The Sun.
London, England, 1836-05-10 00:00:00

IMPORTANT TO BANKERS.

A Meeting of -the. Commissioners under the Fiat in Brereton's
Bankruptcy, took place on the 22d ult. at Fakenham, Norfolk, when
the Bankrupt passed his final examination without opposition, and
under a great deal of kind feeling and sympathy from his Creditors.
The debts amountto about 36,000/., exclusive of that claimed by
the Norwich Joint Stock Bank, which amounts to 44,986/. The
assets are about 13,0001., and the deficiency was in part accounted
for by losses by estates, 10,422/. ; losses by foreign corn and seeds,
22,1941. ; interest paid to bankers, and on mortgages, 30,9351. ;
and bad debts, 9,750/.
An article has been inserted in the " Norwich Mercury," and
other papers, questioning the correctness of a statement, headed as
above, which appeared in the papers about a fortnight ago ; but we
hare authority to state, that the debt is founded upon cheques,
dated " Norwich," but drawn and issued at Fakenham or Holt,
and paid there by Mr. Walter, the Agent to the Bank, in whose
presence they were drawn, many of them being Post-dated.
That cheques thus drawn are contrary to the Stamp Act is per-
fectly clear ; for it enacts, " That, if any Banker shill pay, or
muse or permit to he paid, any bill, draft, or order, drawn upon
him, knowing the same to be post-dated, or knowing that the place
where it was issued is not truly specified therein, (unless duly
stamped) the Banker shall not be allowed the money so paid, or
any part thereof, in Recount against the drawer, or his assignees,
or creditors, in case of bankruptcy or insolvency." If, therefore,
the Bankers are bound to account foe all monies of the Bankrupt
received by them, and they cannot set off monies paid upon cheques.
of this description, it is clear the case is one of great importance'
to Bankers, as it would necessarily leave them large debtors to the
Bankrupt's estate.
In the year 1815, a similar case occurred in the same county.
The same objection was raised to a debt claimed- by the late Mr.
Bignold, of Norwich, on the estate of AM John Haycock, of
Wells, against whose effects Mr. Bignold had issued extents in aid.
That objection was sustained,. and Mr. Bignold never received one
shilling of his debt. Some of the most eminent lawyers in the
kingdom were consulted on that occasion (amongst whom were
the late Lord Tenterden, and Mr. Justice Holroyd, then at the
Bar), all of whom were of opinion, that cheques which did not
truly specify the place where they were issued, were illegal, anti
that payments made upon them were wholly void, and could not
be allowed in account between the drawer and the Banker; white,
in the time of Lord Kenyon, the whole Court of King's Bench
held the invalidity of such cheques to be too clear for argument.

THE LIFE, EXILE, AND CONVERSATIONS OF
NAPOLEON.-This cheap reprint of Las Cases' interesting
Memoirs of Napoleon is now brought to a close by thct publi-
cation of the twentieth shilling part. This history affords,
altogether, a striking picture of one of the most extraordinary
men that ever lived. The work is one of great political phi-
losophy ; but, while it treats of matters of the deepest import--
ance, involving wars and " rumours of wars"--and the rise and
full of states, it is relieved by a profusion of anecdotes, which
show human nature in its daebille, generally the best dress of
humanity. This publication oilers the additional attraction of
numerous engravings, illustrative of the characters and events
of.which the author speaks. We observe that the work is re-
issuing In four monthly volumes, at five shillings each, bound,
the first of which has just appeared.

A beautiful piece of mosaic pavement has reeently
been discovered at Lillehonne, near Havre, -so close to tine a"
surface, that the ploughshare went several times across it, but
did no damage. It is about eight feet square, composed of
small regular cubes, the sides of which do not exceed four
lines. It is laid in a bed of lime mixed with flint, hounded
very fine, and founded upon a base of broad tiles. The whole
is about a foot in thickness. The mosaic is composed of three
different materials ; one, white, formed of plaster ; the other,
of a red tile, much harder; and the third, of a very dark
brown substance, the nature of which has not been ascertained.
These are formed into roses and and other elegant designs.
This species of pavement is common at Herculaneum and,
Pompeii. It evidently formed part of all ancient builditree,
SO:110 traces of walls having vet to be found.
M it. BULWER'S << DEVEREUk."-The re-pulilica.
tion of this novel in a cheap single volutne, in Colburn's ae.mirable
series of the " Modern Novelists," has already draw,n to it the
attention of that large class a readers who have rot great faci-
lities for perusing works on their first expensive publication,
and there is, perhaps, no one of Mr. Bu,wer's productions
better entitled to *their favor, or which will afford them more
instruction and amusement. " .Devereux" is written in the
form of an autobiography, and exhibits a life of the most stirring
adventure and constant excitement. We have frequantly ex and buoyancy. of " Pelham"—the pathos of the
beveroux" possesses the more sterling-
characteristics of historical truth,' and vigorous delineation oC
t?lnle,ilso the,r ne
r_but
chsfaeter. It is truly another classic in its way.
CHEAP RELIGION.-The Lacedeemonians bud
a law among them that every one should serve the gods .aiith
as little expense as he could, in which they differed from ali
the other Greeks, and Lvcurgus being asked for what .reason
he made this institution to unlike the rest of Greece:, an-
swered, " Lost the service of the gods should at any !Arne be
intermitted ;" for he found if religion shoold be as ex -pensive
there as is other pirts of Greece, pit might sometime or other
happen that the divine worship, out of the covetotv :ness of
some, and the poverty of others, would be maglected.,