The Express.
London, England, 1860-08-06 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

HOME CIRCIIIT.—Oun.Drosp, Avourr 4.
MX HIGH 11913117, 11111517D0/L.

It was stated on Saturday in the report from this circa
that Mr. Justice Blackburn had lined the high sheriff,
Mr. Evelyn, 500 i. for contempt of court is persisting to
address the magistrates
. who bed been summoned to serve
on the grand jury for attending so numerously. The high
sheriff retired from the court immediately afterwards and
proceeded to his lodgings, where a great many of the magis-
trates of the county went to him, and a consultation took
place as to the hest means of settling the unpleasant affair.
Aftor a good deal of discussion, it was arranged that a
statement of the facts should be submitted to the Lord
Chief Justice, and that be should be requested to interfere.
A statement was acconlingly drawn up, and signed by a
number of magistrates, and Lord Chief Justice Cockburn at
ones consented to interfere, and after a consultation he ex-
pressed an opinion that the only satisfactory manner in
whirl the affair could be arranged was by Mr. Evelyn
apology for having set the authority of
Cv1.21 an apology
Blackburn at delance. Mr. Evelyn
at cases cemented, and an apolofpg was drawn up,
whisk was shown to Lord Chief Justice Cockburn,
and which in his opinion was satisfactory, and an intima-
tion of what had taken place having been given to Mr.
Justice Blackburn, late in the afternoon and just before the
courts rose, the high sheriff, accompanied by a number of
his brother magistrates proceeded to the Crown Court,
where Mr. Justice Blackburn was sitting. The high sheriff
then read the apology that had been agreed upon, and which
was to the effect, that he utterly disclaimed all intention to
give offence to the learned judge, and that he had been led
away by the feeling of the moment to express his thanks to
the magistrates, many of whom be knee had come a cond.
doable distarce and at great personal inconvenience to per-
form the duty of grand jurors, for having attended so nu-
merously, and he expressed his Einem regret at having
done so.

—Mr. Justice Blackburn replied very shortly that he could
readily believe that the high aheriff had no deliberate inten-
tion to insult the court, and, so far as was personally
concerned, the matter was not of the slightest importance.
He, however, felt that ho was celled upon to support the
dignity of the bench, and that he bad no alternative but to
take the course he adopted. It the high sheriff had sat
down when he requested him to do so, there would have been
an end to the matter, but he would not, and ppeemisted in
addresingthe gentlemen present,and hefelthimsalf therefore
compelled todo what he had done. He now, however, was
quite willing to accept the apology that had been offered,
and he was glad that the matter had been thus settled.
His Lordship then gave directions to Mr. Avery, the de-
puty clerk of amis., that the fine of 500/. inflicted upon the
high sheriff should be remitted, and Mr. Evelyn and his
friends left the court.

t affair was thus so far brought toa termina-
tion. It appears however that, from some cause or other that
teas not transpired, an unpleasant feeling has existed
between the judges and the magistrates for this county at
the present assizes. It has been the invariable rule, not only
in Surrey, but in every other county where a large comber
of magistrates attend in pursuance of their summonses to
nerve on the grand jury, for the je who site in the Crown
Court to thank them for their zeal and readiness to assist
in the administration of the justice of the country. At
these assizes there was an unusually large attendance of
magistrates, and many of them came • considerable dis-
tance, and Mr. Evelyn, as high sheriff, being aware of this
feteared to be anxious that his brother magistrates
should receive the compliment that was usually paid to
them by the ju but it appears that Mr. Justice Black-
burn y refused, and said that it was not custo-
mary. A great many rumours and statements were current
on Friday in reference to the affair : one of which was that
Mr. Justice Blackburn had made an offer to remit the fire
bed'are any apology was made, and another that Mr. Evelyn
had sent a cheque to the judge :or the amount of the fine.
Both these statement. are incorrect. Nothing of this sort
occurred, and the above is • correct version of the affair.
Mr. Evelyn appears to have filled the office of high sheriff
with very great liberality, and he is much respected in the
county generally, as well as by his own particular
Mends, and the general feeling to be that Mr. Ju. -
tire Blac'.burn acted rather harshly to him in the matter,
and that the imposition of such an enormous fine was not
only uncalled for, but actually absurd, under the circum-
stances. Mr. Evelyn performed his duty of escorting the
judges to court on Saturday nice Mug, but he only remained
or • vary short time.