The Sun.
London, England, 1840-07-27 00:00:00

IRISH ASSIZES.

DECREASE OF CRIME.
(From the Dublin Evening Post.)
In four or five counties the Ribbon prosecutions, in.
stituted by the Government, gave the Judges some busi-
ness to do ; but with this exception the criminal cases
in those counties would not have given to each Judge a

single day's occupation.
Looking at the assizes generally, the extreme lightness
of the calendars is without precedent in this or perhaps
in any other part of the empire. Behold the proofs,
from the mouths of the Judges. We shall begin with
Leinster
Jut'ge Perrin, addressing the Wicklow Grand Jury
—" I am happy to inform that the number of prisoners
is small, and the offences of a light nature."
Baron Foster, at Louth, after observing that there
were only twenty-soven persons for trial, eight of them
upon an old indictment, said—" The calendar, I am
happy to observe, does not call from me any further
remark." _ _ _

Baron Pennefathar, at Longford--" I am happy to
find, on looking into your calendar, that it presents a
very different appearance from that which it was in the
habit of presenting for some time back ; indeed, with
one or two exceptions, the calendar does not exhibit any
crime indicative of any great enormity. * * *
There is another subject to which I wish to call your
attention, and that is, that several sir the offences upon
the calendar are of a trivial nature, and might have
been returned to the Sessions, yet they thought fit to
send them to the Assizes. The informations should
have been returned to the Sessions."
Jude Burton, at Drogheda—" There are but three
cases for trial, the nature of which does not call for any
particular observation from me."
He was very
Mr. Sergeant Moore, at Wexford—.
happy to state that upon the present occasion their
duties would be very limited in extent, both as to the
number of the cases, and the crimes with which they
were charged. It did reflect the highest honour upon
a county so populous and extensive, that there were so
their trial at the Assizes."
few individuals awaiting
Here we find Baron Pennefather complaining that
the calendar, small as was the number of prisoners
upon it, ought to have been still lighter, because seve-
ral of the trifling offences returned for trial should have
been sent to the Quarter Sessions. We make this re-
mark, because a new trick of the Orange Journals is to
attribute the smallness of the number of prisoners at
the Assizes to the previous clearance of the gaol by
the Assistant-Barristers at Sessions. It would appear,
from the observation of Baron Pennefather that, so far
from this being the case, a class of offenders who should
have been disposed of at the Sessions, was held over to
make up a Calendar a
at the Assizes.
We shall now
few samples from the Northern
give
province, which is now disturbed by the Orangemen
only—for the Ribbonmen may be regarded as totally
extinguished :
Judge Torrens, at Cavan—" The calendar would be
much lighter than it was, were it not for the number of
cases that had been adjourned from the last assizes."
Judge Burton, at Down--" Congratulated the Grand
Jury on the peaceable state of the county, There
were only fourteen cases for trial."
'We now turn to the Western Province :
,Ttage Crampton, at Roscommon—" There is no,

thing ;n the state Of the calendar that requires me to
occupy your time ; your county is tranquil, and I find
no crime except those ordinary offences which every
country is subject to."
Baron Richards, at Leitrim—" With the exception
of the Ribbon cases," his Lordship said, ‘, there was
nothing in the calendar to call for observation."
Judge Crampton, at Sligo—" His Lordship," says
the Sligo Champion, " made no allusion to the calen-
dar, although it happens to be a very light one."
Great as has been the improvement in the three Pro-
vinces referred to, it is as nothing compared to the won-
derful revolution effected in the social condition of
Munster. If there be truth in the Tory principle, that
tranquillity portends rebellion, the Southern Province
must be on the eve of a formidable outbreak, for the
Judges every where are remarking upon the disappear-
ance of crime, and in some places the gaols are com-
pletely empty. In this Province—which in Tory times
had been the battle ground of Captain Rock—there is
now much less crime than in any part of England ;
and the Orangemen never having been able to establish
themselves, unless in isolated spots, such as Bandon,
there is not, from one end of the province to the other,
the slightest trace of Ribbonism. We feel pride and
gratification in referring to the charges of the Judges :
Mr. Sergeant Moore, addressing the grand jury of
the county of Waterford—" He had no observation to
make to them, as to any duty they would be called
upon to perform ; the fact being, that no Crown case
was to be placed under their consideration. Ho had
heard, he need not say with what pleasure, on his ar-
riva! in the city that day, that there was not a prisoner
for trial in the city at this assizes. This was a circum-
stance, he believed, unprecedented not only in this, but,
he would add, in the sister kingdom, that not an isolated
Crown case was to be heard by the going Judge of
Assize ; and it was a fact on which the city of W ater-
ford might well congratulate itself. No Crown case,
be repeated, with sentiments of sincere gratification,
was to be placed under their consideration—a matter,
he would again add, unprecedented, he was almost sure,
in Ireland as well as in England." _ _ .

