Raffles v. Wichelhaus (The Peerless Case)

Court of Exchequer

159 Eng. Rep. 375 (1864)

Relevant factsFree

Wichelhaus (defendant) agreed to buy 125 bales of cotton from Raffles (plaintiff), to arrive from Bombay via the ship Peerless, but there were actually two different ships named Peerless departing Bombay months apart; Raffles delivered cotton on the December Peerless while Wichelhaus believed he was contracting for cotton on the earlier October Peerless, and Wichelhaus refused to pay, prompting Raffles's breach-of-contract suit.

IssueFree

Whether a mutual misunderstanding between the parties as to the meaning of a contractual term invalidates the contract.

Holding & reasoning

The court resolved the question by applying the controlling rule to the facts and explaining precisely why the outcome followed. Its reasoning ties the doctrine to the record so you can reproduce the analysis on an exam.

Procedural history, concurrence & dissent

This section traces the case from the trial court through appeal and lays out how each opinion lands. Separate writings sharpen the majority's limits and flag the arguments most likely to resurface in class.

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