The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-11 00:00:00

LIABILITY OF APPLICANTS FOR

SHARES IN RAILWAY COMPANIES.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIR,—In your City article of yesterday you say
" Promptly ought applicants for shares to perform their
duty, so as to prevent law suits—escape from liability
there is none." The Attorney-General and Mr. S. Pitt
Taylor say " We advise quiescence, and if any legal
proceeding be instituted, defend them." If I might be
allowed to offer advice, it would be that the instant par-
ties receive letters of allotment they should, by adver-
tisement, call together all parties concerned in the com-
pany, and should demand of the Directors tho
position in which they stand, as regards surveys, ex
pense., &c., and they should then determine whether
it be advisable or not to prosecute the scheme; and if it
be determined to dissolve the company, let the affairs at
once be placed under the charge of the Court of Chan-
cery, under the provisions of the Joint Stock Company
Act, 7th and Bth, Vie., c. 112, for the settlement of the
affairs of the Joint Stock Companies. From such mo-
ment all suits must be stayed, and no further expenses
incurred—and each individual will have only to contri-
bute Lis fair and equitable proportion of expenses in-
curred. All bubble schemes will be exploded by allowing
only legal expenses—by bubble companies I mean
schemes which originated with attorneys, engineers, sur-
veyors, &c., solely for the purpose of getting an imagi-
nary lice surveyed, and plans deposited, and having
enormous expenses paid out of deposits calculated on
being obtained only: by means of extortion, by threaten-
ing law and equity suits those who have been silly
enough as to write for shares in the scheme. If the whole
body of applicants for shares go to the Court of Chan-
cery to dissolve the company, and engage attorneys of
the first eminence, I feel assured it will be found to be

the cheapest and best way of getting out of the clutche:-
of designing men. I cannot conclude better than in your
own emphatic words, "ESCAPE FROBI LIABILITY THERE
IS NONE."

Ism, Sir, your obedient servant,
ROBERT WILLIAM DICKEIsI6ON.
Ilfracombe, Dec. 10th, 1845.

HARBOURS OF REFUGE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sin,—The Government, thanks to your noticing the
subject, has at last turned its attention to the alarmingly
defenceless state of the Humber, and it is currently re-
ported that something will be done at the mouth of the
river to render it more difficult for the steamers, in case
of war, to get up to this town unseen. A fort on one of
the Sands is talked of. If this were done the Humber,
perhaps, might be improved as a harbour of refuge. At
present it is not a bad one, compared with many, but it
might be made better.—l am, Sir, your obedient servant,
A CONSTANT READER.
Hull, Dec. 9, 1845.

SUPPOSED DEATH PROM VlOLENCE.—Wednesday
afternoon, Mr. William Payne, the City Coroner, held an
inquest at Guy's Hospital, on the body of Mr. John Clarke,
master mariner, who resided at Swansfleet, Yorkshire, and
who entered the above institution on the 26th ult. with a
compound dislocation of the right thumb, which was in a
state of mortification, from the effects of which he died on
Sunday last. The only account given of the accident was
by the deceased to some of his friends, but at the time he
was not aware that the injury was likely to terminate fa-
tally, it could not be received in evidence. The statement
of the deceased was, that on Friday, the 21st of November,
he was going along Park.street, Southwark, about nine
o'clock, when he was knocked down by some men. He was
found by two policemen, who thinking him drunk, threat-
ened to take him to the station-house, but, finding him se-
riously hurt, they took him to a house where he found that
his thumb was broken, and that he had been robbed of his
pocket-handkerchief. There being no evidence before the
jury in reference to the accident, they returned a verdict,
That the deceased died from exhaustion, arising from the
injury to the thumb, but how the in jury was caused there
was no evidence."

GAME TE.ESPASS.—On Monday, Mr. Thomas
Cheesman, solicitor, of Gravesend, who is joint occupier with
his brother of a farm at Luddesdown, the property of Wm.
Masters Smith, Esq., of earner, appeared before the county
magistrates at Rochester, with two other parties (Mr. Walter
Cheesman and Mr. H. Price) on a charge of trespassing on
the farm in search of hares. It appeared that on the 24th
of November the parties with others, two on horseback and
two on foot, with four greyhounds, were observed by Mr.
Smith's keeper beating a piece of their own turnips in search
of hares. The offence was alleged to have been committed
in violation of a clause in their lease, and the defence that

they had always coursed with the knowledge of a former
keeper without molestation, and that the whole cf the Earl
of Darnley's tenantry in the neighbourhood were allowed to
do so. The defendants were convicted in a penalty of Is.
each, and 14s. 6d. each costs.

AER MAJESTY'S STAG HOUNDS.—Yesterday was a
by-day, the meet taking place at Gerrard's Cross-common;
and notwithstanding the fixture had not been publicly
announced, the field, including the Earl of Rosslyn and
several officers from London, Windsor, and Hounslow, num-
bered nearly' two hundred. Upon an untried deer being
turned out on the Common it took away to the Pied horse,
doubling back by the French Horn towards Fulmer, leaving
the village to the right, over the Common to College Wood
asif
and Wexham Church, and thence over Mr. Henry
farm to the Slough station, crossing the railway onrYto Salt-
hill.B
The deer, after doubling round by Cha.ll ey, and away
for Chippenham and Dornev, and thence to Eaton Wick, was
taken close to the Bath-road, about half-a-mile below Salt-
hill, after a very excellent run of an hour and three quarters.
The country was in excellent hunting order. The meet to-
morrow will take place at the Black Dog, Bedfout.
STATE OF TRADE.--There was a considerrble im-
provement in the state of the market yesterday, and
pur-
chases, both of yarn and goods, were made more freely than
last week. In prices, there was no absolute change to be
noticed, except that they were steadier and better defined
than some weeks past. We are sorry to state that a rather
extensive failure of a calico printing house was announced.
The engagements are stated to be about 60,0001.—Rochdale
Flannel Market, Monday, Dec. B.—The flannel market is
decidedly worse, and very little business has been transacted
at any price. Wool is a drug, and very difficult of sale. In
fact there is no demand either for manufactured goods or the
raw material. -Manchester Guardian.
THE GRAND DUKE CONSTANTINE.—PLYMOUTH,
DEC. 9.—Last night the Russian line-of-battle ship Inger-
manland, Captain Moffit, bearing the flag of Admiral Lutke,
and having on board the Grand Duke Constantine of Russia,
put back through contrary_ winds. She was aceonvanied by
her consort, the corvette Vaarschafsky, Captain Cilassenap.
The wind at this time (3 r.m.) is gone from S.W. to
W.N.W., and continues veering towards the north. In all
probability the Russian ships will leave the Sound again to-
morrow Maning.