The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-06 00:00:00

BENNETT V. GREDLET.-PERSONAL INJURY.

This was an action by the next friend of the plaintiff,
a lad, to recover compensation in damages for an injury
inflicted on him 6y the defendant.
It appeared that the defendant is a baker at Stratford,
near Bow, and the plaintiff, with some other boys, was
playing near his shop, when the defendant violently as-
saulted him, knocking him down, and kicking him in
the abdomen. The poor child's arm was so much in-
jured that it had become permanently stiff.
he4* 10s
The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff—Damages
. 6d .

COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEAL.
EXCHEQUER CHAMBER.
This THE THE QUEEN V. WATTS.
titha.d been previously argued before the five
judg
utmg the court ; but as their lordships did
not agree, it
judges. VMS ordered to be re-argued before the 15
The prisoner, William Mote Watts, was indicted at
the Yorkshire sessions for stealing a piece of paper. It
turned out at trial that it was an agreement entered
into be
building tween
of some hima
and the prosecutor relative to the
that this paper, though
j houses. It was objected at the trial
subject
stamped, was an agreement,
and could not be theeect of larceny, because it was
a chose in action.
The prisoner was found guilty, but
the point was reserved for consideration of this court,
and their lordships were nowcalled upon to decide
whether the document, being
unstamped,i was a chose
of
in action, and not the subject larceny.
Mr. Bliss, on the part of. the prisoner submitted that
was
although the document not stamped, yet it was
such an agreement as amounted to a
chose in action,
and, therefore, the prisoner could not have been guilty
of larceny. Although it was not stamped it mighte have
been at any time on the payment of the usual penalty,
and would thus become a valuable instrumentiThere
was a difficulty in getting the document before the court
as it was unstamped, but it was available for all purposes
out of court, and was a good consideration. He, teseres.
fore, submitted that the conviction could not be sustained.
Mr. Price, on behalf of the prosecution, submitted
that the agreement was at art end, and it could not
therefore be regarded as anything but a simple piece of
paper. He also urged that when the document was
stolen it was unstamped, and thee efore was not a valu-
able security. By stamping it afterwards it would have
been rendered so, but this did not alter the fact, that it
was not stamped,' and was therefore of no value at the
zninte it was taken by the prisoner. He therefore sub
witted that the point taken by the counsel for the pri-
soner could not be sustained, and that the conviction
must be affirmed.
Lord Campbell
was of opinion that the conviction
was Wrong- There could be no doubt that if the
St greement had been stamped, it could not be the

The Blenheim, 60, screw, Captain the Hon. F. T.
Pelham, was taken out of dock yesterday unexpectedly.
Every exertion is being made to complete the repairs
and improvements of this ship to get her ready for
active service. She was placed under the shears to ship
her foremast, and will go to her hulk to take in her
crew and complete in a day or two. Her bottom has
received a double coating of limewash, which is found
a most excellent substitute for the many nostrums in
use for keeping the copper clean.
The Simoom, 18, iron (screw) troopship, Captain
Smith, hauled out of dock into the factory basin last
evening, upon sudden orders. Every available hand
was put upon her, and we believe they worked up to a
very late hour last night upon her to get her ready for
immediate service. 1
The Basilisk, 8, paddle-wheel steam-sloop, Commander
the Hon. F. Egerton, was taken out of the steam basin
yesterday afternoon, and went alongside the hulk Maid-
stone to complete her supply of coal ; an order having
emanated from the Admiralty for all the steamers in the
port to complete their coaling, ready for orders.
The Hecla, 6, paddle-wheel sloop, was commissioned
yesterday morning by Mr. Tucker (who has been for
some time in charge of her), for Mr. Peter Wellington,
Master, R.N., who is appointed to command her for the
special service in the North Seas which we reported on
Saturday. She was taken into the steam-basin dock
last night to have her bottom examined. The officers
who have volunteered for the Hecla as staff compliment,
are Mr. Covey, chief engineer, Mr. Evans, assistant
surgeon, Mr. Swift, first-class assistant engineer, Mr.
Lambert, Mr. Murray, and Mr. Neil, third-class assist- '
ant engineers, Mr. Barlow, clerk in charge, and four
warrant officers.

Master-Commander Wellington went to the Admi-
ralty yesterday morning, and returned last night.
The Fox, 42, Commodore (now Rear-Admiral) Sir
George Lambert, K.C.8., was at Bombay on the 28th
of December, about to be docked, having by some means
or other rubbed some of her copper off, and the worm
had eaten through. She was on her way from Point de
Galle to Bombay when the damage was discovered, and
she made 24 inches of water per hour. . .

The Sprightly steam-vessel, Mr. George Allen, Act-
ing-Master commanding, returned from Plymouth this
afternoon with men.

