The Northern Daily Times. — 1856-12-26 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

BEFORE MR. MANSFIELD,  IMPORTANT TO SAILORS. George F. Hall, late a sailor on board the ship A. E. Soullard, summoned Captain A. Montgomery, the commander of that vessel, for a balance of wages. Mr. Campbell was for the com• plainant, and Mr, Almond for the defence. The case was not an ordinary one, and the decision will prove of much importance to sailors, as we believe it is the first case of the sort, adjudicated on, in reference to the particular point. To., facts are these : on the 161 September, on the voyage from Callao to Liverpool, a sailor named Leonard, stabbed the captain very dangerously, and the mate. A full report of this case appeared in our paper a few days ago, both under the head of Police and Assizes, as Leonard was tried at the latter, and sentenced to eighteen months imprisonment. When the captain was stabbed, he called on the crew to put Leonard in irons, but they refused. He gave them twenty-four hours to consider, but they still refused. He was dangerously ill for fourteen days, and only was able to crawl a few times on deck to take observations for the ship. At the end of the fourteen days, Leonard was got into irons, The present question arose in this way. The captain ofd that the prisoner and some others or the crew, not only used mutinous language, but that they refused to obey orders, and totally refused to put Leonard into irons, and it was alleged that he had thereby forfeited his wages under the act of Parliament. There were several witnesses examined pro and con, when Mr. Mansfield asked if the plaintiff had received any advance, and the captain said he had paid him two months. Mr. Mansfield ' censured the conduct of the portion of the crew who refused to assist the captain from the attacks of a murderous ruffs in, whom the captain would be justified in blowing his brains out. He mentioned a case in wleich a captain shot a sailor, and when the captain was brought before him he discharged him, as the captain was justified in shorting any ruffian who endangered life or ship by his conduct. He decided on stopping from complainant six days' pay for each of the fourteen days alluded to, and this was virtually a verdict for the captain, as the deduction would be more than even the amount sought. Before Mr. Mansfield retired for the day, he addressed the reporters, and said perhaps the gentlemen would be good enough to make a memoran. dum of a few observations. On the previous day a person named Connor was prosecuted by the Post Office authorities, and that person stated to the court that he had employed Mr. Bluck to defend him; that Mr. Bluck had deserted and left him iu the lurch at the last moment, and did not appear for him. This statement appeared in one of the papers, (The Daily Pest) and Mr. Bluck, it seemed, very naturally, telt most anxious about it, for if such a charge turned out to be true, it would seriously affect him. However, be (Mr. Mansfield) had ascertained the real facts to he as follows :—Connor retained Mr. Bluck to defend him. Some days, however, before the case came on for hearing, a difference arose between them in respect to the fee  which Mr. Bluck was to receive. Mr. Bfuck had drawn  1 up briefs of the case, and it was arranged that the man I should undertake his own defence, Mr. Bluck handing