The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-29 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

SOUTH YORKSHIRE, DONCASTER, AND GOOLE.—Tbo
South Yorkshire, Doncaster, and Goole Railway direc-
tors have adopted a rule, which is so excellent in princi-
ple, and so satisfactory to the shareholders, that we have
no doubt, when generally known, it will be universally
anclauded, and we wish we could add, universally adopted.
The directors have announced that the books and
balance-sheet of the company for the half-year, will be
open to the inspection of the shareholders fourteen days
before, and one month after the said meeting. The di-
rectors invite investigation, and place every facility at
the command of the shareholders, so that they may be
prepared at the forthcoming meeting to put any question
which they may thick calls for a detailed answer. We
have been astuniLhed to see, that although the share-
holders of this company will soon be in the receipt of
six per cent. on their outlay, that the shares, with 01.
paid, are quoted at 30s. This is but another illustratiokt
of the unfairness of the constitution of the share roar-
ket. The shares are !not to be bought at that price,.
though holders may, if they are silly enough, sells'
many as hey please at the share market quotation.—
Railway Gazette.
EASTERN COUNTIES.—It is confidently repotted that
Mr. Hudson will very shortly resign the chair of Mr.tbis
company, and Mr. Waddington will take his p 1
ace
Veto being called in to take the deputy chairmanship.
as
all,
t i.
in
near
Boswells
but it is bem
from the other companies not being
The dividend, we believe, is not yet settled,
yebtairne„;.—lierapath's
I:eved it will not exceed Gs. per s
Journal. —THE TYR*
BERWICK.
YORK, NEWCASTLE, AND
he the accounts
and Berwick Railway
pletion of the York, Nerwoaw
was let at York on Von-
DOCKS.—The 'contract forast
tie, construction and corn-
Company's Docks at Jarrow
Mr.
Leather, of Levetithorpe
day, and obtained :
understand that Mr. Leather'l4
below 140,0001.
EnrsnunGui that a pilot engine will
North-British
proceed as fat
AND 11 ~
K.— e understand it is de-
illsoriti
arrangeds h lI a i Rail-:
tender
de-
finitively fixed , -
was
somethingss
e f station Aaa w
fev," o f
days.NtVh e
way the
-will be
that the line . opened for traffic to the same
station from Edinburgh on or about the 10th of Feb-
-Kelso Chronicle.ruary.

A VILLAGE DESTROYED -------------
Last BOROUGH, „JAN. 2BY _ F
IRE.—PETER
6. a
OeY'reEiling a fearful catastrophe
befel the picturesque •
in Huntingdon, village of Green-end, near Sawtry,
forty houses, by the destruction by fire of nearly
nearly one-half of the place. About half-,
past seven o'clock, flames were observed issuing from the
premises in the occupation of Mr. Flanders, supposed to
horiginated
ave by a spark falling from the chimney on
the thatched roof. A furious storm existing at the time
scattered the flames to the houses adjacent, which, on
account of being thatched, ignited rapidly, and in an la-
credibly short space of time no fewer than twelve
houses were in a blaze. The bulk of them being tenanted
by poor farming labourers, it was most distressing to
witness the poor creatures rushing about in a state of
almost distraction; most of them, the flames extending
with such velocity from house to house, were unable to
save any portion of their furniture or property. Two
engines were brought to play into the destructive ele-
ment, but were of no avail against the strong wind. The
conflagration still spread its devastation, twenty other
buildings caught, and were as quickly consumed. It was
not checked till nearly twelve o'clock, a large number of
other premises being greatly damaged. Every exertion
was made by the rector and the principal inhabitants to
provide the unfortunate poor creatures who had been
burnt out of their houses, and reduced to a state of desti-
titution, with temporary shelter and relief. A subscrip-
tion has been set on foot for their comfort. The actual
amount of property destroyed is not known.
JENNY LIND.—We announce with great satisfac-
tion that Jenny Lind is engaged for the coming season
at Her Mjesty's Theatre.
The Lord Chancellor has presented the Rev. J.
Planter to the rectory of Vitro,

