The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-20 00:00:00

MADT DRAINAGE WORKS.

Mr. FREEMAN brought up the report from the
main drainage committee, recommending that the
tender of Mr. Tiebster, for the execution of the
southern low level sewer for the sum of £234,000 be
accepted. The recommendation was agreed to.

Mr. FREEMAN moved—" That in the event of
any contractor tendering for a work, and subse-
quently withdrawing such tender, or not furnish-
ing approved sureties for carrying out the work,
no further tender from him be accepted by the
hoard."

After some di3cussion the question was referred
back to the committee.

ADJOURNMENT OP THE BOARD.

On the motion of Mr. SAVAGE, the board ad
journed till the 2d January, 1863.

LAW IN7ELLIGENCE, Dec. 19.

COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH.

(sittinoa 13.ina at. Guildhall before Lord
Uhler Justice Cockburn and bpecial Junco.)
HUDSON T. SIR FREDERICK SLADE, BART., Q.C., AND
OTHERS, BENCHERS AND PORTERS, OF THE MIDDLE
TEMPLE—EXTRAORDINARY SCENE TN THE PARLIAMEN-
TARY CHAMBER.

This was an action brought by Mr. Edward Hud-
son, a gentleman formerly connected with the legal
profession, and lately with joint-stock companies,
to recover compensation in damages for an assault
and false imprisonment inflicted upon him—the f r-
mer in the Parliamentary Chamber of the Middle
Temple, and the latter in the Fleet-street police-
stat ion.

The defendants, who were in court, pleaded Not
Guilty ; further, that the benchers were investigat-
ing charges brought against Mr. Digby Seymour,
barrister and Q.C., at the time in question; that
the plaintiff, who was a witness in the case, had
fraudulently possessed himself of a certain letter-
book, from the contents of which he was being
examined ; and that they used no more violence
than was actually necessary in endeavouring to
regain possession of the book; and, lastly, that as
plaintiff would not give up the book, they gave him
into custody.
The action, which was known to be for some time
pending, and which was part and parcel of the pro-
ceedings, arising out of which Mr. Digby Seymour,
the other day, at Westminster, brought an action
for libel against Mr. Butterworth, the law pub-
lisher, excited great interest in the ranks of the
legal profession, and in the mind of the public, and
the court, as a consequence, was densely crowded.
Mr. Montagu Chambers, Q.C., Mr. Collier, Q.C.,
and Mr. Horace Lloyd appeared as counsel for the
plaintiff; and Mr. Sergeant Shee, Mr. Sergeant
Pigott, and Mr. Field represented and conducted
the case for the defendants.

