The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-31 00:00:00

INCEND lARISM.

It will be recollected that at the Kingston Spring
Assizes, a young man named George Elderfield was
charged with an act of incendiarism, committed in
the neighbourhood of Guildford, of which town he
was a resident. As is usual in cases of this descrip-
tion, the evidence was entirely circumstantial, and
consisted of proof that the prisoner was seen near the
barn that was fired immediately before the fire was
discovered, and that when the alarm was given he
was seen running away from the spot. It was like-
wise proved that a day or two before the fire Elder-
field purchased two boxes of lucifer matches ; but
when he was apprehended he denied having done so.
There was no such evidence against him however, and
at the close of the case for the prosecution, Mr.
Baron Alderson, who was sitting in the Crown Court,
expressed his opinion that there was not sufficient
evidence to go to the •jury, and therefore directed an
acquittal. The prisoner, upon his being set at liberty,
returned to Guildford; but in consequence of the
strong impression which prevailed that he was the guilty
party, a watch was kept upon his movements. A few
nights back the town of Guildford and the neigbour-
hood were again alarmed, by a fire breaking out in
the farm-yard of Mr. Bicknell, an extensive farmer,
residing near the town of Guildford. Fortunately,
assistance speedily arrived, and two large. ponds of
'water 'being upon the premises, the dwelling-house
was saved, but a barn, which contained a large quan-
tity of wheat, beans, and oats, a stable, and some
sheds, with three fine calves, which it was found im-
possible to rescue, were wholly destroyed. Suspicion
at once fell upon Elderfield as the author of the fire,
and upon the police making inquiries at the house of
the old woman where he lodged, it was found that he
had been absent from home during the whole night
on which the fire took place, and he was immediately
sought for, and taken into custody. After having
undergone one or two private examinations, in the
course of which no material evidence was brought
forward to inculpate him, the prisoner voluntarily
confessed his guilt to the officers who had him in
charge, and by the direction of the magistrates he
was taken to the spot, and he then showed the con-
stable where he had concealed. himself during the
evening of the fire, and said that he lighted the stack
by means of a lucifer match ; that the first he tried
went out without doing any mischief, but a second
one put it in a blaze. The prisoner is a young man
of weak intellect, arid upon the former trial it was
proved that his mind was continually wandering, and
that he frequently talked in a most incoherent manner
about fires, and he had several times disturbed his
landlady in the night by giving an alarm of fire,
which turned out to have no foundation. When
before the magistrates Elderfield repeated his confes-
sion, but he did not assign any motive for the com-
mission of the desperate act, or appear to feel any
dread for the consequences. The magistrates, after
careful investigation, resolved upon committing the
)risoner to take his trial at the summer assizes, and
le was accordingly conveyed to the county gaol.

-----
On Wednesday Mr. Baker held an inquest at
the London Hospital, on the body of Sussanah Day, aged 86,
a widow residing at 24, Skinner-street, Bishopsgate. Her
son said that she was very much afflicted with spasms in the
stomach, and that at times they were so painful as to drive
her to distraction. On Friday morning he went out with
some work he had finished, leaving her in bed. On his re-
turn, to his great surprise, he found her sitting on a chair
covered with blood, and on close examination he found that
she had severed her throat with his razor. He procured as-
sistance, and she was promptly taken to that hospital. Mr.
D. Carter, house- surgeon, said deceased was admitted with a
wound in the throat, four inches long and two deep, and
completely dividing the wind -pipe and gullet. It was im •
possible for her to survive, and she died in a few hours.
Verdict, " Temporary insanity."

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, May 30.
DIVISION OF THE CIRCUITS.

Lord BROUGHAM moved for a return of the num-
ber
of causes and prisoners tried on the various circuits
for certain years. The unequal division of the circuits
was one cf the great grievances of Westminster Hall.
The northern circuit had nearly as much business as all
the others put together.;
The LORD CHANCELLOR had no objection to the
motion, which might be made the foundation of future
inquiry. .It would, however, be quite impossible to make
any alteration until the next spring circuit.
Lord BROUGHAM said it had been suggested that
part of the northern might be advantageously given to
the midland circuit, but he apprehended that the better
course would be to divide the northern circuit to send
two judges into each division. The subject ought to be
considered and settled before the next spring circuit.
The LORD CHANCELLOR observed that great in-
convenience had been felt during the last spring assizes.
He had, however, communicated with the Home Secre-
tary upon the subject, and found that there would be ex-
treme difficulty in making any change at present.
The Duke of RICHMOND hoped that in case of any
winter circuit being ordered, especially in the county of
Sussex, due notice of such an intention would be given.
Lord BROUGHAM adverted to the great anomaly,
which he hoped to see speedily corrected, that whereas
within the district of the Central Criminal Court, a
prisoner could not be imprisoned more than a few days
before his trial, in some counties there might be, and
frequently was, an interval of from six to nine months
between a prisoner's committal and his trial. He was
averse to increasing the the number of the judges, and
he trusted that this great evil could be otherwise reme-
died. He also stated his strong objection to a partial
gaol delivery, according to which some counties were re-
lieved of their prisoners, while others were not visited
by the judges, and he read a list of counties in which
no causes nor prisoners bad been tried, owing to the
want time.
Lord CAMPBELL would respectfully suggest that
much good might be done by dividing the circuits more
equally in the year; by rendering the interval between
the assizes in one case longer, and in the other case not
so long. In Scotlard the summer circuit began in Au-
gust and September, and although such a change in
England might interfere with the shooting season, or
with trips to France and Italy, be believed that the bar
in gereral would be willing to make the sacrifice.
Lord BROUG HAM recommended that in criminal
cases the venue should be made transitory, so that pri-
soners could be tried elsewhere than in the place where
the offence was committed.