The Sun.
London, England, 1850-11-08 00:00:00

LONDON SIGNS.

Few casual obseners are perhaps aware of the curious
origin of many of the shop and public-house signs, and
a still smaller number remember when most shopkeepers
displayed signs, which projected far into the street, with
iron supports, and upon which large sums were expended.
It is stated in the Gentlenktn's Magazine, 1770, that the
signs exhibited upon Ludgate-hill cost several hundred
pounds. In a paper (No. 28) of the Spectator, written by
Addison, and in alluding to this ancient custom, he
mentions the sign of a goat before the door of a per-
fumer, and the French king's head, at a sword cutler's.
In the sixth plate of Hogarth's " Industry and Idle-
ness," the sign of West and Goodchild, who are silk-
weavers, is a rampant lion with a cornucopia on either
side. In the same artist's plate of " Noon," the cook's
shop has a Baptist's head; and in the plate of " Night,"
in the same series, the sign of the barber's shop is,
besides his pole, a hand drawing a tooth, the head being
in exquisite pain, having written underneath, " shaving,
bleeding, and teeth drawn with a touch—Ecce Signion."
The well-known sign of the " Good Woman," which is a
woman without a head, was a common emblem at oil
shops, and it is supposed to have been originally started
from a large oil jar, fancifully painted, so as to resemble
a headless woman; and at the present day it is very
frequently seen over the door, by way of sign. At
ironmongers' shops, a dog licking a porridge-pot was the
usual sign: an instance might, a short time ago, be seen
at a large ironmonger's in the Blackfriars-road. The
barber's pole, likewise, is one of the few remaining shop
signs, and one which has caused much antiquarian dis-
cussion: it is supposed to represent (when barbers were
surgeons also) the bleeding-stick, the black stripes being
the tape wound roiled it. As recently as seventy years
since, and perhaps even later, the shops in London dis-
played signs swinging across the streets, bat from their
impeding the free circulation of air they were taken
down and placed against the houses, and were, after a
time, superseded by the present fashion, of the name
and business being painted on the front.—Builder.

JERSEY NEWSPAPERS.—Some time since, news-
papers published in the English language in the Channel
Islands, were prohibited from passing through the Post-
offices in Great Britain as newspapers. They were after-
wards allowed to do so if ld. stamp was affixed to each news-
paper, in Jersey or Guernsey. The Lords of the Treasury
have now permitted such newspapers to contain writing or
marks of reference, provided they contain an additional Id.
stamp.

The line of railway formerly projected between
Windermere and Furness via Newby Bridge, has within the
last few days been re-surveyed on the part of the Kendal and
Windermere Company, with a view to the extension of their
line to Ulverston, &c.—Cumberland Pacquet.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
BAIL COURT, Nov. 7.
(Sittings at Nisi Prins.)
SPRAGUE V. MOORE.

Mr. Edwin James and Mr. Hawkins were counsel
for the plaintiff, and Mr. Sergeant Shea and Mr.
Willey for the defendant.
This action was brought by the plaintiff, an archi-
tect, to recover 1121. ,from the defendant, who was
the Roman Catholic priest in the district of the Com-
mercial-road, for different plans and drawings be had
made for some schools and a new Roman Catholic
church, which it was proposed to erect in that dis-
trict. The matter was one entirely of liability, the
defendant contending that he was not liable. The
following evidence was adduced :
The Rev. John Kay—l am the Catholic chaplain
in Spanish-place. The plaintiff is an architect. The
defendant is chaplain for the district of the Commer-
cial-road. I introduced the plaintiff to the defendant
in 1847. The defendant was building schools, and I
having been appointed to the same mission by our
bishop, introduced the plaintiff, who prepared plans
by which some of the buildings have been erected.
The school will cost 3,0004, and 1,0001. has gone
through my hands on this account. The
money was provided by subscriptions, which
were given to the defendant. There was a
proposition to build a new district church, as the dis-
trict was too large. The defendant was appointedito
that mission as well as myself. It was arranged that
the money received should be funded in the defen-
dant's name. All bills were to be sent in to him, and
paid by him, and he bad the entire control of the
money. I paid to him all moneys I received. The
defendant gave the plaintiff instructions about the
plans for the church. The defendant paid the charges
to the Metropolitan Building Commissioners. The
plans were altered because they did not give satisfac-
tion to the parish. Dr. Wiseman also objected to
them, as he thought it better to have a permanent
structure atonce, and not a temporary church, and the
plaintiff prepared fresh plans. One plan of the church
had no tower, but the defendant ordered a plan to be
prepared having a tower. Upon some occasions the
defendant complained that the plans were too long
about, and said he must give them into other hands if
they were not delivered. The defendant desired to
have the plans delivered in time for a meeting on St.
Patrick's-day, when the Lord Mayor of Dublin was
present in his gorgeous official robes. The plans were
then produced, and were much approved of. We first
thought of 3,000/. or 4,000/. to build the church, but
we doubled that sum as we proceeded. The church
was to contain 1,200 sittings, and there were not to
be any galleries. The church has not yet been built.
Cross-examined—The plaintiff is a convert to our
faith. He knew neither the defendant nor myself
had any means, but he knew there was money in the
parish. The poor are quite as liberal contributors as
the rich. There was 1,500/. in the hands of Dean
Horrabin, who had charge of another district. Our
congregation amounted to 12,000 persons. The sub-
scriptions amounted to about 5001. a year to pay all
expenses. I wanted accommodation for four priests
for that parish. There has been a good deal of
church building going on in England of late in the
Catholic religion.

