The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-10-25 00:00:00

CROWN COURT.-WEDNESU AY.

The Court wu opened at 10 o'clock this morning
when the turned Chairman the Rev. —U. P. It/LATHAN
delivered the following

CHARGE.
Gentlemen of the Grand Jury.—ln directing your at
tention to the calendar which is now placed before me, I
exceedingly regret to say that it is a calendar containing
not only the names of 20 offenders, against whom bills
of indictment will be preferred for felony and misde-
meanour ; but certain iii, that the offences themselves
are, many of them, of • most grave description. Allow
me to direct your attention to the quarterly account by
which we may estimate the increase and decrease of
crime. During the quarter ending Michaelmas, 1858,
there were committed for trial 104 persons, and during
the quarter ending the present Michaelmas, 1859, there
, were 138 prisoners, being an increase of 34. There can
be no doubt,—when we conic to take into consideration
that in England and Wales for the last three years there
has been a considerable diminution of crime —that it is a
matter of the most serious and painful concern, that there
is an increase of 34 persons in the quarter ending Michael-
mas, 1859, for trial at these aessiona. On looking at the
nature of these offences, you will find that some of them
are of • most grave and serious description. The one
which stands first on the calendar, is that of a man
charged with obscenity, there are two cases of fraud and
embezzlement, and one case of felony, upon a scale of no
common magnitude, showing that in the commission of
these crimes the worst and most violent of the human
passions have been developed. You, as the representa-
tives of the public, and ourselves as the representatives
of the Crown, taking the deepest intarest we can to put
down the commission of crime, are led to inquire into
the existing causes for the commission of crime. One
thing is quite certain. I have read all the depositions
with considerable care, and 1 am bound to say the im-
moderate use of intoxicating liquors is the main MIMI of
the commission of these crimes The question then is.—
Is there any mode by which the immoderate use of these
intoxicating liquors can be prevented? We are told from
time to time by the judges of the realm, and by others who
frequent our judicial warts, and who take an interest in
the promotion of the public morality of this country,
that three-fourths of the crimes of this country have been
produced by intoxication. The number of criminals at
large in England is 134,922, and the number imprisoned
25,424 persons, entailing an annual expense upon the
community of not less than £10,000,000. The question
naturally occurs," What are the exciting causes of crime,
and has the government and legislature of this country
endeavoured to counteract and provide against them r
First, Drunkenness. Judges and moralista have all de-
scribed drunkenness as being the besetting sin, and the
great cameo of crime in England, and even medical men
hay. aaeribed to this rice the great increase of insanity
in the United Kingdom. We know perfectly well that
it has been imputed to us, sea national vice, the vice of
drunkenness, in fact it has become a bye-word. With

regard to the second portion of the question, hal the go-
vernment and legislature endeavoured to counteract, and
provide spinet drunkenness—l find that in the reign of
James 1., in 1673—Z18 years ago, there was no
law written upon the pages of our states book,
more cumbrous than the statue for the purpose
of punishing drunkards. But there is • very re-
markable circumstance. In 1844 there was an
Act of Parliament passed, for the Government
began to be alarmed at the increase of drunken-
ness—for abridging, daring the Sabbath and other
sacred days, the hours in which our alehouses and beer
houses should be open for the purpose of giving &cons
to those persons—to these drinks, which when taken to
excess will debase the individual who partakes of them.
At the end of 12 months, strange to say, that statute
was repealed, and the present existing law-16 and 17
Vic. —actually permits an our ale and beer-houses to be
open from 5 in the evening till 11 o'clock at night on
Sundays. During these hours, the public, and men of
the lowest and most depraved character may indulge
with impunity in the use of the intoxicating drinks.
Now, taking a deep interest in every possible mode for
the improvement of the system for improving the public
morals, you have • perfect right to look upon this sub-
ject, and also • right as subjects of the realm to largely
petition parliament asking for an amendment of the
laws, relating to the 640 of intoxicating drinks. To
show that I am not alone in this ease I beg Leave to
direct your attenticn to a very important work written
by • very eminent man, Dr. Hood, showing not only that
the increase of drunkenness, is very great and remark-
able; but that insanity has also increased in the same
proportion that drunkenness hu done. His words are
these :—" The village beershop is the common place of
neon where the ignorant and the idle indulge them-
'elves in smoking, drinking, and in habits of intempe-
rance, which impair the health, debilitate the mind and
lead to a per-version of the moral feelings, ending in the
commission of crime, and the development of insanity."
This view is fully sustained by the authority of Mr.
Justice Wightman, who, in his evidence before the
House of Lords stated, "According to my experience, at
least three-fourths of the criminal charges that are
brought to trial at the usises, originate in habits of in-
temperance, and 'pending all leisure time in public
houses, the parties usually being totally ignorant and
unable to read and write; and as it would seem, inca-
pable of appreciating any other mode of enjoyment or
occupying their leisure." I will now direct your atten-
tion to the general degree of instruction amongst the
criminals of England which is obtained from the returns
of criminal statistics presented to the House of Com-
mons. Out of 41,826 males and females committed to
the gaols of England and Wales no less than :15 and a
fraction per cent., could neither read or write. Of
68,227, males and females, only 87 and • fraction per
cent. could read and write imperfectly; and 5 and •
trifling fraction per cent, only could read and write
well. I would beg to say, gentlemen, that we can only
consider the increaae of crime in the county of Dorset,
by comparing it with other counties. If there is an in-
crease of crime in Dorset, you have a right to infer
that there is an increase of crime iii other counties. The
learned Chairman then proceeded to say that the value
of the goods which were taken, and by which people
were defrauded, amounted to seven millions per annuls;
and that the colts of prosecutions amounted to ten mil-
lions per annum, and in as far so the money value of
the goods and chattels went, it was most important
that the public should be protected. He hoped
they would by no means consider that the remarks he
had made were by any means irrelevant to the question
now before them. When they took into consideration
the unmoral state of society in the county of Dorset, in
every point of view the increase and decrease of thme
must form a very material deliberation in the minds of
thou who are well disposed to the interests of society at
=Having made some observations respecting the
us indictments they would have to consider, this
learned Usairman dismissed the Grand Jury to their
duties.

FILIAL OF eIIsoNINS.
(Before the Bev. H. F. YKATMAX, LLB.)

Robere Wilaos, 27, seaman. pleaded not guilty to the
charge of stealinz • coat, the property of Edward
Thomas T0we1...n.1, at Weymouth, on the Irk uf sep.,
1859. Mr. Woodfonl Ffooks pro,ccuted ; the prisoner
was undelende,l. Guilty; 4 czaciular =maw imprison-
ment with hard labour.