The Sun.
London, England, 1849-04-17 00:00:00

litle that is not subject to some legal doubt. A
man who has, agreed to sell a field for 3001.
does not know that he has not contracted to spend 5001
in proving his title, while he who has agreed to buy
does not know that he has contracted to spend 5001. in
getting the title appended. England is the only civilized
country requiring a 60 or even a 40 years'
title. In every country but this the transfer
of property was made through a notary's
book in every country, but the land is transferred in the
same way as stock. He had in his hand a return
very indicative of the condition into which agricul-
ture was rapidly falling in Ireland ; this was a re-
turn from some extensive lime quarries in one of
the most flourishing agricultural districts in Ire-
land. These quarries were situated in the county.
of Kilkenny. In 1845 these quarries sold 0 223
barrels of lime, but since then there had been
a gradual diminution in the rates in every
successful year, and in the last year, 1818, they
had fallen to 24,793 barrels. He could not state
to the House a fact which established more clearly
than this how rapidly the agricultural interest of Ireland
was falling. It might be thought an exaggeration, but
nevertheless it was true that twenty years was not an
unusual period for suits in the Irish Court of
Chancery to extend to when they related to
the sale or transfer of landed property.—(Hear.)
All the cases he had referred to were in the Court of
Chancery; but he would now mention one in the Court
of Exchequer. He had not selected any exceptionable
instance; he had taken tin m indiscriminately from a large
number of cases which had conie uud.r his own personal
observation. If it had been necessary he could have
placed before the House instances delay, and of the evils
arising from the present system, far greater than any
which he had yet aduticed. The case to which he wished
to refer was that of Power v. Power, in which
the amount paid to the lawyers was 7,0001, being at the
rate of 62 per cent. upen the yearly income of the pro-
perty which was tue subject matter of litigation.
That no one instance of the enormous taxation
which the present legal system imposed upon landed
proprietors, and he was satisfied that no practical move-
ment could be originated more calculated to enhance the
value of landed possessions, and more calculated to do
away with this legal nuisance than a measure to facili-
tate an effizacious and speedy transfer of property
In Ireland. It cost the receiver in one instance no

less than 2081. to
,evict a tenant who owed 521. for rent,
and to obtain possession of his farm. He would only
now trouble the House with an instance of the sacrifice
endured by a landowner who instituted what
was called an " amicable suit," which was instituted
generally at the suit of a friendly creditor, in.
order ' to enable the inheritor to pay his debts.
There were twenty-three answers. In the course of na-
ture a defendant occasionally died, and on the death of
a defendant, however amicably disposed his representa-
tives might be, a bill of revivor and supplement became
necessary. There was a "decree to account" obtained
three years after the institution of the suit,
which must have been prosecuted in perfect
good faith and with great energy. Nothing but the
most extraordinary energy on the part of the profes-
sional men engaged in that proceediag could have ob-
tained a "decree to account" in three years after the
filing of the original Bill. There was a decree for a sale
of the property in 1839. A portion of the
estate to pay the debts, amounting to 17,000/.,
was offered for sale in 1839, the same year
as the decree for a sale was pronounced. That portion
was purchased for a sum of about 25,0001., but from the
technical objections made by purchasers great delays
took place in trying to complete the titles. The pur-
chasers availed themselves of all manner of difficulties,
and got out of the sales. The same lands, with the
same title, and with the same conditions of sale, were set
up again in in 1845, but not being then likely from the
fall in the price of land and the "fiables" on the title to
produce enough to pay the debts, additional lands were
added, and a sale affected at a loss of 27 per cent.
—(Hear, hear.) Ascording to the practice and usage
of the court the purchaser was compelled to lodge
one-fourth of the purchase-money to abide the struggle
and conflicts which imposed in many cases an objection.
able and defective title on him ; and in this instance
the investment amounted to 22,0001. odd when
the estate came to be sold for the purpo.e of
distributing the purchase-money among the parties
entitled to it only produced 19,6001. If they lot. ger
entrusted the Court of Chancery with the administration
of encumbered estates he had no hesitation in saying
that great injustice would be done to the mort-
gagor, the tenant, and all persons who had
an interest in these estates. As the Solicitor-General
intended to introduce a measure to modify the Act of last
session, which bad given general dissattisfaction, he
would meation a few facts with respect to the working
of that measure. He referred to the case of " Gold-
smith v. Glengall," entitled " An Irish Cre-
ditor's . Suit," in which there were no less
than 180 defendants. An attempt was made to
make the whole of the suits which arose in the
cause depend upon the issue of the first. The
Master of the Rolls in giving judgment, said he was
there to administer the law as it stood. He (the
Master of the Rolls) had prepared a Bill,
which would have reduced the defendants to two
or three; but his measure was not adopted, and this he
added was the way the opinions of practical men were
set aside, and that of English conveyances adopted in
their stead.

[LEFT SPEARING.]

