The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-27 00:00:00

Western Railway were at 12 premium ; at the cor-
responding period of 1832 they were at 13 pre-
mium ; in 1840 they had sunk to 1 premium ;
in 1841 they again rose to 31 premium ; in 1842 they
were 222 ; 1843, 261 ; 1844, 32 ; and this year, on the
same day, they had advanced to 87 premium. They are
now much higher. The Liverpool and Manchester have
shown the following fluctuations as to premium :-1838,
97 ; 1839, 104 ; 1840, 85 ; 1841, 86 ; 184206 ; 1843,
91 ; 1844, 130 ' • and 1845, 117. London and Birming-
ham fluctuated from the lowest point of 61 premium
(in 1840) to the highest (in 1844) of 137. The most
remarkable case is the York and North Midland, the
shares of which in 1838 were at 24 discount, and
rose by almost regular steps to 56 premium (on a
501. share) in 1845. The South-Western hare in the
same period risen from 12 discount to about 47 pre-
mium on 391. shares. The Great North of England
were in 1838 marked " no price ;" in 1840 they were
at 25 discount ; in 1843 at 41 discount ; whereas in
1845 they were 47 premium on 1001. paid. The
Manchester and Leeds shares, on the Bth of January of
the same seven years, have stood thus:-1 premium ;
202 premium ; 10 premium ; 12 premium ; par ; 2 pre-
mium ; 31 premium ; 55 premium. The largest ad-
vance during 1844, was in Great North of England, 611.;
and the greatest decrease in Liverpool and Manchester
and York and North Midland, 144—Railway Record.
INSTITUTE OF THE FINE ARTS.— On Saturday
evening a general meeting of the members of the Insti-
tute of the Fine Arts took place in the theatre of the
Society of Arts, John street, Adelphi, G. H. Ward,
Esq., in the chair. Mr. Bass proposed a resolution,
" That a vote of thanks be given by the Institute to the
trustees of the Harcourt bequest, in having, in the com-
petition which had recently taken place with respect to
the design for an altar-piece for St. James's church,
Bermondsey, selected artists as judges of works of art."
No less than sixty-seven large sketches as designs had
been sent in by different artists, the aggregate cost of
which could not have been less than 2,000/. After some
opposition by Mr. Foggo, who objected to the selection
being made by artists, as liable to intrigue, the motion
was carried. The Secretary announced that the Council
had decided on holding conversational meetings on every
alternate Saturday, at which members were requested to
attend with their books, prints, &c., of interest.
EXTRAORDINARY ATTACK UPON Two CHILDREN
BY A RAT.—The following extraordinary circumstance
took place at Wandsworth a few days since, and has
created some sensation. On Thursday evening Mr.
Harrington, a tobacconist in the High-street, was sitting
in the shop parlour with his wife, when they were
alarmed by the screams of the children, who had been
put to bed some time previously. They hastened up
stairs, and were astonished at seeing the head and right
hand of their youngest child, a girl about six years of
age, bleeding. The other girl, who is eight years old,
was also crying, and presently shrieked out " something
is biting my toe." Mr. Harrington perceiving some-
thing move under the bed-clothes, instantly grasped it,
and from the squeaking that ensued he conjectured
it was a rat. He held it in one position until he was
satisfied that suffocation had taken place. Mr. Harring-
ton afterwards turned down the bed-clothes and drew
forth an enormous rat quite dead. Its teeth were of im-
mense size, and quite capable of doing fatal injury to the
children, had it been undisturbed. The youngest child
stated that she was awakened by the rat biting her head,
and, fancying it was her guinea-pig, she put up her hand
to drive it away, when it buried its teeth deeper into
her head, and also bit her hand. The rat had evidently
got beneath the bed-clothes to hide itself. How it came
into the bed-room is a mystery; the room, as indeed was
the house, was strictly examined, but no rats' holes could
be discovered. It is supposed that it came in at the
front door from an opposite sewer, and asscended the
stairs immediately. The eldest girl was only slightly
bitten on one of the toes.
ALTERATIONS IN THE COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.—
On Saturday Mr. Commissioner Goulburn presided in
the Court previously occupied by Mr. Commissioner
Fonblanque, who in future will hold his sittings in the
oom where the late Sir C. F. Williams held his Court.
Mr. Commissioner Evans, as the senior Commissioner,
will be the Chief Commissioner.
THE NEW JUDGE.—Mr. Baron Platt had an in-
terview this morning with the Lord Chancellor in his
Lordship's private room, Westminster-hall. The new
Judge will be sworn into office at ten o'clock to-morrow
morning, and after being raised to the dignity of the coif,
take his seat as one of the Barons of the Exchequer, in
the room of Mr. Baron Gurney, resigned.
SUICIDE AT THE DUKE OF NORTHUMBERLAND'S.—
A man named Hollick, in the service of Mr. Hughes,
upholsterer, of Piccadilly, and who was employed with
others in preparing the mansion of the Duke of North-
umberland for the reception of the family, was on Sa
turday morning discovered by his fellow-workmen to
have committed suicide by hanging himself in one of
the water-closets. For some days past the deceased had
been labouring under a depression of spirits, but he had
frequently expressed the greatest abhorrence at persons
committing suicide.

