Star.
London, England, 1829-09-18 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SZSSIONS, Scpt 17.

The Magistrates or the County having assembled this morning
for the transaction of bufinesi, Mr. Sergeant Pat.t. took an oppor-
tunity of calling the attention of the Court to a subject which, he
observed, had been noticed in a 51urning Paper ; and which, as it
appeared to him, was an abuse which certainly requited correction.
The article to which the Learned Sergeant alluded, appeared
yesterday in a Morning Paper, and in to the following offect

" Exrxxxxs or WirNessits.— A Correspondent, who was a
witness on a trial at the present Ohl Bailey Sessions, complains
that, notwithstandine the recent order of the Civic Authorities,
forbidding the traffic in tickets for a witness's expenses for at-
tendance and loss of time, the evil stiU exists to an increased de-
gree, from the limited time the Treasurer's Office (where the
tickets are payable) is kept open—viz. from eleven o'clock till
dime in the afternoon. This is attended with much inconveni-
ence, more especially to those witnesses who reside any distance
from the metropolis. The above correspondent informs us that he
resides at Hendon ; he was in attendance three days, for which
he received a ticket, entitling him to receive 10s. 6d. being the
usual allowance of 35. 6d. a day. On presenting the ticket at the
Treasurer's Office, a few minutes alter three o'clock, he was told
he was too late, he must call on the following day. Bather than be
pot to the loss of another day, in coining to town on purpose to
present this 105.6 d. ticket, he sold the ticket to a bystander, who
was on the look-out for such customers, for the sum (Afire shillings,
and was told by the purchaser that it was not the first ticket he
had purchased that day, at a similar sacrifice on the part of the
holder.

" At all Assize towns the Treasurer's Office h open as many
hours as the Court sirs, and why it should not be so with the
Treasurer for the Middlepex Office remains to be explained."

In consequence of the notice taken of this subject by Mr. Ser-
geant Nu, a long conversation took place among the Magistrates
present, from which it appeared, that on the conviction of a pri-
soner at the Old Bailey the prosecutor applied ro the Court for his
own expenses and those of his witnesses ; but on these being
allowed by the presiding Judge, the parties were not able to obtain
payment there, but were obliged, atter obtaining the proper certi-
ficate from the officer of that Court, to proceed with the document
to the Treasurer's office, at the Clerkenwell Sessions House, to obtain
the sum allowed. But as it frequently happened that the person in
whose favor the order was made out was nut able to reach the Trea-
surer's office till after three o'clack,the answer be got en presenting
the paper was, that he was too late for that day, and that he must
call again on the following day. This, to a person resiuin' fifteen
or twenty miles in the country, proved a considerable disadvantage,
as he could only elect between returning to town front his home on
the following day, or going to the expense of passing another night
in town, after the business for which he attended was concluded.
Some of the worthies who prowl about the courts of justice, to see
what they can catch for a living, and who have become aware of
the dilemma in which country witnesses are front this cause fre-
quently placed, have found means to turn these circumstances to
their advantage, and are always at hand to offer to purchase the
tickets of the witnesses and prosecutors at half price, so as to
afford these latter an opportunity of returning home immediately,
without waiting for the next day's opening of the Treasurer's office.
Mr. Sergeant Pm thought that such a course was highly repre-
hensible, and conceived that the Court was bound to interfere, to
prevent the recurrence of a practice, which went to defraud
country people of what was their just due, for the benefit of a set
of fellows, who were sure to be gainers by the arrangements they
made. The Learned' Sergeant concluded by moving that, during
the period of the Old Bailey Sessions, the Treasurer's Office should
remain open till six o'clock in the evening.
Sir Robert Baker (the county Treasurer) had no objection, as far
as his own personal convenience was concerned, that the Trea-
surer's office should remain open longer than at present ; he had
been aware of the practice of tickets being purchased at the Old
Bailey to save the holders the trouble of coming to the Middlesex
Sessions-house with them; but he rather doubted whether they
were bought at so exorbitant a profit. If the rate at which they
were purchased was Is. in the pound, or something of that sort,
he did nut see that anything very unjust took place, and there
could be no doubt that it was a great saving of time to the ticket
holders to receive their money at the Old Bailey, instead of having
to come up to Clerkenwell to present them at the office.
After some further observations the conversation finally dropped,
on the understanding that the Treasurer's office, while the Old
Bailey Sessions were sitting, should be kept open till five in the
afternoon.

COLONEL SIBTIIORPE.---At. the annual meeting of
the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society, the Gallant Colonel censured
the absentee landlords, and said that money, like manufacture,
should be spread, and spread at home. His own custom in letting
land was to instruct his agent to let it as he would take it himself ;
with no other guide than a remunerating profit.—(Loud Cheers).
A► his agent was present, he would speak to the same effect.
The Colonel concluded with saying, that he had seen enough of
the follies and gaieties of life, and had now no higher wish than to
spend his days among his tenantry and friends, and to do the most
good in this honourable sphere of duty should be his present am-
bition and his future amusement—(Reiterated applause).

HONOURABLE FELLOW-I'EELING.A 'if...Maris:Ode in-
stance of fellow-feeling recently occurred in Martinique. A slave
having robbed his master, was condemned to death, together with
a man of colour, who vitt tried with hint as an accomplice. 'ibis
sentence was confirmed by the Royal Court. No resource was
lett, as none but freemen have the privilege of an appeal to the
Court of Cassation. The freemen of colour of the colony instantly
raised a subscription to redeem their tawny brother, in order that
he might enjoy the benefit of an appeal to the Supreme Court.

In consequence of the rapid rise of the Severn, ar.d
the high spring tides of the present week, the meadows along the
whoie line of the river are under water, and the races at Glou-
cester and Tewkesbury are postponed until the inundation has
subsided.

Thursday selinight the Observatory cf the Royal Mi-
litary College at Sandhurst, near Bagshot, was broken open, and
robbed of several mathematical instruments and a brass time-
piece. The burglary is supposed to have been committed by a
man named FranciaKenneth, about twenty years of age, and pitted
with the small-poz, who has been working as a labourer about
Sandhurst, and was seen on the road to London the following
morning with a bundle under his arm. He very lately broke open
his father's house, and robbed it, and has attempted lately to ob-
tain money under false pretences from several persons about the
College.