The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-19 00:00:00

MR. OLIVER'S AFFAIRS.

An attempt is being made on the part of a gentleman
named Evans, a creditor on the estate for about 7,0001.,
to make Mr. Oliver a bankrupt. The trustees under a
deed of assignment, executed on the 7th of October, and
advertised in the Gazette, as required by the statute,
are opposed to the affairs being liquidated in bank-
ruptcy ; but, according to the Bankruptcy Consoldation
Act, the deed is valid if signed by six-sevenths of the
creditors against the minority who do not sign, provided
that no petition in bankruptcy is successfully filed with-
in three months of the date of the deed of assignment.
The three months, in this case, will not expire until the
7th of January next ; and, consequently, an adjudica-
tion may be founded upon this deed of assignment at
any time before that day. With a view, it is supposed,
to prevent an adjudication, the deed has been so
securely deposited that it cannot be found ; and the
object of the private examination of witnesses before Mr.
Commissioner Stevenson, at the Bankruptcy Court, on
Friday and Saturday, was to discover, if possible, where
the deed was placed. With that view, a considerable
number of persons were put under examination ; butt
without, as yet, leading to the discovery of the missing
deed, all the witnesses disclaiming any knowledge
whatever of its place of concealment. The question
therefore arises, whether an act of bankruptcy cannot,
nevertheless, be substantiated against Mr. Oliver. The
result hinges on a point of law upon which the Court,
as yet, has not given its decision, judgment being
postponed until to-morrow. The examinations were
strictly private, greatly to the disappointment of a large
number of gentlemen wbo repaired to the Court
in the expectation of watching the proceedings. The
names of the witnesses have not transpired, but, of
course, in such a case, the trustees and their solici-
tors as the parties entitled to have possession of the
deed must have been the persons examined to account
for its apparent loss. Sir George Stephen, instructed
by Mr. Crosse, is the counsel for the petitioning cre-
ditor. The private examination was resumed yesterday
(Monday), but with no better success. Mr. Commis-
sioner Stevenson will give his judgment on the point
of-law referred to above to-day. If it is favourable
to the application of the creditor, it is presumed that
a petition will be allowed to be filed immediately. The
trustees are opposed to the affairs of Mr. Oliver going
into the Bankruptcy Court, because, they say, the Ame-
rican creditors would seize all the property belonging
to the estate on the other side of the Atlantic, and
that the interests of the English creditors would, there-
fore, be damaged to that extent. On the other hand it
is argued, that while this would no doubt be the case,
the loss would be counterbalanced by striking from the
list of creditors a number of items which, it is alleged,
would not bear the test of scrutiny.

EXPENDITURE FOR THE ARMY, NAVY, &O.—THE WAR
WITH RUSSIA.—From the account of public income and
expenditure issued on Friday, it appears that the expen-
diture in the year ended the 10th October last on ac-
count of the army was 7,060,8821. ; on account of the
navy, 10,057,7691. ss. 10d. ; on account of the ordnance,
3,690,8901. lls. 9d. ; Kafir war, 230,000/., and the
vote of credit ; additional expenses, war with Itunia:
220,000?.