THE EXLTEit POST-OFFICE

ROBBERY,

The convicts Poole, Nightingale, and Harrap,with some
others, were sent off in custody from the Exeter gaol on
Tuesday night to London. Poole and Nightingale declared
that they were innocent to the last; but Harrap made
the following confession to the chaplain:—
" Exeter City Prison, April 5, 1849.
" Rev. Sir,—According to promise, and from a firm
and steadfast resolution of amending my future course
of life, and as the only means of obtaining that peace of
mind which is the necessary accompaniment of every
penitent sinner, I have written you a full explanation of
the unfortunate event that occurred on the 25th of March,
1847—namely, the loss of a parcel from Plymouth to
Exeter, for Torquay, containing 60 51. notes of the Bank
of England, the suspicion of stealing which, unfortu-
nately,
tell on Mr. Edwin Hyett, at that time a clerk
in the Exeter Post-office, and his brothers as accesso-
ries. I (Samuel Harrap), late letter-carrier, hereby
acknowledge my self to be the only and actual transgres-
sor. The said parcel arrived safe to Exeter on the
evening of the 25th of Mach, 1847, by the up Ply•
mouth mail, and by accident was thrown into the basket
with the newspapers that was my duty to sort in com-
pany with Smeath, another letter carrier, since dead,
God rest his soul, I hope, and who I firmly believe to have
been a strictly honest man. Not being able to withstand
the temptation, I took it, supposing it then, from its
softness, to contain some kind of ladies' work, but to my
great astonishment, on opening it, I found it to contain,
as aforesaid, 60 54 notes. Not knowing what do with
them for fear, I hid them for a short time in the thatch
of a stable that I then rented at Northern• hay, but soon
after, being in want of money, I ventured to exchange
some of them, and at different times and places I ex
changed twelve of them. Shortly alter there was an
outcry of some of the said notes being circulated. This
had su-•h an effect on me that I was ill for some time.
I then told my wife of it, who was entirely ignorant of
it until then, and as you may suppose caused such grief
and sorrow that had been hitherto unknown in my family.
My wife, an affectionate and honest creature, begged of
me to destroy them to prevent further trouble. I yielded
to her entreaties, and I burnt the remaining 48 ; and
would to God I had done so with the whole rather than
to have undergone the anguish of mind I have endured,
or caused such disgrace to fall on the heads of those in-
nocent young men. The above is a true and correct
statement of the unfortunate circumstance, and which
has been upwards of two years hid from the eyes of jus-
tice. Had I been a single man, my distress of mind
could not have prevented me from divulging it before ;
but, sir, you meat, of course, know that, although guilty
of such an offence, I had an affectionate and kind wile,
and my dear little children, the cares and ties of which
naturally prevented ins from so doing ; but having now
my sentence, the jus,ness of which I acknowledge, and
from a wish to appear, although a convict, a man
of some principle in the sight of the citizens of Exeter,
I have here dune what I think it my duty to do in
the sight of God and man, hoping at the same time that
my transgressions will not prejudice the minds of the in-
habitants of Exeter against my wife, or be the means of
refusing her that support which she now stands in need
of for herself and children, she being, I declare, quite in-
nocent of my unjust proceedings. I now beg to say that
I am heartily sorry for my past misconduct, and should it
please God to once more restore me to liberty again, and
to return to the city of Exeter, that I shall yet be aTe
to make some reparation to those whom I have inj ed
or taken from; and also to pay those tradesmen the
balance of their accounts which I owe them, to show
that whatever debts I have co 'tract-el I did not fdo it
without having a view to pay them, and by my uture
conduct to merit the name of an honest man and a
Christian. Sir, wishing you to give this publicity in what
way you may think proper, thanking you for all favours
and kind instruction, with all due respect and submis •
sion, I beg to remain your very obedient and hum de
servant, " SAMUEL HARRAP."

Harrap also stated that he had personally changed all the
twelve notes—three at Wellington, where he bought the
watch, three at Bridgwater, two at Weston Super Mare,
and four at Bristol. The prisoner also expressed a wish
to have a personal interview with Mr. Edwin Hyett,
which was communicated to Mr. Hyett, but he declined
seeing the prisoner —Exeter Gazette.

THE ROBBERY OF FI VE HUNDRED POUNDS.—
Our readers will probably recollect that on this day
three months we gave a detail of the theft or robbery
of the sum of 5001., which was effected in a very dexte-
rious manner from the counter of the Vision Bank,
Ingram• street, on a Saturday, when the bank was more
than usually thronged. The sum carried off consisted of
fivu notes, each fur 1001. Not until the present week
could the slightest clue be found to any part of the
money, when, strange to say, one of the lost, or stolen
notes for 1001. was found to have been lodged in the
savings' bank at Greenock, by a spirit-dealer of that
town, who was not previously known amongst his fellow-
townsmen as havin; at any time of his life been overly
blessed with bank-notes for a largo amount. His name
is Dugald Walker, and there can be mistake as to the
identity of the note, from the peculiarity of a piece of
silk being pasted on the back of it for its better preserva-
tion. He was yesterday (Friday) apprehended in his
place of business, and is now in the hands of the Glas-
gow police for examination as to the rest of the 500/.—
Glasgow Saturday Post.
ROTHAM, KENT, APRIL 15.—Yesterday morn-
ing the wife of Mr. James Fremlin, of the Black Horse,
Stanstead, was confined with three.fine full-grown chil-
uren, two girls and one boy, who, tog(ther with their
na)ther, RrO doing well.