The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-02 00:00:00

MARYLEBONE and PADDINGTON

HOSPITAL.

The ceremony of laying the foundation-stone of this
intended edifice took place on Saturday, with the usual
forms, on the site, near Cambridge-terrace, Paddington
road. His Royal Highness Prince Albert, by whom the
principal part was performed, arrived on the ground pre-
cisely at three o'clock. He was received by a deputation
of the parochial authorities, the Bishop of London, Lords
Beverly and Manvers, Mr. B. Bond Cabbell, the Dean of
Chichester, and a great number of the clergy. His Royal
Highness, having inspected the plans for the building,
which were explained to him by Mr. Hopper, the archi-
tect, proceeded to the spot where the arrangements had
been made in the usual manner for laying the stone. The
whole of a very large space, in which several thousands
of persons were accommodated, was covered by an enor-
mous marquee from the manufactory of Mr. B. Edging-
ton, of the borough, and effectually protected the com-
pany from the showers and the continual gusts of wind,
and without which the ceremony could hardly have been
performed. Here the Bisnop of London commenced the
proceedings by a short but suitable address. A prayer
was then read, and the stone laid. The children of Pad-
dington parish then chaunted a hymn, and the Bishop
pronounced his blessing. This terminated the ceremony.
His Royal Highness has consented to allow one of the
wards to be called the " Albert ward." The following
is the inscription on the stone :
" This stone was laid by his Royal Highness Prince
Albert, the consort of her Majesty Queen Victoria, on
the 28th day of June, 1845."
The band of the Grenadier Guards was in attendance;
and at the conclusion of the prayers played the national
anthem of " God save the Queen." In the evening a
very large party of the subscribers and patrons of the
hospital sat down to an excellent dinner provided by Mr.
Bacon, at the Freemason's Tavern, at which Prince
George of Cambridge presided, and at which a large
amount of subscriptions was announced.

SURREY QUARTER SESSIONS.
Guildford, July 1.
The General Quarter Session for the county of Surrey
was held to-day at the Court-house, Guildford. The
following magistrates were present—G. T. Nicholson,
Esq., chairman ; the Earl of Lovelace, Lord Grantley,
H. Kemble, Esq., M.P. ; E. R. Adams, Esq. ; T. Puckle,
Esq. ; T. Cohen, Esq. • J. T. Briscoe, Esq. ; C. Batvley,
Esq. ; J. W. Freshfield, Esq. ; Colonel Challenor, C.
Francis, Esq. ; T. E. Johnson, Esq. ; H. C. Austen,
Esq. ; Colonel Sumner, Captain Parrott, W. Strahan,
Esq., &c.
The governors and surgeons of the different gaols in
the county reported that their several establishments
were in a healthy condition. The number of prisoners
at present confined in Horsemonger-lane is 146 men and
30 women ; in Guildford, 107 men and 18 women ; in
Brixton, 200 men and 59 women ; and in Kingston, 28
men and 13 women.
THE COUNTY FINANCES.
Mr. SMALLPIECE, the county treasurer, made a report
of the state of the finances of the county, from which it
appeared that the last two-penny county rate had re-
alized the sum of 18,3364 12s. 6d., which sum had been
increased by other items to 19,7721. 14s. i 1 d . He had
expended on behalf of the county 11,6641. I ls. Bd.,
which left a balance of 8,1081. 3s. 3d. ; but there were
outstanding amounts now due, amounting to
10,708/. 35., so that he would be deficient the sum of
2,5901., and he therefore requested the court would
grant a fresh rate of twopence in the pound.
A remark having been made upon the bench, to the
effect that the expenditure of the county appeared to be
very much on the increase,
The TREASURER said it certainly had. The addi-
tional charge on account of the new lunatic asylum was
one reason for it, and the recent Act of Parliament,
giving coroners the power to pay the expenses of wit-
nesses, &c., had also entailed a very considerable addi-
tional expense on the county.
The report was then received, and a fresh rate at two-
pence in the pound ordered to be put in collection.
Directions were also given to Mr. Onslow, the deputy
clerk of the peace, in conformity with the resolution
Passed at the last session, to give notice to the different
parishes that the amounts due from them, respectively,
must be paid within six weeks from the time of the order
being made upon them, or the fine of ten per cent.,
which, by the last Act of Parliament for the purpose of
giving facility to the collection of county rates, was
directed to be inflicted upon all defaulters, would be
enforced.

