The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-03-18 00:00:00

_LIVERPOOL SESSIONS.

These sobsions commenced yesterday, in the Crown Court,
sit St. George's Hall, before the Recorder, G. Henderson,
Esq.

The usual formalities having been disposed of, the following
gentlemen were sealed as

TUB GRAND JURY :
Edward•Astley
Robert Aikiu ..
Brice Allen
W. Akers
A. Bowers

A. C. Browne

J. B. Cooper
W. H. Daunt

D. Graham
Y. Langton

E. Parry
J. Stock

P. Vance ........ ...
W. Wright ..
W. a Waddington . Church street.

The calendar contains the names of 171 prisoners, 140 of
whom had been convicted for felonies, and 31 for misde-
meanours.

The usual proclamation against vice and immorality having
been read,
The Recorder charged the Grand Yury as follows :—Gentle-
men of the Grand Tury—no one, who from time to time visits
this town, can fail to observe the great changes which are
constantly taking place ; they find the streets extending, the
docks multiplying, the ships increasing in size, and its com-
merce extending to every known region of the globe. All
those are signs of
.satisfaction to the public at large, but it is
my duty, silting in this court to administer justice as I do, to
call your attention to a different point—sit is the exceeding
large number of prisoners whose names are in the calendar
before me. After an interval of only six weeks, for it is only that
time since "we held our last sessions, you are now called
,upon to dispose of no less than 171 offenders. I❑ the short
month of February there were 134 persons committed for
trial, so that if the same number of persons had been com-
mitted in every month during the year, there would be rio
Less than 1,608 persons to try at these sessions in the course of
the year. On this ecrasion the number is not only large, but
it is snore than double the number that have been tried at
any sessions within the last five years. Now, lam aware
that this state of the calendar is to be attributed, in a great
measure to the change that has been made in the mode of
dealing with offenders. So far as I have seen, but there are
some of the later depositions which I have not read, but as
far as I have read them, all the cases are very light, and of a
trifling character—but there is one case that I think it will
be necessary for me to notice, and that is the case in which
some persons employed at the railway, are charged with
plundering some goods in their transit through this town to
some place beyond the seas. There is no doubt that, in a
great commercial port like this, that that is a very serious
offence, and, if detected, deserves a very severe punishment.
The number of cases committed has been very large—much
larger than usual, as is evident, not alone from the state of
the calendar, but also from the crowded state of the gaol ; for
I find, by the last annual report of the governor, a document
containing much valuable and useful information, that the
daily average number of prisoners for the year ending on the
30th of September, 1856, was 832, and that the largest
number in prison, at any one period during the year, was 978 ;
but I have since ascertained that, on Tuesday last, the total
number was 1,179. Now, this state of things is deeply to be
-regretted, not only in itself, but still more so, as it interferes
with the separate system, from which much good has
arisen, and yet still much more good is expected.
The number of prisoners in the gaol has for some time
exceeded the number of cells, therefore it has been found
necessary to place two or more women in one cell—women, I
say, for the great criminality that' exists in this town, and the
degradation, chiefly arises amongst the women. I sometimes
think that we have not done all we could do to prevent this
state of things. I feel that. there should be some legislative
enactment to prevent it. lam disposed to think that power
should be given to fine the owners of the houses where these-
poor wretched and degraded women live, and that in case the
fine be not paid that power be given distrain the goods of the
owner the tame as a landlord does for rent. Gentlemen, as I
have told you, the number of women in the gaol is
very large—it far exceeds the accommodation ; and instead
of each having a separate cell, the governor has had to place
two together ; and unless some check is put to the course of
crime, the same result will extend to the men ; and even to
prevent it, the governor has had to resort to some unusual
practices. These are all the remarks I have to snake, and I
will now dismiss you to perform your duties in this, what I
fear will be rather a protracted sessions. The petty jury were
then sworn, and the trial of the prisoners was proceeded with.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

LIVERPOOL.
BEFORE MESSRS. HOLME AND JEFFERY.