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
COURT OF CIIANCE.RY, Jan. 27.
THE ROYAL ETCHINGS.
ALEELT V. STRANGE AND JITDCE.
The arguments in this important case were resumed
by Mr. Russell on the Lord Chane, Hoc taking his seat.
Mr. Rolt followed Mr. Russell in support of the
appeal of Mr. Strange from the order of Vice Chancellor
Knight Bruce, refusing to dissolve the injunction granted
against the appellant.
Mr. WARREN, who followed Mr. Rolt, for the appel-
lant Strange, said, that he would confine his argumentsnae
to those points of law applicable to the case, which
within the province of that part of the profession to
which he belonged. The statements in the bill and its
prayer raised questions of great moment respecting the
jurisdiction of courts in respect to the property that a
man had in the labours of his own brain. A parade had
been made that Mr. Strange had submitted to that part
of the injunction restraining the exhibition of the etch-
ings; but the reason that he had so done was, that such
restriction was, as far as he was concerned, non ad rem;
he had only had one of them in his possession, which he
returned, and as for the other 63 or 64 he had never
seen them. Then, with respect to the catalogue, the
Vice-Chancellor had gone a great way indeed in grant-
ing the present injunction without giving Mr. Strange
an opportunity of having his legal title investigated
by a court of common law; the more so as his
Honour in his judgment had not stated that it was
not a fit question for a court of law. The de-
cision of Lord Lyndhurst in the case of " Spools
wode v. Clarke and Phillips" had clearly defined what
ought to be the rule of this court in regard to cases of
this description. His Lordship there stated that where
the question depended upon a legal right the title must
be very clear indeed for the Court to interfere by in-
junction before sending the case to law, as great injustice
might be done to the defendant if it should afterwards
turn out that the plaintiff 's view of the case was an
erroneous one. The same principle had also been laid
down by his Lordship in a later case of " Rigby v. the
Great Western Railway Company." There could be no
foundation for the interference of this court except on
the ground of property ; and yet the bill might be
searched through in vain for an allegation that his
Royal Highness Prince Albert claimed any property
in the catalogue, or even in the particular copies of
the etchings described in such catalogue. In addi-
tion, there was no charge in the bill that the pro-
perty of the plaintiff in the etchings, even if he
had any, would be injured by the publication of the cats-
louge, or that the etchings themselves or the catalogue
were of any value. With respect to the charge of fraud,
the statements in the- bill did not go to tee extent of
saying that Mr. Strange had obtained his information
by any improper means, and it was therefore quite con-
sistent to infer that he had gained it bona fide, although
the source from which it came might be taihted. It was
extremely painful to have to argue a case of this kind,
were the parties concerned a ere of such exalted station,
but it was his duty to submit to the Court all the points
of law bearing upon the subject. The whole proceed-
ire's, most likely, were off essive to the royal personage,
int r red, and it ,wss much to be lamented that they
snouid bs so annoyed; but the answer of Mr. Strange
contained a solemn disclaimer on his part of any in-
tention to cause such pain, and a d, (duration that the
instant he discovered the exhibition would be dis-
tasteful to her Majesty and the Prince he determined
to abandon it. It might be asked, what, then,
could be the reason that Mr. Strange sought to
annul the injunction? The answer was, that he had a
character to maintain amongst the members of his own
trade in London and the public, and coul I not, thererore,
sit down quietly under the imputation that he bad sur-
reptitiously obtained. p ssi-ssion of his information. In
the next place the allegat•ons in the tell were, that some
of the etchings in question had been done by her Ma-
jesty, which, would submit, was no assertion of the
plaintiff's having any property in them; for, by the sta-
tute 3d and 4th Victoria, chap. 2, sec. 3, it was enacted
that the husband of her Majesty should not, jure mariti,
gain any interest in property belonging to her Majesty,
but that the same should continue her own. And yet
the injunction covered the whole of the etchings men-
tioned in the catalogue, which was too extensive, as the
plaintiff ought too have have discriminated which were
his own property. The real question, however, was, had
the plaintiff any property in the copies possessed by Judge,
or in the catalogue? It he had, there was no such allega-
tion in the hill; nor was there toy statement that the cata-
logue itself was of any value, although at the bar it had
been urged that it might turn out to be extremely valu-
able if her Majesty thought fit to present it to any
charitable institution. Could the conclusion, therefore,
be drawn from the pleadings, that the legal title of the
plaintiff was so clear as to justify the Court in abstain
ing from submitting it to the usual ordeal of a trial at
law? The case of the appellant was, that no such clear
title could be inferred from the bill and affidavits.
Ancther point relied upon by the other side was, that
privacy was one of the most valuable ingredients of right
annexed to property; but he would submit that it was
only en accidental adjunct to. property, to which the
owner could not lay exclusive claim. The Learned
Counsel referred to the cases of " Martin v. Wright" (6
Sim.), " Giles v. Wilcox" (2 Atk.), and others, as
