The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-25 00:00:00

THE POOR OF ST. PANCRAS.

Yesterday a special meeting of the directors of the
poor of St. Pancras took place at the new vestry
rooms; Mr. Churchwarden Healey in the chair.
Mr. PITT read to the board the verdict of the co-
roner's jury in the case of Joseph John Carter, in
which the jury strongly censured the board of
directors for not having entered into a proper con-
tract with Mr. Drouet in farming out the pauper
children.

Mr. T. 11. SMITII complained of the reports and the
comments in the public papers attacking the direc-
tors with regard to the children.
Mr. BAKER said all that possibly could be raked up
against the guardians had been done, whilst all
that was in their favour had been omitted by the
journals.

Mr. CLARE observed, that so far as the directors
of the poor of St. Pancras were concerned, they had
been exceedingly anxious to do all they could for the
benefit of the pauper children ; but what were the
facts ? The workhouse had become so over-crowded
that they were compelled to fall back upon the prac-
tice adopted by other parishes, and farm out the chil-
dren to create room for adult paupers, who were crowd-
ing upon them. They would have sent the children to
Aubin's asylum, but that gentleman had no room,
and they were obliged to send them to Mr. Droners.
Why, however, should the Poor-law Commissioners
try and get out of the responsibility—(Hear)—when
it was actually :upon the representations of Mr.
Tufnell and Mr. Hall, of the Poor-law Board, that
the directors of St. Pancras were induced to send
theii girls to Tooting ? They did not contend for
price. They gave Mr. Drouet the price he asked,
and if he had not fulfilled his contract the blame
rested with Mr. Drouet.

Mr. BRETTITGH►M observed that although he was
prepared to admit that starvation and want of
clothing amongst the people were predisposing
causes of cholera, still exceeding care should
be taken how they made all these great changes in
the dietary which were proposed. In the first place,
if the board were to increase the diet so much it
would be an admission that they had been starving
the people for a long period of years. They had been
paying Mr. Drouet 4s. 6d. per week for the support
of these children, whereas there were hundreds of poor
ratepayers who could not afford to spend 2s. 6d. per
week upon the keep of each child. Although
they were bound to have a proper degree of
anxiety for the recipients of parochial relief, still
they were bound, notwithstanding the agitation which
this Tooting affair had created, also to exhibit an
anxiety for the poorer class of ratepayers, who, as it
were, were only an inch off themselves from the walls
of the workhouse. He would move " That a com-
mittee be appointed to draw up a report for publica-
tion throughout the parish in answer to the verdict
of the coroner's jury, and other allegations against
the board of directors, detailing all the circumstances
under which the board were compelled to farm out
the pauper children with Mr. Drouet."
Mr. SMITH seconded the resolution, which was
carried unanimously.

THE CALIFORNIA GOLD MINES.

Letters from California state that further dis-
coveries had been made in the gold region, which
yield even a more abundant supply than the previous
diggings. According to the latest accounts the
gathering amounted on the average to about 100,000
dolls. daily, and was constantly increasing, without
apparently an exhaustion or any limit to the supply.
There was a great amount of distress among the
diggers from the want of the common necessaries of
life, and attended with very extensive sickness and
mortality. Men loaded with gold appeared like
haggard vagabonds, clothed in filthy garments of the
meanest kind. To show the value at which liquors
are estimated it is stated that one man had two barrels
of brandy sold them at the mines by the small wine-
glass at rates which realised him 14,000 dolls. in gold.
Everything, and particularly articles of food and
raiment, were at most unheard-of prices ; for gold
was so plentiful in the possession of every one, that
it seemed to have lost its value. Daily addi-
tions are being made to the numbers employed in
digging. No portion of the vast flood of emigration
from the United States had arrived. A party of
Mormons had collected large quantities of gold in the
neighbourhood of the Salt Luke; while on the journey
one of them lost a mule with 1,280 dolls. worth of
gold on its back. The animal being frightened ran
off in the midst of a vast plain, and was irretrieveably
lost. A person lately returned from the "diggings
states that cattle were plentiful in the country,_v_
was a considerable quantity of flour at
that Sutler's
in.
He
also
fruit Fort,
and large quantities were pouringat
all ggerates
There
was generally scarce, and very little
_exa
says that he has read no account t a
either the quantity or quality
of the gold. He further
dry ravines as well as
those covered with water.
states that gold is found
P.
ersons who collect with
three times the quantity of
any kind of system
anywhere d
do.
A were exploring .
adry
A party of some 20
dust and ore
mountain supposed
led to a.to be
ravine that
precious ore ; when rich with the P nen near its
m• suddenly
base, they caupon a spot which
sa:nawsosrho go digging
gold dust
d with go and ore, caused by the
washings as those
washings from the mountains. In an instant every
threw himself upon the ground
man where lay scat-
tered the treasure, and sprawling out his arms and
legs, claimed a right to that portion of the earth. The
title was regarded by each as
good, and the average
yield in a short time was
Accounts received from
f 3s,Emit a upwards of 300 dolls.
n inform us that
ves-
sels had arrived there
of which had from California with gold, some
been assayed, and found to average 21
carats. Her AlajestY ' surveying brig Pandora, 6,
Woo
Lieutenant James s
Wood Commander, had taken
280,000 dolls. worth in all, and was to land it at
Panama, to be sent across the Isthmus to Chagres, and
by the mail steamers to Southampton. It is stated
in the New York papers that the Government
had recently received very late advices from the gold
region of such a glowing and glittering character, as
even to justify the withholding of particulars from the
public. The New York shipping lists exhibit a large
number of vessels up for California, and numbers
were sailing daily full of passengers and goods.
Messrs. Howland and Apenwall, of New York, are
having a vessel constructed in three sections, so as to
be transported on shipboard to California.

