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

GAS CONSUMERS AND GAS COM-
PANIES.

IMPORTANT CASE.

In a case tried at the Lambeth County Court, yes-
terday, " Spratt v. The =Metropolitan Gas Com-
pany," great interest was excited, and the court
was densely crowded. Mr. Gay appeared for the
plaintiff, a beer-shopkeeper, of Victoria-place, Hen=
and-Chicken-lane ; and Air. Robinson, instructed
by Mr. Buchanan, of Basinghall-street, for
the defendants. The facts of the case, though
simple, involve a point of immense importaii66
to both consumer and supplier, and are .0
follow :—Plaintiff applied to the dofendanti
on the Bth of October last to have gas laid on to
his house, he requiring four or five lights. He was
informed by them that he must pay 40s. in advance
and 2s. 6d. for labour. This he declined, and call-
ing again on the 1 1 th, was again told he must pay
the 40s. before any gas could be laid on. Plaintiff
replied that he could compel the company to lay on
the gas without his paying any deposit, and added
that he had joined the Gas Protection Society.
Still defendants refused, and hence the present
action to recovor £2 damages sustained by reason
of defendants' refusal to lay on the gas. For the
defence, Mr. Robinson, in a most able and energetic
speech, endeavoured to show that there was neither
statute nor law which compelled the company to
supply plaintiff with gas without he complied with
their terms. He contended that the advance was
not only a legitimate demand, but one absolutely
necessary to secure the company against loss. All
the companies did the same at discretion. The
company made no express or implied contract to
supply the public at its own terms, and therefore
defendant was entitled to a verdict. The learned
judge (Mr. Pitt Taylor) was clearly of opinion that
the defendants were bound by their act of Parlia-
ment, which he considered to be a contract entered
into with the Legislature to supply all her Ma-
josty's subjects with gas upon reasonable terms. Ii
this case defendants had no right to demand £2
from a person in plaintiff's position. ft was an
injustice, and plaintiff was entitled to a verdict.--
Verdict for £2.

THE BATTLE OF BANK.RUPTCY.

F Punch.)
Yesterday the case ofrom
Judas Penniboy, bankrupt,
came on again in the Bankruptcy Court before Mr.
Commissioner Profane. Mr. Brown attended for
the assignees, Mr. Jones for several creditors, and
Mr. Robinson for the bankrupt. The following
scene ensued :
Mr. Jones—Before resuming the discussion of
this important case, your Honour—
Commissioner—l suppose you call it important,
sir, as a hint to me to pay more attention to it than
I should otherwise do. I can tell you that I shan't.
Now then.
Mr. Jones—l meant nothing, your Honour.
Commissioner—No, your words never have much
meaning. I will say that of them. Go on.
Mr. Jones—lt is difficult to go on, sir, in the
presence of this kind of remark.
Commissioner—ls it ? Who cares ? Do you
think it is anything to me whether you go on or
net ? Where's the newspaper ?
Mr. Brown—l would submit, sir,—
Commissioner—You'd better, sir, I can tell you
that. Everybody had better submit here, if they
know what's good for them.
Mr. Brown—l would submit to your Honour
that my friend, Mr. Jones—
Commissioner—Oh ! is he your friend ? Wish
you joy of your friendships. Noscitur sociis.
Very good article this in the paper. (Reads.)
Mr. Robinson—lt is satisfactory to me, your
Honour, as representing the bankrupt, to see your
opinion of the persecution to which this ill-used
man has been subjected—
Commissioner—l never said he was persecuted,
sir, nor thought so. I'll trouble you not to
put words into my mouth. (Throws down paper.)
Are we going to be all day ? Is the case to go on,
or not ?
Mr. Jones—lf your Honour would do me the
favour to listen—
Commissioner—You have no right to ask me a
favour, sir. lam a judge,—at least so lam given
to understand,—and therefore it is my duty to
listen when anything that is fit to be listened to is
said to me.
Mr. Jones—l humbly hope to induce your
Honour to class what I am about to say in that
category:
Commissioner—What's category ? What do you
use such a word here for? It is not a legal word.
It would do for a charade—My first's a cat, my
second's a vowel, my third is bloody, and my whole
is a nonsensical word uttered by a pedantic attor-
ney. Send it to the London Journal, sir; our busi-
ness is with the London Gazette.
Mr. Jones (in a great rage)—Your Honour is so
painfully facetious that I must await your return-
ing to a more judicial frame of miud.
Commissioner—l don't know what you mean by
judicial, but the bankrupt's a Jew, and I am going
to dish him. Now, what's your application ?
Mr. Jones—The accounts which the bankrupt,
so properly described by your Honour,—
Commissioner—l don't want your good word.
Mr. Jones—Far be it from me to give it you,
sir. The bankrupt's accounts, then, are, I unhesi-
tatingly say, entirely incomprehensible.
Commissioner—He's not bound to find you
accounts and brains too, you know.
Mr. Jones—He is not, sir. But these accounts
are evidently cooked.
Commissioner—lf you can't address a court of
justice, sir, without using slang phrases, you had
better sit down, and hand your papers to somebody
who can.