Mr. Horace Lloyd opened the pleadings.
Mr. Montagu Chambers stated the case, from
which it appeared that the plaintiff, while being
examined by the benchers as a witness in matters
resolving themselves into charges against Mr.
Digby Seymour, in relation to tiffs connection with
minirg and railway companies, and into which
they were in their official capacity inquiring, pos-
sessed himself of a book, from the contents of which
they were examining him. He would show the jury
that tae book was the plaintiff's own property ; that
it was a book containing his private correspondence;
toat the benchers bad got it in their possession in
some mysterious way ; and that Mr. Hudson, on dis-
covering it, possessed himself of it, and said he would
retain it as his property. The learned gentleman
then pointed out and graphically described the man-
ner in which alai ge body of the benchers, aided by a
vigorous porter and other officials, fell upon and
violently assulted Mr. Hudson, whome some of them
seized by the legs, and some by the shoulders
end arms, hoisting him up in the air, feet up, and
head lowered down, with a view of taking the
book by force from him, and in their efforts tear-
ing his clothes and in other respects ill-using him.
He would prove that the benchers repeated the
assault, and that his client suffered three distinct
assaults at their hands. He would also prove
that the defendant (Sir Frederick Slade) took a pro-
minent part in one of those assaults; and that his
c ient was given into the custody of the police,
charged with "stealing ;" was taken on that charge
to the police-station, and there consigned to the
felon's dock, and subjected to false imprisonment,
whilst Mr. Bagshawe, accompanied by Mr. Rod-
well, formally repeated the charge. For those in-
juries Mr. Hudson appealed for redress to a jury,
and he (Mr. Chambers) hoped they would see the
justice of awarding him substantial damages.
The learned gentleman—who occasionally threw
great humour into his descriptions of the manner
in which the benchers figured and acted in "the
scene in the Parliamentary Chamber," and that in
which his client, standing alone, "a host in him-
self," resisted them, and against "the sixteen," and
" the vigorous porter," held and carried off his book
—concluded by calling the plaintiff.
Mr. Edward Hudson, called and examined by
Mr. Collier, said—l am the plaintiff in this action,
and years ago I managed the legal business of
Messrs. Mapleson and Co., but since then I had
nothing to do with the law. I preferred pursuing
other studies. I have been connected with, and
promoter of the Railway Passengers Company, and
also with the Waller Gold Mining Company. I
have been applied to by Mr. King Smith to promote
this last company. I was not originally a director
of the company, nor a member of the first board.
Mr. Digby Seymour was chairman of the first
board, from which, in consequence of some dissatis-
faction of the shareholders, he retired. Upon that,
in April, 1853, I was appointed a director, and I
almost constantly attended at the office. In 1854,
I had a private letter-book. Finding it neces-
sary to write many private letters at the office,
I desired a clerk to purchase some tissue paper,
for which I paid. That paper was made up
into the book now produced. The book was
endorsed, " Private Letter-book, commencing in
the year 1854." That was in the handwriting
of the clerk Louth, who is now dead, and the
book was kept in my private drawer, to which no
one had access. I kept the drawer locked, and I
kept the ke3 in my own possession. No one had
access to the book without my permission. In the
course of the business of the company the book was
never brought before the board. There was another
letter-book—the official letter-book of the company
h had, in gold letters; the name of the eon,.
pany imprinted upon the cover. Into this book I
copied certain letters by the machine that I wrote.
There are some letters in it which were not written
by me, but with my knowledge,upon matters affect-
ing me as well as other persons. There were in this
book thre., letters purporting to have been written
to me by qr. Gowing, the secretary, when I was in
America, 511 t I never received them. Gowing ob-
tained the book from me previous to my going to
America, vit h a request by me that he would write
to me by each mail fully, in the form of a diary,and
to transorbe those letters into the bock. Those
letters (Oa secretary's) were written to me by him,
not as secietary, but as my private friend. None
of those ltters were intended for the board, nor to
be made tie of in a public manner. I resigned the
directorship on the 14th of October, 1855, in conse-
tome difference between me and Mr. D.
qsce
neynninn o
Seymour.
On the 31st March, 1856, Mr. Seymour
resigned he chairmanship of the board, and I
shortly slier resumed my position of director in the
company. I finally ceased to be a director of it in
u
Septerubec 1856. I resigned my office in conse-
quence of some dissatisfaction of the shareholders
with the 4rectors, and since then I have not taken
management of the company, in
anywhich
a t
11,4 the
Icl 1,200 shares. I resigned under rather
peculiar civitustances in consequence of something
that occulred at the board, and in going I left the
ither contents oi my private drawer be-
bhoino and
ldk
ne.
I next saw the book in lull last in the
Parliament chamber of the Middle Temple. There
were in it itaile 1 ereonal allusions to gentlemen which
1 did not Nish ;o transpire ; but, suppressing the
names, I Pare no objection to the publication of
those maters. I first heard of the matters re-
lating
to ligby
Seymour in 1861 from a member
of the benchwith whom I was dining at the Re-
form Club, I subsequently to that met Mr. Digby
Seymour to board a steamer at Nine-elms. This was
in June, 1161. Previous to that I only casually, oc-
casionallym et Mr.
Seymour, with whom I had not
then any itimaey. I had some conversation with
him on thi matters then concerning him, and it was
in consequence of what he then said to me that I
subsequentiy appeared before the bench at his re-
quest —sun, hour the 20th June. It was on the sixth
meeting Oat I first attended before them. I was I
examined k)out Mr. Parker's case, of which I knew