Re-examined-3,000 shillings were stated to have
been brought up from the %Yapping boys.
Emily Sprague—The defendant came to my father
about the plans for the Church of our Lady Loretto.
He gave particular directions about a tower.

Other witnesses stated they had always heard the
defendant speak as having employed his architect (the
plaintiff).
For the defendant it was urged, that the plaintiff
had volunteered to prepare the plans without remu-
neration upon the expectation of being employed to
build the church. It was absurd to suppose that a
man like the defendant, who was dependent for his
support on the contributions of the poorest of the
poor, would give orders to render himself liable for
such an amount.

Mr. Justice PATTESON having summed up,
The jury found a verdict for the plaintiff for the
whole amount.

COURT Op COMMON PLEAS, Nov. 7.
(Sitticgs in Banco, before Lord Chief Justice JERVIS
and Justices MAULE, WILLIAMS, and TALFOURD.)

HOOPER V. PARKER.
This was an action of trespass charging the defen-
dant with having assaulted the plaintiff, and was tried
before the late Lord Chief-Justice at the Guildhall,
when a verdict was found for the plaintiff—damages
2001.

Mr. Sergeant BYLaS now moved for a new trial, on
the ground that the verdict was against evidence, and
the damages excessive.
It appeared that the plaintiff, who was a tea-
dealer in the city, was indebted to the defendant
547/., and that the defendant, on the 3d of February
last year, called upon him to endeavour to obtain pay-
ment. Not being able to get his money a quarrel
took place between them, and according to the evi-
dence of the plaintiff's clerk the defendant struck the
plaintiff, and called him a " liar," upon which the
clerk ran for a policeman; but the plaintiff would
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The COURT thought the question was one to be de-
cided by e jury, and that the verdict ought not to be
disturbed.—Rule refused.

Immediately before the rising of the Court Mr.
Martin, Q C., entered, and went through the form of
being created a sergeant, prior to his elevation to the
bench.

The Court immediately afterwards adjourned.
Sittings at Nisi Prius, at Westminster, before Mr.

Justice CRE'S WELL and Common Juries.)

HANDLEY V. THE BANS CANTONALE OF BERNE.
Mr. Lush appeared as counsel for the plaintiff, and
Mr. M. Chambers, Q.C., for the defendant.

This was an interpleader issue directed to try the
title to certain furniture and eff-ets which lied been
taken in execution by the Sher 4 of Middlesex.
Mr. Lusts said, that the phintiff is a widow lady
and the proprietor of several beeses, and among
others, of the house 20, Spencer-street, Clerkenwell,
which was some time since let to a fbreigner of the
name of Bourkinn, at the yearly rent of 40/. The rent
was regularly paid up to Christmas, 1849, soon after
which Bourkinn, becoming under pecuniary difficulties
in consequence of the non •payment of certain instal-
ments of a debt due from him to the defendants, left
London and returned to the continent, leaving his
wife in the house in an almost destitute state. The
quarter's rent due at Lady-day in the present year,
not having been paid on the 3d of June, a distress was
put into the premises. At that time Mrs. Bourkinn
had not the means of paying the sum due. The dis-
tress was made by the plaintiff's son, Mr. Sylvanus
Handley, under an authority from his mother, and
the plaintiff; with consent of Mrs. Bourkinn, took as
much of the furniture as was valued at the sum of
101., in satisfaction of the quarter's rent distrained for,
and it was further agreed that the remainder of the
furniture belonging to Mrs. Bourkinn should bus
valued to Mr. S,lvanus Handley, nod that he should
become the purchaser, which was accordingly done.
Mrs. Handley, being desirous of befriending Mrs.
Bourkinn in her deserted state, then agreed to allow
her to occupy another and a smaller house, situate in
Goswell-terrace, and the furniture taken under
the distress, and also the furniture purchased
by Mr. Handley, were removed thither, and it
was agreed that Mrs. Bourkinn should pay 101. for
rent up to the expiration of the then current
quarter. On the 20th of July the defendants' agent
in this country issued execution against Bourkinn,
under which that portion of the furniture agreed to
be accepted by Mrs. Handley in lieu of payment of
the quarter's rent, and also the remainder which had
been sold to the plaintiff's son, were seized by the
sheriff. The latter had abandoned his claim, not
thinking it worth while to contest the point, so that
the sole question was as to which of the parties to the
issue was entitled to the furniture claimed by Mrs.
Handley.

