The Sun.
London, England, 1833-01-25 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

Yesterday an adjourned Court was held at the Sessions-
house, Clerkenwell, to receive the find report of a com-
mittee appointed con the 231 of February, 1832, to consider
whether any, and what alterations, le ould be made in the
situation of Chairman of the Sessions, with reference to
his salary and duties.
Mr. HA LL was called to the chair.

Mr. ROTCIi inforrnrd the Court of the death of Sir
John Sewell, the chairman of the committee, and moved
the ►eading of the report.
The Clerk then proct,eded. The following is the sub-
,tance of the recommendations

' 1. The committee are of opinion that the present
system on which the business is conducted (the duration
the sittings of the Court not being regulated by any
order of the Court), commencing with traverses and being
subject to repeated adjournments, is not the best cal. u-
lated for a speedy delivery of the gaols, a certain attend-
ance of witnesses, and a regular drsp itch of business ; it
is also attended with greater expense to the county than a
regular and uninterrupted session ; and, in consequence o'
the felony cases at Clerkenwell not being taken until the
Old Bailey Sessions begin, frequent instances occur of the
escape of delinquents on account of the constables being
required to attend at the Old Bailey at the same time that
eases are called on at Cterkenwell, in which they are ma-
terial witnesses. In order then to reduce expense, and in
justice to the prisoners, the committee recommend that the
session should commence with the trial of felonies on
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday ; that on Thursday ap-
peals he heard; that on Friday, when they are finished,
the Mint cases do come on, and then the misdemeanors;
and that no traverses he tried until the adjuurnment-day.
" The committee having ascertained that the average
number of Middlesex prisoners tried for felony has for
some years been only 25 in each session, and those gene.
:ally of a trifling nature, they feel that this number of
cases is not sufficient to employ the Court on the Mon-,
day. Tuesday, and Nltednesday, appropriated tinder the
suggested arrangement, but-they f-el it unjust to defer the
trial of the Middlesex prisoners until Saturday, and par-
ticularly
to adjourn the Court, as is often the practice now,
.chile prisoners for greater offences remain to be tried, and
cannot be tried, until the next Thursday at the Old Bailey.
Th,.y therefore recommend that nut of the 1,500 or
1,600 cases now annually sent to the Old Bailey, a limited
number of greater magnitude than those usually tried at
Clerkenwell, but not capital, should be selected to be sent
to file Court—ti.e selection to be confided to the pike ma-
gistrates, whn mi4ht apportion the number among them
all, or the whole cotahl be c.amnitted from Bow-street.

" 3. To make these alterations complete the Committee
recommend that the proper officer be directed to carry in
before the Grand Jury the bills of indictment in the fol-
lowing order :—on Monday, for the Court at Clerkenwell ;
on Tuesday and Wednesday, for the Old Bailey; on
Thursday, for Clerkenwell, including all the Mint cases ;
iday, and subsequent day, for the Old Bailey, and
when all the bills for that Court have been taken, then
the remaining bills fur the Court at Clerkenwell.
" 6. On the salary of the chairman, the Committee
commenced by referring to Mr. Const, the late ch Lirman,
oh informed them that his salary was not considered by
the Government in the light cf a remuneration fur his
services, but to assist in defraying extra expenses in keeping
op the dignity of the office t:f Chairman of the Sessions
t'or the mnetrop ditan county of England. They find the
11 corder of London has 2,500/. a-ye ir ; the Common
Sergeant 8001., and the Deputy Recorder, 700/. The
Chairman of the Manchester Sessions, who is elected by
the Magistrates of the county palatine of Lancaster, has
800/. a year p mid out of the county-rate, under two Acts
f Parliament (4511 Geo. 111., cap. 59., and 6th
[V., cap. 112). There are but four Sessions a year,
and the county is charged with Counsel's fees to relieve
the Chairman from examining witnesses himself, and these
amount to nearly 800/. a-year more. This is net only a
laborious task, but prevents the Coairman from preserving
order and decorum. They feel also that it is not con-
sistent with the independence of the office of a Judge that
his salary should be dependent on the will of the Treasury,
nd they therefore recommend that an Act should be ob-
tained to authorize its payment (whatever may be the
source from which it is derived); and that the future
salary of the Chairman be not less than 1,200/. a-year.

" 7. Several communications have been had with the
Secretary of State for the Home Department, and though
there does not appear any wish on the part of the Govern-
ment to withdraw the present allowance, I.,rd Melbourne
has intimated !bat more ought n it to be expected ; there-
fore the committee recommend that apprica•ion be made
.or an Act of Parliament simil :r to that of the Manches-
ter Court, authorizing the piyment out of the county-rate
of any sum not exceeding 1,200/. per annum as the
Chairman's salary, and that the amount actually drawn
from the county•rate for that purpose be governed by the
aitiount paid by the Treasury, so that at no time the
Chairman shall receive more."

Mr. B BEAUMONT proposed that the Report should
he rejected.

Mr. 111'11711,1,1Am seconded the motion.
Sir J. WILLIAMS thought they should tike the recom-
mendations of the report in detail as the best mode of ap-
preciating their worth.
Mr. ROTCH moved as an amendment, " That the future
practice of this Court be that on Monday, Tuesday, and
Wednesday, felonies be tried ; on Thursday appeals be
heard, &cc., as recommended by the Committee."
Garford with the consent of Mr. Botch, altered his
amendment—" That the report b., now taken into con-
sideraion ;" which Mr. Ro,ch seconded.
After a few words from Messrs. Hope, Swabey, Wil-
liams, and Beaumont,
The CHAIRMAN put the amendment, which was carried
without opposition.
Mr. RoTcit moved that the alteration in trying causes,
as recommende I (No. 2) by the Committee, he adopted.
This having been seconded,
Mr. B. BEAUMONT implored the Court to pause before
it adopted so desperate a motion.
The motion was carried with three dissentients.

The third recommendation was agreed to ; the fourth
was referred to a committee; the filth was withdrawn ;
and the hat two having been discus,ed lot some time,
Sir GEORGE HAMPiON moved that the future t,idary of
the chairman be 1,2001. a-year and not exceed that.
After a long argument pro and con. an amendment was,
proposed by
Mr. HOPS—That the question should he adjourned

until that day twelvemonths. Eight voted for the amend-
ment, and seven against it,
The Clerk was directed to inform the police magistrates
that the new session would commence on the 11th of
March next, and to request them to regulate their com-
mitments accordingly.
The Court then adjourned.