The Sun.
London, England, 1869-12-13 00:00:00

COMPANIES LY CHANCERY

The claims of the Oriental Commercial Bank (Limited);
and the Eastern Commercial Bank, against the European
Bank, were again under the consideration of Vice-Chan-
cettlirMalins, on Saturday. •
The summons, which was adjourned from Chambers
raised the question of the right to certain bills of
exchange drawn by the agent of the European Bank in
1868, accepted by the Bank, and now held by
the Eastern Commercial. The European, and the Oriental
Commercial aro both in liquidation ; but it was stated
that the former was now able to ray 20s. in the pound,.
From the statements made, it appeared that after the
failure of the European Bank, a firm of merchants, who
held the bills of value, sold them to Demetrio
Fappa, who was then managing director cf the
Eastern Commercial Bank ; and who sold to that company
the day after its incorporation in 1867, the eight bills for
£l,OOO for the sum of £BOO. But Dcmetrio Fappa
had previously been manager of the Oriental Commercial,
and they now olnimed the bills, alleging that they had boen
bought with their money. George John Pappa, a relative
of Dcmetrio Pappa, was sent to the East to collect monies
for the Oriental, and it was alleged that he had paid some
of these over to Demetrio, who, with the amount, bought
the bill in question. This, however, was altogether denied
by Demetrio Pappa, who swore that he had bought the
shares with his own money. _

The Vice-Chancellor observed that it was very extra-
ordinary that the first 'transaction of a joint-stock com—
pany should be to buy up a number of dishonoured
bills which had arrived at maturity twelve
months before. Indeed, the whole of the transactions
were surrounded by great suspicion, but the court could
not be said to be satisfied that "conspiracy, robbery, and
forgery" had been committed. Therefore the summons
must be dismissed with coats, but without prejudice to
any proceedings which the Oriental Bank might take at
law or otherwise.
The affairs of the Imperial Mercantile Credit Asso-
ciation (Limited) were before Vice-Chancellor James. Two
summonses were hcard on behalf of the liquidators of the
company, one to have the registcr rectified, and
the other to set aside a certain compromise.
Mr Kay. Q.C., stated that it was desired to le-
move from the register the name of James Lovell and
substitute that of William Payne. Mr. Payne, being the
owner of shares in the company, and wishing to escape
from liability upon them, induced James Lovell, the mes-
senger in the office in which he was engaged, by the pre-
sent of £5, to allow these shares to be transferred to his
name. He was described as a " gentleman."
The Vice-Chancellor said he was of opinion that the
assignment of shares to Lovell could not stand. The false-
hood in the transfer, describing Lovell, the messenger, as a
" gentleman," was intended to deceive the directors, so as
to prevent their objecting,as they could under the Act, to
the transferee. He should, therefore, give the liquidators
leave to rectify them in the way they asked ; but he would
not deal with the compromise, which did not relate to the
question under consideration.

EXTRAORDINARY FRAUDS UPON INSUR-
ANCE COMPANIES.

At the JustiCe Room of the Mansion House on Saturday,
Francis Brown, representing himself as a fish dealer carry-
ing on business at Gravesend, was brought up before the
Lord Mayor, in custody of Henry Webb, Detective-
Sergeant, and charged with forging and uttering
a bill of lading, dated the 11th November
last, for 100 barrels of herrings with intent
to defraud the Monarch Insurance (Limited), 21, Finch-
lane. James Terry, aged 17, seaman, was charged with
being concerned with Brown in forging and uttering the
bill of lading.
Mr. George Lewis, solicitor, said he appeared on behalf
of the Monarch Insurance Company, instructed by Capt.
Downward, of Lloyd's, to prosecute the prisoner Brown
for a series of frauds that he had practised for a con-
siderable time on the underwriters and insurance
underwriting companies in the City of London.
Some short time since, the prisoner Brown went to the
Mo-narch Insurance Company, and effected an insurance
upon saine herrings, which he said were to be transmitted
from the pt;'t of London to Fecamp, on the coast of France,
and, having paid the premium of ss. the company
gave gave him a policy for £2OO, believing
the transaction was perfectly genuine. Not long
afterwards the prisoner :cut in a claim for £2OO
alleging that the herrings had I,:tten lost at sea. He repre-
sented that the herrings had been aNpped in a small boat
called the James, that she sailed on SaOrday the 13th of
November, and was lost about five o'clock r:q the evening
of the following day, Sunday, and ;:hat the
captain and mate were drowned, he (the prisoner) an'' the
lad Terry being the only two persons that were save,._°
it turned out that there never was a sloop
called the James, ankl that the whole story
told by the Frisoner was a fiction. At the
time he represented himself as beine; shipwrecked,
the prisoner was seen at Gravesend. TLe:e would be
a second charge against the prisoner. In May last
he visited different insurance companies in London.
and effected policies to the amount of £1,525 upon her-
rings which he alleged he was shipping by a vessel called
the "Hope," from Gravesend to Cherbourg. The prisoner
in this instance was really picked up at sea, being found
in the Channel in a small boat, and he was
brought to Ramsgate. On arriving in London,
he paid a visit to one of the assurance companies, the
Ocean Marine, and, as there was no suspicion of fraud,
he was paid £2OO, the amount of his policy effected
with that office, but the policies effected with the other
offices were not paid, and still remain unpaid. He
(Mr. Lewis) would prove, however, on another•
occasion that there never was a vessel called the Hope.
In the morning of the day on which it was alleged the vessel
was lost the prisoner hired a little boat, and put out to sea
by himself, no doubt with the object of being picked up,
and thus enforcing his claim upon the insurance companies.
In the short space of fifteen months the prisoner Brown had
obtained no less than £1,200 by means of fraud, and there
were other claims which he he had outstanding amounting
to £1,500. He need hardly say that in a commercial
country like this it was important that frauds of this kind
should be brought to light, and the guilty parties
punished. The Monarch Insurance Company was the
first to come forward and he hoped that others interested
would also come forward and take part in the prosecution.
Evidence was then adduced in support of the case and
a remand was then made.

