The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-01 00:00:00

SURREY SESSIONS.

The General Quarter Sessions for the county of Surrey
commenced yesterday at the Court-house, Guildford, and as
there was some important business to be disposed of, there
was an unusually large attendance of magistrates. There
were present G. T. Nicholson, Esq., chairman; Lord Love-
lace, Viscount Crawley, Lord Lovain, W. J. Denison, Esq.,
M.P., J. Trotter, ESQ., M.P. H. Kemble, Esq., M.P., E. An.
trobus, Esq., M.P., Sir R. Frederick, Colonel Challoner,
I. T. Briscoe, Esq., C. Barclay, Esq., A. K. Barclay, Esq.,
R. C. Austin, Esq., W. J. Freshfield, Esq., T. Puckle, Esq.,
S. H. Lucas, Esq., and a number of other magistrat es.
The Governors of the different gaols in the county made
their usual reports. It appeared that their respective
establishments were generally healthy, but that they were
very full of prisoners; and in Guildford gaol in particular
there were at the present time a hundred more prisoners con-
fined within it than it was intended originally to contain.
Upon the application of Mr. Smallpiece, the county
treasurer, the Court made an order for a county rate of 2d.
in the pound, to be levied within six weeks.
ENLARGEMENT OF THE COUNTY LUNATIC ASYLUM.

The Committee of Visiting Justices appointed to this es-
tablishment made a special report, recommending that the
present building should be enlarged, so as to enable it to
contain 400 additional patients. It at present was calcu-
lated for 400, but the committee having ascertained that
there were nearly 300 more lunatic or imbecile paupers con-
fined in different workhouses and in private establishments,
they recommended that provision should be made in the
county establishment for their reception, and with this
view they had ordered the county surveyor to make the ne-
cessary estimates and plans, and it was calculated that the
whole cost of the additional buildings, furniture, &c., to ac-
commodate the additional 400 patients would not exceed
33,000/. They concluded by recommending that the Court
should sanction their proposal, and take the necessary steps
to have the alterations carried into effect.
Memorials were read from the guardians of the poor of
Lambeth and Newington, in favour of the enlargement of
the building, and from the guardians of Guildford, Chertsey,
Epsom, and the Hembledon union against it. The grounds
upon which the latter parishes opposed the enlargement of
the building were, that the county had already incurred a
very large expense (nearly 90,0001.) in the erection of the
present building, and that they considered the county ought
not to be burdened with an additional charge.
Mr. K.EMBLE proposed the adoption of the report, which
he said was agreed to by every one of the visiting justices,
with the exception of their chairman, Mr. Briscoe, who he
regretted to say did not concur with them. He considered
that by agreeing to this report they were merely carrying
out their original object, of properly providing for that
most helpless and afflicted class of the community, the pauper
lunatics, and he begged to remind the Court that the Act
of Parliament rendered it imperative upon them to provide
sufficient accommodation for them, and that if they failed
to do so, the Secretary of State had the power to interfere
and compel them. At present a great number of these
unhappy persons were dispersed about the county ; and he
thought it would be obvious to all that it would be much
better to have them under one roof, where they would be
likely to have proper attention and care, and undergo such
treatment as would be likely to restore them to health.
With regard to the expense, he begged to remind the Court
that they had the power by the Act of Parliament to bor-
row the money, and extend the payment for a period of
thirty years, so that the amount to be repaid each year would
be very trifling. He concluded by moving the adoption of
the report.
Mr. A. K. BARCLAY seconded the motion.
Colonel CHALLONER opposed the motion, and said that
when the erection of the original building was proposed by
Mr. Briscoe, a great many of the magistrates gave him their
support. upon the understanding that the establishment was
to be chiefly treated as one for the cure of the malady, and
not for the continual reception and housing of hopeless
cases, which now seemed to be the object sought to be ob-
tained. He was of opinion that a great many of the cases
in the asylum might very propeily have remained under the
charge of the different workhouses.
Mr. TROTTER said, that by the Act of Parliament they
had no right to make such a use of the workhouse, and if
they did not agree to the proposed alteration, he was afraid
the Secretary of State would compel them.
Mr. C. BARCLAY supported the motion, and said he hoped
to see the recommendation of the Visiting Justices carried
into effect.
Mr. AUSTIN opposed the motion, and he observed that he

was a member of one of the Boards of Guardians that had

memorialised the Court against the proposed enlargement,
and he considered the large sum of 35,000/. ought not to be
expended for such a purpose. He agreed with Colonel
Challoner in his opinion that many of the cases that were
now sent to the asylum might be properly treated in the
workhouses, and this would be done at much less expense.
The present building had already cost a very large stun, and
he had no hesitation in saying that the cost of maintenance
of each pauper, reckoning the interest of the money, would
be at least 15s. a week. Besides this, it appeared to him
that it was too much to ask for increased accommodation for
400 patients, when according to the same showing, they only
made out that there was 298 more to be admitted.

After a lengthened discussion the Court divided when the
motion was declared to be carried by a majority of 7, the
numbers being for the motion 20, against it 13.

PRISON DISCIPLINE OF TEE COUNTY.

