What we may, perhaps, without a libel call a fraud
was perpetrated on the South-Eastern Railway Company twelve years ago. One Warton contracted to build a railway for the company from Tun- - bridge Wells to Robertsbridge. There were two tunnels to be made; and it was agreed that there should be fear thicknesses of bricks firmly cemented. Six years after the tunnels were completed the company had reason to suspect the insufficiency of the work, and on testing the tunnels they found in one one half-brick setting on cement the rest stacked dry, and in no case did they find more than nine inches of brickwork set in cement. A pressure on the crown of one tunnel would have caused it to fall down altogether. An action was brought by the company in the Court of Exchequer to recover damages. The defence was that the engineer had passed the work. Neither the judge nor the jury thought this sufficient; both censured the engineer of the company for not having done his duty; but the Jury gave the plantiffs damages 35001.
Mr. John Crosby, a private banker at Kirkby Thore, in Westmore- land, was held in Fre,at esteem by his neighbours. He was regarded as a man of the highest integrity, and of course attracted to his bank the farmers and persons of small capital in the neighbourhood. On the 12th of February he died suddenly, and when his books were examined it was found that the bank was insolvent! The liabilities were 81,0001.; the assets 39,000/. Mr. Crosby had kept his own books and his own secret. "The losses will be heavily felt in all the country side."
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