The Sun.
London, England, 1849-02-24 00:00:00

ITALY.

The Grand Duke of TUSCANY is still at St. Stefano,
detained there, it is said, by ill health. The English
ships of war are still in the roads, and it is said the
GRAND Dims will embark when his health shall be
sufficiently re-established,
Attempts had been made by the reactionary party
to create disturbances at Empoli and at Castelfranco,
but they had been suppressed by the National Guard.
The Peasiero Italian. of Genoa, of the 17th, states
that the Sardinian steamer Virgilio has been sent to
Porto San Stephano upon a mission to the Grand
Duke of TMANY.

The Constituent Assembly of Rome have unani-
mously passed a decree conferring the rights of a
Roman citisen on Gutsmil Meaux', and inviting
him to the Eternal City.
The Roman Minister of War, CAUraLLO, has an-
nounced to th• Assembly that during the last two
months he has organised a militia of 36,000 men, and
that the regular army of the State amounts to 28,000
men, with six batteries of artillery of eight pieces each.
The representative of Hungary at the Court of
Turin published an addreis to the people thanking
them for the demonstrations of respect they, had ex-
hibited towards him. He says that Italy and Hun-
gary should form and alliance, of which the first con-
dition should be the expulsion of the Austrians from
their respective countries.
The Constituente Baliana, of Feb. 16, says it is con-
firmed that the Sicilian question is settled. The con-
ditions laid down by the mediating powers are, Ist, a
separate Parliament ; 2d, a Viceroy, being a member
of the Bourbon family; and 3d, a mixed garrison.
We do not attach much credit to this last state-
ment of the Condituente Italiana, neither do we think
that Sicily would accept of such a settlement.
Accounts from Naples state that one of the liberal
Deputies, named blazziorri, had been poignarded,
and that before his death he declared that he recog.
nixed among his murderers two officers of the police-

QUEEN'S BENCH.-(THIS DAY).
(Sittings in Nisi Prius at Guildhall, before Mr. Justice ERS.II
and a Special Jury.)
THE WEST CORNWALL RAILWAY V. MOWATT,

This was an action brought by the West Cornwall Railway
Company, to recover from Mr. Mowatt, M.P. for Dart-
mouth, 10,0001., the amount of deposits alleged to be
due in respect of upwards of 4,500 shares which
the defendant had agreed to take up in that com-
pany. It appeared that Mr. Mowatt agreed to take on all
the unappropriated shares of the company amounting to
4,935, and to pay the deposits of the same on various con-
ditions, the principal of which were that he should become
the chairman of the company, be empowered to introduce a
certain number of directors, and generally to have the con-
trol and management of the undertaking. The Hon. Gentle-
man deposited securities with the bankers of the company and
the Whole mat ter was in a fair way of being amicably arranged
when a rupture ensued. Some of the directors became
dissatisfied, and the secretary resigned. He had bound him-
self to complete an agreement to the above effect before Au-
gust, 1847, it having been entered into in the preceding July.
Mr. Mowatt declined to complete the agreement under these
circumstances, on the ground that the railway company would
not perform their part of the contract. Proceedings were
taken against Mr. Mowatt in the Court of Chancery, and the
Vice-Chancellor directed that the matter in issue should be
referred to one of the common law courts, it being,
in his opinion, a matter peculiarly within their
decision. The facts were not disputed by either side,
and indeed the Attorney-General and Mr. Martin, for the
defendants; and Sir Frederick Thesiger and Mr. Crowder,
for the plaintiffs, admitted that the question was one of law
—namely, whether the registration of the shares in the
name of the defendant (which it appeared had been done),
and the proprietorship of them by him, was void in conse-
quence of the non-completion of the instrument.
After considerable disCussion, a special verdict was taken
for the plaintiff, the whole facts being reserved for the con-
sideration and decision of the full Court.

EXCHEQUER.-(THIS DAY.)
(Sittings at Nisi Prias at Guildhall before the Cunt. BARON
and a Special Jury.)
CORBETT V. SIR GEORGE GREY AND ANOTHER.

This action was brought by William Cobbett against Sir
George Grey, Bart., the Secretary of State for the Home
Department and Captain Hudsiin to recover damages for an
alleged illegal detainment in the. criminal part of the Queen's
Bench prison. The damages were laid at 6001.
Mr. Newton and Mr. Cbarnock appeared for the plaintiff,
and the Attorney-General, Mr.:M. D. Hill, and Mr. Weleby
for Sir George Grey and the other defendant.
It appeared from the statement of Mr. Newton that Mr.
Cobbett, then being an inmate in the prison, was removed
from the debtoreside, class No. 2, on the 24th of December,
1847, to class No. I, which was the part appropriated for the
confinement of fraudulent debtors and bankrupts. He con-
tinued to remain there until the month of February follow-
ing, when he was removed back again to class No. 2.
The only question was whether that removal was necessary
in order to carry into effect the rules of the prison, as sanc-
tioned by the Secretary of the Home Department, and then
in legal existence. The learned counsel described the debtor
side as having a fine esplanade for the exercise of the
debtors, a racket ground tor their amusement, and many
conveniences, if not luxuries of life. The criminal part,
however, was narrow and inconvenient, the windows were
barred, the atmosphere was exceedingly unwholesome, if
not pestiferous, and th,, inmates of it were subject to the
most rigid rules with respect to diet. If he bad been re-
moved improperly, theretbre, he had a grave ground of
complaint, and was entitled to considerable damages. The
plaintiff, like hundreds of others, had been involved in a
Chancery suit, and an attachment having been issued
against him for coats, which he thought proper to
resist, he was arrested, and had now been confined
nine years. The attachment upon which he had been
deprived of his liberty for that period was only for
411. Upon those grounds it was held that the plaintiff had
a good ground of action.
At the conclusion of the plaintiff's case,
nll oin9ll4lTAX•Wraili ii 4 ed tIT9 1%141 PO* 41 Qpiel".