The Sun.
London, England, 1860-06-12 00:00:00

LAW OF BANKRUPTCY.

Mr. EDGAR stated that the committee had re-
ceived a valuable paper on the " Law of Bank-
ruptcy" from the Queen's Ancient Sergeant, but
as it came late, and did not exactly come within
the order of reference, they were unable to place
it before the society. It was a comprehensive view
of the law of bankruptcy in the principal commer-
cial countries of the world.
Lord BROUGHAM, looking at the report of the
committee, which has been already published, said
it considered the official assignees only in one point
of view—viz., as the custodians of the estate.
Mr. LAWRENCE said the society had postponed
the consideration of that point until they had the
favour of his lordship's attendance. He believed
that the 30 years' experience which they had of
the working of the official assignees ought to con-
vince them of the necessity of retaining them, for
the duties which they performed were such as
should belong to no one but a recognised public
officer; The Attorney-General's bill, however, pro-
posed to get rid of them indirectly, by divesting
them of all control at the moment the trade as-
signee was appointed, who would be paid by the
creditors, and have the right to appoint a manager
and his rate of remuneration.
Lord BROUGHAM-It will be difficult in the
House of Lords to get Lord 0 verstone to consent
to that. The proposal to do away with the inter-
ference of the official assignee at the moment that
his services are most required, I consider to be
monstrous, and calculated to bring back all the
abuses of the old system.
Mr. LAWRENCE proceeded to say that in the pre.
sent temper of the House of Commons it was the
House of Lords the people looked for calm and de-
liberate legislation, and having pointed out several
cases, in which no one but a recognised public
officer could protect the estate from being dissi-
pated by jobbery or made away with by fraud, con-
cluded by moving a resolution to the effect that it
is not desirable to interfere with the official as-
signees in regard to their present duties.
Mr. GILMOUR seconded the motion, and drew
attention to the fact that the system of trade as-
signees did not work well in Scotland, notwith-
standing that it was furnished with safeguards

Mr. LINKLATER having seconded the motion, it
was agreed to, and the proceedings terminated.

L INTELLIGRATCE—June 11.

COURT OF EXCHEQUER.
(Sittings at Nisi Prius, before Mr. Baron Wilde
and a Common Jury.)
BARNES V. BROWN.-THE EXTRAORDINARY LIBEL
CASE.

This case, adjourned from
sumed this morning.
Mr. Edwin James and Mr. Dowdeswell were
counsel for the plaintiff; Mr. Macaulay and Mr.
Thomas Chitty represented the defendant.
Mrs. Dallistoun and Eliza Pearce were the first
witnesses called, and gave evidence in corrobora-
tion of the former witness relative to the familiarity
between Dr. Brown and Mrs. Burroughs, Mrs.
Pearce being the keeper of one of the loolging-
houses where Mrs. Burroughs and a Miss Smith
lived together, and where Dr. Brown had visited
them, and where a Mr. and Mrs. Billing had called
and caused considerable consternation, and their
immediate removal.

Mrs. Myall deposed that she had kept a lodging-
house at Southend 31 years, and in February last
Mrs. Burroughs took a bed-room and sitting-room

at her house, Mrs. Burroughs at the time living at
14, Marine-parade, Southend. -Witness's house
was 13 doors from No. 14, but it had no number ;
it was Ivy cottage. The room was taken for a sick
gentleman, Dr. Brown. Three days afterwards Dr.
Brown came. He only slept at the house. He took
his meals out. A servant from Mrs. Burroughs
came and fetched him to breakfast one morning, in
case he should miss the train. Witness was paid
for a fortnight, but the doctor did not stop all the
time. He slept at her house at intervals. When
he came home to sleep he did so at about twelve, or
a little before. He left witness's house on the sth
of March, and she saw him in Southend on the

Wednesday following, coming from the train. She
took her bill to the house where Mrs. Burroughs
lived, and got the money there. She thought Dr.
Brown looked very ill.
Cross-examined—Did not know how long Mrs;
Burroughs remained at Southend.
Benj. Brown, 27, Adam-street West, Bryanston-
square—Had formerly a house on Downshire-hill,
Hampstead. Dr. Brown took apartments there in
March for a lady and her niece, her servant, and a
little boy ; they came in the afternoon. Dr. Brown
came in the evening and took tea with them. They
stopped a fortnight, during which the doctor came
there frequently, perhaps every other day ; he
took tea with them; he came in a dog-cart, and
took Mrs. Burroughs out on one occasion; was not

sure if any one went with them, certainly no one
but the little boy. Once Mrs. Burroughs went
with Dr. Brown and a servant in a cab, to go to
London. They gave no reason for leaving; .did
not know where they went to ; their letters were
to be forwarded to a lawyer—George Webb, Esq.,
King-street, Cheapside, London. Never saw them
since.

