Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-12-13 00:00:00

priest•to.ohootie whether a man -shohld have it or net.
Christ, by 'one offering, once and for ever, had made a
full atonement for the sins of all mankind. No
priest 'could stop. it ; no priest could add to, it, or
diminish from it. When this ,was -read by a
poor sinner, at once -the. ;lawn of emancipation broke
.upon his mind, and he saw hiS way to freedom. -He
looked not for saint or aotel—he looked not for blessed
Virgin, nor priest ; he had far above them all the blessed
Son of God, Son of man, God 'and man; one Saviour, one
Mediator, one J'esus---all and in hil—the glory of
God in Heaven—the liberty of man on earth—peace,
-good-will to the wide world, fallen into sin, and now
• rescued by the infinite love of God. This was the pro-
cloniation that gave liberty. Acquaintance with .the
Bible and prostration to the priest could not live
together; it was the truth that made free. And
by the proclamation of this truth, 'it was their
aim —he -would • not say to put an end to
Popery—hut it was their object to call the people of
God from out of that system. "Come out of her, my
people, that ye be not partakers of her plagues." For
plagues were corning upon her—not conversion. Our
true Protestantism, which rejoiced in the efficiency of
the. Bible, did not rest for its rule of faith upon the
Bible minus the prophecies, but upon the Bible
of the prophecies. (Applause.) Let them beware how
they identified the Bible with extracts-from the Bible.
If they would have the Bible, let them have the whole
Bible—that was the cry of true Protestant principle—the
Bible, aye, the whole Bible. (Applause.) He was willing
to add most cordially, nothing but the Bible, as the
religion of Protestants ' • but if they were to have
nothing but-the Bible, let them have all that, was in
the Bible. - (Applause.) The time of the great apos-
tasylad not yet coin(); but it wouhl, and the object of
that society was to call the people from that wretched
apsstasy before it was too late; to urge the cry upon
them, " Come ont, come out of her my people, that ye
be
.not sharers in her sins, that ye be not partakers of
her hiaoues." .
The °CHAIRMAN put the resolution to the meeting,
and it was carried unanimously.
The meeting then dissolved.

LIVERPOOL. WINTER ASSIZES.

CROWN COURT, V- ESTERPAY.

Tire Nrintcr assizes, or general gaol delivery, corn-
natneed in the Crown Court, St. George's-hall, yester-
day 'morning. Mr. Baron Martin took his scat on
the bench at eleven o'clock. _ _

