The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-05-04 00:00:00

A CAT CASE IN CHANCERY.

In the Vice-Chancellor's Court, on Saturday last, Mr.
Bethel! appeared in support of a petition presented by resi-
duary legatees claiming under the will of a maiden lady named
Katherine Barfoot, praying to have certain sums of stock
transferred into the name of the Accountant-General to the
credit of the cause. Among the numerous bequests contained
in the will of the testatrix was an annuity of £lO, secured on a
sum of stock, " to provide a suitable income for the life of a
favourite tom-cat, named Blucher." (Laughter.) The divi-
dends had been regularly appropriated from time to time by the
trustees to the maintenance and support of the annuitant until
the period of his death, which occurred a few days age. The
annuity, therefore, having fallen in, the present petitionsolight
to have the stock transferred.

His Honour inquired, what evidence the learned counsel had
to offer to the court of the annuitant's death ? (A laugh.)
Mr: Bethell said, a certificate of the burial of the deceased.
whiCh was the usual evidence required by the court, could not
be produced; but he trusted, under the peculiar circumstances
of the case, his honour would consider an affidavit of the fact by
a disinterested party, sufficient evidence that the annuitant was
dead.

The registrar (Mr. Colville) suggested that the affidavit
would not justify the court in making the older, inasmuch as it
only deposed to the fact of a single death, whereas a cat was
proverbially known to have nine' jives. (Laughter.) It was
also a very nice question, whether the language of the will did
not create a tenancy in tail. The next of kin of the intestate
were also said to be extremely numerous, and it was not alleged
that any one of them had been personally served with tbe peti-
tion. (Laughter.)
Mr. Jacob thought that.the court ought to proceed to adjudi-
cate with extreme caution on a case supported by such slender
evidence, and before the authorities had been looked into. He
remembered a case before Sir John Leach, which was all fours
with the present. (A laugh.)
The Vice-Chancellor felt the weight of the 'first objei:tion
taken by the registrar; but observed that the cat having once
died must be held for ever civiliter mortuu's, and not entitled to
greater privileges than a Christian. (Much laughter.)

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menced. The contractors have broken ground, and the com-
pany's agent has certified before John Dean Clare, Esq. e
county magistrate, that the whole of the money is subscribed.
HULL AND SELBY RAILWAY.—A considerable number of
men are now employed on vatious portions of the line of rail-
way, and the contractors are diligently prosecutitng the various
works; the company's chief engineer, Mr. Walker, was in Hull
last week, and went over the line; he expressed his satisfaction
with the manner in which the works have thus far been exe-
cuted, and with the progress which has been made in them.
We are glad to be able to announce, that about £26,000 has
already been received out of £:10,000, the amonnt of the third
call of £5 per share, due on the 16th of February, and further
sums are daily paid in. The prompt payment of the call, com-
bined with the tact, that about i:2,,100 has been paid by various
proprietors within the last month, being the full amount of the
shares they hold, practically shows the confidence entertained
in the undertaking. The contractor for the works ton the fore-
shore, at Hull, is preparing to commence them without delay.
Hull Rockingham.