The Sun.
London, England, 1824-03-23 00:00:00

[NORNING CHRONIGLIC.]

The public are much interested in the success
of the Bill DOW pending in Parliament for the
enlargement of the Jurisdiction of the County
Courts, and are under great obligations to Lord
Althorp for his
attention to this important sub-
ject. Nearly 600 years since (6 Edw. 1.), the
great inconvenience of suing in the King's Courts
for small debts was felt, and a Statute was enact-
ed, which declared, that there should be no suit
in them for demands not exceeding forty shil-
lings. It is most extraordinary, although this
sum of forty shillings has gradually been dimi-
nishing in value, till at length 401. is little
more than equivalent to it, at the remote period
when this Act passed—that no alteration has
been made in the law. It is difficult to believe
that any causes can have retarded an amendment
in our jurisprudence, which Hale and Blackstone
strongly recommended, except the pecuniary in-
terests of certain individuals in stations of in-
fluence. In later times Lord Redesdale and
Sir- Samuel Romilly have been the advo-
cates of the proposed alteration ; but it seems
to be reserved to the present day, when
happily more enlightened and liberal views
begin to prevail than formerly, to give effect to
the wise suggestions of all these eminent lawyers,
and to comply with the Petitions of the people.
Lord Althorp's Bill, however, will be defective
in its provisions, if the enlarged County Court is
to be limited to 10/. and confined in its juJisdie-
tion to one cause of action only—namely, debt.
According to the present expellees of litigation,
it will cost thirty pounds at least to recover a
debt of the most trifling amount, taking an average
of the costs incurred in causes tried at the Sittings
(where the witnesses are usually at hand), and at
the Assizes, to which witnesses must frequently be
brought from a great distance. The charges for
witnesses at the inns in Assize Towns, where
they are often obliged to stay for several days,
are enormous. If, therefore, there must be a
limit, it should be fixed, not under 301., but
there is no necessity for any limit. In the
Palace court, actions may be brought to any
amount, with liberty to the defendant, under
certain salutary conditions, to remove them into
the superior Courts, whenever the damages are
laid in the declaration above a certain sum. That
Court also entertain's a jurisdiction over all per-
sonal actions, and there is no reason why the County
Court should not possess all the powers of the
Palace Court ; it being proved, by long expe-
rience (from the time of Charles 11.), that they
are exercised with great advantage to the public.
It. might, be dealrahle, however, that the jurisdic-
tion of that Court should be curtailed in local
extent, when the County Court is new modelled,
and its Sittings are holden at short intervals in
every populous district—the distance to which the
Palace Court now extends (twelve miles round
London), being productive of much trouble and
expellee in respect of the attendance of witnesses,
and thereby preventing suitors, in many instances,
from availing themselves
of the prompt ad-
ministration of justice, which it affords.—
With a proper Constitutional jealousy, Lord
provided against the great increase of
of the Crown, which this measure
Athle th
ionrflpue hasn influence
would occasion) in the patronage it would create,
by vestinf, the, nomination of the Judge of the
ustos Rotulorum of each County,
Court in the
as in the case of the Assistant I3arristers in Ire-
land.

CHARGE OF PO ISO NING.—A woman of the
name
under of e
wilf zalii i
ul mu nis now a prisoner in our jail, charg-
ed with thu
;Fier of her mother-in-law, Ann Turpin,
de the f
gr4eircumstances :—The deceased, who was
far advanced in years, we believe 76, lived in Cook's build-
ings, Broadley-street
S i:
osuanorwi
, and her daughter-in-law, who is about
34, in Carr-lane. All the parties are in humble circumstances.
On Saturday afternoon, the prisoner sent her little girl, about
six years old, with a spice-cake as a present to her grand-
mother, and charged
the child to return quickly, as she had a
cake for her at home. In the same house with the deceased
lived her husband, a suerannuated tide-waiter, and another
grand-daughter about 16, The cake
was toasted for tea, but
only the two females partook of it. Immediately afterwards
they were both taken violently ill, and on the 'young woman's
expressing an opinion that
by eating the cake, the husband of the deceased took a part of
it to Mr. Fielding's surgery_,
and that Gentleman was called in.
He administered strong emetics, which succeeded in relieving
the girl, but failed in affordin-
g any assistance to the old woman,
who expired about half-past 11 the same evening. On analyz-
ing the cake, and the contents of her stomach, they were found
to be strongly impregnated with arsenic. On Monday, an in-
quest was held at the Mansion-house, before C. Bolton, Esq.,
Coroner. The Jury met at 11 in the forenoon, and continued re-
ceiving evidence till half-past four, when they adjourned till the
following evening. On Tuesday, they re-assembled about
six o'clock, anti after sitting till nine, returned, as we have
already intimated, a verdict of wilful murder against Susannah
Turpin, who, on being called in and informed of the result,
strongly protested her Innocence, and evinced the utmost un-
concern.
It appeared in evidence that she had purchased some
arsenic at a druggist's shop in the .Market-place, nearly two
months ago; and that before it was taken away the word
" poison" was written upon the wrapper. The principal wit-
ness against' the unhappy prisoner was her own daughter, the
girl that conveyed the cake, who gave her testimony with un-
common clearness on the first day of the inquiry ; and, on
being called upon for re-examination on the second day, re-
peated it without the least variation.—( Hull Chronicle. )

A melancholy accident happened on the river
Isis, about a mile below Oxford, on Thursday last. As Mr.
John Harvey, commoner, of %Vadham College, was amusing
himself in a skiff, he lost his oar, and in attempting to regain
it, his boat filled with waver and upset. The unfortunate
Gentleman held by the skiff for nearly five minutes, calling
for help ; and although two young men were in a boat
not many yards from him at the time, either from fright
or want of skill in managing their boat, they were un-
able to afford him any assistance. The distressed situation
of Mr. Harvey was observed by three gentleman on land, at
the distance of two hundred yards, and they immediately
put off in a boat, and rowed with all possible speed to his
assistance, calling to him to keep his hold; but before they
could reach him the unfortunate man has sunk to rise no
more. One of these gentlemen (Mr. Taylor, of Brazenose
College) dived several times after the body, although, from
the great depth of water, and its being so foul, his efforts were
unsuccessful.—The body was not found for two hours after the
accident, when every spark of life was extinct.

Such Is the extent of buildings now going on in
and about the metropolis, that it has become
scarcely possible to obtain bricks for the purpose.
Several persons under contract to complete their
works by a given time, have offered five and six
shillings a thousand for bricks beyond the regular
price, without being able to obtai❑ them.