VISIT OF THE QUEEN TO .MANCTLESTER.---It
highly probable that her Majesty will pay a visit to
Manchester during the present year. The period will
be in the autumn, after the close of the ensuing session
of Parliament, during the progress of her Majesty to or
from Balmoral Castle, in Scotland.—Manchester Paper.
IMPORTANT QUESTION.—If men can earn 18 dol-
lars per day in California, bow will it be possible to
keep Congress together to fatigue themselves with public
business at eight dollars per day?—South Carolina
Hem:gang.
GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY.—The works are
proceeding vigorously from Doncaster, via Bawtry and
Uctford.

THE ADDITIONAL COURT AT
THE OLD BAILEY.
(From the Weekly Dispatch.)
Mr. Editor,—The public in general are not, per-
haps, aware -of the extreme anxiety that has lately
been manifested by the authorities of the Corporation
of the city of London to have the business of the
Central Criminal Court disposed of as quickly as pos-
sible. For the last year or two, whenever the state
of the Old Bailey calendar has been such as to indi-
cate the probability of the prolongation of a Criminal
Court session beyond the week in which it com-
menced, every possible effort has been made
to limit its duration to that period, and a
" third" court has been held in the Grand Jury-
room, over which Mr. Commissioner Bullock pre-
sided, "for the dispatch of business." Far different
was it in " the good old times," as they are called,
when that highly-respected civic functionary, the late
Recorder, Newman Knowlys, took his seat on the
bench at five o'clock in the afternoon, after the de-
parture of the Learned Judges, and commenced the
trial of a fresh " batch " of prisoners, and who
would often remain on the bench until twelve
o'clock at night, and even much later. Some good
easy souls said, and perhaps believed, that these pro-
tracted sittings were owing to an extreme anxiety on
the part of his Lordship to do complete justice to the
prisoners brought before him. Of one thing lam
quite certain, that he never allowed any unfortunate
wretch that was brought before him to escape from
his clutch if he could help it. There has, however,
been a great change in the manner of conducting the
business of the Central Criminal Court since the
period to which I have alluded. The evening sittings
have been altogether abolished. Learned Counsel
practising in that court no longer exhibit unquestion-
able proof of their having "dined up-stairs." She-
riffs do not lean over the front of the bench to remon-
strate with them on the impropriety of their conduct,
and find it impossible to resume their seats without as-
sistance, and provoke the laughter of the bystanders
by their abortive attempts to appear " all right." Un-
fortunately, however, changes or alterations are not
always entitled to the name of Reform ; and, although
the old system of protracting trials until long after
midnight was undoubtedly a very great abuse, as one
that completely exhausted the patience of the jury,
and rendered them altogether incapable of discharging
the duty that devolved upon them, still I very much
doubt whether it may not be said in this, as in many
other cases, we have gone from one extreme to the
other, and whether the mode of trying prisoners,
adopted by another Learned Civic Functionary, which
has *not inaptly been called trying by steam, has at all
tended to increase that res pect which the people
ought always to feel for those whose duty it is to
administer justice to those who have transgressed
the- laws of their country. But it now appears
that even the steam system does not dispose
of the Central Criminal Court business with
sufficient dispatch ; and, accordingly, a third court
is to be permanently established, in order that
the•entire business of each session may be got through
within -a week at all events, and as much sooner as
possible. Now, it appears to me that this arrange-
ment is one of those " jobs " for the perpetration of
which the Corporation of the good city of London
have lately gained an unenviable degree of notoriety.
Whenever the new court is opened for the dispatch
of business it will be found that an additional judge
is also necessary to dispose of the cases fixed for trial
therein. There will also be required one or two
additional clerks to assist the Clerk of the Arraigns,
and an additional Deputy-Governor of Newgate
Prison to take charge of the prisoners who are
to be tried in this third court, and a few addi.
tional turnkeys. No one but those who are, and
have for years been practically acquainted with the
manner in which the business of the Central Criminal
Court has been conducted, can form any idea of the
great inconvenience to which all parties having
business in either of the courts will be subjected by
the establishment of the additional court. The public
are already pretty well acquainted with the manner
in which a great number of the Old Bailey barristers
neglect the interest of their unfortunate clients,
under the pretence that they were engaged in " the
other court" when his case was called on ; but should
there be two " other courts," in addition to the old
one, I fear there will be very little chance of a prisoner
obtaining the assistance of counsel in either, and even
where barristers are really anxious to do their duty to
those who employ them, there will be such a constant
running from one court to the other, that by the time
a barrister gets into the court where his services are
required, he will often find that the case has been
disposed of before he made his appearance ; but if
barristers and others well acquainted with the
mode of transacting business, should be liable to
