The Sun.
London, England, 1846-01-06 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY, Jan. 5.
Two Commissioners were sitting, and both were occu-
pied thronghout the morning in hearing cases of insol-
vency, the majority of which were unopposed.
(Before Mr. Commissioner HoLBoYD.)
IN RE COLLINS.

This insolvent, who carried on business as a coal met,
chant at Earl-street, Lamketh, came up for his fina
order.

Mr. STURGEON appeared to oppose on the ground that
the insolvent had been most recklessly trafficing in ac-
commodation bills, and becoming security to loan so-
cieties. In four cases the acceptors of the bills were
non est inventus. The insolvent said, that at the time
he got the bills discounted he was in good circum-
stances, that he had 50L, 60L, or 1001. of property
after payment of his debts, but during that time he was
suffering his security to the loans to run out. His pro-
perty now amounted to 20t, which he inserted in the
schedule as " unincumbered," although there was a dis-
pute respecting it between the Sheriff of Surrey and his
landlord. Mr. Sturgeon urged that all the bills had been
given, and when the insolvent was in a sinking state he
got the bills discounted.
Insolvent said he had lost a great deal of money by
doing too much for a good many.
Tae insolvent'si solicitor said that the insolvent had
lost 4001. in ten years, and three horses in the the last
year. That he had lived in the house No. 27, for
years, that the bills held by the opposing creditor were
given merely to clear off a vexatious action by a third
party, and there was a hope of still going on. The in •
solvent was willing to pay five shillings in the pound,
but was not prepared at present to make it certain. The
insolvent supplied many of the Clubs at the west-end
of the town, and they acted liberally towards him, so
that when Parliament met he would be able to settle.
The Learned COMMISSIONER said the insolvent having
lived so long in one house was creditable to him, but
nothing justified his representing his son and others to
be in good circumstances; but, as perhaps he might still
be able to get on in business, the case should be ad
journed to afford an opportunity to come to some ar-
rangement.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT
OLD COURT.

The RECORDER entered the Court at ten o'clock, and
the grand jury having been summoned, and having
appeared, he said that it would not be necessary for him
to occupy their attention for any length of time. The
only cases desiring any particular notice were those of
a murder that had been committed on the high seas, and
a robbery that had been attended with circumstances of
great aggravation. The Learned Recorder then went
in extenso into the case of Johnstone, the facts of which
have already appeared fully in this journal, and suid
that unier all the circumstances he must recommend
them to find the bills. The other case to which he
alluded to was one of a robbery of a 10/. note (the
robbery iu Regent's-park), in which the prisoner had
used, the most violent means, and he would request
them to give this case the most serious considPration.
There was nothing else of a character that required
him to detain them longer.
The swearing in of the petit jury was then pro-
ceeded with, which occupied the greater portion of
the day.

Joseph Heaviside surrendered to answer an indict-
ment charging him with the offence of misdemeanour.
Mr. Payne conducted the prosecution ; Mr. Clarkson,
with Mr. Baldwin, appeared fur the defendant.
From the statement of the Learned Counsel for the
proseculion, and the evidence that was adduced, it ap-
peared that the defendant was the mate of a vessel called
the Nunez, and the offence with which he was charged
was having committed a series of assaults upon a led
named John Huggard, who was an apprentice on board
the vessel. According to the statement of the prosecutor,
a rather weakly but intelligent boy, he sailed from
Shields on a voyage to Alexandria with coals, and when
they sere near Gibraltar the defendant beat him severely
with a rope's-end, and when they were in the harbour of
Alexandria, and the coals were being discharged, he was
set to " trim" the lighter, that k shovel the coals level
as they were discharged from the vessel, and because
he was not strong enough to do it, he said the mate
pelted him with large pieces of coal, which made wounds
on both his legs, and that the captain put bluestone into
the wounds, and he also said that after this, and while
his legs ware very bad, the mate used to jeer him, and
tell him to go aft and " get his bluestune." He likewise
said, that because he could not learn the compass the
defendant used sometimes to give him a couple of dozen
blows on his hand with a shoo, which made his hands
very sore, and caused lumps to come upon his wrists.
In cross-examination. the boy admitted that he might
have d—d the black cook, and that he had said he should
like to leave the ship. He likewise said, that on the occa-
sion when he was struck with the rope, he had been
ordered to see that the cook did not waste the water
when he served it out, and that he neglected to do so,
and told the mate that he had " turned in" instead.
Mr. Brown, the medical superintendent at Stangate
Creek, proved that on the arrival of the vessel in England
he examined the person of the witness, and found sonic
sores about his ankles, but in answer to a question from
the Court, he said lie did not think they could have been
occa,ioned in the way stated by the boy, but they
seemed to him more like the injury that would be oc-
casioned by the ;friction of a shoe upon a tender skin
irritated by salt water.
Mr. CLARKSON, in addressing the jury for the de-
fendant, argued that it was a most trumpery charge ;
that with regard to the story about throwing the coals it
had been negatived by the evidence of the surgeon, and
as to beating with the rope, the defendant was perfectly
justified in inflicting it, by reason of the complainant's
neglect of his duty in not reporting to him, upon so im-
portant a subject to a ship at sea, as the waste of the
water that was on board.
The RECORDER having summed up, the jury, after
deliberating a short time, returned a verdict of Not
Guilty.
Mr. PAYNE applied to have the defendant held to
bail, to answer any indictment that might be P referrei
against him. He had committed a great many other
assaults upon the boy besides those which formed the
subject of the present indictment.
Mr. CLARKSON objected to this, as the vessel was about
to sail. He said the captain of the Nunez was ready to