The Sun.
London, England, 1824-12-29 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

KINGSTON, TUESDAY, DEC. 28.
The Learned Judges (I:Without-ill and Gatutow) arrived
here yesterday, but no business was done except the reading
of the Commissions.
This morning the two Courts were opened for the dispatch of
business.

Mr. Justice BURROTIOH remarked, after the names of the
Magistrates had been called over, that the names of the Con-
stables had not been called, and asked of the under-Sheriff the
reason, as by law they were bound to give their attendance at
the Assizes.

The Under-Sheriff replied that it was not usual to summon
them.

Mr. Justice BURROVOR—But they ought to be summoned;
the law requires their attendance, and upon the present occa.
sion I wanted particularly to see the constables of ;
all the constables must be summoned at the next A,sizes.

Mr. Under-Sheriff bowed assent to the request of the Learned
Judge.
The Grand Jurors were then sworn ; George Holme Sumner,
Esq., Foreman.
Ilis Majesty's most gracious proclamation against vice, im-
morality, and debauchery was then read, after the usual pre-
vious
proclamation commanding silence.
Mr. Justice BURROU(3II, in a tone of voice so low, that it
was impossible he could be heard by any not immediately ad-
dressed, observed, as we understood hun, that there was but
one case in the calendar to which he should call the attention of
the Grand Jury ; he alluded to the alleged murder of a child by
its parent. To the evidence on this subject they would pay
every attention ; the crime charged was so horrid, that the bare
contemplation of it was painful in the extreme. His Lordship
then made a few observations which were entirely inaudible ;
but at length, by an apparent exertion, raised his voice, and,
as well as we could collect, gave the following charge to the
Grand Jury relative to ParzE-FiGirriwo :
" In the early part of this circuit I had to call the attention
of' the Grand Jury of another county to a case of manslaughter,
occasioned by a man having been killed in consequence of a
pugilistic encounter. That case, however, was not one of an
aggravated nature; and from the evidence which appeared be-
fore us, it was a fair fight, arising out of a quarrel. For the
purpose of accommodating all parties, and assuring the ob.
servance of that day which ought to be especially devoted to
the service of Almighty God, and celebrating the birth of our
Saviour Christ, we arranged that ample time should be given
for the return of all parties to their respective homes. In that
interim it was with great grief that we learnt from the public
prints, that that time had been devoted to purposes totally
different from that which we had contemplated, by persons
in the county in which we now are, and within a very short
distance of this Court. I allude to the circumstance of a
pitched battle having been said to have been fought at a place
called Moulsey, and which lasted, as is stated, for one hour and
a quarter. Gentlemen, after what had previously passed, is
this to be endured ? Is such conduct to be tolerated ? It is
well known to be contrary to the laws of the country, and must
be put an end to. We are all aware that these fights are made
up for the purposes of indulging the propensities of the vicious,
and encouraging the betting of gamblers. Even the men
themselves fight for money ; and sorry I am to perceive, that
even those who have some pretensions to the rank of gentle.
men are found to encourage them. Will this be endured by
the Grand Jury of the county, in whose hands the power of
putting a stop to these disgraceful scenes is vested ? I say the
power is in your hands, Gentlemen, for it is one portion of your
ditties to inquire into all unlawful assemblies. That these as-
semblies to which I am now alluding are unlawful cannot be
questioned. That th.)se of Whom they are composed have
set public justice at defiance is equally evident. These fights
are frequented, it is well known, by all the rabble of Lon-
don ; who, instead of worshipping their God and rejoic-
ing in the birth of a Saviour, so recently assembled on a day
devoted to holiness for the indulgence of vice and the subversion
of order. It is notorious that those pitched battles are gene.
rally, if not always, made up at public-houses, and for the en-
couragement of publicans;
who, on their part, are very ready
to promote such unlawful assemblies. Here, then, it is evident
you have strong power, by refusing to renew the licence of any
publican who has allowed such transactions to take place in his
house. You have a right to say to these publicans—' Wuhan
done wrong, and shall not have your licences again.' There is also
another course which you may and ought to pursue. The com-
batants assault each other; you have the power of indicting each
of them for such assault upon each other. I would also advise in.
dictments against the seconds, or any other parties of whom it
can be ascertained that they were aiding and assisting in the
breach of the peace. The names of the principals and seconds
are, at least in the present case, within your reach. lam
alluding to the fight which (as I learn from the public papers)
is said to have taken place between Jem Burn and O'Neale,
and in which, according to report, persons called " Uncle
Ben" and "'Toni Oliver" were the second and backer of one
of the combatants ; and Harry Holt and Tibbutt, the se.
cond and backer of the other. If you should have one wit.
ness before you who shall prove to your satisfaction that the
parties were present, you will be justified in finding a true bill.
That true bill will bring the parties before us, and we shall
then see whether their arms or the arm of the law is strongest/
His Lordship then observed upon the immoral tendency of fights
upon the public at large, and concluded by urging the Grand
Jury to active and immediate proceedings in regard to the sub-
ject upon which he had addressed them. The Learned Judge,
after the conclusion of his charge, recalled the Grand Jury, and
stated to them that it would be well to send for the constables
of Moulsey, who might probably be able to speak to the fact of
the recent combat, and the parties concerned in it."

Mr. Milne Sumner, as the Foreman of the Grand Jury, re.
plied, that a message should be instantly sent, and he had no
doubt but that the constables would be very shortly before the
Court.

A short time before twelve o'clock, the Grand Jury retired
for the purpose of performing their duties.

While Lord COALSTOUN lived in a house in the
Advocates Close, Edinburgh, it was the custom for Advocates
and Judges to dress themselves in the Parliament House.
They usually breakfasted early, and when dressed, were in the
habit of leaning over the parlour windows, for it few minutes.
before St. Giles's bell started the sounding peal of a quarter to
nine. It happened that one morning, while Lord Coalstoun
was preparing to enjoy his matutinal treat, two girls, who lived
in the second fiat above, were amusing themselves with a
kitten, which, in sport, they had swung over the window, by a
cord tied round its middle, and hoisted for some time up and
down till the creature was getting rather desperate with
its exertions. In this crisis his "Lordship had just popped
his head out of the window directly below that from which
the kitten swung, little suspecting what danger impended
over . his head, when down came the exasperated animal,
at full carreer, directly upon his wig. No sooner did the
girls perceive what landing-place their kitten had found, than
in terror or surprise they began to draw it up ; but this mea-
sure was now too late, for along with the animal up also came
the Judge's wig fixed in its talons. His Lordship's surprise,
on finding his wig lifted off' his head, was ten thousand times
redoubled, when, on looking up, he perceived it dangling its
way upwards, without any means visible to hint by which its
motion might be accounted for. The astonishment of the Sena-
tor below—the mirth of the girls above, together with the fierce
and retentive energy of puss between—altogether formed a
scene to which language cannot do justice. It was a joke soon
explained and pardoned ; but assuredly the perpetrators of it
did get many a lengthened injunction from their parents never
again to fish over the window' with such a bait for honest
men's wigs.
Ills Excellency the LORD LIEUTENANT has
been pleased to appoint Mr. Alderman DARLEY, in addition to
his situation of First Magistrate of Police, Inspector of the
County Dublin Police, under the Constabulary Act, at a salary
of 7001. per annum.—( Dublin Evening