The Sun.
London, England, 1850-02-21 00:00:00

ourti) 4ir-c°llWon

SUN OFFICE, Seven o' Clock.

COMMON PLEAS.—(THIS DAY.)
(Sittings at Nisi Prius, at Guildhall, before the Lord
Chief Jurtice WILDE and a Special Jury.)
THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH COSIPANY V. BRETT.

This was an action brought by the Electric Telegraph
Company against the defendants, Messrs. Brett and Co.,
for an infringement of patent.

It appeared from the speech of the ATTORNEY-,
GENERAL, who opened the case for thelplaintiff at great
length, that the patent under which the Electric Telegraph
Company's lines are worked was first taken out by Mr.
Wheatstone, from whom it passed into th• hands of Mr.
Coke, Mr. Ricardo, and Mr. Bidder, who afterwards as-
signed their several shares to the company in whose
hands the whole profits from the patent are now ♦ested.
The principal improvements, as stated by the Learned
Counsel, consisted in securing a vertical angular motion
to the needles, in the arrangement and combination of
the ❑eedles in connexion with different batteries, in the
arrangement and combination of diff,rent buttons to
work the different needles, and in having duplicate dials,
so as to communicate intelligence at any poiat between
the two termini. Messrs. Brett's patent, it was con-
tended, was in every respect similar to this,
except in the single fact that the needles or magnets
were made curved instead of straight, as in Mr. Wheat-
stone's invention.—After the conclusion of the Learned
Counsel's speech, the Clerk of the Court read some long
extracts from a description of all the details of the
working of the telegraph, to elucidate which frequent
We was made of a model of a working telegraph, which
had been erected in the court.

(The cane had not concluded when our report left.)

NORTHERN AND EASTERN RAILWAY COMPANY.—
The half-yearly general meeting of this company was
held this day at the company's offices at the Bishops-
gate Station; Richard Paterson, Esq., i❑ the chair. The
attendance of shareholders was but scanty, and the whole
of the business consisted in reading the report and de•
daring a dividend, after which the meeting separated.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
(THIS EVENING.)

