The Sun.
London, England, 1825-07-27 00:00:00

VICE-CHANCELLOR'S COURT, JUT.T 26.

IN THE MATTER OF THE CLOTH-WORKERS' citAnITY,
Mr. 'WIT said, that in this cause it had been referred to the
Master to make a scheme for the appropriation of the funds
arising from a certain estate, at Islington, in the possession of
the cloth-workers' company. The estate in question had been
bequeathed to the company in trust for charitable purposes,
except one part of it, which was given to the company, unbur-
dened with any lien. The object of his present application was
to secure to the company the enjoyment of the estate ; and for
that purpose he wished to have inserted into the order, which
directed the scheme to he drawn up, the words " without pre-
judice to the rights of the company." lie might take this op-
portunity of stating that the Attorney-General, by whom the
information was originally filed, was perfectly satisfied with the
conduct of the company, who, it appeared, had expended in
charitable purposes many hundred pounds snore than were de-
rived from the estate.

AIL PE Arm.: wr ON, on the part of the A ttorney-G enerrl, con-
sented to the application, which the Court granted.

IN THE MATTFR OF THE HAMURTON SCHOOL.

Mr. liAirr moved that the Rev. Wm. Bradley, the master
of the Hamerton School, in Yorkshire, might be at liberty to
inspect certain deeds relative to the charity in the possession of
the trustees, with the view of proving that he was entitled to a
larger salary than he at present received.
Mr. Coo PE it, on the part of the trustees, contended that the
plaintifFhad no right to the inspection of tile documents.
His 110NOUn, however, said, that the plaintiff had an un-
doubted right to inspect the deeds, and therefore granted the
motion.
No other case of the slightest, interest occurred till four
o'clock, when hiti Honour rose, stating that he would take the.
reMaining motions to-morrow.

POLICE INTELLIGtNCE.

IMPORTANT DIFFICULTIES UNDER SIR THOS.

PLOMER'S ACT.

GUI I.DITALL.—The public cannot be too often reminded of
the peculiar and important .restrictions contained in the statute
generally known by the name of :Sir Thomas Plomer's Act,
with respect to the misapplication Of bills of exchange, &c., by
persons to whom they may have been entrusted for any specific
purpose. A rase of this description, and which exhibits the
total want of the necessary information uPon this subject, oc-
curred at this office yesterday, before the 'Sitting Magistrate,
Mr. Alderman BRIDGES.

A tradesman of respectability applied to the Alderman for
his interference or assistance under the following circumstances:
He had, he said, a short time since delivered a bill of exchange
to a friend of his to get discounted for him, and on applying to
him subsequently, to know if lie had succeeded, was informed
by him that he had put it into the hands of a third person for
the desired
,purpose, and who now detained it as a set-ofFagainst,
a private debt due from his friend. ,Whether this story was
true or not he (the applicant) had no positive knowledge; and
the object of his application to the Magistrate was, that the
friend to whom he 'had originally entrusted the bill should in
some way or other be brought before him, as the first step
towards the recovery of the property, for, as. yet, he had neither
been able to obtain the bill or the value for it.

Mr. Beresford, the chief clerk, asked if the applicant at the
time of delivering his bill to his friend had given him instruc.;
tions in writing as to the purpose for which it was so delivered,
the statute requiring that there should be a written order ?
The applicant replied that he had not : his instructions being
merely verbal, to get it discounted.
Mr. Beresford then inquired what profession his friend fol-
.lowed, and was answered that of a pawnbroker.
Mr., Beresfird said, he feared it was not within the authority
of the Magistrate to render him any assistance !miler such cir-
cumstances; for even if he bad complied with the law by de-
livering at the same time with the bill an order•or statement
in writing, expressing the special purpose' for which the bill
was so delivered, yet his friend did not come within the de-
scription of persons enumerated as amenable to the act; who
were only bankers, merchants; brokers, attornies, or agents.
Mr. Alderman BTLIDGES said, that with that explanation of
the statute, he could only regret that it was -not in his power to
render him any assistance.
A case, however, of a somewhat similar nature, occurred a
day or two ago at this office, in which the Magistrate, Mr. Al-
derman SAtivse, by a.fittle extra-jUdicial .interference,
had the satisfaction of bringing abort an accommodation, which
terminated in the giving up a bill of exchange for 661., which
had been detained by a wholesale silkman 'in. the' city, having
come into his handy from a person who *was very consi-
derably indebted to him, although, as in the instance we
have above stated, the party in whose hands the bill happened
to be had no personal right or -intermit respecting it. On the
application to the Magistrate, -he issued his summons to the
party to show cause why he unlawfully detained the bill. 'This
summons was obeyed ; each party was attended with his soli-
citor; and the Learned Gentlemen, after a short conversation,
in which the facts were mutually explained, disinterestedly
agreed to save their clients the trouble and expence of an action
of trover (the only method by which, it seems, the bill could
legally be recovered) ; and on the transient owner of, the bill,
as well as the real owner of it, being sworn and examibed rela-
tive to their possession of it, the silkman was satisfied, and de-
livered up the bill to thegentleman who made the application.
Although the investigation of the whole business did not oc-
cupy the %worthy Magistrate more than ten minutes, all the
parties expressed their,grateful thanks for his having permitted
this extra-judicial proceeding to take place before him, which
had thus terminated amicably a dispute which would otherwise
have been productive both of great trouble and expence.
Mr. Alderman ,Sairrii replied, that he should be very happy
to devote as many days as this business had occupied-minutes,
if the results should be equally beneficial to the parties or to the
public.