288 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1815, 



credit of Earl Moira had for a 

 considerable time previously to 

 the issuing of those bills been 

 very much depreciated in the 

 money market ; and if ever there 

 was a time when his bill? would 

 be of less than their nominal 

 value, it must have been when 

 his Lordship was about to leave 

 this country for India. What 

 were the facts ? That a few days 

 (five) before Lord Moira sailed 

 from England he drew those bills, 

 in order to raise money. Mr. 

 Ridge, who accepted thiem, had 

 not at that time his usual credit 

 in the money market. Would it 

 then be believed that any man of 

 common experience would have 

 taken those bills at their nominal 

 value? or could it be credited 

 that any man at all acquainted 

 with the natui»e of such transac- 

 tions would have risked his credit 

 and his money in taking more 

 than the legal discount, when he 

 might have done what was so 

 usual on such occasions — pur- 

 chased the bills at what he thouglit 

 they were worth ? The jury should 

 remaik, that Major James was 

 not asked whether he considered 

 himself as selling the bills ? His 

 learned friend (Mr. Clarke) had 

 stated, that this proceeding was 

 instituted to benefit Mr. Austen, 

 and not the Crown. He (Mr. 

 Dauncey) denied that to be the 

 case. The Crown might have 

 recovered its debt by proceeding 

 against Mr. Austen's sureties ; 

 but it thought that would not be 

 the fairest mode of acting while 

 Mr. Austen had any property of 

 his own. The jury would attach 

 what weight they thought fit to 

 the declaration of his learned 

 friend (Mr. Clarke) —that thi§ 



claim would not hare been re? 

 sisted, if payment had not been 

 hastily pressed. Svu'ely it could 

 not be thought a hasty pi-essing 

 for payment, if the amount of 

 bills payable 1^ months after date 

 was called for two years after 

 they became due? 



Baron Richards summed up 

 the evidence, and told the Jury, 

 that the simple question which 

 they had to decide was, whether 

 those bills had been obtained by 

 usury, or whether the transaction 

 between Major James, on behalf 

 of Lord Moira, was a bona Jide 

 sale of them. If they believed 

 the former, they must find a ver- 

 dict for the defendant ; if the 

 latter, they must find for the 

 Crown. 



The Juiy retired, and after 

 half an lioiir's deliberation re- 

 turned a verdict for the Crown. 



Court of Chancery, Thursday, 

 July 25. — Ex-parte Heathcott in 

 the Matter of Laaj. — Mr. Bell 

 stated, that this was an applica- 

 tion to the Court, praying that 

 his Lordship would not put the 

 great seal to a patent wliich Mr. 

 Lacy of Nottingham had sought 

 to obtain for making lace by a 

 macliine, to be worked by ;i 

 steam-engine. The ground of 

 objection to the patent was, that 

 Mr. Lacy wanted to keep his spe- 

 cification secret for the space of 

 ] 5 months, which was contrary 

 to the policy of the law, and a 

 great injustice to the King's sub- 

 jects in general. 



On the part of Mr. Lacy, Sir 

 Samuel Romilly and Mr. Hart 

 urged, that no injustice would be 

 done to the public by granting 

 the patent, and the state would 



be 



