The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-02-07 00:00:00

JAMAICA.

We yesterday rcceited Jamaica Papers to the lath of ,
December. The Roved Gazette of the preceding day, with
its Supplements, contains an interesting debate in the
House of Assembly on the 6th and 13th of December, on
the Bill to .admit the evidence of slaves In certain cases,
and under certain restrictions. In the meeting on the 6th
three was a call of the House, and all the 3:embers were
present except seven. Mr. Rennals presented the Report
of the Committee on this Bill, and stated that it was
founibal on the evidence of fourteen persona, wbo had been
exA d. The object of the Bill which the Committee
had prepared was to enable slaves of good character to give
evidt lice in criminal cases, thus securing to them an ode-
plate protection of their rrsons. Mr. Hernial' spoke at
some length in favour of the measure, which he cootentled
was nor inconsistent with subordination, or the laws and
regulations which at present exist in the island.
The Bill thus proposed renders admissible the evidence of 'slaves
in cases of murder, manning, mutilation, and every other species
of grievous 111-treatment; it enables a Court and a Jury to con rid
any white or other free person under the Sedition 13114 en the
evidence of two slaves. All slaves reqnhed as witnesses are to he
lodged in prison, with an allowance of Is. Bd. per day, unless their
ow nets enter into recognizance.
On the Bill being read, Mr. Hodgson moved that it be read a
second time that day three months; and the motion was seconded
by Mr. Hyslop; the former Gentleman said he was so averse to
the Bill that he would oppose it in all its stages.
Mr. BERRY opposed the Bill, as not sanctioned by the evidence
of history, or by the present state of the slave population ; he said
the slaves had not arrived at that state of morality and religion that
enabled them to estimate sufficiently the solemnity and responsibi-
lity of an oath.
51r. Recorder &TREE voted for the second rending, because he
wished it to be fully discussed, but declared his hostility to such a
Bill at this period, whatever modifications might be put on it.
Mr. HECTOR MITCHELL opposed the Bill, and read another
he hatl drawn up, which rendered the evidence of the slave admis-
sible in cans of personal grievance, sod facilitated the obtaining of
redress by a master, for injury committed on his slave, which he
could now only obtain In the Supreme Assize Court, at an expense
of lOW.
Mr. STEWART, the Custos of Trelawney, voted for the se, and
reading. Nothing but the bill, which he did not wish to precipi.
tate, could, he said, protect the slave from oppression. 111 his
speech he introduced some strong instances of cruelty, which were
unpunished for the want of such a Bill. Ile said a woman had
had her head inhumanly twisted off, and though there was 1,0
doubt of the offender's guilt, still the ease could not be brought be-
fore a Jury—not because the crime was not committed—not be-
cause there was a doubt of the truth of the evidence against the
criminal, but because that evidence was illegal. There was an.
other fact within the knowledge of every member—that in that
very town a white man—a monster of cruelty—shut up, elf-ate:Jed
Ms room in his house, an unfortunate female slave, and shrouded
in darkness (uadiscovered as he hoped). with a hot iron (used for
branding cattle), marked, disfigured, mutilated that fellow-being.
whose misfortune it wait to be under his remorseless power. lie
trusted in the defect of the law—be knew her evidence as a slave
could not be received; but it chanced that a young man of colour
seeing the window shut, and a smoke issui,:g from the room, sus-
pected what was going on. and by means of a crevice became a
witness of the horrid act. The offender was afterwards convicted
and punished.
slr. MATS, the Custos of St. Andrew's, spoke in favour of the
Bill, and Mr. lisasivrox against it. The question was then put
• as to the reeling of the Ilia a second time on the following Tues-
day,
which was carried by a majority of nineteen to sixteen.
• On the 15th of December the Bill win read s second time, when
Mr. W. BAYLEY moved that it be committed that day three
months; the motion was seconded by Mr. REID, of Trelawney,
who declared that the Bill was monstrous, fraught with danger,
and the discussion of it calculated to disturb the public tranquillity.
A debate ensued, and on the question being put that the Bill should
be committed that day three months, it was carried by a majority of
24 to 13. The Bill therefore is lost.

