The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-31 00:00:00

THE WESTMINSTER COUNTY

COURTS.

Yesterday the Westminster County Court of Middle
sex, was opened before D. C. Moylan, Esq., the judge,
and Francis Smedley, Esq., the high bailiff of Wcst-
minster, for the trial of causes under the New Small
Debts Act, at the Court-house, Castle-street, St. Mar

tin's-lane. There were 83 cases set down for trial, and
being tho first sitting, in any court, the proceedings ex-
cited an unusual degree or interest. The Learned Judge
took his seat at eleven o'clock.
EJECTMENT.—LANGLEY V. PARR.—This was a sum-
mons taken out under the 122 d section of the Act, which
gives power to the judges to order possession of pre-
mises to be given up where the rent does not exceed 50/.
per annum, to order the defendant to give up possession
of certain premises which he occupied of the plaintiff at
a weekly rental. Mr. Pierrepoint, a solicitor, who ap-
peared for the defendant, after admitting the service of
the notice, said that, having looked at the Act of Par-
liament, he found that the 122 d section was ruled by
the 126th section, which set forth that " if the person
by whom any such warrant was sued out, had not at the
time any lawful right to the premises in question, then the
suing out of any such warrant shall be deemed a trespass."
Now, what he wished to do was to proceed with an action
of trespass against the plaintiff in a superior court, the de-
fendant questioning the lawful right of the plaintiff. He
did not wish to enter into detail, but to give in bail. The
Learned Judge said, before he could make an order that
the warrant was bad, and that the execution of it would be
a trespass, it was the duty of the defendant to give evi-
dence that the plaintiff had no legal right to the premises.
Mr. Griffith, the plaintiff's agent, said he could prove
that he held a lease of the premises from the Duke of
Bedford, and that the defendant paid a weekly rent at
the rate of 26/. per annum to him for his portion. Evi-
dence
h
occupiedwate
sthengiven, showing that the defendant had
premises since February, 1840, and that he
had been several times summoned under the Westmin-
ster Court of Requests for arrears of rent. The notice
to quit the premises on the 15th of March was served
on the Bth. After a lengthened discussion the Learned
Judge made an order for the defendant to give up pos-
s2ssion within ten days. The defendant said if that was
the decision of the court, it would be a loss to him of
500/. The Learned Judge was sorry to hear that, and
trusted that soma amicable arrangement might be come

to between the plaintif and defendant before the law
was put in force.

LAW OF LITERARY PROPERTY,
AND AGAINST LITERARY PIRACY IN

AUSTRIA.

The Austrian Government has just promulgated a
law on literary property and against literary piracy in
the Austrian dominions. It bears the date of 19th Oc-
tober, 1846, and consists of thirty-nine articles. The
following are the most important terms of the law :
The author of a literary composition or work of art,
may dispose of his property as best suits him, and allow
its reproduction to whomsoever he likes. Similar rights
of an author are enjoyed by the editor of a literary
composition or work of art, by the editor of an anony-
mous work, or written under a fictitious name, and also
by persons who undertake the publication of a work
according to their own plan and at their own expense.
Tne translation of a wot lc from another language is re-
garded as the property of the translator, and a transla-
tion of the same work, which should not offer any
marked distinction, is regarded as counterfeit. The
translation of an original work is not regarded as coun-
terfeit, unless the author has inserted on the title-page,
or in the pi eface, that he himself intends having
a translation of his work made ; in this latter
case, any translation appearing in the same year
that the original work was published, without
the consent of the author, is regarded as
counterfeit. The re-production of works of art, no
matter by what mechanical process, is regarded as coun-
terfeit. The same protection is accorded, not only to an
original production, but to any copy, made by the author
or with his consent. The reproduction, without the
author's consent, of public lectures for instruction, edi-
fication, or amusement, is regarded as countertieit, even
should the editor have become the legitimate purchaser
of the manuscript. Geographical and topographical
maps, architectural designs and others, come under the
category of literary productions and works of art, as
also musical compositions. The quotations of passages
from an author, in an original work, is not regarded as
piracy ; extracts from works of the day, however, in
books for instruction, may not exceed one sheet, and
their source must always be given. Exceptions to this
rule are variations, fantasies, or studios on musical com-
positions. The representation of a dramatic work, or
the production in public of a musical composition, is the
exclusive right of the author ; and neither the one nor
the other can be produced without the consent of the
author, or before they have been published. The law
awards the privilege of enjoyment, not only for the
author's lifetime, but for thirty years after the death.
This privilege is extended to fifty years after the
author's death, as regards works published by academies,
and scientific and artistical societies under the auspices
of the Government. Works published by other societies
come under the category of thirty years. Works pub-
lished by the State come under the same category,
unless the State thinks fit to allow their reproduction.
The representation of a dramatic work, or the produc-
tion of a musical composition, does not become public
property till ten years after the death of the author.
Counterfeit is punished by the confiscation of all the
counterfeit copies, and all the apparatus employed in
printing them, accompanied by a fine varying from 2/.
los. to 100/., and imprisonment in default of payment ;
the fine from 2/. 10s. to 101. being equivalent to from
eight days' to one month's imprisonment, that of 40/. to
1001. to from three to six months'. In case of a repeti-
tion of counterfeit, the right of publishing will be taken
from the offender. Prosecutions for counterfeit can
only be brought by the author, or by persons enjoying
the author's rights. The law extends its protection to
works of every species, without regard to the nation of
the author; it is applicable to all the states of the Ger-
man Confederation. As regards works published in
states not forming part of the German Confederation,
this protection will only be extended to them in the
Austrian states, on the ground of reciprocity.

