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“...SUPREME COURT & CONSULAR
GAZETTE,
Vnd Law Reporter for the Supreme & Provincial Courts of China & Japan.
ron. I SHANGHAI, SATURDAY, 30th MARCH, 1867. No. 13
CONTENTS.
fading Articles. Page.
Chinese Guilds .............................143
The List of Registered British Subjects ....145
Jases in Supreme Court.
Cheong-paou-tsu v. Jardine, Matheson & Co. ...145
>ases in Mixed Court. 152
Leading Cases on Commercial Law
No. 1, The “Gratitudine,” Bottomry Bond,
Hypothecation................................152
Page.
Report of Meeting of Shanghai Gas Company .... 156
News of the Week,..................... 158
Commercial Summary,................... 159
Quotations, Partnerships, ..............159
Meteorological Table, &c................159
Memoranda, .............................159
Causes for Hearing, &c..................160
Shipping &c.........:...................150
NOTIFICATIONS
H. B. M. Supreme Court.
H. B M. Supreme Court.
IN HER BRITANNIC MAJESTY’S SUPREME
COURT FOR CHINA & JAPAN.
In the...”
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“...SUPREME COURT & CONSULAR GAZETTE.
British Consulate Shanghai.
LIST OF REGISTERED BRITISH SUBJECTS Coutd.
Dunn, Chas. Dallas, B.
DesLandes, E. J. Daly, S.
Dent, A. Dulcken, A. C.
Dudfield, J. B. Darling, R,
Duncanson, E. F. Davis, A. Dunn; J. G. E.
Elias, Ney Evans, H. J. F,
Everall, H, Evans, F. Eranee, P. J. E.
Figges, C. Ferguson, A.
Fitzroy, G. H. Fearon, R. J.
Ford, J. Fisher, A. Fryer, Jno. G.
Grant, John Gundry, R. S.
Gubbay, M. S. Grant, P. V.
Goolamhoosen, A. Green, F. J.
Gerard, P. A. Gilfillan, J.
Gibb, W. H. Gamble, W.
George, C. Gundry, A. A.
Gray, G. Goodwin, C. W.
Gibbs, J. H. Groom, F. A. H.
Hornby, Sir E. Hay, R. M.
Hagart, H. W. Haslam, W. H.
Henderson, Fullerton Hearn, H. R.
Hazeon, Peter Hart, J. W.
Hamilton, E. G. Hancock, H.
Hudson, J. T. Hormusjee, C.
Hendry, J. R. Hyslop, W.
Harton, W. H. Houston, R. A,
Hunter, D. L. Holmes, R.
Hollins, H. H. Herring, W.
Hertz, H. Hormus j ee ,'BFram j ee,
Hyde, S. W. Harvie, W.
Holdsworth, T. K. Hudson, Mary
Holdsworth, E. Hogg,...”
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“...March 30ZA 1867.
SUPREME COURT & CONSULAR GAZETTE.
143
It is requested that only such communications as relate to
Editorial matters be addressed to the Editor, and that they
be sent not later than Friday.
Advertisements will be received till 10 a.m. on Saturday.
JVo communications can be noticed unless accompanied by
the name of the writer.
Supreme <3to»ri ani) Consular fejetie
Shanghai, March 30th, 1867.
In deference to a suggestion, the value of which
we willingly acknowledge, we print for the be-
nefit of our commercial readers, the Judgment
of Sir William Scott, a celebrated Judge of the
High Court of Admiralty in England in years
gone by, in the case of the Gratitudine, in which
the whole question of the right of a master to
pledge his ship and cargo, for repairs, in a foreign
port, is fully discussed.
The importance to merchants of knowing the
Law on the subject of Bottomry and Respondentia
Bonds, as well as on other subjects of great com-
mercial interest, is not likely to be disputed...”
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“...144
SUPREME COURT & CONSULAR GAZETTE.
