The appeal against the monstrous damages given by a Scotch
jury against our contemporary the Athourum, for the alleged "libel" of the firm of Keith Johnstone contained in its review of the last edition of his "Atlas," has been so far successful, that the damages have been reduced by consent of both parties, after hearing the opinion of the Scotch Judges, from £1,275 to £100. The Lord Justice Clerk saw no justification for the high damages awarded, and Lord Neaves said that the sum awarded was "outrageous," whereupon the pursuer's counsel said he was in the hands of the Court as to the amount of damages which ought to have been awarded, and tho Court assessed them at £100, and allowed the defender half his expenses in connection with the motion for a new trial. This is satisfac- tory, so far as it goes. We thought the attempt of the critic to go behind the "Atlas" itself to the individual responsibility of a member of the firm which had published it, a mistake, but look- ing to the evidence adduced of the conscientious data on which that opinion was founded, and of the substantial correctness, or, to say the very least, the approximate correctness of that opinion, we think that a nominal penalty sufficient to carry costs, would have fully met the justice of the ease. As the Times says, English papers will still continue to be very chary of their criticisms of Scotch books, while Scotch juries give such awards, even though Scotch Judges subsequently overrule and reduce them.
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