The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-15 00:00:00

THIS DAY.

way shares turned out well the parties who ad-
vanced the capital got back their money, if not
they lost it. (Laughter.) Mr. Cook said he
believed that instead of being a debtor to
Messrs. Overend, ho should be a creditor to a
very ltirge amount, and that he should have to
hand over to them some valuable securities after
his guarantees had b2en realized.

Mr. Lewis, clerk in the Joint Stock Registry
Office, produced the articles of association of the
. .

Atlantic Royal Mail Steam Shipping Company,
which was registered on the Bth of October, 1859,
and wound up July 18, 1864, and also the articles
of association of the East India Loudon Shipping
Camrany Company, which was registered Decem-
ber 19, 1860, and wouni up by order of the Court
of Chancery, August 3, 1864.

Mr. Ernest Robins, a clerk in the Bankruptcy
Court, was called to prove the dates of the bank-

ruptcy of various persons whose liabilities had been
handed over to the new company as "good," He
read over a number of names, one of whom had

presented no less than four petitions to the court.
Mr. Lewis said he presumed there was some limit
to the number of petitions one man might present
to the Bankruptcy Court. (Laughter.) The wit-

ness caused a renewal of the laughter by replying
that he was not aware of any such limit.

At the rising of the Court the case was again
adjourned.

TILE ME7ROPOLUAN POLICE.

A general meeting of the delegates appointed by
the several metropolitan vestries and disttiot boards
to consider the present condition of the police force
and its inefficiency, was held at the Court-house,
Marylebone, yesterday. Professor Marks presided.
After some discussion, a memorial to the Home
Secretary was adopted. This memorial states at
considerable length the opinions of the delegates
as to the present condition of the police force,
and contains many statistics in support of those
views. It sets forth the changes in the num-
bers and cost of the force, and supports a
charge of inefficiency by showing the increase
i❑ the number of criminals and in certain classes
of offences. The memorialists " recommend that
the law which obtains with respect to the
police force in the City of Loudon, and in all
the borough towns of England and Wales, should
be made to apply to the metropolitan police,
and that the control and the finances of the
latter should be also under the supervision of a
representative board. That by such a change
the several parishes contributing to the police
rate would be represented, and many evils which
are now acutely felt would cease or be mate-
rially alleviated." The following quotation
contains the other suggestions made :—" With
respect to juvenile criminals, your memorialists in-
vite consideration whether the abolition of impri-
sonment is not desirable for those who are under
14 years of age, and whether the child criminal
should not be at once removed to an educational
and industrial reformatory. Your memorialists
strongly urge that no appreciable diminution
of crime is to be looked for until more strin-
gent measures are taken to bring to jus-
tice, the receivers of stolen goods, through
whom, and by whom, the thief lives and
prospers. They, therefore, venture to suggest that
all keepers of marine stores, refiners, and other s
who might afford facilities to the thief to dispose of
his plunder, should be obliged to take out licenses,
to be renewed from year to year, and that their
places of business should be subject to the supervi-
sion of the police; that, whilst pointing the law
against criminal capitalists, it should be strength-
ened against the operative criminals, and that
landlords should be able to eject tenants known
to the police as criminals, and not having any
legitimate occupation, by an easy and inexpensive
process ; that all persons knowingly letting
their houses to thieves and receivers should
be indictable ; that, in case a house be proved
to be a nest for criminals, the magistrate
should be able to authorise the police to take pos-
session pending an inquiry ; that the names, &c.,
of all offending persons should be made public ;
and that the law shall be so amended that when
the overt act or intention to carry out a crime be
fully proved, a conviction should take place, al-
though the offence had not been completed. That
with the view of effectually repressing crime, your
memorialists urge that the ticket ;of leave sys-
tem be abolished. That, whilst calling atten-
tion to the punishment meted out to criminals,
your memorialists venture to think that, if
corporal chastisement were inflicted for all
outrages accompanied by violence, crimes of
that class would diminish in the same proportion
as the crime of garotting has diminished since it
has been visited by the lash." It was resolved to
ask for an interview with the Secretary of State,
and to request the co-operation of all the parlia-
mentary members for the districts couccreed. Votes
of thanks to Professor Marks for his talented ser-
vice✓s, to the Marylebone Vestry for facilities
afforded, and to Mr. Greenwell, the vestry clerk,
for the able and laborious services he had rendered
the conference, terminated the proceedings.

THE NORWICH MUADER.—It is stated that the
destruction of the flesh in the remains disinterred this
week in connection with the investigation now proceed-
ing at Norwich into the mysterious murder committed in
that city in June, 1851, is due to the action of lime. It
does not at present appear how it has happened that re-
mains which were supposed to have area preserved in
spirits of wine have suffered from the presence of lime.
The circumstance seems to increase the difficulties of au
already complicated case.

THE PROSECUTION OF 711 E DIRECTORS
OF 0 VEREND, GURNEY, AND COMPANY
(LIIIII7 ED). .

The further heating of this case was pro•
ceeded this morning before the Lord Mayor
and Alderman Gabriel, in the Court of Queen's
Bench, Guildhall.
A considerable time was occupied in reading over
the evidence of Mri Howell, the accountant, given
on the last examination.
Mr. Thomas Howard was the first wirness
He said he was a gentleman, and did nothing for
a living. (Laughter.) They made him a bankrupt
in 1866, and he obtained his discharge. In July,
1865, a debt of £331,000 was transferred to the
new company as a debt of his owing to the
old firm, but' in reality only owed them a
small sum, nothing like that amount. He shout
say it was about £200,000. Messrs. Overend
and Gurney had dischargul him from all
liability previous to the transaction referred to. Ile
was not able to pay Gurney and Co. £331,000 on
the 31st July, 1865. He attributed all his difficul-
ties through being security for Mr. Lever, of Gal-
way. lie did a deal for Mr. Liver, over £300,000,
but he handed all his property and securities over
to Messrs. Gurney and Co., and they released him.
Mr. Cock, whose name stood amongst the secu-
rities of the old firm for a very large sum, was
examined as eo the transactions he had had with
thh old and new companies. Mr. Lewis, asked the
witness whether he could give any explanation as to
the large sum that appeared to have been paid to
him by the new company after the transfer. He
said he could not; he certainly had not received
anything like the amout represented.
Mr. Sergeant Parry said the name of his witness
was merely a representative one he had conducted
and arranged business for the firm, and the pay-
ments set down to his name did not imply that he
had received the money. He acted for Mr. Gor-
don amongst others. Mr. Lewis, in reply, said
Gordon had failed in 1862, and yet the debt of
Mr. Cock increased £90,000. Mr. Sergeant Parry
remarked that was very unfair to put it in 'that
manner the letters " P. D. and 0," placed
under Cock's name showed that it was placed on
behalf of a certain railway in Ireland. Mr.
Cook said when Gordon stopped the Messrs.
Overend held certain shares in some unfinished
railways, and the Gurneys' advanced certain money
to complete those railways. In that matter he (Mr.
Cook) acted as their agent. The firm always held
shares nominally of a larger amount than the sum
advanced. Mr. Lewis—You mean that if the ra