The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-10-11 00:00:00

INQUESTS.

MALANcuoLv SUICIDE.—An inquest was held on Tues-
day last, before P. F. Curry, Esq., coroner, on view of the
body of Mr. Eli Munn, surgeon, of Moon-street. Miss
Jane Munn, a daughter of the deceased, said,—" About ten
o'clock on Monday morning I went into deceased's bedroom,
when I saw him lying on his back on the floor, with kis throat
coat, and there was blood flowing from his neck. I instantly
ran down stairs, and went into the parlour to my brothers,
and we all went up stairs immediately, and found he was
quite dead. A neighbour came in who fetched a surgeon.
The razor now produced was in the right hand of the de-
ceased. The deceased was sixty-six years old, and has been
labouring under a disease of body for some time, the pain of
which caused him sometimes to be delirious. I saw him in
his bedroom about eight o'clock yesterday morning, and he
then appeared to be quite insensible and delirious. I asked
him two or three questions, and he answered me quite oppo-
site." Eli Wadham Munn, son of the deceased, said,—
" Yesterday morning, I was sitting below-stairs writing a
letter, when the last witness came screaming down stairs,
and told me my father had cut his throat. I went up stairs
immediately, and found him in the way described by her. A
doctor was called to deceased, but he could do nothing, as
he was quite dead. Deceased has laboured under a very
aggravated case of stricture for many years, the pain arising
from which frequently drove him frantic. He often express-
ed a wish, whilst labouring under a paroxysm of pain, that
God would ease him of his sufferings, or else he was quite
ready to destroy himself." The jury found a verdict to the
effect that the deceased had inflicted a wound on his neck;
of which he died, he labouring at the time under temporary
insanity.

FATAL ACCIDENT.-An inquest was held on Tuesday at
the Coroner's Court, before Philip Finch Curry, Esq., for
the purpose of investigating the circumstances which led to
the death of Robert Grey, ship-scraper, late of King's-
court, Bird-street, in this town. Matthew M`Cabe, a ship-
scraper, stated that he was intimately acquainted with the
deceased, who was obout sixty years old. On Wednesday
last he and the deceased were working together at the South
Graving-dock, scraping a ship, called the Chieftain. All the
way round the vessel stages had been erected for the carpen-
ters to work upon. The stages were about sixteen or seven-
teen feet high from the bottom of the dock. Witness was
working on the stage at one side of the stern, and the de-
ceased on the other. Witness did not see the deceased fall,
but he heard a noise, which caused him to look down into
the dock, when he saw him lying on the broad of his back.
He went down to him immediately. He said the plank on
which he had stood had canted a little, and he slipped off.
Assistance was procured and he was carried to the Infirmary.
Thomas Morris, a labourer, stated that, on Wednesday last
he was engaged working at the South Graving-dock, when
the deceased fell. Ile was called upon by the last witness
to assist him. The deceased was carried first to the Police-
office, and thence to the Infirmary. John Nottingham,
house-surgeon at the Infirmary, stated that the deceased was
brought there on Wednesday last. He had a compound
fracture of the left leg, and a simple fracture of the right leg.
Every attention was paid to him, but he died on Monday of
the injuries which he had received. Verdict, " Accidental
death."

MPORTANT MEETING OF TIIE CLAIMANTS, Ac.
OF THE IMPERIAL BANK, MANCHESTER.

On Wednesday last, a meeting of the claimants, &c., con-
vened by advertisement, was held at the Clarence Hotel,
Manchester, to receive a statement of the assets and liabilities
of the hank, to receive counsel's opinion as to the liability of
the original shareholder, &c. There was a full attendance.

Mr. NALLER, one of the principal shareholders, was called
to the chair, and opened the proceedings by referring to the
object of the meeting. He said that Messrs. Hobson and
Co. who had been fixed upon to wind up the affairs of the
bank, had, from a pressure of other business been reluctantly
compelled to decline; and the directors had in consequence
engaged Messrs. Brown and Phillips to do so, and Mr. Phil-
lips would lay before them a statement, which he believed to
be pretty nearly correct. They had also obtained the opinion
of counsel, which would be submitted to them, respecting the
original shareholder.

Considerable discussion here took place as to the propriety
of reading the case submitted to Mr. Wightman, together
with that gentleman's -opinion, during which, Mr. Verry
(one of the solicitors to the Bank) entered the room, and 04
being asked to read the opinion, declined doing so, cth the
ground that as there were many parties present who wished
to get rid of their liabilities, it was inexpedient to make it
public, and he would, therefore, give all the papers into the
hands of the Chairman, and not be a party to such a trans-
action.

