The Sun.
London, England, 1819-08-14 00:00:00

LAW )NTILLLIGENCE.

f...NOMDA

'CM: TT OF (ITANCEItY, `v o. 13.
The Loan t.7.11...:,cEtAna came at half-past eight
this morning- If, 1,1 ,coln's Inn Hall, and was oc-
cupied for a cousiderahle time in a conference with
Drs..Powdl and Ainslie in his private room, re-
lative to the situation of -Mr. Stephens, the lunatic,
who preqentrd n petit; n lately to have the com-
ynirtsioo ot lunacy superseded. Ott coming into
Coutt, his LordNhip addressing Mr. Wetherell,.
said he %s as ye't v anxious to have an interview
ulso wit la Mr. *Xtuhurton, befo-re-he should give.

_judgment.
Mr WPTIP3I/FLL replied, that he understood
that Mr Warburtoo would he able to attend his
L'irdihip to-morrow morning.
Lord) CiIANCELLOR observed,
,that such
bele!: the case. be had as well postpone giving
judgment till Monday mort?ing. It was of
imporoince that be should see that Gentleman, as
be was ail X iOlis to have every inforni4rion 'beton:
he gave his opinion on the nature of the case.

PATENT GUNS.
rolisyTH P). }L L•

Mr. ATTORNEY-GENERAL, on the 6th instant,
moved for au iijinct ion to t es,train the defendant.
from ,eking, making, or in any way disposiog Of
at ,y locks fur gups'and pistols made on the prin-
ciple for which a patent bad been obtained by the
The Copt t at that time postponed giving
any jpdgment, till an affidavit was made by the
plaintiff,- whether Mr. 'Hall was aware of an action
tried in the Court of King's Bench, when a ‘erdict
was found against' a Mr. Riviere for a similar pi-
'racy of the patent, and uhich action was tried
beore the Lord Chiet Justice in May lase.
he ATToaNy.y-GvNERAL this morning stated,
that he had now to repeat his motion, the affidavit
let-wiled by the Court having been filed. From
that it appeared, that the defendant bad not only
the fullest ktiowlAtge of that action, but had vet y
frequent commonita!ion with Mr. Riviere on the
subject, and ll'aS also present during the whole of
the trial, giving every assistance which he possibly
could to that Gewleman. The affidavit also
stated. that till January last the plaintiff had not
the slightest idea lbw such hicks were making by
the defendant. Several affidavits bad been filed
by the defendant in tenlv, but they were chiefly
ohjectlons to the specification of the plaintiff's
patent, and therefore he should not make any ob.,
scre,itions on them.
Mr. liomititY followed nn the sante side.
Mr. Nova, for the defendant, contended that
this application to the. COurt had been most un-
reasonably postponed, as the defendant had made
these locks for the last two years, without any in-
terference by the plaintiff. It was unyiestionably
the ditty of that gentletodo to have come to the
Court immediately after the verdict given in Ri-
vitre's case, had lie felt that case to have any
he firing on the present. The constqueoce would
h eve been, that th'us the defeuddot could have
obtained an issue front the Court w hid) might I
liat,e been tried before this, and the question thus
fi dly terminated Instead of this, the most
tt tie essary del:y had taken place; which would
1 a sernius loss to the detewlant for the season,
wso near at hand. Till the verdict
dec-lar.O the deit!”o:-lor was is row, in..
a, Hine these !treks, his conduct must he eonsid,l--
• ac primafitrie correct. In the case of Harmer
✓ 'Let, stir Lor I,hip bad suggested that there
might tie a case where the sperificati,n might be
so dark, doub,f.ul or ,obscure and defec!iYe. 'that
the Court would interfere in the first instance.
The'present was preeisely s,,ch a case. for the
locks made by the plaintiff were different from
those spec;fied, tb paten stated they were dis-
charged by percussion, wi,hout the admission of
• atmosphetic air, while those sold by the
plaintiff, and pretended to he patent, admitted
that air was necessary to the di.cliarge. Every
patent could only be considered as. a contract be-
tween the Sovereign and the patentee, to secure
some advantage to the public, but if that rre-
tended advantage turns out to be a fallacy, the
Court certainly had a !lilt to, interfere, for•sateli
a patent could be only viewed as a fraud practised
on the Sovereign. The Learned Gentleman then,
at great length ensereit into a variety of objections
to the specification, and concluded by hoping ehat
the injem, lion would be refused,
The ATToRNEY-GENERAL replied, and denied
tbit there had been any unnecessary delay in
bringin;„: forward this case. The same objection
r,lstive to the exchisio.i of external air, had been

made in the action raised by ihe plaititilf against.
Manton, but was ov,A-ruled, and the patent had
been fully established by three several verdicts of

e jury.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said, be remained by
the sane principle as that in the case of Hartner
v. Lee ; but when he laid down that principle he
distinctly stated that the defects Of the speOlica.
lion must he so clearly pointed ont that the Court
could not po%sdAy I-wet-tab) a doubt as to what
it should ti t. 1 here was recently a case before
him relative 10 a pa ent for drying malt i‘:
such a ay as would give_ a brown colour to
herr Ou tiqtr soredi-alion he had at thr time
• ty tloaht:•, -st.n those do.brs were attcr.
c'ulittn 1 by the decision of a COlll.l ot
whit d b4d, and thetehv made
;14• vnid. flt re the possession or the spe-
viti .4tion hit) he,n inade out by ;lifer cerojet,,
at.,) thrtr)ote the ohiect ions to the 'spe,-ification
• not be mote pt-.pctly 'nail: in a Commit of
Law. 1-1 would thetelote that it Mr. Hall
• woletr:ike tt, d.l,verever, tot:nig, t an ac-
etttt .r the g+o)., & to whit Is slid)
14. were •lonttl 0,.,1-1 he to state also
Sot.part of it. p,ca s is the Cowl eit.oild di-
rect, tt.en d .41,17.:J i TiiiCt;oo unity Lv -111,1 be
issued ; but 41,„ oleo the 0111S1

grant the common .tic
F-loNB req.iested -till Monday to cousidei
%vital they should do.
The Cumgcvt,Lurt-0 yes you may take a
liule air till then.
The Court then resumed tl,e hec.rirte of Winit-
riipts' Pctitious, 'which occupied the Court lid five
o'clock.

VICE-CTIANCELLOICS COURT, A►ITG. 13.
irllft EARL uF aHAFTSBUItI' V. THE DUKU

BoRoUGH.
On the atotiuu of Air. SPENCE, the Court allow-

(d die Trostees to NA at a sale t r sales, unaci-tbe:
will of the late Duke, so far as the Master shall.
report to be proper.