The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-04 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

(Before the Assistant-Judge, Mr. Sergeant ADAMS, and a
Bench. of Magistrates.)
The March general sessions for the county of Middlesex
commenced yesterday at Hicks's Hall, Clerkenwell-green.
The calendar contained the names of 92 prisoners for trial,
of whom 77 were committed for felony.
The Learned Judge briefly charged the grand jury, who
Wen proceeded to the discharge of their duty.
JUVENILE OFFENDERS.

ip-i47..am 32,1rtm, an interesting child, who cried bitterly
placed at the bar was indicted for stealing the
upon beir,'".
eta moneys:of 'Maurice Casey. The prisoner
sum of 448.,
pleaded Guilty.
The Learned Jus"'Grf upon observing the commiseration
court, said that he heartily joined in
expressed by a crowdeul
1
this feeling, and he woufk.:
mother was a washerwoman,-
ttell them the boy's history. His
drunk. She turned him out oil o, since
doors fortnight ago, was constantlyg getting
which time he had lived by begtY-1. ng' The child could not
read, and his father had been dead ~even a
years. This was
the brief history, not only of that boy, ,:,ut of great numbers
of children of both sexes and of all ages, from seven
ears and upwards, who were comm.:U;(l for trial
to that Court. Now what could be done with :hat child? It
did not seem to him that a criminal tribunal Or a prison
was the proper place for the punishment or reformation of
these children, whose destitute and friendless condition called
loudly for some powerful interference. There was a measare
projected a short time ago, namely, the union of the Philan-
thropic. Society and the Refuge for the Destitute, which, if
it could have been carried into efiect, the Government would
have given a great sum towards it, but the Philanthropic
Society had declined a anited movement, and he (the
' Learned Judge) had in consequence Withdrawn all his sup-
, port from that institution for the present. Now, what was
to. be done ? The fact was that these children were
without a home, without food, without friends, and destitute
of everything iat was necessary for their nurture, mentally,
morally, and physically. Could that state of things con-
tinue in a civilised age; sand amongst a Christian com-
munity ? It clearly could not. The public would not
permit it, and they already lonely demanded that something
should be done. What he conceived was wanted were es-
tablishments where these children could be sent for two,
three, or four years, and supporbed and educated at the ex-
pense of their parents, if they had any, cud could afford
it, and if net, at the expense of the parishes, and then,
if they had no friends to take chas•ge of them, they
might be sent out to the colonies, whose, he apprehended,
they would not arrive as they did now from Park-
hurst, with the stain of an appearance at:a criminal bar and
a prison education upon their characters. He was aware of
the fatal effect of this stigma to their future prospects abroad.
time ago he ici
Under it, they
h.itamp
par e
Tinteiwee'esp. ap‘,ltlar from were too often wholly repudiated, A short
for sending them sentprison
which contained most violent abuse aft,ainst the Government
rZeaetaldainfild:
mweNreewg
ealties which way the
charities now insTion Nrrve,t", but if the various excellent
and unite for thi one grand oll)11137 Inside their little jealousies '
be done. There might be uLeicit, solvething etlectwe might
should all agree upon one mina? es-tadidiments, but they
priric,ple of action.
The child was sentenced to impr iscminient for six calendar
months in the House of Correction.
The next case was that pf two boys, brothers, aged re-
spectively ten years and eleven years cif age, who were found
guilty of stealing four hall-crowns and other umneysi, the
property of John Thomas Boulden, and it transpired that
they were under the pupilage in crinne of an elder lad, named
DoSson, nineteen years of age, also indicted for the same
offence. The two younger boys were' :sentenced to imprison •
ment for six months in the Westmi aster Bridewell, in the
hoe thst the school there ht is them some good. T
trapsportation
he
elder prisoner, Henry Dobsonmi, g
wdas se atenced to ,
-en years.

jr SCv.
We understand that the British and North American
Royal Mail Company, anxious to prosecnt c tile service which tl.ey
have hitherto conducted with such vigour, have determined on irmne-
d.'ately laying down anothersteamer, of great power, for the convey-
ce of the mails between Liverpool and A pwrlca.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
ROUSE OF LORDS, March 3.
The Earl of SnAFTESBCRY took his seat on the Woolsaek
at Five o'clock.