The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-10 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENCE.—This Da7.

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS.

(Before the Lord Chief Justice and Justice Byles
and Mr. Smith.)
THE RATING CLAUSE OF THE REFORM BILL.

This morning, on the learned judges taking their
seats, Mr. Mainsty, Q.C., stated that he had an
application to make with regard to a case, the de-
' cision in which materially affected the whole com-
munity. The case alluded to was that of au
application on a case stated from a decision
of the Justices of Sunderland, as to the non-pay-
ment of rates by an old compounder of that borough,
according to the new regulation contained in the
7th clause of the new Reform Bill. It was a ques-
tion which affected every one, and was of
great public interest and private importance,
and therefore he would ask the Court
to hear the arguments in it this term, as it had also
a great effect upon the registrations, which would
have to be made before the new Reform Bill came
into operation. his friend the Solicitor-General
was in the case, and he was as anxious as himself
that it should be heard at once.

The Lord Chief Justice—Neither cases of public
or private importance ought to interfere with the
c twes which on the special day are to come on in
their regular order. I cannot see why the decision
of the Court should be required in the matter. The
usual course is to go to some etninen? lawyer and
take his opinion. It will be impossible to take
cases in the order of their relative importance.
The Solicitor-General said that it did not affect
Sunderland only, but the whole metropolis, for
on this decision rvsts the whole question of regis-
tration. It would save a great deal of expense, I 0
would even go farther and say an enormoui
expense, and would let the country know what the
arrangement is to be, and will also prevent a great
many contests and effect a great number of regis-
trations. He might mention that there were 7,000
summonses in the parish of Lambeth.

The Judges, after some consideration, agreed to
,ake the case this afternoon.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE._TILLS DAY.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

BOBBING A BARRISTER.—Mary Stevens, a prosti-
tute, and John Sails, a billiard marker, were
charged before Mr. Knox with stealing from the
person of Mr. W. C. Bonargee, barrister, of No. 5,
New-square, Lincoln's-inn, a pocket-book contain-
ing two sovereigns and some postage stamps.

Mr. Bonargee (who appeared as a Quaker) said
that about half-past twelve that morning he was
passing up Princes-street, Leicester-square, when he
saw the prisoner and another female standing
together on the pavement. The female prisoner
asked him to give her something to drink, and put
her arms round him and began d4ucing. The pri-
soner then hurriedly left him, and directly after-
wards he missed his pocket book, and saw the pri-
soner hand it to a man, the male prisoner. On
going after the female prisoner the male prisoner
interfered with him. He called " Police," and the
prisoners were taken into custody, the pocket book
at the time lying on the ground.
The female prisoner asked the prosecutor if there
was not a crowd round them at the time, and he
said there was not.

Mr. John Cecil Palmer, of No. 34, Bernard-
street, Missell-square, said he was with his friend
Mr. Bonargee last night, and while going through
Princes-street the female prisoner seized Mr Bonar-
gee, and afterwards left him, and, on Mr. Bonargee
going after her the male prisoner stopped him. He
did not see the female. prisoner give anything to the
men.

Sergeant Grainger, 8 C, said that on taking the
prisoners into custody the male prisoner pointed to
a pocket-book lying on the ground, and said,
" There's your pocket-book," but he (the Ser-
geant) could not say whether the prisoner threw it
there or not.

In answer to Mr. Knox, the gaoler (Burns) said
that he believed that the prisoners had been charged
at the court before.
Mr. Knox remanded them.

THAMES.

DARING CASH-BOX ROBBERY.—John Hampton, a
man about 31 years of age, with a long beard and
moustache, and wearing a shabby genteel suit of
black, wa3 brought before Mr. Paget charged with
stealing a cash-box c9ntaining 12 sovereigns and
£1 17s. in silver from the Three Crowns public-
house iu the Mile-end-road.

Miss Sarah Ann Myers said she was the daughter
of the proprietor of the Three Crowns. Yester-
day afternoon about five o'clock she was in the
bar, and serving two gentlemen with cider, and
it was for payment of which they tendered a sove-
reign, which was placed on the counter. The pri-
soner, who looked faint and ill, was in a side box,
and called for some gin. She served him with the
gin, and then took the cash box out of the cupboard
in the bar to procure change for a sovereign.
Having given the change to the two gentlemen she
returned the cash box to the cupboard and locked the
door. Soon afterwards she heard a noise behind
her, and saw the prisoner on his hands and knees
creeping out of the flap door in the bar, and at the
same moment observed the cash-box under his arm.
She said to the prisoner, " What are you doing ?'
and he walked sharply away. She screamed out for
help, and said, " Ile has got my father's cash-box."
The gentleman followed the prisoner and overtook
him, and brought back the cash-box, which con-
tained £ll in gold and £1 10s. in silver.
Two gentlemen, named Bowman and Cook, said
the prisoner threw the cash-box away when they
overtook him, and he made a determined resistance.
A police-constable, named Bannister, said he
found a bunch of skeleton keys on the prisoner.
There were two others with him, who made their
escape.

Mr. Paget said the prisoner would be committed
for trial to-morrow (Thursday) week, June 18, until
which day he remanded him.

MAYNOOTH COLLEGE.—The College of Maynooth

is-erected on land in perpetuity, containing 123 a
1r 28p., for which the college pays the annual rent
of £194 10s. 6d. As tenant at will, the college also
holds a farm from the Duke of Leinster, containing
218 a Or 4p, the rent of which is £3OO per annum.
The only land for which the college receives any
rent is the Dunboyno estate, containing 438 a Or
35p, let under fee-farm grant at the gross annual
rent of £461 18s. 2d. The net rent received varies
with the taxes, and may be taken at an average of
£420 per annum. There are no fines levied in the
college, and the only fees are those payable by
students at entrance, and which amount to £8 Bs.
The average receipts under this head have, how-
ever, during the last seven, years amounted to
£766 16s. per annum. The sum voted for the
college from the Consolidated Fund this year was
£26,251 10s. 11d., whic'i is a slight decrease on all
the grants made since 1847. The number of
students registered on the Ist of January last was
524.

THE ITALIAN ORGAN BOYS.—A remarkable re-
port, prepared by M. Cavaglioz, a member of the
Soci6te Italienne de Bienfaisance de Paris, on the
abominable traffic in Italian children, has happily
resulted in attracting the attention of some mem-
bers of the Italian Parliament to the subject.
Messrs. Guerzoni and Oliva have notified their in-

tention to question the Government on the matter,
and General Menabrea is understood to have Fro-
wised his cordial support to the propositions to be
submitted by them. It is sincerely to •be hoped
that before long an end will be put to this disgrace-
ful trade. The poor children are literally bought
from their relatives by the padres, who fatten on
the proceeds, and are exported to furnish street
musicians and mendicants all over the world.
A wonderful feat of pedestrianism is stated to
have been achieved on Monday morning at 5 a.m.
by a man named Woodhouse, who undertook, for
b,t of £2O, to run forty miles in five hours. The
course selected was the high i oad from Newington
to Croydon, a distance of ten miles. Woodhouse
ran from Newington to Croydon and back in two
hours and fifteen minutes. The next ten miles,
from Newington to Croydon he performed in one
hour and twelve minutes, and completed the whole
distance by 9.53 a.m., haviug seven minutes to
spare, without ezhibitivg any dietress.