The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-08-14 00:00:00

CROWN COURT.-YESTERDAY.

At twelve o'clock, Baron Platt took his seat on the bench,
when the following gentlemen were sworn on the
GRAND JURY.
John Cheetham, Esq., M.P., Staleybridge,
Peter Ainsworth, Esq., Smith-hill Hall, Bolton.
Richard Burley, Esq., Manchester.
Thomas Brocklebank, Esq., Springwootl, bear Liverpool.
Edward Chaloner, Esq., Oakhill, near Liverpool.
Marks Wilks Collett, Calderstones, Wavertree.
Robert Gladstone, Esq., Manchester.
James Hardcastle, Esq.' Firwood, Bolton.
Robert Ellison Harvey, Esq., Walton Priory, Liverpool.
Lawrence Heyworth, Esq., M.P., Yew Tree, Liverpool.
George Holt, Esq.. Liverpool.
Hugh Hornby, Esq., Sandown, Liverpool.
T. B. Horsfall, Esq., M.P., Liverpool.
Richard Heywood, Jones, Esq., Larkhill, Liverpool.
William Todd Naylor, Esq., Liverpool.
William Neild, Esq., Manchester.
William Rotherham, Esq., Aigburtli, Liverpool.
James Holbrook Smith, Esq., Liverpool.
Thomas Thornley, Esq., M.P., Liverpool.
James Aspinall Tobin, Esq., Mayor of Liverpool.
Charles Turner, Esq., Dingle-head, Liverpool. . •
•
John Hayward Turner, Esq., Rodney-street, LiverpOel.
John Woodcock, Esq., The Elms, Wigan.
On the coroners for thecounty being called, moone.unewered.
His Lordship then ltated that in future he should direct
that every coroner, who made a presentment tc theasitee, and
did not attend to answer when his name was called, mould be
fined.

TirepreclamatiOn against vice and immorality 'having been
read, the learned judge proceeded as follews::—
CIENTItn•EN OP IRE GRAND adislappy to meet
Sou again, and in meeting you, must 03servetlu4 the spectacle
presented hereis one worthy of a great nation, enabling us, as
it does, to know and understand that etenlhe humblest sub-
ject, if charged‘viith any offence' may, without making any re-
quest to any one, have his case fairly considered by you ; and
that even .afteryou have bestowed on ;it yorar best attention,
and made suchvresentment, he safv;n4thbut fear or favour, and
Vithelit any hindrance, appeal to a fartilir trial of his case. 1
Veu;gehtletmen, are selected from among your fellows to in-
,gtire, in thetrst instance, into all-subh 'charges, and are Vans
made the barrier of the greatest 'freedom which it would c :
gratifying 'to other nations if 'they cduld be found imitating.
This,- henever, is not ail, for the lawstorthis country carefnlly,
provide `fet the utmost freedom •:01 speech to counsel *on ;
behalf et* the prisoner. 'l-lez Majesty has also
talien'etre to have the Nage -en the bench secured in
• the most entire and perfect indepetdance, whose duty it is;'
'to see lihat every form consistent``-wish the impartial (Thttribu-•
Lion-Ufzjustice is strictly -adhbred to. This, gentlemen, let:
me again remark, is a Cue-speetaas,, and one of which we mays
be all vend. To address .ourselvec, however, to the calendar.!;
Th:s,it, is true, is in of thelnumber of cases it ,containa
short,much short of that•of tht'alx months of last year. The,
efionnity of the casesin many of the instances, however, I regret!:
to say, fully make -Ike for the'delciency in number in <cousti—
Wang the present a Tery heavy calendar. On recalling:- to,
mind the calendar of former.' years, it appears that in most
:itaaces those fzr the cOrresponding six months have ell-
ceeded the present. In -IV4s9 the calendar eoutained-134 •
casts ; in 1854'3, -there were ,133 ; in 1851, there were 446.;

