The Sun.
London, England, 1871-01-28 00:00:00

MANSION HOUSE FRENCH RELIEF FUND.
The general committee of this fund met yesterday at
the Mansion House, the Lord Mayor in the chair. His
Lordship said that, on the Tuesday after the last meeting,
he had an interview with Lord Granville on the subject of
neutralizing any supplies which the committee might send
out to meet the requirements of the population on the capi-
tulation of Paris. LOrd Granvilte, he said, entered very
kindly into the objects of the committee, and said he
would do all he could to support them. He afterwards
saw Count Bernstorff, the Prussian Ambassador, who
also entered most warmly into the matter, deeply de-
ploring the miseries which had occurred. He said he
would at once telegraph to head-quarters at
Versailles for instructions, and last night he (the Lord
Mayor) received the following communication at the
Mansion House :

" Foreign Office, January 26, 1871.
"My Lord,—l have the honour to acquaint your lord-
ship, in reference to our converation last Tuesday after-
noon, that as it would seem from what has appeared in the
public papers during the last two days that negotiations
are in progress at Versailles, though the precise object of
them is not known, I have lost no time, in anticipation of
their resulting in opening free communication with Paris,
in directing Mr. O.do Russell by telegraph, to endeavour
to ascertain from Count Bismarck by what line of
road provisions will be passed into Paris from
England, and to request his Excellency to cause such
orders to be given to the German military authorities as
will secure the convoys from interruption.
" I have the honour to be, my lord, your lordship's most
obedient humble servant, " GRANVILLE."

The LORD MAYOR added that Count Bernstorff informed
him certain bankers in Germany had stored supplies of
food for those who could bring it on the capitulation.
The sub-committee reported that they had commenced to
obtain supplies, and various details were entered into and
arranged. The subscription received at the Mansion
House now amount to £3,938, and at the Daily Telegraph
office to £4,264.

LAW AND POLICE.
IMPORTANT' QUESTION ON SHARE TRANSFERS.—The
Master of the Rolls delivered judgment in a case which
had au important bearing on the system of the transfer of
shares in public companies. Mr. cliff, a merchant of
Liverpool, held 200 shares in the National Provincial
Marine Insurance Company, which he transferred for
merely a nominal sum to a schoolmaster of the same town
named Baron, who was, in the legal meaning of the term,
a pauper, being utterly unable to pay any liability which
might accrue on the shares. At the same time Mr. Cliff
retained the certificates, so that if any dividend were
declared on the shares he would be entitled to receive it.
On the company being wound up, Mr. Cliff was placed
on the list of contributories, on the ground that the
transfer was not bond fide, and that though it took place
more than twelve months prior to the commencement of
the liquidation, Mr. Cliff was still liable for calls.. His
lordship held that the transaction was manifestly a
colourable one, and done merely for the purpose of evading
liability, Mr. Cliff evidently intending to derive what
pecuniary benefit be could, if any accrued, from the
shares. Mr. Cliff must therefore be held to be still liable
as a contributory of the company.
THE LIABILITY OF LOCAL BOARDS OF HEALTH.—On
Friday, in the Court of Queen's Bench, judgment was
given on an important question of liability of Local
Boards of Health, who are surveyorS of a highway, for
damages arising from an accident on the highway under
their control. It appeared that a gentleman named
Foreman and his wife were going towards Canter-
bury .on the highway in a cart, when they were
upset by a heap of stones which projected
into the road. The jury found that the Local Board of
Canterbury, were guilty of negligence, and gave the plain-
tiffs damages. The Local Board disputed their liability ;
and they contended by counsel, that if any one was liable
it was the surveyor personally, and not the board. The
Court decided that the surveyor was the servant of the
Local Board, and the matter complained of having been
done by his direction, the Local Board were liable.
ALLEGED BREACH OF TRUST.—" DYMOND V. MUG-
GERIDGE AND MUGGERIDGE."—This was a case of a very
painful nature, which has recently decided in the Blooms-
bury County Court. The plaintiff, an old lady of nearly
80 years of age, was the daughter of a clergyman, who
fell dead in his pulpit while preaching a charity sermon.
A public subscription was raised for the maintenance
of his widow and family, and a considerable
sum of money was collected, and was placed
in the hands of the defendants as trustees.
The plaintiff, having had great difficulty in obtain-
ing her dividends from the defendants, put her
case in the hands of the Society for the Protection of
Women and Children, and the result was the present pro-
ceedings. It now transpired that in September, 1866, the
whole of the stock had been disposed of by the defendants.
The plaintiff was non-suited on the ground that the evi-
dence on the matter of account was not sufficient to bring
it within the common law jurisdiction of the court, but it
was intimated that if proceedings were taken in Equity
the defendants would have to give an account of their
trust. An application was made to the Judge
to proceed against defendants under criminal law.
His Honour said that, having put a stress upon the elder
defendant to sign the authority for the inspection of the
transfer books at the Bank of England, it would appear,
were he now to consent to the application, that he had
forced the man to supply criminatory evidence against
himself, which was against the spirit of the law. He was
therefore bound to refuse his consent.