- 110 USE OF LORDS.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat upon the
Woolsack at Five o'clock.
SLAVE TRADE.
The Bishop of OXFORD moved for the appointment
of a Select Committee to consider the best method to be
adopted for the extinction of the slave trade.
AC TS OF PARLIAMENT ABBREVIATION BILL.
This Bill passed through Committee.
WAR MEDALS.
The Duke of RICHMOND rose, pursuant to notice,
to call the attention of the House to the awards of
medals fur actions by sea and land, from 1794 to 1814,
in pursuance of the general orders of the Admiralty and
Horse Guards. He rejoiced that medals had been given
in many cases to which he had drawn their Lordships'
attention. It might be invidious to draw distinctions
between cases in which medals had been awarded, and
those in which they had not been awarded; but he
thought that in all cases in which the thanks of Parliament
bed been voted them, medals should be awarded. Sir
James Gordon had been rightly rewarded with a gold
medal forihis services in the Actaeon frigate,tbut why had
not the man who fought at Washington and Bladenburgh
also had a modal? The men who had captured St. Se-
bestian had received a medal, but those who fought at
Sebastian() and at the Bidessoa, for the purpose of cover-
ing the attack, were equally entitled to a medal, but had
received none. He hoped his Noble Friend opposite would
revise the, list, and would advise her Majesty to award
medals where medals were deserved. Be was rejoiced
to hear that it was probable that justice would at length
be done to the medical officers. In 1744 thanks were
voted for operations in the West Indies—no medal.
(The Noble Earl then rapidly read a list of
actions. including the capture of the Dutch squadron,
the taking of Monte Video, the taking of Copenhagen, the
Barque Roads actions, the taking of the Mauritius, and
of Java, in which no medals had been given.) Be
asked upon whet principle medals had been refused
for those. actions, while they had been awarded
in other cases? kb thought some inquiry ought to
be instituted before a committee of officers into these
cases. He asked if it was the intention of the Govern-
ment to take these eases into consideration?
Earl GREY said that it was not the intention of the
Government to make any further award of medals.
He considered the subject was one which it would
he most inconvenient to discuss in that House. Nothing
could he more inconvenient than that the Government of
the present day should be called upon to review the de-
cision with regard to the distribution of honours of a
Government which existed half a century ago. With
regard to the distribution of army medals, the
Government had been guided by the recommendation of
the Noble Duke at the head of the army. It was con-
sidered that the expidition to Egypt fairly came within
the rules laid down by the Noble Duke, and therefore
medals had been awarded for that service, but he
believed filet the Noble Duke agreed with him that no
,further_ award should take place.
The Duke of WELLINGTON said that several ap-
plications ha 1 been made out of doors, and in both
blouses of Parliament, for an award of medals to the
army sus aged in the Peninsula, which it was said
had not received the same honours as the
eetey engaged in Flanders, in China, and in the East
Indies aid elsewhere. He had been consulted on the
meter, and he had advised the adoption of a plan
which he thought would caret the wishes of the
appficante and those of his Noble Friend, and
which would gratify all parties, which was to
grant medals to all those engaged in actions in the Pe-
nineela in which medals had! been previously granted,
by order of the Sovereign, to the principal officers en-
gaged in those actions. That le as the principle which he
had adopted, and he believed that it had given satisfaction
It was a matter for her Majesty to decide whether or
not this list should be extended. When he should re-
ceive her Majesty's orders to prepare an order for the
extension of the ILt, he would exert himself to pre-
pare such extended list to the test of his ability.
Lord COLCHESTER regretted that there was to be
no further grant of medals for actions.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY thought that
by increasing the number of medals they were
decreasing their value, until at length a medal
would be as valueless as the star of a
continental order of knighthood.. He regretted
to find that that Noble Duke (Richmond) was still press-
ing for an additional distribution of medals, and he hoped
that it was the last time they would hear of the subject.
The Duke of RICHMOND ceing of opinion that
he had justice on his side, would not promise
his Noble Friend that he would not again men-
tion the subject ; on the contrary, he would press it
forward. Ile had quitted the army, but he had not
ernes) .I it until all charm for foreign service was over,
and until he had been seriously wounded, and
then he had preferred quitting it to putting
his cleitne at the Horse Geeards to the detriment of those
who had perhaps seen mare service than he had.—
(Cheers ) All honours proceeded nominally from the
Crown, but really from the Ministers, and the present
Ministry had, much to their credit, overthrown antiquated
prejed:ces, and grantel the Peninsular medals. He
could not agree with the Noble Duke, that the present
distribution had given general satisfaction to the army.
He coin pinined of the manner in which the Mint had
exeaeted the medals, and of the delay which had taken
place in their distibution.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY expressed his re-
gret that the Noble Duke who had just sat down had
ever quitted the army.
After a few words from Earl Grey, the Duke of Wel-
lington, and the Duke of Richmond, the subject dropped
RAIL WAY ABANDONMENT BILL.
Onthe onl,Lion of E,-,rl GRANVILLE the order of the
day for the House resolving itself into Committee on
this Bit: was discharged, in order that that Bill might be
reieriett to a Select Committee.
IRISH POOR-LAW.
Lord STANLEY presented a petition from the
owners of land in the Balinasloe Union against the
Irish Poor-law, and praying for protection to agri-
culture.
The Earl of DESART considered that the peti-
tion which had just been presented by his Noble
Friend would form a proper introduction to the motion
of which he had himself given notice. Pie rose to move
the following resolutions :-1. " That under the pro-
visions of the existing Poor-law the resources of many
districts have been bound utterly inadequate for the sup-
port of the population; and that while the Act has thus
failed to accomplish its purpose, it has produced bank-
ruptcy and ruin in some districts, has driven capital out
of the country, and has enfeebled and paralysed the ef-
forts of both farmers tind landlords. 2. That it is the
opinion of this House that these mischiefs have resulted
from the ex tension of the Poor-law of 1838, and the adop-
tion of a se stem of out-door relief at that time not con-
templated; and it is further their opinion that no per-
manent system for the relief of the poor can be carried
out in Ireland safely and beneficially to receivers or
payers without a return to the principle of the original
law, by a strict applicationof in-door relief to all classes
of paupers.