The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-08-05 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

The Judges on the Northern Circuit opened the com-
mission at Newcastle on Thursday.

The bar of the Western Circuit, following the example
of the Oxford Circuit, have voted " that it is inconsistent
with the dignity and independence of the bar that any
member should furnish reports to a newspaper."
THE ASSIZES.—The business at the assize courts in
the various towns has so far been unusually light. The
reporter at Cambridge complains of the little occupation
he has met with, and, to pursue the same tone, we may
say it is our melancholy duty to state that at Lincoln the
calendar is frightfully light, and the cause-list shockingly
short. At Norfolk, such is the state to which this once-
flourishing country is now reduced, there is little busi-
ness of any kind doing, the calendar for the city furnish-
ing only five prisoners for minor offences, and the cause-
list presenting an awful blank. At Maidstone the busi-
ness again is light; and at Worcester—we record the fact
with the same disgust with which it is plainly mentioned
by our authority=the business terminated with unprece-
dented rapidity after " the flattest assize known for 25
years."

ASSAULT UPON AN EDITOR.—The Queen v. Potter.
This case, which has excited great interest in the northern
counties, came on for trial on Thursday, at Newcastle-on-
Tyne. The defendant, Mr. Addison Potter, son of the
Mayor of Newcastle, was indicted for an assault, com-
mitted with great violence in the streets of that town,
upon Mr. 11 ernaman, proprietor and editor of the
Newcastle Journal. The alleged provocation was the
publication by Mr. Hernaman of an article which the de-
fendant construed as reflecting injuriously upon his
mother. The assault was fully proved, and a verdict of
guilty returned. His Lordship took time until Saturday
to consider his verdict, the defendant being allowed in
the meantime to lay before him any circumstances in
mitigation, by affidavit, the alleged libel not having been
allowed to be produced in evidence. On Saturday, Mr.
Justice Cresswell sentenced tie defendant to two months
imprisonment in the county gaol, and to find security,
himself in £2OO, with two sureties in £lOO, for his good
behaviour for twelve months.

" USED up."—ln the Vice-Chancellor's Court, on
Tuesday, the applicatio❑ was renewed on behalf of Mr.
Charles Matthews to restrain Mr. Webster, the lessee of
the Haymarket theatre, from performing the piece called
Used up. His honour, in giving judgment, said that the
case was left in great doubt as to the extent to which the
alterations made by Mr. Matthews had gone. If the
defendant, having procured a translation of a French
play, of which he could make no use, took it to the plain-
tiff and gave it to him as materials out of which to write
a new play, the production of the plaintiff might to a
greater or less degree entitle him to the rights of an
author over his own composition. If the original trans-
lation was a work which the defendant thought could be
used in this theatre, and he desired the plaintiff merely to
look it over with a view to any slight emendation, it would
be difficult to say that such a circumstance could entitle
him to claim the work, or an integral part of the work,
as his own. The injunction must be refused ; but he
would direct the motion to stand over, with liberty to the
plaintiff to bring an action, and both parties might apply
to this court.

Sig W. FOLLETT.—The Law Review of last week pub-
lished a letter from this lamented gentleman to Sir Robt.
peel, dated May 25th, 1845, tendering to the Premier his
resignation in consequence of continued ill health, and of
there being no probability of his early recovery. Sir Ro-
bert said, in reply, :` I will ask you, for the present, to
confine the communication of your wishes and feelings
with regard to retirement exclusively to me. It would
give me the greatest pain to contemplate the neces-
sity of your absolute relinquishment of office. There
is no temporary arrangement which I would not
make—no relief to you from labour and anxiety con-
nected with official or parliamentary duties which I
would not most cheerfully propose, rather than choose
the alternative of permanent separation from you. lam
deeply grieved that you have not made more rapid
advances towards recovery ; but earnestly hope that com-
plete repose and the approach of milder weather will, at
no distant period, re-establish your health, and enable
you to resume your usual occupations." In a subsequent
letter Sir Robert Peel begs him " to retain the office of
Attorney-General, with the distinct understanding that
he should not be asked, on any occasion, to attend the
House of Commons, and for the present should not hear
a word on professional business."