The Malabar Indiaman sailed from Spithead this
morning for Madras.
A letter from Admiral Corry's squadron, at sea,
states :—" On the 20th we had a trial of sailing by the
wind under all plain sail ; wind unsteady from the N.E.
—force between 3 and 4, with a high swell. The trial
was between the Duke of Wellington, Imperieuse, and
Tribune. After a run by the wind of 15 miles the Tri-
bune gained on the Imperieuse 825 fathoms. The wind
fell light towards the end of the trial. The Duke and
Imperieuse closed each other in opposite tacks, and it
was doubtful whether the latter would weather her noble
competitor. She, however, bore away, and ran to lee-
ward." The Duke is considered by all a most wonder-
ful ship.

PLYMOUTH, FEB. 5.

OFFICIAL VISIT OF ADMIRAL DUNDAS, ONE OP THE
LORDS OF THE ADMIRALTY, TO THIS PORT.—Rear-
Admiral the Hon. R. S. Dundas, accompanied by Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Wesley, assistant adjutant-general of the
Royal Marines, arrived here on Thursday evening last
by express train. Admiral Dundas was received at the
station by the Commander-in-Chief Sir John Ommanney,
with whom he proceeded to the Admiralty-house, where
he dined with a party of officials appointed to meet him.
Among the company present were Major-General Sir
Harry Smith, commander-in-chief of the forces in the
Western district ; Colonel Coryton, Royal Marines ;
Captains the Honourable G. Elliot, of the James Watt ;
Ramsay, Hogue ; Kingcome, St. George ; Sir F.
Nicholson, Pique ; Codrington, Royal George ; Lowe,
Impregnable ; Hall, Bulldog ; Hewlett, Edinburgh ;
Fisher, Magicienne. At eleven o'clock on Friday
morning, the division of Royal Marines under the
command of Colonel Coryton was inspected by Admiral
Dundas, attended by Lieut.-Colonel Wesley. The divi-
sion was drawn up in one continuous column, consisting
of eight companies, and underwent a very minute inspec-
tion by the gallant officer, who was most particular as to
the number of men fit for immediate service. After in-
specting, the battalion, he inspected the undisciplined
recruits, which at present muster strong. He saw the
men at the ship-battery, under Captain Ayles, instructor
of gunnery ; from whence he proceeded to the different
offices, beginning at the adjutants', thence to the pay-
masters' office, the barrack and quartermasters' office,
and next to the divisional pay-office and infirmary. He
also \ isited the barrack-robins. In each and all of the
departments the gallant admiral was most minute in his
inquiries, particularly as to the barrack accommodation,
clothing, and equipments of the men. Havity, finished the
inspection of the division, he saw the detachments under
orders for embarkation in her Majesty's ship James Watt
and Bulldog. Admiral Dundas and Lieut.-Colonel Wesley
afterwards lunched with Colonel Coryton. They left the
barracks about 4 o'clock, and proceeded to the dockyard,
where they were received by Commodore Seymour, who
took them to his office, where the books, &c., were in-
spected. Admiral Dundas visited, yesterday, the dock-
Nard 5
the powder-works at Bull Point ; the Edin-
burgh, Captain Hewlett (where lie remained one
hour); Royal George, 120, Captain Codrington ; James
Watt, 90, Captain the Hon. G. Elliot ; and Thetis, 36,
Captain Kuper. The latter ship was paid down about
an hour after he left. He lunched with Commodore
Seymour in the afternoon, and dined with the Port
Admiral in the evening. He will leave either by this
evening's mail train, or to-morrow morning by the ex-
press train. His visit is understood principally to have
reference to the efficiency of the division of Royal Ma-
rines at this port. In this division there can be inns.'

Captain Inglefield with Mr. Rice, master shipwright,
Mr. Peake and Mr. Large, assistants to the master ship-
wright, and Mr. Atherton, chief engineer at the factory
of Woolwich Dockyard, held a survey of the Phcenix,
screw steam-sloop, yesterday, when they found it would
be requisite to renew about 40 feet of the first false keel
and about 60 feet of the second. Both bows had been
stove, and the quarter had a severo nip, which showed
that the solid nature of the stowage in the hold had saved
her. One rudder is destroyed, and both screws will have
to be replaced by new ones. She is to be materially
strengthened, and doublings are to be added. A party
of artificers and engineers are now employed upon her,
in order to expedite the necessary repairs, as it is desi-
rable that she should leaveWoolwich about a month earlier
than has hitherto been the case with expeditions to
the Arctic regions. A weekly contemporary, professing to
know everything connected with naval affairs, asks the
Admiralty what service is marked out for those hard
bargains, the Lady Franklin and Sophia, now lying, as
he believes, in the Medway, doing nothing. Surely
they might be used on such an occasion, instead of ex-
pending a large sum of money in fitting the Talbot, 22,
at Portsmouth. The Admiralty have the best of reasons
for not employing the Lady Franklin and Sophia, as these
vessels are not " lying in the Medway doing nothing,"
having been sold about this time last year to Captain
Penny, and as was recorded at the time, were taken
round to Woolwich, to have their stores deposited at this
yard put on board, and then handed over to him. Capt.
Penny, and the company with which he is connected,
fitted them at Aberdeen, and they are now in the Arctic
regions with Captain Penny, who went out to form a
colony of Esquimaux, to work the rich plumbago and
copper mines in the vicinity of Lancaster Sound.