A LADY MEDICAL STUDENT.—At the recent pre-
liminary examination in arts of the Apothecaries' Hall of
Ireland, held on the 20th instant, a lady, Mrs. Leggatt,
passed very creditably, her papers being of a high order
of merit. This is the first instance in Ireland of a lady
having enrolled herself as a medical student.—British
Medical Journal.

IMPRISONMENT FOR DEBT.—The three judges,
Mr. Baron Martin, Mr. Justice Willes, and Mr. Justice
Lush, have made a new order as to committals under the
Debtors Act. It states that their lordships had con-
sidered the matter, and were of opinion that it was objee.
tionable to issue the orders in any other form than that of
absolute and immediate committal.
THE REPRESENTATION OF NORWICH. gr.
Colman's address to the electors of Norwich has been
issued. Mr. Colman would support the present Govern"
ment because he believes it anxious to legislate in the
interests, not of a class only, but of the nation at large.
He desires to see the country placed in a thorough state
of defence against foreign aggression, and to this end be
thinks sacrifices must be made. He is, however, opposed
to such an increase of our forces as might become
menace to neighbouring nations, and be detrimental t 0
the interests of a peaceful industry.
THE WOMAN QUESTION.—The female eulfragiO,
are in Washington in force, the Judiciary Committee
Congress having granted the ladies a hearing the other
day in advocacy of their claims to the right of voting.
They say that when the United States adopted the C('lr
stitutional Amendment, granting suffrage without clis"
tinction of " race, colour, or previous condition of servi-
tude," it thereby enfranchised the women, and that otl'
election officers are in fault for not seeing it in that light'
The Kansas Legislature, which has just been organised,
has elected women to fill several clerkships.
THE UNEMPLOYED IN LONDON.—Another 133°et
ing has been held in London to consider how the large
masses at present out of work may be assisted to obtaiiiii
employment. Working men. were invited to put
we'''
their' names on the registry, and a large number
eager to comply, but from seventy to eighty men were
unable to do so, as they could not pay the requisite pol;
A great demonstration at the opening of Parliament
proposed, and the Government were censured for tliebit
commercial policy by one speaker, while another th 0.11%,
demonstrations would do very little towards provldi cf.
starving families with food. It was said that in BeralTlt
sey working men were idle by thousands, and a man 1111°
It
walk ten miles a day without getting any work to do.
was observed that emigration would be the only renolo
and the Government ought to assist the deserving P°°,tee
emigrating to the colonies. A demonstration coon)."
was appointed, and the proceedings closed quietly.
FRENCH • MILITARY CONTRIBUTIONS IN 1710 to
The Journal de Gand contains the following parograY,4.
" The French took from the departments of ancient
gium, which were incorporated in the French ter i
80,000,000 f in military contributions. We give the
r_ljort
tioning of a part of this sum as we find it in the_ruesi'seis,
of Cambon to the National Convention :
00,0
5,000,000 f ; Antwerp, 10,000,000 f ; Malines, 1,1) 00,00"
f.
•
Lierre, 500,000 f ; Ghent, 7,000,C00f ; Audenarde,
Bruges, 4,000,000 f ; Ostend, 2,000,000 f ; Ypres, Luiv,;(oor,
Courtrai, 3,000,000 f ; Louvain, 2,000,000 f ;
5,000,000 f. ; Tournai, 4,000,000 f. ;
4,000,000 f. Mons, 1,640,875 f. ; Ath, 150,0001. e
_ki,,tirie°,
all the specie in the country, except what had bne,a,i's vitb
sbY_
in the ground or taken away by emigrants, fou a%_Lth
to Paris. It was imprisoned in the chest
three keys,' said the financier Cambon metaphor,lctVVit
a mark that it was thrown into the coffers I A
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Nppviahi
cil public.
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