The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-05 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

HOME CIRCUIT. HERTFORD, MARCH 4

Both Courts proceeded to business this day. Lord
aznman sat on the Civil side ; and Mr. Baron Parke pre-
sided in the Crown Court.
The calendar is very heavy for this county. It contains
the names of twenty-sight prisoners, twenty-four males
and four females ; nut more than three out of the whole
number can read and write, and the great majority cannot
do either.

The Grand Jury having been sworn, Mr. Baron PARKE
proceeded to address them. His Lordship observed, that
he tegretted to see tuft the calendar contained a much
greater number of prisoners than usual, notwithstanding
that the Quarter Sessions had only been held very re-
cently. Most of the cases were -of the ordinary descrip-
tion, and it would not be necessary for him to make any
observations resrecting them to gentlemen of their cape-
r ienee. There were, however, two or three serious cases that
might require some explanation as regarded the law affecting
them. Ile regreited to see that there were two chergeriagaiest
young females of murdering their illegitimate ciLpring,
and one of the parties charged, it appeared, was not more
than six.e:n sears of age. This was a charge/ whic% now
appeare i to be very common—but wheti er the offence
was !Tilly itself on the increase, he would not pie end t.)
say. There were different opinions on this subj By
some it was thought that the natural love of a mother
for her ci i:d precluded the probability of her destroying
it, and that the cases which occurred we,e to be attributed
lucre to aceldent than design. Others considered that
t re fe•ling t f shame and the dread cf having to support
their i,lr 4itin ate r ff,pring, dew ired them of their ordi-
nary leel:ngs of aff, e turn, and that this induced the mother
to destroy her offspring. Winch of these opinions
was the most probete they had nothing to do with—they
could only look to the evidence adduced before them and
they would recollect that the whole burden of proof lay
upon the prosecutor, and the main point for them to con-
sider was whether the child was born alive, and unless that
were satisfactorily proved there was an end of' the charge
of murder. In one of the cases it would be found that
there were males of violence upon the infant, and they
would consider whether this violence was to be a tributed
to accident or to a wilful and malicious act of the mother.
If upon hearing the evidence they entertained the
opinion that tie charge of murder was not made
out, but th-t a minor offence had been Cam-
ed, although the petty jury bad the power of
finding a prisoner, charged with murder, guilty of the
minor off nee of concealing the birth of the infant, yet he
thought it would be better, if they belieied that the charge
of murder could not be supported, that they should not
place the pr:soner in the territle situation of being tried
for murder under suds circumstance., and he suggested
that it woull be better on such a care to ignore the bill.
There was another case in the calendar of a peculiar cha-
racter for their county. A man was charged with felo-
niously damaging a steam engir e, which offence was
made felony by a particular Act of Parliament. It ap-
p, wed that the prisoner had the ca,e and management of
a steam-engine, and that instructions were given to him
not to raise the power of the steam above seven
pounds to the square inch. He had, however, done'
so, and it also appeared that the valves of the engine
hal been stopped up, and the consequence was that the
boi!er burst. There was no proof of any malicious feeling
on the part of the prisoner against the prop' ietor of the
engine, but that was not requisite to support the charge.
The law supposed mal cc if the injury was proved to be of
a wilful and malicious character; but this, however, would
be a question for them to consider. If they thought from
the evidence that the prisoner's conduct was to be attri-
buted only to negligence and disobedience of orders, and
that he merely sought to get up the steam quicker for
some purpose of his own, the Grand Jury would not be
justiris.d in finding a true bill. Tt ey would, however, con-
sider all tl e facts, and he had:no doubt they would come
to a just conclusiop.

George Downs, aged 24, Eliza Watkins. aged 25, and
Anne larey, aged 22, were indicted ler feloniously a,-
saulting James Greenhill, upon the Queen's highway, and
robbing him of some money, a pair of gloves, a banditti.-
chief, and other article his property. And the indict-
ment also charged, in conformity with the statute, that at
tl e time of the robbery the prisoners beat and assaulted
Cie prosccut9-. _

The Jury found the p•isoners Guilty, and the Court
dirert.d that Downs and Watkins should be transported
for Eft ,en ye,rs, and tl-at Fartl, who appeared to have
be e I led jute the commission of the offence by the other
two, should be imprisoned and kept to hard labour for
fif cen calendar months.

On the Civil Side sev,ral undefended cases were dis-
posed of, sod no matter of public interest occurred.

HORTICULTURAL NOTICE FOR

MARCH.