proving this proposition, and also that the bona fide
abridgement of the literary work of another person
could not be restrained by injunction. lie now came to
the effect likely to be produced by the publication of
the catalogue, and in no part of the pleadings was it
stated that it would prove injurious to the plaintiff.
L must, therefore, be presumed that it was of an
entirely innocent character; and there was no reason
for the interposition of the Court on the score of viola-
tion done to private feelings. In point of fact the cata-
logue, on the contrary, was of a most eulogistic charac-
ter. The appellant had proved that the catalogue was
the emanation of his own brain, and the Court could
only interfere with it on the assumption that the defen-
dant had no property in it, and that the plaintiff had.
Now, oould such a state of things be presumed? As well
might it be said that a person, who happened to be in a
shop when another person was purchasing a variety of
articles of vertu, could be prevented from disclosing the
fact and nature of such purchase. " Chandler v. Thomp-
son" (3 Camb. 82). Taking it for granted that the pub-
lication of this catalogue would be a source of displeasure
to the plaintiff, that was not sufficient to give jurisdiction
to this Court to interfere by injunction, for his Lordship
did not sit as censor morum to punish parties for doing
an injury to the feelings of others. It an injury were
so sustained that the law could take cognisance of,
the only remedy was in a co,,rt of common law.
" Gee v. Pritchard " (2 Swanst,m), and the case of
" v. Sberward," in " Msrivale's )rts," were then
referred to and trammented upon. If the Court did take
upon itself to interfere in a question of thii sort, it would
be called upor. in every similar case brought before it
hereafter—end, without doubt, there would be many
such it' sur.ti a precedent were once established—to in-
quire hose far such a publication might be offensive to
the feerines of the plaintiff. This would be an entirely
new ietrisdiction, and one very difficult to be carried into
operation. Lord Eldon had said that courts of law and
equity should be kept as distinct as possible, and yet this
ieould be an assumption of the functions belonging to
the courts of low, it there could be any remedy Ihr such
a grievance. He would, however, deny that there was
any remedy by action for the mere deprivation of plea-
sure,- and consequently none for the violation of a per-
son's feelings. " Aldridge's case " (9 Coke, 58, A).
In looking at the judgment of the Vice Chancellor,
be could not help being struck by the confusion
t'uerein of law and equity, and equity and ethics. It
appeared as if this Court would admit of the argument
Ind
eve/Tn./jam, which seemed to him quite a novel plea.
be ein, he trusted that the injunction would not
sustained, as it rested upon uo legal base, but only
upon a matter of feeling and character. Ile was well
aware of the onerous nature of his Lordship's public
duties, and hoped that he had not trespassed too much
tuitioens to -his valuable time. These, however, were not
introduce any variation into the laws of this
conntry, and he felt assured that the illustrious person-
ae/is interested in this case would willingly bow to his
Lordship's decisiOn if it should be opposed to their views,
'which he confidently expected it would be.
The Loan CHANCELLOR h
reobserved, that the por-
tion of the injunction restraining
impressions had been submitted the exhibition of the
oby the appellant, and
yet he claimed the right of
tleose identical impressions. None of publishing
h the catalogue of
arguments had
been addressed to this point, whether the eCourt, having
prevented the doing orti.certain act, would allow the
public announcement of the party's intention to do that
act. It appeared to him that the catalogue was prepa-
ratory to the exhibition, which hal been restrained ;
and that it was connected with and ancillary to such ex-
hibition. The catalogue even stated that every pur-
chaser of it, would ibe presented with a fac simile of her
Majesty's autograph or of Prince Albert's, with their
permiseion ; ought the Court to allow such a statement
to be put before the public, which could not be carried
into effect, the more so as the appellant had admitted
ths4 he had no right to exhibit the articles named
Vi the catalogue ? He made these observations as the
attention of the appellant's counsel did not seem to have
been directed to the • t
Mr. S. Poln •
for the appelit; was the fourth counsel who was heard
consideration sell and said that the cause now under
-red to have been anticipated by that
of " Miller
that there could be nor (4 Bur. 1,0.56). which proved
set forth in the the
observations
tee!. t
cataloguein ideßs
had S e°
appearedf
in the newspapers of 1
went to the entire Cataloc,a4o, and yet the injunction
impossible of being carrieTi which rendered it almost
proceeded upon the suppositiountonfeffect. The injunction
breach of trust, and
yet, the relations.r
between the plaintiff and the p
been
person
int oined, necessary to support such an d
er, had not
'Made out. If there had been a breachu
of
trust it had
been committed by a third party, and the
p
in no way connected with it. The injunction
was
bad, as being too extensive in covering all the was,mpres-
also
sigma of the etchings named in the catalogue, whilst
was admitted by the plaintiffplaintiffhimself that only portiona •
of the etchings were his own property. It was his duty
t_i separate thoie which belonged to himself from those
whie
. were the property of her Majesty. Under the e
ciscumstarices the injunction ought to be dissolved. .e
The LORD CUANCELLOR, at the conclusion at the up-
pellant's case, said, that he would proceed with the
motion on Monday.

