The Sun.
London, England, 1857-07-21 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENCE,—(This Day.)

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.
(Before Mr. Commissioner Goulburn.)
THE METROPOLITAN BREAD COMPANY-LIMITED.

To-day was appointed for the examination of some of
the directors of this company, which is being wound up
under the Now Limited Liability Act.
Mr. Ogilvie, one of the directors, was called and exa-
mined at some length, but the only point of interest arose
on the witness's solvency.
Mr. Lawrence objected, and contended that the Court
had no power, under the act, to inquire into the private
circumstances of persons called upon to give evidence,
and said that in a case in the matter of the Royal British
Bank, on one of the shareholders being called upon to
snow cause why he did not pay the 507. nail made by the
directors, Mr: Commissioner Holroyd held that be could
not inquire into the circumstances of the party.

His Honour said that was entirely a different case.
Here the party was summoned to give evidence as to the
trade, dealing, estate, and effects of the company, and
one ingredient was to ascertain whether the directors
were responsible parties and men of substance, or whe-
ther they were men of straw ; but as the question put
was whether the witness had not been insolvent seven
years ago, he should decide on that point that the ques-
tion need not be answered.

The solicitor said he did not impute insolvency at the
present time to the witness, and his examination termi-
nated.

His Honour said the question was one of great im-
portance, and required much discussion, but the point
did not arise here. On one point he was quite clear,
that they had no right to go back for seven years and
inquire into the dealing of a man's whole life.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE. (This Day.)

THAMES.

PLUNDER OF GOODS FROM A BARGE.—Henry Brooks,
aged 22, was brought before Mr. Yardley, charged with
stealing 18 plates, 16-glasses, 9 cups and 9 saucers, and
4 jugs, value 12s.
It appeared that the prisoner was the mate of a barge
called the Ceres, belonging to the Kennet and Avon
Canal Navigation and Great Western Railway Corn
pany, in which were goods consigned to the ship La
Llogue, outward bound, in the West India Dock. The
prisoner wa, seen by the ship-keeper of the La Hogue
under the tarpaulin of a barge called the Richard, made
fast to the ship. The noise of hammering first attracted
the attention of the ship keeper, who sax, the prisoner
break open two casks, one containing g ass
and the other crockery, on board the Richard,
and take away a quantity of articles from
each which he took on board the Ceres. Information
was given to a dock constable, named Cordran, who
found the goods above-named on board the Ceres. The
prisoner, on being charged with the theft, said he bought
the glass and crockery of men who had stalls in the
street.

The merchant who shipped the goods, the lighterman
who put them on board the barge Richard to be trans-
ferred to the La Hogue, and other witnesses clearly
proved the identity of the goods and the loss from the
casks.

Mr. Charles Young, solicitor, advised his client to
plead guilty, and then called James Cooke, the captain
of a canal barge, who said be had known the prisoner
many years, and he always bore a good character.
Mr. Yardley said the witnesses called for the defence
would bear the sentence he was about to pass, which he
he hoped would be known to every bargeman in the
kingdom. He was sorry to say that his experience told
him that goods in transit, either by canal, river, or rail-
way, were plundered to a fearful extent, But for the
vigilance and good conduct of the ship-keep,r, Thomas
Joyce, the goods would have been shipped and sent to
sea without it being known that the casks had been-
plundered, and pr,:bably the crew of the ♦essel would
have been blArned for that of which they were quite in-
nocent. He could not allow the character given of the
prisoner to affect the punishment ho was about to inflict
in the slightest degree. Goods forwarded by canal or
railway, or in the course of transit to be shipped, were
too often plundered, and he should inflict the most severe
punishment in his power to award. He sentenced the
prisoner to six months' imprisonment and hard labour in
the House of Correction.

IVIA3KET NEWB.—(Tina Day.)