March WMh 3867.
a branch of our commerce as the silk trade ; the
more especially as what did transpire is sufficient
to afford grounds for much reflection. Two
great facts' are brought to light. The Guilds
have regulations relating to foreignjtrade, and the
Guilds are taxed. We are led not unnaturally to
ask how far these Corporations may be made
the means of imposing undue restrictions, and
perhaps also undue taxation upon our commerce.
It is no doubt difficult to decide the question
to what extent a combination among a number
of individuals for the conduct of business may
with justice be countenanced, but there is a
point beyond which it is evidently unallow-
able for such combinations to go ; and that is
when there is anything like coercion or threat in
the measures which they concert in common.
The recent disclosures sliew that the Chinese
Guilds do not scruple at times to go beyond
this point. Through an accident a case where
this was done was...”
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“...March 3tyh 1867.
SUPREME COURT & CONSULAR GAZETTE.
145.
upon our readers to conform to a measure rea-
sonable in it bearing, useful in its results, and
certainly not of an oppressive character. We
must confess to some little disappointment
that this appeal has been so badly responded to,
as we had certainly imagined that a feeling of
self respect and something of that love of order
and deference to authority which is one of the
brightest features of the English character, would
have induced the British residents in this settle-
ment to throw aside idle prejudices, the fostering
of which can only result in their having ulti-
mately to appear in the somewhat undignified
position of being prosecuted and subjected.to fine.
We believe that peculiar tendency to procras-
tination that naturally attaches itself to the per-
formance of a duty which can be done as well to-
morrow as to-day, is one of the chief causes of the
neglect on the part of many to go through this
very simple ceremony; and...”
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“...146
SUPREME COURT & CONSULAR GAZETTE.
March Mh 1867,
acts as their agent. He had a share in the E-who
Bank. I am one of the principal men in the .Silk Guild.
Examined by Mr. Pauncefote. I have a hong in the
interior. There Chu-quai bought silk. I have contract-
ed through Chiuquai to sell silk to E-who in Shanghai.
The year before last I sold 200 bales. I was paid the
whole of the money. I went with Chu-quai to the
hong, the Taipan gave Chu-quai the money and he
then paid me. Not knowing English I staid out of
the office. If a silkman sells silk himself he goes to
the hong for the money, if he employs a broker the
broker goes. If the broker gives the silkman a cheque
he can get paid. If he do not get this cheque
he cannot. E-who paid sometimes with orders on
the compradore and sometimes with Bank orders.
In the last instance Chu-quai got an order on the
E-who Bank and I went with him to get it cashed. I have
been paid in Sycee. In that case I went into the E-who
Bank, which is on the premises...”
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“...March 30ZA 1867.
SUPREME COURT & CONSULAR GAZETTE.
147
565,928, the balance being Tls. 17,210.40. (Mr. My-
burgh objected that all this evidence in no way affected
the Plaintiff. There being no jury, it was admitted,
with reservation as to its relevancy). E-kee acknow-
ledged the amounts paid to him. These are the vou-
chers (handed in, subject to objection by Mr. Myburgh
that there was no evidence to shew they were in E-
kee’s possession or were cashed or endorsed by him
as being so received). On E-kee’s credit side there is an
item of° 104 bales. This entry is made from the invoice
book. The 104 bales were shipped by the Rona
tfo Hongkong on the 22nd Deer. It was my duty to
check the current account between Jardine, Mathe-
son & Co. and the E-who Bank. I did so every month
with the shroff Lo-sing. The last time 1 did so was
on the 30th Nov. That paper was brought by the
shroff on that day. It shews a balance in Jardine,
Matheson & Co.’s favor of Tls. 89.032.34. I have
made up the account...”
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“...148
SUPREME COURT & CONSULAR GAZETTE.
March 30 fh 1867.
in the room with Cheu-quai. There were some others
that were present then, There was no one else in the
room when I bought the Tso-Ling from Cheu-quai. 1
have known Cheu-quai about ten years. I have pur-
chased from him for European firms. About that
time I had orders to buy for others. I bought for
Chapman, King & Co. from Cheu-quai. I got my 1 %
on that occasion. 1 know Cheu-quai to be a large
speculator in all kinds of things. Cheu-quai told me
that he had bought 300 bales as a speculation of liis
own, as he thought the market was going to rise and
lie would speak to Mr. Whittall afterwards about it.
