The Sun.
London, England, 1857-09-12 00:00:00

art irb ttton

SUN OFFICE, Seven o'Clock.

TATTERSALLW—(This Evening.)

YORKSHIRE HANDICAP.
sto 1 agst Relapse (take 6 to 1)
6to 1 agst Hobgoblin (taken)
6to 1 agst Tasmania (OOffered)
8 to 1 agst Warlock (taken)
Bto 1 agst Melissa
8 to 1 agst General Baguet
ST. LEGER.
7to 4 agst Blink Bonny (taken and offered)
9 to 4 agst Ignoramus (taken)
10 to 1 ag-t Tournament (taken)
12 to 1 agst Commotion
30 to 1 agst Mamas
40 to 1 agst Bashi Bazouk
1000 to 8 agst Lambourn
1000 to 10 agst Zuyder Zee

CESARE %VITO El.
20 to 1 agst Relapse
25 to 1 agst Plush colt
25 to 1 agst Ap t
30 to 1 agst General 130Equet
33 to 1 aget Sacharissa
50 to 1 agst Alice
50 to 1 agst Hercules
50 to 1 agst Turbit

TIIE ROYAL BRITISII BANK.

As much misconception appears to prevail re-
specting the approaching trial of the authorities
of the fate Royal British Bank, it may bo conve-
nient, upon the pre,,,ent occasion, to state the
nature of the proceedings which have been taken
against those persons. In the first place, it may
be observed that until the conclusion of the exa-
minations in Bankruptcy the law offiCers of the,
Crown were not in the slightest degree bound to
notice any irregular or criminal act • which might
have been committed hythe officers ofthe bank. The
statute of the Queen (7 and 8 Vic., cap. 111) pro-
vides that the Commi,sionor in Bankruptcy shall in
such cases report the result of the examination
to the Board of Trade, and that the Board of Trade
shall then, if it think proper, place all the papers
before the Attorney-General, with a view to the
institution of a criminal prosecution. Without wait-
ing for the processes ofreport and formal reference,
the Attorney-General, upon reading the deposi-
tions—copies of which had been forwarded to him
by Mr. Linklater. the able solicitor for the assignees
—elected to proceed by way of criminal informa-
tion, and not by way of indictment. Two very
obvious and sufficient reasons may be stated iu sup-
port of the course which the hon. and learned
gentleman adopted. It is very well known that the
mostcompetent lawyers entertain very serious doubts
whether the statute or common law can reach the
offences, with which the office rs of the bank have been
charged. Many. nice and difficult points will have
to be argued ; such, for instance, as these—whether
the compulsory disclosure made in Bankruptcy does
not exempt the persona who made it from criminal
responsibility, or whether the false statements held
out to the public of the affairs of the bank amount
legally to the offence of conspiracy to defraud. The
effect of filing an information in this case is that
these grave and important questions will be tried,
heard, and determined; not in the Central Criminal
Court, at the preliminary investigation by a grand
jury, but by the Court of Queen's Bench, that great
tribunal which has the control of all the inferior
common law courts ; and we may add that, if the
par'ies desire it, there may be "a trial at bar,"
where, instead of the Lord Chief Justice alone, all
the Judges of the,Court may take part in the trial
and decision of the ca,e. Considering the amount of
melancholy interest and attention which the failure
of the Royal British Bank has occasioned—consi-
dering also, that the public mind must necess irily
be prejudiced to some extent against persons wire,
whether intentionally or unintentionally, have been
the moans of ruining thousands, we say that the
Attorney-General exercised not only a wise but a
humane discretion when he determined to submit the
decision of this most important case to a tribunal era
dignified, and in every way so competent, as the
Court of Queen's Bench We are inclined to think
that the accused, if found guilty at all, will be con-
victed of the common law misdemeanour of having
disobeyed th.) provisions of an Act of Pat liatnent2-
for having male false returns of the amount of
paid-up capital, and other fraudulent returns to the
Board of Trade. But, in every point of view, the
argument must be teo technical, and too legal in its
nature, for the intellectual calibre of an ordinary
retty jury, and theref r 3 we believs that the course
of public justice will be largely advanced and pro-
moted by the delay which has taken place, and by
the selection of the Court of Queen's Bench for the
trial of this prosecution in place of the Central Cri-
minal Court. To show that no cfferts will be sppred
to bring the accused to justice, we may mention
that, on behalf of the prosecution, the following
eminent counsel have been retained—the Attorney-
General, the Solicitor-General, Sir Frederick
Thesiger, Mr. Sergeant Ballantyne, Mr. Welby,
and Mr. J. Brown• We understand, asl-o, that
the ex-member for Tewkesbury, Mr. Humphrey
Brown, will be deforeiod by ,Mr. Hugh Hill, and
by Mr. Roxburgh, of the, Chancery bar. This
statement may not be out of place at present,
especially as the affairs of two other insolvent com-
panies—the Royal Surrey Gardens and the Eastern
and Western Banking Corporetion—in connection
with the management of which similar charges of
profligate and criminal mismanagement have been
made aro about to undergo judicial investigation.
The authorities of the Royal British Bank may rest
satisfied that they will have a fair, honest, and im-
partial trial ; and whatever the result may be—
whether the existing law fails in reaching them, or
whether it succee Is In visiting thorn with condign
and deserved punishment—the) public may equally
rest satisfied with the assurance that, under the
Fraudulent Trusters' Act of last session, all posSible
doubt as to the criminality of such practices has for
the future been happily and completely removed.—
Morning Post.

