Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-07-16 00:00:00

KIELEDALE SESSIONS.

These sessions were held, by adjournment from the pre-
vious day, at the Court-house, Kirkdale, for the purpose of
disposing of the criminal business. The Right Hon. Lord
Stanley. M.P., the chairman, presided. The ether magis-
trates on the bench were—Messrs. Harden, Theakstone,
Tinne, Hall, Greene, Campbell, Captain Aspinall, and Mr.
W. Wright.

The osu d formalities having been disposed of, the flow-
ing gentlemen were sworn as

THE GRAND JUKT.

John Schofield, eott►a broker, Great Crosby, foreman.
Richard Harrocks, broker, Evertoe.
Thomas Haigh, brewer, flygia-street.
Richard Hughes, timber merchant, Ererton.
Joseph Jones, wine merchant, do.
Frederick Powell, broker, Great Crosby.
John Roughley flour dealer, do.
James Ward, gliss dealer, do.
John Summer, farmer, Mighull.
R lbert itlaw,!sley, do., do.

William Brade, IYrokei, Walton.
Thomas Parker, gentleman, do.
George Chamberlain, sharebroker, do.
John R. Daly, commission merchant, do.
Henry Harrison, farmer, Everton.
John Wilson Jones, bnker, Woolton.
Samuel Johnson, druggist, do.
John Leece, collector. do.
Thomas Howard, builder, Everton.
William Hind, draper, do.
Joseph Sawyer, boilde-, Great Crosby.
B -nj tmin Haworth, ?Sent, Everson.
James Hunter, ironmonger, do.
In delivering his charge to the Gran] Jury, the noble
lord said

Gentlemen of the Grand Jury, —I have much happiness
in informing you, that the present c deader is much
lighter than usual. It contains only the names of 32
prisoners, but there is only 26 cases. Gentlemen, there is
no necessity on any of these cases for me to offer any spe-
cial remarks, as they are all of an ordinary character, and
such as you have been in the habit of discharging. But
I may observe, that the number of cases summarily dis-
posed of since the last sessions, is proportionately larger,
as 50 cases has thus been disposed of; otherwise, had it
not been for true law, those eases would have been sent
for trial here. • But gentlemen, there is one point to which
I do think it my duty to call your attention, and, through
you, the -ttention of the public. I allude to a new Act of
Parlisment, and which has for its object the substitution,
in certain cases, other punishment in Len of transportation
—that is to say, penal servitude. That law came into
operation on the Ist of this month. On that subject a
letter had been addressed from Sir Ge nge Grey to the
Chairman of the Quartet Sessions, and I have received a
copy, and will place before you the nrincipal alterations
in the law made by his Act:—
The following are the principal alterations in the law made
by this act :—" Ist. It extends the provisions of the act above
mentioned of the 16th and 17th years of her Majesty, by sub-
stituting in all cases the sentence of penal servitude for the
sentence of transportation. 2ndly. It extends the terms of
renal servitude so as to make them correspond in duration
with the terms of transportation to which convicts might
formerly have been sentenced. 3rdly. It gives power to pass
sentences of penal servitude of a shorter duration than the
former minimum term of transportation, but of not less than
three years. 4thly. It attaches to the sentence of penal servi-
tude the liability of the convict to be removed while under
sentence from this country to a colony, there to be dealt with in
all respects as if he had been sentenced to transportation.
Sir George Grey goes on to say in that circular :
In the earlier stages of their sentence, all convicts under
sentence of penal servitude will, as a general rule, be dealt with
alike. They will be subjected to separate imprisonment for a
period of eight or nine months, after which they"will bo removed
to one of the penal establishments created under 5 Geo. IV.,
cap. 84, there to be employed in hard labour upon public
works. From among the p••isoners so employed, a certain
number will be selected, from time to time, for removal to a
penal colony; such selections being made, as far as possible,
from among those whose sentences are for terms of not less than
seven years.

Prisoners will, after a term of imprisonment, be sent to
a penal colony, but those who remain in the country wilt
have to work at the public works.
The letter goes into further details, unveessary for
ma to remark upon, but' there is one pointto which I will
refer, as it has been a matter that has met with considerable
discussion. It is the porporticn of the sentence to which
it is proposed that in each else, for good conduct, the
remission of the sentence shout Ibe limited. The prisoner
sentenced to thrre years' penal servitude will be entitled
to a remission of one-sixth, in case of good conduct; for
four years' one-fifth ; f r six years' one-fourth, and for
fifteen years' and upwards one-third. Gentlemen, you are
all aware of the duties you are called upon to perform.
Your duty is to ascertain if there is sufficient evidence
before yon to make out a prima facie case of c,u'lt, that is
to say that there is sufficient evidence to make out a case,
without any rebating or contradicting statements to meet
it. If it is s,), you will find a true hill, but, of course, if
there is no such evidence, you will reject it. I have only
to add, that if ary difficulty should arise in the
matter brought before you, the court will be most happy
to give you any assistance you may require. I will now
request you to proceed with your duties, and find a bill as
speedily as possible, in ordor that the time of the court
may not be detained.

