The Sun.
London, England, 1869-07-07 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

THE WiernOw PEERAGE.—Mrs. Ellen Howard, the
widow of William George Howard, has petitioned the
House of Lords to appoint counsel on her behalf to defend
the claims of her infant son to the Wicklow Peerage.
Their lordships have accordingly appointed a barrister
and a parliamentary agent to act on her behalf, and
appointed the 12th for hearing the claim.
TIIE EARL or WESTMORELAND.—In Judges' Chambers,
on Tuesday, two summonses in the case of " Beyfus v. the
Earl of Westmoreh, n 1" were beard before Master Templer.
The first was in reference to the property claimed
at Apethorpe by the Dowager Countess, and applied
for a month's time to deliver the interpleader issue.
The Master gave a week's time. The second application
on the part of the defendant asked that the property
might be sold by private contract, not by public auction,
at Apethorpe. The Master thought it was likely to realise
more by private contract. After some discussion, the
matter was allowed to stand over for a few days.
AN INSURANCE COMPANY.—On Tuesday, Vice-Chan-
cellor Malins gave judgment in the case of "Mackie v.
the European Insurance Company." The bill sought to
make the capital of the company liable for .C 2,800, in
respect of property alleged to have been insured in
the office nearly three years since, the fire business
having since been assigned to another office. It seems
that the plaintiff, a manufacturer near Glasgow, was
insured in the Commercial Union Insurance Office, of
which a Mr. Waddell was the agent. Having made some
alteration in his premises, he wished to renew his
insurance, and applied to Mr. Waddell, who gave him a
printed form, which Mr. Mackie subsequently discovered
was for the European Company, not for the Commercial.
He wrote to Mr. 'Waddell, saying that he did not wish
for any change in the office, and asking for an answer,
which was not sent. Two days after his mill was burnt
down, the damages being more than £3,000. After some
delay and' correspondence, the European Company
refused to acknowledge the claim, declaring the defendant's
letter to be a repudiation of the policy. The Vice-
Chancellor strongly censured the conduct of the defen-
dants, declaring that the defence ought never to have been
set up. There must be a decree.
A PICTURE DEALER.—In the Second Court of Common
Pleas, on Tuesday, the case of " Mordaunt v. Palmer"
was concluded. The plaintiff is a picture dealer
in Sheffield, and the defendant follows the
same business in St. James's-place, London. The
question was whether certain pictures sold to the plaintiff
were genuine. Evidence was given to prove a custom
among picture-dealers of affixing the names of eminent
artists to paintings not painted by them, by way of
description, not as warranting them genuine. The judge,
in summing up, condemned this custom, and the jury
found a verdict for the plaintiff for £72.
ELECTION SERVICES.—In the Second Court of Common
Pleas, the case of " Stevens v. Hoare" was tried on
Tuesday, by a special jury. The plaintiff, a surveyor,
residing at Hammersmith, brought an action for £42, the
value of services rendered to Sir Henry Hoare, M.P.,
for Chelsea, at the last election. The jury found a verdict
for the defendant.

A PAINFUL CASE.—A young man in the employ of an
undertaker was charged with being drunk while carrying
a coffin. As he only gave a confused account of himself,
he was taken to the station, and the coffin sent to the
workhouse. The father of the deceased child was much
distressed, and stated that the deceased was his daughter,
who had died in the German Hospital. The undertaker
sent one man instead of two, and the defendant
was overpowered by the weight of the coffin.
Mr. Vaughan thought that the police had not
exercised a proper discretion in the case. The defen-
dant was, no doubt, much exhausted, and had taken too
much to dririk, but the police ought to have sought out
the undertaker and the father of the child, instead of
locking up the defendant and sending the coffin to the
workhouse. His Worship discharged the defendant, and
desired that the coffin should be restored to the father,

HONOUR FOR A UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR.—His
Majesty the Sultan has appointed Mr. Thomas Chenery,
Lord Almoner's Professor of Arabic in the University of
Oxford, to be a Member of the Second Class of the
Imperial Order of the Medjiditi.

A RESPECTABLE FARMER IN THE HANDS OF
THE LAw.—A telegram from Cork says :—" At Mallow
Sessicns a respectable farmer named Callaghan was com-
mitted for trial for assaulting and attempting to disarm a
sergeant of the 39th Regiment in a train between Cork and
Mallow, and for using seditious language."
THE ORDER OF THE BATH.—Her Majesty held
a private investiture of the Order of the Bath on Tuesday
at Windsor Castle. The new Knights Grand Cross are
the Earl of-Lucan, General Sir J. Yorke-Scarlett, General
Sis G. Buller, and Admiral Sir A. L. Kuper. At the
same time the Queen held an investiture of the
Order of the Star of India, when Lord Monck, Earl
Grey, and Earl Russell were honoured with the
riband and badge of the first class. Several knights
commanders of each. order were also introduced and
invested.