The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-04 00:00:00

S 117 Ny MARCH 4, 1847.

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—Durham, March 2.

This morning the learned judges proceeded to the county
courts at noon. Mr. Baron Alderson proceeded to charge the
grand jury in the Crown Court, while Mr. Baron.Relfe com-
menced the trial of causes.on the civil side. _ _

The cause li;t-;;;;entsellieer;--c;ti;es; the calendar
about as many prisoners. Neither appears to be of a heavy
character. There are three cases of manslaughter, which,
though fatal to life, do not appear to be of a ferocious cha-
racter.

causes are on the list, a great many of them are undefended.
On the criminal side there are eighteen prisoners for trial,
but, with the exception of a charge of child-murder, all the
charges are of the ordinary description. The business dis
posed of to-day did not possess any feature of interest to the
public.

OXFORD ClRCUlT.—Rcading, March 2.

CIVIL SlDE.—(Bufore Mr. Justice Mena and a Common
Jury.)
VINES V. THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY COMPANY.

This was an action brought by the plaintiff, a solicitor at
Reading, to recover compensation from the defendants, for
injuries done to a phaeton, through the negligent and inse•
cure way in which the approaches to the station at Reading
were kept on the 12th last September. Mr. G. Hardy
arrived at the station at ten o'clock in the evening, where,
in accordanca with a previous arrangement, the carriage,
horse, and coachman of the plaintiff had been sent to await
his arrival. He took his seat in the hinder part of the
phaeton, the coachman driving upon the box. The carriage
then proceeded along the road leading from the station
into Friar-street; the horse, described as a lively animal,
was startled at something supposed to be the whistle
of the engine, proceeded on its journey, darted onwards,
and came in contact• with a log of timber, which pro-
jected about twelve feet from the fence, which marked
the boundary of the road. The carriage was lifted up
into the air, the coachman was thrown from his seat to
the ground. Mr. Hardy kept his place until the vehicle came
in contact with the large gates belonging to the railway
company, and which lead from Friar-street to the station.
The effect of the concussion was to shiver the carriage to
atoms, to injure the horse, and to throw out Mr. Hardy, and
inflict a permanent injury to the joint of one of his thumbs.
The Learned Counsel contended that the railway company,
having dedicated a space of their ground leading to Friar-
street from the station to form a road, were bound to keep it
reasonably secure and free from obstructions, so that passen-
gers to and from the railway might proceed in safety.
The jury found a verdict for the plaintiff—Damages 281. 165.,
the amount of injury done to the carriage.
CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Justice MAULE.)
Henry James Page having been put to the bar, charged
with uttering a counterfeit sixpenny piece, and no counsel
appearing for the prosecution, his Lordship inquired the
cause, and was told that the solicitor for the Mint having
declined to conduct the prosecution, and the 7th Geo. IV.,
c 64, sec. 22, which, gave prosecutors and witnesses their
costs in misdemeanours, not applying to a misdemeanour like
the present, the prosecutor did not like to go to the expense
of preparing a brief and feeing counsel.
Mr. Justice MAULE—The fiction of law in criminal cases
is, that the judge is counsel for the prisoner; but here it is
sought not only to upset and to reverse that doctrine, and
make counsel for the prosecution, but to throw the whole
burden of the prosecution on me, and leave me to make out
the best case I can against the prisoner by a careful and dili-
gent perusal of the depositions. But J will not do it. I
will be counsel for the prisoner, and let these (the deposi-
tions) be handed to some counsel learned in the law.
Mr. Scotland, who examined the witnessess for the pro-
secution, said it appeared that the prisoner on the 25th of
last month offered the coin in question in payment of some
small articles of food, first to a baker, who immediately
after the prisoner had quitted the shop ran after him with it,
and returned it on the ground that it was bad ; and then to a
grocer, who did net discover that it was bad until a police-
man came to inquire whether the prisoner had passed a
counterfeit sixpence. The conduct of the prisoner in other
respects, as far as appeared from the evidence, was consistene
with a belief on his part that the coin was a good one.
There was no scientific evidence that it was bad.

Mr. Gray addressed the jury for the prisoner.
The jury, after a short consultation, returned a verdict o
Not Guilty.

(Before Mr. Sergeant GAZKLEE.)
TUE ABINGDON MALT ROBBERY.—The circumstances of this
robbers are doubtless in the recollection of our readers. The
principal feature in them was the fact that for s. veral years
past Richard Jones, a confidential servant of Miss Mary Ann
Spenlove, the owner of the Abbey Brewery at Abingdon, had
been plundering his mistress of malt and hops, which he sold
to one Blagrove, who disposed of them to brewers at Oxford.
An investigation took place before the magistrates, who com-
mitted for trial upwards of twenty persons. amongst whom
were three brewers of Oxford, charged as receivers.
The prisoners were this day put on their trial, and all
pleaded Not Guilty with the exception of Jones, who had all
along admitted his guilt, and now confessed it in form.
The prosecution was conducted by Mr. Carrington and Mr.
J. Williams; and the prisoners were severalk defended by
Mr. Selfe, Mr. Skinner, Mr. Pigot, and Mr. Huddlestone.
Four distinct prosecutions against several of the prisoners
(some as principals, and others as accessories) having failed
from insufficient evidence, it was intimated that no other
cases would be proceeded with, and that a verdict of Not
Guilty might be taken on behalf of the other prisoners.
Mr. Justice Maule disposes of eight or nine trifling larcenies
and misdemeanours in the other Court, and rose about two
o'clock.

One case only remains to be tried, which comes on by ap-
pointment to• morrow morning before Mr. Justice Maule,
and in which Mr. Sergeant Talfourd is retained on behalf of
the prisoners.