The Sun.
London, England, 1840-03-26 00:00:00

SUNDAY RECREATION.

By the Metropolitan Police Act of last session, all
places within the distance of sixteen miles from
Charing-cross were included within the limits of the
London police district, and latterly the policemen have
given notice to the tavern-keepers within that boundary.
to close their houses during the hours of evening service
on Sunday. This naturally led not only to great as-
tonishment and loss to the tavern-keepers, who have
been allowed by the Magistrates, so long as the houses
were conducted properly and orderly, to serve refresh-
ment on Sunday afternoons, but also to that immense
class of the community who, after the toil, and labour,
and close confinement of The week, are in the habit of
allowing themselves and their families the enjoyment of
a short trip into the country on the Sunday ; and
any person passing through the environs of the metro-
polis, must have witnessed the happiness that such re-
creations afforded the active mechanic and the clerk,
after the laborious and plodding- occupation of the six
preceding days. In consequence of the intended pro-
hibition, a deputation waited upon Sir Benjamin Hall,
M.P. for Marylebone, requesting him to communicate
with the Secretary of State for the Home Department
on the subject, and on Monday last the Noble Mar-
quis granted them an interview. Sir Benjamin Hall
stated to his Lordship the object of the deputation.
and that they had no desire to open their houses
during the hours of morning service, hut that it
was usual for many thousands of the inhabitants of
London to leave town after the morning service, and
to come with their wives and families to the various ta-
verns and tea-gardens in the neighbourhood, about two
or three o'clock in the afternoon, and return to London
about six or seven in the evening—that, so far from any
excesses being committed, it frequently occurred that
many persons brought their own provisions with them,
and everything was conducted in the most orderly man-
ner—whilst in some houses tea was the principal bever-
age that was consumed. Lord Normanby made several
inquiries upon the subject, and promised to give it his
best attention, and intimated that, whilst the Lord's-day
should be duly and correctly observed, he had no desire
to interfere more than was necessary with the enjoyments
of chose classes of the community who had only one
day in the week for any cessation from labour.
We copy this from the Morning Advertiser,and sub-
join the following judicious remarks of the Editor on a sub-
ject which interests so many of the inhabitants of London :
—Our readers will find elsewhere a statement of an
interview of the Marquis of Normanby with Sir
Benjamin Hall, the Member for Marylebone, and a
Deputation, upon the subject of closing public-houses
and taverns on Sundays at certain hours, to the exclu-
sion of those who have that day only on which to
breathe the fresh air, and enjoy the society of their
wives and children. Against this clause in the Metro-
politan Police Act we entered our protest upon its first
proposal ; and we now renew that protest with greater
courage, and greater confidence in the justice of our
views, inasmuch as it would appear, in the first place,
that they have been adopted by a most 'respectable
body of men, and in the second, that Lord Normanby
has taken the whole matter into his consideration.
What his Lordship's decision may be can be no
matter of doubt. He is the friend of the people in
every sense of the word, and he will do everything for
them that law and justice demand.

Some of the proceedings at the Assizas in this
and the adjacent County are calculated to excite strange re-
flections in the minds of those who feel interested in the prac-
tical operation of our laws. At Huntingdon, a young man is
charged with abduction (a crime, in our opinion and in the
judgment of the law, of a very serious character.) He is, how-
ever, acquitted of this charge, but found guilty of a common
assault ; and for this common assault he is sentenced by Mr.
Baron Parke (a most estimable and humane, as well as a most
letaned Judge) to imprisonment for fifteen months. In Cam-
bridgeshire, another young man is convicted of shooting his
friend and companion, undr circumstances which, to say the
least, manifest a strange and most lamentable want of prudence
and circumspection, and he is fined one hundred pounds.
Another party, convicted at our Assizes of the crime of
manslaughter, is sentenced to fourteen days' imprison-
ment. Now, making every allowance for the mitigating
circumstances in the latter case, we cannot but think it
" passing strange" that in one county, and by one Judge, so
long an imprisonment as fifteen months should be considered
necessary in a case of common assault, whilst in another county,
and by another Judge, fourteen days should be considered a
sufficient punishment for one who has taken away the life of a
fellow-creature. The decisions of Juries appear not a whit
more satisfactory than those of Judges. A Cambridgeshire
Jury awards to an old woman, in full compensation for the
agonies arising from want of skill, or rather perhaps the negli-
gence of her medical attendant, on the occasion of her thigh
being fractured, 51. ; whilst thrice that sum is given to a
farmer, whose favourite dog is shot under very suspicious cir-
cumstances. Cambridge Advertiser.
SPORTING.—The Cantray, or Inverness har-
riers, have lately had two excellent runs after fallow deer, two
of which were sent to Mr. Davidson, of Cantray, from Gordon
Ca•tle, by the Duke of Richmond. On Tue:day last week, the
party assembled at Fort George, and the (leer was enlarged (as
the sporting phrase is) about half a mile from the Fort. It was
allowed a start of twenty minutes; and after the hounds and
sportmen came in view of the animal there was a splendid gal.
lup for about half an hour. The (leer was saved from the hounds
by the fleetest of the horsemen (Captain Rose, Kilravock) and
conveyed back to Cantray in a covered waggon. On Saturday
the second deer was let off at Longman, near Inverness. There
were thirty-three horsemen, and a vast number of spectators
present. After a fine run of about forty minutes, from the
Longman to the east of Culloden House, the deer was captured,
but was so much injured by the dogs before the horseman
could reach the spce , that it was put to death. At this time
Lord Lovat was the first to reach the deer, —Edinburgh Adver-
tiser.