The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-17 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON,' THURSDAY EVENING, JANUARY 17, 1861

world of the causes that have indued her to secede.
The causes for the aet set forth are tl3.t the North
have denied the right of property in slaves; that
they have pronounced the institution sinful; that I
they have permitted the organisation of abolition 1
societies; that they have aided in the escape of
slaves; that they have excited servile insurrections;
and that they have elected " a man to the high
office of President of the United States whose
opinions and purposes are hostile to slavery," and
that " public opinion at the North has invested a
great political error with the sanctions of a more
erroneous religious belief."
P.S. JAN. 3.—The messenger charged with the
above letter having missed the Persia, I have an
opportunity to add a word. The Legislatures of New
York and Pennsylvania met yesterday. In the
former, after the reading of the Message the Demo-
cratic leader in the Senate offered a series of reso=
lutions, declaring that treason exists in one of the
States, and directing the Governor to offer to the
President the use of the State militia, and also to
instruct the proper standing committee to report a
bill nppropriating 10,000,000 dols. for arming the
State. The Governor of Pennsylvania denounces
secession as treason, but urges compromises. I
learn from Washington that a call will soon be
made public from the members of Congress in the
border slave States to their constituencies, propos-
ing a convention of those States on the 12th Feb.,
to secure united action. I have no idea that they
will go otherwise than with the cotton States.
Large forces are arming in Maryland and Virginia
o prevent the inauguration of Mr. Lincoln by force.

LAW IN:

`.—Jan. 16.

COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH.
(Sittings in Banco, before Lord Chief Justice Cock-
burn and Justices Wightman, Crompton, and Hill.)

vorce on the ground of his wife's adultery with the
co-respondent, which is set down for hearing. An
application was subsequently made by the peti-
tioner for the Court to make a settlement out of the
wife's property, which is very considerable, on the
children of the marriage. This question stood over,
and was again brought before the Court to-day in
the form of a motion praying for direction as to
the mode of hearing a petition on the subject.
Dr. Waddilove appeared for the husband, and in
support of the motion.
Sir C. Cresswell said that, in the jurisdiction
vested in the Court in dealing with the property of
the wife for the benefit of the children, a most
difficult and embarrassing duty had been imposed
on the judge by the Legislature, and a full know-
ledge of the circumstances of the parties was neces-
sary to enable him to deal with the question. It
would be essential to inquire into how the children
were situated, and what the father could give them.
The Legislature had not invested him with authority
in this matter in order to enable him to punish a
delinquent wife, but merely to provide for the
children of the marriage. There would surely be
some difference in the order made where a wife had
only £lOO a year and her husband had £lO,OOO
a year, and where she had £l,OOO a year and he
had only £lOO a year. He must refuse the present
motion.

WESTMINSTER COUNTY COURT.

CAPTAIN ACKERLEY V. MR. BENJAMIN WEBSTER,

THE COMEDIAN.
At the Westminster County Court held yester-
day, Mr. Benjamin Webster, the eminent comedian,
was, in his capacity of Master of the Royal
Dramatic College, summoned by the well•known
Captain Ackerley for refusing to admit the latter
to the recent Dramatic Ball without a voucher.

Mr, H. G. Robinson, solicitor, attended on the
part of Mr. Webster.
When the case was called on for hearing the
plaintiff ascended the witness-box, holding an im-
mense supply of papers and books in both hands.
The following discussion took place :
Mr. Robinson—May I ask your Honour to allow
the summons to be read, as it is a very extraor•
dinary document ? _

The summons ran as follows ;—•" For damages
sustained in loss of time in applying for tickets for
the Dramatic liah, and for your refusing to admit
plaintiff to said ball withoit the production of a
voucher; also for money had and received."

Captain Ackerley (with a grave judicial manner)
—lt is a cause for trespass by Daniel Webster upon
my rights in refusing me admission to a ball given
at 4t. Jame&s-hall, by the stewards of the Dramatic
College, and for my loss of time in applying for
tickets. In consequence of receiving no, answer to
an applicatien which I made for tickets on the
morning of the ball, I attended at half-past eleven
o'clock p.m., at St. James's Rail, and claimed my
right of entrance. I was refused on the ground of
not having a voucher. They exclude the public
unless they can produce a voucher, which I contend
they have no right by law to insist on.
The Judge—Did you have a ticket ?
Captain Ackerley (gradually warming)—They
would not let me have one unless I wrote to the
stewards.

