The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-24 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

The fifth session of the present Mayoralty was opened yesterday
by the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor, the Recorder, and Aldermen
Hunter, Challis, and Hughes.
The grand jury having been sworn, the Recorder charged them
as follows :
Gentlemen of the Grand Jury,—The present calendar containsa,
list of nO less than 120 prisoners, but that number will no doubt b
augmented before the terminationroevfiyos labours.
seursss
Thethen crimes
is
not so great as in sonic of the previous
ou
charged are of no common magnitude. There are' bu
three charges of
arson ; several of making and uttering counterfeltcoinoi,
three of rape ; several cases of misdemeanour
the worst character; three charges of murder, two being
committed In one county and the third in another. The
Learned Recorder then read the statute which related to arson, and
after explaining the degrees of that crime, he went on to direct their
attention to the murder which had been committed in Drury-lane.
If (continued the Learned Judge) the evidence which shall
come before you is the same that I have read in the depositions, I
would advise you to put the case in course of further investigation.
The second case of murder is a charge against parents, of causing the
death of an infant by administering poison ; and they are charged also
with concealment of birth. With respect to the first of these charges,
1 de not think, after a careful perusal of the evidence, that the crime is
borne hltine as against the mother, but of course that point will be
for you to determine. With respect to the second charge, Ido not
think that it e,aa at all be substantiated, for as a surgeon was called
in the concealment is at an end. Too may be all more or less ac-
quainted with the circumstances of this case fora the statements
which
truth or
which have from day to day appeared in thepupbuublioacupornintosf.
those statements have answered a good end or an evil one,
thrown dim-
R• he
assistedtlier
thet
pronounce an opinion
have th f 0 acta
with
hre At,
have
been your previous
clonenneictendet
ocnul;t iebsuitti t,boeiawteavyer,ofujeunsutiecem,
eln,shnallal
may have
impressions, you must now throw them behind you, and look only
to the evidence which shall be brought before you. If you find
that the child died a natural death, then, however morally guilty the
prisoners maY be—however abhorrent the intercourse that took place
betweenn them —into that connexion you have no right to inquire.
freed from the charges preferred agalesrthem, and your
duties, as regards them, are at an end. The Learned Recorder then
referred to the charges of rape, and concluded by expressing his
deep regret that a calendar so limited, in point of numbers, should be
so fruitful in offences of the highest order. Ile was sure 'that they
would give to every
detaining them by any
ease its due consideration ; and without further
lengthened remarks, he would at once dismiss
them to their duties.
The grand jury then retired, and the petit Jury was sworn in.
Ex

iTRNSIVE CONFLAGRATION IN SAINT GEORGE'II IN
THg EAST,—On Sunday morning at haltpast two an extensive
conflagration, consuming property valued at many thousands of
pounds, broke out in the spacious premises belonging to Messrs.
Grant, Baldwin, and Co., sugar refiners, St. George's-place, Back-
road, n't. George's in the East. The fire was discovered by a private
watchman on the premises. Before, however, any person had time
to arrive the flames penetrated the Warehatise. Two engines from
Walelose-square station were the first to arrive, and were followed
by another from Jeffrey-square, and the one belonging to the parish, of St. George. With as little delay as possible these engines were
set to work. By that period the flames had extended from the base
to the roof of the manufactory. On the roof giving way, the noise
was most fearful, and resembled an explosion, in its course carrying
with it the five floors to the basement, At a later hour the south and
eastern walls fell with great force, but fortunately no accident took
place. It was ascertained that the premises and contents were in-
sured in the Sun, Imperial, Phcenix, Allianee, and Licensed Vie
tuallers Fire Offices, to the extent, it was understood, bf near KOHL ;
but the actual loss will exceed that amount considerably. As to the
origin of the fire nothing could be learned.
At the last meeting of the Society of Civil Engi-
neers, the following paper* were announced for read-
ing at the /nesting of February 24 :—No. Z 23. " De-
scription of the Dinling Vale Viaduct, on the line of the
Sheffield and Manchester Railway," by A. S. Jee,
M. Inst., C.E. No. 726. " Description of the Rails,
Sleepers, and Fastenings, and of the MachineforSettiag
Sleepers on the Dublin and Drogheda Railway,.' by G.
W. Hemans, M. Inst., C.E.
for " Description of
Extension the Framing and MachineryNo.7lB. working
Diving-
bell, and for cutting the Underworkorfktihnegthe Divi
ogi
the Pier at Kilrush, on the River Shannon;' by W.
Vanderkiete, Assoc. Inst. C.E,