The Sun.
London, England, 1845-10-03 00:00:00

THE STAGE COACH ACT.

Yesterday, Byers, the common informer, attended at
the Thames Police•court, to support three informations
under the Metropolitan Carriage Act, against Elizabeth
Boyce, of Romford, George Short, of Leytonstone, and
Francis Mackenzie, of Kent and Essex-yard, White-
chapel, omnibus proprietors, who were charged with neg-
lecting to paint on three omnibuses belonging to them,
"in words at length, and in legible and conspicuous
Roman letters, one inch at the least in height, and of a
proper and proportionzte breadth, and in a colour dif-
ferent from and opposite to the colour of the ground on
which such letters should have been painted, and in one
or more straight horizontal lines, upon some conspicuous
part on the outside of such carriage, at the back thereof,
and so as to be then and there plainly and distinctly
visible and legible, the number of passengers the said
carriages were then and there constructed to carry,
according to law, in the whole, and on the outside and
in the inside thereof respectively," and by which they
had incurred penalties not exceeding 104, nor less than
50s. each.
_

The case against Mrs. Boyce was first called on.
Her son answered for her, and said his mother was up-
wards of eighty years of age, and too infirm to attend.
Jeremiah Felstead, the informer's witness, stated that
he saw the Romford omnibus, No. 5,190, of which the
defendant was proprietor, inWhitechapel, on the 17th
of September last. There was no description painted
on the carriage, relating to the number of passengers to
be carried. Ile then produced a certified copy of the
licence issued to Mrs. Boyce, which he obtained from the
proper office at Somerset-house.
Mr. Ballantine read the attested copy of the licence
put in as evidence, and said it was no licence at all. It
certified that the licence commenced on the 11th day of
November, 1845—a period which had not yet arrived,
and extended to the Ist of October in the same year.
Byers said the clerk at Somerset-house committed the
error. It should have been the 11th November, 1844.

Mr. Ballantine said there was a certificate on the back
of the copy certifying it was a true one. It did not coma
within the meaning of the Act of Parliament; the error
was fatal to the information, and the case must be
dismissed.

George Short next answered, and pleaded not guilty.
Felstead said that on Wednesday, the 24th September,
he saw the defendant's Leytonstone omnibus, 5,186, in
the Whitechapel-road. The number of the carriage
was on a plate, but there was no inscription either inside
or outside of the number of passengers it was con-
structed to carry. He produced an attested copy of the
licence, which in this instance was correctly made out.
The defendant, in reply to the charge, said that about
the time in question new regulations were just issued by
the people at Somerset-house relating to the plates and
numbers, and in order to carry them out he sent the
omnibus, 5,186 to the coach-builders to be altered, and
while it was being painted was compelled to borrow
another one, on which the number of passengers it was
constructed to carry was not painted.
Mr. Ballantine said the defendant had clearly vio-
lated the Act of Parliament, and fined him 50s. and
costs. _ _ _

Francis Mackenzie was the third person summoned
for the same offence. Another omnibus proprietor,
named Meeres, attended on his behalf, and said he had
gone down the river on business.
In this case a fine was imposed as in the previous case.

THE MARQUIS OF EXETER'S
ATTEMPT TO EVADE PAROCHIAL RATES.
On Saturday last, at the Town-hall, Stamford, the
whole of the five borough magistrates (the Mayor, Dr.
Hopkinson, Mr. Roden. Mr. Newcomb, and Mr. Cayley)
assembled to adjudicate in this case. It will be remem-
bered that the Commissioners under an Act for the im-
provement of the town had assessed a house in Lord
Exeter's occupation on Barn-hill, in common with all
other property in the town. At the time of the Queen's
visit to Burghley, the house had a large quantity of fur-
niture put into it, and several distinguished guests
(including the Prime Minister) were accommodated
there ; a great part of the furniture had remained
since; persons resided on the premises; and the house
was ready for the reception of visitors whenever the
Marquis might think proper to locate any there. Im-
provement rates, in which the house was charged, were
laid on the 19th Nov., 1844, and the 6th May, 1845, but
payment was refused on the alleged ground that the
house was occupied only during the three days of the
Queen's visit, and that the furniture remaining
in the house was hired furniture, and might
have been taken away. A summons to compel
payment of the rates was issued, and Saturday
last was appointed for the hearing. Mr. R. Thompson
appeared on the part of the Commissioners, and Mr.
T. 11. Jackson on behalf of Lord Exeter. The latter,
after admitting the service of the summons and the de-
mand of the rate, contended that there had been no oc-
cupation since the termination of the Queen's visit, and
that, as the persons in charge of the house lived in an
outhouse, and the furniture was hired for three days
only (though it had remained there since), the Marquis
of Exeter could not be considered liable to be assessed.
Mr. Jackson not calling any other witnesses, Mr.
Thompson submitted that no case whatever was made
out against the rate ; it had been acknowledged
that there was occupation on the 12th, 13th, and 14th
November, and they had failed to prove that it did not
continue beyond that time. The attorneys and strangers
then retired from the Court, and after some time were
again called in, when the Mayor stated that, after giving
the subject the most careful consideration, the Magis-
trates were of opinion (unanimously) that Lord Exeter
was liable to the rates, and that a beneficial occupation
was continued by the furniture's remaining in the house.
—Stamford Met curt'.

