M. Musson & Co. v. Elliott
M. Musson & Co. v. Elliott
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
The plaintiffs sold one hundred and eighty-nine bales of cotton to Nevins & Co., the weighing and delivery thereof being
The payment of five thousand dollars, of which Hopkins speaks, was an advance of that sum made by Elliott to Nevins on the 17th. or 18th. of same month, and is claimed by the defendant to have been made on this purchsae, which was made at that date, though the weighing and delivery had not been completed until later. The plaintiffs deny that this advance or loan to Nevins had any special reference to this purchase, or if it had, that it could affect them. Mus-son & Co. allege that the residue of the price, viz $5,630.76 was never paid, and on the 27th. of December they instituted this suit, and, sequestrated the cotton, which was then on board the ship in this port.
The cotton was released on bond, and early in January following, the defendant moved rules to quash the sequestration on the grounds that the affidavit did not state when the cotton was delivered to Nevins & Co., nor that it was an agricultural product of the United States, and that the privilege of plaintiffs was prescribed by the lapse of five days from the delivery of the cotton to Nevins, and was barred by want of registry, and that the cotton was in Elliott’s possession at the time of seizure by transfer and sale from Nevins. It was agreed that the merits should be tried under these rules, and there was judgment for defendant.
The facts as disclosed in the evidence are, that the cotton was sold on the 17th. Dec. and the terms were cash. On the 18th. Nevins & Co. obtained from Elliott a promise to cash their sterling exchange to the amount of $20,741. and received $5,000 of that sum then, giving a receipt in the form of a pledge. The exchange was to be drawn against about two hundred bales of cotton. The cotton sold by the plaintiffs
We do not find it necessary to decide whether the seizure was within the five days, designated by the act of 1855 as the time within . which the vendor of ‘agricultural products of the United States’ shall be entitled to enforce his lien by seizure, nor whether the lien and privilege upon movables, such, as bales of cotton, needs to be recorded to ensure its preservation to the vendor.
It is abundantly shewn that the sale óf the cotton, made on the 17th., was perfected by the weighing and delivery on the 21st., and that the purchaser Nevins did not comply with the terms of sale, and that Elliott was fully aware of it. The plaintiffs made ineffectual efforts to obtain Nevins’ compliance with the terms of sale on the 21st. He had been taken ill, and was not to be seen. These efforts were renewed on the 22nd, when Elliott gave to Nevins’ agent the cheque for 815,741. in Mus-son’s presence, to whom it was immediately transferred. The bills of lading for the cotton were at that moment in Elliott’s possession to Musson’s knowledge, and it was equally well known to him that the money was paid by Elliott because'he-held the. bills. The money would not have been paid without them, says Hopkins. Musson said this was only a part of the price. There was a balance of over five thousand dollars. He demanded all of it. Elliott said it was all he owed Nevins, and would pay no more. Nevins was so ill as to create alarm, and time pressed. Then Hopkins bethought himself of satisfying Mr. Musson’s demand by placing collateral with him. Nevins had two bills of lading for nineteen bales and thirty bales respectively, already on shipboard — on a different ship from that carrying the 189' bales — and he handed them to Mr. Musson as security, or until Nevins could come out and make a final settlement.
Musson took them — received them from Nevins as security for the unpaid portion of the price on the same day, and shortly after he had • received from Elliott over fifteen thousand dollars, made on the faith of the bill of lading of the cotton he had sold to Nevins. He supposed forty-nine bales would yield about five thousand dollars, and so they would, had cotton preserved the prices then obtaining. Speaking as a witness, he says; — my dissatisfaction in not receiving full payment was expressed to Mr. Hopkins since the 21st, and when receiving the money due on account. The expectation of the balance being paid to me the next morning was one inducement to delay collection of the balance until then, when Mr. Nevins was expected to come to his office. I was handed by Mr. Hopkins bills lading to order but not endorsed for nineteen bales and thirty bales cotton on board the “Gardner Colly” which were worth, he supposed, in round numbers five thousand dollars.
Judgment affirmed.
Concurring Opinion
Concurring Opinion.
I am not able to agree with the court in its reasons for judgment in this case.
Admitting that Musson received from Elliott the balance, $15,741, due by Elliott to Nevins & Co. on the purchase or transfer of bills'of lading of the cotton, and that he accepted from Nevins & Co.’s agent bills for forty-nine bales of cotton as collateral for the balance due Mus-son & Co., I am unable to infer from those facts that he renounced or waived the vendor’s lien which ho undoubtedly had on the cotton in Elliott’s hands.
Nemo preesumitur donare. Renunciations are not to be presumed from acts done, unless those acts are inconsistent with the rights alleged to have been renounced.
Musson & Co. undoubtedly had a vendor’s lien on the cotton for five days from its delivery. His vendee sold or pledged this cotton to Elliott. Musson threatened to seize the cotton under his privilege. Elliott very naturally sought to free the cotton from this undoubted claim, and paid, or caused to be paid, to Musson & Co. the balance of the price in his hands due to Nevins & Co ; and Musson just as naturally received the sum so offered, and, with equal good sense, accepted the bills for forty: nine bales tendered him as collateral by Nevins & Co. But I see in this no evidence of renunciation. On the contrary, it had the effect of reducing the debt of Musson and increasing his security. Because I accept from the vendee of my vendee what the former owes to the latter, as
I think, however, that the plaintiffs, Musson & Co., have lost their recourse on this cotton in the hands of Elliott, by failure to assert their privilege “loithin five clays after the.day of delivery. ” The delivery was completed on the twenty-first. Excluding the twenty-first, the day of delivery, the five days' elapsed at the close of the twenty-sixth. The. sequestration was taken out on the twenty-seventh.
The general rule is that the vendor’s privilege is defeated by sale of the movables subject to it — C. C. 3227 — but, by exception, it continues for five days “ after the day of delivery ” in sales of agricultural products. Idepi. It is said, however, that this delay of five days is not a prescription, or subject to its rules. The Civil Code, after treating of the prescription relative to the acquisition of property, proceeds in articles 3528, 3529, et seq. to treat of the prescription which operates a release from debt. Art. 3529 says: “ This prescription has also the effect of releasing the owner of an estate from every species of real rights to which the property may have been subject, if the person in possession of the right has not exercised it during the time required' by law. ” Whilst this article was framed more particularly with reference to real estate, and real rights thereon, it serves to show that the effect of this prescription operates not only for the release of persons from their obligations, but also to extinguish incumbrances and obligations bearing upon things.
There was a vendor’s lien in favor of Musson, bearing as an incumbrance on this cotton. The law declares that if the right to that privilege is not asserted within five days after the.day of delivery it is lost, at least as against a third holder of the property. In other words, an action to enforce it is barred by lapse of time. The property is discharged from the lien, the incumbrance “ by the effect of time,” and this is.prescription. C. C. 3420.
Article 3430 Civil Code declares that prescription is “ acquired after
The Code of Practice treats in the main of the rules of procedure-in courts of justice. We think the rule of art. 318 C. P. can not be extended to a case like this. It manifestly refers to mere matters of practice in the courts.
As I have said, I think the five days of art. 3227 C. .C. constitute a prescription. As such it is not interrupted or suspended by the occurrence of dies non.
I therefore concur in the decree of the court in this case.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- M. Musson & Co. v. A. Foster Elliott
- Status
- Published