Father Ilyacinthe has declined to visit Montreal.
lie considers that his present duty is " silence, prayer, and

expectation."
It is not generally known, says the Pall Mall
Gazette, that, besides bar convalescent borne at Woodford
Mrs. Gladstone has organised at Brook-road, Clapton, a con-
valescent home for relapsing fever patients, taken heti
home or hospital indifferently. The home has been opened
only a fortnight, during which time twelve convalescentt.
have been admitted, one of whom has been discharged quit,
cured, and the remaining eleven are all improving.

ESCAPE FROM GI-AoL.—Early on Saturday morning
a convict in Maidstone Gaol, named Alfred Greenhill, by
some extraordinary means eluded the vigilance of his
keeper and made his escape. He was a young man about.
25 years of age, and was committed for seven years' penal
servitude at the last July Sessions for housebreaking in
the parish of Hunton. He was seen safely in his cell
between six and seven on Saturday morning and at seven
o'clock he was missed. Search was at once made for him,
but without success. Information of the escape was for
warded the same evening to the county and London police.

Mn. SprnoF.oN.—The Rev. C. 11. Spurgeon has
unfortunately had a relapse of rheumatism, which pre-
vents his immediate departure for the Continent. The
rev. gentleman has been mentally active during his phy
sical prostration, having communicated by letter with a
large number of ministers, referring to the recent
" Twelve Days' Mission," which, he says, were ritualistic
in their tendencies. In obedience to an invitation issued
by Mr. Spurgeon, twenty-six ministers of the metropo-
litan district met for breakfast at the Tabernacle yester-
day morning, after which they held a meeting for
the purpose of devising the best practicable means of
holding revival services during the early part of the new
year. The Rev. T. A. Spurgeon (co-pastor) presided.—
South London Press.

ANOTHER. DEFINITION OF PRoxopLAsm.—llence-
forth the queslon, What is protoplaan? which has lately
become familiar, cannot be considcre4rnanswerable, or
subject for jesting. Professor Huxley{las given a concise.
account of it. He tells us that, in the4lirst place, "Proto-
plasm is a complex body, consi3;ingialmost entirely of
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrom." This does not
g u 3 very close ton deauiti..n, so tl ...C.'roresaor continuo.

Odin i.ry plants con.i,t of musses: of protoplasm
each provided with a wo.lon case, . tso: fated to-ether
The plant feeds, grows, multiplies, elites, and is resolved
into simple compound, which are uhAily) carbonic acid.
water, and ammonia. 3. Ordinary animals consist of
masses of protoplasm, not inclosed in web Alen cases, but
imbedded in other matter, which result fro m the modifica-
tion of protoplasm. The animal feeds., )ws, multiplies,
dies, and is resolved into similar comi.iot4 .ds, which are
chiefly carbonic acid, water, and ammonia .. 4. Ordinary
animals cannot make protoplasm, but 41 7be supplied
with it; ordinary plants can make it froth% 3aoonio add,
water, and ammonia. 5. The matter
,00ntteih I 4 Iniii living
bodies is . continually undetoOiag a eiltilt ' li : Af0131..0e
not-living
.worlci,:i4o4h Oa Ityjniejiiii: ' 544 to he
nowiyiniegorld.!,