The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-06 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRI VIINAL COURT.
During the recess which has occurred th-
mination of the last session of the C'

Court, the City Lands Committee ha'
attention toward improving the commi
basement to the Old and New Courts,
ing a better system of accommodal

cation to the numerous and hete:

that each session congregates at the abi

tofore, the entrance to the Old Court
the Clerk of the Indictments was

the first one a wide flight of wooden
passage which opens to the corridor sepi, tn.
and New Courts; the other was a kind of well-staircase,
consisting of stone steps, which led to -the Indictment-
office, the gallery of the Old Court, and to the en-
trance for counsel and solicitors, and which, by
means of a dark passage, rendered still darker by
doors, led to an opposite flight of steps, which
communicated with what is termed the. press-yard.
These staircases were divided by a wall of masonry,
four feet and a half in thickness, running from the base-
ment to the top of the building. This wall, as well as
the two flights of stairs, have been removed, and a wide
circular, or well-staircase, has been built in their place.
The flight, at the first landing, leads, and affords
every facility, to and from both of the Courts and
the indictment office ; the second flight leads to
Mr. Clark's private offices, the gallery of the Old
Court, and also to the gallery of the New Court;
while the third flight leads to the top of the building,
and from the extreme width of the stairs several persons
can pass and repass without the slightest inconvenience
to each other. With regard to the alterations on the-
basement of the building, it has already been noticed
that it has been divided into three compartments, but
without any arrangement as to classification; this evil
has been remedied, for the north division is set apart
for the prosecutors and witnesses who may have to
attend in the Old Court, as well as to afford ingress
and egress to the Grand Jury-room. The centre com-
partment is to be exclusively devoted for the friends of
the prisoners, and witnesses to character. The south
or right hand compartment affords the same facilities
as the north end to the New Court ; and at the same
time here the most important alteration has been made.
Previous to the last session all classes, male and female,
the innocent and the vicious, the respectable and
the dissolute, were herded together, intermixed with
a vast number of the new police—the members of this
protective force having nothing to do except to be
in attendance, and. to be ready to answer when their
case was called on, too often made it the practice to
take the female witness, especially if she was respectable,
to some of the public-houses opposite, for the purpose,
it was alleged, to remove her from being contaminated
by the depravity with which she was surrounded, whets
in many instances, the remedy adopted far outbalanced
the supposed evil, for being unused to such places, she
became stupified by liquor, and became an easy victim to
the passions of the constable. Not a session passed but what
was marked with seductions, both in married and single
life, and to remedy this monstrous evil, as well as the unhap-
py consequences which the want of a proper accommoda-
tion entailed, the City Lands Committee have fitted up
the room which adjoins the office of the treasurer of the
county of Middlesex for the sole and exclusive accommo-
dation of respectable females who unfortunately are
obliged to attend the Central Criminal Court in the cha-
racter of prosecutrixes or witnesses. In this room every-
thing that is essential is provided, and for the purpose of
preventing any improper communication, a trustworthy
female is to be appointed to attend to these parties, and
to give notice when their attendance is required on the
trial, thus preventing any unnecessary communication.
Other improvements are about taking place, while the
arrangements above alluded to will come into operation.
on Monday next.

THE EMPEROR NICHOLAS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

am induced to write to you, having acciden-
tally read your remarks on the conduct of the Emperor
Nicholas in your paper of the 2d of April.
lam no admirer of his Imperial Majesty, but as I
happen to be acquainted with the facts relating to the
insurrection on his accession to the throne, I think it
fair to communicate them to you.
I am convinced that the Emperor Nicholas never
stated to the Marquis de Custine that he gave the order
to the troops to go on their knees. This is a coup-
de-theatre which the French Marquis could not resist ;
and you are also mistaken in supposing that Nicholas
did not expose himself on that day. The real fact was
this :—Some time after the revolt had commenced, the
regiment of Semenowski (Semenowski) Guards, (in
which Nicholas himself had been brought up) marched
straight to the Winter Palace, with the intention either
of securing or murdering him. The head of the column
had no sooner entered the gateway of the palace, than
Nicholas rushed down the stairs, without a sword on,.
and gave the command, " Semenowski 1 halt ! right
about face ! to the Isaac's Place ; quick march 1" The
regiment mechanically obeyed, and did march to the
Isaac's Place, where the other revolted troops were as-
sembled. The coolness and decision of Nicholas on this
occasion cannot be sufficiently praised; nor do I blame
him, as all the troops were Russians, for not superin-
tending the rather expensive amusement of charging
squares of infantry with cavalry, which was resorted to
in consequence of the artillery which (as well as the
cavalry) was faithful, being unprovided with ammuni-
tion, which it was necessary to have sent for from
Czarskoseloe. If Nicholas had only remained what he
was when he came to the throne, the world would have
had nothing to complain of. R.

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