnel, on the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lin-
colnshire line, about four miles distant from Retford.
A little after 4 o'clock a boyat work in the fields observed
him standing between the two lines of rails, near the
mouth of the tunnel on the Gainsborough side, with a
pocket-book in his hand, apparently engaged in making
notes. At this time a coal train was approaching on
the down line, to avoid which he stepped off the " six
feet" on to the up-line, but, unhappily, he did so just
at the moment the Great Northern passenger train was
issuing from the tunnel, and the approach of which he
does not seem to have perceived. The train dashed upon
him, and the next instant he lay a shattered and shape-
less corpse. Information of the disaster was at once
conveyed to the Paetford station, whence an engine and
tender were dispatched for the unfortunate gentleman's
remains. At first these could not be identified, but
ultimately the body was recognised by Mr. J. S. Piercy
as that of Mr. H. E. Strickland, whom Mr. Piercy had
formerly known. His pocket-book contained a pencil
sketch of the strata of the Clarbrough hills, and a me-
morandum as follows :—" Waterstone, at Clarhrough
cutting, between Retford and Gainsborough ; also at
Gainsborough ; also, between Gainsborough and Bly-
ton." The glass and face of his gold watch were
broken, and the hands had stopped at 29 minutes past
4, which was no doubt the exact time when the acci-
dent took place.