The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-02 00:00:00

LAW AND FOLICE.

A CURIOUS POINT OF LAW WITH REGARD TO SEDUC-
TION.—In the case of Terry v. Hutchinson, which came
before the Queen's Bench on Monday, a curious point of
law was raised. It was an action for seduction tried by
Mr. Justice Hannen a few days back, when a verdict was
returned for plaintiff for £l5O damages. A motion was
now made to enter a nonsuit, and the question for the
court was whether the father was entitled to the girl's ser-
vices, seeing that she was not at the time of the seduction
living under her father's roof. The girl (who was under
20), being in the service of a milliner, was dismissed,
on account of her being seen in company with the
defendant (a military officer), and on her way home—
according to her story—was seduced by him. If she
had reached her father's house there would (the learned
judge said) have been no difficulty, and the action would
have been maintainable. Was it so in the present case ?
The court thought that the father had a sufficient interest
in the girl's services to sustain his right of action, and the
evidence on the merits was sufficient to support the
verdict. The girl's service to the milliner was terminated,
and the girl was on her return to her father, who had a
right to her services, The motion for a nonsuit, there-
fore, fell to the ground.

CRIMINAL INFORMATION AGAINST " ECHOES FROM THE
CLUBS."--Echoes from the Clubs, a few weeks back, pub-
lished an " ecbo" in which certain "officers and gentlemen,"
whose names were withheld, were severely censured for
getting hold of the private letters of a brother officer
deceased, and for using the information contained in the
correspondence to the prejudice of a captain, who was
compelled through their persecution to retire from the
service. An application has now been made to the Queen's
Bench, on behalf of Colonel Shute, Captain Macdonald,
and Lieutenant Harran, for a rule nisi for a criminal
information against the printer of the Echoes for pub-
lishing the said article, which was said to be altogether
false and scurriloui. The application was granted.

Is THE OWNER OF LAND LIABLE FOR DAMAGE DONE
BY RABBITS?—This was the question raised in the Common
Pleas by an appeal from the Shropshire County Court.
The judge of the county court adjudged the defendant
liable for damage done by rabbits breeding on his land.
Their lordships, however, reversed the judgment, on the
ground that rabbits wcre fcrce naturce, and therefore the
defendant could not be held liable.

There is 1 Jew to 7 inhabitants in Poland ;'to
03 in Austria ; to 42 in Russia ; to 52 in nolland ; to 01
in Turkey ; to 105 in Germany ; to 333 in Belgium ; to
11° in Italy ; to 410 in England ; to 403 in Franco ; to
595 in Switzerland ; and to 664 in Scandinavia.

FATAL ACCIDENTS ON THE RIVER THAMES,—OR
Whit-Sunday the river between Putney and Kew Wal
covered with small boats, loaded with holiday makers, and
several accidents took place, terminating in more than one
case, we regret to say, fatally. In one instance a party 91
ten were upset by the swell of a steamboat passing near
Chiswick Eyot, at low tide, Five of the party were saved
by the steamer, but it is reported that three were drowned,
Only one of the bodies has been picked up, The etttq
Accident occurred a little higilei " tine ri`m.‘

On liaturday a lire occurred at Banks' Mill, Honley, near
nuddersfleld, the property of Mr. W. Haigh. Damage was
done to the amount of .E 2,000, which is fortunately covered
by insurance.
Mr. Marcus Keane, a gentleman of property in the covey
of Clare, is spoken of as a Conservative candidate in that
quarter; and an "ex-Indian judge, Mr. Johl Dunbar," has
also had his name put forward.

The son of the Viceroy, and heir to the throne of Egypt,
was decorated on Saturday, amid great ceremony, with
the order of the Iron Crown.

The Bristol election petiton is appointed to be heard on
the 15th of June. The lists of witnesses, &c., are_ to be
delicvered in on June the 9th (Tuesday next).
A great demonstration was made in London yesterday.
The Temperance Societies of the metropolis, meeting in
Lincoln's-inn-fields, marched off to the 7th Snrrey Rifle
grounds, in the south of London, where open air meetings,
were hell.

