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 bear 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 cn ti 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
up 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. He was fined £5 with costs.

iIIOTIOA 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-Tyne, 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 ;
ic„,l,p„ sActietv had borrowed immense
sums under a rule devised and approved by .ar.r. 11aLly
and that it was unfortunate that Mr. Harle's duty to his
clients should have forced him into antagonism to societies
which bad done so much for working men,
whose champion he bad so long professed to be.
For the defence it was urged that the editorial note bad
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
highest 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 down by Lord
Hardwicke, in the well-known case of the St. James's
Evening Post, 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 wool
calculated to prejudice the world on the merits of a case
not yet heard, it abused the parties concernea 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 be apolo.
gised for. The defendant must, therefore, insert an
apology, and pay time costs of the application, otherwise
he 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 Wibrey, near Bradford,
on Friday destroyed a carding mill and goods worth
£lO,OOO.

MURDER AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE BY A LUNATIC.
—A labourer, of Glasgow, named James M`Breardy,
who resides on the fourth flat of the building, leaped over
the window of his dwelling the other clay. 111`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 to commit self-destruction, had seized a razor
and cut off the head of his daughter Isabella, 3 years of
age, with whom he had been left alone in the house for a
short time. M`Brearcly, was seriously injured by the fall,
and, after being attended by Dr. Young, Great Hamilton-
street, he was removed to the infirmary.
THE GOVERNMENT AND FRIENDLY SOCIETIES.—
At the conclusion of the business of the Odd Fellows'
A.M.C., at Sunderland, on Friday afternoon, the Grand
Master of the Order read a letter from the Earl of Lich-
field, stating that his lor.l6hip, Lord -Romney, the Hon.
E. Stanhope, and other gentlemen interested in the sub
ject of friendly societies, propose to make arrangements
for a deputation to wait upon Mr. Gladstone, with a
memorial praying the Government to 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 purpose of providing insurances upon
liVes and relief in sickners, 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 accomDanv the deputatim to Mr.
GlasktoP,