The Judge—Did you pay any money ?
Captain Ackerley—No, sir. I wished to contri-
bute towards their undertaking, and they refused
me admission because I had not applied for a
voucher as the notice states. That is an assumption
not allowed by the law. If I had asked them for a
voucher I should have sacrificed my right of being
a vouchee. I should have surrendered my right by
submitting to the college, and they have no legal
right, as they are not registered before the clerk of
the peace for the county of Middlesex ; I therefore
summons Mr., Webster for the purpose of claiming
my right. (The latter part of this speech was deli-
vered with much solemnity of manner.)
Mr. Robinson-4 will not trouble this gentle Man
to go any further, and I submit to your Honour
that as he has no locus standi there is an end to the
case,

'CE—Jan. 16.

1 POLICE I.
CLERKENWELL.—CAUTION TO PUBLICANS.—
DARING ATTEMPT AT ROBBERY .—A fashionably-
attired man, who described himself as a commis-
sion agent, and at tha police-station declined to
give either his name or address, was placed at the
bar before Mr. D'Eyncourt, charged with being
found in one of the bedrooms belonging to Mr. J.
Edwards, the landlord of the Eight Bells public-
house, St. Luke's, with inteat to commit felony.
As soon as the prisoner, who has a slight moustache,
was placed at the bar, he said his name was Wm.
Laws, and that he resided at 33, Gee-street, St.
Luke's.

The complainant stated that in the afternoon,
while he was sitting in his parlour, he heard the
alarm-bell attached to his bedroom door ring, and
having ascertained that his servant was not in the
upper part of the house, he proceeded upstairs and
found the prisoner in the act of leaving the bed-
room. The drawers in the bedroom had been
opened, and the toilet cover removed. He asked
the prisoner what he wanted, when he said he was
looking for his friends who were in the coffee-room,
and then he pretended to be drunk. A few minutes
before that the prisoner was in the front of the bar
drinking with a man and woman, and then he was
perfectly sober. The prisoner, when taken into
custody by Police-constable Larney, 30 G, was
searched, and on him were found a number of
duplicates relating to property of various desc,:',p_
tions, and two cheques on the London and
county
Ba
nk at Greenwich. One of the cheo es was filled
up to the order of Mr. W. H. Lewis,
signed Thomas Fowler, and or bearer, and
The prisoner, in d e.enctine other was blank.
e said that he had no
intention to comm':
c a felony. The fact was he had
taken rathe! 'freely of liquor, and had mistaken the
bedvlom for a public room.
The police stated that the prisoner had been pre-
viously convicted, and had nine months for obtain-
ing money under false pretences.
Mr. D'Eyncourt remanded the prisoner until
Friday next, and refused bail.
THE POOR-Box.—The number of applicants at
this court for temporary relief from the funds of
the poor-box, notwithstanding the large numbers
that have already received its benefits, appear to be
greatly on the increase, and Mr. D'Eyncourt has
for some days past been engaged in looking over
the recommendations that the poor have brought.
In consequence of this increase the officers attached
to the court have not been found sufficient to make
the necessary inquiries, and Mr. Superintendent
Gernon, of the G division, was applied to for the
assistance of some of the officers under his command.
The request was acceded to, and the inquiries being
at once made several persons were relieved with
meat, bread, flour, blankets, coals, and in some
instances money and flannel. To show the neces-
sity of due inquiry being made, it may be stated
that a letter was received from an appraiser and
broker in the neighbourhood of Golden-lane, recom-
mending "a poor deserving woman" for a little
warm clothing, bedding, and food. With this letter
was also attached one from one of the district clergy-
men, stating that he knew the parties recommend-
ed to be " respectable." When the officer went to
the house and saw the "poor woman" he found
that she had been convicted on a charge of receiving
stolen property, that the broker must have known
she had been convicted, that she is now not the
best of characters, being a drunkard, and that she
and her grown-up daughter were in one bed with
two men, in one room, with a large fire. In other
cases it was ascertained in many instances that the
letters of recommendation were not so strong as the
facts would justify. No really deserving ease has
been sent away, and no difference is made or ques-
tions asked as to what creed or country the appli-
cants belonged to.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.—THE ARTFULLY
CON COCTED JEWELLERY ROBBERY.--John Tanner,
cabinetmaker, and Win, Gloss, alias Solderberg,
cigarniaker, charged with being concerned with
another, not in custody, in stealing a tin box con-
taining 12 gold Albert chains, 5 other gold chains,.
37 gold rings, 2 gold eye glasses, 2 pair of gold
spectacles, 7 gold watches, and 11 silver ditto, of
the total value of £2OO, from the window of the
shop 24, Haymarket, the proparty of Mr. John
Mesure, jeweller and watchmaker, were brought
before Mr. Beadon for re-examination.

Mr. Beard, of Basinghall-street, appeared for the
defence.