William Nevill deposed that he kept a livery-
stable at Downshire-hill ; recollected Dr. Brown
putting up a dog-cart and horse at his place about
half a dozen times; recollected Mr. Brown and a
lady and a little boy going out in the dog-cart
once; they were out two hours and got very wet,
being caught in a storm.
Ellis Kerry, station-master at Southend in the
month of March last, as conductor of the telegraph,
saw Dr. Brown there. Saw him on several occa-
sions. He received telegrams addressed to Mrs.
Burroughs on Feb. 20 from Dr. Brown. One was
sent from Smith to Brown on March 15, one from
Brown to Smith on the same date. The messages
were sent to the head office. He did not know the
contents.

John Kersty, clerk in the chief office of the tele-
graph company—The messages were produced, and
disclosed nothing further than that Dr. Brown and
Mrs. Burroughs were in communication at the
period spoken of by the last witness.
Jeremiah Brown, innkeeper, at Horsham, said—
He kept the Railway Inn. Was the brother of
plaintiff, whose maiden name was Brown. She re-
sided with her mother, sometimes staying with him,
from the death of her husband till she went into Dr.
Brown's service. Recollected Dr. Brown coming to
his house about the 14th, 15th, or 16th Dec. last.
He said, " Brown, Mrs. Barnes has :gone back to
Burrolighs's." He said, " Yes, Mr. Burroughs
was left alone, and at the solicitation of Mr. Thomas
she went back to take care of the house till he
could get some one." Her mother went back and
stopped with her. Dr. Brown said, " By all means
fetch her away. I believe Mrs. Barnes to be as
honest and virtuous a woman as any we have about ;
she has always been kind to my children, and served
us in an honest upright sort of a manner, and any-
thing I can do for her I shall be happy to do, The
fact is, Mr. Burroughs is infatuated with Mrs.
Barnes ; he has tried hard to send Mrs. Burroughs
away with me to come on me for damages, and last
of all he has turned her out of doors. I believe your
sister to be a virtuous woman, but Burroughs is a
villain ; get her away." In consequence of some-
thing he (witness) heard he went to Mr. F. Bur-
roughs, the attorney, before he heard of this letter.
In consequence of these reports his sister had been
unable to get a situation. When he heard of this
letter he instructed Frank Burroughs to commence
proceedings.
Cross-examined—First heard of the letter from
Dr. Burroughs. Believed he saw it. Had not
heard prior to seeing Dr. Brown that Mrs. Bur-
roughs had run off with that gentleman.
Reexamined—Dr. Brown said, " Your sister is
a virtuous woman, but if people will come forward
in a court of justice, what is the use of her asserting
her innocence."
Mr. W. Lanham Thomas examined—l am Mr.
Burroughs' partner. When the servants were about
to leave I asked Mrs. Barnes to stay and take care
of the house. She at first refused, but at last
assented on the condition that her mother was to be
in the house with her, and that arrangement was
made. That evening I attended a labour case, and
on my return took tea with Mr. Burroughs. That
was in the kitchen, because there was no fire in the
parlour. Mrs. Barnes and her mother were there.
Cross-examined—Dr. Brown came for his boxes.
The kitchen door was not locked. Dr. Brown
knocked, and came in. I did not know when I
made the suggestion about Mrs. Barnes that there
had been any quarrel in reference to her. Mr. Bur-
roughs told me there had been a disturbance be-
tween himself and his wife, and it had been sug-
gested she should go away for a few days.
Mr. Frank Burroughs, a solicitor at Sydenham,
and brother of Mr. Burroughs, the surgeon, said—
I went down to Horsham, I believe on the 13th of
December, in consequence of a telegram from Miss
Smith. Dr. Brown left the same evening, and my
brother's wife the following day. I took lodgings
for her in Guildford-street. Two or three days after
I went with my brother there. I believe he kissed
her. He asked her to come back, but she refused
unless Dr. Brown and the children returned. My
brother refused to allow him to come back. I had
advised her not to leave, and so did Miss Smith;
but I said if she was determined to go I would pro-
tect her. I said she ought to go to her mother and
sisters at Charmouth, in Dorsetshire. She would
not accede to that. She returned to her husband's
house, and left again about the 4th or sth of
January. I have never seen her since, and cannot
discover where she is now.
Cross-examined—l heard of the disagreement
between my brother and his wife about Mrs. Barnes
from Dr. Brown. When Dr. Brown said she was
my brother's concubine, I said, " Why did you not
turn her out of the house." Dr. Brown said that
my brother had turned round and spoke of his wife's
familiarity with him. He told me that Mrs.
Burroughs knew of it. The only fact he stated was
that my brother had been seen to go into or from
the plaintiff's room. I saw my brother afterwards.
He said things should not remain as they were. I
believed what Dr. Brown had said until my brother
denied it. I advised my brother to get rid of Dr.
Brown. I had several times before that visit sug-

