The Sun.
London, England, 1869-04-29 00:00:00

LAW AND FOLICE.

THE CASE OF OVEREND AND GURNEY.—On Wednesday
the case of Overend, Gurney, and Co. was before Vice-
Chancellor Malips on a demurrer. A bill has been filed
to make the directors responsible for the loss the
company sustained by purchasing the goodwill and
undertaking the liabilities of the old company on
the representation of the directors that the business
of the old firm was solvent, whereas they knew that it
was insolvent to the extent of 22,700,000. The directors
demurred that a question of damages was not one fur an
equity; but a common-law court. The Vice-Chancellor
overruled the demurrer, bolding that it was a proper case
to submit to a court of equity, and that the bill was pro-
perly framed and ought to be answered.
A LITERARY DisruiE.—A literary inquiry of some
interest has been going on in Vice-Chancellor James's
court during the last day or two. Mr. Pike, the author
of a work entitled " The English and their Origin," pub-
lished in May 1866, filed a bill to restrain the publication
of the defendant's book " The Pedigree of the English
People," cn the ground th t it was a piracy of his work.
Both works arose out of a competition for a prize
of 100 guineas offered by the National Ei,teddfod at
Aberystwith, in 1865 and ECG, for the best essay on the
Origin of the English Nation. The plaintiff competed in
1565, when no prize was given ; but the arbitrators
expressed a Lope that his essay would be published. He
published it in May MCA In that year the defen hint
competed for the prize, which again Wai IPA •
awarded. • The late Lord Strangford, who was the
adjudicator,praisA his essay highly, and after submitting
the MS. to several ethnologists, the deren lant arranged
for its publication by Messrs. Longmans. A copy of the
work was sent to the plaintiff for notice in the Anthropo-
logical Bedew, when he arrived at the co-elusion that
an unfair use had been made of his book, and filed this
bill. The defendant admits having read the plaintiff's
book, but asserts that the scheme and argument of his
work were in existence before its publication. The case
was not concluded.

Dr. Irons, of Queen's College, Vicar of Dromp-
ton, has been elected Bampton Lecturer for 1870.
Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander Milne, K.C.B. has
been appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Mediter-
ranean Station, vice Lord Clarence Paget, whose period
of service has expired.
At the 31!insion Howe, on Wednesd-►y, Sydney T.
Webb, a clerk in the ernploymeLt of the Provincial Bank-
ing Corporation, was committed for trial on a charge of being
concerned with another man, now under sentence of seven
years' penal servitude, in forging and uttering a ch Ty, fur
£397 10,., with intent to defraud.
ELECTION PETITIONS.—The two special cases out
of the 70 election petitions arising out of the late general

3lection have been appointed to be argued in the Court of
Common Pleas on Wednesday next. The cases are New
Sarum and Manchester.

THE CASE OF MADAME RACEEL,7-The writ of
error obtained by Madame Rachel, who remains in New.
gate, is to be heard on Saturday, in the Court of Queen's
Bench, when Mr. Mellish, Q.C., and Mr. Gibbons will
Appear for the defendant; the Attorney-General, the
Solicitor-General, and Mr. Poland for the Crown. The
error is in law--whether the court was properly consti-
tuted.

The Bishop of-Salisbury appends to a circular which
ae has issued to his clergy asking them to make collections
for the Diocesa❑ Church Ilui!ding Society the following
observations :—"I cannot allow this request, which I
have much reason to think may be the last public one
may be allowed to make to my clergy, to go foal',
without reminding them that I am seeking their
.ssistance in behalf of an object which must be amo: gst
those dearest to a Christian's heart, the worship of Gcd in
Ms Church on earth. I wculd also at the same time thank
them for the prayers, which I have the great comfort of be-
lieving aro being offered up for me by them and their con-
gregations, to the end that I may bear my sickness patiently,
and that the sufferings of my body may by the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ be made to minister to my soto's rest and
peace."

The statistical table showing the number
candidates who have sent in their
II:1111M for the Oxfig(d
local examinations, which cot:lntel:co at the carmus
centres on the 24th of May, has been issuml. The
number of candidates is 1,636 namely, 1,200 juniors
and 436 seniors; last year the numier was 1,553-1.142
juniors and 411 seniors, being an increase ov,r the )ear
1868 of 83. There are tvt enty-four centres to which can-
didates are sent. The most consideruLle of these is, of course, London, where 338 candidates were exiardaed-
-92 seniors, 246 juniors. Mane:Lester e( mes next with 184,
85 seniors, 149 juniors. rrool had 158, of wl.mn 53
seniors; Bath 113, 20 seniors. N,xt comes Birming.
91 candidates. Tho lowest in the scale is Swansea,
only 12 candidates. Windsor had 19 ; Lincoln, 22;
'r, Norwich, and Truro, 23 each.

were
ham,
with

SUSPENDED ANIMATION. —I have read of trees
remaining dormant for a season, but I shall tell you of a
case that is probably unique of its kind. There used to
grow against a wall of my house a Virginian creeper. It
was an old plant with a stem thicker than any man's
arm, and it spread across to the next house, and my
neighbour has as good a share of it as myse!f. By some
accident the stem was broken or cut through—l think it
occurred when some workmen were about the place
Well, it was cut down to the ground, and the place
was paved over for some distance round about, fo
the roots of the plant were in a yard. Last summer,
to my surprise, a strong shoot of Virginian creeper
started by the edge of a paving stone and grew four orfiv,
feet. That shoot is ,now pushing a new growth, and
have no doubt at all that my creeper will be restored or
the very spot where it stood before. The story so far may
appear nothing extraordinary. I must add that between
the disappearance and the reappearance of the plant foul
years have elapsed. That there may be no mistake about
my meaning,. let it be understood that we saw nothing o+
it thri ugh four successive summers. I suppose some part
of the not, still alive, was quickened by the intensely hot
MOO of 1868,-7-The Ganicrier'sjpgagine,