The Sun.
London, England, 1845-06-20 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

- -
West-street, Finsbury-circus, June 19, 1845.
SIR,—In your report of the trials before the Secondary of
London yesterday, I see that your reporter has, by mistake,
stated one of the causes tried as " Holding v. Brooks," in-
stead of " Holman v. Bruce." I trust you will correct this in
your paper of to-day. In other respects the report is sub-
stantially correct. The Learned Secondary, however, made a
remark in reference to the heavy expenses the plaintiff had
been put to (50/. for the recovery of 91.), which your reporter
has not noticed. _

The observation I allude to was, " that the defendant had
no doubt adopted the course she had for the purpose of delay."
Inasmuch as cases like the above, which I fear are some-
what numerous, demonstrate the mischief which the late Act
for the abolishment of arrest in actions under 20/., now under
the consideration of the Legislature, and protested against by
the trading community in general, has, and continues to work ;
I may, perhaps, be permitted to add a few words to your re-
port of the above case.
The Act alluded to took away from the creditor one remedy
which he had against his debtor, but gave him no equivalent.
It continued to allow a fraudulent and litigiously disposed
debtor under 201. all his former technical legal chances, left
him in possession of all the means he before possessed, of
delaying his creditor, and putting him to a series of heavy law
charges.
Take the case you have reported as an example of the
working of the Act. The defendant pleads to the action
brought against her, and not only puts the plaintiff to the ex-
pense of proving every allegation in his declaration, but manu-
factures what is called a special plea, in addition, of about
twenty folios, framed, however, in such a skilful way, that the
plaintiff's attorney finds himself in a fix, unable to reply to it in
the common form, because he will no doubt be involved in
formal difficulties if he does, and have, probably, to pay the de-
fendant's costs, which he well knows the defendant's attorney
is on the look out for. He is, therefore, driven to demur to the
defendant's said plea. In other words, to be understood by
your non-professional readers, he is obliged to obtain, at a
great expense, the decision of the court in which the action is
brought, that the said plea is not sufficient in law. That is to
say, even if true, it does not amount to an answer to the action.
The result is seven or eight months' delay, which in the
words of the Learned Secretary, could have been the only
object of the defendant. But the final result to the plaintiff
is, that he has, in addition to losing his debt, and suffering the
above delay, to pay the expenses of defendant's conduct, who
decamps with all her effects, and receives her pension as an
efficer's widow somewhere in safety, unknown to the plaintiff,
who is left without a remedy. Is this fair play, or even-
handed justice ? I remain, Sir, your obedient servant,
W. BOOTH.