He asked me to inspect and value the silk and I did
so. I do not know whether he shipped any of these
300 bales on liis own account. On the 1 ltli December,
I saw persons about the Hong. I do not recollect
making any remarks to them beyond ordinary salut-
ation. The custom of the silk trade is,—a man sends
you in a muster, you inspect...”
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“...March 30th 1867-
SUPREME COURT & CONSULAR GAZETTE.
149.
time. 1 said what is the use of illtreating him, if you
have any complaints why not go to the proper quarter
for redress.
To Mr. Myburgh.— I have been four years in the
employ of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson &, (Jo During
these four years E-kee has done a great deal of bus-
iness for the firm. I did not know that he was a par-
tner in the Bank or a broker ; I thought that he was
merely managing the bank for Messrs. .Jardine,
Matheson
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“...150
SUPREME COURT & CONSULAR GAZETTE.
March Mth 1867
was and lie said I belong to Hung-Sing. I know Cheu-
quai’s purser. There were so many people present
that I cannot remember whether this person was one of
them. I cannot tell whether Cheu-quai frequently
bought silk for Jardine, Matheson & Co. Cheu-quai’s
purser frequently came with other people and he came
alone some times. I do not know whether they are
silkmen.
Emil Matntz. I am partner in the firm of Reiss
& Co. I am acquainted with Cheu-quai.
(Mr. Myburgh contended that the evidence of this
witness did not affect the' case, as Cheu-quai’s being an
independent merchant did not shew that he was not
Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co’s, agent. His Lordship
agreed, but took the evidence).
The Witness. We have bought silk from him in
the same way as we generally buy from other silk mer-
chants. When we make up our mind to buy silk,
our inspector asks the various Chinamen who frequent
the hong to send in musters, which he examines and
asks...”
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“...March 3Qtk 1867.
SUPREME COURT & CONSULAR GAZETTE.
151
being entrusted to me for sale, if filler Bros, did not pay
I must. I cannot tell whether E-kee acts as broker or
not. I have on several occasions been to a foreign
hong with my principals. I cannot specify any parti-
cular foreign hong to which I have been w’ith them.
I have not had the Taoutai’s license for the last two
years. I oan do broker’s business but cannot open a
hong without it. I have bought 50 bales up country
but none in Shanghai for the last two years. Sometimes
I was sent for to go to the country and buy silk for
Jardine, Matheson & Co.
F. B. Johnson.—I am partner in Messrs. Jardine,
Matheson & Co.’s. The last time that I took the state of
the E-who Bank account down in writing was the first
week in November. I got a statement from E-kee.
giving the assets and liabilities of the Bank and an ac-
count of profits. He handed me a statement of the man-
ner in which he had invested the funds of the bank. I
took it down in...”
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“...152.
SUPREME COURT & CONSULAR GAZETTE.
March 30th 1887.
MIXED COURT.
March 23rd 1867.
Before Ghuu, Wei Yuan, and C. Alabaster Esq.
Gibb Livingston & Co. v. Eu-ze-chee.
(Adjourned from March 8th.)
Mr. Gilfillan appeared and stated that the contract
was not cancelled, the Tls. 430 being paid to induce
Gibb, Livingston & Co. to wait. After payment of the
Tls. 430 Eu-ze-chee told Mr. Gunclry to re-sell the
goods,
(Adjourned for further evidence.)
Municipal Council vers us Loo Yuen Sing and others
This was an adjourned case, being claim for asses-
sed House Tax, all but the defendants having paid the
Bums due from them since the last sitting of the Court
{March 15th). The Defendant then objected on the
grounds that he only occupied one half the house and
urged that the sum claimed was unreasonably high,
being $5 or | years’ assessment on $ 250 rental, for a
four roomed medium sized Chinese house, Defendant
only paying $5 per month for his four rooms.