Mr. Brown—l will not go so far as my friend—
Commissioner—Who cares how far you go ?
Only mind you don't go too far with the Court,
that's all.

Mr. Brown—l must say, sir, that menaces are
things I am not accustomed to hear from the lips of
judges of much higher position than your Honour.
Commissioner—Then they don't know certain
advocates so well as I do.

Mr. Brown—l endeavour to discharge my duty.
Commissioner—l shall discharge the case if 3-ou
don't leave off talking and come to business. What
point do you make ?

Mr. Brown—The unintelligibility of the ac-
counts.

Commissioner—Deuced long word that (counts
on fingers); one two, three—eight syllables, by
George ! I should think you could say adiboron-
tiphoskiphorniosticus. Well, you can't understand
the acccounts, you say.
Bankrupt—S'elp me, they're all right, my tear
gentlemyn—all as right as ninepence. They `•as
drawed hout by me and my friend Boscs Isaacs, as
is as hupright and promiscuous a gent as you'd not
meet nowheres ; and they took us all ahobbus vas
a week, him and me with. On my honour, it's, all
serene.

Mr. Jones—l hear no rebuke of the bankrupt for
talking slang, Mr. Brown.
Commissioner—lf you talk at me, Sir, I'll commit
you. How do you answer the bankrupt's state-
ment, Mr. Brown?
Mr. Brown—l havo no doubt that he and the
accomplice he names made up the figures, or that
they are worthy of them.
Commissioner—Who's worthy of what ? what's
justice?
worthy of whom ? Who's they ? What's them ?
Is that the way to address a court of
rm Lh_a_ti?t
is impossible to repose any faith
Wkierr.eß'so
in such adocument.

Commissioner—(to himself)—This hat doesn't
wear so well as the last I had. To be sure, that
was in the summer ; and this one has been at the
seaside, which makes a difference.
Mr. Brown—lf I might ask your Honour's at-
tention.

Commissioner—l think I'll have the next more
turned up in the brim—more shape about it. Well,
what now ?

_ .
Mr. Brown—Suppose your Honour were to ad-
journ the ease ?

Commissioner—Suppose the moon were made of
green cheese ? _ _ _

Mr. Robinson—l protest. I claim that my client
do pass. He has had a great deal of unmerited
trouble ; one of his wives has run away ; he has
burned down his house, and the Insurance Com-

pang resist payment ; a little speculation, by which
he humbly hoped to retrieve the wreck of his for-
tune by passing forged notes, has not succeeeded,
and if he had erred he has suffered, and this Court
will not be the engine for bruising the broken reed.
Bankrupt (howling)—lt's air true, s'elp me
Abrahams, Isaacs, and Jacobs.
Commissioner—l don't sec much in this case.
(Walks out of court.)

Brown
Jones —But, your Honour, if you please—
Robinson
Commissioner (from 'Washing-room) Where's
the soap ?
Bankrupt—Ain't I/Pass, your 'avenly Honour ?
Commissioner shuts the door.
[The solicitors look at one another, and remark
that this is a pleasant state of things. They wait
for some time, and then take their bags and go
away. After a time the Commissioner re-enters.]
Commissioner—Judas Penniboy, you reseal, do
you think I'm not up to you ? I commit you for
the rest of your natural life. I left my umbrella
here. Have you taken it ? It would be just like
you. No, here it is. Go to prison, you scoundrels
The Cart nithilravo.]