The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-28 00:00:00

LAW . AND POLICE.

110 W SOME RAILWAY COMPANIES ARE COT UP.
—" The Ilfracombe Railway Company v. Nash."—This
was a special case that came on for hearing on Thursday
in the Court of Common Pleas. It appears
that at the formation of this Company, and
before parliamentary powers had been applied for,
the solicitor of the company, Mr. Russell Riccard, applied
to the defendant to allow his name to be placed on the
list of directors. On his consenting to this, there were to
be transferred to him twenty paid-up shares,
equal in value to £5OO. On these terms Mr. Nash
allowed his name to be placed on the directorate. He at-
tended several meetings, and received payment for
doing so ; but when a call was made upon him he
denied his liability to pay anything towards the
expenditure of the company. His counsel now con-
tended—First, That he was not a shareholder at all;
and, secondly, that the shares he held were given
him in consideration of his allowing his name to appear as
a director. He agreed to take the shares, but not to
become responsible for the affairs of the company. The
counsel for the plaintiffs argued from a decision recently
given by the Master of the Rolls in a similar case, in
favour of the defendant. The judges decided that the
liability of the defendant (Mr. Nash) was proved by
the fact of his having accepted shares, and, as a share-
holder, he was, therefore, responsible for the calls made by
the company.

A BILL BETWEEN NOBLEMEN.—The case of "Calisher
v. the Marquis of Anglesey," has come before the Court
of Exchequer, upon demurrer of pleas. The action was
brought by Julius Calisher, on a bill of exchange for
three months, drawn by Lord Courtenay and accepted by
the Marquis of Anglesey, when he was Lord Uxbridge.
and endorsed by Lord Courtenay to the plaintiff. There
were seven pleas, several of which had been objected to.
The third plea was to the effect that after the defendant
had accepted the bill, and before Lord Courtenay
parted with it, by express renunciation he dis-
charged the defendant from liability. The fifth plea
affirmed that the defendant wrote his name on a blank
piece of paper and gave it to Lord Courtenay, to enable
him to raise money, without receiving any consideration,
and that he afterwards revoked the authority. The
seventh plea urged that the bill was to be discounted for
the joint use of Lord Courtenay and the defendant, but that
Lord Courtenay applied the proceeds only to his own use.
The court decided that the third and fifth pleas were bad,
but that the seventh raised a good defence to the action
Judgment accordingly.
TIIE BRISTOL AND EXETER RAILWAY.—A passenger by
the Bristol and Exeter Railway was some time since
severely injured at Yatton Station by falling between the
carriages and the platform in alighting. He sued the
company at the assizes, and obtained £1,500 damages. The
company contended that the plaintiff knew how the plat-
form was constructed, and the accident would not have
happened if he had used the step. The Court of Exche-
quer, being called upon to decide the question, have
made a rule absolute for a nonsuit or a new trial, as the
defendants may select.
ANOTHER NEw CVOSS Can.—Another action arising
out of the New Cross accident has been brought in the
Sheriffs' Court. The plaintiff was a cordial manufacturer,
who supplied licensed victuallers with cordials. The
damages were laid at £l,OOO, but it was contended that
the injuries received had been greatly exaggerated.
Mr. Power, a surgeon, called on behalf of the company,
said in an ordinary case a fortnight's laying up would have
been sufficient. When asked what he meant by an " ordi-
nary " eAse, he replied, " If there had been no chance of
compensationfrom a railway company." The jury assessed
the damages at £lOO.
RAILWAY COMPANIES IN DISGRACE.—Two railway corn.
panics have been censured by Metropolitan Police magic.
tratcs within the last day or two. At the Mansion-house,
Sir Thomas Gabriel took occasion to censure the South
Eastern authorities for having instituted a frivolous pro-
secution against a respectable man for not having paid
an alleged excess fare. At Worship-street Mr.
Newton expressed his strong disapprobation of
the course taken by the Great Eastern Company
in levying a penny toll on every cab, either setting down
or taking up a fare in their yard at Bishopsgate station.
THE PETROLEUM ACT.—A City tradesman, named
Merges, has been fined £5 at the Guildhall, for having sold
a quantity of petroleum without supplying a cautionary
label. In addition to the fine defendant's license was can-
celled.

THE COUNTESS OF DERIVENTWATER'S CLAIMS.—
The northern Daily Express says that the service of the
writs issued against the " Countess" of Derwentwater and
her supporters, at the instance of the Greenwich
Hospital authorities, for the alleged illegal distraint
at Newland Farm, has been actively proceeded
with. An amusing incident connected with the process,
however, shows that her ladyship up to the present
time remains equal to the situation. A Hexham bailiff
sought to serve the " Countess " with the writ, and resorted
to a smart subterfuge in order to effect his object. Tho
document was addressed to the "Countess," under the
more modest name of "Amelia Radcliffe, spinster." On
proceeding to Corbridge, Dodds, happening to enter an
inn, met Brown the " Countess's " bailiff, whom he had pre-
viously known. They kept up a short conversation, and on
Brown taking his departure fur Consett, Dodds helped him on
to his horse. Dodds then sot oil to the village t 3 perform
his duty with the writ, and on coming to the house of
Mrs. Nicholson where the "Countess" is lodged, he saw
the first-named lady at the deer. He advanced to hcr,
and said he had just left their mutual friend, Mr. Brown,
on the road, and that that gentleman had scut him with
an important document to deliver into the hands of he.:
ladyship. Ho was unsuspectingly admitted into herprosence,
and succeeded at once in gettin,, the writ served. :Cho
"Countess" " at once roes from her seat and said, "This is
only like so much waste paper to me." She then delibe-
rately placed it within the bars of the fire, but on Dodds
remonstrating, she hastily took it up again and ran over
its contents. She almost immediately consigned it again
to the flames. She then adroitly turned the key of the
room door and sent for the police, and on the arrival of
two officers she gave Dodds into custody on a charge of
forcibly entering her apartment. He was taken to the
nearest magistrate, Mr. C. G. Gran (91(1 WPJI of coupe'
uleArtgA froz4 pAtycly,