The Sun.
London, England, 1869-11-08 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

Tun Duu OF NEWCASTLE.—A short time since Mr.
Commissioner Winslow refused to adjudicate the Duke of
Newcastle a bankrupt, on the ground of his parliamentary
privileges and his not being a trader. From this decision
Mr. Morris, the petitioner against the Duke, appealed. The
appellant's counsel has been heard in the Court of Chan-
cery bcfore Lord Justice Giffard, and the argument is to
proceed next Saturday.
IMPERIAL GUARDIAN ASSURANCE COXPANY.—A petition
by a creditor of the Imperial Guardian Assurance Com-
pany has been ordered by Sir W. James to stand over for
further evidence, the company contending that the creditor
became so by fraud and misrepresentation.

WINDING TIP COMPANIES.—In the Court of Chancery an
order has been made for winding up the One Wine Com-
pany, under supervision, and for the compulsory winding
up of the United Ports and General Insurance Company,
and the Mattock Old Bath Hydropathic Company.
THE CASE OF MISS SAunm.—lt has heen arranged that
the case of " Saurin v. Starr" is to stand over till the
second day of Hilary Term. The new trial is not for the
purpose of re-hearing the case; but to decide certain points
of law raised by the defendants with a view to reduce the
costs.

THE EUROPEAN ASSURANCE.—Notico of appeal from
the decision of Vice-Chancellor James in the case of the
European Assurance Company has been given. The argu-
ments will be heard before the Lord Chancellor.
SDI ROBERT PEEL AND TILE GAS COMPANY.—Sir Robert
Peel lately brought an action, at Warwick, against the
:bairman of the Tamworth Gas Company, on the ground
that they had:not fully carried out the agreement which
they had entered into with him with regard to part of his
land. The verdict was for the defendants, and a motion
has now been made in the Court of Common Pleas 1.1
obtain a rule for a new trial. The court heard the ma ;e=
at great length, but refused the rule.
SINGULAR CHARGE OF FRAUD.—A very singular case oP
fraud, involving a loss of nine hundred pounds,has been in-
vestigated at the Guildhall. A firm in Leadenhall-street
had a correspondent at Berlin, who drew a bill upon
them for £lOO payable at sight. On the right hand corner
of the bill the figures were £lOO, but owing to a mistake
of the clerk, the words in the body of the bill were one
thousand. The prisoner presented the bill for acceptance
to ➢lr. therbleicher, who accepted it, looking only at the
figures. Afterwards two stamps were attached to it, so as
partly to hide the figures. When the bill was presented at
the London and Westminster Bank one thousand pounds
were received, and the mistake was not discovered until
Messrs. Haarbleicher, and Co., received their pass-book.
The curious feature of the case was that the bill passed
through the hands of six persons without one of them
discovering the discrepancy between the words and the
figures. The prisoner, whose counsel contended that he
too had made a mistake, was dismissed.
CHARGES OF FRAUD.—Thom 3.3 Rowbotham has been
charged at Croydon Police-court, with fraudulently
obtaining possession of a villa residence at Addiscombe.
Also with fraudulently attempting to obtain a pony
belonging to Lord Walter Scott. He was committed for
trial.

CONFESSION OF INCENDIARISM.—A man, named Hitch, has
been charged with setting fire to a corn stack near Not-
tingham, valued at £2OO. He had been begging about the
neighbourhood, and travelled to Doncaster, where the
authorities sent him to Wakefield gaol as a refractory
pauper. He confessed to the governor that he had fired
the stack out of spite to the county, as he had nowhere to
go. He hid himself in a hedge and watched it burning.
He was remanded.

CRUELTY TO ANImaT-q.—A young man named Perry has
been charged at Stoke-upon-Trent, with cruelty to a
donkey. The animal was drawing an overloaded coal
cart, and was unequal to the task of pulling it,
whereupon the prisoner kicked it, broke a shovel over its
back, and as it staggered under the weight, pushed it
down with the load upon it, which it took three men to
lift off. The magistrate said there was an enormous
amount of cruelty to animals in the Potteries, and he
should inflict the full penalties in every case that came
before him. He sentenced Perry to two months' imprison-
ment, or a fine of £5, regretting that he could not order
him to be flogged.

A horrible tale comes from Rochdale. An inctuest
has been held upon a man who died from drinking gin. Re
broke into his landlord's cellar, and drank gin oat of a pint
measure from a nine gallon cask. Some time after the land-
lord found him hopelessly drunk, and though medical aid
was obliged to be sought he was dead before assistance could
arrive.

TALES OF THE RICHEST PEER LET THE HOUSE
0 Louns.—Like a great many very wealthy men, the
b.te Marquis of Westminster was rather inconsistent in
7_lis use of his immense fortune, for while occa-
-.4nally he gave largely to particular objects, in
=any things, especially in matters of personal
~,zpense, he was strangely and sometimes amus-
ingly penurious. There is a story told of him that
dicing some few years ago at the Mansion House, he was
n•ticed, when the banquet was over, to be standing in
Zront of the building, apparently on the look-out for an
omnibus. Some lady noticing his lordship, and being
aware of his object, said, " You are looking for your
omnibus, my lord; that has passed." "No, no," said the
marquis, " that was the 4d. 'bus that passed; I am
looking for the 2d. one." One day he let a shilling fall
down the window-sliding of his carriage, and drove at
once to a carriage-maker to have the shilling got out, the
charge for which was three shillings. It was no uncommon
occurrence for him to do most generous and munificent
things 'when occasion called for it. Of late years we have
heard repeated instances related.
A DUEL TO THE DEATH.—DueIs between
French officers are of rare occurrence, but when a meeting
takes place it is always a serious affair. There is nothing
in French law to prevent officers from fighting, and under
the circumstances it is exceedingly creditable to the ser-
vice that bullies aro an extinct race. The only for-
mality which an officer of tho French service
has to go through previously to going on the
ground is to obtain the permission of his
colonel, and it is needless to add that few
colonels would refuse an insulted officer leave to
avenge his honour or shelter an officer from the conse-
quences of provoking a quarrel. A duel between two
officers of the 6th Ifus3ars, quartered at Castrec, has just
taken place. What the cause of the meeting was is as
yet a secret. Sufficient to say that Captains Ch:mencon
and Baignol went out the other morning. After
fighting for about twenty minutes, and when the
former officer had been wounded twice and the latter
three times the seconds interfered, thinking that
matters had been carried far enough, and that
honour was satisfied. This, however, was not the opinion
of Captain Clemencon, who, taking the affair out of the
hands of his seconds, declared that the duel must proceed
till one combatant fell mortally wounded. The conse-
qnence was, that swords were again crossed and the com-
bat continued. After a few passes the officer who had re
fused to consider the duel terminated when the seconds of
both rnrties interfered was run through the heart, and, of
course, expired instantly.