The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-10 00:00:00

SURREY SESSIONS.

Yesterday the adjourned general quarter sessions
for the county of Surrey was held at the Court-
house, St. Mary's, Newington, before Mr. Puckle
and a full bench of magistrates, among whom we
noticed the four County Members.
The calendar contained the names of seventy-three
prisoners, but of those seventy-three a great many
stood convicted for stealing trifling articles, varying
in value from one penny to a shilling.
The CHAIRMAN, in addressing the jury, briefly con-
gratulated them on the absence of any case of a serious
description on the calendar, and said he could see
nothing in any of the cases which required comment
from him.

THE METROPOLITAN BUILDING ACT.
Mr. FRESHPIELD, M.P., in rising to call the atten-
tion of the bench to the new Act, the 7th and Bth of
Victoria, said his object was to move for the appoint-
ment of a small body of the county magistrates, who
would act as a committee of inquiry, for the purpose
of gaining a body of information respecting the ap-
pointment of new districts, and acquiring other facts
that would tend to render the enactment more gene-
rally beneficial. The Act was entitled "An Act for
the Regulation, Construction, and Use of Buildings
to be hereafter erected in the Metropolis and its
Neighbourhood," and provided for the formation of
new districts, and the enlargement or contraction of
old ones, and also fur the appointment of district
surveyors. As the Act came into operation on the'
Ist of .January next, it would be essential that some
course should be adopted by which a sufficient mass
of information would be ready to be laid before the
full bench of magistrates at the Michaelmas next
general quarter sessions, and he thought the most
effectual means for doing this would be the
appointment of certain magistrates as a committee
to collect this information. In the selection of
this committee, he would suggest that the members
of it should be gentlemen resident in those particular
localities which were about to be created into
new districts, as they thereby would have better
means of knowing and protecting local interests. The
Hon. Gentleman, after stating that the adoption of
this course would not at all bring the general court to
abide by the decision of the committee, concluded by
moving that a committee be appointed to consider
the necessary steps to be taken for carrying into
effect the provisions of a recent Act of Parliament
for regulating the construction of new buildings in
the county of Surrey, and to report thereon at the
next general quarter sessions; also to examine the
standing orders of the court, and to rescind such of
them as interfered with the operation of the said Act.
After a short discussion, the motion having been
seconded, was agreed to unanimously, when it was
decided that the committee should consist of the four
County Members, the four chairmen of the Surrey
general quarter sessions, Benjamin Hawes, Esq.,
M.P., and seven other magistrates.
A HARD CASE.—AS a specimen of the dispropor-
tionate severity with which various species of crimes
are visited in this country, the following may be
cited as one affording a striking illustration :
A decent looking poor man, named William Legg,
was indicted for stealing a small bundle of clover, of
the value of one penny, from out of a field belonging
to Mr. Charles Richard Harrison.
It appeared from the evidence of several witnesses,
whose expenses alone, in coming from Guildford,
where the alleged felony was committed, and re-
maining in town during the sessions, must have cost
the county a good round sum, independent of the fees
of counsel, and other incidental charges, that the prose-
cutor, who was the proprietor of about 900 acres of land,
on Sunday, the 10th of August, saw the prisoner
take the bundle of clover, which was not, at all events
(according to the prosecutor's statement), worth more
than a penny, and on the following Saturday he had
him taken before Lord Lovelace, who at once com-
mitted him for trial, thereby incarcerating the unfor-
tunate prisoner for nearly a month, and compelling a
number of witnesses to travel nearly forty miles to
ensure the conviction of a man who received an ex-
cellent character, and who said he only wanted the
clover for a rabbit. He had also been in the habit of
working for a long time on the farm for the prosecu-
tor's predecessor.
The prisoner's counsel made an able speech in his
defence, and denounced the practice of sending such
paltry cases before a jury, and thus, in many in-
stances, unjustly imprisoning the accused parties, and
in all cases putting the rate-payers of the county to
vast and unnecessary expense.
The Learned CHAIRMAN having summed up,
the jury returned a verdict of Guilty, and the pri-
soner was sentenced to seven days' solitary imprison-
ment at Brixton.

