Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-07-21 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL QUARTER SESSIONS.

The General Quarter Sessions of the Peace for the
Borough of Liv,upool c imraenced yesterday, before GILBERT
HENDERSON, Esq., Recorder.
Thera are no less than 266 prisoners for trial, but the
offEne-s for which tbc) have been committed, are by no
means sr!rious.

The following gentlemen were sworn on the

GRAND JURY.

RD. HOIIGHTON, Jan., timber-merchant, Sefton-stree.
foreman.
W•l;iatri H. Armitage, wine-merchant Fenwick-street.
William Barry, merchant, Exchange-bnildings.
Henry Torrens Brown. broker, Dale-street.
Th:!nas Bell, merchant, Falkner-square.
William Bingham, merchant, Brunswick-street.
.Nathani,l C.lx, iron-merchant, Brunswick-street.
Gorge Cockbnrne, merchant, C ,ok-vreet.
Gorge CT:nl car; -merchant, Fenwick-street.
William James Fernie, merchant, Water-street.
Ji.mes Howell, br,•ker, Titheb.rn-street.
J L. 1.1 ward, broker, Rumford-street,
William Walcot Shand, broker. Exchange—alley, North
James Adam Smith, merchant, Water-street.
William HarrisOn, merchant, Cook-street.
James Stn:kcial- Irving, merchant, Blackstock-street.
Henry W M. King, merchant,
Thomas William Tetley, merchant, Fenw:ck-street.
Thomas Taylor: merchant, Cas'le-street.

George Raj,:liffe Woodward, merchant, Tames-stree%
The FKCORDRa said,—Gentlemen of the grand fury,
the calendar on this eczasion is heavy beyond alt preceilent,
although the interval which has elapse) since the last
s.:ssions has not been longer than has been usual at this
:season of the year. You will find that, from the 13th
May to the 17th Jelly, 266 persons have been sent for trill.
In order to dispose more speedily of this mass of prisoners,
the Town Courcil has sanctioned the opening of a second
court which will be a great boon to jurors, witnesses,
policemen, and others, by relieving them from a protracted
attendance at the se-sinus, and by setting them at lib_rty
early to return to their usual duties and business. To
you, gentlemen of the grand jury, I must confess that this
measure affords no reiie.f, but recolitc log the willingness
which has always been exhibited on the part of grand
jurors to sit here, I treat that I may rely without apare-
hension, that you will make any sacrifice that may he
necessary for the due discharge of your heavy duties o
this cceasion. The number of offences is deplorable, but
the evidence, in every case, yen will find to be simple and
short. With the exteTtion of a single case of embezzle-
ment, there is harily any case that may be
said seriously to affect the commerce of this port. There
are no cases of extensive plunder of cotton, timber, palm-
oil, or other merchandise such as sometimes occur, and
require a great deal of care in the investigation, and
which no doubt would endanger the security of commerce
if they passed nnpueished. Indeed the augmented list for
trial is partly attributable to the changed mode of dealing
with offenders, because I do not find that the summary
convictions have increased in anything approaching the
proportion in which the number of offenders sent for trial
have. It is to be hoped that this change, which sends at
an early period habitual and ineorrigible pilferers befare
this Court, will have a good effect,because it exposes them
to more severe punishment, and removes them from the
town, and may act as a discouragement to others. I may
mention that at the last sessions about 40 persons were sen-
tenced either to terms of penal servitude or transportation.
The number of female offenders is still great. On Monday
last I am informed that the numbers confined in the
prson were 661 males, and 616 females. Indeed
it the juvenile prisoners were excluded from the calcula-
tion, it woull be found that during the last six months
the number of women committed to gaol has been greater
Allan the number of mn. Gentlemen, for many years past
the mode in which convicts have been dealt with "leder
sentence of transportation has been- variable and unsatis-
factory in the extreme. At first all persons sentenced to
transportation were sent abroad; afterwards it became
quite an uncertainty whether the sentence of transporta-
tion, solemnly pronounced by the judge, would be carried
info effect or not. About three years ago an act passed
which substita era to a very great extent sentences of
penal servitude for sentences of transportation, and now,
during the lest month, the Legislature has abolished
altogether sentences of transportation. In future, crimi-
nals will receive sentences either of fine or imprisonment,
or of penal servitude. The sentences of penal servitude
will have a very extensive range, varying of course accord-
ing; to OA nalure of the offence, from three years
and upwards to sentences for life. As a general rule
all prisoners who receive such sentences will, in the first
instance, have to pass a period of eight or nine months in
separate confinement in prison. They will afterwards
he remove I and forced to work in public works for, it may
be, the remainder of their sentence ; but from the persons
so sentenced to seven years penal servitudes, and upwards,
selections will be made from time to time, to be sent to the
colonies. There .will always be a chance, in case of pod
conduct, of having a limited portion of the sentence remitted.
This, gentlemen, is a general outline of the system pro-
posed by Sir George Grey, on which prisoners sentenced
to penal servitude will be dealt with. I may add that, so
far as regerds the sending people abroad, this system ,will
have n 8 application to women, because, at present, there is
no colony for the reception of female convicts. Gentle-
men, with these observations, I shall dismiss you to com-
mence your duties.
The grand jury then retired to their room to consider
the bills.

[Mr. Blair sat in the second Court. Several prisoners
were tried during the day.]

ELECT/ON COMMITTEES (SkrunDAY).—The Maldon,
We 3 mouth, and Falkirk burghs election committees re-
assembled at the usual hour this morning, and continued
their inquiries into the allegations of bribery and treatirg
agairst the sitting member. Each committee rose early
to-day. The general committee of elec'ions and the com-
mittee in the chairman's panel also met, but their delibera
tioi,s were not of a protracted nature. They did not sit
beyond an hour. Being the day on which the two cham-
bers of the legislature are thrown open to the public, the
varioaz committee-rooms were thronged with strangers
throughout the whole of the morning.

POLICE INTELLIGENC.