The next question for the consideration of the Court was
he condition of the prisons of the county, and the propriety
if adopting the separate system of imprisonment.
Mr. AUSTIN, in rising to make a motion upon the subject,
said it was not his intention at present to press upon the
Court the consideration of the question as to the value of
the system of separate confinement, but his object was to
obtain a remedy of the great evils that at present existed,
and induce the Court to endeavour to adopt some better
system of prison discipline, leaving them to determine
whether it should be by separate confinement or not. They
should recollect that they were placed in the position of
having the charge of the crime of the county, and he called
upon them to consider what steps they had taken to check it.
They had made two great changes. Before the year 1800
their prisons, the Clink, the Borough Compter, and above all,
the Marshalsea, were a disgrace to the county, but about
that time they made some improvement, by building the
county gaol, and from that period they appeared to evince
some little philanthrophy on behalf of their unfortunate
prisoners. In 1820 there was another great change, and
the system of classification, labour, and silence was intro-
duced ; but, although the population had very much in-
creased, very little had been done in the way of enlarging
their gaols, and they were fast coming to the condition they
were in when described by Howard. The returns from all
the prisons in the county showed what a crowded state they
were in, and, with regard to Guildford, if they had a
hun-
dred additional cells, the accommodation would still fall
short. In this prison it appeared that the unfortunate in-
mates had each only one-eighth of the space that was consi-
dered to be necessary, and upon one occasion, 32 female pri-
soners were shut up in a room 13 feet square, and 10 feet
high, each of them having, therefore, only 50 feet of cubic
air, it being well known that 800 feet were necessary for
the preservation of health. In Brixton gaol, also, it was
shown that the smell of the cells was so offensive
that it could not be borne, even at a distance of se-
veral feet. It being admitted that there was this great
want of accommodation, he thought, made out a strong
prima facie case in favour of some alteration ; and the
question then arose, what system should be adopted? In
his opinion, the system of classification, labour, and silence
had completely failed, and that with regard to classification
it was impossible to make it effectual, and where prisoners
were brought together contamination was sure to result from
it. He was of opinion also that the tread-wheel was a sense-
less and degrading labour, and that it caused no terror to
the prisoner, and the system of compelling prisoners to be
silent in each others presence was cruel in the extreme.
They shut the unhappy persons together in a room
during a long winter's night, and if they dared to speak
to each other, they were punished. They just placed them
in a position where it was hardly possible for them to avoid
the commission of the offence, and then punished them for
it ; and in one year, at Brixton gaol alone, 4,000 prisoners
were punished for this offence. In ons case, two
women were confined in a dark cell for three days for
this offence, and because they sang and made a
noise while so confided, they were sentenced to four-
teen days' imprisonment in addition to their original sen-
tence. The only way, in his opinion, to prevent these
evils, was to place prisoners in a complete state of isolation
from each other. The Hon. Gentleman then proceeded to
comment upon the evil consequences of prisoners being
allowed to communicate with each other, and said it ap-
peared by the evidence given by some of the officers of the
gaol, that the robbery at Chipstead, for which a man named
Harley was hanged, was actually concocted by that person
and another man named Bedser, in Horsemonger-lane Gaol.
He concluded by moving that a committee be appointed to
take the matter into consideration, and to obtain the neces-
sary plans, &c., for the erection of a new prison or prisons, in
some convenient part of the county, with a view to the con-
solidation of the whole, or most of the present prisons into
one or more establishments.
Mr. BEST seconded the motion.

A long discussion ensued, in which Mr. Briscoe. Mr. Trotter,
Mr. Denison, Mr. Freshfield, Mr. Kemble, and Colonel Chal-
loner took a part. The latter gentleman eventually moved
an amendment, to the effect that it was not advisable to incur
so heavy an expense as the motion involved, until the Court
were in possession of more information upon the subject; and
upon a division the amendment was declared to be carried
and the original motion was, therefore, lost.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MANSION-HOUSE.
A poor young man, whose case excited much com-
misseration, was brought before Alderman Musgrove,
charged with having stolen a piece of gingerbread.
A confectioner stated that the prisoner, who appeared
to be greatly.di,tressed, walked into the shop, took up
the piece of gingerbread as if he was desirous of being
seen, and willingly resigned himself to the custody of an
officer.
Alderman MUSGROVE expressed regret at seeing a
young" man, who had the appearance of respectability,
compelled to resort to such a mode of showing his
distress.
The prisoner, with tears in his eyeß, said he for the

first time since the day of his birth took possession of
what was not his own. He had been in a linendrapers'
house in the country for a considerable time, and •had
the respect of his employer, until he had the misfortune
to be left a legacy of 1091., a sum which completely
turned his brain, and made him an idle vagabond. Until
the money was spent he never thought of attending to
any business, and his place being supplied by a more
attentive person, he wandered about in quest of some
employment, but failed in every application.
Alderman MUSGROVE —Then the legacy was your
ruin? The prisoner—No doubt of it. I never had a
day's luck since I got the money. If I had never seen
it I should now be comfortable and respectable, instead
of pretending to be dishonest in order to save myself
from starvation.

Alderman MusaaovE.—Why did you not apply to
the union ? The prisoner—l did apply there, and I
was advised to hang about the parish, and do something
which might cause me to be taken before the Lord
Mayor, who would be induced probably to intefere for
me. I then took the gingerbread, and it was the first
offence I ever committed, except the foolish extravagance
with which I spent the money, which ought to have been
kept for respectable purposes.
Alderman MUSGROVE said the case of the unfortuate
young man was by no means an uncommon one, and it
would certainly have been fortunate for him if he had
never seen a shilling of the legacy. The prisoner—
'Until I got it into my possession, I had no care and no
vice, and I can refer for character to many most respect-
able persons, who have known me long and intimately.
Alderman MUSGROVE directed that the officers of
the Cannon street Union should provide for the prisoner,
and send him home in a few days.