The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-16 00:00:00

HINTS TO GRAND JURORS."

The following, which we find in the Manchester Ad-
vertiser (whether original tht rc we do nut know), is of
infinite importance, and, if well considered, admirably
calculated to save time, trouble, and expense. All
young grand jurors, that is to say grand jurors so sum-
moned for the first time, or who attribute to themselves
not only powers which do not legally or legitimately be-
long to their office, but a wonderful talent I, r legisla-
tion, choose, much to the annoyance of their fellows
(whose knowledge and experience render their exhibi-
tions exceedingly tiresome and ridiculous), to endeavour
to try the prisoners who are brought before them, and
against whom they have to hear only ex parts evidence
to an extent sufficient to enable them to make up their •
minds as to whether that cc parte evidence is sufficiently
strong to let the accused but absent parties be put upon
their trial before a petit jury.
The subjoined hints place the duties of the grand
juror in so plain and clear a light that we are quite sure,
if we obtain the thanks of no other persons, we shall
gain those of the chairmen of quarter sessions, who are
often, with their brethren on the bench, kept without
their dinners, while the grand jury are puzzling them-
selves in discussing evidence which they have no busi-
ness to discuss, and cross-examining witnesses whose
plain testimony as to evident facts is all they have to do
with :

" HINTS.

" I. The grand jury are •ot to try the prisoner, but
only to ascertain whether there is sufficient presumptive
evidence to put the prisoner upon his trial. However,
in cases where the person charged has not been sent to
trial by a magistrate (that is to say, where he is neither
in custody nor out upon bail), then the grand jury should
be most careful in their examination of all witnesses.

2. The grand jury on first entering on business
should proceed on some of the bills which have on them
the fewest number of names, and should send such bills
to the Court as soon as found. When the Court are in
the possession of three bills, the grand jury should not
send any more bills untill they are apprised by the
officer attending the grand jury that the Court is trying
the last indictment, and then the grand jury should send
to the Court all the bills found or thrown out. By
sending down single bills (after the first three) the Court
may be very inconveniently interrupted in the trial of
prisoners.
"d. Each witness should first be examined by the
foreman, and no other juryman should put a question
until such examination by the foreman is ended ; and it
would tend to preserve regularity if such last mentioned
questions were put to the witnesses through the foreman.
" 4. The first witness called should be the prosecutor ;
and, although he may not know as much of the trans-
action as the other witnesses, he can inform the jury
which of the witnesses knows most.
" 5. In cases of larceny, the person who possesses
the property, and who generally is the constable, should
he the second witness called.
" G. The person who took the prisoner into custody
should always be asked what the prisoner said, in an-
swer to the charge when arrested, and also when he was
before the Justice. It frequently happens that the pri-
soner has confessed his guilt ; but if a question should
arise, whether such a confession was obtained by per-
suasion or threat, the grand jury should find the bill,
leaving that question for the decision of the Court
and jury.
" 7. If the grand jury are satisfied that the prisoner
should be tried, although they have examined only a
few of the witnesses, it will not be necessary that they
should examine all the witnesses ; but no bill should be
thrown out without having examined every witness.
" 8. Of whatever number the grand jury may con-
sist, no hill can be found but by 12 at the least.
" 9. The grand jury are not usually very strict as to
documentary evidence ; they often admit copies where
the originals alone are evidence, and sometimes even
evidence by parole of a matter which should be proved
by written evidence.
" 10. It is not essential that the goods stolen should
have been found.
" 11. If possession of goods charged to have been
stolen is proved against a prisoner, the duration of the
possession is immaterial ; though it be only momentary,
and be instantly relinquished, it is a sufficient possession.
" 12 A carrying away of goods is essential, but any
the least removal of a chattel from the place which it
occupied is a sufficient carrying away.
" 13. Although it should be proved that the prisoner
is insane, the grand jury must not on that account throw
out the bill. _ _

