The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-29 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, JUNE 29, 1846.

partner in the said bank aforesaid, and a trader within the
meaning of the laws now in force concerning bankrupts, as
this deponent verily believes.
(Signed) " RICHARD DUNN.
" Sworn at the Court of Bankruptcy, Basinghall-street, in
the City of London, this 31st of March, 1846.
" J. F. MILLAR, Registrar."

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MANSION-HOUSE.
A man in the dress of a messenger appeared before
the Lord Mayor, leading ina miserable-looking lunatic,
and presented to his Lordship a letter, of
_which the fol-
lowing is a copy :
" BRITISH CHARITABLE FUND—UNDER THE PATRONAGE
OF HIS EXCELLENCY THE BRITISH AMBASSADOR,
PARIS."
",Committee-Room, 7, Rue d'Assineau, June 23, 1846.
"My Lord—l am directed by the Committee of the
British Charitable Fund to recommend to your Lord-
ship the bearer of this letter, Thomas Stone. This
young man was horn in France, of English parents, both
of whom are dead. He has fallen into a state bordering
on imbecility, and he has no means of subsistence here,
nor does the British Institution possess the funds neces-
sary for permanently supporting English paupers in
France. The only relief its resources allow it to afford,
is to send to England those who are unable to defray
their expenses. Under these circumstances, the Com-
mittee trust your Lordship will kindly direct that Thomas
Stone shall be placed in an asylum.—l have the honour
to be, with respect, my Lord, your Lordship's humble
servant, " J. F. OLIFFE, M.D.,
" lion. See. end Treasurer, Brit. Charitable Fund."
The LORD MAYOR said he could not interfere in the
case of the pauper, who had no claim upon this country.
The messenger—My Lord, he has no claim upon
France, for he is an Englishman.
The LORD MAYOR—How can that be, when he was
born in France, as your society acknowledge ?
The messenger—He was born of English parents, and
that makes an Englishman. It at all events places ulna
England the responsibility of looking to and supporting
him.
The LORD MAYOR—Not at all ; I shall have nothing
at all to do with him.
The messenger—What am I to do with him ?
The LORD MAYOR—Take him back, of course. He
was born amongst you. I never send over to France
any persons born in England of French parents in a state
of pauperism. You must take him away immediately.
Mr. Goodman—There is no proof of any claim upou
the part of the poor man on the Lord Mayor.
The LORD MAYOR regretted that in France the very
extraordinary system had been adopted of sending over
any lunatics that may be found about the streets. He
certainly should not follow the example, nor countenance
it by consenting to receive such favours in the city of
Loudon.
The messenger of the society then left the justice-
room, evidently much chagrined.
GUILDHALL.
CUSTOM IN THE PRINTING TRADE.—On Saturday
the complaint of George Bartlett, a pressman, against
his master, Mr. Stevens, a printer, in Philpot-lane, was
heard before Mr. Alderman Sidney. It was a complaint
for non-payment of a fortnight's wages, alleged to be due
by reason of a peculiar custom of the trade—that when
a master takes an apprentice to work at the press, and
has selected a skilful journeyman to instruct him, he
shall give the journeyman a premium of two guineas
and a portion of the boy's earnings, or an increase of
wages equivalent thereto, for one year. A contract of
service for one year certain is, therefore, tacitly raised,
during which the journeyman cannot discharge himself,
nor can he be discharged by his toaster, without good
cause. In this case Bartlett had received the premium,
but giving offence a few days afterwards, he received
a fortnight's notice to quit, which he refused to pay any
regard to, alleging that he was hired for a year.
At the previous hearing of the case, the evidence of
several respectable journeymen was brought forward to
prove the custom of the trade.
Mr. John Killingback, secretary to the Pressman's
Union Society, gave evidence to the same effect.
Mr. Justine, for the defendant, said he came prepared
to prove that there was no such monstrous and absurd
custom in the trade. Some masters were in attendance
for that purpose, and he had been kindly favoured with
letters from eight others. But he had evidence on ano-
ther point which would preclude the necessity of troub-
ling the magistrate with such a mass of evidence. It was
admitted that, notwithstanding the implied contract for
a year, a master might discharge the man for miscon-
duct at any time, and he should show that Barlett had
been guilty of misconduct. Besides knocking down the
overseer, he had used gross and insulting language to his
master.

Mr. Wooler, on behalf of the Pressmen's Union,
said he thought the custom was admitted at the
last hearing, but he had now, as he had then, some of
the oldest men in the trade to prove that it was an old
custom, practised generally throughout the trade. He
would establish the custom beyond the possibility of
dispute.
Mr. Justins said, that custom was not law, but this
even was not a custom; it was at best a bad usage.
Mr. Wooler observed, that our most valuable privileges
had been established by custom rather than by law.
Mr. Alderman SIDNEY admitted that he thought the
custom was established, but he was open to hear evi-
dence against it. Jt was shown that two journeymen,
who were instructing apprentices, and who left in the
course of the year, were compelled to return by their
masters because they had received a premium to bring
up the apprentice for one year. There must be a reci-
procity of obligation in the contract ; if the man was
bound to serve for a year, the master was bound to em-
ploy. The contract, of course, was subject to be deter-
mined by the death of parties or the act of the law in
certain cases.
Mr. William Stevens, the brother of the defendant,
was then examined as to the complainant having at
various times used gross, insulting language to his master,
and that on one occasion he had either by negligence or
wilfulness removed some type and caused it to tumble to
pieces, and thereby rendered useless all the labour be-
stowed upon it.
Mr. Wooler cross-examined him as to not having him-
self been an apprentice in the printing trade, and other
matters, but left untouched the fact of the man having
used the gross language.
An errand-boy was called to prove the using of the of-
fensive expression.
Mr. Alderman SIDNEY said he had paid great attention
to the case, and he had no doubt that he had jurisdiction
to entertain it, and to receive parole evidence of a cus-
tom in this trade as to general hiring for a year. The
weight of evidence, as to the custom, stood at present
in favour of the complainant. During the first year of a
boy's apprenticeship the man he was placed to work
with received 3s. extra per week. As this was part of
the remuneration for initiating the apprentice, it was
due only to him who bad all the trouble at the beginning,
and inferred a contract to hire the journeyman for a
year. However, he did not mean to decide the question
of custom. When a servant treated his employer with
such disrespect, and used such language as had been
proved in this case, it was surely good cause for dis-
charging him, without a breach of the custom. He
therefore dismissed the case. When a larger sum was
due for wages, the complainant might, in effect, appeal
from this decision by summoning his master to the
Court of Requests, which, in fact, was a more suitable
court for the recovery of wages.
LAMBETH.
Mrs. H. (the particulars of whose case appeared last
week), the wife of an insane author and actor, brought
on through distress, came before Mr. Norton, in order
that she might receive the subscriptions which had been
forwarded to this office immediately after the particu-
lars of her case appeared in the newspapers. She stated
that she had just seen her husband, who was in the
workhouse in a most deplorable condition, in consequence
of his not having been able to earn one penny for a long
time past, and seeing herself and seven children in a
nerving condition.
Mr. NORTON said it gave him pleasure to say that he
had received a few subscriptions from charitable per-
sons (which might be increased in a day or two), who he
was glad to say came forward whenever such a case as
the present was brought before the public. Mr. Norton
then handed over to her 5/. 12s. 6d., which she received
with grateful acknowledgments, and left the office appa-
rently satisfied.