PETERSFIELD.
COUNTY COURT.—A court was held by C. J. Gale, Esq., the Judge, at the Town-hall, on Thursday last. There were not many causes on the list, and of those called on there were several in which the plaintiffs did not appear, and which were accordingly struck out. In reference to these cases His Honour remarked that it was quite time a stop was put to a practice which was fast growing into a habit, viz., of plaintiffs not attending in time. He instanced a case which lately occurred at Alton, where the whole list had to be struck out for this cause and the plaintiffs came dropping in afterwards and were surprised to find that the Court had risen. His Honour added that as the County Court was not at present a self-supporting institution, but every summons taken out entailed some expense on the country, it was of great importance that plaintiffs should be punctual in their attendance, and thus obviate the necessity of taking out a second summons. The only case that came before the Court possessing any public interest was the following horse-case :—Pink v. Andrews.—Mr. Britton appeared for plaintiff, who is a surgeon living at Eastmeon, and defendant is a horse-dealer living at Hambledon. It appeared from the evidence of plaintiff that in the spring of the present year he had had successively two horses from defendant on trial, neither of which suited him, and he had returned them, paying in each case 1l. for their use. On the 29th of April, defendant sent him a third horse on trial accompanied with a letter (produced) to the effect that it was one of the best horses he ever had. Two days after defendant called on plaintiff, and on being asked the price of the horse said 30l., but afterwards agreed to take 15l., for which he gave a receipt with a warranty of soundness. After defendant had left, Mr. Pink had the horse put In harness, and drove out with his housekeeper, and before they had gone a quarter of a mile the horse was observed to be lame, and had continued so ever since.—Samuel Newman, a veterinary surgeon, was called and deposed, that he had examined the horse and found a bony enlargement of the fetlock joint, which he was quite sure was of long standing, and which was the cause of the lameness. He considered that the horse in its unsound condition might be worth 8l. Judgment for plaintiff 7l., with costs.