The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-06 00:00:00

WESTMINSTER.

This morning Mr. Capron made an application to Mr.
Paynter, the sitting magistrate at this court, under the
following circumstances :

It appears there was a fracas took place last night at
James-street, Buckingham-gate, between Mr. J. W.
Capron and Mr. Mowbray Morris, manager of the Times
newspaper, in which Mr. Capron was given into custody,
and after being detained for upwards of an hour, Mr.
Capron was discharged, Mr. Mowbray Morris not appearing
at the station-house. This morning Mr. Morris was
married to Miss Emily Delane at St. Michael's Church,
Chester-square, and Mr. Capron, on presenting him-
self at the church to witness the ceremony, was refused
admission by Mr. Cumming, a police-officer, -whereupon
Mr. Capron applied to Mr. Paynter, at the Westminster
Police-court, to know whether the interference of the offi-
cer in such a case was justified. Mr. Paynter said that
any person had a prima facie right to enter a place open
for public worship, and that Mr. Capron's remedy was a
civil one. Mr. Cummings entered into the particulars of
the charge against Mr. Capron last night, on which Mr.
Mowbray Morris had declined to appear. Mr. Capron inti-
mated his intention of proceeding against Mr. Morris by
civil action.

TII£ RIVAL OMNIBUS COMPANIES.—This afternoon the
two rival omnibus companies, "The General" and "The
Metropolitan Saloon," had a field day at this court. The
proceedings of the "rivals" are familiar to the public
through the reports that have appeared in the public papers
in the shape of reports from the various police courts of
London. In the present instance the Saloon Company
were the prosecuting party.

Mr. Edwards appeared for the Metropolitan Saloon Cora.
pony.

The directors of the London General Omnibus Company
were represented by Mr. Bodkin.

The road managers were represented by Mr. Robinson,
instructed by Mr. Beard.
Mr. Tindel Atkinson appeared for the drivers, and Mr.
Sleigh appeared for Mr. Cosway, one of the representatives
of the General Company.
Mr. Orredge appeared for Mr. Macnamara, Mr. Willing,
and Mr. Church.
The parties suramiAled were—Nr, Edwin :Chadwick,

Mr. Robert Keating, Mr. W. H. Coswcy, Mr. Antonio N.
Harman, Mr. A. G. Church, Mr. A. Macnamara, Mr.
Willing, Mr. Carterel, Mr. Brewer, and Mr. Hartley—
connected with the General Company, as directors, &c.,
and about 40 of the servants of the London General Com
pany, drivers, conductors, &c. &c.

The charge against the General Omnibus Company was
ror conspiring.

Mr. Edwards, in opening his case, said he felt certain
that the evidence he should lay before the court would
clearly prove that a conspiracy of no ordinary character
existed, on the part of the General Company, to injure tho
trade and libel the members of the Metropolitan Saloon
Company. In 1855 the whole of the London omni-
buses were bought up by a French company, with
a view of assimilating the omnibuses of London to
these of Paris. The proceeding was received with great
pleasure by the inhabitants of the metropolis, as the French
omnibusses were considered to be models of ease and con-
venience. The Saloon Omnibus Company was in a short
time afterwards started, but no sooner was this done than

a system of " nursing " commenced by the General,
which was to run an omnibus both before and behind the
opposing company. Not content with this, the Metropolitan
Company had been libelled and subjected to vexatious and
ruinous proceedings by the defendants, whose solo object,
was to compel the Metropolitan Company to quit the field.
They had imputed to them bankruptcy, and that net suc-
ceeding they had induced a person to purchase a single
share, which they e3.tensively advertised for sale two or
three per cent. under the price at which the shares were
selling, a course of proceeding which, in a commercial
country like this, was calculated to do irreparable mischief.
The first witness called was—
Mr. Thomas Hall—l am a clerk in the General Omnibus
Company. Alfred was a clerk in that company. 1 don't
know whore he is now. I entered the service of the com-
pany in August last. Mr. Chadwick is one of the council.
They held meetings and issued reports. The document put
into my hand is one of the reports. Mr. Chadwick,
Mr. Macnamara, and Mr. Coswey form the council
sometimes. They met once a week. I received my orders
from Mr. Church. I don't know for what purpose the
council met. Mr. Church is the secretary, Mr. Macnamara
and Mr. Willing were the servants of the company. I have
never seen Mr. Macnamara with one of the reports.
Mr. Edwards—ls not Mr. Macnamara's name painted on
all the omnibuses.

