The Sun.
London, England, 1870-06-06 00:00:00

LAW AND POLTCE.

THE CUNARD LINE OF STEAMERS. —The late Sir Edward
Cunard, Bart., and his brother Mr. William Cunard
were the owners of one third of the well-known
line of steamers bearing their name, the shares
according to the last valuation being worth
£290,000. A contract had been entered into pro-
viding that in the event of the death of one of the part-
ners, the survivor should be at liberty to purchase the
share of the deceased at a sum corresponding with the
last valuation. Sir E. Cunard having died, an application
was made in the Court of Chancery to autho-
rise the purchase of the share in question by Mr. Cunard;
and no objection being offered on the part of the several
persons interested, Sir R. Malins consented to authorise
the purchase.

A CASK OF WINE.—An action has been brought in the
Bail Court, against the London and South-Western Rail-
way Company. The plaintiff had ordered a cask of wine
abroad and the defendant's were to deliver it
at his residence. As the cask would not go
into the house 'the plaintiff's wife sent it on
to some mews near, giving the carter a receipt for the safe
delivery. The man, who was out of temper, let the cask
fall in lowering it, and it was broken, the wine being lost.
The question was whether the carman being required to
deliver the cask at a fresh place relieved the company
from liability. The jury found for the defendants.
THE MURDER AT STEPNEY.—WiIIiam Redhead, who
stands charged with the murder of his stepmother, has
been comitted for trial at the Central Criminal Court.
ROBBERY OF MAIL BAGS.—At Bow-street William
Folkard, a stamper at the Post-office, and Richard Bow-
man were charged with stealing letters and money-orders
from mail-bags arriving from Derby at the Midland Rail-
way Station, St. Pancras. The prosecution not being
completed, Mr. Flowers remand the prisoners.
THE LICENSING LAws.—At Marlborough-street a man
named Ray was prosecuted for keeping a refreshment-
house without being licensed. He had to answer five
informations. He was fined in the full penalties, amount-
ing to 2160.
THE MERTHYR TYDVIL BOARD OF HEALTH. —An
appeal has been heard in the Court of Chancery on behalf
of the Merthyr Tydvil Board of Health, the Master of
the. Rolls having refused to suspend any longer the execu-
tion of a writ of sequestration against their pro-
perty.. The order for sequestration was made some
time ago in consequence of the Board not having obeyed a
previous order restraining them from polluting the river
'Taff with the sewage of the district. Execution was post-
poned to enable the Board to carry out a process of deodo-
risation pending the acquisition of land and construction
of works necessary for a sewer farm. These temporary
works having failed to abate the nuisance, the board ap-
plied for a further extension of time, which the Master of
the Rolls refused. Lord Chief Justice Giffard said if the
parties were acting contumaciously he would not hesitate
to grant the injunction, but the defendants had shewn
that they only wanted time to set themselves right with
the court. He therefore proposed to direct an engineer
to report whether anything could be done to diminish the
nuisance in waiting for the completion of the permanent
works. The execution of the sequestration must be sus-
pended until the engineer's report was made.

GOVERNMENT PROSECUTION AT HULL. —A prosecution
of some importance is being carried on at Hull, at the
instance of the Board of Trade. The defendant, Mr.
Edward Nicholson, is charged with removing shingle
from the beach, near Withernsea, within the port of Hull.
The counsel for the prosecution, sold the injury done by
such removal was very great and it was calculated within
fifteen years something like 250,000 tons had been car-
ried away, the result being, according to evidence of
sceientific men who could be produced, that the several
works which had been erected at Spurn Point for the pro-
tection of the Humber from the influx of the German
Ocean had become endangered, as well as the lighthouses
which cost such an enormous outlay of money. The at-
tention c f the Board of Trade having been. called to the
matter, they instituted several prosecutions last year when
nominal penalties were inflicted, on the understanding
that no further depredations would be committed
Recently, however, they had been renewed, and the de-
fendant (who, it appeared, had acted for Sir Clifford Con-
stable' the lord of the manor) was prosecuted for the re-
moval of the shingle. For the defence it was at once ad-
mitted that the shingle had been removed, but
the jurisdiction of the magistrate was disputed,
as Withernsea was not within the port or harbour
of Hull. Upon those facts Mr. Travis, delivered a writ-
ten judgment, convicting the defendant in a nominal
penalty, which would have been of greater amount, but
that Sir Clifford Constable's solicitor asked for a case for
argument in one of the superior courts, which was agreed
to be given, at the same time undertaking that until
judgment thereon should be obtained, the removal of
shingle should cease.

CHARGE OF FRAUD. —Two men of gentlemanly appear-
ranee' named Gibson and Yeomans, have been charged at
Manchester with defrauding a Mr. Horsley, of Liver-
pool, of £2OO. Advertisements had been inserted
in the newspapers and prospectuses issued respecting
the North Caradon Mining Company, of which Messrs.
Gibson and Ware were the agents. The prisoners ob-
tained from the prosecutor a cheque for £2OO, in the be-
lief on the part of the latter that he was purchasing shares
in the company. The case for the prosecution was that
there was no such company in existence, and that the
transaction was, therefore, a fraud. After the examina-
tion of Mr. Horsley and another witness, the prisoners
were remanded to Wednesday, bail being refused.

CONVICTION OF AN AGENT OF A BUILDING SOCIETY.—
In this case the prisoner was the agent of the South
Lancashire Benefit Building Society, and in this capacity
he took £460 from a depositor named Susan Ambler.
He told her that he had received forty-one pounds
as interest, and this on her request he said he should
add to the other deposit. On the secretary of the society
absconding, the books were examined, and there was no
" order of payment " to Ambler ; and the prisoner was
brought up for feloniously embezzling the money.
The jury found that the " order of payment "
was a " request to pay " or a warrant
to pay" money. The question for the decision
of the court was, whether the indictment was good. For
the prisoner it was contended that this was a " receipt "
for money, and that it was not in the section, and that
therefore the conviction was bad. The court held other-
wise, and confirmed the conviction.

DEALING WITH PARTNERSHIP PROPERTY.—The prisoner
Jesse Smith was convicted at Leeds of having feloniously
received goods from a co-partner who had stolen them ;
and the prisoner knew of this. The court pointed out that
though the Act of last session made a partner dealing with
partnership property liable to be dealt with as if he had
not been a partner, still that did not apply to persons
receiving from such partners, though they had guilty
knowledge. The conviction must therefore be quashed.

AN UNGALLANT VOLUNTEER. —A somewhat Curious
case came before the Edinburgh Small Debt Court. A
prize-winner at a competition of the Edinburgh and Mid-
Lothian Rifle Association, having won a Cup inferentially
described in the list of prizes as of a certain specified
value, successfully pleaded his right to hold the Associa-
tion to the precise terms of their announcement. The
defence of the .Association virtually was that, the prize
having been presented by a lady, the pursuer should have
been content to abate at least 50 per cent. of his demand.

A SERIOUS JOKE.—A young man has been com-
mitted for trial, at Blackburn, on a charge of administer-
ing snuff to another in a glass of beer and nearly killing

A Juvenile horse stealer, a lad 11 years of age,
has been brought up at the Police Court, for stealing a
horse. He went to some livery stables, and said he
wanted a horse for his father to go to Woodulumpton,
giving a name known to the livery man. He mounted
the horse, rode off, and was discovered endeavouring to
oil the horse fox 106, 1:10 w4t zempaided.