From Alexandria, Sept. 1, we learn that Generals
Windham, Dupuis, and Rose, appointed to commands
in the English army in India, bad embarked at Suez in
one of the Peninsular' and Oriental Company's steamers
for Calcutta. .
SUICIDE OP A GENTLEMAN. IN THE ClTY.—Last night,
shortly before 10 o'clock, considerable excitement was
created in consegnence of a most determined act of self-
destruction committed by a gentleman unknown, who
shot himself through the head close to the railings of St.
Philip's Church, London Hospital. The deceased was
carried round to the frcnt of the hospital and placed in
the surgery, where Mr. Francis Owen, the house sur-
geon, examined the deceased, and pronounced life ex-
Una- The name of " Bell" was marked on the linen of
the individual, who is about 35 years of age, rather
robust and dark hair. In his pockets were found 153.
in silver, and a few trifling articles—a gold watch and
gold chain, two rings and a penknife.
THE CIVIL SERVIOE.—War Department.—Mr. C. H.
Rumbold, Military Store Clerk let class, Mauritius, has
beenapPointed to Pembroke. Mr. Geo, Arber, Military
Store Clerk 2d claire, P mbreke, has been appointed to
the Mauritiuv. Canmittee of Council on Education.—
Mr. Frank Marshall and -Mr. Henry Cullum have been
appointed Clerks, after a competitive examination. The
Admiralty. —There are six vacancies for established
Clerkships at present in the Somerset-house branch,
which will be filled by Extra Clerks here and at . the
Dock and Victualling-yards after a competitive exami-
nation. A Clerks sip is the Secretary's office has become
vacant, vice Burtoe, superannuated. Mr. P. J. Le
Seur has been appointed a Clerk in the office of Inspector-
General of Imports and Exports, in London. Mr. W.
R. Ryan has been promoiedirom Tide-surveyor Fourth
Class to be Landinge a'ter Sixth Class in London. Mr.
E. J. Armstrong has been promoted from Fourth to
Third Class Clerk in the office of the Inspector-General
of jurports and 'Exports, London. Mr. J. H. Stephen.
son has been promoted from Fifth to Fourth Class Clerk
in the office of Inspector-General of Imports and Ex-
ports, London. Sierra Leone.—The office of Queen's
Advocate has become vacant by 'the death of Mr.
Colletr.--Cirit &rvice Gazette.
CENTELAL Arnea4.—An official despatch has been
received at the Foreign-office from her Majesty's Consul
at Tripoli, throwing some doubt on the reported death
of Dr. Vogel. - The courier who had been despatched in
April last for the frontier of Wadai, to obtain, if pos-
sible, some tidingi of the. fate of this scientific traveller,
having returned to.Murzuk, brings with him also a letter
from the Sheikh of Borgu. From the ,report of some
people composing a small caravan that had reached
Borgu from Waded it appears that Dr. Vogel, after
having successively visited several places, bad reached
A ndra, whence he was summoned toWara, the capital of
Wadai, by the Sultan, by whom he had been come time
supposed to be preparing for his de-
Upon the receipt of this report the
who bad zealomly interested himself
grwafauat'sr. ouce sent off two couriers to Waded,
detained,psinau rittthtaienreraotfaotbßt7r,
but was
both of whom had returned with reports corroborating
the story of the caravan people. Respecting the death
of the gallant Maguire, no doubt appears, unfortunately,
to be entertained ; and the favourable report of the
existence of poor 'Vogel is still so much a matter of
uncertainty that, should no positive tidings of hie fate
be received by the large caravan, which was daily
expected at Murzuk, other couriers will be immediately
1
hastened off to obtain, if possible, 'written eiidence of
his fate. To the friends of Dr. Vogel it will be a
gebroeautideohneeholeathieolnd
in catopktniovh wittboatcteLvoue Lord
means larenidoornhii:
thus making every effort , to ascertain his fate, and,
redemption. _