The Sun.
London, England, 1869-07-05 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES AND STRlKES.—Judgment was
given in the Court of Queen's Bench on Saturday in the
case of " Farrer v. Clare." The question was whether,the
Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners was a
friendly society, and within the protection of the Friendly
Societies' Act, or whether it partook of the character of a
trades union. The Lord Chief Justice said that it
was clearly shewu the rules of the society
were so constituted as to imply that the
funds were available for the purposes of strikes.
He held, therefore, that the society partook of the
character of a trades union, and the decision of the magis-
trate who refused to convict on. that ground must be
affirmed. Mr. Justice Mellor concurred, but Mr. Justice
Hannen and Mr. Justice Hayes dissented. Mr. Justice
Hannen said that there was no evidence that the society
had sanctioned illegal strikes, or had interfered with men
going back to work. The Act, he thought, should be
liberally construed, and illegality not presumed, but
clearly proved. He held, therefore, that the decision of
the justices should be reversed. The court being equally
divided, no legal judgment could be given, and the decision
of the justices stands, dismissing the case.
CRUELTY TO A. DOG.—At the Surrey Sessions a cook at
the Trs.falgar Tavern, Greenwich, named Wheeler, appealed
against the conviction of Mr. Woolrych, one of the
magistrates of the Lambeth Police-court, who sentenced
him to three months' hard labour for cruelty to a dog
which lie destroyed in the Camberwell New-road. He
was riding on horseback, when the dog barked
at the horse's heels. Ile got off his horse, and dashed the
dog against the wall, eventually killing it by trampling
on it. The magistrates consulted, when Sir Thomas
Tilson said that it was not a case coining within the
meaning of the Act, therefore the appeal would be
allowed.
VOLUNTEERS SUMMONED.—At Clerkenwell, twenty
members of the 40th Middlesex Rifie Volunteers were
summoned for neglecting to pay the amount of subscrip.
tions due to the corps. Captain Isaacs, treasurer, ex-
plained that the claim was exceedingly light in the case of
efficients, but a fine was imposed on those who neglected
to attend drill. The lieutenant-colonel determined to free
the muster-roll from those members who declined to
render themselves efficient or to pay the subscription.
The magistrate said that he would assist the colonel in
his endeavour. It was found on going over the names
that the greater part had paid or arranged to pay since
the summonses were issued. Orders were made in the
remaining cases. _

- -
A BRILERY CASE.-At the sittings in Banco of the
Court o' Queen's Bench, on Saturday, a bribery case was
heard in au appeal from the Stafford County Court. The
defendant had promised a voter that he should be remu-
nerated for his loss of tune if he voted for him at a muni-
cipal election, and the justices were of opinion that such
a case came within the meaning of the Act, and that de-
fendant must pay the penalty imposed-40s.

ADVERTISEMENTS AND REALITY.—On Satr.rday
last there were advertised for sale several estates situate
in the Isle of Wight. In all these truly magnificent pro-
perties measured 229,9:',0 acres We were under the
impression that the whole of the Isle of Wight contained
only 105,000 acres. It is important as well as i..teresting
to learn that it has increased so considerably.
THE EFFECT OF EARTHQUAKES.—The Lima
Nacional of 13th May says that the most extraordinary
and unheard-of phenomenon has been discovered in the
road of Locumba, worthy of being studied, and which
appears to have been caused by the late earthquakes.
Every beast that reaches a certain spot immediately falls
dead. This has so often taken place that immense num-
bers of carcases are heaped on the spot.
SUPPOSED MURDER OF A WOMAN.--On Friday
night what is supposed to have been a murder was dis-
covered in an empty house at Land's End. Some brick-
layers found the body of a middle-aged woman with her
head nearly severed from the body. It appeared that she
had left her home with a considerable sum of money in
her possession ; and when the body was discovered the
money was gone.

PROFESSOR GOLDWIN SMITH AND THE AMERICAN
PREss.—Professor Goldwin Smith has written to the New
York Tribune, denying that in his recent speech at
Toronto he said " the American Press was not universally
celebrated for intelligence." He did not, be declares,
make use of that expression, or of any expression equiva-
lent to it. The New York Tribune says that the American
public " will be glad to recognise in this denial Mr.
Smith's true character as a man of sense."

THE Swiss Tit NATIONAL.—The following notice
has been issued from the War Office :—" Any Volunteers
who wish to obtain special privileges in passing through
France to attend the Tir National in Switzerland must
forward,without delay, to this office, through their respec-
tive commanding officers, a statement containing-1.
Name and rank. 2. Purt at which they propose to land.
3. Date at which they propose to enter France. 4.
Whether they propose to make any stay at Paris or else-
where in France. 5. By what frontier town they propose
to quit France.—E. W. C. WUIGHT, Colonel. —War
Office, 31e173, 1869."

IMPZRIAL LARGESS.—The Emperor and the
Empress of the French went dove to the river-side at St.
Cloud one day last week to witness a trial of a new iron-
clad gunboat. When the experiments were over their
Majesties returned on foot, and the Emperor, observing
that they were followed by a considerable number of chil-
dren, looked out for a gingerbread booth, and having
found one, purchased the whole stock and threw it as a
scramble amongst the juveniles, who were delighted at
the unexpected luncheon. Their Majesties appeared
much amused at the scene.
RETIREMENT OF TUE REV. T. DINNEY.-011
Sunday morning there was an impressive service in the
King's Weigh House Chapel, in the City of London, on
the occasion of its well-known minister formally laying
down the pastoral office, the duties of which lie has
discharged during a period of forty years. A very
large congregation assembled, amongst those present
being many from the suburbs, who in former
years were amongst Mr. Binney's hearers.
its The
ser-
mon, which occupied upwards of an hour in delivery.
consisted, first, of a review of the last forty years, in
which the preacher touched on events national and cede-
s'astical, which had issued in what made the Es g%ind
of
to-day very different from what it was at the beginning
of the period in question. Mr. Einney took a compre-
hensive review of the religious phenomena that have
distinguished the last forty years. lie glanced at
movements and upheavings on all sides among the
different religious communities—in the Society of Friends
the Wesleyan body, the Free Church of Scotland—
at contests about Clinrc!i and Dissent, Voluntaryism,
Anglicanism, Iry ingisio, Erethrenism, Gorham contro-
versies, Colenso controversies, and the thousand and
one questions which li:td successively risen up, as new
phases of thought have appeared, or old pre-
tensiOns had been resuscitated and revived. Finally,
the preacher adverted to the changes that had
occurred in his own congregation, and concluded by a
touching allusion to the humble estimate he entertained of
anything he had done. It may be added that, although,
having attained his three score years and ten, Mr. Binney
has deemed it time to retire from the regular obligations
of official duty, he will retain a nominal and honorary
connection with the Weigh House Chapel, with which for
forty 3M141111118 name has been so honourably associated.