The condition of the existing crops, art..ir a winter
of no ordinary duration, becomes an inquiry of
some interest. The whole of the autumn, includ-
ing September, was cool, and the circnmstance
we noted at the time ; ita temperature was
equable; and ae found a similar observation had been
made in Scotland, with the remark that turnips and
other crops failed to enlarge and perfect their growth ;
but no frost occurred till the niiddll of December.
Subsequer.tly there have been three fortnightly periods
of frost, with two intervals, each of a few days' con-
tinu ince, of mill, opea we ether, with, howevr,!r,
very of the usual winter rain. Two or three
nights of great severity occurred, the first on the night
of January 7, and the second on the 3rd and 4th of
February ; but during the former, vegttation was
deeply protected by snow, a covering martle which
was absent in many pl ices west of London, dur-
ing the rigours of February, when, in addition to
frost, there were three or four days of most pierc-
ing easterly wind, which could not fail to effect mis-
chief. We ourselves have last nothing where the
plants had remained unwounded ; but in most in-
stances where borecole or other greens had been " cut
over" at top, the plants have perished. A friend
assured us that in passing from Surrey through the
great distract occupied by the chief market gardens,
he obsen el hundreds of brocoii plants that had been
r'estro3ed ; this is sad, for it enhances the evil occasioned
by the long period of constrained torpor, since it is evi-
dent that no work of moment could have been effected
sulPequent to the middle of December.

The
land is at length free, and every seed of the
most useful spring vegetables ought to be sown. The
earliest peas are Bishop% dwarf; Cormack's early Kent,
and the White Warwick ; any of these, crop after crop,
as ti.e plants of former sowing emerge, and this rule
may apply throughout the growing season.
Of the cabbage family sow early Brussels sprouts,
borecole, sprinkling of savoy ; and, at the ead of the
mo,ith, York cabbage.
Broad beans, sown in a box so thickly that the seeds
may touch, covered with !own, .and placed in a vinery
or moist stove, will vegetate rapidly, and may he
moved to the ground very soon. We have seen such
plants endure eight degrees of frost in April, and (being
then protected by a boarded ridge), covered with bloom
before the tuidd.e of May.
In mild weather towards the end of March, rich
beds can be got ready to receive cauliflower plants that
have been under lights during the winter. Sow celery
and celeriac ; all the " spindle"-rooted vegetables, a little
turnip seed, leeks, and onions.

The early potatoes fora second crop should be placed
in shallow trenches about the third week ; the frame,
early manly, and ash-leaved, are the best.
Dress, and gently loosen the surface of asparagus
beds, and sow aced for new ones. Regulate the rows
or beds of artichoke ; and dig up all the remaining
tubers of the plant called Jerusalem artichoke, clearing
the ground entirely, and replanting it regularly with
small tubers, or good cut st
In the Fruit Garden, prune and nail all the best
stone fruit trees speedily ; fioish the training of espa-
liers, and graft apple and pear trees.
The Flower Garden must be prepared by digging,
hoeing, raking, or fresh earthing and manuring, it
required, in every department. All foreign seeds,
and tender or half-tender seeds, are to be
sown in pans, and subj, cted to gentle beat,
without loss of time. Many herbaceous flowering
plants may be put in the ground, or transferred,
or divided ; a change of site and new sail are es-
sential to all plants. Dahlia roots should be excited in
gentle heat to obtain young shoots for potting.
In the year 1838, at this time, halt the best ever-
greens were seen without a leaf, and the greater num-
ber of China and crimson roses were found killed to the
ground. Now, we perceive no other injury than that
which was occasioned by the force of the wind ; leaves
ro! laurels, &c., have been sea tered in every direc-
tion, but the trees are safe ; hence, this winter,
though very protracted, has not been so severe as
that of 1838 ; we hope that ail our readers can adduce
the same evidence derived from observation ; but if
any partial losses have been sustained, the season will be
favourable for the planting of every kind of evergreen
or peat shrub ; care only being taken that regular
watering be given at every dry interval, and that a
coating of cakes of moss be laid over the surface of the I
soil to the extent of the roots.

-----
EFFCCACY OF MINERAL WATERS.—IVIineraI
waters are medicines prepared in a laboratory, the constant
accuracy of whose results is so certain, that we ourselves
cannot be sure of success in any of our eheinico-medical
compositions, excelt in as far as we follow the laws which
seem tl regulat, the I,boratory is queition, namely, that
of nature. These premises being granted, for they admit
of no dispute, whercf, re shall we not csm:iltr mineral
waters as capable and sufficient to combat and remove
diseases which other compound medicinee, imperf, c ly put
tozetl sr as comrwed to fluids naturally mediated, are
extycted to combat successfully and remove ? Granville's
Spas of England. _ _ _

,
SHEERNESS, NIA RCII I.—iler Majesty s ships
London and Formidable have been brouW.t down from
Chatham, and are now lying at their muori:.gs ready fi.r
commission. An ord ris daily expected. We he vo now
the Camperdown, Monarch, Vernon, London, and rolmi.
dable, lying in a range in our harbour; the three former
in commission, the latter ready for immediate service. [lir
Majesty's ship Asia is expected here to be paid oft
STAKING A CHILD AT GAMING,--,c A few
days since," says the Journal de la Meuse, " art iithabirca
at Vr id, playing at billiards, staked the hand of h's only
daughter, a handsome girl of 18, against his wlvorAarr.
The, imprudent f tle 1 ist. and the vii:lner his si-ce
ted on pa ,t. ymt. bring mde, clamingthe young lady, f. r-
tune and :At, or eke a sufficient indemtity. The daughter,
however, objects to the validity of the bargain ; and
gaming debts cannot be enforced by law."