The Sun.
London, England, 1859-07-12 00:00:00

LA TV AMENDMENT SOCIETY.

Yesterday evening the usual fortnightly meeting
of the Law Amendment Society was held at their
rooms, Waterloo-place, Lord Brougham in the chair.
Mr. HASTINGS read the report of the Criminal
Law Committee on the law of false pretence in the
sale of goods. The report, after referring to the
difficulties which surrounded the subject, arising in
some measure from the fear of any in terferenc with
the free course of commerce, a jealous care of the
old common law principle, caveat emptor, and the
diversity of opinions among the most eminent
judicial authorities with respect to enactments re-
lating to fraudulent pretence, proceeded to say that
hitherto the vendee aggrieved by the purchase of
goods bought on the misrepresentation of the ven-
dor had no other remedy than a civil action for the
recovery of his loss, as the criminal law took no
notice of the cheat upon the individual, and allowed
an indictment only when the fraud affected the
public interest. It then reviewed the decisions of
the Court of Criminal Appeal in the case of the
" Queen v. Roebuck" and the " Queen v. Bryant,"
and contrasted the judgments of Chief Baron Pol-
lock with those delivered by Mr. Justice Willes and
Mr. Baron Bramwell. The first-mentioned judge
held that when the false pretence was made in the
case of a bona fide sale, it behoved the purchaser to
be on his guard, and that the vendor was criminally
irresponsible ; whereas the other two held that if
the vendee parted with his money or goods upon
the false representation of the vendor, then the lat-
ter was by statute indictable for the offence. The re-
port concluded with a strong recommendation that
Parliament should be requested to settle the law in
the point under dispute in the spirit of the latter
view of the case.

Mr. VAUGHAN thought some measure shnuld be
adopted to put an end to the growing immoralities
of trade. The remedy of a civil action was no
remedy at all, for it might so happen that the
plaintiff, instead of obtaining redress, would have to
bear the burden of the cost. As it was at present
a criminal offence for a man to obtain money or
goods by making a false representation of himself,
his character, or employment, so it should be an
indictable offence if he on the sale of goods made a
false representation with respect to the quality or
quantity of his goods. That would put the law of
buyer and seller on a bona fide and tangible foun-
dation.

Mr. W. HAwEs thought it better to allow things
to remain as they are than interfere with the pos-
sibility of doing more harm than good. There
would be a constant race between the law and the
manufacturers, and the latter would win the day.
It was only the other day he had seen some bales
of Manchester goods which were never out of Eng-
land, bearing a French trade mark. The buyer
was not imposed upon by the device, nor probably
would the man to whom he might in his turn sell
them. The false representation was intended for
the colonial not for the home market.
The discussion was continued by Mr. Chisholm
Anstey, Mr. Charles Clarke, Mr. W. Hawes, Mr.
Hating, and Mr. Edgar; after which the report
was adopted, and the proceedings of the evening
closed in the usual manner.

We learn with satisfaction that the Earl of Derby
and Mr. Disraeli have accepted an invitation to a banquet
to be given in their honour by the Merchant Taylors' Com-
pany at Merchant Taylors' Hall, on Saturday evening
next. The preparations making for the banquet are on a
magnificent scale, and the general company will include the
elite of the great Conservative party.
There is now but one French ship of war before
Venice.
LORD ELGIN'S MISSION TO CHINA.—From !a
Parliamentary paper just printed it appears that the cost of
the Earl of Elgin's special mission to China amounted to
111,500.

THE RIGHT HON. MR. GLADSTONE'S VISIT TO
THE lONIAN ISLANDS.-It appears from an official docu-
ment just issued, that the expense of the special mission of
the Right Hon. Mr. Gladstone to the lonian Islands
amounted to £2,1E6 Hs. Pd.

TIIE WEATHER.—Some idea of the effects of the
long -continued dry weather in Dublin may be gathered
from the fact that the Corporation have issued apublic no-
tice stating that the supply of water with which they are
served has become deficient even for domestic and manu-
facturing purposes. The consequence is that the waterir g
of the streets in the southern district of the metropolis is
to be curtailed, and the inhabitants of the most populous
and fashionable portion of the city subjected to all the
miseries of a perpetual dust storm. Such a deprivation as
a short supply of water is a perfect novelty in Dublin.

LATEST NEWS.

The following telegrams have been received at
Mr. Reuter's office :

VERONA, JULY 11 (via VIENNA).

The Emperor of Austria, accompanied by Gen-
erals Hess, Grunne, Kellner, Kollenstein, Roming,
Schlitter, and several other officers of the Staff,
went this morning to the interview with the French
Emperor at Villafranca.

TURIN, JULY 11.

The Official Bulletin of to-day publishes the text
of the convention of armistic. Besides the articles
already known, it is said the belligerent armies
will keep the positions which they now occupy.
The railways to Verona, Peschiera, and Mantua
may, during the armistic, be used to carry provi-
sions to those fortresses. Peschiera and Mantua
are being provisioned, and the provisioning of the
former will be completed in two days. The works,
offensive and defensive, of Peschiera are to remain
in their present state. The convention is signed
by Generals Valliant, Martinfrey della Rocco, Hess,
and Meurclorf.

