Mr. Doulton, Adullamite M.P. for Lambeth, and promoter of various
societies, has been tried at Brussels in his absence on a -charge of obtaining money on false pretences. The gist of the accusation was that Mr. Doulton obtained a concession for certain improvements in Brussels ; that he first contracted with Messrs. Mention, of Liege, to do the work for £497,000, and then for 1598,000, that he sold the concession to a Company loaded with the second contract, and arranged to receive the difference between it and the first for himself. The Court found him guilty, but -decided that as no Belgians had been swindled it had no jurisdic- tion. Mr. Doulton explains in the papers that he refused to go to Brussels because he did not expect fair play, that he did -arrange to take the 1101,000 in question, but that his Directors assented in consideration of his relieving them of all preliminary expenses, which seem to have been about £75,000, part of it spent in gratifications to journalists and -others. This seems to be true, and as regards the Directors, Mr. Doulton is only guilty of making a very hard bargain ; but then he was Managing Director himself. In that capacity he owed a -duty to his shareholders, who thought the purchase of the conces- aion from him a final one, and knew nothing of the little arrange- ments with the contractor. This seems to be becoming the -regular way of business between directors and shareholders, and -amounts just to this,—Smith sells Brown plated spoons for silver, Brown remonstrates, and Smith triumphantly affirms, " Well, I told your clerk they were plated." All manner of hearsay state- ments were admitted at the trial, and Mr. Doulton, naturally -enough, complains bitterly that nobody was properly cross-exam- ined. How could they be, when defendant declined to appear ?
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