The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-01-10 00:00:00

SOMERSET QUARTER SESSIONS.

These Sessions were held on Tuesday last, and, in
consequence of Sir F. Slide's motion for the removal
of the Lady-day and Michaelmas Sessions from
Wells to 'Taunton, there was an unusually large
attendance of the magistracy.
The CHAIRMAN COngratulated the Grand Jury on
the very great diminution in crane observable in the
quarter. In tbe corresponding quarter there were
for ti iii 20; her the Criminal Justice Act, in the
western division, 22, .mstern 2.s—total, 47; at
Winter Asnzes, ;so that for the quarter of last
year there were 1115, whereas they now found in the
calendar there were :14 eases for trial ; tried under
the Criminal Justice Act in the Western Di nun
20, in the Eastern 3.i—total, h 9 ; as against 109 at
the corresponding period. !Sondes this, he congratu-
lated them that the offences were so comparatively
trivial that no Winter Assizes had been held, and
that at the Sessions and Assizes there were 58 tried,
whereas now there were but 24. Whether this
anise from the full employment of the people, or
from the progress of education, which every account'
showed was growing gradually in this county;
whether it was by enlistment, or by the numbers
who had gone to colonise other countries, he knew
not, but he hopoil there was in this county a more
moral rectitude than heretofore, which accounts for
the highly satisfactory condition of the calendar.
The Chairman then referred to No. ease of inci-
ting to steal; and said he was happy to find there
was only one ease of juvenile offender. The amount
stolen, however, was so great that the prisoner was
sent there. He hoped the great good of Reforma-
tories was fully understood. At least 25 per cent,
was now taken off this class of offenders. He was
happy to find by returns that there were now only
16 boys and 8 girls in confinement as juvenile often'
den. At the Red Hill Reformatory they could take
any number of juveniles, and he would recommend
magistrates that if they sent a child there they
would not send him for one or two years, but try to
secure his return not earlier than the age of 17. Out
of :14 mulles, he found no less than 12 hail been pre-
viously convicted.
The question of the removal of the Sessions was
put after a lengthened and animated discussion, when
there appeared

}or the motion
Against it ...

Majority against Taunton ... ... 44
WEWL—A general complaint prevails respecting
the condition of the streets in this city. They are
nearly impassabie for fo..t•passengers, and the street
hauling to the railway station, is naught but mire.
A IZVN•AWAY TUUCK.—One of the trucks, be.
longing to the goods department, laden with goods,
at tho Wells Station, by some means, yet unex•
plained, passed over the points, on the down line,
I:la.4onbury, and before the delinquent points.
man could overtake it it had gained such speed as to
knock down the gates at Polshiun (aboutthree miles
distant), and was met by the up-passengers' train,
which took the fugitive into custody, and forced it
back to its former position.
Cm:scut:we STMCKM—A lad formerly in the
employ of a confectioner, being once sent on an Cr.
rand, with a basket of cakes, returned minus the
money, stating it would be paid next time ; being
sent shortly after on a similar errand, he dump.
peered altogether with the basket, cakes, &c. He
has, however, recently called upon the worthy vm-
fectioner and paid him ten shillings, which he said
he thought was about the value of the buns, basket,
&c., taken by Min nearly eleven years before. He
had been to sea, and now returned, it is hoped, an
honest man ; at all., rate he has eased his conscience
11,1 far ; which may have been brought about through
the perils of the deep, "whilst the stormy winds
did blow."