Dr
were in a condition he would advertise the meeting. I wrote him a letter about the 9th May, and after this the meating was advertised. I attended the meeting, which was held on the j 3rd July. It was held in the Registrar'> room. The account now in Court was pro- dneed. It is in Mr. Huffam's handwriting. Mr. Huffain had a bundle of papers vonobers at his side, but they were not opened or gone into. It was not intended we should check the account then, as we had requested to be furnished with copies. The item for interest struck me as peculiar, for the amount was the same for each of four years instead of increasing with the increase of capital. A dividend was de clared of a little over three per cent. Mr. Haftan said it would be impossible to say precisely what the amount would be, but he was to make it ap und send cheques and copies of the accounts. I got no cheque. Texpooted it on the following day. I wrote to the prisoner applying for the cheque and received the reply produced, dated 18th August, promising the dividend should be paid next morn ing. It was not paid the next morning. On Tue8- day or Wednesday I came to the office to see him about the cheques and found he was not there. I wrote to him at his house and received a reply inside an envelope which I did not keep. It was only a few words putting off the payment. I afterwards received a letter from Mrs. Huffam. On the night of the 14th or morning of the 15th. August I wrote asking him for a copy of the asccunt. He replied (Letter produced, stating prisoner was too unwell to be at office that day but would do his best to let witness have a copy of the account soon.) I had no further communi- estion with him. On the morning of the 17th I kusw he was at Ball's Court. In the afternoon I heard a rumour going about. I next saw him in gaol, where I went to see him at his request. By Mr. Francis-Mr. Sharp and myself re presented all the creditors at the meeting. The account we looked at was the one now produced. There was something said about some bills of costs still to be paid and settled. Mr. Plunket was pres nt at the wooting. Mr. Brereton re- presents eight creditors. None of our clients are prosecuting in this case.
The Court adjourned at this stage until ten o'clock this morning. There are still several witness to be examined for the Crown.
The Daily Press.
HONGKONG, OCTOBER 28TH, 1878. 302
SUPREME COURT.
October 26th.
CRIMINAL SESSIONS.
BEFORE THE ACTING CHIEF JUSTICE ON.
F. SNOWDEN, AND A SPECIAL JURY.
THE CHARGE AGAINST THE DEPUTY REGISTRAR.
The hearing of the case against Frederick Sowloy Huffan, Deputy Registrar of the Su- preme Court, was continued. The prisoner was charged on fire couuts, first, that he being a pub. lic servant, did embezzle $50.000 the money of Her Majesty; second, that he boing official as signes of certain estates in bankruptcy, did ap- propriate to his own asɑ $50,000 received by him for a public purpose; third, that he being the official assignee of the insolvent estate of Lyall, Still, and others, did appropriate to his own use 340,849.79 received by him on behalf of the ere- ditors; on the fourth and fifth counts he was charged with appropriating two sums of $20,400 and $4,831.16 respectively, these sums forming part of the amount charged to have been appro- priated in the third count. The Attorney- General Hon. G. Phillippo), instructed by the Crown Solicitor (Mr. E. Sharp) prosecuted, and Mr. Francis, justruoted by Mr. Dennys, appeared for the defence. The jurors were Messrs. W. Wilson, A. Gültzew, C. D. Bottomley, A. McG Heaton, W. H. Forbes, A. dos Remedios, and J. B. Coughtrie.
Mr. Thos. Arnold, accountant, was the next witness called for the Crown. He said--I have been engaged by the Government. to examine Mr. Huffam's accounts. I have examined the cash. book and ledger. There are thirty-one accounts. Three of them appear to be closed. I had to reopen them. I produce a balance-sheet showing the amounts due. The total balance due is $45,815.78, | including a balance of $5,876.78 in the Treasury. There are some balances due to the Official Assignee of $28.96. There is no interest credited except such as bas been actually received, and the only interest received is in Lyall, Still and Co.'s estate. I produce another balance sheet made up from Mr. Huffam's own sheet showing a balance of $56,294:16, of which $5,870 is in the Treasury. The difference between the two is principally made up of five amounts of $2,000 for for interest in Lyall, Still and Co.'s estate. I cannot find that those amounts have been re- ceived. I have specially examined into Lyall, į Still's accounts. On the 24th October, 1871, there was a fixed deposit in the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank of $25,000. On the 6th March, 1872, the amount in hand undeposited was $6,900.10, Od that date $5,000 of the deposit was cancelled and the amount withdrawn was $50.57. On that day a payment of $4,817.15 was paid to Sharp and Toller. balanes of judgment on account of Lisbert. There was a balance of $0,960 out of which that could have been paid without draw. ing on the fixed deposit all. On the 20th April, 1872, there ought to have been in his hands sororing to the accounts $12,009.88. O that day he withdrew the remainder of the fixed deposit amounting with interest to $20,400. Since then he has paid $2,359.56 and rescived $3,543.23. The balanco, with $12.000 interest. amonats to $46,757.05, of which $1,157.50 is in the Treasury. That makes the amounts tally. There is no entry of $5,000 handed to Mr. Sharp last year or received from him. There is an amonat of $168.84 written off Lyall, Still & Co.'s account as paid to Messrs. Sharp, Toller, and Johnson.
By Mr. Francis-The greator number of those thirty-one accounts are ovidently accounts taken over from some one elso. The first entry is "Balance taken over from Registrar of the Supreme Court." That is the case probably in more than half of them. In Hohenholt's accouut the only entry is one of payment to the Daily Press for advertising. There is no entry of money received. In Lyall, Still & Co.'s account the first entry is "Jan. 7th, 1868, cash received from Registrar of Supreme Court $170." All the accounts do not commence in that way. Nine of the accounts commence with Mr. Huffam as