The Warwickshire Herald. — 1892-02-25 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

TIIE DISPUTE BETWEEN SOUTH AFRICAN COMPAN I ES. An important judgment was delivered on Saturday in the Divisional Court of the Queen's Bench Division, before Justices Lawrance and Wright, in the oa.eof De Sousa v. the British South African Company and the Mozambique Company v. the ,eine. The case was argued some time ago, and Inlet:lent was now dilivered by Mr. Justice Wright. He said the action was brought in substance for the purpse of trying the right of the British South African Company to certain territory in South Atriet, which they had acquired, but which were surged by the plaintiffs to be under the sovereign 2 -if Portugal, and to belong to them by virtue te grants and concessions from the State of Portugal and native chiefs. The Mozambique Company. oh which Oahe iff Dc Sousa was the Uovernor, alleged that the 'facials of the British South African Comtemy entered and took possession of their lands and .ssatiPed their officers and servants, and that all aleise things being done malicinualy were disturbance t f their rights and were breaches of contract. The plaintifis, therefore, claimeti a declaration of title ti- the territories in questiou,and an injunction, and asked tor damages. In defence tbe British South Afri-an C..my.nny denied the jurisdiction of the e-eirt to determine the title of a foreign enuntry,and 'leo ',aid the claim disclosed no cause of action, that their acts were &at in defence of .11..4 rights to like lands under grates from native sovereign chiefs. The first slid most important .4uestiou was whether the court could eteertain the ciana tor a "leciaration 01 tO.le ci a .ureigu land. Alter quoting a large number of authmities the learned judge said it followed that the court could not entertain the case af the Mozambique Company, unless indeed the o.llrt W3A to assume jurisdiction on the ground that there were 10 regular courts of justice in the country in which the laws were situated. Having gone ! throta;;ll a number of questions raised on either side, 'famed judee said the general answer to these .iu-stions must be that there would be judgment dismissing the action in so far as it claimed . Images, and an injunction in relation to trespass, is it could n^t be eteertained by thnt COLI*. All tier objections had been overruled, and the case would proceed to trial in which the question would •..e whether the other acts complained of were • wtongful according to the local law, or whatever rw might be Sound to be locally applicable. In j In, case ii De Sousa I:10 question i 4 title arose, but !, .11 ether respects the result was the same. As to .osts 11* Mozambique had faiLd in the principal ; ik‘r•411,41,1 and they most therefore pay the meta of lie argument. In the other case there would be no "rder made as to costs.  - . Further ireptiries have elicited that there is now little doubt that Mr. Lidderdale was kidnapped by a lady admirer, who had on several OCCltiiol2B, in letters addressed to Mr. Lidderdale—epistles which he bad AiIf•WII to certain of his intimate friends— expressed Fr determination of never permitting tdria ! to ....come the nusband of another, and one of tieletters, at least, is stated to have contained a threat to murder. The lady is an American, a spinster of about 30 years of age, who up to a recent period had a fiat.. in the neighbourhood of Westminster. Thus much has been ascertained, she is also said to be a woman of large means, and to keep a yacht it. howe‘er, the Foresight, tor there is no such registered. The announcement of Mr. Lidderdale s death has been believed all along tube a deception. Thai the missing bank manager is on the vessel owned by this lady, and tnat a stic.:essfut strategy on liar part placed him where Iv, is now , involuntarily wavfined, is not doubted by those who have been entirstdd with the search. Th.. UtinrAt c mw -Mg put forth to trace the wherea',otits of tic. ya..,"rit.  IMRE SAD STORIES FROM 'BRAZIL EXPERIENCES OF kNGLISR