The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-19 00:00:00

Meeting of Middlesex Magistrates,

A general meeting of the magistrates of the county of
Middlesex was held yesterday at the Session-house,Clerken-
well green, Mr. H. Pownall in the chair, and there was a
very numerous attendance.
THE ADDRESS TO THE QUEEN ON THE BIRTH OF A
PRINCE.

The following answer was received to the address pre-
sented to her Majesty on the occasion of EI.R.H. the Prin-
cess of Wales having given birth to a Prince :

" Whitehall, Feb. 15, 1864.
" Sir,—l have had the honour to lay before the Queen
the loyal and dutiful address of the Court of Quarter Ses-
sions of the county of Middlesex, on the occasion of H.R.H.
the Princess of Wales haying given birth to a Prince, and
I have to inform you that her Majesty was pleased to re-
ceive the address very graciously.-1 am, Sir, your obe-

,
client servant, " G. GREY.
"Henry Pownall, Esq., Chairman of Quarter
Sessions for the County of Middlesex.

The CHAIRMAN said that application had been made to
the Prince of Wales to be allowed to present the address to
him in person, but an answer had not at present been

received.

Lord EBURY movad that her Majesty's most gracious
answer be entered on the minutes, which was seconded by
Mr. B. ARMSTRONG and unanimously agreed to.

THE COMMITTEE OF ACCOUNTS AND GENERAL PURPOSES.

The report of the Committee of Accounts and General
Purposes was presented, which stated that the coroners'
accounts were as follow :—J. —J. Humphreys, Esq., 184 in-
quisitions, from the Ist January to 3d February, £387 19s;
E. Lankester, Esq., 138 inquisitions, between Ist January
and 4th February, £340 14s; James Bird, Esq., 41 inquisi-
tions, between the let January and sth February, £lO3 16s
6d; Charles St. Clare Bedford, 27 inquisitionr, between
the Ist and 31st of January, £52 7s. The report alluded
to the notices which had been given for new railways
which would interfere with the county establish-
ments, and they were as follow :—The Tottenham and Far-
ringdon-street Railway and the Metropolitan Railway would
interfere with the House of Correction, Coldbath-fields;
the London Low Level Railway with the House of Correc-
tion, Westminster ; the Metropolitan District Railways and
the Metropolitan Grand Union Railway with the Sessions
House, Westminster; and the Hammersmith and City
Railway Extensions with the militia storehouses at Turn-
ham-green.

Mr. KEMSHEAD moved the reception of the report, and
said, with respect to the railway bills, a joint committee of
the two houses of Parliament had been appointed, and was
now sitting, to consider the best method of dealing with
metropolitan railway schemes ; and it would rest with the
Court whether the committee of this Court should continue
to watch these schemes or take any other course that might
be thought fit.

Lord ENFIELD said a Parliamentary committee had been
appofnted to whom some of these schemes would be referred
neat week.

It was then agreed that the committee of the Court should
continue to watch the progress of these bills.

THE PRISON REPORTS.

The report of the visiting justices of the House of Cor-
rection, Coldbath fields, was presented; and it stated that
the number of prisoners that day in custody was 1,832. The
report of the visiting justices of the House of Correction at
Westminster stated the number of prisoners there was—
felons and misdemeants, 184; and vagrants, 47.
Captain MORLEY, on moving that the latter report be re-
ceived, adverted to a statement made by Mr. Halswell at
the last court, that no record was kept in that prison of the
religion of the different prisoners, and said that a record had
been kept of the religion professed by every prisoner for the
last 20 years.
The report was received.

The report of the visiting justices of the House of Deten-
tion was presented, which stated that the number of pri-
soners that day in custody was 223, of whom 64 were for
trial, and 117 for further examination.
ROMAN CATHOLIC PRISONERS.

Reports were presented from the visiting justices of each
of the three county prisons showing the number of Roman
Catholic prisoners received during the three years ending
respectively Michaelmas 1861, 1862, and 1863—tho number
of such prisoners within the same prisons respectively, and
the total number of prisoners in the same prisons respec-
tively at the times above mentioned.
Coldbath-fieids— F,om Michaelmas 1860 to 1861 the

total number of Roman Catholic prisoners was 1,679 ; ditto,
1861 to 1862, 2,085; and from 1862 to 1863, 2,132. The
number of such prisoners visited at their own request by
Roman Catholic clergymen during the year ending Michael-
mas, 1863, was 195, in some cases one prisoner being visited
more than once. Since the passing of the Prison Ministers
Act the religious persuasion of all the prisoners was as fol-
lows :—Church of England, 3,891 ; Roman Catholics,
1,233; Dissenters of various denominations, 52 ; Jewe, 21;
Lutherans, 2 ; Mussultaana, 11—total, 5,210. On the 10th
of February the return of those that day in prison stood as
follow :--Established Church, 1,374 ; Roman Catholics,
391; Baptists, 6 ; Presbyterians, 12 ; Wesleyans, 6 ; La
therans, 3; Jews, 15; Mussulmans, 2—total, 1809.
Ilcuse of Correction, Westminster—The following are
the numbers of Roman Catholics committed to the prison
during the three years ending Michaelmas, 1863 :—Michael.
mat!, 1861.—Adults, 1,915; juveniles, 62—total, 1,977.
Michaelmas, 1862—Adults, 1,963; juveniles, 57—total,
2.020. Michaelmas, 1863—Adults, 2,035 ; juveniles, 47—
total, 2,082. The number of prisoners—Michaelmas, 1861—
Adults, 1,416; juveniles, 58—total, 1,474. Michaelmas,
1862—Adults, 1,518 ; juveniles, 52—total, 1,570. Michael-
mas, 1863—Adults, 1,620; juveniles, 38—total, 1,658. The
number of commitments exceeds the actual number of
persons on account of many haying been committed more