The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-19 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENCE.—(This Day.)

COURT OF EXCHEQUER.

(Sittings at Nisi Priui before Mr. Baron Martin and a

Common Jury.)
ATKINS V. HIND.

The plaintiff in this case is a lace manufacturer of
Nottingham, and the defendant is a bill-sticker of the
same place, and the action was brought to recover
damages for malicious libels which the defendant had
published against the plaintiff by pasting bills about the
town reflecting on the plaintiff's conduct as a master.

The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff, damages
1501.

ABERDEEN RAILWAY COMPANY.

HALF•YEARLY MEETING THIS DAY.

This afternoon the balf-yearly general meeting of the
shareholders in this company "was held at Radley's Hotel,
Fleet-street ; Mr. Alex. Pixie, deputy-chairman of the
Board, presiding.

The report, which has been published, was taken as
read.

The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report,
said that he felt happy to state to the proprietors that
the preamble of the bill with which they were now before
liament, was yesterday proved, now the amalgamation
between the Scottish Midland and the Aberdeen com-
panies would take place, the Duniee and Arbroath
line being worked between them. He was happy
to state that there had been a continually increasing
revenue every half year ; but he regretted to add, that
during the past half year that had been absorbed with
the exception of 5001. by the necessity that bad arisen
for providing new engi❑es, Stc., the Scottish Midland
having refused any longer to work the Aberdeen line.
After some further remarks on matters of detail, he
concluded by moving the following resolutions :-
1. That the report of the directors and statement of
accounts be received and adopted.
2. That the directors be authorised to pay a dividend
at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum upon the six per
cent. preference stock of the compa❑y for the half-year
ending 30th April current, and that the said payme❑t
be made to the holders of such stock on the 15th of
May ensuing.
3. That the directors be authorised to issue deferred
dividend warrants to the holders of the 7 per cent. pre-
ference stock of the coinpany, for the half-year's dividend
falling due thereon on the Ist of May ensuing.

STERLING baying seconded the resolutions, they
were unanimously adopted ; and the meeting, which oc•
cupied only a few minutes, then separated.

THE ATTEMPTED MURDERS IN
RUPEitT-STREET.

FRIDAY NlGHT.—During the whole of the day the
police connected with every metropolitan division were
actively employed in endeavouring to apprehend the in•
tended assassin, but without success. Nearly every call
in the metropoli, was visited stud inquiries made as to
whether any one resembling the accused had applied the
previous night to be accommodated with lodgings, and
during those inquiries it was ascertained that the fellow
lodged at the house of a widow lady named Burton, No.
40, South-street, Hercules-buildings, Lambeth, imme-
diately facing the public house known as the Marquis of
Wellington, the property of Mr. G. Hills.
It has since been ascertained that the man the police
are in search of, after committing the dreadful deeds,
proceeded at once to the above public house in the com-
pany of another Italian, and having rapidly pushed by
several persons standing at the bar, they took their seats
in the parlour. One of the two called for a pot of porter,
and Mr. Adamson, the beadle of Lambeth, noticed that
the man was greatly excited and tremulous, and could
scarcely hold the measure in his hand. After sitting in
the room for some time the man left, and proceeded
direct to his own lodging, and got up about a quarter to
eight, and left without making any particular remark to
his landlady. Who the man was who accompanied him
to the Marquis of Wellington is not known ; but it is
believed that he was a fellow-workman of the accuse 4,
who is stated to have been in the employment of the
same gentleman—viz , Mr. Bernau, patent-envelope
manufacturer for wine bottles, near the Westminster-
road. The landlady of the house in which the man re-
sided, not knowing anything of the dreadful crime com-
mitted by him, according to her usual custom ever since
the man took lodgings at her house, commenced to get
his dinner ready; but not finding him return at the usual
hour, she happened to make a remark to some persons
living in the street of that circumstance, and found,
for the first time, the cause of his absenting him-
self. It has also been ascertained that he never
went to his employment yesterday; and from the
inquiries since made it is strongly believed that
he is located somewhere about Francis-street,
Westminster-road, or in the neighbourhood of Gerard-
street.

The police, apprehending that it is possible he may,
during the night, return to his lodgings, three detective
police-officers in plai❑ clothes have been placed on duty
in the large club-room of the Marquis of Wellington, so
as to be able to keep a good look-out in the event of the
assassin making his appearance in the street so that
they can at once pounce upon him, and take Lim into
custody.
From all the inquiries that have been instituted it ap-
pears that the doed was premeditated, and that it com-
menced in what is termed by some persons an affair of
honour, arising out of card-playing. The assassin fre-
quently stated that he had been wronged whilst playing
with the injured men, and what he terms his confede•
rates ; but no threat was ever held out by him to indi-
cate at the moment that he contemplated killing any of
them. But after the manner he acted on Thursday
night, and the desperate means he adopted, there can
be not the least doubt but that the crime had been long
premeditated ; the mere fact of carrying on his person
such a deadly weapon as a stiletto clearly proved that be
contemplated the destruction of human life.
Last night a better description of We accused than ap-
peared in our journal was published bythe police. It states
that he was about 24 years of age, 5 feet 8 inches high.
Hair, brown ; small moustache ; small beard, and
whiskers rather short. Was dressed in a grey paletot,
very short ; black trousers, and brown waistcoat ;
and a black felt " wide-a-wake" hat, which he left
behind.
He had been living up to the last three weeks in an
Italian-house, in Baldwin's-gardens, Leather-lane, and
is welt known to his countrymen in that locality, so that
if the principal sufferer should die, and a reward should
be offered by Government for the apprehension of the
guilty per..-on, there is n• doubt he will be quickly
pointed out to the police.
An escape by the steam-boats or railways is nest to
an impossibility, as policemen have been despatched to
every seaport town and railway station to watch whether
any one answering to the above description attempts to
leave London or any of the seaports in the kingdom.
No event that has occurred for several years at the
west end of London has created such a fearful amount
of excitement as the present.