The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-04-10 00:00:00

WEDNESDAY.

The rourt Met this morning at ten o'clock, there
being a considerable number of magistrates present.
The proclamation against vice and immorality having
been read, the chairman in charging the Grand Jury at
considerable length, said that be was gratified at
being able to state that their labours at these sessions
would not be very jirutracteil or difficult. There were
but thirteen caws for trial, all of which with but
one exception, weir, by no means of an aggravated
, character, but the fact of there being so few at these
sewn was not from there being so great a diminu-
tion of crime in the county, but on account of there
having been, within the last three weeks, a gaol deli-
Isvery by Her Nlajesty's.ludges of Assize. There had,
besides been $ prisoners convicted muter the Juvenile
Offenders Act, and 19 under the Act 18 and 19. Vic.
, cap. 126, so that but for the way iii which thew cases
were disposed of, there would have been 61 prisonei a
for trial at these sessions. The number of prisoner.
cominitted during the quarter had been 245, whi!e,
during the corrosponiling quarter of last year, but Itil
prisoners were committed, and this to a casual
observer would appear a certain proof that
crime was on the increase throughout the county.
but be was happy to say that mmii
analysing the facts it would be found that the numb-r
of felonies and misdemeanours was less than in Olean-res-
ponding quarter of the preceding year. and the large
addition of penions committed to the gaol were deloora
committed by the County Court Judge, and sailors Irmo
the island of Portland, belonging to the Beet, for mite I
conducte-and who could not be considered a. belonging
to the county. The number of I.risoners charged before
the magistrdes--excluaive of the sailors---in 1858 was
496, and in 1851.4 was 479, which showed that there was
a diiiiinuti .... of offenders brought bet. re the justice*
during the latter ye..r of 17. Again, by referring to
the police records they found that in 1858 the number
of persons apprehended was 788, and in 1839 it was
818. This would seem to infer that crime was on the
ncrease in the county ; hut in 1838 tiler: were 292. soil
1 and in 1859 no le. than 339 discharged when taken
I before the msgistratee. It might be supposed that
Ithem being so large a number discharged by the wags- !
! trate*, the police had been over-vigilent hi apprehending
parties without their being sufficient grouna for their
•loing so. But if they referred to she police statistics
of the kingdom they would find that the number dis-
charged and apprehended were in about the same ratio.
The police force should use the utmost vigilance when it
was remembered that according to the best criminal
statistical informati ttttt there sere 110 le. than 134,922
thieves at large living upon plunder, awl 23.424 in con-
finement, making a total of 160,346. It was computed
that the thieves at large robbed the public of property
to the amount of 1:7,748,000 annually, and that they cost
the country no less than '...111 millions sterling. The
Chairman then referred to the decrease of the graver
offences, such MI horse and sheep stealing. since the
est.thl aliment of the Itorset Comity Constabulary.
Seven years ago there ware 17 cases of sheep, lamb, and
horse stealing in 21 of the parishes, while during the
pest year there had hen hut three cases for the whole
county. The chairman, after seme further remarks, dis-
missed the grand jury to their duties.