The business of the Assizes was disposed of in a
quarter of an hour!
But Waterford was not the only place in which there
was an Assizes without prisoners. Read—
Judge Ball to the City of Limerick Grand Jury :
" I am happy to find, on referring to the Crown book,
that there are only three cases for trial, and but one
prisoner in the city gaol, a circumstance which is pro-
bably without a :parallel. I learn from the inspector
of the prison, that his experience leads him to attri-
bute it in one degree to the vastly improved moral
habits of the people from sobriety. The vice of
drunkenness has become so rare, that it is now looked
on as a most improper thing. I hope the operation of
this improved moral habit will increase, so that Judges
who follow me will also have to congratulate you on
the same subject, and it reflects high credit on the local
authorities, that the exertions they have made to sup-
press intoxication, and reform the habits of the people,
have had a salutary influence. This happy state of
things afforded a model to every other city in Ireland,
and I hope the good example will be generally fol-
lowed."

These observations of Judge Ball afford us real de-
light. From the beginning, when we entered heart
and soul into the Temperance movement, we antici-
pated, from its successful progress, such great results
to the peace of society, and the welfare of the people
themselves, as are here described by the Learned
Judge. The temperance reformation is nearly complete
in three-fourths of the counties of Ireland ; but we are
only beginning to witness its glorious effects. We must,
however, proceed with our extracts :
Mr. Sergeant Greene, Limerick county : " The calen-
dar of this county, at the present Assizes, does not
appear to me to contain anything requiring particular
observation, and the number of cases it contains is not
considerable. This may be accounted for in some de-
gree by the practice of sending cases of minor import-
ance to the Quarter Sessions. Making all due allow-
ance for this circumstance, I think I may congratulate
you on the indication which the calendar presents of
the diminution of crime in this country."
Judge Perrin—County of Watertord—His Lord-
ship very briefly congratulated the Jury on the light-
ness of the calendar.
Judge Ball—County of Clare—" I am happy to
find that my task is one of a very satisfactory descrip-
tion. On referring to the calendar I perceive that the
aggregate number there set down is thirty-four. On
examining it more minutely you will be surprised to hear
that out of these nineteen might have been disposed of
at quarter sessions ; many of them are of a description
that do not warrant their being sent to the assizes,
such as stealing asses, sheep, and larcenies of that de-
scription. Had a proper course been now pursued, I
would have to congratulate ycu on having only fifteen
cases for trial, which would be to me, as well as to you,
a source of unmingled satisfaction, and creditable to the
inhabitants of the county Clare."
We shall close this display—of which the Irish Go-
vernment and the people have so much reason to be
proud—by quoting from the charge of an English Judge,
Baron Rolfe, at the York Assizes. Nothing could be
more striking, in the way of contrast, than the English
charge with any one of those we have quoted :
Mr. Baron Rolfe—" Gentlemen of the Grand Jury
t—ea as
assizes
eesa of
extremely r ettmhhie honour
oe4 sorryycunt),
I , of addressing)
thsaltoeunldthh ae‘. e
a grand
first
whichh I h
roarnedm e jurya e
ao-f
lendar containing offences of very greatbeenormity in-
deed. There will come before you bills charging no less
than four persons with the crime of murder. One of
the cases is most terrible to think of—that of a daughter
having murdered her mother. There is another case,
scarcely less shocking than this—that of a mother for the
murder of a child—not, as commonly supposed in
charges of this kind, a mother murdering her illegiti-
mate offspring at the moment of its birth for the pur-
pose of concealing her shame—but when it was two or
three years old."