The Sun.
London, England, 1828-01-19 00:00:00

THE MIDDLESEX MAGISTRATES.

Thursday being county day, the Magistrates for
Middlesex met at the Sessions-house, Clerkenwell-
green, for the despatch of public business. The
meeting took place in open court, pursuant to a re-
solution made about two Sessions back.

G. W. MARRIOTT, Esq., presided as Chairman,
Mr. Const being unable to attend from illness.
The first business entered upon was the produc-
tion, as required by Act of Parliament, of the bonds
entered into by the county Treasurer for the due
discharge of his trust. These, after being handed
to the Chairman, were returned back to the custody
of the Clerk of the Peace.

The list of the Committee for Auditing the
Accounts was then read over, for the purpose of
revision.

Mr. HALL, Chairman of that Committee, said the
subject was brought before the Court in consequence
of it frequently happenng that very few of the Com-
mittee attended at the. Meeting.

After a few observations, the matter was directed
to be adjourned till the next Session, when Mr.
Hall was to suggest the names of certain gentlemen
to be appointed in the place of those who neglected
to attend.

The report of the Committee for auditing the ac-
counts was then read. It contained a detailed ac-
count of the expenditure of the county at its two
prisons, the House of Correction and the New
Prison.

After a few unimportant observations, a motion
was put and carried, that the Committee do apply
to Mr. Wodehouse and Mr. Jackson on the subject
of their bonds, altd report the result to the Court.

STATE OF THE COUNTY PRISONS.
The report of the visiting Magistrates as to the
Condition of the House of Correction and the New
Prison was next brought before the Court. The
report concluded as follows :
" In reference to a remark made at the conclusion of
their last report respecting the general state of the prisons,
the visiting Magistrates have to observe that the House of
Correction and New Prison were wholly inadequate to the
proper custody of the numbers now, and of late, in con-
finement therein respectively.
" The House of Correction, originally designed for the
custody of 250 prisoners, enlarged by the erection of a
temporary shed built with wood, and covered with a tar-
paulin, and now in a state of complete dilapidation, has
been made to contain no less a number than 852 at the
same period.
" The New Prison was intended for the custody of °P,4O,
but at one time,' and in very hot weather, 497 were con-
fined therein.

" The mischievous effects of this over-crowded state of
the New Prison, which are sufficiently apparent by day, are
much mere grievously felt by nigbt, particularly during
the winter season, when the criminals are brought into
close and unavoidable contact during 16 hours of darkness.
During this period there is no restraint on their conduct,
the arrangements of the prison not admitting of any degree
of inspection, but affording the prisoners the opportunity of
indulging in every species of tumult and obscenity.
" It should be remembered that many of the prisoners
are committed for re-examination only, and discharged at
the termination of a few days—many for trifling assaults
and bailable offences—many upon summary orders of Magis-
trates, and many for the most disgraceful and vilest crimes.
When a Magistrate orders that a prisoner under examina-
tion should be kept separate, the only resource is to place
him in the infirmary, although the more frequent practice
is to commit such prisoners to the House of Correction, in
which case the untried and convicted are associated to-
gether, in direct contradiction to the prison act.
" The visiting Nagistrates are fully prepared to enter into
a detailed account of the evils existing in both places of
confinement—evils chiefly to be traced to the over-crowded
state of the prisons. They are, however, unwilling unne-
cessarily to occupy the time of the Court, considering they
have already stated quite sufficient to call the attention of
the Court to the necessity of prompt and decisive measures.
"

(Signed) " WM. FLOWERS, Chairman.
After the report had been read,
Mr. Sergeant PELL rose, and said that he thought
the report ought to be printed, and a copy of it sent
round to every county Magistrate, and a day ap-
pointed for taking its contents into consideration.
Mr. HOARE seconded the motion, which was car-
ried unanimously.

THE NEW LUNATIC ASYLUM.

The report of the Committee for the Erection of
the New Lunatic Asylum was next read. It set
forth that they had advertised for tenders of 25
acres of ground about eight miles distant from Lon-
don, and had also applied to the Commissioners of
Woods and Forests for a grant of Crown land to
that extent, and were in hopes of succeeding in their
application.
Mr. Serjeant PELL, as a member of the Com-
mittee, moved that the report be received.
Mr. PAYNTER seconded the motion.—Carried
unanimously.
Sir GEORGE RAMPSON rose to move the following
resolution, of which he had given notice, namely,
" That all county business done oa the county day
be transacted in the Court up stairs, and not in the
private room."
Mr. WILSON objected that the motion ought not
to be made in open Court, and moved that the
Court do adjourn to the private room for the purpose
of debating the question.
Sir R. BIRNIE seconded this motion, which was
putbythveate Chairman,by
.and carried in favour of its
being private
in the private room nearly an hour.
On their return into Court
ja majority of 14 to 9.
The Court adjourned accordingly,
Court, we learnt that the
motion of Sir George Hampson had been carried,
with, however, a reservation that if any particular
subject which a Magistrate thought ought to be and
private were to come under discussion,and remained
he was at
liberty to take the sense of the meeting as to whe-
ther it should be discussed in private or not.
Colonel WOOD complained to the Couit of a de-
mand made upon the county of 8001. by the Com-
missioners to the new Bill for regulating the turn-
pikes around London. He should move, that the
Court in its corporate capacity do petition Parlia-
ment to repeal the Act under which the demand was
made.—Agreed to.
The Meeting then adjourned.