" 14. In cases of doubt as to the law, the foreman
of the grand jury should state such doubt to the Court ;
and it is desirable that he should go on the bench for
that purpose, otherwise stating the question publicly
might prejudice the trial.
" 15. It is the duty of the foreman to report to the
Court, if any juryman absents or misconducts

It is rumoured that Mr. Ward, of Northwood,
in the Isle of\Vight, will shortly lead to the hymeneal altar
a lady attached to the Royal Household.
On Thursday, the 31st ult., as Mr. Hallett,
a farmer of Bigbury, was returnins: on his way home from
Modbury matket, he entered a public-house, where there
were several persons sitting, and apparently in perfect
harmony. By way of joke, he took from the table a pint
of ale belonging to another man with whom ho ( Mr.
Hallett) was not on the best of terms, and drank it up, in
consequence of which a fight took place, whereby he was
so severely bruised that we are sorry to relate he died a
few days after.— Western Luminary.
THE' WA ITER."—He attributes all virtues to
every body, provided they are civil and liberal ; and of Om
existence of some vices he has no notion. Gluttony, for
instance, with him, is not only inconceivable, but looks
very like a virtue. He sees in it only so many more
" beefs," and a generous scorn of the bill. As to wine, or
almost any other liquor, it. is out of your power to astonish
him with the quantity you call for. His " Yes, Sir," is as
swift, indifferent, and official, at the fifth bottle as at the
first. Reform and other public events he looks upon
purely as things in the newspaper, and the news-
paper as a thing taken in at taverns for gentlemen
to read. His own reading is confined to " acci-
dents and offences," and the advertisements for butlers,
which latter he peruses with an admiring fear, not choosing
to give up a " certainty." When young he was always in
a hurry, and exasperated his mistress by running
against the other waiters, and breaking the " neguses."
As he gets older he learns to unite swiftness with
caution ; declines wasting his breath in immediate answers
to calls ; and knows, with a slight turn of his face, and
elevation of his voice into what precise corner of the
room to pitch his " Coming, Sir." If you told him
that, in Shakspere's time, waiters said " Anon, anon,
Sir," he would he astonished at the repetition of the same
word in one answer, and at the use of three words in-
stead of two ; and he would justly infer that London
couli not have been so large, nor the chop-house so busy
in those days. He would drop one of the two syllables of
his " Yes, Sir," if he could ; but business and civility
will not allow it; and therefore he does what he can by
running them together in the swift sufficiency of his
" Yezzir." " Thomas ?" " Yezzir." " my steak
seldom
mFosra)isni
coming ?" Yczzir." .4 And the pint of Port ?" " zz:r."
" You'll not forget the postmain,
the
e l
sia.bsitir, of
fohris„fiNcqou.
iSesire,e"nTe habit itself renderiiligiilhilimic
intelligible.—Leigh Hunt.
e eSt
for l)Atuh
total
a ICr
eopve
aEI Tf
hGeA,R,
nDdw Eo N -t---a
x:k i
was held
at the Vestry-room, on Thursday evening, the I.lth instant.
Mr. Cribb, of King-street, was called to the chair.
series of resolutions were passed, unanimously eon,demni
the unjust character of this tax. The meeting eNn„,„,,,gd
a fear that during the next session of VA,p,ment si-'s-
P present inereast d
there
might be an attempt, in addition to the r
and
middling
burden, to renew the original imposition of the window s
tax. Mr. \Volker, one of the former opposers of this
a3t didelasnseast
measure, observed that the window.t,exdisetpirni
ianyng
degree
mostin oppressivethe sister s! o
tu: county}', that in England this tax
them of light and air, and in an extreme degree productive
of disease. The meeting
,
ar
m was unanimous on the subject of
cooperating with St.
,is tin's and other parishes in me-
morialising her Msjest
Government on the subject of the
general tendency of the window- tax, and with a view like-
wise to the total repeal thereof.