The Court ordered payment of the amount assessed...”
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“...March 30th 1867.
SUPREME COURT & CONSULAR GAZETTE.
153
venience of better sailing, or more commodious stowage,
will not justify him to throw overboard the smallest
part : It must be a necessity of the same species,
though perhaps differing in the degree.
Another case is that of ransom ; in which, it is well
known, that by the general maritime law a master
could bind by his contract the whole cargo, as well as
the ship : he could not go beyond the value of the
goods, but up to the last farthing of their entire value,
there is not a doubt but he might bind the cargo as
as well as the vessel; a very modern regulation of our
own private law, founded on certain purposes of policy,
has put an end to our practice of ransoming; but I am
speaking of the general maritime law and practice, not
superceded by private and positive regulation.
These are instances of authority at sea : There are
other cases also in port, in which the master has the
same authority forced upon him. Suppose the case of
a...”
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“...154 SUPREME COURT &
CONSULAR GAZETTE. JA/rcA 3Q/A 1867.
gulation, or direct authority on this subject; this con-
tract of bottomry, being comparatively of later
growth, and aiismg out of the necessities of an enlarged
commerce. Bynkerstioek expresses himself, I apprehend,
with great historical accuracy on this subject, when he
says, "‘Ongo hujus contractus ex jure Romano, sed quie
ibi iegimus vix trieutem absolvunt totius argumenti—
Adeo tennuia etiam apud nos fuerunt ejus contractus
initia, ut non nisi mutuum signiticaverit, quo magistro
peregre agenti permissum est, navem ex causa neces-
sitatis obiigare. ' But still I think authorities are not
wanting from the ancient codes : The passage which
has been cited from the Consolato, art. 105. is appli-
cable. There it is said, that a merchant being on
board a ship with his goods, (which was the custom,
according to the simplicity of ancient commerce), hav-
ing money was obliged to advance it, for the necessities
of the voyage; and if he had...”
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“...March Wth WH. SUPREME COURT &
he refers does not sustain him, and that his own au-
thority amounts to little.
These passage are all that I can find affirmatively in
the common law writers ; hut it is no slight negative
argument of the understanding of the common law,
and no small confirmation of the fitness of this prin-
ciple, that during a long series of years, no instance has
happened, in which a prohibition to the enforcement
of such a contract has issued ;—and the inference will
he the stronger, if it shall appear that numerous suits
have actually been entertained in the Court of Admir-
alty on such bonds. The mention of numerous suits
brings me to the result of a research, which 1 directed
to be made in the Records of this Court ; a Court
whose practice on a question of this nature, a question
of the general maritime law, is not without its author-
ity. I find from the list that has been returned to me,
that there has been, in later times at least, a constant
practice of proceeding...”
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“...15G
SUPREME COURT & CONSULAR GAZETTE.
March Stoh 1867.
veys under public authority were made : The result
Was, that the ship is reported by the surveyors to be
of sufficient authority to warrant the repairs. The re-
pairs are made, and the master has the authority of
the Court, not only for the propriety of the repairs,
but likewise for the reasonableness of his expectation,
that the ship alone would ’’be able to answer the ex-
pence of them. Still however the foreign lender was
not obliged to advance money, but on such secur-
ity as he liked ; and in this situation the master pled-
ges the additional security of the cargo.—He proceeds
on his voyage to England ; and the bond which became
due on the event of his arrival is put in suit : The
consequence is, that the ship is sold ; and being sold as
a foreign ship, unable to procure a register, sells for
not more than half the value at which she was estimated
at Lisbon.
Upon this state of the case, it is evident that instead
of the cargo being...”
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“...March 30/A 1867.
SUPREME COURT & CONSULAR GAZETTE.
157
Dec. 31. 1866. Taels.
By Profit'on Gas Account for half year. ... 2,669.41
,, Profit on Gas Fittings supplied (
customers for half year ..... j .......... ’
,, Balance carried down ..................... 9,005.11
Tls. 13,487.53
1866.
