The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-23 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

DECEPTIVE DIVIDENDS.—A case was on Monday heard
before Vice-Chancellor Mailing respecting the Mercantile
Trading Company, which was established during the
American war for the purpose of running the blockade
and procuring cotton. The application now made was on
behalf of the official liquidator, who sought to compel the
late manager, Mr. Stringer, to return to the company his
portion of a dividend of £28,000, which, it was alleged,
was not the result of profits, but of a loan from
the Agra and Masterman• Bank. The Vice-Chancellor
commented severely on the impropriety of obtaining
loans to pay a dividend, and ordered the return of the
money.

WITHOUT A FINE.— A shoemaker of Northampton, who
las lately made a practice of buying up the carcases of
diseased animals, and sending them to the London market
for human food, was on Monday convicted of the offence
at Guildhall, and sentenced to three months' imprisonment,
without the option of a fine.
THE ABERGELE ACCIDENT.—On Monday, at the open•
ing of the Ruthin Assizes, the grand jury found a true bill
against the driver and stoker of the goods train at Aber-
gele, which occasioned the fearful accident to the Irish
mail last August. An indictment against the station-
master at Llandulas was also preferred but the bill was
ignored.
MANSLAUGHTER.--At the same assizes two brothers,
named Jones, were indicted for the wilful murder of
Thomas Foulkes. They knocked him down, and kicked
and beat him about the head with stones for twenty
minutes. A verdict of manslaughter was returned, and
sentence was deferred.
DEATH AT THE CAMBRIDGE ELECTION.—At the Cam-
' bridge Assizes, on Monday, George Clark, a young shoe-
maker pleaded guilty to the charge of causing the death of
Mr. Lofts, late porter of Christ's College, on the polling
day of the last Cambridge election. A disturbance arose
between some undergraduates and townsmen, and the
former took refuge in Christ's College. The gates were
closed, but stones were thrown ; and one of them, thrown
by Clark, struck Mr. Lofts in the eye, and he died in con-
sequence. The authorities did not press for punishment.
The prisoner was sentenced to one month's hard labour.
THE MURPHY RIOTS.—At North Shields, on Saturday,
an Irishman, named James Machin, was charged with
taking part in the riot in Saville-street West, on Friday
night, during Mr. Murphy's lecture. He was remanded
tor a week.

THE NEW POACHING ACT.—At the Bridgnorth County
Sessions, on Saturday, William Bowen was fined is. and
13s. costs under the new Poaching Act. A constable, meeting
him on the high road at half-past eleven in the morning,
suspected he had been poaching, and wished to search him.
Defendant refused to be searched in the highway, and
hence the fine.

There is a widow in Nashville, Tenn., 111
years old, who enjoys the pensions of three husbands, all
of whom served in the Revolutionary war. Her name is
Dinah Vies. She has 400 descendants.
FALSE WEIGHTS AND MEAsritts IN THE SEED
TRADE.—A meeting of the Agricultural and Horticul-
tural Association waeheld at the Freemasons' Tavern on
Monday; Mr. T. Hughes, M.P., in the chair. The
absence of any promise of immediate legislative action
with the view of checking the adulteration of seeds, &c.,
and punishing those who use false weights and measures
was generally regretted. Resolutions were passed affirm-
ing that the practices complained of could be dealt with
only in two ways—by the action of Parliament, and
through the instrumentality of co-operative associations.
THE NEW TEADES MOVEMENT.—The first meet-
ing of the newly-formed Board of Conciliation and Arbi-
tration in the North of England iron trade district was
held at Darlington on Monday. A representative
had been appointed by Cie men from each of the
works during the week, which, with one master from
earth works, composes the board. The business lasted
from eleven o'clock in the morning till a late hour in the
afternoon. A standing committee was appointed, and
other preliminary business transacted. The meeting was
private. The wages question was discussed at great
length, and it was ultimately resolved that the meeting of
the board should be adjourned ; the standing committee is,
in the meantime, to verify the masters' contract prices,
and to report upon them. Pending a financial scheme,
the men are to pay a penny per month, and the masters an
equal sum.

SIGNALLING IN TUNNELS. —A new system, afford-
ing a great security to the platelayers in the tunnels, is
used in the Blaisey tunnel of the Paris and Marseilles line.
The tunnel, 13,600 feet long, is s metimes very smoky, and
she men had great difficulty in being properly warned of
an approaching train. An insulated wire has been laid by
the side of the tunnel sft. over the ground. The ganger
of the platelayers is supplied with a portable electric bell
that lie must suspend to the wire in the neighbourhood
of the place where his men and himself are working. The
electric communication is completed by an iron wedge in-
serted between two rails of the line, and connected by a
wire to the electric bell. As soon as a train goes into the
tunnel, the signalman of the clock system at the entrance
of the tunnel sends an electric current in the wire and
rings the hell continually until the signal, " line clear,"
is received from the other end of the tunnel —7lO
41_22iniera