The Solicitor-beneral, Mr. Sergeant Talfourd, and
Mr. W. M. James, will then be heard fur Prince Albert.

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS, Jan. 27.
(Sittings in Banco.)
HOARE V. DIXON.

This case, in which a rule had been obtained to show
cause why further proceedings should not be stayed
mail the payment of costs in u former :action, came on
for argument today
The CHIEF JUSTICE said he had received a letter this
morning from the plaintiff (Miss Hoare) which he
Landed- to his clerk, refusing himself to read it, and he
told hirti that it related to a matter now pending in this
court. It was exceediugly improper to send a private

comtnunication to a Judge upon any case coming before
him in his judicial capacity.
Mr. Justice MAULE—I suppose we have all been fa-
vour( d in th:.. same w J received one,
and rt.nd a &tie of it, bat saw quit, enoug!i, indepen-
rknt of the impropriety of. fl!,s co:i!nauni;:ation,
to show mgt that Iw as nut comp li,d 7t z .the rest.
Mr. CARTER showed cause against the rule. He tam
furnished with an affidavit of the plaintiff, stating that
the costs in the former action, amounting to 4081. 10s.
had been paid to the defendant or his attorney by the
Royal Naval Benevolent Society, and that no sum was
now due to him by her. She also stated that the action
was not proceeded with in coast quence of her solicitor
neglecting to instruct counsel in time, and to get the at-
tendance of the necessary witnesses. The Learned
Counsel stated that the payment by the society was
good, that it mattered not from Whom the money came,
provided the debt was satisfied, and that therefore
the def, ndant had no right to complain. On these
grounds, and also on the ground that the merits of this
case were substantially different from those of the
former action, he contended that the course now taken
by the plaintiff was not vexation..
The CHIEF JUSTICE said it was a recognised prin-
ciple in Westminster Hall, where a party failed on the
merits of the case and withdre sr from the decision of the
jury from a conscientious conviction that it would be
adverse to him, and brought a second action on the
s ime grounds, that the Court would, on application, stay
further proceedings until the costs in the former one had
been paid. The defendant was secretary to the Royal
Naval Benevolent Society, to which the plaintiff had rip
plied for assistance, and the action Wai brought upon
certain communications he had made to it respecting
the right of her claims for relief. The case came on for
trial, when she elected to ba noasuited on the merits,
which were precisely similar to those in the present
case. The defendant had been exposed to a demand of
408/, which was enough to ruin many persons, and it
therefore appeared to him and his Learned Brethren
that the second action was vexatious and unjust. There
as no pretence for saying that, because the society had
paid the costs, the action having arisen out of the proper
discharge of his duties, the plaiutiff was discharged
from the debt. The Court were, therefore, of opinion
that the rule ought to be made absolute.
Rale absolute accordingly.
HOARE V. DICKENSON.

This was an action brought by the same plaintiff.
The CIIIEIt JUSTICE said there was no substantial
difference between this and the preceding case, and was,
therefore, of opinion that the rule ought to be made
absolute.

