The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-17 00:00:00

SIR,—A bill is introduced into Parliament, the pre-
amble of which, with other reasons, says "the time of
grand juries would be saved."
The best and most effectual mode of saving the time
of grand juries would be to abolish the system, because
of its being a "grand farce," and seriously prejudicial to
the ends of public justice. When magistrates have care-
fully examined into a case (whether it be of a great or
small nature) and placed it in the ordinary course for
trial before a petite jury, why have a grand jury to go
over the ground which the committing magistrate has
already done ; for that is the only function they have to
perform ? A magistrate has full opportunity of examin-
ing into all circumstances and facts, and is sufficiently
competent to judge whether it is necessary to send the
charge for trial, and when he has done so it is sheer
nonsense for a grand jury to be occupying and wasting a
vast amount of their own time, and that of others ;
because, when that is done, facts and circumstances
cannot be arrived at, as they are before the examining
magistrates. How many thieves have escaped punish-
ment because of the grand jury not being in pos-
session of material points which are arrived at
before the committing magistrate, sometimes through
witnesses forgetting to state those points, and at other
times having been tampered with between committal
and going before the grand jury. A pettifogging lawyer,
who gets the defence of a prisoner, always sets his
"Touts" to tamper with a material witness, or instructs
the friends of the prisoner how to act, so as to accom-
plish the suppression of any main point from the know-
ledge of a grand jury.
Many years' experience in criminal law practice bas
convinced me of the inutility, and I may add the mis-
chievous consequence, of the grand jury system ; and
whilst the bill I have named is passing through its
ordeal in Parliament, I would earnestly recommend our
legislators to carefully peruse a work by Mr. Foot, an
eminent barrister, entitled "Grand Juries : Reasons for
their Abolition."—Your obedient servant,
May, 1854. A MAGISTRATE'S CLERK.

MARKET NEWS-(THIS DAY.)

CORN EXCHANGE.

To-day's market was very scantily supplied with English
wheat, for which the demand ruled steady, at fully Mon-
day's advance in the quotations of from is to 2s per qr.
Foreign wheat, the show of which was good, was very
firm, at extreme currencies.
Floating cargoes from the Black Sea were held for more
money.
Barley sold slowly, yet prices were firm.
Malt was 5s to 108 dearer than last week, owing to the
advance in the duty.
Oats were steady, at full prices. In beans and peas
very little was doing.
Flour moved off steadily, and the quotations had an
upward tendency.

English
Irish •• • •
Foreign ..

Wheat.
120

ARRIVALS THIS STEM
Barley. Malt.
270 2,710

- -
20,730 1 I 1,010

WHITECHA.PEL.

Flour,
330

Oats.
460
1,880
24,240 1 1,2305 iv;
1,40brl

Each kind of meat moved off freely to-day, as follows :
Beef from 3s 4d to 4s 4d ; mutton, 3s 6d to 4s 10d ; lamb,
5s 6d to 6s 4d ; veal, 3s 8d to 5s Od ; pork, 3s 4d to
4s 8d per Sibs by the carcase.

BOROUGH HOP.
Our market is steady, and prices are well supported
The show of samples is limited.

RAILWAY SHARE MARKETS,

LIVERPOOL, MAY 16.
STOCK EXCHANGE.—The market has been dull all day,
closing at a slight reduction on the prices of yesterday.
Chester and Birkenhead, 15i ; Caledonian, 27i i ; Lanca-
shire and Yorkshire, 60, 59i ; London and North-Western,
fifth shares, 14 dia. ; South Eastern, 17i.

MANCHESTER, MAY 16.
STOCK EXCHANGE.—The business to-day was not equal
to that of yesterday in point of prices, business being much
the same in quantity. The sales were—Blackburn, 4.} ;
Caledonian, 27i ; Lancashire and Yorkshire, 60 ; London
and North Western, M. and B. Qrs. C., 5-16 dis. ; Man-
chester, Sheffield, and Lincoln New 6/. Pref., 3-16 dis. ;
Midland Railway Consols, 53.