Mr. ylvanus Handley, the son of the plaintiff, de-
posed to the above facts, and in cross-examination
stated that he had formerly kept a few terms at the
Inner Temple, but finding his mind " not sufficiently
acute for the proper understanding of the law," he
abandoned that pursuit, and had since been " absorbed
in the study of natural history." He acted as broker
on the occasion of the distress simply to save Mrs.
Bourkinn expense.
For the defence it was contended the distress was
put in, not for the purpose of securing the amount of
the quarter's rent due at Lady-day, which object
would have been effected by the statute which obliges
the sheriff in cases where execution is issued against
a tenant to pay the landlord out of the proceeds a
year's rent, should so much be due, but in reality to
enable Mrs. Bourkinn to defraud the creditors of her
husband. It was also elicited that shortly before the
distress was levied Mrs. Bourkinn called on Mrs.
Handley, and informed her that threats of execution
had been held out by the defendants' agents, under
which she expected the goods would be taken. The
hurried manner of the distress was also a stupicious
circumstance, the goods being immediately taken
possession of and carried away without the period
allowed by law for replevying being suffered to
expire.
The jury, after some hesitation, gave a verdict for
the defendants.

PREROGATIVE COURT, Nov. 7.
(Before Sir H. J. FUST.)
IN THE GOODS OF JAMES SMITH, ESQ.
The deceased, James Smith, Esq., late of Port
Louis, in the island of Mauritius, and Assistant Co-
lonial Secretary there, died on the 14th of July,
1849, having made a will dated the 10th of October,
1845, with a codicil thereto bearing date the 10th or
May, 1849. He had been many years domiciled in
the Mauritius. The will and codicil were both
signed by the testator, but there were no witnesses to
either of them, and they had been duly registered in
the proper Court at the Mauritius. A doubt arose
whether the Ist Victoria, cap. 26 (the Wills Act) ap-
plied to the wills of persons dying domiciled in the co-
lonies, which rendered it necessary to bring the case
under the notice of this Court.

The QUEEN'S ADVOCATE, in moving for probate of
the papers, contended that the rule of law was to fol-
low the grant of the country wherever the party died
domiciled. It was proved by affidavits that the
French Code Civil was the prevailing law in the
Mauritius. The only question for the decision of the
Court was, whether the Wills Act did or did not apply
to the colonies. It was laid down by Mr. Justice
Blackstone, and sustained by other writers, that a sta-
tute of the English Parliament did not apply to settled
or conquered colonies unless it was expressly extended
to them. There were no words to that effect in the
Wills Act.

The Learned JUDGE, after observing that the case
was one of great importance, inasmuch as the prin-
ciple would extend to all colonies, slid he was per-
fectly satisfied that the deceased was domiciled in the
Mauritius ; that the prevailing law there was the
Code Civil Francais; that the execution of the papers
was good and valid according to that law ; and there-
fore he would decree probate of them to pass to the
executors.

INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT, Nov. 7.
(Before Mr. Commissioner PHILLIPS.)
IN RR JAMES ROGERS.

This insolvent applied for his discharge, which was
unopposed.
Mr. Commissioner PHILLIPS asked insolvent what
was his trade ?

Mr. COOKE, who supported, said the insolvent had
formerly been an Italian warehouseman, but had
lately been a jobbing dealer in railway shares.
The COMMISSIONER said he saw there were some
losses by time bargains, which were just a species of
gambling. For a man burdened with 6,0001. of debts
under a previous bankruptcy, dealing in time bar-
gains was a blessed, trade, alid it was no wonder that
he came to this court.

Mr. Coo's remarked that those who had not lived
within the influence of the Stock Exchange at the
time of the railway mania could not understand the
temptations it offered.

The Learned COMMISSIONER said the influence of
the Stock Exchange could not warrant a man like
this in indulging in accommodation bills. The law
allowed creditors every opportunity, and if they did
not choose to oppose he (the Commissioner) would
not; but if the insolvent bad been opposed he would
certainly have been remanded.
Insolvent was then ordered to be discharged forth-
with.