The other Judges concurring, the rule was made
absolute.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
GUILDHALL.

James Glyn, a well-known thief, living in Field-lane,
was placed at the bar fa- final examination, on the
charge of cutting and wounding Thomas Bresnahan,
alias Brown, also a well-known thief, -under the follow-
ing circumstances:—
Police-constable Eiger, 85, said, that while on duty on
Tuesday morning la-t, about two o'clock, he was passing
the White Horse easblic-house in Fann-street, Goawell
street, when he saw the prisoner and a number of other
persons of the lowest character in front of the bar,
quarrelling. He went in and told the landlady she must
clear the house, and at the same time ejected the
prisoner, who returned into the house. He then again
turned him out, as well as the wounded man, and they
commenced fighting. Just previous to the fight he ob-
served the prisoner put his • hand into the right hand
pocket of his trousers, and also noticed that he kept the
left hand still, and used the right only. He parted them, when
Bresnahan exclaimed, " By G—, he has been and knifed
me;" and he then saw blood fl }wing down his face and
neck, upon which he at once took the prisoner into cus-
tody, and afterwards conveyed the complainant to Mr.
Child's, the surgeon of the police force, who dressed his
wounds, and he was then taken home. Ile saw the
wounds; one of them extending along the neck under
the left ear, about four inches, and the other under the
cheek bone, and it appeared as if it had been inflicted by
a blow struck upwards. On the way to the surgeon's he
imagined the man must have lost a quart of blood.
, Police-constable 153 said, he was in company with the
last witness, and conveyed the prisoner to the station-
house. He afterwards returned, and found the knife
produced—a small penknife—lying on the pavement,
covered with blood, at the spot where the fight took
place.
Thomas Bresnahan deposed that he was in the public-
house in question when the prisoner entered, and for a
quarter of an hour he never spoke to him, until he inter-
fered with some one else. Witness told him he had no
right to interfere any more than himself. After drink-
ing a pint of beer he left, and, on arriving outside the
door, a girl made use of some bad language, upon which
he said that if he could get near her he would slap her
face. The prisoner immediately turned round in a fight-
ing attitude and struck him; before be could return the
blow lie was struck a second time, and then felt as if
some hot water was thrown over him, but on looking at
his hands he found them covered with blood, upon which
he turned to some man and said, " By G--; he has done
fur me, he has stuck me with a knife." He was after-
wards examined, and had his wounds dressed by the
surgeon, and then went hsme.
Mr. G. B. Childs, surgeon to the police force, said, I
examined the wounds of the last witness, about halt-past
two o'clock en Wednesday morning. He was very faint
from. loss of blood. I found that he had received a
punctured wound in the left cheek, about one inch in
length. It was over the radius of the lower jaw, and ex-
tended to the bone. There was also ar.o:her wound
coming from behind the left ear to the lit nt of the
throat. It was superficial, but I-consider it most im-
portant as it was situated over the jugular vein and the
carotid artery. In my opinion, it is a clear ease of at-
tempting to cut the man's throat, which only failed from
the bluntness of the instrument usx.i. Had it been sharp
the man would hive died almost immediately.
The prisoner's defence was, that it was an old grudge.
The ALDERMAN committed him to Newgate for at-
tempting to murder the prosecutor.
WORSHIP-STREET.

A young man named Thcmas Ivory, the son of an ex-
tensive tl,rist in one of the suburbs, was placed at the
bar before Mr. Hammill, charged with the following
violent highway robbery :
The prosecutor, a shipwright in the London Docks
named Peters, went upon a pleasure excursion on the
26.11 ult., accompanied by his mother, brother-in law,
end sister, and on their return they all stopped at a
public-house in 01(1 Ford-lane to procure so-ne refresh-
ment. There they stayed some time enjoying themselves,
and the prisoner, who was there also, but a stranger to
their party, perseveringly forced himself upon their at-
tention. and ultimately, upon their leaving the house at
nine o'clock, insisted up in accompanying them part of
the way hotn,,, more particularly attaching himself
to the prosecutor, whose arm he persisted in taking. ril
this manner they walked until they reached a desolate
part of the road on the edge of Victoria-park, when his
brother-in-law left him to protect the women, who had
gone in advance, and the instant he had done so the pri-
soner turned fiercely upon him, and, telling him he was
determined to have his watch, grasped hold of the chain,
which he tugged so violently that it broke, and left the
watch in the prisoner's hand. The prosecutor attempted
to recover his property by seizing and struggling with
the prisoner, but was struck down by a terrible blow
under the ear, an 1 left in a state of insensibility,
during which the prisoner effected his escape. How
long he remained senieless he could not tell, but he at
length became conscious of his relatives feeling about
for him on the grass in the dark ; and upon recovering
he was in such a state V debility that he was obliged
to be supported until a cab could be procured to carry
him to the, police station, at which he gave such a
description of his assailant as ultimately led to his ap-
prehension.
When called upon for his defence, the prisoner ear-
nestly protested his innocence, declaring that he had
gone straight home after leaving the prosecutor and his
friends at the door of the house they had been staying
at, and that he had never before been in custody for any
offence in his lire.

