Star.
London, England, 1812-01-15 00:00:00

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SURRET QUARTER SESSIONS, JAN. 11.

This day the General Quarter Sessions for the
County of Surrey commenced at the Sessions-house,
Horsemonger-lane.
The Grand Jut y having been sworn, Mr. jacxsox,
the Chairman, proceeded to deliver his charge ; after
having observed on the calendar, which presented a
long • and Inelancholy list of crimes; yet contained
none of a description which did not usually come un-
der their consideration ; little, therefore, was required
to be said on this subject. Under the present state of
the police, however, when such dreadful butcheries
had been committed—when the public mind was in
such a state of ferment and alarm—when our houses
were obliged to be kept fortified, and our fears still
were, that the enemy without would prove stronger
than the garrison within, it would be expected he
should allude to these facts—melancholy facts which
certainly demanded our most serious attention. If,
as was the case at present, our merchants, could not
send out their clerks, at noon day, withourdanger of
their being hustled and having their property taken
from them by gangs of villains, so numerous and so
'desperate as to intimid.ate the officers of police from
interfering, every one would agree that such was not
a fit state for society to be in. Most of the Gentle-
men present had probably read the very able charge
delivered by the Chairman of the Sessionsior Mid-
dlesex; that chargc contained many of the sentiments
he entertained, couched in much stronger language
than any he could use ; he wished to pay all possible
deference to the opinion of that able Magistrate, but
there was one sentiment in that charge e ith which he
could not agree. Mr. Mainwaring, after ;Weer-
tits to the recent disorders and the general call on
Government for its interference, declared his opinion
that the police already possessed power fully adequate
to its object, without any interference on the part of
Government; he (Mr. Jackson) however, was of opi-
nion, th it nothing but the serious interference of Go-
vernmt nt could provide a cemedy for the evil ; the
power to which Mr. Mainwaring alluded was pro-
bably the power vested by the Act of the 17th of
Geo. 11. called the Vagrant Act, which gave Mil-
gistrates a power of committing suspicions charac-
ters till the Sessions ; but this Act had either not
been properly enforced, or it had been found inac'e-
quate to its object, and the Police Act was, in the
:Yld of the present King, passed in aid of it. This
last might be a very wholesome Act, but it was so
pervaded with conjunctive propositions, that a person
perusing it would suppose it was so drawn purposely,
to afford offenders an opportunity of escape. It was
a well known fact that the police officers frequently
passed people well known to answer the description
of offenders mentioned in the Act ; whether this
arose from want of power, want of stimulus, or want
of inclination on the part of the officer, it was not in
his, power to say, but it was a subject worthy of in-
quiry. The Chairman then adverted to the number
of common pros itutes who were permitted nightly to
infest our streets, uninterrupted. In the presentation,
which it would be the duty of the Grand Jury to
make, they might not, perhaps, be able ,to make any
such specific presentation as would afford the Court
a legal power of interfering, yet they might present
generally, and their general presentation would be
laid before those in power, and would not fail to be
attended to. In the discharge. of their duty they
would remember mercy, but they would not suffer
their mercy to drivel into whining compassion ;
and at the time they remembered mercy to the priso-
ner, they would not forget the duty they had to dis-
charge towards the public. Not doubting their cor-
rect discharge of their duty, he would take leave of
them, by assuring them, that whatever vigilance was
eietted by them, would be met with equal exertions
by the Magistrates with whom he had the honour of
sitting on the Bench.
The Gland Jury then retired. Several assault-
causes were then disposed of ; but none that possessed
any interest with the public.