Mr. Rouse deposed he had ascertained that Dr.
Brown was living at 17, Russell-street, Blooms-
bury, and had been there about a fortnight.
This closed the plaintiffs case.
Mr. Macaulay then addressed the jury for the
defence, after which the court adjourned.
The evidence for the .defence will be proceeded
with tomorrow (this) morning.

P °LICE INTELLIGENCE.—June 11.

L AMBETH.—A LADT PILFERER AT THE
CRYSTAL PALACE.—Mrs. Eliza Harriet Mary
Feitham, the wife of a gentleman holding an im-
portant position in one of the first mercantile con-
cerns in the city of L was placed at the bar
before Mr. Elliott, on a charge 4f stealing from a
stand in the Crystal Palace, and during the Fancy
Fair, an embroidered toilet and a pair of mittens of
the value of 10s. 6d., the property of Lady Emily
Peel.

Mr. Lewis attended for the prisoner.
Sergeant Robert Bell, 39 P, deposed that on
Saturday last he was on duty in plain clothes at
the Crystal Palace, and at about a quarter to four
he observed the prisoner go up to a standing kept
by Lady Emily Peel, push a lady who was present
b roi d e r
anded w toilet,walk
andaw a concealy
about
uasniddeer, dressuhnerpinanra
embroidered toilet, and conceal it
under her dress or shawl,
dozen yards, when she returned to Lady Peel's
stand again and took from it a pair of gloves,
which, with the embroidery, he produced; she put
the gloves in the front of her dress also, and was
walking towards the orchestra, when she drew
a piece of paper from her reticule-bag, and
folding the articles she had taken in it placed them
in the bag. He then went up to her and asked
what she had got in her reticule, and she re-
plied, " What I have got there is my own property."
He observed, "It cannot be your own property. I
saw you take it from a stand. lam a sergeant of
police, and you must consider yourself in my cus-
tody." She said, "For God's sake don't take me.
I will pay any amount for the articles. If you don't
take me I'll tell you the truth. I bought them in
the bazaar." He asked her to go back, when she
begged of him not to take her, and then she said
she had picked up the things at a place she pointed
out, and which was about 40 or 50 yards from Lady
Peel's stall. He (Bell) told her this was impossible,
as he had seen her take them fr©m Lady Peel's stall,
on which sic exclaimed, " Oh, my God, what shall
I do. I'll pay any amount of money rather than
go to the station. I will leave my gold watch and
chain with you for the worth of the articles." He
told her he could not take anything, but must take
her to the station, which he did, and subsequently
took the articles to the stand of Lady Peel, who
identified them. He found on the prisoner a purse
containing half-a-crown and two railway return
tickets, and singular enough he had information
from a person, whose name and address he had,
that a lady had been robbed of a purse containing
a half-crown and two railway tickets.
Mr. Lewis—But the purse you found on this lady
is not the one so lost.

