Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-08-20 00:00:00

assizes, yesterday, was confined to the trial of the
captain, mate, and second mate of the Martha
Jane, for the murder of a sailor named Rose, on
the high seas, when on the passage from Demerara
to Liverpool. We have reported the trial at full
length. Although ably defended by Mr. Monck,
Q.O , and Mr. Aspinall, the jury convicted all the
prisoners of wilful murder, but accompanied their
verdict with a recommendation to mercy. The
prisoners heard their doom with comparative indif-
ference. The learned judge, Baron Watson, having
assumed the black cap, proceeded in very aff,:cting
terms, to pass sentence of death, intimating that
he would forward the jury's recommendation
to the proper quarter, but admonished
the unhappy men to be earnest in their prepara-
tion for the fate which awaited them. On being
removed from the dock they each went away with
a quick and firm step, as if desirous to shun the
scrutinizing gaze of the multitudes who crowded
the court. On the verdict and sentence becoming
known in St. George's Hall, which was three parts
full of spectators unable to obtain admittance to
the court, a. loud and general burst of applause
broke forth—an unmistakable evidence that they
cordially concurred in the result of the trial.
There is no news of the least interest from
France this morning.
A good understanding has been re-established
on the question of the Moldavian elections ; and
Austria and England have advised the Sultan to
annul the late and order new elections.

The Berlin Bourse Gazette pretends to be well
informed in announcing, in a letter from Ham-
burgh, the intention of the British Government
again to form a foreign legion, and to establish
again a recruiting depot at Heligoland. This in-
tention, it says, has become appardht from unmis-
takeable facts.
Our recent information of efforts concentrated
by the Russian Government on its navy is con_
firmed by another announcement. That Govern-
ment has now ordered, in France and England, a
considerable number ofscrew-propellers for vessels
of war.

Prince Daniel of Montenegro, whose autocratic
intentions became early conspicuous, is engaged
in fuming a regular army. No regular army has
as yet existed among these hardy and independent
mountaineers.

By telegraph we have a brief announcement o
serious religious disturbances at Tunis.

We ar,?, in hourly expectation of the steamer
Kangaroo, from New York, with one day's later
news.

IT is not the first time that we have had to
head a paragraph—' Wanted, a Magistrate."

Yesterday was the last occasion on which we

were compelled to make a few brief remarks
respecting the non-attendance of the unpaid
magistracy of the borough. In a community
like that of Liverpool, where almost every in-
habitant is more or less dependent upon business
of one kind or another for a means of living,

"time is money." Any waste of that time is so
much pecuniary loss to the individual who is
compelled to squander it. The grievance becomes
still greater and much more intolerable when

he loss is the result of positive neglect and

indifference on the part of certain persons who
cannot be called to account for their conduct in

causing innocent people to misuse and waste

ime which might be usefully and profitably

employed.

Of all grounds of complaint which exist on
this matter, the non-attendance of the un-
paid and honorary Magistrates of the Borough
is the greatest and the most reprehensible.
These gentlemen, in accepting the office, feel a
kind of pleasure in affixing J.P. after their
names, The office is one of coveted distinc-
tion, and he is considered a fortunate gentleman,
in a society like Liverpool, to be honoured with
Her Majesty's Commission of the Peace. Con-
sidering, then, the honour which that commis-
sion confers, and the dignity with which it
invests its recipients, we contend that all who
claim to be Borough Magistrates should not

shirk the performance of theirmagisterial duties,
but he punctual in their attendance at the
Police Court, whenever it is their turn upon the

Roaster."

The Borough Magistrates, according to
arrangements made some time ago, agreed to
take all the civil cases, namely, dock informa-
tions, smoke nuisance prosecutions, &c., &c.,
whilst our worthy stipendiary, Mr. MANSFIELD,
should hear and adjudicate upon all cases of
felony, and matters requiring a study of law,
and involving nice points of legal disputation.
Such an arrangement is perfectly unobjection-
able, and if carried out, would work for the
advantage of all parties having occasion to
frequent our police-courts on business. Some-
how or other, the arrangement has not been
properly acted upon, and what is the conse-
quence !) Why, simply this : parties deeply
engaged in business are obliged to attend the
Court from day to day, wasting time and are put
to needless expense in defending and prosecut-
ing their case, because the unpaid magistracy
will not attend in due time, or, if present,
become timorous and afraid to adjudicate upon
cases which they have investigated, and heard
the evidence pro and con. 'Ells is a state of
things which cannot be endured. It reflects

little credit upon the Magisterial Bench- of
Liverpool, and should cause the authorities to
take the matter into their most: *serious consi-

deration.

-With regard to the causes of complaint of
non-attendance on the part of the magistrates,
our police reports of the Smoke Nuisance cases,
in this day's NORTHERN TIMES, will give our
readers the particulars. These cases were origi-
nally heard by two of the Borough magistrates,
after extreme difficulty had been encountered in
obtaining a Bench. Taey heard-the evidence, but
were unwilling to deliver judgment, and wished
that Mr. MAN.FIELD would undertake that duty.
This was a most unusual, and, by no means,
modest request. That gentleman refused to have
anything to do with the case, and grounded his
objections on the fact that he had made arrange-
ments to hear criminal cazes only ; and, in the
second place, because he had more cases
than he could then . well attend to. The
case was postponed, much to the annoyance
of the parties concerned; and, although Mr.
M'GowAN battled hard to cilatain judgment, and