The Sun.
London, England, 1868-04-03 00:00:00

ACTION AG_ INST A SOLICITOR.

At the Manchester County Court, an action has been
brought against Mr. Francis James Watt, a solicitor
practising in that city, for the recovery of damages in
respect of an illegal trespass and seizure. The plaintiff,
Mr. John Lord, is a commission agent residing in North-
street, Cheetham, and it appeared that on the 14th
January last he was served with a writ from the
Manchester Court of Record, at the instance of Messrs.
J. G. Filcher and Sons, oil merchants, London, to
whom he was indebted in the sum of 229. The
Messrs. Filcher have an agent in Manchester, Mr.
Birch, who instructed the defendant to proceed against
the plaintiff for the recovery of the money. The plaintiff
put in an appearance to the writ at the last moment, but
was not in court when the case was called, and judgment
by default was recorded against him. He heard no more
of the matter until the 30th of January last, when the
bailiffs entered his lodgings and took away clothing be-
longing to his wife and children of the value of £5. The
seizure, which the plaintiff contended was illegal, was
made by order of the defendant, and the jury were asked
to give him " exemplary damages" for the wrong he had
suffered.—The defence was, that although the plaintiff was
served with a writ on the 13th January, he did not enter
an appearance until the 21st, which was the very last day
on which an appearance could be entered. The defendant
took the precaution to send his clerk to the Court of
Record on the morning of the 21st, and at that time the
plaintiff had not put in an appearance, but it was subse-
quently discovered that he had entered an appearance after
the defendant's clerk had been at the court. Having found
that he had made a mistake, the defendant did the best
he could under the circumstances, to remedy it, by
sending back the clothing, withdrawing the bailiffs
from the plaintiff's house, and paying £3 10s. costs. The
learned judge pointed out to the jury that the plaintiff
had not sustained any pecuniary damage ; still, it was an
insult to anybody to have bailiffs sent into his house, and
it was for the jury to say what damages they thought the
plaintiff was entitled to under the circumstances. If they
thought there had been a bond fide mistake, either on the
part of the defendant himself or on the part of his clerk,
he was entitled to the benefit of it.—The jury gave a
verdict for the plaintiff ; damages, one farthing.—The
learned judge said he concurred in the verdict, which he
thought was a very proper one.

The seventh annual report of the inspectors of salmon
fisheries in England and Wales was presented to Parlia-
ment yesterday. In this document ➢lr. Frank Bucklanci
expresses his conviction that the fisheries are on the in-
crease. There can, he thinks, be no doubt that a con-
tinuous and diligent inquiry, carried out in a scientific
spirit, will demonstrate the requirements necessary to
bring rivers to the highest state of cultivation and de-
velopment, and thus eventually bring an increased supply
of good and nutritious food within the reach of classes who
have hitherto been unable, through its high price, to
obtain it. Human knowledge of the details of the
management of salmon fisheries, under the great variety
of circumstances in which they exist throughout the king-
dom, is by no means as yet complete. To perfect it, a
constant study of the questions of engineering, of manu-
facturing interests, of the rights of property and of law,
must be pursued. Above all, the habits, instincts, met
natural history of the salmon itself must be accurately
observed, in order to ascertain what are Nature's laws,
so that human laws may be framed in accordance with
them.

There is rather an outspoken leader in the Telegraph,
dealing with a rumour that Prince Christian, the husband
of the Princess Helena, is about to receive a military
reward which he has never earned, namely, the colonelcy
of the Eleventh Hussars, rendered vacant by the death of
the Earl of Cardigan. It is pointed out that his Royal
Highness has been a major-general on the fixed establish-
ment of the British army since July 3, IS6fi, a date very
near that of his marriage with the Princess Helena;
that such colonelcies belong by right to British officers,
who look upon them as prizes to struggle for ; and
that, although the Prince of Wales does happen to derive
an income as being Colonel of the 10th Hussars, such a
violation of the rules of the Horse Guards can be explained
only by the fact that his Royal Highnesss is the Heir
Apparent. Prince Christian has no right whatever
to the position which rumour has assigned to
him, and if an augmentation of his income to the extent
of £1,350 a year is absolutely necessary, the Telegraph ad-
vises a demand upon Parliament for that purpose. Our
contemporary can scarcely be in earnest in making this
suggestion in the.face of increased taxation in every de-
partment of the State.-

The statement lately published, as to the bad
health of Sir Seymour Fitzgerald and his approaching
resignation of his office of Governor of Bombay, is, We
are requested to state on the best authority, quite incor-
rect.—Scotsman.

Judge Nathaniel Holmes—an accomplished
scholar, but best known from his very able report of tilt
theory that Shakespere was Bacon—has left the bench of
the Missouri Supreme Court to take the senior law pro-
fessorship in the Harvard Law School.

Messrs. Bell and Daldy announce that they nave
in preparation a volume of Scottish scenery, containing
photographic views of many of the places of interest
visited by her Majesty and the Prince Consort, accom-
panied by descriptive letter-press. The illustrations are
taken by a process discovered by the artist, Mr. Joseph
Adam, who has been engaged many years in bringing it
to perfection.