BERLIN, MONDAY, JULY 11.
The Prussian Gazette publishes an article in
which the earlier proposals of Prussia and the
latest proposal of Austria to the Federal Diet are
placed in comparison. The article says, among
other things, as follows :
Austria intends, by its proposal, to request the
Prince Regent to accept the post of Commander-
in-Chief of the Federal army. The possessor of
the chief power in the States of Prussia can never
be personally responsible to the Diet.
The article concludes thus :

'lt is easy to perceive how that a member of
the Federal Diet, which is at the same time
a belligerent Power, can make a proposal, the
acceptance of which would render dubious all
unity of action, and force Germany to commence a
war, by which it would be ruined. The Federal
Diet has to choose between the proposals of Prussia
and Austria. It can accept the former; or, by the
acceptance of the latter, deprive Germany of all
power of action, even also of the power of energeti-
cally negotiating for peace. It would also lower
the military power of the German States to the
organisation of the old army of the German empire.
The German nation will not doubt for a moment
on which side lie thes recognition and desire for
that which is now above all things needed for the
Fatherland.'"

BERNE, JULY 11.

The Federal assembly has elected the President
of the Swiss Confederation for 1860 in the person
of the Federal Councillor M. Frey-Herossee. M.
Knusel has also been chosen Vice-President. M.
Ziegler has been re-elected Chief of the military
general staff.

TRIESTE, JULY 11.
Yesterday fourteen war steamers were still at

Lu9sin.

A Paris letter in the Independance of Brussels
gives the following account of the circumstances
which preceded the armistice :
" The Emperor of Austria having caused a de-
mand to be made in the French camp if it were not
possible to obtain the remains of Prince Windis-
chgratz, who was killed at Solferino, the Emperor
Napoleon caused them to be sought for—and they
were recognised partly by his uniform, and partly
by some letters from his newly-married wife,
which he had about him. The corpse was
placed in an artillery waggon, and conveyed, ac-
companied by an officer of the staff and an escort,
to the Austrian head-quarters. The officer ex-
pressed to the Emperor the condolence of the Em-
peror of the French; and his Austrian Majesty
(who was just recovering from a somewhat severe
indisposition) begged, not without emotion, the
officer to convey his thanks to the Emperor Na-
poleon, and to express his sorrow at the death of
so many brave men in the French army. This led
to some remarks on the cruel necessities of war, and
from what was said the Emperor Francis Joseph
was able to perceive that those necessities were re-
gretted as much by his opponent as by himself.
The Emperor Francis Joseph afterwards sent the
son of Gen. Urban with a flag of truce to the French
camp, as is known, and the Emperor Napoleon by
an autograh letter proposed a suspension of arms.
It is added that the latter has carried his courtesy
to the extent of neutralising, for the signing of the
preliminaries of a truce, the town of Villafranca,
although the usages of war would have justified
him in requiring those formalities to take place at
his own headquarters."

The National Gazette of Berlin also contains the
following :
" The armistice which has just been concluded
in no respect constitutes peace; we may even ask
if the two powers have seriously put an end to
hostilities. It is possible that Austria only seeks
the means of renewing in`a more efficacious man-
ner her cry of alarm ; whilst Napoleon 111. tends
to isolate Austria still more, by casting on the
Cabinet of Vienna the responsibility of refusing
reasonable conditions. However, that may be,
Prussia is placed in the most favourable situation,
as her intervention now no longer depends on the
variable chances of war. She can decide in a
manner perfectly independent on what side the
fault lies, in case the negotiations should fail, and
can choose afterwards the position which she
should assume. For her mediation she can desire
nothing better than to see the French stop at the
Adige and accept definitively the meeting of a con-
gress. In the new phase in which negotiations
are about to enter the resolutions to be taken at
Frankfort are of the highest importance. The
principal basis of any action consists in the unity
of diplomatic and military action in the hands of
Prussia. It is known that our Government has
made new propositions in that spirit relative to the
adjunction of the corps &armee of the Germanic
Confederation to the Prussian army, and relative to
the chief command of the other confederate corps."

The Cologne Gazette, in an article entitled
"Armistice and War," says :—" The news of the
armistice between the Emperor of Austria and the
Emperor of the French is the more happy that the
advantages of the armistice, at least at the first
glance, appear to be altogether for Austria. We
can make that declaration, for according to our
accounts, and they come from a good source, the
situation of the Austrian army is deplorable. Com-
manded in an uncertain and incapable manner, it has
always been inferior to its adversary, in spite of its
ardent efforts. It certainly has never fled, it has never
been pursued, but it has always been beaten, and
to fall back constantly must in the end discourage
the bravest soldier. Lombardy is lost ;
the Min cio
itself has no longer the prestige which was attached
to its name ; the Franco-Sardinians have crossed it
as as they would any ordinary river, and they have
set to work to take from the celebrated quadrangle
the terror which it has hitherto inspired, by be-
sieging all its fortresses. In the Austrian army it
is not merely discouragement which prevails, but
disorder and extreme confusion. The food of the
soldiers is bad. The war was commenced with di.:,-
order in the finances, and the necessity of procuring
money has led to the adoption of desperate mea-
sures. Moreover, the Austrians, though on their
own territory, are in a hostile country, for treason
surrounds them. And the French, by means of
their fleets, were sending troops to disem-
bark in their rear, and were preparing
to besiege Venice. If besides the Emperor
of Austria casts his looks further—that is
to say, in his own States beyond the Adriatic—
what he sees is not calculated to console him. ,
Everywhere discontent, excited by his system of
government, breaks out ; the voice of the people

