The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-01 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.—DEC. 31.
(Before Mr. Commissioner Holroyd.)
THE ROYAL BRITISH BANK.
A private meeting was fixed in this matter to-day.
Mr. James Johnstone, the messenger of this court, has
just returned from Wales, where he bad been to inspect
the mines which the assignees now hold. There are two
coal-mines and one iron-mine--that is to say, one part
of the tract of ground produces iron and another coal,
for they may be said to run one into the other. The
works at the iron mine, which, of course, are of an ex-
pensive and heavy character, have been stopped for the
present ; but about a hundred men are daily employed
under the superintendence of Mr. Bowater, one of Mr.
Johnstone's principal assistants. About 400 or 500 tons
of coal and coke are weekly produced, and find a ready
sale. There is a railway station within a few miles of
the mine, and there is also a depot on the coast. On the
whole the Welsh prospects are rather cheering to credi-
tors, shareholders, and all interested in that unfortunate
concern—the British Bank.
SUPPLEMENTAL DIVIDEND.
Mr. Linklater—Perhaps your Honour will allow me
to take this opportunity of making a❑ application in the
matter of the Royal British Bank, which it is necessary
should be made on or before Friday. In consequence of
the short time which some of the creditors think they
have for proving their debts in this Court, we find that
a great number have been shut out from the dividend
which was declared on Tuesday last. Several of those
creditors have complained of this, and no doubt there
are a great many more in the same position, of whom
we have not heard. If your Honour will be kind enough
to appoint a dividend meeting, to be advertised in next
Friday's Gazette, and the dividend to be paid within three
weeks, we shall have ample funds to pay all those cre-
ditors the amount of dividend already declared.
Commissioner—So as to put them on the same footing
as the others ?
Mr. Linklater—Just so. It appears that great com-
plaints have been made, and we think this the most
effectual way of remedying them.
Mr. Lawrence—l suppose this will not interfere with
the payment of your former dividend ?
Commissioner--Of course not. It will merely be
putting the other creditors on the same footing as those
who proved their debts before the last dividend meeting.
Mr. Linklater—Having done that, if we have enough
for a further dividend, we shall declare it at the same
time.

Mr. Lawrence—A. creditor was complaining to me
that the dividend had been made upon proofs for only
200,0001., while in Chancery there had been debts proved
to the amount of 400,000/.
Mr. Linklater—The dividend was made upon debts
proved of 360,0001., and we do not expect that we shall
have quite 100,000/. more of proofs. I thought it best
to apply at once for another dividend meeting, as some
of the creditors who have recently proved appear to be
under apprehension that they should lose the past divi-
dend.

Commissioner—That, of course, is out of the question;
that was once the law. If creditors did not prove at a
certain time they were shut out altogether.
Mr. Linklater—Will your Honour give us a day for
the dividend meeting !
Mr. Bagley—l think the amount of the dividend seems
to have given universal satisfaction.
Mr. Lawrence—lt seems to have made the creditors
more clamorous, I think.
Mr. Linklater—lf all the shareholders will pay their
calls, no doubt we shall have a further dividend very
Soon.

f 0
retohme In 2
4i stshi o 3
ae rulTaLr
ye, the dividend meeting be appointed

PO LICE INTELLIGEA CE—Dec. 31,

GUILDHALL.—CharIes Edkins, described as an
agent and process server, was brought up belore Alder-
man Rose, for further examination relative to the charge
of stealing a bill of exchange for 241. 145., belonging to
Mr. Johnson, a cabinet-maker, of Moorfields.
Mr. Denny appeared for the prisoner, and, having
commented upon the circumstances of the case, which
have already appeared in print, submitted that, although
the prisoner's conduct was reprehensible, the charge, it
an offence at aii, was merely a breach of trust. It could
not be made a criminal offence, as at the time the bill was
given there was no letter of instructions given with it
to the prisoner.

Mr. igartiu said the charge was that of stealing the
bill.

Mr. Denny said there could not be the shadow of a
pretence for such a charge, and the prosecutor's story
was improbable in the extreme ; for he said he had been
sued upon this bill, and had let judgment go by default ;
when by defending it, by putting a plea upon the record
that he had never received value for it, and that it hal
been stolen from him, would have been au ample answer
to that action. He also said that he had seen the pri-
soner since the bill had been stolen, and had been drink-
ing with him in a public-house, but did not give him
into custody. It was hardly possible to believe that the
prosecutor could have acted so from stupidity, even if it
were not, as he had already suggested, been a matter of
accommodation between them—a men exchange of ac-
ceptance.

Alderman Rose said it was a very suspicious case all
through, and he therefore ordered the bill to be im-
pounded. The prosecutor had acted very stupidly in
this matter, and had been taken advantage of accord-
ingly ; but there was not sufficient evidence to support
the charge, and he therefore dismissed the case. In doing
so, however, he could only say that it was a case of very
grave suspicion to all the parties concerned.
The prisoner was then discharged.