It is und-rstoxl that the Prince and Princess of Wales will
visit Killarney ❑ext August, and not Septomber, and will bo
the guests of Lard and Lady Castlerosse, at Killarney
House. Tie royal couple on landing in Dublin will proceed
direct Killarney, and after remaining there some time will
leave for Belfast, a here they have been invited to opon the
new docks.

Mr. A. M. Sullivan, of the Weekly Nelms, was liberated yes-
terday, on entering into special recognizances required by
the Court, to be of good behaviour for two years. The term
of imprisonment to which he was sentenced would not ex-
pire until the 10th of August.
A young man has met with his death at the Ilighbury
S'ation of the North London Railway, under singular cir-
cumstances. It appears that the deceased was standing on
the platform waiting for the train to stop, when suddenly the
door of one of the compartments was thrown open, knocking
him down between the carriages and the platform.

The rumour that Lieutenant-General the lion. Sir James
Yorke Searl tt, G.C.8., will contest the borough of Ports-
mouth at the next general election has been contradicted.
The Sheffield Indpendent says that the Trades Unionists on
strike in South Staffordshire are being gradually defeated.
They have never (it says) had the remotest prospect of suc—
cess, and after seven weeks' idleness and privation, their only
alt'rnative is to submit unconditionally to the terms of th•
rrasters. This Om men in the Wolverhampton district are
doing, and there is every probability that the men in the
otivr districts will follow their example.

Sir rd win Land-cer has alone, perhaps of living artists,
erj,,yed the satisfaction of seeing one of his works fetch,
at a public auction, the groat sum of £1,160. This was
the pr7co given for Sir Edwin's " Braerna" at a sale in Lon-
don on Saturday. In the same collection was a Stanfield,
which was knocked down for £2,164.

As preparatory to Reform, in the matter of endowed
schools, a bill has passed the Lords, and has been brought
into the Cemmons, which seeks to enact that any person
appointed to any position or emolument, in the schools
which possess endowments, shall be appointed, subject to
such provisions and enactments as may hereafter be
enacted. This will prevent the plea of private property
being set up by masters, who, appointed to the position of
s licolmasters, refuse either to teach or to resign, still
taking the moneys provided by the endowments on their
school.

John Shea, farmer, of Inveregh, county Kerry, who
pleaded guilty nt the late assizes for that county to the
charge of endeavouring to seduce soldiers from their alle-
giance, and was then sentenced to twelve n.onths' imprison-
ment, has been discharged from custody. Shoitly after his
ti ial be was transferred to the county of Dublin jail, Kil-
mainham, where he remained until Friday, when, on a
memorial to his Excellency the Lord-Lieutenant, the re-
mainder of his sentence was commuted, and he was ordered
to he discharged from custody, on entering into security for
his future conduct.

Tho Eastern Morning News reports' a melancholy occur-
rence which took g lace at Hull on Saturday. A private
named Renton, belonging to the lith brigade of the Royal
Artillery, was in the act of showing a clerk called Hudson
the principle of his carbine, when the weapon went off, and
the bullet entered Hudson's abdomen. The poor fellow lies
in a dangerous state. Henton was taken into custody, but
was afterwards discharged.

A telegram from Oxford states that a requisition to Mr.
W. Vernon Harcourt, soliciting him to stand as a candi-
date for the reprosontation of the City of Oxford, in the
place of Mr. Neste, was being signed yesterday morning.
Mr. Neste has not yet notified his intention to retire,
but his agents have intimated that he will do so on the
dissolution of Parliament.

On Saturday, Jacob Wolf and Napthali Blasebuck, jewel-
lers and cloth merchants, at Leeds, were charged before the
magistrates with a conspiracy to defraud, and with perjury.
On the Bth of January last the prisoners executed a deed of
composition, their debts amounting to £3,040 15s. sd. They
then made an affidavit, representing two-thirds of their
creditors had signed the deed and consented to take ls. Gd.
in the pound. In the deed they put down certain merchants
as bein;.,, indebted to them, who, as it, turned out, had done
no business with them whatever. The accused were com-
mitted to the assizes, bail being allowed to the amount of
£l,OOO each.

