The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-13 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

THE LAW OF COPYRIGHT.—Before the Lord Justices of
Appeal the case of ex parte Graves re Prince came on for
hearing. The appellant was Mr. Graves, the well-known
publisher, and the respondent a dealer in prints and photo-
graphs in Holborn, who had been convicted by the
magistrate at Lambeth upon nineteen summonses
for breaches of the Copyright Act, about the
same time that Prince executed a deed of composi-
tion with his creditors, which contained a deed of
release and was duly assented to. Having been arrested
under the magistrate's order and imprisoned, an applica-
tion was made to the deputy-commissioner in bankruptcy
for a release, on the ground that the penalties ought to be
treated as debts. This view was taken by the commis•
sioner, and Prince discharged. ;From this decision the
appellant appealed. Lord Justice Wood was of opinion
that the penalties were for a criminal offence, and the
judgment of the court below must be reversed. Lord
Justice Selwyn concurred.

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THE APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL CONSTABLES.—In the
Court of Queen's Bench the case of the Queen v. the
Justices of Middlesex was heard. It was a question
arising out of the appointment of special constables,
consequent on the recent Fenian disturbances. The
magistrates for the county of Middlesex acting for
the division of Marylebone, which was co-extensive
with the parish, had sworn in a number of special consta-
bles, and afterwards made an order upon the treasurer of
the county for the payment of the expenses. A question
was raised whether the order ought to have been made by
the magistrates of the division or at a sessions of the whole
of the magistrates of the county. The court affirmed the
order as valid, having been properly made.
TILE CITY SMALL DEBTS COURT.—Before the judges in
the Queen's Bench the rule nisi obtained in the cause of
the Queen v. the Chamberlain of the City of London
came on for argument. The rule had been obtained by
Mr. Kerr, judge of the City of London Sthall Debts
Court, calling upon the corporation of London to shew
cause why a mandamus should not issue, command-
ing them to pay Mr. Kerr nineteen twentieths of
the profits arising from the increase of business in
that court, under the new County Courts Act, which
came into operation on the Ist of January last. Mr. Kerr
arranged with the corporation, when he was appointed to
his office, to be paid a salary of £1,200 per annum for the
duties he had to discharge. His contention was that he
was entitled to further remuneration for the extra business
the recent Act had transferred to the court. After hear-
ing the arguments, which were of great length, the court
made the rule absolute.

EXTENSIVE BANKRUPTCY FRAUD.—At the Guildhall,
Mr. Benjamin, a boot and shoemaker, was charged with
making aiVay with a large quantity of goods within three
months of his bankruptcy. At the last examination it was
shown that the bankrupt ceased paying money to any of
his creditors on the 4th of April, and between that day
and the 4th of May he procured goods on credit to the
amount of £19,000. The bills became due on that day
and were dishonoured, and after that he got more goods to
the extent of £6,000, the whole of which were pledged and
made away with as soon as they came into his possession.
Mr. Lewis, who prosecuted, said that he should be able to
prove that the prisoner received goods to the amount of
£7,182, not one shilling of which had been paid. Within
the six weeks preceding his bankruptcy be pledged goods
with the English, Scottish, and Australian Chartered
Bank for over 23,000, and had obtained besides advances
to the amount of over £4,000 from other sources. The
accused was again remanded, bail being refused. -
MILLINERS AND THEIR ASSISTANTS.—At Marlborough.
street Police-court, Bartholomew Studere, milliner and
dressmaker, of No. 9, Bruton-street, Bond-street, appeared
to answer two summonses, taken out by Dr. Aldis, the
medical. officer of health for St. George's, Hanover-square,
the first for an infringement of the Workshops' Regula-
tion Act, in employing certain young women after half-
past four o'clock on Saturday, and the other, under the
Nuisances Removal Act, for having his house so crowded
as to be prejudicial to the health of the inhabitants.
Dr. Aldis, who appeared on the part of the Vestry of St..
George's, Hanover-square, said he had to complain of Mr.
Studere employing his young women on Saturday beyond
the legal hour, and with employing them on other days
with only an interval of fifty minutes for meals, instead
of an hour and a half. The defendant was convicted on
the 27th ult., and there was a repetition of the offence
on the 30th. For working after legal hours a fine of 40s.
was imposed. With regard to the second offence, James
Grant, inspector of nuisances for St. George's, said that
on the 20th of last month he visited the defendant's house,
and on the basement he found a small cellar,
part of the area, without 'any fireplace. There was a
small window about eighteen inches square working
on a pivot which opened into another part of the area,
where there was a most offensive dust-bin, and the only
air coming in was from the dust-hole. There was a bed
in the place. The room was 7 feet 0 inches long, 8 feet
wide, and S feet high. He cautioned Madame Studere at
the time respecting the place. Dr. Aldis said that the
place was too small.—The defendant promised to remove
the dust-bin, and was discharged on payment of costs.
THE IRISH WILL CASE.—The ninth day of this re,
markable trial was commenced by Judge Keatinge resuming
his summing up, after which the jury retired, and after
being locked up for some two hours were unable to agree
to a verdict, and were discharged with the consent of
counsel on both sides. It is understood that there were
nine for upholding the will, and three against it, and thus,
for the present, at all events, ended one of the most re-
markable vrobate trials that has ever taken place in
. , .
Ireland.