The Sun.
London, England, 1841-10-20 00:00:00

SURREY QUARTER SESSIONS.

KINGSToN, OCT. 19.—The General Quarter Sessions
for the county of Surrey were held this day before Sir
W. Freshfield, Esq., Chairman ; H. Kemble, Esq., M.P.;
W. J. Denison, Esq., M.P.; J. Trotter, Esq., M.P. ; B.
-Hawes, Esq., M.P. ; D. Barclay, Esq., M.P. ; Sir 11.
Fletcher, Sir R. Frederick, Colonel Challener, T.
Puckle, Esq. ; Sir W. Roberts, Esq. ; G. `S. Briscoe,
Esq., &c.
The calendar contains the names of eighteen prisoners,
only four of whom it appears can read and write.
The Governors of the different gaels in the county re-
ported that their respective establishments were in a
healthy condition, and that the rules and regulations
of each had been properly enforced.
The Rev. Mr. BENSON, the chaplain of Horsemonger-
lane Gaol made his annual Report, in which he stated
that he lamented he was unable to inform the Court
that there was any diminution of crime, and that during
the year 1,330 males and 580 females had been under
his care in the gaol, and many of them were charged
with most serious and revolting offences. He then
went on to state, that owing to the short period many of
the prisoners were under his charge, he had very little
opportunity of giving them instruction, and although
many of the prisoners were anxious to have books, he
doubted whether it was not more from a desire to pass
away the time, than to obtain mental instruction. The
Report proceeded to state that 37 of the prisoners were
under 12 years of age, 187 Were under 16, 511 were be-
tween 20 and 30, 544 between 30 and 40, 197 between
40 and 50, 117 between 50 and 60, 19 between 60 and
70, and only 6 between 70 and 80, and one man 86 years.,
of age, had likewise been in the gaol. These persons
were generally destitute of anything like education, and
many were so ignorant of their religious duties as to be
unable to repeat the Lord's Prayer. Some few of
the prisoners had received a good education. From
the inquiries he had made of the prisoners he was
induced to believe that the Sabbath, instead of
being properly employed, was in a great many
instances devoted to reading the cheap weekly
immoral publications, and this he considered a prolific
source of crime. In his inquiries he had reason to be-
lieve that a great many of the offences had been com-
mitted under the pressure of distress, and that in a few
cases offences had been committed by parties in conse-
quence of the refusal of Poor-law officers to grant re-
lief. The Report then went on, at very great length, to
allude to a variety of other topics.
Mr. HAwxs expressed his opinion that the Chaplain
of the County Gaol had very much exceeded his duty in
sending such a Report to the Court. The Magistrates
could not take any steps upon that Report, and ha con-
sidered it was a complete waste of their time for the
Chaplain to enter into a long detail upon almost every
subject of jurisprudence, which could not lead to any
result. He had no wish to act in any way unkindly to-
wards the Rev. Gentleman, who, he had no doubt, was
actuated by the very best motives ; but he felt :called
upon to protest against the time of the Court being oc-
cupied by any such statements as those which had just
been read.

The CLERK of the PEACE said, that by the Gaol Act
the Chaplain wasbound to make an annual Report to the
Quarter Session. _ _

Mr. HAWES said that the Report should be confined
to a description of the state and condition of the prison-
ers, and his observations thereon ; but that would not
justify him in making such a Report as the present.
Colonel CHALLENOR concurred in what had been stated
by Mr. Hawes, and he suggested that the Visiting Jus-
tices should be directed to make a communication to the
Rev. Gentleman upon the subject.