MONEY and COHMERCIAL NEWS.
(From The Sun of Last Night.)
There was a large demand for Cotton at Liverpool
yesterday, and buyers had a difficulty in pur-
chasing at previous rates. Sales 10,000 bales, in-
cluding 3,000 on speculation.—Railway Shares were
anddu Bantry,
11, an
dform6se.r; piiriacernsslewyerejunncottinszp7olArtedl.4
;Banßdiorn-
kenhead and Cheshire Junction, 11% % ; Blackburn, Dar-
wen, and Bolton, 5% ; Belfast and County Down, 275. ;
Bolton, Wigan, and Liverpool, 15% ; Caledonian, 1134 1/, ;
Cambridge and Lincoln, 4% 16 ; Chester and Birkenhead,
60 601 ; Ditto, Half Shares, 30 % ; Clitheree Junction, 4;
Derby and Crewe, 11/t % prem. ; Dublin and Belfast Junc-
tion,lo% ; Dublin and Wexford, 7s. 6d. A ; Dublin, Mul-
lingar, and Athlone, 514 ; Edinburgh and Glasgow, 721,12 ;
Ditto, Quarter Shares, 181 ; Edinburgh and Northern, 435.
425. ; Ely and Bedford, 2% ; Glasgow and Dumfries, Ws. ;
Glasgow and Ayr, 65 ; Grand Junction, 238 239 ; Half Shares,
119 %; Quarter Shares, 593/4 ; New Quarter Shares, 5014 ;
Eighth Shares, 22 ; Grand Union,
and Sheffield,% 6s. ; Great Grimsby
Western,i ; Hull and Selby, 105 ;A 207 ; Half Shares, 113 ;
Fifth Shares, 45 ; Huddersfield Canal and Railway, 714 ;
Huddersfield a3 niAd Sheffield, Great63A
Leicester and Birmingham, 17s. 6d. ; Limerick and Water-
ford, 8 ; Liverpool and Manchester, New Shares, 40 ; Liver-
pool, Ormskirk, and Preston, 61s. ; London and Birmingham,
Quarter Shares, 343/4 • London and Brighton, 7411 t ; London,
Oxford, and Cheltenham,' 103. ; Londonderry and Coleraine,
4% ; London and York, 4%; Direct Northern, 3%; Leeds
and Thirsk, 6% ; Leeds and West Riding Junction, 7%;
Manchester and Birmingham Continuation, 1%; Manchester,
Sheffield, and Midland, 3% ; Manchester and Leeds, 1681/0 ;
Quarter Shares, 25 ' • Matlock and Midland, 51/t 6s. 3d. ;
Midland Railway, 188 ; Ditto, 401. Shares, 28y8 ; Ditto,
Consolidated Birmingham and Derby, 146 ; Newcastle and
Darlington, New Shares, 35 ; Newry and Warreupoint, 1
1% ; North British, 241/0 ; North Union (A), 160 1/, ;
Oxford and Birmingham JUnction, 88s. ; Oxford, Worcester,
and Wolverhampton, 51% ; Preston and Wyre, 34 ; New
Shares, 3%8 4; Preston and Wyre Extension, 21/8 ; Shrews-
bury and Herefordshire, 15s. ; Shrewsbury and North Wales,
10 ; South-Eastern and Dover, 47%14 ; Ditto, New
Shares, No. 1, 19183/ ; Ditto, New Shares, No. 3,8% 13s. 9d.
Trent Valley, Continuation, 2%; Ulster, 49%; Welsh Mid-
land, 414 ; Worcester and Tring, 23/4% 56s ; York and
Carlisle, 265. 295.; Northern of France (Laffitte's), ;
Orleans, Tours, and Bordeaux, 10% ; Paris and Lyons (Gan-
neron), 565. ; Verona and Ancona, 2% 51s. 6d,
MANCHESTER STOCK EXCHANGE, JUNE 18.—The sales are
—Blackburn, Burnley, and Accrington, 914 ex new ; Black-
burn, Clitheroe, and North Western Junction, 1 5-16 prem.;
Bolton, Wigan, and iverpool, 1514 15 ; Cambridge and Lin-
coln, 414 ; Churnet Valley, 5% ; Clitheroe Junction, 4; Ere-
wash Valley, 27 30; Glasgow and Dumfries, 175.; Goole,
Doncaster, Sheffield, and Manchester Junction,
; Grand
Union, ss. 7s. 6d. prem. ; Huddersfield and Manchester Rail-
way and Canal, 71/t ; Lancaster and Preston, New Shares,
; Leeds and Thirsk, 61% ; Leeds, Dewsbury, and Man-
chester, 10% 10; Leeds and West Riding Ju tion, 7 13-16 ;
nc
Liverpool, Ormskirk, and Preston, 3%; London and York,
4 1-16 ; Manchester and Birmingham, 60% ; Ditto, New
Quarter Shares, 7%; Ditto Continuation and Welsh Junc-
tion, 134 ; Midland Railway CDnsols, 401. Shares, 29%;
Newark and Sheffield, 234 ex new ; North British, New
Shares, 6%; North Eastern, 1/2 prem. ; North Staffordshire,
414 ; North Union (A), 159%; Nottingham, Erewash,