DEFECTIVE STATE OF GUILFORD GAOL.
The Visiting Justices of this gaol made a report, in
which they stated, that owing to its defective construc-
tion, it was quite impossible to carry out some of the
most material provisions of the New Gaol Act. There
were no proper reception cells, where the surgeon
could have an opportunity of examining the priso-
ners brought in, before they were put with the others ;
they likewise could Not adopt a prison dress, because
they had no store-rooms for the prisoner's clothes ; and
there was also no space to enable them to carry out
a system of classification among the prisoners. They
were, therefore, still compelled to employ prisoners as
nurses in the infirmary, and prisoners for trial at the
assizes and sessions were also confined there. The regu-
lations for giving instruction to the prisoners were also
virtually abandoned, as all that was done was for one of
the turnkeys to act as a sort of schoolmaster for an honr
every other day, when he endeavoured to teach them to
read ; but instruction in writing, which was also en-
joined by the Gaol Act, was altogether omitted.
Mr. AUSTEN, in moving the adoption of the report,
said that the Visiting Justices felt so deeply the import-
ance of the subject, that they thought it their duty to
bring it before the Court. It was not sufficient for a
gaol to be clean, and that the prisoners should be silent
and orderly, but they should take care that its discipline
and regulations were such as would tend to improve the
criminal and to repress crime. He approved very much
of the regulations of the new Gaol Act, because he con-
sidered they tended to those objects, but it was impossi-
ble to carry them out at Guildford, and he had no hesita-
tion in saying that the system of correction at Guildford
gaol was altogether bad as a corrective of crime.
Mr: BRISCOE said he fully concurred in the report that
had been presented to the Court, and, although at the
present moment they might not be able to remedy the
greater part of the evils occasioned by the defective con-
struction of the gaol, he suggested that the Court ought
to take steps to appoint a schoolmaster, and thus, at all
events, to take care that so important a matter as the
education of the prisoners was not neglected altogether.
The COURT concurred in the suggestion of the Hon.
Magistrate, and the report was then received, it being
referred to the Visiting Committee to take the neces-
sary steps to appoint a schoolmaster immediately.
The Committee appointed some time back to take into
consideration the subject of the separate confinement
of prisoners before and after trial, and the applicability of
the county gaol at Horsemonger-lane to that object,
made a further report, in which they recommended the
plan of separate confinement should be adopted, and that
the Court should allow a sum, not exceeding 10,0001., for
the purpose of at once carrying it out.
This report gave rise to a desultory conversation, in
which Mr. Kensall, Mr. Browne, Mr. Adams, Colonel
Challenor, Mr. Austen, and Mr. Barclay, took part ; and
eventually the Court referred the matter back to the
Committee for further consideration.
The next question that came before the Court was one
of some importance to the administration of justice. A
Committee had been appointed for the purpose of con-
sidering the propriety of giving the Chairmen of the
different Quarter Sessions in the county the power to
give fees to counsel to prosecute in certain cases. That
Committee now reported that the system had been
adopted in a great many counties in all cases where coun-
sel were engaged for a prisoner ; and as they were of
opinion it would be found to work well also in Surrey,
they recommended that the Court should give the Chair-
men of the different Quarter Sessions, in all cases where
a prisoner was defended by counsel, the power to hand
the depositions to a counsel to prosecute, and allow him
a fee of one guinea, and the usual fee to his clerk, and
allow the amount in the expenses of the prosecution.
Mr. FaESUFIELD moved the adoption of the report,
and said that the Chairman at quarter sessions was fre-
quently placed in a very painful position, when the pri-
soner had counsel and there was none for the prosecu-
tion, as he must either appear to place himself in the po-
sition of a partizan or an advocate, or else run the risk
of a failure of justice. In some cases, a stranger who
entered the Court might really imagine that the witness
under cross-examination was the person who had com-
mitted the offence, and yet frequently the Court could
not interfere without seeming to adopt the position of an
advocate. This would be avoided by having counsel ap-
pointed for the prosecution, and he must say he consi-
dered it would be a very great improvement in the admi-
nistration of justice.
Some further conversation took place, during which it
was stated that the cost to the county could not be esti-
mated at more than 130t~ a year, and, as this would come
under the head of costs of annual prosecutions, a portion
of which was defrayed from the consolidated fund, the
actual additional cost would not be more than 801. a
year.
The motion was then put and carried unanimously.
The rule recommended by the Secretary of State for
the exclusion of all strangers from the interior of the
gaols on the occasion of the execution of a culprit, was
then brought forward, and adopted, after which the
Court adjourned.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
(YESTERDAY.)
MANSION-HOUSE.

Thomas Capham, a cab-driver, and John Harris, his
companion, were charged, bofore the Lord Mayor, under
the following circumstances.

Henry Ferguson, time-keeper on the Blackwall Rail-
way, stated that on Saturday night, at half-past ten
o'clock, he was in the Minories, giving a direction to a
person, when Capham, who was driving a cab,
.struck
him on the head with a whip, and knocked off his hat ;
after which the cabman got off the box, grappled with
him, and tore his stock off, on which was fistened a dia-
mond breast-pin, which cost 2L Harris drove off the
cab, leaving Capham engaged with witness, who be-
lieved that Capham, in the row, took the diamond pin as
well as the stock. Witness also believed that his hat
was taken away in the cab ; and the whole transaction
took place without any provocation upon the part of the
witness, who merely struggled to defend himself. Cap-
ham, after the outrage, made bis escape.
In his cross-examination by Mr. Robinsfm, for Harris,
the witness said he both felt and saw Capham drag at his
stock and diamond pin. He grasped the whip with
which he had been assailed, and wrested it from his
assailant.
George J. Ferguson, brother to the prosecutor, stated
that he was in the company of the last witness when
Capham struck the hat off. Witness went to take the
number of the cab, and Harris struck him, and they had
a struggle together, and Harris made his nose bleed.
H aris then drove off the oab, and Capham disappeared,
and afterwards witness's brother complained of having
WO 411 *4 and clitunond