The Sun.
London, England, 1836-10-19 00:00:00

LONDON SESSIONS-(THIS DAY.)

This morning the General Quarter Sessions for the City
and Suburbs of London commenced before the LORD MAYOR
and other municipal authorities.
The list contained only three cases of common assault, but
there were bills of indictment filed several persons, and to exa-
mine which a grand jury was empanneled.
The RECORDER congratulated the Grand Inquest upon the
probability of their only being occupied for a very few hours,
as there were only a few bills for misdemeanor and common
ssault for their consideration. The citizens of London were
indebted for this great diminution of labour to the establish-
ment of the Central Criminal Court.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS-THIS DAY.

Michael Hughes, aged 28, a discharged soldier, was in-
dicted for stealing two pair of trowsers and other articles,
value 31. lOs., the property of Aaron Levi.
The prosecutor, who described himself as a watchmaker and
general salesman, deposed that he was at the White Hart pub-
lic-house, Chelsea, where he had gone with a large quantity
of ready-made clothes, for the purpose of supplying the in-
valid soldiers who had been discharged at Chatham, after
their return from foreign service. The soldiers had come up
to town to make their purchases, and among others the pri-
soner, with whom prosecutor had previously had some deal-
ings at Chatham. The bundle of clothes was missed on the
evening of the 14th October, and the following morning pro-
secutor met the prisoner with the bundle under his arm. He
immediately seized him, and the prisoner knocked him down.
The prisoner had previously purchased a watch from him,
which he afterwards returned, and witness owed the prisoner
a balance of 145., which he was to :take in clothes, but after-
wards declined to do.

Matilda 'Abrahams, niece to the prosecutor, deposed that
the prisoner came frequently into the room where the clothes
were lying. He made a great noise because her uncle was
not there to settle with him. After he went away the bundle
was missed.

Mr. JONES addressed the Jury for the prisoner. He had
no witnesses to call, but the statement made by the prisoner to
him was that ho purchased the clothes from a stranger at the
public-house, and he would call upon the Jury to weigh one
statement against the other, and if they had any reasonable
doubt upon their minds, they would give the prisoner the be-
nefit of it. One very important fact was, that no person had
seen the prisoner take the property.
The CHAIRMAN observed, that one of the greatest doubts
he had of the utility of giving counsel the power of addressing
a Jury in cases of felony, arose from the very point now before
the Court. If the proof of guilt was to rest upon the fact
of the prisoner being seen take the property, nineteen rogues
out of twenty would escape. It was no doubt the duty of an
advocate to make whatever statement was likely to benefit his
client ; and the feelings of Juries, and their anxiety to lean
to the side of mercy, would too often perhaps induce them to
place more importance upon such statements than they de-
served. The Jury would, however, bear in mind that it
rested with the prisoner to prove how he had obtained the pro-
perty.
The Jury found the prisoner Guilty, and the Learned
Chairman sentenced him to six months' imprisonment.
On the Grand Jury presenting the last bill which had been
preferred before them to the. Court,
The CHAIRMAN, addressing them, said, he regretted ex-
ceedingly that it was not in the power of this Court to dis-
charge them at present ; for by an ancient principle of the
law, the Court of King's Bench was so constituted, and was of
so high a nature; that no other Court was allowed to sit during
the sitting of that Court. Now, as the next Session happened
during Michaelmas Term, this Court had no power to create
a new Session for that time. About forty years ago, in conse-
quence of the great inconvenience which arose to the suitors
in general from keeping up the ancient principle, an Act was
passed, which had the effect of continuing the jury both at
Clerkenwell and at the Old Bailey. By the Central Criminal
Act, the Judges there have the power of holding Sessions during
the term ; the words of the Act being " that they may hold
them at such times and places as they may think proper."
But that Act did not apply to Clerkenwell, consequently this
Court could not hold any new sessions in the month of No-
vember. He added that, at the same time, from the great
increase of population in the county of Middlesex, and the in-
crease of crime from the accumulation of property, it became
necessary that there should be at least twelve general gaol
deliveries in the course of the year. They were unable to
have those gaol deliveries in Clerkenwell without having one of
them in Michaelmas Term ; and if this Court were to discharge
the Grand Jury now, the consequence would be that no less than
120 prisoners now would be released, and probably by-and-by
double that number, from the New Prison, who were waiting until
the Grand Jury were discharged : he was sorry, therefore, from,
the; coottiturifyo he act ~,z:111 tlit' Court u:
King's Bench that he could not discharge them, although he
sincerely hoped, if he had any power, before long to get rid
of that foolish anomaly which (if accomplished) would give
them the power of holding sessions here; but as it was he

was under the necessity of compelling their attendance again
in the month of November. He consequently requested them
to adjourrn themselves until the 14th of next November.
This, he said, was not the fault of this Court, and he sin-
cerely trusted that before long it would be altered. As it was,
he thanked them for their present attendance; and he would
take care that they should have due notice before them.
They applied for an order to view the prisons, which the
Chairman granted.
The Grand Jury then retired.