The Sun.
London, England, 1869-05-24 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

THE BANDA AND KIRwEE BooTy.—The Lords of the
Treasury sat last week as a judicial court, for the first
time since the days of Lord Liverpool. There were present
Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Lowe, Mr. Stansfeld and Captain
Vivian, and the case which they had to hear involved a
sum exceeding £260,000 arising out of the capture of Banda
and Kirwee. In the year 1866 the conflicting claims of
the troops employed in the suppression of the Indian
mutiny to participate in the booty captured at Kirwee
and Banda were referred to the Court of Admiralty. Dr.
Lushington, the judge of that court, awarded the booty
to Sir G. Whitlock's column, Lord Clyde being admitted
to share as commander-in-chief. The booty thus
awarded was valued at £500,000. A claim was after-
wards preferred by Sir G. Whitlock's forces to certain
property of the Banda and Kirwee chiefs. The claim
rested (11 tl e ground that this property was included in
those droits of war which the Crown usually distributes
among the successful troops. The property thus claimed
was a sum of £260,000 India Five per Cent. Stock, standing
in the Government books in the names of the rebel chiefs.
The case turned on the question whether the sums so in-
vested came under the description given in Lord Canning's
order in 1858, in which he informed the army that all
movable property of the rebels might be fairly treated
as prize. An application was made to the Crown for
a reference of the present claim to the Court of
Admiralty for adjudication ; but the Lords of the
Treasury intimated that they would hear the case argued
themselves, and accordingly the case came on for argu-
ment in the Board Room of the Treasury, which was fitted
np as a court for the occasion, and counsel were required
to appear in robes as before the Privy Council. No
judgment was pronounced by the court, but a Trea-
sury minute of the decision will be issued in a few days.
A DISHONEST TRADESMAN. —A butcher of Tyler's Market
has been convicted at Guildhall of having false weights.
He used a false beam and scales, causing a loss of four
ounces to the purchaser. The chief customers were the
poor people who frequented the market on Saturday
nights. lie was fined f 5 with costs.

11/OT/0.1, TO COMMIT AN EDITOR FOR
CONTEMPT OF COURT.

A motion to commit Mr. Ward, editor and proprietor
of the _North of England Advertiser, a weekly paper,
published at Newcastle-upon-Tyno, for contempt of
court, by the publication of an article alleged
to be calculated to prejudice a suit before
the court and to interfere with the course of justice, was
made before Vice-Chancellor Malins on Saturday.
Mr. Glasse, Q.C., was for the complainant ; Mr. W. H.
Harle, solicitor, of Newcastle, and Mr. Cole, Q.C., was
for the defendant. The article complained of was to the
effect that the directors of the Northern Counties Building
Society bad refused to reappoint Mr. Harle their solicitor,
and that he had since become solicitor to the two bills in
Chancery, to prevent the Northern Counties and the
Newcastle Building Societies from borrowing money;
that in one case the ostensible party to the proceedings
was the husband, who cleaned Mr. Harle's office ;
that the Northern Counties Society had borrowed immense
sums under a rule devised and approved by Mr. Harle ;
and that it was unfortunate that Mr. Harle's duty to his
clients should have forced him into antagonism to societies
which had done so much for working men,
whose champion he had so long professed to be.
For the defence it was urged that the editorial note had
been published in good faith, and was simply intended to
allay any anxiety which might arise as to the
stability of either of the societies referred to—the largest
building societies in the district—and to prevent any panic
or uneasiness in the minds of the shareholders and
depositors, the bulk of whom belonged to the industrial
classes. The affidavit of the defendant was produced in
support of this argument, and it was further con-
tended that no contempt of court had been committed.
—His Honour, in giving judgment, expressed his regret
that so much of the time of the court had been taken up
lately by cases of this kind, of which there had been three
or four within six weeks or two months. It was of the
higheit importance to the public that the press should be
as much as possible unrestricted, and that there
should be the utmost freedom of comment on public
affairs allowed to it, for this was the life and
vigour of every country in which the privilege existed ;
but at the same time it was of equal importance that the
administration of justice should not be interfered with by
such comments. He adhered on this occasion to his deci-
sion in a recent case affecting the Cheltenham and
Swansea Railway Waggon Company, in regard to which
he had been guided by the rules laid clown by Lord
Hardwicke, in the well-known case of the St. James's
Evening Poet, and quoted by the present Lord Chancellor
in giving judgment in the Tichbourne case. He thought
it very likely that Mr. Ward thought that by inserting this
article he was discharging a public duty ; but reflection
should have shewn him that he was wrong, for it was
calculated to prejudice the world on the merits of a case
not yet heard, it abused the parties concerned in the case,
and was also calculated to prejudice mankind against
them before the case was heard. Therefore the article
was exceedingly improper,
and ought to he apolo-
gised for. The defendant must, therefore, insert an
apology, and pay the costs of the application, otherwise
ho would be committed.—The defendant was allowed
three weeks to comply with this decision, in order that if
he thought proper he might appeal.

A fire which took place at Ilribre.7, near Bradford,
on Friday destroyed a carding hilll and
goods worth
£lO,OOO.

-MITIftER AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE DY A LUNATIC.
—A labourer, of Glasgow, named James Wltreardy,
who resides on the fourth flat of the building, leaped over
the window of his dwelling 4:fie other day. M`Breardy,
who is about 39 years of age, has been in an unsound state
of mind for some time past. The unfortunate man, before
attempting tr;, commit self-destruction, had seized a...nor
and cut the head of his daughter Isabel,, 3 years of
azP.., with whom he had been left alone. in the house for a
short time. M'Breardy was seri.'uusly injured by the fall,
and, after being attended by Dr. Young, Great Hamilton.
street, he was removed to the infirmary.
TILE GOVERNMENT AND FRIENDLY 80CILTIES.
At the conclusion of the hnsiness of the Odd Fellows'
A.M.C., at Sunderland, on -Friday afternoon, the Grand
Ma.iter of the Order road a Etter from the Earl of Lich-
field, stating, that his 1-Aiship, Lord Porrinev, the Hon.
E. Stanhope, and other gAitlernen interested in the sub-
ject of fliemlly societies, propose to make arrangements
for a depttation to wait upon Mr. GladAcee, with a
memorial praying the Government t) appoint a commis-
sion to inquire into the various evils in connection with
the management of many of the friendly socities, both
certified and uncertified, established throughout the
country, for the pulp 5..) of providing insurances upon
lives and relief in sickness, and old age for members of
the working classes. It was decided that the Grand
Master, with three other members to be selected by the
board of directors, shall ac.;onmanv the deputati.m to Mr.
CiflAticael