Tiie usual proclamation against vice and immorality
having been read, the following gentleman were sworn
upon the grand jury.
The Right Hon. Edward. Henry• Lord Stanley,
Knosssley-hall, Prescot, foreman ;- Thomas . Darnley
Anderson, Esq.,- Liverpool ; -Thomas Brockhurst -Bar-
clay, Esq.; Wavertrce-lodge, Liverpool; Thomas Baz-
ley,' Esq.. Hayes Leigh, Manchester; William Brown,
Esq., Richmond-hill, Liverpool; John Cheethat, Esq.,.
• Eastwood, Staleybridge ; William Entwistle, Esq.,
Man Chester ; Joseph Christopher Ewart, Esa., New
Brighton, Cheshire-, Gilbert Greenall, Esq., Vralton7
hall, Warrington; Matthew Gregson, Esq., Liverpool;
Wm. Hall, .E q., Seaforth, Liverpool ; Hugh Hornby,
Esq., Sandown-laall, Wavcrtree; Thomas Berry Hors-
fall,. Bellamcre-hall, - Staffordshire ; Thomas Dyson
Hornly, Druid's Cross, Woolton, Liverpool; the Hon.
Colonel Chssries Lindsay, Haigh-hall; William Preston,
Esq. Rock-house, West Derby; Robert Neilson, .Esq.,
Halewood ;. Francis Shand, Esq., Liverpool; Alexander
Shand, Esq., Liverpool ; Samuel Henry Thompson,
Esa. Thingwall-hall, Liverpool; Richaid Watt, Esq.-,
Spoke-hall. •
His Lordship, in delivering his charge, said—Gentle-
men of the grand jury, I shall have occasion to occupy
your time for a very few minutes. The number of prisOners
is 76, 'which, I understand, is considered to be exceedingly
below the average at the assizes at this period of the
year. BUt, I am sorry to say, that cut of the 62 cases
in'the calendar there are no less than 14 for homicide;
and although, perhaps, not more than one or two of them
have the appearance of the crime of murder, yet in reality
they exhibit the most reckless violence I have had the
misfortune to read.. It appears that in this county,
upon the slightest offenccupon a dispute between
persons who immediately before were upon the moat
friendly terms—the party offended has recourse to the
I:r4 re, to an iron tool, or any other weapon that cornea
to his hand ; -and upon several of these occasions—
T- dare. say not less than ten or a dozen of them
-you will find the man immediately killed by the
violence-- applied to him under these circumstances.
There are three of the most appalling cases. One of
them is of a child. A man received some insult from
Some. boys. He immediately seized some iron weapon
which was at hand, and flung it at a child, who died im-
mediately afterwards. Another is a case of a man and
his wife. -Both being drunk, they abtised each-other for
some time, and in the end the woman stabbed the man.
He died a short time afterwards ; and, as you may sup-
pose, immediately afterwards, the woman exhibited
traces of tenderness which you will rarely find in such a
.rank of life. She is left a widow in consequence
of this violence. There is another very sad case,
where two men were sitting together perfectly friendly
:in conversation, when a sister of the deceased
Man comes in ; she upbraids this man, her brother, as her
enemy; and, the result is, the man is immediately killed.
These are three cases which are of a most Melancholy
character, and afford specimens of what will be brought
before you. One or tu'o others are little more than acci-
dents ; but, generally speaking, they are of the most
reckless Violence ; and, I dare say, you will find that
wounds are inflicted, lives lost, and wive 3 left widows,
and children fatherless. There is a case which will be
brought before yon which is ratifier novel; and that is a
bill 'will .be preferred, I preturne, under one of
the late acts to prevent undue influence being
used towards voters. The depositions have not yet been
sent to me but, if necessary, when I see them, I will
call your attention - to the facts and the law upon the
subject; but I dare say some of you are acquainted
with the law, and it may not be necessary.
The Clerk of the Court here informed his lordship
• that the depositions in the case alluded to had been
withdrawn.

His Lordship—Then you will not be troubled with
it, gentlemen ; but I was not aware of it. There is
only one other case—one matter to which I have to
call your, attention ; and I do so, beCause I am sure
when it comes before yourselves it will appear to you
that some public attention ought to be called to it.
And it by no, means seems to me, as far as I can judge
from the depositions, that the case I am about to make a
feW remarks upon has at all a general existence'in this
county. As far as. I can edllect, the police conduct them-
selves extremely well, and I see no reason to suppose that,
generally speaking, anything they do is subject to .any
observation at all.' But, with respect to a case which
will come before you, I think yeti will find that the
police have entirely gone out of their province: By the
law of this country no man is bound in any way to
criminate himself; and although a different law exists
in "'Other, countries, and I believe that that different
law is approved by some persons, nevertheless, the
law of this country is, that for 'the purpose of con-
victing a man of a criminal offence he must be
convicted by evidence, and it ought to be entirely
his own voluntary 'act to make any statement with
respect to, it. So strictly is that the case that I need not
"tell Tou, who, I daresay, are justices of the peace and
administrators of the law iii this district, that by an act of
Parliament, passed not very long ago, you are bound to
read or cause to be read to each person who is charged—
to state to them that they are not called upon to make
any statement—to state to them that any promise held
out to them is of no avail, or any threat, and to tell
them at the same time that they are entirely to act
upon their own judgment, whether they make any
statement or not ; and that if they do make any statement
it will be produced against them, but it is left entirely
to the exercise of their own free will. I need not
tell you if before a prisoner is brought before a justice
he is to be questioned by the police, and pressed and
urged upon the matter, that it will be perfectly idle
for the legislature to direct the justices to use that
caution, for its effect would be entirely done away with.
I think that you will find that not only with regard to
the man, but also with regard to the woman, that con-
duct was pursued which is utterly contrary to the whole
custom and practice of the law. It is proper that
observations should be made upon it, because it must
be put an end to. It cannot be permitted to policemen
to do what the law prohibits the justices from doing.
I think in most cases they are not anxious to press, and
it is the universal practice not to press upon any one to
state more than they think proper to state. It is
quite right that the charge against parties taken
into custody should be distinctly stated to them, but
the persons should be left to make any statement
they think fit or no statement at all. The mat-
ter has been brought before me by reading the
depositions, and, I have no doubt when you come
to hear the evidence, you will agree with me