MISCELLANEOUS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8007, 11 February 1887, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

The case of James v. Grestrex, heard at Stafford Assizes recently, is one of much interest, and full of warning to solicitors, both actual and prospective. The defendant is a solicitor at Stafford, being ex-mayor of that town, and the action waa brought . against him to recover £IOOO damages for breach of hia duty as a solicitor in revealing the secrets of his former client, the plaintiff. The facts of the case are too lengthy and complicated to set out here, but it may be stated briefly that the plaintiff made a_ certain communication of a compromising character to the defendant in connection with matters in which the defendant was acting as solicitor for the plaintiff. Subsequently the latter engaged some other solicitor, and in the course of proceedings taken in a will case iu which the plaintiff waa concerned, the defendant, conceiving it, as hejalleged, to be his duty, in furtherance of the ends of Justice, to disclose the communication referred to, did actually reveal it, making use, os the jury found, of words which imputed to the plaintiff the commission of crime, and caused him damage. The jury also found that the disclosures were not made for the furtherance of the ends of justice, or for the prevention of crime, and gave a verdict fur the plaintiff for £l5O over 40s paid into court, with costs; and the judge refused to stay execution in order that a point of law might be raised. Verily a solicitor needs to tread his way through professional life with wary and careful steps.—Gibson's Law Notes. The electric motor is destined to play an important part in the history of railroads in this as Well as in other countries. Although not yet out of the experimental stage, electric street railways are rapidly gaining ground in public favor. Chicago, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Toronto - and other cities already have electric street rail, ways in successful and profitable operation. About a dozen- new roads are in process of construction: and a score or two more are projected. Montgomery, Ala., will be the first city in the world to have a complete electric street railway system. In New York city it is expected that a new Daft electric motor will soon be making trial trips'on the Ninth-avenue elevated road, and on a branch of the Third-avenue road a passenger car equipped with-Sprague motors has been malt ing experimental trips daring a great part of the summer.—American paper. ‘ I hope and pray,’ remarked a gentleman as he left the steamer, ‘ that I shall never have occasion to cross the Atlantic again,’ ‘ Rough passage, eh ?’ queried a friend. ‘Rough is no name for it. I bad four kings beat three times.’—N.Y. Sun.

‘ Who is your favorite author?’ asked the literary writer. Maggie quickly replied : ‘The author of my being, of course, dear papa,’ It is unnecessary to say that papa immediately came down with the cash for the new dress whioh Maggie had set her heart on.—N.Y. Independent. Two old friends met and referred to the days when they bad been sweethearts. At last he said : ‘ Ay, Jennie, an’ I hao never loved anybody since yon, I hae never forgotten yon.’ ‘ John,’ she said, with a little moistening of the eye, * you’re just as big a leear as ever—an’ I believe ye jist the same,’ • 1 ’/

Monsieur is a noted miser. His wife says to him ;,,‘.My dear, is it not time to think of Jnles’ education ?’ ‘ Yea; but it costs too much.’ ‘Do you not know of a school that is cheapf ‘Certainly.’ 'Which one?’ ‘ The school of adversity.’ One day Beauregard, with several lesser lights, came upon a sentinel who had taken his gun entirely to pieces, and was greasing look, stock, and barrels- The great general looked like a thundercloud, but neither his flashing uniform nor the scowl on his face bad any effect on the sentinel, who quietly proceeded,to rub a piece of his gun. • Say,’ remarked an officer, ‘ that’s Beauregard there, He's a sort of a general.’ ‘All right,’ said the unabashed sentinel, ' if he’ll wait till I get this gun together, I’ll give him a sort of a salute.’

i A singular event occurred at a church at Willenhall, Staffordshire. , A couple presented themselves to be married, and upon the clergyman putting the question, ‘ Wilt thou have this woman for thy wedded wife ?' the bridegroom answered with an emphatic ‘ No,’ and left the church. His explanation was that a year ago. When he wanted to be married, his intended bride refused, and he thought the present occasion afforded him the opportunity of ‘ returning the compliment.’ ,

Poverty and Suffering. —“lwasdraggod down with debt, poverty, and suffering for years,caused by a sick family and large bills for doctoring, which did them no good. I was completely discouraged: until one year ago, by the advice of my pastor, I procared Hop Bitters and commenced-their use, and in one month we were all well, and none of ns have seen a sick day since; and' I want to say to all poor men: yon ban keep your families well a year with American (Soft Hop Bitters for less than one doctor’s visit will; cost. I know it.”—A' Working Man. Read, I - The very common evil of turning the palpit into an advertising,agency-is sharply criticised by the Christian Advocate, which says : We have known seventeen notices, of which twelve were in the interest of private parties, to be read in an American church on Sabbath morning, with serio-comic remarks upon some of them by, the minister. Decline to read notices, except such as relate to the worship of God, or to pure philanthropy, promoted iu ways which, when announced, are not incongruous with the sanctuary. Let the senders of all others pay the printers, as they should do.