The Sun.
London, England, 1860-04-20 00:00:00

NAT LANGHAM AND RBI( CAUNT'S LICENCES.

The adjourned Quarter Sessions for the County of Mid-
dlesex was held this morning at the Guildhall, Westminster,
for the purpose of considering the appeals of Nathaniel
Laugh= and Benjamin Caunt against the decisions of the
Licencing Magistrates, refusing the renewal of their licences.
The bench was very fully attended, and amongst the
magistrates were the Assistant Judge, Mr. Bodkin, and
Messrs. Burslem, Pence, Antrobus, Woolsey, Parbury, D.
Fletcher, Harwood, Rankine, Sir R. W. Carden, Baylis,
Uzielli, Griffiths, Hogarth, Healy, Garford, R. Ballantine,
Major Lyon, E. Coz Wyatt, and, during the sitting, a
number of other county magistrates.
On the case of Nat Langham's being called on,

Mr. Sleigh said he, with his learned friend, Mr. Le
Breton, appeared for the vestry of St. Martin's, who had
opposed the license before the magistrates in the case of Ben
Caunt, and he thought it right at once to say that the vestry
had no locus standi in this case, and therefore he could
merely watch the case. His learned friends, Mr. D. Keane
and Mr. Tindal Atkisson; would represent the respondent
magistrates, and Mr. Edwin James, Q.C. and Mr. Poland
the appellant.

Mr. D. Keane thin opened the case on the part of the
respondents, and briefly referred to the cause of the refusal
of the license to Langham's house, the Cambrian Stores, it
being on account of the frequent complaints of the inhabi-
tants of the annoyance that was created by the frequent as-
semblage of a vast crowd of persons in front of, and inside
the house, and to such an extent had it gone on, that the
business of the neighbourhood was materially injured and
the peace of the inhabitants disturbed by the nightly
noises of dancing, rough music, and language of the
most disgusting character. The learned counsel called a
number of witnesses to prove the facts he had briefly
referred to.

Mr. E. James then addressed the bench en the part of
the appellant, and said that this was a case which must
be dealt with in a plain and straightforward manner, and
must not be considered in a critical point of view, which
ought not to be listened to in a court of justice. It was
well known that all persons connected with pugilism looked
forward to a public-house as a harbour of refuge, and they
must all recollect the days when Lord Byron and Mr. Hob-
house went to Tom Cribb's ; when magistrates granted
licences to pugilists it would be consummate hypocrisy to
say they did not know the class of persons who would
frequent the house ; all that the magistrates had to con-
sider was that the applicant conducted his house properly,
and having invested a large amount of capital, the license
ought not to be refused except from personal misconduct,
and not because crowds assembled when a prize fight cams
off. They all knew that the late fight had created great
interest throughout the country, and was as much talked
of in the House of Commons as in every person's house
from the highest to the lowest. After some further obser-
vations the learned counsel submitted there was no grounds
for withholding the license.

The Assistant-Judge said he did not purpose to offer any
observations, further than the magistrates ought to decide
upon the evidence, and not from any prejudice arising out
of what they had hoard.
The magistrates then divided, when the numbers wero—
For the renewal
Against it .. . •
Majority 4
The licence is accordingly lost.

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