-------
After some further remarks Mr. LAW was called upon to
read the case and opinion. The documents were of extreme
length, and occupied an hour in reading. The question sub-
mitted was, whether the original shareholders were liable.—
The document then entered into a long detail of the original
scrip being delivered, the list of subscribers being entered in
a book kept for that purpose—the mode of application for
shares. The first board, it stated, was held in Man-
chester on the sth of July, 1836, and subsequently the
officers were appointed. On the 16th of August a gentle.
man of the name of Heywood took fifty-five shares, but his
name did not appear on the list of shareholders, and they
(the Directors) wished to know whether or not he was liable.
On the 26th of August a meeting was held, at which a Ma-
nager was appointed, and a call of £2 per share decided upon.
He next reathin additional case, which went into the objections
urged by the original shareholders against their liability.
The original prospectus, which excited much laughter, was
then read, after which Mr. Law proceeded with the following
opinion of Mr. Wightman :
" I have perused the case submitted to me by Mr. Theo-
bald, and it appears to me that all those who applied for
shares originally, who took up their scrip, and whose names
were duly sent in, are liable to the public as partners in the
concern. If sent to the Stamp-office all such are liable ; the
only thing is, whether the parties who sent in the names were
authorised to do so. A person who received the scrip is
bound to repudiate it if he has nothing to do with it : if he
remains silent, the responsibility is attached to them. A
person may be liable as a partner whose name is not inserted,
as in the case of Heywood. lam disposed to think that the
whole of the who have allowed tboir to 1..
sent in, are liable to the general creditors, &c.. &c.
Mr. Law next read the opinion of Mr. Tneobald, who had
assisted Mr. Wightinan in the case. Mr. T. said lie was
clearly of opinion that by the allotment of the shares and
acceptance of the scrip they were liable, even without paying
the one shilling deposit, to be constituted partners, and the
only doubt on his mind was, whether the prospectus was
sufficiently made out to constitute the liability. It ap-
peared that the chief bank was intended to be at Liver-
pool, but by the prospectus it was not considered to be
placed there as final. It would be absurd to bind the com-
mittee to any particular regulations. There had been a
deviation from the proposed amount of five millions to one
million, as limited by the deed of settlement. He thought
that all who registered at the Stamp-office were liable, the
acceptance of the scrip was an authority to register them,
and they could not be exonerated by the change of the
amount, and he thought that the creditors might hold them
liable. It was, however, a mixed question of fact and law.
In Heywood's case, he was of opinion that he was liable.
On the whole, he was of opinion, that the parties were
liable, &c.

Alderman KAY then called upon Mr. Law for another
case, but the latter gentleman declined giving it, it being
private advice.

THE ASSETS AND LIABILITIES.
Alderman KAY next moved, seconded by Mr. JESSE Y,
that the assets and liabilities be read.
The following statement was then read :
LIABILITIES.

.E. s. d. £. F. d.
Balance on current accounts owing at
Manchester . . 20014 1 4
Ditto Knutsford .. 1912 1 1
Ditto Northwich . . 9297 8 7
Ditto Nantwich . . 17849 12 1
Ditto Macclesfield 3844 19 0
Ditto Congleton . . 7024 1 3
Ditto Burslem 41630 19 9
(In this latter sum was included the

large debt owing to Mr. Wood.)
Amount owing on deposit receipts at

101573 3 1

knutsfore.... 1554 9 5
Ditto Northwieh.... 761 10 0
Ditto Nantwich .... 17650 9 7
Ditto Macclesfield .. 2529 15 6
Ditto Congleton .... 3360 0 0

-- 25856 2 6
Circulation of notes.—(This was
an item, Mr. Phillips observed,
on which some little discredit
might perhaps be thrown.) /3940 0 0
Amount owing on letters of credit,
by one branch, a few days before
the bank stopped
Amounts of drafts on Prescott
and Co. dishonoured, drawn at
Manchester 1835 4 2
Knutsford 356 0 6
Northwich
Macclesfield
Congleton
Burslem

---- 5175 5 9
Owing to Prescott and Co 2142 4 9
Ditto Wright and Co.
Ditto Overend and Co 2443 15 6
Ditto Northern&Centralßank 2220 19 11

10370 10 5

Making a total of direct debts of 166936 10 5
Liabilities on bills of exchange in the hands of
third parties, as far as could be ascertained 75519 11 3

Total debts of liabilities 242456 1 8
ASSETS.
Estimated value of debts owing to
the bank at Manchester 46731 3 0
Knutsford 281 12 0

Northwich
Nantwich
Macclesfied .....
Congleton
Burslem
Loan checks at Nantwich 1199 14 3

66049 17 8
Estimated value of hills ,of ex-
change in hand and not due, at
Manchester
At the branches
•

6003 12 11

Cash in hand at Manchester.... 317 1 6
Ditto Macclesfied.... 12 2 5
Ditto Northwich 597 8 11
Ditto Nantwich 708 18 11
Ditto Burslem 9 1 1
Ditto Congleton 269 17 3
Ditto Knutsford 7 7 0
By Mr. Law (say) lOOO 0 0
Estimated value of past due bills