in 1852, 157 ; in 1663,1-134+, and last year 154.
-year it will be seen Iheythardly reach one hundred, :thus
:611ing considerably slidrt -of the average of thoseyeara.
Tic! enormity of the'critims charged, however, I "regret
trto see, makes rap Idly for the comparatively *small
• +number. There Fe 'in-rit mot fewer than tiventyccasesiin-
weiving the sacrifice+ of human life, charges ,of tmanslaughter
,urA murder; not that every charge which is vitt down upon
the calendar will 'necessarily turn out to :amounttU lat
-clime. Some of 'themPtr.ay, no doubt, tbarn out' to he
-,eases of manslaughter,' but still all of them iinveiliting,tithe
'the sacrifice of thetlife'ef one of her Majesty's sribjebts. :9ne
subject deserying iii'' particular remark is the 'vice /intexi-
"cation. This you twill ;find by your investigation into the
'calendar, and the intiniries which will :arise out of it,fthat
;nearly half of the ,crime which you will howeTto incitfirerinto,
arises out of the +preirienee of drunkenness. Heri, in 'this
-.country, where labour is+ rewarded in endir a moray. as to -enable
+ the workman or Labourer to place himself in + a respectable
position, to seaurex,-oinfert to his wife !and family,-and to per-
•zait him to putsomething by for an ((alley. !Indeflance of
=this, it is found Tthati;the prevalence cif Ihwinkenness: net -only
~,Iwevents this defire,ble-end, but induces the-comraiseicn of
+•crime. The ,crimezof nutting and woumfingtis onte4hich is
unusually prevalent-in:this neighbourhood, aril-Which; unfor-
tunately, seems osi tliosincrease. It is onlycflate yeart that the
knife of theassassin+waeknown in this country,andiLis.ef the
utmost consequeacciarst orime committed by stich -means
• should be severely +punished. I atin wet .aware, gentlemen,
r Ahat there is :anything iixt the calendar in ••eonneetion with
',which you will require ,arry special remark from .rne,, familiar
. as you all are With, the important duties of your ofliee,-•rolless,
hideed, I alindelo-oneinatance in wkiich a tradesman supplied
an article for the:repair •of a steam-engine. Thist;+ it appears,
-was so faulty in,•some,particulars as to load to'thelossiof life.
at was, as I apprelsenkthe supply ofa safety '-valyeiooiimper-
iiectly constructed asta-lead to the baretingof the-b Oiler, and
=The sacrifice +of life. i 53,2 bring this within the range of the
:crime of mankaughter,i-it will be necessary to prove that it
--was the result .OLgrossmeaigence on the partof the:individual
furnishing it. ill a• person driving a carriage 'inbhe 'street
I++tasd by the earillesssoess of his driving oatisesAlie death
clan individual, he isnlidiole to be punished +for +that care-
lessness; hut, +unless lheearelessness beef a.very-gToes elm-
:mter, it will ;notinvolveibim in the charge Of +manslaughter.
.;`lf a man turns out:a, carriage so faulty in thombeels as to
, cause the overtumsingo oflthe carriage, and the, was +o6.cogni-
d of that faultiness tine, he must ince ihnown the danger,
;he will be held Irospomilale. In the case lunder-conSideration,
cifson are satisfiedtbat.the =an was guilty • of ,gross and cul-
.(pable neglig•ence in--supplying the article Iv ,whiich thekeatas-
,+-trophe was krongle6,,abouL, he should be pnti+upou his trial,
Aut not otherwise. +.41-nether crime, which :is: of froguent
-occurrence in this :as.„,in -some other manufacturing dis-
!Wets, is the paunderingof.employers. Wherever meirufac-
;tuns are carried, on this: has 'been found to eaisti, at 4east,for a
,considerable time "past, .andat has consequently .deuolvcd on
:the legislature to onset , st viith severe gsunisbncent. in a
Ipartkular degree, ils ito:hertroced to the etvils:attending +en in-
:temperance. VlTherover ;;drunkenness etists, ;it ;as. anal to
eggrtvate this is also made in sonsedegc2c the
.mesas of discovering ,the,crime. Gentlemen, • there . one
:other offence which is tundee2iably on the increase an-:this

!town, as your oweatenperieace in yOur capacity: as. grandyjcrY:
anen.;will inform you. J.,tneara the offence 4* • stealinr,-from
the Alerson. This is ,hardly-to be wondered at .here,,.as it
,seeur to be on the inmease in every town in England. Like
the kr thers alluded to, this,offence is also greablyencouraged
by.habits of intemperance. tGentlemen, tisem:are other,scs,as
in the, calendar which twill. demand, and without doubt receive
your: attention ; but tixeg are !,,not of such a aateare as to call
far -epqcial remark from sneiatte. it shall not kknger.detain you.
from I.4he discharge of pour duties.; but I need not, I tnust,sar,
if you e...perience any diffietilty,in.any of them I alialltbe. most
ha,piv Ito afford you al? the „assistance in my power.
lordshiplten dismissed tfuegrandiury to their dutias.