any mistakes of the kind, what will be the
case as regards the friends of the unfortunate pri-
soners, who are anxious in their hour of need to
render them any assistance that may be in their
power—what means will they have of knowing in
which court a prisoner is to be tried ? They may per-
haps refer to a list placed outside the door of each
court, each containing the names of Smith, Brown,
Jones, Sac.; and while they are anxionsly inquiring
in which court the Smith or Jones, in whose welfare
they are interested, will be tried, " the steamer" will
have settled the whole affair ; and here I cannot help
protesting against a system which has latterly
availed at the Central Criminal Court and at the
Middlesex Sessions. I allude to the practice of
the judges examining witnesses from the depo-
sitions returned to them by the magistrates
at the different police-courts. It is one which,
I deeply regret to state, has, on some occasions,
Been adopted by the Lord Chief Justice of the Court of
Queen's Bench. The practice I allude to may be
thus explained. A witness, when he enters the box,
is sworn to speak the truth, the whole truth, &c. In-
stead of his giving his evidence in his own way, the
judge, who, having the depositions before him, there-
fore knows exactly what the witness has peen called
to prove, examines him after this fashion—" Your
name is William Jenkins ?" Witness—" Yes." " You
were walking in the Strand on the lath October last,
and you saw the prisoner there?" Witness—" Yes."
" And you watched him?" Witness—" Yes," " And
you saw him enter the shop of the prosecutor?" " Yes."
And so the examination is continued of each witness.
$o that, instead of being allowed to do that which
.they had been sworn to do, viz., " give true evidence,"
&0., they merely answer certain leading questions,
which are put to them by the judge, who extspets from
them just sufficient evidence to ensure the conviction
of a prisoner, and then coolly tells the jury the case is
completely established, &c. Now I have always under-
stood that it was one of the maxims of our much boasted
law, that a judge, who tried a case, should commence
such trial with a mind entirely free from prejudice,
either against or in favour of a prisoner. Yet,
according to the system of which I now complain, the
jade is not only allowed to read the depositions taken
against a prisoner, but to examine witnesses from
those depositions; merely calling upon them, by
affirmative answers, to repeat that which they had
formerly stated before a magistrate. Now, in civil
cases a judge is not allowed to know anything before-
hand of what any witness can prove. He does not,
in fact, know anything more than the cause of action,
and the nature of the pleadings. I wonder what
would be thought of Lord Denman if, in an action
to recover a debt, he were to say to a witness—
" You were present when the debt was incurred You
heard the defendant promise to pay it, and you know
that he has not done so ;" and having had all these 11
questions replied to in the affirmative, he were to tell
the jury to find a verdict for the plaintiff!
Such a
mode of examination would not be allowed in a civil
case, why, then, should it be in a criminal one ?a The
judge, in an action to recover a paltry sum of ler
takes, or is supposed to take, a full note of the i
evi-
dence on both sides ; but n a case in which the
liberty and character of one of her Majesty s subjects
is concerned, his notes very often contain nothing
more than the name of the prisoner, the offence
for which he was indicted, and the verdict of
the jury. I have, on more than one occasion,
seen the "notes" of a learned judge, and found
they contained nothing more than what I have
above stated. Yet the very judges who adopt
the practice of examining a witness from the deposi-
tions, will at once interrupt a counsel who tries to
adopt the same mode of examination on the part of a
prisoner, by saying " Don't put the answer into the
mouth of the witness, by putting leading ques-
tions,
such as Did you do so and so;' but
ask him
what he did, and let him give his
answer in his own way. It would be an effectual
stop to the system of trying by steam if the
prisoners would insist, and which they have an
undoubted right to do, on each witness giving his evi-
dence de 70110, altogether irrespective of anything that
may appear in the depositions. The original intention
of compelling the magistrates, at the different police-
Offices, to return the depositions taken against a pri-
soner to the court to which they committed him for
trial was, not that the judge might afterwards examine
the witnesses therefrom, hut that they might be re•
ferred to in case the witnesses suppressed any per
tion of the evidence which he hail given, when the
Prisoner was under examination at the police-court.
In proof of the correctness of this opinion on ray part,
I may mention that owing to the number of Cases in
-which guilty parties have escaped from punishment,
in consequence of witnesses, when under examination
before a grand jury, wilfully suppressing portions of
the evidence they had given at the police-courts, and
thereby inducing the grand jury to throw out the
bill, the practice for some years past has been to have
an officer of the court in attendance before the grand
jury with the depositions, and if he finds a witness sup- I
pressing any material fact which he had sworn to when
before the magistrate, to call the attention of the grand
jury to the statement contained in his deposition.
believe I may claim the credit of having been the
first person to suggest the propriety of such a course
being. adopted. The subject was brought thereby
under the consideration of the proper authorities,