The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-03-31 00:00:00

RAILWAY SPECULATIONS.

On Thursday, at the London Bankruptcy Court, Mr.
H. Robinson, a bankrupt, applied for his certificate,
which was opposed on the ground that the bankrupt had
misapplied funds trusted to his custody for investment.
It was state I thP.t the bankrupt was formerly a tailor and
draper at Leeds, which business he relinquished in 1844.
He commenced operations in London as a sharebrokrr in
April, 1845, so " that he might participate in the golden

' shower" supposed to be falling very plentifully about
that period. He had dealt very extensively on the Stock
Exchange, his transactions over about eight months
amounting to nearly £BOO,OOO, and his gross loss during
that period was nearly £9,000. The bankrupt, during
the interval of giving up the business of a tailor at Leeds,
and taking to the calling of a share-broker, had, it ap-
peared, engaged in the guano trade ; but of the particu-
lars of this latter branch of operations nothing could be
traced in the balance-sheet. The prospect of a dividend
was miserable indeed. In addition to the argument
urged against the bankrupt for misapplying funds en-
trusted to his care, it was also contended, that his share
speculations were gaming transactions within the mean-
ing of the act, and that therefore the court was not em-
powered to grant the certificate.
After a short examination of the bankrupt, adducing
the leading facts submitted by his opponents, it was con-
tended that throughout these transactions no fraud was
manifest. The panic which had caused much disaster,
.had ruined many besides thegbankrupt, who had entered
into the business without the least disposition to act
otherwise than an honest man. If fraud had been the
bankrupt's object in entering this business he would have
endeavoured to have derived personal benefit from it, but
this was not the case, for even his personal expenses only
amounted to about £l4O during the eight months of his
trading. Taking a lenient view of the case, and regarding
the bankruptcy as one arising from the misfortunes of bu-
siness, it was prayed_that the court would grant the cer-
tificate.

Mr. Commissioner Shepherd.—l do not know that
1 am bound to refuse the certificate altogether in conse-
quence of the speculation in shares, but I do consider this
to be a most flagrant case. A worse case Ido not think
ever came before me. Here is a man who comes
Leeds, and was formerly a tailor, starti

a a share-

broker and speculating in the most reckless manner to

few months. His balance sheet shows a deficiency of up-
wards of £lO,OOO. This is most certainly gambling—

her operating for a rise or fall in share

and no bet-

most extent. It is a very bad and flagrant case, and I
shall not be doing justice to his creditors and the public,
unless I adjourn his certificate for a long period—a period

of two years,

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

BREACH OF PROMIS
[lice, a widow lads, obi

;E.—At the Exeter Assizes, Mrs
tamed a verdict of £5OO damage!

At Exeter assizes, before Baron Rolfe, Mr. Lane recc
vered £3OO damages from Mr. Foale, for having impute
to him the commission of an abominable crime
judge said the case called for liberal damages
COOK v. WETHERELL.-Our reader

ay rememb