The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-22 00:00:00

TOE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING., NOVEMBER 22, 1861.

LAW INTELLIGENCE--(This ray.)

OF A BRITISH MAIL STEAMER.

COURT OF CHANCERY.
(Before Vice •Chancellor Sir William Page Wood.)
lUDGMENT.-POLINSON V. BAYNES.
The plaintiff filed his bill for specific performance of an
agreement to pay his professional account for compromising
certain equity suits, in which the defendants (father and
son) were beneficially interested. The plaintiff held the
defendants, jointly and severally, liable to pay his account.
William Baynes, the father, denied all knowledge of the
agreement, and that he did not know of the compromise of
the suits in question.
Edward Baynes, the son, admitted knowledge of the
compromise, but as it was for the benefit of his father,
he:denied his liability to pay.
His Honour the Vice-Chancellor dismissed the
plaintiff's bill against the defendants, except as
to that part of the plaintiff's account incurred
for the benefit of the father (William Baynes), by
delaying the suits under compromise, and, as to these por-
tion of costs, allow decree against the personal representa-
tives of the father.

(From the Scotsman.)

JUDGMENT.-WILLIAMS V, IVILKS.
The question raised in this suit was, whether the plain-
tiff was entitles to a half or a fourth share of the residue of
the testating property as her representative.
His Honour the Vice-Chancellor was of opinion that
Rebecca Wilson and Hannah Wilks and their children,
were entitled to equal shares of this moiety of the testatrix's
property, and at point them or their representatives as next
of kin.

SHERIFFS' COURT.
(Before Mr. Sergeant Wheeler.)
A SINGULAR SLIP OF TIIE TONGUE-GROVES V.
HAWKESLEY. _

This was an action to recover for a mast and other mate-
rials and work supplied to the ship Celerity. Defendant
pleaded never indebted.
Mr Cottams called the plaintiff, a mastmaker of Ber.
mondsey. He stated that he agreed with Capt. Hawkesley
as to the prices of certain goods, and the rest were neces-
sary upon such orders. Defendant ordered the goods.
Plaintiff believed that Capt. Hawkesley was a shipshusband.
Defendant—l am not, nor have I any interest in the
ship. lam a shipowner, and I only went with Mr. Lynch,
the owner of the Celerity, to call upon the plaintiff. I
never gave any orders about the goods. The broker of the
ship has written that plaintiff's demand is exorbitant.
Plaintiff—About four months ago I made out an account,
and delivered it at defendant's office. I met him a little
time afterwards, and he asked for another, and then when
I gave him the second bill he said he didn't owe the money.
Defendant—l have no office.

Plaintiff—l left the account with Messrs. Jenkins and
Co. (brokers to the ship), ship brokers, of Fenchurch-street.
Defendant—l have nothing to do with them.

Mr. Cottams then produced two letters from Captain
Hawkesley, ordering the work, and defendant said he had
been ordered by the owner to look after the vessel.
Ilia Honour—Well, Captain, do you call any witnesses ?
Defendant—l call our clerk. (Laughter.) I mean
Jenkins' clerk. _

His Honour—You said "our" clerk. (Renewed laughter.)
There is a celebrated character in one of our comedies of a
Captain Hawkesley, and I am of opinion that the relations
between you and Jenkins are very intimate. Upon the
letters put in plaintiff will have a verdict.
Verdict for plaintiff, with costs.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—(This Day).

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

ATTEMPTED SUICIDE AT THE OPERA TAVERN.—Mary
3ardner was charged before Mr. Tyrwhitt with attempting
,o commit suicide.

Vv
Wm. Watson, 299 A, said—About 12 last night he was
called to the Opera Tavern, Haymarket, and informed by
the landlady that prisoner had taken poison. He found
the prisoner sitting on a form in front of the bar, and the
landlady handed him a pewter pot which she had taken
from the prisoner. He lost no time in taking the prisoner
to the Charing- cross Hospital, where emetics were admi-
nistered to her, and he left her there and brought her away
that morning. The house-surgeon had analysed the con-
tents of the pot, and said that the prisoner had taken sugar
of lead. He also said the prisoner was to continue an out-
patient.
Watson then handed Mr. Tyrwhitt a certificate signed
by Mr. Travers, the resident medical officer of the Charing-
cross Hospital, to the effect that prisoner had taken sugar
of lead ; and said the prisoner had told him that her hus-
band had deserted her, and that she had no home.

Mr. Tyrwhitt remanded her, that she might have proper
attendance for a week.

-.
ANNOYING A TRADESMAN.—Maria White, a middle -
aged female, was charged with annoying, Mr. Aldridge,
umbrella maker, 126, Oifotd-street.
Edward Stenton, assistant to Mr. Aldridge, said the de-
fendant, who was related to Mrs, Aldridge, came on the
previous evening and asked for money, created a disturb-
ance, and upset the business by using very bld language
before the customers. _ _

Defendant—Oh, you false young man I You'll never
prosper. I'll serve you out.
Mr. Tyrwhitt—What can a person do with such a
woman as you P
Defendant (with great rapidity)—Let them givo me a
pound.
Mr. Tyrwhitt—Then you will go and get more drink.
Defendant—When they had me here before they did not
do much good, although they did have a lawyer. They
thought they wou'd get ma six months, but they didn't.
The witness said she had an allowance to live on.