M. Thiers is daily expected in London. Apart-
ments have been engaged for himself and a numerous suite
at N ivart's.
WOODSTOCK.—By the death of the Marquis of Ely a
vacancy is caused in the representation of this borough
in the House of Commons, as Viscount Loftus succeeds
to the family honours. His Lordship was elected in the
room of the Marquis of Blandford. .
PHEASANT SHOOTING.—Wednesday last was the
ffrst day of pheasant shooting, and very favourable ac-
counts are given of the plentifulness of young birds.
The season has been very favourable for rearing them,
the spring being exceedingly dry. Young birds are
particularly strong on the wing, and very plump in con-
dition, and the young cock pheasants have attained their
plumage.
A PROFITABLE BUSINESS.—It is said that in one day
last week a sharebroker on the Manchester exchange
transacted business in shares to the amount of 80,0001. !
At half-a-crown in the pound only he would clear by
this one day's business 10,000/.----131ackburn Standard.
FOOT-RACE FOR FIFTY POUNDS.—Yesterday, the
match between Jameson and Dean was decided. The
men were matched for 251. aside, to walk ten
miles of road, at a fair toe and heel walk, and
either party running to go over the ground
not fairly walked. The contest drew a great
muster of the pedestrian fancy, and the betting was 5
to 4 on Jameson. The men kept well together, and
covered the first mile in nine minutes and ten seconds.
They continued at a similar pace, and without either
gaining . an advantage, and four miles were per-
formed in thirty-eight minutes. At the sixth mile
Dean took the lead, and performed six miles
and a quarter within the hour. The pace now
appeared too fast for Jameson, but he struggled on.
Dean attained his Bth mile iu seventy-eight minutes,
and bad a lead of fifty yards. Jameson exerted every
effort, but nature appeared exhausted, and, at the ap-
proach of the last mile, he was compelled to relinquish
the contest ; and Dean went in an easy winner, accom-
plishing the ten miles of road in one hour and thirty-
/seven minutes, fair walking. The match came off over
one mile of road, in and out, near the Wellington Inn
at Highgate.
WANTON DAMAGE.--MANCHESTER, THURSDAY.—
Yesterday two persons respectably dressed were
brought before Mr. Maude, at the Borough
fCsoeuvrt,.
charged with wilfully damaging the prop y
erttrooad. tit
ral gentlemen residing on the Sto.
22, that the prisoners had
refoomT
appeared from the evidence of
inecketirill constable No.
ts
t rd style, to the pro-
of violence, in the Saturday last the two
• hnonin„Plt:anin'aeinWstiseireeyroOngiven as John Smith
Levers, of the same place,
Hutton,
of lih'it°"' and and having ecome drunk they
Hutton, c easn, .
and went to Stockport. Finding
theirManchestermissedweretheir way home they called at several
ltahteei r
public houses, where, after obtaining a supply of drink,
they immediately began to break the glasses, furid-
h mistakeour. all
ture, &c., of the landlords. In this way they pro-
ceeded to Manchester, creating, in their own words,
a " jolly . good row" in every house they came to.
On reaching Mr. Thomas Hulme's residence, they
commenced an attack on the gates and iron-railings in
front of his house, which they partially demolished.
Their next attack was on the residence of Miss Sarah
Roscoe, where they did considerable injury. Miss
Appleton, Dr. Wood, Mr. T. Broadbent, and several other
gentlemen residing in front of the road, sustained similar
damage. In the whole they injured property to the
amount of 401. or 501. These facts having been proved,
Mr. Maude said that unless some arrangement was cone
to with the parties whose property had been injured, he
should feel it his duty to ccmmit them to the sessions.
The two young " gentlemen," after a conference with
the parties injured, agreed to make good the damage
done to the property, and were then discharged e
.
ENORMOUS TRAINS.—On Saturday last, the larg
number of nearly 7,000 children belonging to the Dis-
senting Sunday schools, in Birmingham, visited Derby.
They came in 112 carriages, and formed two enormous
trains, and left in about three hours, after going through
the Arboretum. An immense train of persons also
visited Derby on Wednesday, from Rugby and the
villages on the line. It consisted of sixty-nine carriages.
—Derby Mercury.