Another case of four boys, named Walsh, Tisdale,
Wall, and Wood, was next tried, which exhibited
nearly the same features as the preceding.
The prisoners had been out "hopping," and having
failed to get work, they applied to the union work-
house at Farnham, where they were put in the casual
ward, and got some gruel in the morning. Being
hungry, and seeing the prosecutor's cart in the street,
from which they stole a loaf valued at sevenpence,
they were taken into custody, and fully committed
for trial, and no less than seven witnesses had come
from Farnham to Newington to prosecute them.
The jury having returned a verdict of Guilty, the
prisoners were each sentenced to seven days' solitary
confinement.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
GUILDHALL.
Yesterday Mr. Winpenny, a surgeon in Fetter-lane,
and William Henry Peake, his lodger, were charged with
assaulting George Ventum, a City policeman, No. 312.
The officer stated, that about twelve o'clock on Satur-
day night he heard a cry of "murder" from the kitchen of
Mr. Winpenny'a house, and he went down to see what
was the matter. He found Mr. Winpenny and Mr.
Peake ill-using a young woman by keeping her shut in
an area, and throwing pails of water over her. Both the
prisoners assaulted him to prevent him from releasing
the young woman.
Sir J. KEY asked if the young woman was there ?
She presented herself, and said her name was Margaret
Flannigan, and her mother had been housekeeper to Mr.
Winpenny several years. She went to his house to claim
6/. which he had borrowed of her, or rather of her
mother. He threatened to duck her, and to get out of
his way she secreted herself in an area, where he threw
two or three pails of water over her.
Mr. Winpenny denied that he owed her anything.
Her mother was a highly respectable woman, but the
same description would not apply to the daughter, and
she had been living in his house three or four days with-
out his knowledge.
John Holloway deposed to being attracted by the cry
of " murder," and seeing the policeman struck by Mr.
Winpenny.
Thomas Whitaker, in the service of Mr. Winpenny,
stated that the policeman struck Mr. Winpenny with his
truncheon before Mr. Winpenny interfered with him.
Mr. Winpenny made a similar statement. When the
policeman came down into the kitchen, he said to the
officer, " Just listen to me, I have a charge to make."
The officer said he would not listen, and forced his way
towards the young woman. The fact was a sovereign
had been missed by Mrs. Peake, the lodger, and in
searching the house the young woman escaped them by
hiding herself in the area, and she positively refused to
come out, or the pail of water would not have bum re-
sorted to.

Mr. Peake made a similar statement, but no charge of
stealing the sovereign was now made against Margaret
Flannigan.
Sir J. KEY told Margaret that if she had any claim on
Mr. Winpenny she could enforce it at the Court of Re-
quests ; and with respect to the assault on the police-
man, as the statements were so conflicting he should for-
bear from taking cognizance of it. The policeman .might
indict Mr. Winpenny if he thought fit ; and as Mr.
Winpenny was an old inhabitant, he need not be required
to find bail.

QUEEN-SQUARE.
Yesterday John Philips and Joseph Manning, two
labouring men, were placed at the bar, charged on sus-
picion of having set fire to the Wooden-bridge at Pimlico.
Inspector Barefoot, of the B division, said that on the
6th inst. considerable alarm was created in the Aeigh-
bourhood of Pimlico in consequence of the Wooden-
bridge which crosses the Grosvenor-canal, and is the
leading thoroughfare from Warwick-street, Vauxh all-
bridge-road, and the Willow-walk, to Queen-strf et,
Pimlico, being discovered on fire. The structure, whit II
is entirely composed of wood, covered with pitch, ant.'
therefore easy of ignition, was fortunately preserved by
an early discovery, but whether it had been fired by d e-
sign or accident it was difficult to say. Every endeavor tr
had been made by the police to discover the offender o r
offenders, for whose apprehension a reward had been
offered, and in the course of inquiry it had been ascer-
tained that four persons had been seen to leave the
King's Arms, which is at the foot of the bridge, and get
over the fence to the foundation, and in about ten
minutes after an alarm of fire was given, and the men
were nowhere to be found. It had been ascertained
that the prisoners were two of the party, and as the case
was of a very suspicious nature, they were apprehended.
Edward Rogers, a labourer in the employ of tl.,e
lock-keeper at the Grosvenor Canal, proved that he sap
the prisoners with two others leave the King's Arms rst
about three o'clock on the afternoon of the 6th, Philip s
having a lighted pipe in his mouth. The party
scaled a lofty fence, and descended to the foundation el!
the bridge.
Mr. BURRELL asked the prisoners what answers thsy
had to the charge?
The men admitted having got over the fence, as de-
scribed, but declared they did not know how the fire,
originated.
Mr. Barefoot said that it was the practice of a numi: er
of idle persons to congregate under the foot of the bridg e.
Great pains had been taken to prevent this, as the mai, -t
pipes of the Chelsea Water-works were laid across the
bridge, between the woodwork and the Macadamised
road, and in the event of the bridge being consumed, all
supply of water to the western part of the metropolis '
would be cut off, and in the event of fire at any of the
houses, the damage would be incalculable.
Mr. Barlow, the lock- keeper, said that had the fire
taken place 'at night instead of the day, there was no
doubt the bridge would have been consumed. Boards
had been placed at the foot of the bridge, cautioning.
persons against trespassing upon the towing-path, and_
offering rewards for the apprehension of ally found there..
Mr. BURRELL considered it fortunate that an earl'