The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-17 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 17, 1849.;

ing animals. Tho proprietor was equally indifferent to
the express order of the Poor-law Commissioners,
Messrs. Tufnell and Hall, limiting the number of chil-
dren both in the school for boys and in that for girls—a
most momentous poin(with such an overcrowded estab-
lishment. I must also state that the proprietor ob-
structed mY~-inquiry by sharply rebuking one of the
under-masters whom I was questioning respecting
the prevalence of premonitory diarrhoea, among the boys.
It is the concurrent opinion of all the five medical
gentlemen who have attended the children that the
epidemic is true Asiatic cholera. All these gentlemen
are acquainted with the disease, and one of them
has had an opportunity of observing it extensively at the
General Hospital of Calcutta. I may also state that my
own experience is entirely in accordance with their
opinion.
I have, in conclusion, to state that the several profes-
sional gentlemen sent to attend the sick, Mr. Popham,
Mr. Bailey, Mr. Penny, and Mr. Phillips, have been
most zealous and earnest in the discharge of their ar-
duous duties; that they have not only acted as medical
men by visiting night and day those actually attacked,
and by sedulously watching over the safety of those still
free from seizure, but they have endeavoured by their
own unceasing exertions to supply the want of nurses by
administering medicines with their own hands and other-
wise attending the patients. I have already noticed the
conduct of the two nurses, Sarah Sellers and Mary
Anne Keith, which is above all praise.
Jan. 8, 1849. B. D. GRAINGER.
Henry Austin. Esq.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
COURT OF QUEENS BENCH, Jan. )6.

(Sittings in Banco, at Westminster, before Lord Chief
Justice Deutnan, Mr. Justice Ptstteson, Mr. Justice
Coleridge, and Mr. Justice Wightman.)
COBBETT V. HUDSON.

This was a demurrer to certain pleas put upon the re-
cord by the defendant, in an action brought against him
by the plaintiff for false imprisonment. The facts of the
case are very generally known to the public. Mr. Cob-
bett, who is son of the late William Cobbett, the poli-
tical writer, has been long a prisoner in the Queen's
prison, under an alleged charge of contempt of Court, in
not answering certain allegations at the suit of Mr. Jesse
Oldfield, executor to his father, the late William Cobbett.
He alleges that he has not been guilty of any contempt;
that he is wrongfully detained by the defendant, Captain
Hudson, who is keeper of the Queen's prison, and has
brought his action against that gentleman for false im-
prisonment. The defendant's case is, that he detains
Mr. Cobbett under authority of a warrant, which trans-
ferred him, with other persons, from the Fleet prison,
where he was then confined, to his custody.
Mr. Cobbett appeared this day in person, under a writ
of habeas, and argued in support of his demurrer.
Mr. Unthank appeared for the defendant.
The Court took time to consider. . _

Lord I)ENMAN, in a communication to the bar, said
that it was desirable, as a general rule, that all motions
for new trials should be made within the last four days
of term, and that the Court would not be acting wisely
in giving sanctio❑ to the practice of deferring such mo-
tions to the fifth day, to which, for various reasons, it
was not desirable to extend the time.

BAIL COURT, Jan. 16.
(Sittings at Nisi Prius—Common Juries.)
THE DERBYSHIRE, STAFFORDSHIRE, AND WORCESTER-
SHIRE JUNCTION RAILWAY COMPANY V. REV. E. WOOD-

LAND.
This was an action to recover 151., being the amount
of a call of 11. per share, on 15 shares held by the de-
fendant in the above company.
Mr. Sergeant Shee and Mr. Bagley were counsel for
the plaintiffs, and Mr. Ball for the defendant.
Evidence was adduced to the effect that the number
of shares mentioned had been allotted to the defendant,
and that the call of 1L per share was duly advertised in
a newspaper and the letter sent.
Mr. BALL argued that the Act of Parliament obtained
by the company provided that 21 days should elapse
before the call could be determined on.
Mr. Justice ERLE remarked that he did not take that
view of the case, as it appeared more time than 21 days
had elapsed from the service of the letter of call to the
time at which the amount claimed was to be paid.
The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiffs for the
full amount.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
WESTMINSTER.
Agreeably with the directions he bad received from
Mr. Broderip, with respect to the frightful case of des-
titution and distress in York-street, Westminster, de-
tailed in The Sun of yesterday, the chief usher of the
Court set about executing the commission entrusted to
him with praiseworthy zeal. Atter unsuccessful appli-
cations at the residences of two of the overseers of St.
John's, who were from home, he at once proceeded to
the abode of wretchedness, and there found that the
landlord had drawn but a feeble picture of the distress-
ing reality. In a noisome attic lay the deceased sufferer
in his clothes as he had expired; by his side his stricken
wife, who was weeping convulsively. She was lying
upon a miserable dirty mattress, and appeared for
acme time unconscious of the chief usher's presence.
She appeared very ill, and articulated feebly ;
and, in reply to an inquiry from the usher,
stated that some time ago they had had a little relief
from the parish, but of late had been reluctant to ap-
ply for any assistance, hoeing that some favourable
change might occur be their circumstances. The whole
of the furniture the attic contaiced consisted of one
broken chair, a form, and an old table, with the mat-
tress before alluded to, upon which the woman was
stretched, without a morsel of rug or bed covering
of any description. Her children, pictures of squalid
misery, were sitting near her. There was no covering
of any description to shield the children from the in-
clemency of the weather, and their whole stock of ap-
parel consisted of the clothes they had on. The usher
learned from the eldest child that they had had no food
of any description on Sunday, and that for some days
previously the only thing that had passed her father's
lips was weak tea or cold water, a small jug of which
was found in the wretched apartment, and there ap-
peared but little doubt that he had died from starvation.
Having given the afflicted woman and children some
food, of which they partook but very sparingly,
the usher proceeded to Mr. Thomas, one of the
relieving officers, who immediately returned with him,
supplied some blankets and a bolster, gave an order for
the doctor to visit the poor woman immediately, and
evincedrderi
p had g
in every
irveesn very
respect the greatest kindness. As Mr.
o
strict directions that the
greatest possible attention should be applied to the case,
the officer visited the poor creatures three times yes-
terday, and found that the poor woman had been insen-
sible during the night, and so extremely ill at one por-
tion of it that it was thought she would have breathed
her last. She, however, rallied slightly in the morning
and during the day. She has been supplied with flan
nels, and such other comforts as the shortness of the
time would permit, and was up to last evening pro-
gressing favourably, but slowly. The deceased and his
wife have been both very well brought up, and the hus-
band, who is described as the son of an eminent solicitor
named Williams, possessed some talent as an author and
artist.