The prosecutor's brother-in law however, likewise
swore po3itively to the prisoner's identity, mentioning
several facts which could leave no doubt about it, and a
man named Wilkins, who hal formerly been in the
police force, proved that in October, 1847 the prisoner
was in custody upon a charge of felony, for which he
was subsequently arraigned and convicted, and sen•
tenced to a lengthened term of imprisonment in Ilford
gaol.

The prisoner upon hearing this became instantly'
silent, and, the depositions having been taken, he was
fully committed to Newgate for trial.

SOOTH WA RK.
Robert Duncan, Mary Duncan, and Pierce Wall
0' 8, ien were brought up before Mr. C44tingham, for
final examination, charged with conspiring to extort
money from the London and North-Western Railway
Company by pretending that they had been severely
injured by an accident on that railway; they were
also charged with defrauding the Eastern Counties
Railway of 701., by pretending that O'Brien had lost a
valuable carpet bag on that line; and with obtaining
651. from the proprietors of the unfortunate Cricket
steamer, by asserting that they were injured by the ac-
cident on board that vessel.

The prisoners were fully committed-
for trial for the
conspiracy against the North-Westerts Railway.
Mr. COTTINGHADI offered to take bail for Mary De n
can's appearance at the sessions, and Darke (a witness)
was committed, in default of finding sureties, to attend
and give evidence.
Maria Ann Wright, Rosina Carter, and Henry Davies,
three well-known characters, were brought before Mr.
Seeker, charked with committing a murderous assault on
Mr. F. Bellinger, a French merchant carrying on busi-
ness in Gracechurch-street.
The complainant, who seemed very much knocked
about, static' that on the previous evening he dined with
some friends at Camberwell. and on his return home he
met with a woman named Newman, and wont into a
public-house near the New-cut. While drinking at the
b;.rt.ht! saw the prisoners, who seemed to be acquainted
About five twiohiiceu,woman who acc imperil. tl him. A littla after
_sk he went with Newman to her lodgings in
White Horst-street, where he undrepsed and went to
bed.
the prisoners
breaking into o'clock he was aroused by some parties
pstreilsetohwisarpdsurshei
his pockets and
rush e room, and on looking round he saw
7.conThe n i
nrgoi: women emp ti
sovereign,ed
while the male
him in a most unmeerece'rf pulled hiin out of bed and beat
assistance, and in a fewl unmerciful
manner. lie called out for
him and secured the pristeoinutes a policeman came up to
little, but was quite positieveers.l Re had been drinking a
his purse when ha enured thet ;lit the money was safe in
Police constable 196 L said, hoe use.
in question a little after five o'clock that Passing the house
he beard a scuffle in the first floor frontat morning, when
room. He lis-
teeed, and heard some parties beating
initcully procured the assistance of another,
when
he
azwther constable, i,

and entered the house. After same difficulty they suc-
ceeded in entering the room in which the i.risoriers were,
when he l erceic-f d the prosecutor lying on the itior,
quits raked and ct.vered blood. He sTai spe,,ch
loss, but pointed with his hand that the pri,on,,rs were
behind the Oen r And under tte bed. He seized DAvies,
while an( the r cont-,ble secured the ethers.
Police constable 67 L corroborated the last witness's
testimony, and added that be found the prosecutor's purse
on the stairs near the door. A sovereign was found on
Davies, who struggled hard to get away.
In answer to the charge, the prisoners denied stealing
the purse and money. They were drunk when they ar-
rived home, and were exasperated at seeing a stranger
in the room.
They were committed for trial.