BO W-STREET.—Juban Payne, a newsboy, formerly
in the service of Mr. Pavey, of Holywell-street, news•
vender and publisher, was charged with obtaining 3d
morning papers, by false pretences, from James Morgan,
one of the clerks to Messrs. Smith and Son, , wholesale
newsvenders in the Strand.
The prisoner, who was known at Messrs. Smith's,
having frequently been sent for newspapers when in Mi..
Pavey's service, called that morning and asked for
" Pavey's papers." The clerk, supposing him to be still
in the employ, handed him the number of papers Mr.
Pavey had ordered—namely, 18 with the impressed
stamp, and 18 " blanks," or unstamped copies. The
value, at the selling price, was 1/. 4s. 6d. Afterwards
Mr. Pavey sent for the papers, and the trick was dis•
covered. The prisoner's address being known to Mr.
Pavey there was no difficulty in finding him. Whe❑
apprehended he said he got the papers to oblige Mr.
Pavey's boy, to whom he had given them. The prisoner
had been discharged by Mr. Pavey about two months
back.

The prisoner said he was asked by a boy, whom he
believed to be in Mr. Pavey's service, to get the papers,
as he was better acquainted with the establishment, and
could get served more readily. He did so, but on seeing
Mr. Pavey's boy in court, he found that this was not the
person to whom he had given the papers.
Mr. Henry thought it very unlikely the prisoner would
take that trouble to serve an employer who had discharged
him. He (Mr. Henry) would send the case for trial, bat
for the present a remand would be necessary that in-
quiry might be made as to his character. Remanded
accordingly.

WORSHIP-STREET.—DARING SACRILEGE.—John
Staunard and James Deller, journeymen masons, were
placed at the bar before Mr. Hammill, charged with a
most daring attempt to rob West Hackney Church of the
sacramental plate.
Mr. Alfred Dunn Meredith, the sexton, stated that
shortly before seven on Tuesday evening his children
directed his attention to a light that appeared to be
burning in the vestry, and having sent for Williams, the
beadle, they went together to the lobby, the door of
which was locked. He unlocked it, and Williams quietly
approached the vestry, but hearing persons inside, hastily
returned, and went for further assistance, and on enter-
ing the vestry presently afterwards they found the large
iron plate chest pulled out from the wall and turned
upside down, and with every appearance of a desperate
effort having been made to force it open—one of the
handles as well as the hasp and scutchen plate of the
keyhole being broken off. It was still locked, however,
and the witness anxiously opening it, found the contents
undisturbed, comprising a silver flagon, two chalices, two
patens, the bread-plates, spoons, alms-dish, and other
articles used at the communion service, valued at
180 i. While engaged in that examination his little girl
called his attention to a noise at the back door like
somebody trying to open it ; he hastened back through
the lobby, and distinctly saw the prisoner Staunard and
another man not in custody endeavouring to make their
way down a staircase leading to the vaults under the
church ; and the vaults were entered and searched, but
the men had then escaped by forcing up and removing a
grating. He knew the men, and had employed them
and the prisoner Deller that day in putting down grave-
stones in the churchyard, but they had no business what.
ever in any part of the church. The plate chest weighed
7 cwt., and very great force must have been used to
detach it from the wall. A smaller iron chest had been
taken down, and the lid forced up at the ends sufficiently
to admit a man's hand—the lock having withstood the
attempt to force it, but it contained only tools; and a
wooden chest had also been forced, but it only contained
a metal tankard and chalice, which were left in it, the
robbers evidently being intent upon getting possession of
the valuable silver plate. While they were making the
investigation in the vestry the prisoner Deller entered
and said, "Dear me, what have they been doing ?" but
witness told him that he had no business there, and the
seoner he went the better, and he accordingly went away;
Thomas Williams, the beadle, corroborated the sexton's
evidence, and produced a crowbar which he hail found
left in the chest, which the villains were evidently in the
act of breaking open when disturbed. He afterwards
went with the police to a house in Sandford-lane, where
both the prisoners were apprehended, and when told
what they were charged with they both declared that it
was all false, and denied having been at the church at all.
Inspecto Langdon, of the N division, stated that he
found Delnr at No. 1 cottage in S.andford-lane, and,
leaving him in charge of another officer, went out intu
the lane, where he presently afterwards met with
Staunard, who, in reply to his question, denied that he
lived there, but on being taken in was identifiedby the
other witnesses. When told of the charge against him,
he said, " You are mistaken, my friend" and declared
that he was innocent.
The prisoners were remanded for a week, for the com-
pletion of the evidence for their committal.

••••••••••.•
CLERKENWELL.--UNFouNDED CHARGE OF ROB'
BERT AGAINST A FEMALE —Amelia Westhall a band
,
some, well-dressed girl,ll7 years of age, was
placed at
the bar before Mr. Tyrwhitt, charged by Charles Rich°
Waddell Watkins, an elderly eccentric-looking man,who was described iu the police street as a "gentleman,