Witness—l don't know. I never saw them all. (Loud
(Laughter.) Brewer Heartley and others were road direc-
tors of the crossing. I don't know the names of the com-
pany. I can't say I ever saw the whole of papers (reports)
before. I can only speak to one.

This concluded the examination of the witness, and it was
arranged that the cross-examination should be taken when
the case was more advanced.

Mr. Malcom° said I was originally an inspector of the
omnibuses in the Bayswater-road. I afterwards became a
coachman, then time-keeper, and then the manager of the
Hammersmith Association. I knew Macnamara and Mr.
Willing, who were general managers of the London Gene-
ral Company. They were constantly at the offices of the
company. Mr. Hartley and others held offices in the
company as directors of roads, &c.

After some further evidence, the inquiry was adjourned
till Thursday.

THE PRINCE OF WALES A WATERMAN.

The nineteenth anniversary of the Royal Free
Watermen and Lightermen s Asylum was cele-
brated on Thursday night at the London Tavern,
under the presidency of Mr. W. Roupell, M.P. ;
nearly 200 gentlemen, including the most eminent
firms connected with the river trade of the Thames,
were present. The asylum was first publicly
opened for the reception of inmates in 1841. There
are now 41 houses fully occupied, containing 12 mar-
ried couples,6 widow ers,and 23 widows, many of them
now upwards of 80 years of age—the average age was
74 years. The married in the asylum receive
weekly the sum of 7s. each, and the single
persons, ss. ; the present expenditure amounting to
.£6OO a-year. The chairman, in proposing " Pro-
sperity to the Royal Free Watermen and Lighter-
men's Asylum," pleaded the cause of the charity in
a very effective and practical manner. An appli-
cation had been made for the purpose of procuring
the patronage of the heir to the throne, and the
chairman had great pleasure in reading to the
meeting the following letter in reply :
" St. James's Palace, Oct. 30, 1858.

" Sir,--I have had the honour to submit to her
Majesty the Queen the memorial which accompa-
nied your letter to me of the 27th inst., in which
the Committee of Management of the Royal
Free Watermen and Lightermen's Asylum re-
quest that their Royal Highnesses the Prince
of Wales and Prince Alfred may be permitted to
grant their patronage to that institution. I am
commanded to inform you in reply, that it has
been considered advisable to- decline for the
present similar applications from other esta-
blishments for the patronage of the Prince
of Wales, but his Royal Highness having,
during the past year, resided for some
time in Richmond-park, and in consequence of
the proximity of the residence to the Thames,
the young Prince having passed some time
in the exercise of rowing upon thit river, her
Majesty has thought that this might be considered
an exceptional case, and I have therefore the plea-
sure to inform you that the Queen has been pleased
to approve of the Prince of Wales granting the
prayer of your memorial, and I am commanded to
forward to you the enclosed cheque for £5O, as a
donation from his Royal Highness towards the
funds of the asylum. Prince Alfred is too young
to bestow his patronage upon public institutions,
and being at present from England, the application
as relates to him cannot be complied with.
" I have the honour to be, Sir,
" Your obedient humble servant,
" C. B. PHIPPS.

Alfred Jenkinson, Esq."
Nearly £BOO was announced in donations, being
the largest amount subscribed at any anniversary
within the last three years, and additional annual
subscriptions to the amount of nearly £5O were
announced in the course of the evening.