GENERAL ORDER AND BOARD
MINUTES RELATING TO THE REVISION
OF fiER MAJESTY'S DOCKYARDS.

CIRCULAR TO HER MAJESTY'S DOCKYARDS

"Mr HOME.

Admiralty, Jan. 25, 1849.

Sir,—l am commanded by my Lards' Commissioners
of the Admiralty to transmit to you a series of minutes,
numbered from 1 to 26, and a sheet containing the new
establishment of the dockyard under your superintea-
deuce, as about to be submitted fir the approval of her
Majesty in Council.
The minutes embody such of the recommendations of
the committee of revision, which has recently visited
the dockyards, as my Lords have been pleased to sane,
Lion, anti they are to be carried er.it simultaneously in all
her Majesty 'a home establishments on the Ist of April
next.
The first five minutes regulate the future working
strength of the dockyards, the admission of apprentices,
the hours of labour. the mode of muster, and the present
amount of superintenlenee, which my Lords telieve to
exceed the legitimate requirements of the service, and
which it is, consequently, their intention to reduce. My
Lords will themselves decide upon the proper mode of
effecting this reduction, and transmit to you further in-
structions upon that head.
The four next minutes (No. 6 to No. 9) assign fresh
duties to the superintendents, the object of which is to
secure]
1. A prompter co-operation amongst the different de-
partments of the dockyard ;
2. A proper check upon the " demand" for stores;
3. A proper control over their expenditure;
4. A proper audit of the large payments made an-
nually for wages;—
all of which it is their Lordships' desire to bring more
directly under your control. The discharge of these
duties will impose upon you some additional responsi-
bility; but, to meet this, my Lords have armed you with
additional powers, and they are satisfied thatthey require
nothing from you that is not indispensable to the good
management of the great establishment at the head of
which you are placed.
The minutes numbered from No. 10 to No. 14 relate
principally to the charge of stores; but there are two of
them —No, 10, which places all returned stores under
the charge of the store receiver, and No. 13, in which
you will find instructions with regard to the general
survey ordered to commence on the Ist of April next, to
which lam directed to call your especial attention, as
my Lords must look to you for many of the preliminary
arrangements which are necessary to carry their wishes
into effect.
The remaindear of the minutes refer to separate sub-
jects, with regard to which the orders given are suffi-
ciently explicit to render comment unnecessary ; but
they all form part of that system of improved economi-
cal management which my Lords desire to see enforced
in the dockyards.
You will pay particular attention to the new mode of
keeping the accounts, which is to be adopted in the fac-
tories, metal works, roperies, and other manufacturing
establishments under your orders; to the introduction of
the ten hours' s) stem of work into the smitheries; the
steady application of the principle of partial measure-
ment ; the improvement of the inspectors' day-books;
the better division of labour; and, above all, the prompt
and effectual remedying of those defects in the pre-
sent arrangements for the receipt and stowage of
timber, which the committee of revision has pointed
out as the great source of unnecessary expenditure in
her Majesty's dockyards.
My Lords are perfectly aware that improved economy
depends much less upon, the written rules laid down by
the Board of Admiralty than upon the spirit in which
those rules are carried out by the superintendents and
the principal officers of the dockyards. But, after a
very searching inquiry, they have thought it advisable
to lay down certain new regulations, which seem to them
calculated to remedy obvious defects, and to give a re-
gular, and uniform action to all the parts of the exist-
ing system of management. They trust that you will
use wisely the authority thus coc.fided to you, and im-
press upon the minds of all under you the fact, that the
only way to disarm the jealousy with which the grow-
ing expenditure of the naval yards is viewed, is, to sa-
tisfy Parliament, and the country, that these great na-
tional establishments are conducted with the same regard
to economy,—the same honest desire to make promotion
dependent upon merit,—and the same scrupulous atten-
tion to those minute details of management, upon which
the loss or gain of a manufacturing establishment de-
pends, that in all private enterprises have constituted
the secret of success.

I have the honour to be, &c.,
Jan. 25. 1849. 11. G. WARD.

P.S. The form of the monthly return adverted to in
No. 8, having been revised and altered in the store•
keeper-general's department, will be transmitted next
weak.