The grand jury ilrn retired, and the trial of the
prisoners was proceeded with.

TRADE OF VARIOUS COUNTRIES AND PLACES.—There
has just been published an absti act of reports on the trade
of various countries and places for the years 1855-56,
receivelby the. B 'ard of Trade, though the Foreign-office,
from Her Majesty's Ministers and Consuls. The informs-
lion, which embraces countries in all parts of the globe,
occupies a space of 130 pages of a Parliamentary pnper.
POLITE INVITATION FROM AMERICA —The London
Court Circular states that the Prince of Walesjs about to
commence his foreign travels, and that he will pass a
portion of the summer on the Rhine, going thence
through Switzerland before he returns home. The prince
will travel und,r the title of Baron Renfrew. This idea
of some foreign education for the young man who is one
day to become King of Great B itain, if he lives, is an ex-
cellent one, hut it should not be too contracted in its
cperaticn. We propose, therefore, that after he has
passed the present summer in looking at the little coun-
tries into which the peninsula called Europe is cut up,
he shall come over here as plain Alfred (?) Guelph,
Esq., and take a look at this country, which occupies
nearly a whole continent. Travel in the United States
has turned out two of the most prominent monarchs
Europe has had during the last generation. Louis
Philippe was among us, and descended the Mississippi
on a flit boat in the beginning of the present century.
He saw us as we then were, learned much, and did
pretty well (!) for eighteen years on the throne of France.
Louis Na:-.o!ean came later, when we had got steamboats
and a few railroads, and he learned more. The result of
his eight years' rule of France show that if he endures
ten years longer he will have surpassed Louis Philippe
urea lv in tha benefit ha derived from his s'ay with us.
(!) We are much in advance of where we were twenty
years ago. when Louis Napoleaa studied us, and could
give the Prince of Wales an insight into men and things
now that would fit him to become a ;ere:A ,r monarch than
either of those we have educated. We would recommend
that Palmerston should coma with him, hut we fear
that he is too old to learn anything.—New York Herald.
NOVEL PROCEEDIN43 BY AN. OTTAWA JURY.—A rather
hard story is told by the Aylmer Tim.es of the 24th,
respecting the depravity of a Jury, which, if true, is
certainly deplorable. A man named Landers was charged
with murder at the late sitting of the Court of Queen's
Bench for the district of Ottawa, held at Aylmer last
week, and was put upon his trial for the crime. The case
is reported thus —" Deceased came to Lander's groggery
tinder the influence of ligaur, and demanded some drink ;
Landers refused, and he insisted ; the prisoner took up an
iron poker to strike him with, but he was prevented; he
then took up a stick, which was taken from him ; be then
ran for an axe, this also he was persuaded or compelled
to abandon ; lastly, he took tip a club of cordwood, four
feet in length and three inches thick, and struck deceased
a blow which felled him to the earth, and attempted to
follow up the others, till he was presented. IXceasel
was carried from his door insensible, and died imme-
diately after." The jury, after retiring, it seems, could
not agree,—some were for convicting the prisoner, others
manslaughter, other common assault, and it is thought
that some were for clearing him altogether. Finding
that there was no prospect of their agreeing, those who
were for convicting the prisoner for the capital offence,
offered t) compound the matter, by bringing in a verdict
of manslaughter, but this would not be agreed to—eight
of them holding out for a verdict cf common assault. Of
coarse such a proposition could not be agreed te, and they
a'l agreed to resort to a '• toss up," which resulted in
favor of a verdict of manslaughter. Yet still eight of the
twelve would not submit to the result of their own pre-
posal. Then was proposed an extraordinary measure for
the decision of a verdict, viz., that then should divide and
fight across a table, six against six, the winning party to
dictate the verdict.' For some reason best known to thorn-
selves, this proposal was not adopted, and as they could
not agree upon a verdict, they were discharged, and the
prisoner until! the next sitting of the court. The Times
says that the Jury, during the course of their delibera-
tions, oceasiona Ily. indulged themselves in singing and
.
dancing reels. The man who could dance and sing while
investigating such a fearful tragedy, must be a hardened
sinner indeed.—Ottawa Citizen, June 27,