The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-03-29 00:00:00

SOMERSET SPRING SESSIONS.

Wecul, Tuesday.
These sessions were opened at Wells to-day before C.
A. Moody, Esq., M.P., Chairman. The following
magistrates were present :—The Earl of Cork, Colonel
Blatliwayt, Captain Scobell. It. K. M. King, Esq.. F.
li. Dickinson, Esl., G. S. Waite, Esq., li. M airy, Esq ,
P. Itroadmead. Esq., .1. Wood, Esq., W. Moody, Esq ,
W. Warry, Esq., 11. Itobliousc, Esq., Colonel PhiPPA,
R. N. Grenville, Esq., J. Roy Allen, EN., Captain
Ernst, J. V. Somerville, Esq., C. D. Bailey, Esq., .1.
Murch, Esq., T. T. Knytton, Eiiq., Vaughan' Jenkins,
Esq., John Ilailward, Esq., J. Giles, Esq., Joseph
Woollen, Esq. H. G. Moysey, Esq., R. Clerk, Esq., J.
Clark, Esq., L.
The Clerk of the Peace said he bail received • com•
inunicatien from W. Miles, Esq., apologising for his •
attendance, on account of parliamentary duties. The
letter stated that as the diSCUSeIiOII on the Reform Bill
col 1111 l enced on M lay, the 2lst inst., it was necesartry
for him to be ill his place in Parliament. It was
impossible furl to know the exact time the discussion
would occupy ; and as he might, on the second reading
of that Bill, lISIVU OCCIIIIiIIII hi make • proposition of his
own, lie must ask the indulgence of the Justices of the
county for not heing present. It was to the best of his
belief the first time for 24 years that lie had been obliged
to apologise fur non-attendance, except in cases of illness,
and lie hoped the excuse he now made would meet with
kind consideration.

It wax then remixed unanimously, on the motion of
the Earl of l'ork, that t!. A. Moody, Esq.. M.P., take
the chair. It wax also resolved unanimoualy that u
the state of the loniiness would require a second
court—that R. K. M. King, Kx.l., and J. Roy
Allen. Emi., be the Justices appointed to sit in the
second court.

The Grand Jury having been sworn, the Chairman in
charging them said, tor doubt they would all entertain a
feeling Of l'Cgret at the absence of Mr. Miles. He (Mr.
Miles) had, Ire believed, presided in that court for 24
years, and he need not tell them with what ability he
had discharged that dirty. He was now detained in
London on bushiest of the most important character,
and he need not tell them the nature of that business.
He hoped their friend's absence on a future occasion
would not be attributable to • similar object. He was
happy to say that the state of the calendar was such that
they would not be ietained by any lengthened obser-
vations. By referring to the first Arect of the calendar,
they would see • table which had been drawn out by
their intelligent governor of the helot gaol in the county,
by which it would be seen that there had been • great
diminution of crime in 19 months, of no fewer than fki
persons. The calendar war smaller than it had been 011
10.01.11/101ciresaions on which, perhaps, •ttttt e of them (who
like himself were growing ohl) had served. One cause
of this diminution WILY to be attributed by the working
nuf the Criminal Justice Act, hy which /1 great many
offenders were dealt with summarily. There was also •
very ',leaning feature in the calendar—that the number
of juvenile offenders was very small ; he believed the
youngest in the calendar was 18 years of age. The
magistrates now had the power of dealing with children,
and subjecting them to short periods of Minna. ttttt ent,
and then to transfer them to a reformatory establish-
ment ; and that system occurrent to work well. When a
young offender was imprisoned only for a few week, and
then cast our the world, sufficient time bail not elasped
during his incarceration to impreos any religious truths
1111011 Ws 111111 d. Now, they were taken away from their
vicious companiono ; they were broken of their 1110i011,1
habits ; and they were frequently brought out fermis
those establishments quite reformed, &MI respectable
members of society. With regard to those on the
calendar who could not read and write, it secured to him
that education, or the want of it, was trot the only
ingredient which contributed to, or detracted from,
the conduct of our ls. In his opini tttt there was
nothing which tended to lessen crime, more than empley-
meta to the poor. l'lre number of persons who received
relief from the various Ulllolls in the county was less by
BIM; than it was hurt year. This was • greatlynli ttt itt ished
number ; but it had been going on inure and inure for
the last few weeks, therefore it is very palpable that
they have not been driven try want to the commission of
crime. The character of the charges were not of a very
serious nature, and he waa not aware that any of them
would present any material difficulties in the way ; but
he would be happy, in conjunction with the chairman in
the other court, to give them all the information which
lay in their power.
The court than proceeded to the transaction of the
business described ILI the agenda paper.