The Sun.
London, England, 1840-01-01 00:00:00

SURREY SESSIONS.

These Sessions commenced yesterday before Mr.
Hedger, Chairman, and above one hundred leading
Magistrates of the county, amongst whom were Earl
Lovelace, Lord Monson, Sir Henry Fletcher, Sir It.
Frederick, Captain Alsager, M.P., Mr. Kemble, M.P.,
Mr. Dennison, M.P., Mr. Briscoe, M.P., Mr. Hawes,
M.P., Mr. C. Barclay, Mr. Crauford, M.P., Colonel.
Chnlloner, &c.

The Grand Jury having been sworn, the Chairman
adverted to the unusually heavy state of the calender,
which contained no less than seventy-three cases of
klony, notwithstanding the Sessions had been held
scarcely three weeks since. After the usual observa-
tions, the Grand Jury were dismissed to their duties,
and the Court proceeded with the county business.
In some conversation on the New Prisons Act, Mr.
Tidd Pratt stated that an increase of 1,010 Court of
Requests debtors had been confined in the county gaol
during the past year. From his knowledge he could
state that no Act of Parliament had been passed, within
the last five years, giving Courts of Requests through.
out other parts of this country the power of imprisoning
debtors for a longer period than seven days. Yet in
this county a power existed, and which was frequently
exercised, by which debtors might be imprisoned for
100 days. The average number of days which this
class of prisoners were confined in the county gaol of
Surrey amounted to forty. It would be necessary for
him to point out the additional burden which t 1
~5
county had to bear above any other for main :aining
small debtors ; but it did appear to him most important
that the Committee should inquire into this subject.
Mr. HAWES said that he fully concurred that
this was a most important topic ; the greater number
of the debtors were confined for very small sums, but
they were unable to pay the Court fees, which were
mostly exceedingly high. In many instances the debts
amounted to only a few shillings, while the costs were
above a pound. He did think it a most monstrous
thing, and he hoped the Committee would apply them-
selves to the subject, which might he the means of
bringing about a useful and public measure.
After some discussion on the rural police the Court
agreed to the appointment of a Committee to investigate
the subject and report thereon at the next Sessions.

The Lord Advocate being applied to by the un-
employed operatives in the Abbey parish of Paisley, to
give his opinion as to whether heritors and Magistrate,
of Burghs have power to assess for the relief of p.'ole_
bodied men when out of enipioyment, his Lord nip has
returned an answer to the effect, that every person in
a state of destitution has a right to relief from the poor's
funds. lie founds this opinion on the decision in the
caw of Dunse in 1804.

NEWARK ELECTION.—On Thursday morning,
her Majesty's Solicitor-General arrived again in
Newark, and resumed his canvas, the result of which
was most satisfactory. Mr. Thesiger has paid another
visit to Newark, and we should wish to ask whether he
still persists in saying that Newark is his sole patron,
because he was last week accompanied in his eanva:;,s hy
Mr. Tallents, agent to the Duke of Newcas,tle, and we
plainly and distinctly ask, whether the name of the,
Duke was not employed in soliciting vc.ies for Mr. 'yhe.
siger '?lf he values his reputation, he will do this, and
when defeated, as 41eated
he assuredly v. illbe, he will
retire with edit from the contest, if he is
aguided
by thp auction of Rods, he must retire both defeated and
d(vraced.—Newark Gazct‘c.
The Anti-Corn4aw agitation works well ; the
causes which favour it arc but too potent. In the volu-
minous G(ozettes we recognise names that no
ordinary
vicissitude could have broughtthere and
; for every
single name in the Gazelle, tens, hundreds, and tens of
hundreds, are thrown into a state of de •
stitution. The
very agency that tears employment out of the hands of
industry doubles the price thev` feeds
o loaf
artisan. The ruined manuf, Inrat• can retreat to his
humble lodging, may f lower in
afar 'gratthe
scale of the
cr .community, and. yet know what
tort ; ti,e working man, whose earnings did not
much more than cover his bill for bread, sees his means
annihilated, the bread bill doubled, and—what comfort
can remain for him ? Hunger and despair are not good
for preserving the peace of a community. Will the Go-
vernment liabo!d and mad enough to support the breP.
tax this winter?--Glasgow Argus.
EXTENSIVE PLATE ROBBERY.—At an earls'
hour this morning a robbery of plate to the amount of
upwards of 1301. was discovered to have been effected
as is supposed, during the night, at tho residence of
Thomas Dickson, Esq., N;„ 51, Moruington-cresceht,
Hampstead-road. TA", is conjectured that the thief as
thieves had '
o.
y some means contrived to gain admission
1" ..ue house on the previous evening, and had remained
concealed until after some of the servants were up, when
it would seem they decamped unobgerved.
The commercial stagnation in the United States
has had a serious effect on the receipts of the theatres
in New York and other parts of the Union, which Ily,
suffered much from general distress in trade.