An inquiry has been held at Gravesend, touching the
&nth of 'William Hewett, aged 28, and Charles Thomas,
aged 23, who were killed by the explosion of one of the
boilers on board the Pilot steam-tug. It is stated there was
no appearance of danger, and all went on apparently well
until the steamer had reached near Cliffe, some three or four
miles below Gravesend, when, without any warning, the
port boiler exploded with terrific force. The deceased fire-
men were found shockingly mutilated. Hewett bad his
legs nearly blown off, and was killed on the spot_ Thomas
was dreadfully scalded, and his sufferings were most in-
tense. He was taken to the Gravesend Infirmary, but he
died shortly after he was admitted. The jury agreed to
communicate with the Board of Trade, to ask that depart-
ment to send down some officer to survey the boiler, and to
give them the result of his examination, and the inquiry
was accordingly adjourned.

The Chancellorship of the University of Edinburgh is, it
appears, little likely to fall to Mr. Gladstone, who has been
nominated to the vacancy. Promises of support to the Lord
Justice-Ceneral of Scotland, it is stated, are being received
from all quarters, and there is said to be good reason to
hope that the canvass will eventuate in the election of the
Lord Justice-General. The election does not take place till
the next half-yearly meeting of the General Council of the
University, which will be held on the 30th October.— Globe.
Among other robberies committed at " the Oaks" the fol-
lowing are reported, having come before the magistrate at
the Epsom Police Court :—Martha Grey and Mary Ann
Smith were charged with robbing Mr. Archibald Nagle of
xto, a diamond ring, and a cheque. Both prisoners were
sentenced to six months' hard labour. John
Cooper and Thomas Bowman were charged with
being on the Downs with intent to commit a
felony. It appeared that just when the Oaks was
being run for the prisoners went to a carriage then occupied
only by ladies, the gentlemen of the party being absent,
and seized a hamper and a coat, notwithstanding the resist-
ance of tho ladies. The gentlemen, returning just as the
thieves were making off, attacked them, and made them sur-
render the booty. The Bench gave both prisoners a month's
hard labour.

In an article on the recommendation of the Neutrality
Commissioners, the Express says :—" If the spirit of these
recommendations had inspired the conduct of her Mar
jesty's Government some years ago, wo should have
been spared the Alabama claims. They concede all
that the United States demanded. There can be little
doubt that the English Legislature will give proof of fair
and friendly feeling by adopting them. In recom-
mending these changes the Commissioners practi-
cally admit that during the American struggle Lord Russell
acted in harmony with the law as it then was. Nothing
more can be required of any nation than that it should change
its policy as soon as events and calm deliberation have
shown that such a change is desirable. This England is
ready to do."

Mr. M,Carty %owning, a Liter 1, is mentioned in con-
rec ion with tho representation of the cou•rty of Cork, and
in IVoxfurl an n'tempt is to to made to " rescuo the repreA
scu'ation altogether from the Coaservatiros."
The official declaration of the poll in East Worcester-
shire was made yesterday at Droitwitch by the high
sheriff. The numbers were dechred to be—Lyttelton,
2,683 ; Laslett, 2,429 ; majority for Lyttelton, 259.
Arthur Forrester Smith, and Hector Augustus Smith,
brothers, were again yesterday before the Lord Mayor
charged with murderously assiad ting Mrs. Mary Ann Nunn,
the housekeeper at 2, Catherine-court, Seething-lane,
on the night of Friday, the Ist of May last, with intent to
Lill her ; and of stealing a portemonnaie, containing £2
and some silver, from a bedroom on the third floor of the
same house. The injured woman is still unable to attend,
but the evidence of the house-s•:rgeon and some other wit•
I-losses having been taken, and the prisoners making no
answer to the charge, the Lord Mayor committed them
for tri:.l.

The India mail Ltings the news that the Viceroy had
kit Calcutta, iur Simla, probably his last summer excur-
sion to the hills. Sir John Lawrence's term expires nex t
January, and already Anglo-Indians are busy with specu-
lations concerning his successor. They would haveliked Lord
Cranborne, but they dare not hope for the Marquis of
Salisbury. The native press thinks it so hard to let
any portion of the expense of the Abyssinian war fall
on India, that it nurses its resentment against Sir
Stafford Northcote, whom it takes to be the jyin•
cipal wrongdoer. oth erw:se , the name of
Indian Secretary has been favourably mentioned in
and it is now generally allowed that the training of the
India Odle° will always be a good preparatiog
paiAiou .474 d onerous clutica of yicerop