The Sun.
London, England, 1868-08-01 00:00:00

IMPORTANT TRADES UNION CASE.

An important trades union case was yesterday decided
by Vice-Chancellor Malins. The plaintiffs, the Spring.
head Spinning Company, filed a bill praying for an injunc-
tion to restrain the defendants, John Riley and John
Butterworth, the president and secretary of an association
called the Operative Cotton Spinners and Self-acting
Winders and Twiners Provincial Association, and a
person named Carrodus, a printer, of Oldham, from
printing and publishing certain placards for the
purpose of intimidating workmen from entering the
service of the plaintiffs. The defendants had filed
demurrers to the bill for want of equity, and for the
purposes of the demurrer all the allegations of the bill
were admitted to be true. The plaintiffs carried on the
business of cotton-spinning at Springhead Lees, near
Oldham, and they stated that, owing to the change in the
quantity of cotton used in winding and spinning, they
found it necessary to readjust their scale of wages. This
eventually caused a strike. The plaintiffs state that there
were many persons willing to take the place of the strikers,
and that to prevent such persons entering the plaintiffs'
employment, the defendants caused to be posted in the
neighbourhood and to be inserted in the Manchester and
Oldham newspaper the following notice :—" Wanted, all
well-wishers to the Operative Cotton Spinners', &c., Asso-
ciation not to trouble or cause any annoyance to the
Springhead Spinning Company,Leeds, by knocking, at the
door of their office until the dispute between them and the
self-acting winders is finally terminated.—By special
order." This was the bill which the plaintiffs wished the
defendants to be restrained from printing.
Mr. Glasse and Mr. Ince appeared for the plaintiffs ;
and Mr. Cotton, Mr. Keene (of the common law bar), and
Mr. Bardswell represented the defendants.
The Vice-Chancellor, after referring to the Act, which
declared combinations of workmen against employers to be
injurious to the trade and commerce of the country, ex-
pressed his entire concurrence in Baron Brarawell's direction
to the jury on the trial of the tailors last year for picketing.
The jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (he continued)
was to protect property, and it would interfere by injunc-
tion to stay anyprocecdings, whether connected with crime
or not, which tended to the destruction of property or to
make it less valuable or comfortable for use or occupa-
Con. The acts of the defendant in this case did tend to
the injury and ultimate destruction of the plaintiffs' pro-
perty, and the court, therefore, had jurisdiction to restrain
those acts. The question whether the court could
interfere to prevent the unlawful issuing by workmen
of placards amounting to intimidation would be
decided at the hearing of the cause, but according to the
Act of George IV. all these proceedings were alike
injurious to the persons concerned in them, and to the
public at large, and if the court bad jurisdiction to pre-
vent these misguided men from the destruction of that
which was the source of their own livelihood, he believed
it would be found one of the most beneficial powers it had
ever exercised. Considering the novelty and importance
of the question, he should reserve the costs.

Lord Strathnairn has arrived in Dublin, and re
sumod the chief commani of the forces in Ireland.

John Foley, the only person arrested in Cork in
connection with the robbery of arms at the Messrs.
Allport's in December last, has become insane. Ile was
at liberty on bail, and escaped from his friends after unmis-
takable proofs of mental derangement. He has since
mrrendered himself to the police, but will probably not be
brought to trial.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER.—In a cause tried this
week at Guildford Assizes, the dramatis personce were one
person convicted of felony, one person convicted of misde-
meanour, one uncertificated bankrupt, one bankrupt
attorney, one person who had forfeited bail, and one
criminal " touter at the Middlesex Sessions.— Law
3 I Journal.

Thursday was " Speech-day " at the Leeds
Grammar School, and the prizes were distributed by the
Bishop of Hereford (Dr. Atlay), who as Vicar of Leeds was
chairman of the board of trustees. Tho Bishop spoke
briefly on the subject of education, and observed that while
admitting considerable modification was required in the
old grammar school system, he should be sorry to see the
pupils of those institutions deprived of the means of obtain-
ing a good classical education, which he regarded as a most
important and essential feature of the education of the
young.

CLERICAL TITLES.—By the District Church Titles
Amendment Act, which on Friday received the Royal
assent, every beneficed clergyman not a rector obtains the
style and designation of vicar. The anomalous title of
perpetual curate, which has attached to the incumbencies
of district churches and of the greater part of the appro-
priate and impropriate rectories, has ceased to exist, and
the nominal inferiority implied by its use has been removed.
All beneficed clergy of the Church of England are now
either rectors or vicars.

A DANGEROUS FREAK.—A peculiar case is at
present under the treatment of the medical staff at the
Halifax Infirmary. A showman named Henri Teintinier,
engaged with his employer's troupe at Dudley-hill, ad-
journed, after his day's work was over, to a neighbouring
inn, where, having drunk too freely, he, at the invitation
of one of the company, in bravado, swallowed three ounces
of white pepper. Inflammation shortly afterwards set in,
and on the same day the foolish fellow was sent to the
Halifax Infirmary, where, after having a narrow escape of
his life, he now lies, having almost recovered from the
effects of his freak.

BANK NOTES. —A parliamentary paper shews
that it appears from the Bank weekly return that in the
year ending with June, 1868, the amount of Bank of Eng-
land notes held by the public varied from £22,889,000 in
the middle of December to £24,994,000 in the middle of
October ; and the bullion held varied from £18,994,000 in
May to £23,497,000 in October. The return for the week
ending 24th of June, the latest given, shews that there
were then in circulation £1,649,800 £5 Bank of England
notes, £445,600 £lO notes, notes from £2O to £lOO amount-
ing in value to £7,127,000, £2OO to £5OO notes £1,890,000,
and 1,965 £l,OOO notes.

THE SIAMESE TWINS.—Mr. Dickens brought
home a good story, in which the name of this united couple
is used. A man in America knew everybody. Name what
celebrity you could, Palmerston, Guizot, Arago, Land-
seer, Livingstone, Mario—no matter. "0 ! yes, I knew
him very well indeed." At last a provoked cynic asked,
"Did you happen to know the Siamese Twins?" The
omniscient but conscientious speaker at once replied,
" Well, one of them I knew exceedingly well, but I am
not quite sure whether I ever happened to meet the
other."—Some News for India.

LONGFELLOW.—No poet has been more used by
English composers than Longfellow. His hearty Saxon
English words seem better adapted for music than those of
any other writer. The fact of his name having become so
familiar in this country is mainly owing to the numerous
settings of his shorter poems. It must cause him no little
surprise to see, if he ever does see them, the different ver-
sions that have appeared of some of his most popular
stanzas. His books have been mines of wealth to our
musicsellers and booksellers, and a source of delight to
every lover of English literature.—Gentleman's Magazine.
THE MARQUIS OF A...IEIIEOEI'S PROMOTION IN
THE PEERAGE. --The Post believes that it is not quite
settled what title Lord Abercorn will receive at the
hands of her Majesty. The subject will receive irnme•
diate consideration, with the advice of Sir Charles
Young, Garter King-at-Arms, and the title will most
likely have an hereditary interest. Our contemporary
understands that the dignity of Duke of Ulster would
be most valued if her Majesty were pleased to
bestow it on the Viceroy ; and, as an Irish title, would
be a special distinction, being the second duke in the sister
kingdom. A royal peerage already exist:, involving the
name of the province of Ulster, but it possibly may be
found that there will be no difficulty in carrying out the
royal wishes. If, however, too many difficulties present
themselves, the creation will be Duke of Abercorn. Her
Majesty has not during her reign been advised to create
au Znglish dukedom,

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