demands the dismissal of the men who occupy the
highest places in Church and State, in civil and
military affairs ; and Hungary, in particular,
threatens to become another Lombardy. An ar-
mistice must therefore be welcome to Austria ; and
the more so that it will give her the possibility of
obtaining new allies in order to prevent France
from extending her views beyond Italy."

The Journal des Debats proposes a plan for the
settlement of the Italian question, according to
which Piedmont should be increased by the an-
nexation of Lombardy, Venetia, and the Duchies
of
,Parma and Modena; the Legations would
remain in the power of the Pope, and
the Grand Duchy of Tuscany be given to
the Duke of Parma, his mother still acting as
regent. The same journal points out the great
difference which exists between the circumstances
of the present armistice and those connected with
that which preceded the treaty of Campio-Formio
in 1797. "At that period," says our contemporary,
the Venetian Government had declared against
France, and drawn on herself the anger of the all-
powerful conqueror. But such is not the case at
present, as Venetia is now
,the representative of
Italian independence, of which she was in 1848 and
1849 the last asylum."

" The attitude which Austria has so suddenly
assumed at the Diet of Frankfort," says the Nord,
" has caused deep indignation in Prussia.
Austria, in proposing to the Diet, where she
has at her disposal a docile majority, to ap-
point the Prince Regent of Prussia to be Com-
Mander-in-Chief of the Federal army, had
no other object in view than to thwart the proposi-
tions of Prussia, who had demanded the union of
the Federal Contingents to the Prussian army under
the command of the Prince Regent. In other
words, Austria wishes to render the authority and
policy of Prussia, as a great European power, sub-
ordinate to her position as a co-federate power,
that is to say, to place her at the discretion of
Austria. This new attempt of the Cabinet of
Vienna is perhaps the reply to the successful mis-
sion of Prince Windischgratz, and we think that
our correspondent at Berlin is not mistaken in sup-
posing that at the moment when Austria hurled
this defiance at Prussia, she had determined to
dispense with the assistance of the latter, and to
come to a compromise in Italy."
The Bourse Gazette of Berlin states, on what
it considers good authority, that when the
Prussian proposition for establishing a corps of
observation on the banks of the Rhine was brought
forward for decision at Frankfort, Holland voted
against it, and Denmark reserved its vote. As to
the minor States of Southern Germany, they re-
served the right of asking for more categorical
explanations as to the intentions of the Prussian
Government.

The National Gazette of Berlin, of the 9th,
says :—" The Russian answer to the Prussian note
sent, on the 27th ult., to the two neutral Powers,
has arrived here. On the whole, the Russian
cabinet approves of the Prussian views, but reserves
certain details for future discussion. The answer
of the English cabinet has also arrived ; it endea-
vours to dissuade Prussia from adopting any ener-
getic course of action."

FRANCE.

PARIS, MONDAY.

PARIS BOURSE, July 11.—The conference be-
tween the two Emperors, which has taken place
this morning, has strengthened the hopes which
were before entertained of approaching peace, and
prices at first improved. Later in the day large
sales for realisation were effected, and quotations
again receded. Threes, after having been done at
68f. 50cf, declined to 67f. 80c. ; Mobilier varied from
815 f. to 785 f. ; Austrians, 675 f. to 555 f. ; Orleans,
1,350 f. to 1,335 f.; Lyons, 870 f. to 860 f.; Northern,
945 f. to 935 f.; Eastern, 655 f. to 645 f. ; Southern
520 f. to 515 f. A rally took place towards the
close, when the following were the last quota-
tions :

4i per Cents. .... 95 50 Cr6ditFoncier
Do. end month: .. Belgian ,It —
3 per Cents. 6B 05 Piedmonteso (5)
Do. end month.... 68 15 Roman B2 50
Bank Shares...... 2800 Austrian

Credit Mobilier 795 —Spanish Threes ..
Do. Account

RAILWAYS.

Cash. Account.
Orleans
Nctrthern . 932 50 .. 940
New ditto Bl5 .. 820
Lyons and. Mediterranean B7O 875
Geneva 530 525
Southern
Western 545 545
Eastern
Sardinian
Austrian
Exchange on London, at sight, paper, 2.5 f. 10e. ; money,
25f 21c.; three months, paper, 24f. 95c.; money, 24f. 90c.