Star.
London, England, 1822-09-10 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

-Yesterday these Sessions commenced. After the
Grand Jury had been sworn and retired, the common
Jury were empannelled.
Mr. ADOLPHUS stated. that he had an application
to make to the Court of a novel nature. It might
be in the recollection of the Court that, in -the last
Session, a stage-coachman, who had been convicted
before a Magistrate for racing his coach against ano-
ther, which made him come in contact with the car-
fiage of a Gentleman, by which means it was upset,
and the life of the Gentleman endangered, had ap-
pealed from that conviction, and on the hearing of
the appeal it was quashed, on account of the non-
attendance of a witness whose evidence supported
the conviction on the hearing before the Magistrate.
That witness had been subpoenaed to attend the Ses-
sions on the appeal ; therefore, what he had to ask
of the Court was, that they would punish the witness,
for the contempt of Court, by fine or imprisonment.
Mr. CONST (the Chairman) doubted whether the
Court had the jurisdiction.
Mr. ADOLPHUS contended that it had. Chief
Justice Abbott, sitting as the Chairman was, at the
Old Bailey,without hesitation, ordered the proprietor
of a Sunday-newspaper to pay a fine of £3OO for a
contempt of Court : the question was afterwards
argued in the Exchequer Chamber, gnd the order
was confirmed by the unanimous opinion of the
twelve Judges. .
The Cna.timarr—ln that case the Court had made
an order that a publication should not take place
until a certain time; and, in the face of that order,
the proprietor of the Paper did publish. Here there
was no previous order; besides, the penalty for not
attending is expressed in the body of the subpoena,
which is £lOO. You can bring your action for the
recovery of it. Can you state any case in which a
similar application was ever made to the Court ?
Mr. ADOLPHUS said he believed there were such
cases, but he was not prepared to state them ; he
would look for them in the evening, and, if he found
them, he would renew his application to-morrow.

be would petwnla lirreveng • ;t. roil her hus-
band of it go the following.day, and he got a war-
rant for' the defendidi. '
"The jury teeurned a verdidt of Gaily; atil {he
Chairman sentenced him to pay i line et with
libelee"' to; speak to the pronscurrix.
''The defendant, in a very load voice and incoherent
Winner, declared it Was a conspiracy, that although
be had a househe had not a shilling in the war,
'be Would go to prison before he would either par
Ebtsfitte Or speak to the prosectitrix.
-41 e was then removed Rorer the bar in *cussed!.
. Philip Oodd, Esq. a Captain in tae re Army, was in
meted tor, assaulting Samuel Cozens.
It appeared that the prosecutor and the defentiatic -
occupied adjoining houses in Of mond-street, tem,
sington; that the prosecutor's wile took in washing,
and that the' prosecutor kept pigs and a dog,
snd that the defendant kept chickens and ducks fot
his,amuseaneut, ,anst that the dpg and the poultry dial
not agree. The prosecutor had also sons, wlvi
imased!theinselves with the quarrels rf the dog :i!‘tt
the ducks about the Orals that were thr,)wit float the
defendant!, house fothe latter. On one of these oc-
casions the defendant spoke harshly to the boys, on
which the prosetutor warmly interposed, an.) wai
answered by a volley of blows from the defendant.
The Jury found the defendant Guilty, and he was
sentenced to pay a fine of 101. with liberty to spear
to the prosecutor. Captain Codd immediately pail
the prosecutor 51. and left the Court.
Mr. William -Thompson, a young Gentleman of
most respectable appearance, was put to thi bar to
answer a charge of an assault preferred against hitii
by Sukan and another; two watchmen.. S.:l(an
swore thatthe traverser and a number of others had
been
.rioting in the neighbourhood at a very late hour
of the night. Witaess went up in order to. prevent
them, upon which the prisoner called out to his com-
panions " to mill the Charlies !" at the wine time hz
struck the witness with an umbrella. On his ems.
examination, he admitted that he °ire: ed to drop the
matter for a pound ; the traverser said to hint, " irat
have no true charge against me, but in or!er to fie:
rid of you, 111 give you three halt crowns." The wit-
ness received no personal injury.
Mr. ADOLPII_US; for the defendant, said this was
like too many other cases, where watchmen were-in
the habit, without a shadow of justice, of preferring
charges against Gentlemen, fur the purpcte of extort-
ing money. The Learned Gentleman was proceeding
with some further observations, when the Jury inti-
mated to him that it was not necessary to proceed;
and they returned a verdict of Net Gudij.

GRAN.—Mercantile letters received by the Malta
Packet speak of the beneficial effects experienced by
the inhabitants of the island from the abolition of that
ancient abuse the Univerieta, or Government mono-
poly of the supply of grain. It ceased on the 30th of
June last, and as freedom of tra.le on all occasions is
beneficial to society, the mercantile interest immedi-
ately became active; corn was imported into Nialta
from the cheapest sources, and the Feople,• whose
annual consumption was about 90,000 quarters of
wheat, were deriving incalculable advantages by the
abatement of an institution which hei err:fore had
compelled them to pay double value for the necessary
article of bread. A similar Act at home, by which
the monopoly at present held by the agriculturists to
supply exclusively the inhabitants of the United King-
dom withilie necessaries of life. might be abolislie4
would be followed by results eonally beneficial.
There is still, however, another I.,,rievanCe existing
at Malta, which Must be 'abolished before prosperity
can be restored to that island. It exists in the present
quarantine establishment. tn lieu of a Board of
Health, vested tiyith the entire confront of this depart-
ment, (yid coin independent m dependent Government, it is
• .piekii
at present placed id Charge of a single individual,
called the Super intendent of Health, ult.. is appointed
to this inspbrtunt (2a1c..: by Government. The countries
on the Continent tepose no faith in this novelty, and
they consequently.suhject all vesiels and goods ar-
riving from Malta to a strict deprivation. The delay
and expense thus arising on all intercourse with Si-
cily, Italy, France, and Spain, are seri.ms injuries to
the Maltese trade. The complaints of the inhabitants
are not 'unknown to the Government at home, but
still no remedy has been applied.