Sergeant Bell—No, Sir. The purse found on the
prisoner I find to be her own property, though at
first I thought it was the one lost.
In cross-examination by Mr. Lewis, the witness
further said that on takitig the prisoner into custody
he took her before the superintendent, but did not
make any statement to that officer. He did not
say he had seen the prisoner in the crowd attempt-
ing to pick packets ; but he did say, from her man-
ner of moving about among the crowd he sit pected
her of picking pockets. He did not say he saw
her attempt to pick the pocket of two ladies,
and watched her in consequence. He did not
say that the purse produced was one of the things
he had seen her steal. She (the prisoner) gave
her true name and address, and he had been to her
address and found that she was living with her
husband, and had everything that was needed for a
lady's comfort. The prisoner did not at first say
she picked up the things ; on the contrary, she
said they were her own, and that she bought them.
There was a crowd about the stall of Lady Peel,
and the things might fall by pressure or be brushed
off, but this was not the case, as he distinctly saw
the prisoner take -the things he produced in the
manner he before stated. The lady was much ex-
cited when he spoke about his being an officer and
taking her into custody; mentioned who and what
her husband was, and stated his respectable posi-
tion in society, and said she would give anything
rather than be charged with such an offence. She
also said that she expected her husband in the
Palace to join herself and her mother ; and he
(Bell) found that her mother was there, so that this
would account for the two railway tickets.
Police-constable Stephen Baldwin, 200 P, was
next called, but his testimony was a mere corrobo-
ration of the last witness, and Bell, at the conclu-
sion of his evidence, requested a remand.
Mr. Lewis, in addressing the court on behalf of
his client, said he had in attendance persona of the
highest position to speak to the hitherto irreproach-
able character of the lady at the bar, who assured
him that she was placed there most unjustly. She
solemnly declared she had picked the things up,
and inadvertently placed them in her bag ; but he
trusted his worship would take a liberal view of the
act, and not deem it necessary that the case should
be sent for further investigation.
Mr. Elliott, however, observed that it was a case

that, however respectable the position of the party,
must go for trial. He then remanded the prisoner,
but accepted bail, two sureties in £5OO each, for
her attendance on a future day.

WANDSWORTH—ANOTHER STRIKE AMONGST
WORKMEN.—After the disposal of the night
charges, William Taylor, one of the summoning
officers, informed Mr. Ingham, the sitting magis-
trate, that there were 32 navvies in the waiting-
room of the court, and there was also a number of
others down stairs who required summonses for
wages. He said it appeared that a number of
workmen were engaged upon Wimbledon-common
in the formation of the butts for the National Rifle
Association, and the week before last they were
paid by the foreman, who had engaged them, 31.
6d. a-day for their labour. Last week there was a
new foreman, and when they went for their wages
on Friday night he offerei them money at the rate
of 2s. and 2s. 4d. per day. They refused to reedye
it, and had accordingly struck work.

Mr. Ingham said he had no doubt all the cases
were similar, and therefore there was no occasion
for each to take out a summons. One would be
sufficient to try the question.
The officer was instructed to pick out the most
intelligent from amongst the number.
A respectable-looking man then came before his
worship, and repeated the statement. He also said
that a gentleman rode upon the grounds that morn-
ing, and wished to know where the men were, and
he was told that it was Monday, and they were
drinking. The gentleman said he understood they
were gone for summonses, and that the work must
not be stopped.
Mr. Ingham inquired the name of the person he
wished to summon.
The applicant said Mr. Scott, of Parliament-
street,
Ingham
a was ass a hd ea manager.
summons
strmeert.,
should be granted,
and if it was necessary he would
grant a summons
in each case.

LETTER CARRIERS.—With reference to a letter
upon this subject, signed "A Rector under the Quau-
tocks," which appeared in the Times of the 21st April, we
are informed on authority that a special inquiry has been
made into the case with the following result. The postman
referred to walks 18 miles daily (not 22 as stated). His
weekly journey therefore is 108 miles, instead of 163, as
alleged. The man is in good health, and is in no danger of
dying of consumption, and his predecessor is now alive,
instead of being dead of that disease, as alleged. The
admitted journey, however, is considered too long, and a
small addition is to be made to the postman's salary.—
Times.
NOLINE AND HATS IN CHURCH.—At Bow-
ness Church, a young gentleman put his hat under the seat,
and shortly afterwards two prepossessing young ladies sat
next him. At the conclusion of the service the ladies left
the church first, and the gentleman stopped in seareh of his
hat, and to his surprise found it gone. He called the sexton,
and applied to that worthy functionary for advice, who sug-
gested that it might have been caught in the lathes' erinod
line, and entangled in the crinoline sure enough it was.
After bobbing against one of the young ladies' legs for a
distance of about twenty yards the hat dropped out, mu
ch
1 to the surprise and astonishment of those tollowistg.