Mr. Tyrwhitt—l shall bind you over to keep the peace
for six months.

Defendant—Thank you, I'm much obliged to you.
The defendant, who has been at the court several times,
was then removed.

THAMES.

SINGULAR AFFRAY.—Peter Montell, a little, dirty, odd-
looking old man, a corn porter, well known in Mark-lane,
was brought before Mr. Woolrych, charged with assaulting
and beating Mrs. Charlotte Shinton, his landlady, and
breaking a lamp glass, a drinking glass, and other property.
It appeared that the prisoner had been a lodger at No.
13, Dean-street, St. George-in-the-East, for seven weeks,
and had given his landlady a good deal of trouble. Yesterday
evening, the prisoner came home at seven o'clock and
ordered his landlady to cook a steak for his dinner. He
said he should be home in 20 minutes, and went out again.
The steak was ready at the appointed time, but the
" queer little man" did not come home to eat it.
Mrs. Shinton kept the steak " nice and hot" for
him until half-past ten o'clock, when Mr. Peter Montell
came home intoxicated, very noisy and full of anger. He
demanded his steak, which was served up to him in first -
rate style. He then asked his landlady for bread. He was
politely requested to obtain his own bread from his own
room, on which he became exceedingly indignant and made
a great disturbance. A young man named Morris Lyons
interfered and endeavoured to quiet him. The prisoner
made use of very bad language, and also attacked the young
man. In the midst of the scuffle Mrs. Shinton went to the
protection of her young man lodger, and the prisoner seized
her by the throat and hurt her very much. He also struck
her on the arm with a lamp, and broke the glass, smashed a
tumbler, and broke the banisters on the staircase. A scene

of great confusion ensued, and the police were summoned
to quell the riot, and take Peter Montell into custody. He
then locked himself up in his room, and when a policeman
named Franklin, 480 K, made his appearance, he rushed
out of his room and endeavoured to strike his landlady in
the policeman's presence.
The prisoner pleaded guilty to all the charges, and said
ho was very sorry for what he had done, and begged of
Mrs. Shinton to forgive him, which she refused to do so,
and said Mr. Peter Montell was a dangerous little man, and
she wanted him bound over to keep the peace.
Mr. Woolrych fined the prisoner 7s. for the assault on
Mrs. Shinton, and 3s. for the damage he had done, and, in
default, 10 days' imprisonment.

AN AMERICAN STEAMER IN PURSUIT

A strange yet true story—showing how near this
country has been, and perhaps is, to a rupture with
the United States, or at least how very well dis-
posed our American friends are to bring about such
an event—reaches us to-day from sources to be
thoroughly relied on. The week before last our
Government received information that a United
States' war steamer had brought up in Southampton
Water, ostensibly for the purpose of re-fitting, but
under circumstances warranting the suspicion that
she had some other object in view. Subsequently
various circumstances, including the conversation
of some of her crew who had come ashore, led
to the discovery of the fact that her real
object was the seizure of the West India mail
steamer then due ! The United States cruiser
had been despatched in pursuit of the Nashville,
the vessel conveying the Confederate delegates sent
to this country, which had eluded the blockade.
The delegates succeeded in reaching Cuba, and
there got themselves conveyed on board one of the
British mail steamers. Their movements became
known to the commander of the pursuing vessel,
who took the remarkable step of running straight
over to the British coast, with the intention of

waylaying the mail steamer, and making capture
of her as a neutral vessel, carrying,in the delegates
and their credentials, " contraband of war."
Upon the assumption of these being the facts—
an assumption, it will easily be believed, not made
and proceeded on without inquiry and conside-
ration—the British war steamer Phaeton was
ordered to watch the American, and to protect
against her any vessel bearing the British flag.
As it happened, the American captain, perhaps
attracted by hospitalities after a stormy voyage,
remained in port for some days, and, then, putting
to sea, was met by a severe gale on the south coast,
which forced him to anchor at Calshot. The same
cause that stopped his cruise expedited the voyage
of the mail steamer which arrived two days before
her time, aad passed into her port unconscious of
her danger. Comunications then took place be-
tween our Government and the American Minister,
in which the latter disclaimed any such inten-
tion as that imputed to the proceedings :of the
I United States steamer—or, rather, he disclaimed
any knowledge of the matter. At the same
time it was ascertained to be the opinion
of the law officers of the Crown, that,
according to the interpretation of the law as
laid down in former decisions, the relations of Bri-
tain to the American belligerents are perhaps such
_ _

that there might have been fair legal grounds for
the American cruiser seizing the mail steamer as
prize, even in British waters, if it could have been
shown that she knowingly harboured the persons
and property of enemies of the United States in the
shape of the delegates and their despatches. The
United States steamer has now departed; but is
supposed to be cruising off the Irish coast for pur-
poses similar to those which brought her to South-
ampton.
It cannot be necessary to point out the wanton
offensiveness and danger of the course understood
to have been adopted in this and perhaps similar
cases by the United States government. That go-
vernment is entitled to do all in its power to pre-
vent egress or ingress at its own ports, and the
ports of the Confederates ; but to leave these not
half guarded, and oome across to British waters on
a roving commission to seize a British mail steamer
which had taken on board at a British port two
American passengers and their portmanteaus, is an
act easy to be understood and not easy to be
endured. It indicates a desire not so much to pre-
vent the movements of American " rebels " as to
insult and provoke the Government and people of
this country.