The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-11 00:00:00

A RETROSPECTIVE GLANCE AT

THE STATES OF JERSEY FOR 1844.
(From the Jersey and Guernsey News.)
The States of Jersey have been summoned only
fourteen times during the past year, owing to the
lethargy and indolence of the bailiff, which is five
times less than the year before, and they have done
no earthly good whatever worthy of a legislative
body. They began the year with a debt of
61,842/. 13s. 2:1d., and, notwithstanding our cur-
rent expenses of the year exceed our revenue by
nearly 3,0001., they have since managed to saddle
us with a further debt of about 200,000/. for
building a floating dock. They calculate, how-
ever, to meet it all in time, by trenching deep
into the impost which was expressly granted for the
purpose of establishing a college; but, owing to the
influence of the shipowners, it has always been
diverted from that purpose. Thus, it is not to be
wondered at that education should be at such a low
ebb in the island as to render it difficult to find men
sufficiently qualified to fill public offices. By the re-
turns of the Statistical Society, it appears that there
are not less than from 3,000 to 4,000 children in the
town parish of 24,000 souls, without any
means of instruction whatever, so that our
merchants are reaping riches at the expense
of a national calamity. Our late Dean, with
becoming zeal, prevailed on the States to promise the
erection of a large school-room adjoining the hos-
pital, to mitigate this evil ; but we have not heard
that any measures have yet been taken in the matter.
The States have done nothing during the past year to
reform the manifold abuses under which the island
groans. They have not even passed a single Act
worthy of note. Some Bills have been introduced,
and very good ones in their way, but none of them
have been brought to maturity. There was one by
the constable of St. Helier's, for regulating inquests,
requiring witnesses to be sworn, and reducing the ex-
penses from 51. 12s. to about 2/. 10s. It was brought
in on the 26th of January, ordered to be printed on
the 9th of March, pledged to be brought forward at
the following sitting, but allowed to remain au grefe
—or, in other words, to be kicked under the table !
Mr. Le Sueur brought in another Bill on the 9th of
March, for regulating the levying of penalties, a very
large amount of which, he said, was due to the public,
but remained in arrear, because no person had been
designated or authorised to receive them. This Bill
has also been thrown aside. The constable of St.
Saviour's, Mr. Godfray, brought in a Bill to prevent
fresh witnesses being heard in criminal cases before
the grand jury, after verdict by the petty jury, which
being, as we think, a very injudicious measure, he has
abandoned it. Surely a person convicted of crime
ought never to be deprived of the means of establishing
his innocence, even down to the last day before the
execution of his sentence ! A resolution was
passed by the States to procure 1,000/. of copper coin
(by the bye, we should like to know what profit
is made on this speculation, and how it is disposed of) ;
another to print Le Geyt's manuscripts, which have
been taken by tender, at a very low figure, and the
third to remove the register book of contracts from
the care of Mr. P. de Carteret to that of Miss
Quesnel, at the public library, for safe keeping.
The oyster fishery, once a lucrative branch of our
commerce, but which has been tampered with
from time to time until nearly ruined, has been
brought before the Assembly twice, the Hospital
three times, the Impost twice, and the Habeas Corpus
Queen's Bench, con-
s
twice; the last time to appoint Mr. Le Breton De-
puty, at three guineas per day, to prosecute a suit on
oftbreaphrayeplftuot
y law,tthoe representCvohui
crht, before re e
allows
their
thelow
common concerns to his the States to appoint
a
Majesty in Council; and which measure was brought
in, adopted, and carried without being lodged
au greffe, contrary to law, by which the island will
be taxed about one thousand pounds without its con-
sent. In short, the States have done literally nothing
during the past year, excepting to vote money for the
repairs of roads, enlarging the harbours and markets,
and regulating weights and measures. It is abso-
lutely ridiculous to call them a legislative body—they
porform none of the uses which belong to a popular
assembly ; but are an excrescence—a public nuisance
—which every well-wisher of the country must wish
to see abolished, that something better may be erected
in its place.