The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-30 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

THE Stnvicz or SUMIONSES.—In the Lord Justices'
Court the question as to the time when summonses should
be served and heard was decided. In a case of bankruptcy,
Mr. Henry, the bankrupt, appeared to the summons, but
on appearing he objected to the summons being heard, on
the ground that it had not been served upon him between
the hours of nine a.m. and nine p.m. The •deputy-com-
missioner, however, refused to allow the objection, the
summons having been served more than four days before
the time fixed for Mr. Henry's appearance thereto, and

the objection being therefore, in the deputy-commis-
sioner's opinion, not one of substance; but he adjourned
the further hearing of the summons to afford Mr. Henry
an opportunity of appealing. Hence the present appeal.
The court held that this case fell expressly within the rule
giving the court power to rectify any error in the service
of the summons. There was no dispute that the debtor
had been served ; his only complaint was that he knew
what he was intended to know a quarter of an hour sooner
than he ought to have known it. The difference of time
was not so great but that the court might consider there
had been a mere accidental slip. The appeal must be dis-
missed, with costs.

APPLICATION TO CANCEL SuAnES.—ln Vice-Chancellor
Stuart's court the case of Green v. the General Provident
Assurance Company (Limited) was heard. This suit was
instituted by Mr. Green, the plaintiff, who in September
1866 had taken fifty shares in the company, to have his
shares cancelled and his deposit money returned, under

the following circumstances. The company, which had
been incorporated in 1865 under the name of " The
General Homceopathic Provident Assurance Company
(Limited)," with a nominal capital of £500,000, divided
into 50,000 shares of £lO each, subsequently altered its
name, and in 1866 issued a prospectus headed with "Second
issue of 10,000 shares" in red letters, with Mr. Thomas Hat-
tersley, Lord Teynliam, the Rev. R. Maguire, and others as
directors, which contained the statement that the first
issue of 10,000 shares had been fully subscribed, and the
directors had resolved on a second issue, which they anti-
cipated would be quite sufficient for the requirements of
the association. It appeared that, although 10,000 shares
had been applied for, only 7,500 had been taken up to the
18th of February, 1863, 2,500 having been cancelled for
non-payment of the deposit, and of these cancelled shares
of the first issue, some, which were still standing in the
name of Mr. Hattersley, the director, and were numbered
7,755 to 7,804, were allotted to the plaintiff. The Vice-
Chancellor, without calling on the counsel for the defend-
ants, said that the plaintiff's case had failed., From the
evidence it appeared that there had been a first issue of

10,00) shares ; that that issue had not been Merely nomi-
nal, hut that three-fourths were effective subscriptions,
which, considering all the circumstances, was a very fair
amount. He considered that the prospectus, on the
whole, contained a fair representation of the state of the
company.

AcrioN FOR SLANDER.—In the Bail Court the case of
Gray v. West and Wife was heard. It was an action for
slander under the following circumstances. The defendant
was tenant of the plaintiff, and, wishing for more room,
applied for two other apartments which the plaintiff was
unable to let them have. Owing to this occurrence a
quarrel ensued, and the defendant called Mrs. Gray a
prostitute, a liar, and accused her of immoral conduct.
The jury gave £lO damages.

THE POWER OF ARREST.—An extraordinary instance
of the extent to which the power of arrest may be carried
was mentioned at the Liverpool County Court on Thurs-
day. A plaintiff in an acticn hail to wait for his case to
come on, and, as he had journeyed from a distance, he went
to obtain refreshment. When he left the precincts of the
court he was arrested by a bailiff on two warrants issued
from the Birkenhead County Court, and lodged in an
apartment described as " No 4 Room " of the Liverpool
court. The case could not be* proceeded with in the
plaintiff's absence, and his counsel called the attention of
the judge (Mr. Serjeant Wheeler) to the matter. His
Honour ordered the man to be brought into court, so that
he might give his evidence, and at the close of the case he
characterised the arrest as a most improper proceeding,
directed the man to be discharged from custody, and said
he was entitled to protection in coming to that court in
his right as a suitor during the time be was there, and
that he should be allowed a reasonable time to return

borne.

CHEAP Law.—An action in which cheap law and
justice were said to be obtained came before the Liver-
pool County Court on Thursday. By an Act passed in
the last session of Parliament, a judge of Exchequer has
the power, if he thinks fit, to send a case entered for trial
before that tribunal to t'ic county court of the district
where the parties reside. The case hard on
Thursday by Mr. Serjeant Wheeler and a jury
involved a claim for £5OO. The action was intended
for trial in the Court of Exchequer, but the judge thought
—there being no security for costs—that it was a fit case
to be decided in the county court. It was accordingly
heard there, and the learned judge declared that justice
had been done to the parties concerned, and at small cost.
This change in the law is a most important one ; it is a
step towards what has so long been contended for by legal
reformers—that the law shall he speedily, cheaply, and
efficiently administered.

SENDING EXPLOSIVI*3 BY RAM-A very important in-
vestigation into circumstances involving greatly the safety
of railway travellers has been made by the Lord Mayor.
It appears that tradesmen are in the habit of enclosing
Lucifer matches and other explosive materials in their rail-
way parcels, to the very great danger of the public, although
the railway companies provide iron vans for such danger-
ous commodities. An explosion—providentially slight—
having drawn attention to a breach of railway acts in this
respect, the vendor, Mr. Sax, of Bishopsgate-street, was
summoned. He admitted his guilt, but, as a foreigner,
pleaded ignorance of the English law in this respect. This
plea was so far admitted that the penalty in each case was
lowered from £2O to £lO.

A telegram. 113.3 been receivea in town announe.
ag the death of Mr. George Brudenell Bruce, eldest win
of Lord and Lady Ernest Bruce.

Mr. Dixon, tha mr:,,mb3r for Birmingham, has
given notica that will, on the 9th proximo, bring for-
ward a bill to amend the " Act for preventing the adul-
teration of artiele3 of food or drink,. 1860," and to extend

. .
its provisions to drn.ls,

The Liverpool committee which has charge of the
orcakfast to be give►► by the members of the Liberal I►arty
to Mr. Bright, M.P., have decided upon holding it either
in the Philharmonic Hall or the Alexandra Theatre.
Ladies will be admitted to the galleries.

A most influentially-signed requisition is pub-
,ished in the paper 3, calling upon Colonel Leslie, M.P.,
as lord-lieutenant of the county Monaghan, to convene a
meeting of the Protestants of all denominations, for the
purpose of organising a branch of the Protestant pefcnce
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4Qciaticau .