The ancestry Advertiser says "We have tne
pleasure to record a piece of courtesy to a Nonconformist
minister on the part of a bishop, Which is vouched for by
a friend. When Dr. Selwyn paid an official visit to
Wolverhampton the other day, he sent his card to the
Rev. R. Halley, M.A.,head master of the Tattenhall Dis-
senters' School, with an expression of regret that his
lordship's time was too short to allow him the pleasure of
a visit."

TUE CONVICT PRISON AT PORTSMOUTH.—Uap-
tain Rose, who has held the Governorship of Portsmouth.
since 1855, has retired from that office. Before leaving, on
Wednesday, he had the officers mustered, and bade then,
an affectionate farewell. The late governor was mud,
respected, and will be succeeded by the son of the late
Admiral Sir Robert Stopford, from Dartmoor.

THE RIVERS COMMISSION.—We understand that
the Rivers Commission, after taking evidence for two
years, has been dissolved, and that it has been entirely
reconstituted. The former commission consisted of Mr.
Rawlinson, Mr. Harrison, and Professor Way. As recon
stituted, it will, we believe, include Mr. George Denison,
Mr. Norton, and Dr. Frankland. British Medical
Journal.

MURDER BY A GIPSY. —An adjourned inquest
has been held at the Dartford Workhouse respecting the
death of the gipsy woman, Elizabeth Taylor. Several
gipsies were produced as witnesses, and the story they
told was to the following effect. They all belonged to a
tribe which was encamped upon Lessness Heath, and they
had amongst them a family named Eastwood. The de-
ceased cohabited with one member of that family, named
James. He was the terror of the whole tribe, and there
was no man in the camp who would seek a quarrel with
him. On the morning of the 16th ult. Eastwood went
into a tent near his own and picked up a heavy hammer,
one like those used in breaking stones, and, re-entering his
tent, he was seen to strike the deceased a fierce blow upon
the head. She fell, moaning, to the ground. There had
been no previous quarrel. Whilst she lay on the ground
Eastwood struck her again, and then threw the hammer
back towards the place from which he had taken it. The
woman died in a short time, and the report of the murder
reaching the police, a constable was sent to make inquiries.
All the gipsies declared that nothing had happened, and
the constable had to return without further informa-
tion. He was, however, sent again, and, being more per-
sistent in his inquiries, he heard the truth. Eastwood
had gone away, and has not since been arrested. The
police, however, hope to be able to find him in a day or
two. A verdict of wilful murder was returned against

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HER MAJESTY.

BUCKINGITAAI PALACE, April 2.
The Queen drove out this morning, accompanied
by Princess Christian and Prince Leopold, and
visited the Horticultural Gardens at South Ken-
sington.

Her Majesty afterwards visited the Prince and
Princess of \Vales at Marlborough House.

The Princess of Wales drove out, attended by
the Marchioness of Carmarthen.

The Duchess Eleanor of Northumberland arrived
in town on Wednesday from Stanwieh Park, Yorkshire.
The duchess intends to remain in town some few days,
and then go to Paris to pass the Easter recess.

The Count and Countess Larisch de Moenich,
accompanied by Count Henry Larisch, Countess Fanny
and Countess Mario Larisch, have arrived at Maurigy's
Hotel from Brighton.

Baron de Baude has returned to Maurigy's Hotel
from Rome.

DEATH OF SIR CHARLES SALUSBURY.—The death
is announced of Sir Charles Sainsbury, Bart., which oc-
curred on the 30th ult. The deceased baronet was tho
second son of Sir Robert, the first baronet. He was barn
in 1792, and, after being educated at Trinity Hall, Cam-
bridge, in 181 G became rector of Llanwern. His father ,
who was descended from a most ancient family, was, in
1795, created a baronet. The family for many generations
before occupied a high ancestral name for the antiquity of
their progenitors. By the present baronet dying without
issue the baronetcy becomes extinct.

THE IRISH C.HURCH QUESHOIY.

LEEDS.

A very large meeting was held in this town last
night to consider Mr. Gladstone's resolutions re-
specting the Irish Church. The mayor had refused
to call a political meeting, and the Liberal party,
therefore, advertised it, Alderman Tatham, who
presided, said, before proceedings began, that
it was evident from an array of clergymen
on the platform and other symptoms that
strenuous opposition was intended. Mr. T. B.
Baines moved a resolution in support of Mr.
Gladstone, and Mr. Joseph Lupton seconded it.
Mr. S. Hey, surgeon, moved as an amendment that
the resolutions were unjust, unconstitutional, and
inopportune, and that a petition should be sent to
the House of Commons, praying it to reject them.
The Rev. S. Flood seconded it. After various
speeches, delivered amid much noise and interrup-
tion, the amendment was defeated by a great
majority. Three cheers were then given for Glad-
stone, and a petition in support of his policy in this
question adopted. The meeting, which had been
excited, then quietly separated.