Star.
London, England, 1830-10-20 00:00:00

EXPENSES OF THE GENERAL. ELECTION.

Mr. OLIVER called the attention of the Court to a (lain, preferred
by the petty constahks, who had attended during the election for the
county, for payment fur their time and expenses, o which they con.
sidered themselves entitled for that particular duty.
Several Magistrates expressed their opinions against drawing on the
county-rates in any doubtful cue, and, finally, no ordet for the payment
of the constables was made.
COAL METERS' ACT.

A Report was presented by the Committee iqmointet: to examine into
the operation of the Coal-meter.' Act. It statea that the at was pro-
ducing the most beneficial effects, and enumerated various itistanc,A of
fraudulent nisasurommt that ha.l been detected by the land coal-meters.
The Report was unanimously approved or.
• BTAT OF TUE PRlsolis.

Reports of all the Prisons in the County, from the Surgeons, the
Chaplains, and the Visiting Cannnittees, were pret.:2nted.
All the Reports from the Surgeons stated, that tht p-ions wet: re-
markably healthy.
The Reports tiom the Chaplains stated, ilut the priscncrr were in
general attentive to the religious and moral instruction cfforth.ll ths:o.
and that the prison schools were well :mended.
The Reports of the Visiting Committees stat:l, that :he or-leers in
general discharged their duty faithfully, and strict aiselpline was pre-
set vcd.

Mr. liEnnEa said, as 'me of the Visiting 'Magistrates of Brixton
house of Correc ion, he felt i to be his duty to bring a fact which lie
considered in:port:dot before the Court. The Visiting Committee had
reported thy toe officers generally discharged their duty faithfully—in
that general expression, perhaps, they were justified ; but he wax per.
fectly astonished at seeing in the Chaplain's Report, presented that day
to the Court, that the school in the prison was well attended, and pro-
ducing good effects fact was, the school r:as entirely broken up--
there was no school in the prison.
A feeling of astonishment appeared to he very general both on the
bench and throughout the frost, at this statement.
The governor of the prison was called and examined, and his evidence
confirmed the statement.

.51r. Briscoe said the Magistrates had increased the Chaplain's salary
to 2001. a year expressly on account of his attention to the school, and
now it was suffised to go to decay for want of attention. Ile thought
the county was much indebted to Mr. Hedger for having brought the
fact to light.
Me, R. JACKSON said it would be very painful to the Court to come,
to a resolution on the subject such as it might warrant; but be felt con-
fident that the notice that had so proptrly been taken of the Chaplain's
neglect would correct the evil.
The Court concurred in this opinion.
Mr. CRANFORD stated, that the prisoners charged with offences in
the pariah of Ltuubcth were brought before the County of :Middlesex
Magistrates, in Queen.square, and were by them sent in great numbers
to Brixton, regardless of the expense to the county.
The (inventor being called in, stated, that since the establishment of
the new police the number of prisoners sent to Brixton had greatly in-
creased. They were mostly disorderly women ; some of them time six
or seven times in the year, and he had known some of them conic up-
wards of twenty times since he went to the prison.
Mr. Cameron]) thought they ought to apply to Parliament to have
a police-office established at Latubeth, the Magistrates of which would
be more careful of the funds of the county than could be expected from
the Middlesex Magistrates.
The Governor stated, that juvenile offenders also frequently returned
to the prison.
Mr. Dar stssorru said they had many letters from refonnedl of-
fenders, who attributed their reformation to the instruction they had
received in prison. The Report of the Visiting Committee of the County
prison in Newington stated, that the prisoners sent under decrees of the
Court of Requests had so greatly increased, that 30 or 40 of them were
frequently lodged in the infirmary for want of room.
Mr. CRANFORD suggested that u new building should be erected for
their accommodation._

Mr. Bniscow said he had a strong opinion that imprisonment for
small debts would be i.peedily done away with, and he thought they
had better try and avoid laying out the puulic money till they knew
the result.

The Court agreed in this opinion.
Reports were presented from the Pauper Lunatic Asylums.
Mr. DRUMMOND moved that they should he referred to a Cont.
mittee.—Agreed to.
The Court adjourned to tu.nterrow (this day), when licences were to
be granted.