The Sun.
London, England, 1849-11-09 00:00:00

PROSECUTE.

Some documents were read, from which it ap-
peared that certain charges were necessarily required
to be made to defray the expenses of prosecutions
for uttering base coin, the • solicitor to the Mint
having refused to prosecute upon the part of the Go
vernment.
Alderman FAREBROTEER said he could not see
why the officer appointed by the Government to
undertake such prosecutions should refuse to perform
a duty so important to society, or why the city
magistrates should throw such a burden upon the
shoulders of their fellow-citizens as that of paying
the law charges in cases of smashing.—(Hear, hear.)
The solicitor to the Mint did not, he understood, at-
tend very frequently the examinations of persons
charged, and when he did attend he merely selected
cases for prosecution.
Alderman MUSGROVE said he found that prosecu-
tions of this kind were much more frequently insti-
tuted in the city than they used to be. He regretted
that such practice was increasing, and he should
therefore move, in order to arrive at a precise know-
ledge on the subject, for the production of the
accounts of the expenses incurred for the last seven
years in prosecutions for uttering base coin, costa, &c.
Alderman SIDNEY was of opinion it would be found
that the city had been paying for a great number of
years, annually, upwards of 2,0001. in their own
wrong. He wished the Court to apply to Government
for the restitution of that annual sum for the last 23.
years.
Alderman and Sheriff LAWRENCE said, he consi.
tiered it to be the duty of a magistrate to send any
case which he believed to be satisfactorily proved for
trial, whatever might be the determination of the
solicitor for the Mint upon the subject. The case
might be brought to trial in the ordinary way, and
costs might he saved by placing it before a jury
without employing either counsel or solicitor in the
prosecution. kle.would leave the matter to a jury,
and not permit the city to be taxed one shilling.
The CITY SOLICITOR, in answer to a question from
the Lord Mayor, said, there had been recently two
cases of uttering base money tried at the Central
Criminal Court upon the prosecution of the city, and
in both verdicts of guilty had been recorded. These
cases had been rejected by the solicitor to the Mint.
Alderman FAREBROTHEN, under all the circum-
stances, counselled a bold application to the Govern.
ment, and agreed with Alderman Lawrence that the
city should not incur any further expense by prose-
cuting in cases which fairly belonged to the Mint, and
ought to be undertaken by the solicitor to that depart
ment.

A motion to the effect, that no further prosecu.
tions in Mint cafes be ordered by the City authorities,
was then agreed to.

CONVICTS IN NIMGATE.
The Sheriffs having made their gaol returns, some
observations were made by the members as to the
necessity of supplying laborious occupation to the
convicts when the Government had not present facili-
ties of sending abroad, or to the destination finally
allotted to them.

Alderman LAWRENCE said it was unnecessary to
enlarge upon the enormous evil which must inevi-
tably spring from the confinement of numbers of men
in the same room, wholly without employment, and
destitute of the resources which social life provided.
Impressed with the belief that serious mischiefs would
ensue if some measures of prevention, in the shape
of industrious occupation, were not very soon adopted,
he should move

" That application be made to Government to suggest
and supply such means of employing the convicts in
Newgate as would be likely to counteract the formidable
consequences he apprehended."

THE CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.
Sir PETER LAURIE gave notice of the following
motions :

" That the Clerk of the Central Criminal Court do
lay before the Court, at its next meeting, the number of
days on which each of the three courts at the Central
Criminal C urt have sat during the last sessional year,
with the number of cases disposed of in each court, in
each session, during the same period."
" 2. A return of the expenses of prosecutions during
the same year."
Adjourned.

MURDEROUS ATTACK IN THE MILBANK PENT-
TENTIARY.—A most desperate and murderous attack,
from the effects of which there is not the slightest hope
of the unfortunate victim's 'recovering, was made on
Wednesday afternoon upon Thomas Hall, one of the
warders of the Milbank Prison. The circumstances are
briefly these:—About half-past four o'clock in the after-
noon John Francis, an incorrigible convict, returned
from the hulks to this prison, requested Hall to let him
out of his cell for an usual purpose. The warder imme-
diately complied. As Francis was returning to his cell,
in a minute or so afterwards, ho suddenly rushed upon
the warder and felled him to the ground with a heavy
earthenware utensil, much resembling a very large
paint•pot, and followed up his murderous attack with
a succession of desperate blows about the head with the
same utensil. The attack was witnessed by some of the
other prisoners from the gratings of their cells, but as they
had all been locked up, with the exception of Francis,
they were unable to render the unfortunate warder any
assistance, although they repeated called to Francis
and implored him to spare the poor man's life. Finding
their entreaties vain, as the ruffian still continued his
murderous attack, they rushed to their windows, when
their cries brought some of the other officers to the spot,
and the miscreant Francis was still found standing over
his bleeding and prostrate victim. Francis was imme-
diately secured and conveyed to the refractory cell,
where he has been closely guarded ever since. The un-
fortunate victim of his fury was taken up insensible, in
which state, notwithstanding the greatest passible me-
dical attention, he has remained ever since, nor is there
the slightest chance of his recovery, the skull having
been literally beaten in, in different parts, a portion of
the bone of which it has been found necessary to take
away, and he altogether exhibits the effects of the most
ferocious violence. We regret to say, that in reply to
our inquiries yesterday evening, it was stated that it was
scarcely possible that the poor man, who has a wife and
six young children depending upon him for support,
could survive the night. This is the second time the
malefactor Francis has been sent to the Milbank Peni
tentiary, and we understand that while at the hulks he
attempted the life of the surgeon, upon whom he in-
flicted some very serious injuries.
PEPYS' DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. EDITED
BY LORD BRAYBROOKE. 5 VOLS.—The new, enlarged,
and cheaper edition of this celebrated Diary is now
completed by the publication of the sth Volume, which
contains an excellent General Index to the whole work.
The hdiitb'irph Review, just published, in its notice of
this new edition, observes:—" These volumes of Pepyb'
famous journal, in their present complete form, contain
much attractive novelty. They will supply, not only
ourselves, but many a successor, with inexhaustible
materials for reflection, reference, and observation.
Without making any exception in favour of any other
production of ancient or modern diarists, we unhesi-
tatingly characterise this journal as the most remarkable
production of its kind which has ever been given to the
world. Pepys paints the Court, the Monarch, and the
times in more vivid colours than any one else. His
Diary makes us comprehend the great historical events
of the age, and the people who bore a part in them, and
gives us more clear glimpses into the true English life of
the times than all the other memorials of them that have
come down to our own."

WHO Is HAYNAU ? —This is a question that we
have often been asked of late. All we can say in
answer is, that Haynau is one of the Emperor of Austria's
hanger's on.—Punch.