ETON COLLESE, MONDAY.—We believe we may
now state that there is not the least chance of the Provost
of Eton and the head master giving way on the subject of the
hiontem. There is now (from what has transpired since
Saturday) not the least doubt entertained that the Rev. Mr.
Hodgson and the Rev. Mr. Ilawtrey are determined to
abide by the determination they came to in January last, and
that the festival h.. 5 been finally abolished. A new fives-
court, for the amusement of the Etonians, to be free to the
whole school, is immediately to be erected in the close vi-
cinity of the college, by Subscriptions entered into by old
Etonians, under the superintendence of a committee composed
of the following gentlemen :—Rev. G. W. Cookesley, Rev. E.
11. Pickering, Rev. J. 6. Mountain, and W. Johnson and C.
W. Johnson, Esqs. The head master, who had been con-
sulted on the subject, immediately expressed his approval of
the plan.
A man has been arrested at Nlenna on a charge
of throwing stones at the windows of the Imperial Palace.
He was found to be insane, and has been sent to a lunatic
asylum.
DIIITH ',Kong DRINKING.—On Monday afternoon,
as a cart was passing through the West India Dock-gate,
Blackwell, the tail of the cart not having been properly
secured, a puncheon of rum was tilted out, and the cask
having started, it was immediately surrounded by a Humber
of individuals, who greedily swallowed the spirit, which was
•39 degrees over proof. One man, named William Pattison,
drank such a quantity that he was found yesterday morning,
at one o'clock, by a constable, lying in a state of insensibility
outside the Railway Tavern, Poplar. He was immediately
removed to the Arbour-square station, when medical aid was
sent for. Dr. Baillie was in prompt attendance, and, ou
using the stomach-pion!), extracted no less than a pint and
a half of pure spirit, and not a particle of food. Every effort
that medical skill could suggest was used, but the unfortunate
man gradually sunk till two o'clock, when he expired.
ARTICHOKES AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR POTATOES.—
It has latterly been much urged upon the cottagers the
utility of extensively substituting in their allotments and
gardens the Jerusalem artichoke for the potato. No weather
hurts it, it appears to grow almost anywhere, and yields
quite as large a crop as the most prolific potato. A friend of
ours (says a Bath contemporary) planted in April last, and
is now digging an average produce of half-a-peck to each
root planted.
EXCELLENT SUGGESTION.—Mr. Taylor, of Roby,
has suggested, and we believe communicated to our parochial
authorities, an excellent expedient in connexion with the
regulation of Irish immigration into this town, If the au-
thorities have the power of putting Mr. Taylor's plan into
operation, it would not only have important sanatory results,
but would gradually tend to check the lavish importation of
Irish paupers. The suggestion is, that all steamers or other
vessels bringing over this class of passengers should be com-
pelled to proceed tip the river, direct to the lazarette, where
the whole of the passengers should be examined, and none
permitted to land but those who were in good health. Such
a regulation would check the influx of fever patients into an
already too insalubrious town, and would at the same time
render proprietors and masters of vessels cautious how they
took on board a class of individuals who would subject them
to so much trouble and detention.—Liverpool Albion.
MURDERS Br PoisoN IN NORFOLK. -We regret
very much to find that the dreadful and insidious means of
human life by poison has again been resorted to,
andde destroying rtohyel tg )
object has been accomplished to a frightful extent in
the county of Norfolk. The news is of so recent a date, and
the place where they have occurred (Tibbenham) being four-
teen miles from Norwich, a full detail of the particulars
cannot be given by this (Monday's) post. Suffice it to say
that on Sunday evening, March 28, Mrs. Pearson, the wife
of a farmer of that name, at Tibbenham, invited a Mrs. Eve-
rett, the wife of another farmer, in the same village, to take
tea with her. She accepted the invitation, and these women
and other persons of the family sat down and took tea to-
gether. Soon after each of the women, and several others of
the party were taken ill, and we regret to say Mrs. Pearson
and Mrs. Everett are dead, and others (whose names we are
not able to give, nor can we say how many in number), are
lying in a very precarious state, and some of those also may
be dead by this time. At present we have no knowledge
whatever of the means by which the poison (which, we un-
derstand, is arsenic) could get into the tea, or by whom it
was administered. Mr. Pilgrim, one of the county coroners,
will hold inquests upon the bodies of the deceased, when, in
all probability, further information will be elicited. Tibben-
hem is a large agricultural parish, with a straggling popula-
tion of only 709 inhabitants, with 3,254 acres of land. It is
about three and a half miles east of New Buckenham, and is
in the hundred of Depwade.
Di a FRUCTION OF CITY CHURCHES.—It is reported
in the City, that the church of St. Benet, Gracechurch-street,
is shortly to be removed, and that many others will ere long
share the same fate. The churches of London are amongst
the most valuable works which the country possesses, and
we deplore the removal of any of them.—The Builder.