THE ROBBERY BY A CASHlER.—Seacorobe Ellison
Priestly, the young man who was the cash keeper at
Messrs. Batesan's, cotton brokers, was brought up on
remand, charged with having embezzled about £5OO. the
moneys of his employers. In addition to the evidence
already published, detective officer Sullivan said be
searched the prisoner's room in his father's house, in Lord
street, and in a box which was pointed out to him as
belonging to the prisoner, he.got a £lO note, £5 lOs in
gold, 2s 8d in silver, and 6s in copper, with a portrait of
a female of ill repute. with whom the prisoner kept
company. Detective officer Patrick said, since the pri-
soner was remanded he had given in a list of the sums
which he had embezzled, and in all it amounted to•
£4Bl. Mr. Bateson said he had examined the prisoner's
cash book, and he found several false additions, and the
amounts exactly tallied with the list given by the
prisoner. Mr. Egan, a clerk in the employment of Messrs.
Bateson, corroborated the evidence. The prisoner was
sent for tl ial.

WIFE DESERTION.—Mr. Hughes, out door relieving
officer, brought up a person, named Patrick Murray, a
fireman on board a steamer, charged with having deserted
his wife and children, and leaving them chargeable to
the parish to the amount of £3. The case was proved,
and the prisoner was sent to jail for one month, with
hard labour.
CAUTION TO SAILORS.—Two sailors, named Edward
Ryland and Otto Rodder, belonging to the ship Eugenora
of Dublin, were brought up on a charge of mutiny.
Mr. Block appeared for the prosecution. From the evi-
dence of Captain O'Donohoe, the master of the ship, it
appeared that the prisoners, whilst at the port of Dobaoy,
in America, acted in the most mutinous manner, and
threatened.to commit murder. They had to be put in-
irons and brought home so. This statement was corrobo.
rated by the entries in the log book and the evidence of
the mate, and Mr. Black asked the magistrates to inflict
the full penalty according to the act. Their worships
ordered the prisoners to be imprisoned with hard labour
for twelve weeks, and trusted that it would be a warning
to other sailors. Mr. Bluck applied for the forfeiture of
the wages due to the prisoners, and their worships ordered
the wages to be forfeited accordingly.
ASSAM:U.—Owen Finnigan was committed for trial
for a violent assault on Dominick Sheeran, and James
Kidd was sent for trial for having assaulted and robbed
W. Grundy, an American blacksmith, of 100 dollars.
Jaws Hannan was sent to gaol for One months
for stealing some clothes from the house of Mr. Qnick,
Richmond Terrace.

BIRTH.
On the 17th inst., Airs. John Gibbons, Mossley Hill, of a son.
MARRIAGES

On the 15thtinst.. at St. Pe,er's Church. by license, Ur. Daniel
Roberts to Mary Hannah. eldest daughter of Ur. William Wignall,
of this town.

On the 16th inst., by special license, P. P. Marshall, E; q., C. E.,
to Augusta Buchanan, fourth daughter of John Miller, of Everton
Brow.

FOLEY'S AMERICAN GOLD PENS.—Chirle3 Willmar
wholesale and letail stationer, 19, South John.street
respectfallv intimates to merchants, traders, and doalers,
that he has been appointed sole agent for the sale of Foley's
celebrated American Gold Pens, which arc universally
acknowledged to be far superior to any other manufactured
either in America or this country, They are sold cheaper,
are made of the best gold, with superior points, and are
warranted to wear at least ten years. In America they
have been extensively used for that period, and are pre
ferred to new ones. The prices range from five shillings to
a guinea each. Supplied wholesale by Charles Willmer,
19. South John-street. Liverncel.—Advt.
GOVERNMENT ARTISANS AND EMIGRATION.—Upwards
of 2,000 workmen in various departments of the Royal
Arsenal, Woolwich, having received notice to leave, in
accordance with the reductions in the last army estimates,
a memorial has been adopted at a large meeting of the
men, held in the paper mill of the Royal Arsenal, and
forwarded to Lord Panmure, strongly recommended by
the heads of the departments :-4‘ That in consequence of
the extensive reduction now being made in the Royal
Arsenal, Woolwich, a large number of artisans and
labourers will be thrown out of employment. That in
Canada and other of the British colonies there is a demand
for labour such as your memorialists are capable of
performing, and their presence there, they have every
reason to believe, would be welcomed ; but of this they
are unable to avail themselves from the want of means to
procure their transport thither. That your memorialists,
therefore, humblyi beg your lordship will be pleased to
interest yourself n procuring from government the grant
of a free passage, with rations and the use of necessary
stores, for a voyage for themselves and families to the
Canadas, Australia, and elsewhere." The above memorial
has received the favourable consideration of the War
Office, and it is confidently believed that the means of
free emigration will be p:ovided for the whole of the men.