DUTIES ON BALTIC DEALS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SlR,—Your Correspondent of the 22d instant labours
under a mistake, when he says that the duties on Baltic
deals, exceeding twenty-one feet in length, is less in
proportion than on short lengths, because the duties are
now charged on the cubic cnntents, whatever may be the
dimensions. Formerly the duties were levied on under
six feet, under sixteen feet, and under twenty-one feet—
the duties amounting to a prohibition on anything above
twenty-one feet.
The present method of measurement is, however, pre-
judicial to the Baltic importers. The deals or battens are
piled, and the duty is calculated on the cubic contents of
the pile, no allowance being made for the loss arising
from the deals not lying perfectly close together. The
other day 98 loads, 45 feet of 3 by 11-inch, were mea-
sured by the Custom-house, 103 loads, 29 feet, and 163
loads, 5 feet 2i by 7-inch, were measured by the Custom-
house, 179 loads 23 feet. These differences are serious
on the original cost.—l am, &c.,
Liverpool, Jan. 25, 1845.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
VICE-CHANCELLOR'S COURT, Jan. 25.
(Before the VICE-CHANCELLOR OF ENGLAND.)

DITCHBURN V. THE EASTERN COUNTIES AND THAMES
JUNCTION RAILWAY COMPANY.

Mr. Bethell and Mr. Bacon applied on behalf of
Messrs. Ditcbburn and Maire, the steam-boat builders
at Blackwell, for an injunction to restrain the above
railway conipany from taking possession of a piece of
land at the termination of the river Lee, in the Thames.
The facts of the case were these :—Aboutl two years ago
the plaintiffs having in contemplation to enlarge their
works, made a purchase of a piece of land of about three
acres to extend their building establishment, it being
contemplated by Government to build a great number
of war steamers there, and there being no other esta-
blishment on the river Thames so convenient as this
spot. The plaintiffs, previous to August, 1844, having
this purpose in view, put upon this land marks of an
intention to build or to lay out the land for their
naval purposes. The Railu ay Company Act, passed
in 1844, and, when it was in progress, the plaintiffs exa-
mined the plans, and found they had not the power
or intention of going beyond a certain line, and they did
not oppose the passing of the Act, and, therefore, they
proceeded to put slips and other ship-building conve-
niences on the land, and no communication was made to
them at that time that the land would not be wanted by
the Company ; but, in September, 1844, they received a
notice from the Company to demand the particulars of
the land, and the claim made by them, and stating that
they were willing to treat for the land, and the compen-
sation to be made to them. No step was taken by the
Company until November, when they gave notice that
they would pay them 1,5001. 17s. for the land, asking if
the plaintiffs would accept the same, if not, they would
issue their warrant for the jury to assess the amount, on
which the plaintiffs filed their bill on the 11th of January.
Mr.. Stuart and Mr. Wood appeared for the Company.
The VICE-CHANCELLOR said that, looking at the plans
and the Act of Parliament, he thought the plaintiffs had
established a fit case for an injunction.
(Before Sir J. WIGRAM.)

His HONOUR, after disposing of some unopposed pei
tions, gave judgment in the two following cases :

SMITH V. BEESLET.

His Hortoun said that in this case he had had the mis-
fortune to differ from the Master in some of his conclu-
sions, but, at the same time, he thought it due to the
Master to say that he bad great reason to complain of
whoever it was, who had drawn up the decree on which
he was to act, for it was clear that it ought to have been
prefaced with an explanation for the Master's guidance.
The case was one of disputed accounts between the as-
signees of Mr. Charles Roberts, innkeeper, and dealer in
horses, of the New Inn, St. Alban's, in the city of Ox-
ford, the trustees having taken exception to some of the
items of the Master's report. Having entered at length
into the details of the case, his Honour decided that the
three first exceptions must be allowed generally, and the
fourth must also be allowed, except so far as related to
the money paid to a firm called Wickens, Wilde, and
Gabriel, with liberty to either party to except again to
the report of the Master, to whom it was to be refers ed
back to be reviewed.

BAIL COUR7; Jan. 25.
THE QUEEN V. THE OVERSEERS OF STORWOOD-
CRIMINAL INFORMATION.

Mr. PARKLEY applied to his Lordship for a rule,
calling upon William Rexton and Robert Jennings, the
overseers of the parish of Storwood, in the East Riding
of Yorkshire, to show cause why a criminal information
should not be filed against them for illegal, harsh, and
cruel conduct in the execution of their office. It ap-
peared from the statement of the Learned Counsel, and
the affidavits filed in support of it, that the defendants
s% ere both persons of property residing in the above
parish, and that in the month of August, 1842, a labour-
ing man named W. Allinson, together with his family,
resided in that place; and that in consequence of a very
long illness, Allinson was compelled to apply to the
parish officers for assistance, and which they ultimately
obtained. At the expiration of a month the man was
sufficiently recovered to be able to work again, and hail
no occasion to make another application to the
parish officers for assistance until March, 1843,
when he again applied for relief, and obtained
six shillings. In the following Midsummer the
parish officers evinced an anxiety to get rid of Allinson
and his wife altogether, and they induced Allinson's
landlord to give him notice to quit the little cottage
which he occupied in the parish. Storwood contained
only twenty-five house, and the overseers in SO small a
locality naturally possessed very considerable influence
over the inhabitants, not one of whom would allow a poor
man as tenant of his house, if they expressed a wish that
he should be removed. Allinson's landlord, accordingly,
gave him notice to quit, and ultimately turned him out
of the cottage. This took place in July, 1844. Allin-
son's family had considerable difficulty in procuring an-
other lodging, but they at length did so, and the over.
seers allowed is, 6d. a week towards their support; after