§ SIR E. LECHMERE (Worcestershire, Bewdley)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to a sale, held at Worcester, on the 21st of April last and five following days, which was advertised by circular as a private treaty sale by command of the Court of Bankruptcy, but which proved to be fraudulently so advertised, the Inspector General in Bankruptcy having no knowledge of the alleged order of the Court, or of the firm to which it was stated to relate; whether such advertisement is a contempt of Court; and what course will be adopted to prevent such fraudulent abuse of the name and authority of the Court in future?
§ *SIR M. HICKS BEACHMy attention has been called to the case referred to by my hon. Friend, but I am advised that it would not be probable that any Court would hold that the publication of such an advertisement would constitute a contempt of Court, and that the Board of Trade have no power to interfere in the matter. If my hon. Friend is correct in applying the term fraudulent either to the advertisement or to the transactions which followed from it, I apprehend that the attention of the Public Prosecutor should be directed to the case by some person aggrieved.