HE NEW COURT OF K !NW S BENCH AT
WESTMINSTER.

A correspondent, wlerhas Jiceasion frequently to attend
the Court of King's Beueh.has sent us the following remarks
on the new building in IVestminster-hall. We lay them
before our readers as we have received them, premising
only that they are the observations of a man of business :
In contemplating, a public building of any kind, an idea
is naturally raised in the mind of something that is grand
and imposing. Lofty columns, spacious domes, and splen-
did architectural ornaments, involuntarily associate them-
selves in our imaginations; and, if the subject of our con-
templations be the seat of justice, where the boundaries of
right and wrong are defined, and the laws of the empire
administered, we then unite to all these the conception
of a power and solemnity of effect commensurate with
the dignity and importance of the purposes fur which
it is designed. This may be accounted for, perhaps,
upon principles similar to those to which the ideas
of the sublime and beautiful are referred, and which
are exemplified in the feeling by which our ancestors
were inspired, when, meditating on the Deity, they
dedicated to his worship temples that outshone the pah,ces
of kings. But delightful as these things arc to the ins--
gination, and true as they may be in reference to the occa-
sions that give them birth, they are, however, for all prac-
tical purposes, incapable of being acted upon, and hence
the choir of a cathedral is the only really useful part of the
fabric. For the same reason public buildings of other
descriptions, however extensive and magnificent may be
their exterior, are always obliged in their interior con-
structions to prefer utility to grandeur, and convenience to
effect. This is obviously the case with regard to the
range of Law Courts that have just been erected on the
west side of Westminster Hall. The first object to be effected
by the architect was so to construct the Court as that the
Counsel may be heard by the Jury and the Judge, the wit- ,
ness by the Counsel, the Jury and the Judge, and the Judge I
by the whole Court. To accomplish this, the size of it must
necessarily he circumscribed within certain limits, and
those, it is obvious, must be too small to admit of much
display of architectural science. It would therefore be itn-
proper to complain that the new Court of King's Bench
does not accord with the idea which the nature of such a
building would suggest to the imagination. All that is
within the province of criticism therefore, in con-
sidering it, is its adaptation to the purposes intended.
In this respect perhaps this Court is as faultless
as from the nature of its situation it can be. The
tbuilding is square. There is not the least echo; but
the sound is, if anything, too much subdued : for although
the Judges are able to hear Counsel from the utmost ex-
tent of the Court, in consequence of the canopy and cur-
tains concentrating the sound, yet when the Court is full
there is a difficulty experienced by the auditory in distintly
hearing at a distance from the speaker; this, perhaps,
might be remedied by the partial removal of the circular
piece of bead and fancy work that runs round the bottom
of the lantern by which the Court is lighted ; or we
should rather say intended to be lighted ; for in this
particular considerable objection exists, while the light
from the east side of the lantern (which is square,
and terminated by a dome) falls directly •on the bench,
to the great inconvenience of the Judges. The oppo-
site side admits of no light at all, its consequence of the
contiguous buildings having been raised, so that a deep
shadow is thrown upon the first two or three sea's appro-
priated to Counsel. The removal of the aforesaid filigree
work would in a great degree remedy this incon-
venience, and blinds would obviate the former. The
Court is peculiarly well arranged for bringing all
parties in view of one another, the spectator having
a full command from any part of the court over the whole
of it. The accommodation for the public is not, perhaps,
so great as might be expected ; there is, however, a gallery
that runs round the south and east sides ot' the court, where
every syllable can be distinctly heard, though the sight is
very much obstructed by the galleries being outside of the
walls of the court, and the view admitted only by three
circular openings on the east side, and three windows on
the south. The Court is uncommonly warm notwithstanding
there are eight doors which open into it ; but being, as it
is, surrounded on all sides by other buildings, no current
of air can gain admission. It is altogether far superior to
the Court of Common Pleas, except as to light, which is a
defect that must be remedied.