The Sun.
London, England, 1802-02-16 00:00:00

BARNO.D v. GOSLINGS.

This was an •Adion by Common Informer
against the Messrs, Goslings, who are eminent
Pro tors in Donor's, CoMmons, to .recover goo!.
being the amount of Penalties,Of 50;. each, for the
different Ads which they had dbne as 'PradOrs'
without having taken out their Certificates, as re;
quired by a late Statute, imposing an annual duty of
51. on every .person who shall at as Attorney, So-
licitor, Proctor, Notary, &C. &c.
7 It appeared; that these Gentlemen, from the 3 ist'
of OftOber, ,rBo-o, to the month of May, iSol;
had, inadvertently, omitted to take out their Cer.:
tiff ate,' during which time, their extensive busi-
ness was carried on as usual ; but the Plaintiff was
able only to make out in proof three Ads, which
tibjetted them to the Penalties. of 501. each, and,
therefore, a verdict was given ibr the Plaintiff,
Damages 5501,
He only went for Six, as opened by Counsel,
The ATTORNEY GENERAL, who was of Counsel
for the Defendants, said, the Piaintiff would have
a great deal to do before he received this money,
for that the Ad of Parliament; in
,this case; did not
give to a Common Informer, but to some Party in
a Suit, &c. &c.--but of that hereafter.;-•-he bad
his verdid.

COVRT OF COMMON: PLEAS, FEBFEBi 13.

SEFORE LORD ALVANLEY.

SERRES-AND ANOTHER.V.' STUBBS 'AND ANOTEIEIt.
This AR;nn was brought by Sarah Sortes, and
Augusta Charlotte Serres, the claughters.e#lthe late
Mr. Series, Marine Painter to His Majesty, against
Mr. Stubbs, Venetian Blind-maker to His Majesty,
and a person of the name of Jellicho, a' Broker, •to
recover darnages for having distrained for rent be-
fore the same was due, and for having sold their
goods and property at a sum :considerably less than
their value, or what- they would have produced had
they been faitly sold.--. The Miss Serres, upon the
death of their father, were desirous of setting up in
business for the support of thernseltreS and their
younger. sisters; with this view they took a house
of the Defendant, Mr. Stubbs, in Oxford-road, At
the rent of *U. per annum, which .they furnished
in a very elegant manner, for the-purpose of letting
lodgings in reduction of the rent. These Ladies'
heei was to carry on the buSiness of Stationers
°andirrintsellers, with the addition of.selling those
articles of fancy, of no intrinsic worthinthemselves,
but the value of which depends upon the taste of the
purchaser, and the merit of the artist. Their shop
was provided with every necessary article Of sta_
tionary ; a considerable quantity of fine prints,
framed and glazed, portfolios of impressions by
Bartolozzi and other eminent Masters, the *hole of
which wag worth upwards .of.'six handfed pounds.
The Ladies took possession of the house in October,
1799,
.and gave their note for 501. in advance
:of
the rent, and by agreement they were not to be
called upon to pay any further, rent till September
following. When
.the ;01. bill became due, they
were not ready to discharge the whole of it, but
they paid it, all but 131. for which their brother
gave a fresh note. .:The Defendant, Stubbs, conti-
nued upon terms of friendship with the Ladies till
the month of July, and frequently visited them ;
but on the sth of that month, without assigning any
reason; he put a distress in 'their house for a whole
year's rent, pretending that the money which had
been paid off, the 501. was ,for repairs. Under this,
distress, which was three weeks kept in the house,
the Defendant Stubbs, and Jellicho his Broker, took
possession of every article of property these Ladies
had in the world ;: and when at last they pioeured
a, friend, who would have advanced the money, they
prevented the interference of his good offices,-by
sinuating; tlat-the-Miss Serres' were on the eve of
bankruptcy ; and they then called in the ordinary
Statute Appraisers, who valued the whole of 'the
furniture, stock, prints, and drawings, at about tool.
leaving, after &duffing the rent and expenses, - a
balance of a few poundS coming to the Tenants,
which however was not paid them. Having 'com-
mitted this att of opprgsSion, the greatest part of
the goods were taken to Mr. Jellicho's shop, and
sold by him..-=-The case having been sufficiently
made out, the Defendants attempted to shelter them-
selves under the pretence, that their proceedings.had'
been conformable to the direCtions of the Ad of
Parliament ;- but is was so manifest the distress had
been made before. the -rent was due, that the Jury
gave a verditt tin the Plaintiffs, with such damages
as, upon a fair estimation of the value of the pro_
perry so improperly taken from them, it should zp..
fear they had sustained.