Dec. 31. To Balance at date......
Audited and found correct,
R. B. BAKER.
19th March, 1867.
The following Report had been circulated among
the Shareholder.
Sir,—I beg to hand you Report of proceedings at the
General Meeting of Shareholders in the above Company,
held here on 28th February last.
You will observe from the Report above referred to, that
a resolution sanctioning the creation of Preference Shares
for the purpose of clearing off the liabilities of the Com-
pany was unanimously agreed to, and the Directors were
requested to report progress in issue of these Shares at an
adjourned Meeting to be held on 28th March.
Before taking steps to offer the Preference Shares to the
original Shareholders, the...”
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“...158
SUPREME COURT & CONSULAR GAZETTE.
J/ureA 5'j'? 1867.
be made for leakage which had been as high as 70
per cent.
Mr. Tarrant suggested the advisability of re-
ducing the price of the (has to one half its present
rate, as such a step was likely to increase con-
sumption very materially.
The Chairman. The only way in which the
Company could afford to reduce the rate was by
getting a larger consumption. Tf 20,000,000 ft.
were consumed the price might be reduced §1 and
yet a dividend of 15 per cent be shewn. He
thought it advisable first to get the consumers.
Mr. Tarrant thought it would be advisable to
employ a broker to ascertain how many people
would consume Gas if it were reduced to $2.50 ;
and if sufficient consumers offered then the price
might be reduced. He also asked whether he
should read to the meeting a semioffical letter
which he had addressed to the Secretary, in which
lie estimated that the Company could be freed
from debt in three years. The Chairman did not
however accede...”
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“...March 30th, 1367.
SUPREME COURT & CONSULAR GAZETTE.
159
the bund towards the city. The prisoners were sub-
sequently released on bail.
An adjourned meeting of the Shareholders in the
Shanghai Gas Company took place on Thursday, at
which the accounts in an amended from were passed.
A statement was made by the Chairman to the effect
that at the present rate of consumption of gas the ac-
counts would probably shew Tls. 5,000 for division
at the end of the current year, and the prospects of the
Company appear more favorable than they have been
hitherto.
The remonstrance which,Fas noticed in our last num-
ber, was addressed by Mr. Winchester to the Taoutai
has had the effect of bringing forth the following noti-
fication which has been issued by his Excellency with
reference to the late attempts at coereion on the part
of the Silk Guild.
Notification to the Heads of the Silk Guild
BY H. E. THE TaOT’aI.
Whereas the undersigned is informed by the British
Consul, Mr. Winchester, that Silkmen, on...”
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“...160
SUPREME COURT & CONSULAR GAZETTE.
March 20th, 1867.
LI. B. M.’s SUPREME COURT.
Causes for Hearing.
Wednesday, 3rd, April, 1867.
E. A. Reynolds f Claim for Tls. 6,240.00, for
v. \ money had and received by the
W. H. Mfdhurst 1 defendant for the use of the
( plaintiff.
Court of Bankruptcy.
Friday, 12th April, 1866 at 11 a.m.
In re K. Ross ( Bankrupt to pass his last examination
Mackenzie. j and apply foi' his order of discharge.
SHANGHAI SHIPPING.
Arrivals :—March 23rd, Rona str., Hongkong ; 24th,
Nanzingstr., Tientsin; Vanguard, Shields;Zodiac, Swatow;
25th, Seamew, Newport; Nepaul str., Nagasaki; Water
Lily, Manila ; 27tli, Szecliuen, Tientsin ; 28th, Corea, Na-
gasaki ; Sunda str., Hongkong; 29th, Algerine H. b. m. g. b.
Hongkong ; Valetta, Nagasaki.
Departures .-—March 23rd, Ville de Grenade ; Taewan ;
24th, Adelina, Yokohama ;24th, Glengyle, str., Hongkong ;
Miaca str., Tientsin ; Yung-Hai-an, Hongkong ; 26th, He-
yenmar, Nagasaki; Malacca str., Hongkong; Rona str.,
Yokohama ; Elisa...”
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