The Sun.
London, England, 1869-08-14 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

GAME DISPUTE.—ACTION FOR LIDEL.—A Mr. Dickens,
at the Croydon Assizes, on Friday, obtained 2500 from
the Mansfield Game Association for libel. The plaintiff
had been discharged from the Duke of Portland's farms
because it was thought he killed game contrary to his
agreement with his landlord. The Duke of Portland's
steward had requested the Game Association to write a
letter—which seems to have been made public—charging
the plaintiff with stealing game. This letter, it was con•
tended, was calculated to injure the plaintiff with his
friends. So the jury thought, and gave him £5O
damages.
ACTION AGAINST THE SOUTH-EASTERN RAILWAY COM-
PANY.—At the same assizes, on the same day, an action
was brought against the South-Eastern Company to re-
cover £35, the value of a portmanteau alleged to be lost
through the negligence of the company's servants. The
plaintiff was a Polish refugee, and a teacher of languages.
On Whit Monday night he went from London to Erith,
where he resides, and saw his portmanteau labelled "Erith,"
and wheeled on a truck towards the luggage van. On arriving
at his destination the portmanteau could not be found.
Serjeant Ballantine, for the defendants, said they would
not have contested the claim, but they believed it to be
an exaggerated one as to its amount, if any portmanteau
were lost at all. Plaintiff's own witnesses, who packed
the portmanteau, said that there was one suit of clothes
in it, while plaintiff himself swore there were two. This
was enough to discredit the whole statement. The jury
returned a verdict for the defendants.

MR. EDWARDS AGAIN.—Mr. Edwards, lately the
official arsignee to the Court of Bankruptcy, but who was
dismissed by the Lord Chancellor from his office on
account of his connection with the affairs of Overend and
Gurney, is plaintiff in an action brought against Mr.
David Ward Chapman, to recover a very large sum of
money. When the case was called on at Croydon Assizes,
an application was made for a postponement, on the
ground that the plaintiff himself was a material witness
for the defence, but every endeavour made to serve a sub-
pna upon him had failed. The court acceded to the
request, and an order was made to change the venue to
Middlesex.

MR. ALBERT G RANT.—The action against Mr. Alber.
Grant, the late chairman of the Credit Fancier, brought
by a Mr. Clench, and having to do with the Belgian
Public Works Company, the alleged frauds in connection
with which have made so much stir in Belgium, seenis
likely to go before some "private tribunal." Its trial has
been postponed that it may be so settled.
SUICIDE.—Three charges of attempted suicide were
brought before the metropolitan police magistrates on
Friday. At South wark a young woman, who had
either thrown herself or fallen from a second
floor window, declared the occurrence to have
been accidental, and was given up to ber friends.—
A man who Lad jumped into the Thames at
London Bridge also pleaded the absence of any
intention to commit self-destruction, and was liberated.
At Worship-street, a clerk, 22 years of age, who had at-
tempted to poison himself, explained his conduct by
stating that he was in difficult:es, and had not a friend in
the world. He had been in prison several days, and was
again remanded in order that he might Le Lenefited by the
ministrations of the chaplain.
VAcclNATloN.—There has been another con viction under
the Vaccination Act. On Friday, at the Thames Police-
court, an ignorant woman, who objected to vaccination
"on princ7ple," and who bad been previously fined, was
convicted in a penalty of 20s. for refusing to have the
operation performed on one of her children. Rather than
pay the money the defendant went to prison.
ROBBERY AT WOOLWICH.—A wholesale robbery of
Government property has been discovered at the Royal
Arsenal, Woolwich. Three persons were charged with
the offence at the Woolwich Police-court—two with steal-
ing, and one with receiving the property. A good deal of
evidence was adduced, at the conclusion of which the
prisoners were remanded. The men accused of the theft
were responsible officers at the Arsenal.
PRIZEFIGHTER'S AMUSEMENT.—On Friday afternoon.
Dillon, the prizefighter, was brought before the Andover
magistrates, charged with assaulting Mr. Robert Cann, a
butcher. The complainant was returning from Stock,
bridge Races in the same carriage with the defendant, and
some rough "horse play" was practised by the defendant,
to which the complainant objected, and Dillon there-
upon seized him by the throat, knocked his head
violently against the back of the carriage, struck him in
the face—blackening both his eyes. Dillon's friends had,
however, used such arguments with the complainant, that
on his appearing before the bench he desired to withdraw
the charge of assault on account of the prisoner's
family and his expressions of contrition. To this
the bench acceded, giving a suitable admonition as to
future conduct. On a second summons, taken out by
the railway company, Inspector Potter said that the sole
object of the traffic manager was the protection of the
public in travelling on the line, and he had no desire to
press vindictively on the prisoner if the bench thought fit
to deal with the matter leniently. Tie presiding magis-
trate said that the prisoner was doubly fortunate. The
prisoner must pay 95., the cost of the summons, &c., and
then be discharged.

The Wandsworth District Board of Works has
decided to test the question of the compulsory liability of
railway companies to repair the railway arches for the
prevention of percolation. An action is to be entered
against the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway Com-
pany, the arches crossing Clapham-road and Wandsworth.
road forming the subject of complaint.
AUSTRALIAN HOUSES OF LEGISLATURE.—The
Builder publishes an illustration and plans of the Sydney
Houses of Parliament now being erected at Sydney at a
cost of £650,000. The building is divided into two blocks ;
the Government offices are placed on the west, co as to be
more accessible to the city. By the arrangement of
entrances and corridors, any one of the departments can
be approached without passing through the others. The
parliamentary buildings communicate with the Govern.
ment offices on the upper floor, but are divided
below by two spacious courtyards. The entrance
to the Legislative Council is immediately oppo-
site to the governor's residence. The legislative chambers
are placed east and west, the centre of the block contain.
ing apartments common to both Houses. The ground
floor of the large tower will be a state-room, and the upper
portion will be available for fire-proof rooms for records.
The south front will make one side of a grand square,
which will be formed by the removal of some bonies
between the site and the present chambers, which will be
applied to other purposes. The foundation of the struc-
ture is sandstone, which is found below the surface at a
depth of five feet.

FATHER IGNATILTS.—A lecture was attempted
to be given by Father Ignatius, at the Store-street Hall,
Tottenham-court-road, on Friday evening, at which he
tried to reply to a lecture given by the Rev. J. Geikie, at
the above ball, on the subject of the Reformation.
Father Ignatius said the "Reformation was a curse ;"
when such au uproar occurred that the lecturer wasunable
to proceed fora quarter of an hour. Ile said Ito was
at perfect liberty to exore. t h:s own opinions, a, the Rev.
Mr. Geilzie had ex pre, ea Lis pretty strongly- on a former
~ocasion. Ile was an Er.glihman, and had as much right
to claim the privileges of the Magna (Marta as anybody.
'tfartin Luther was a bad man, and one of his
&chines was that if an infant were baptised and was
not one of God's elect, and was thrown into a fire, it
would not burn until it had done something to merit
damnation. He (Father Ignatius) was a persecuted
man, and the Protestants could nut bear to hear him
say a word which they did not preach. The uproar here
became so great that Fatherlgnatius was obliged to retire.
The audience then made a rush upon the platform, when
the gas was turned out, and the lecture terminated in
almost a riot, Father Ignatius being allowed to speak for
only about half-an-hour.

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.