The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-10-26 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL OCTOBER SESSIONS.

Yesterday, the Quarter Sessions for the trial of
prisoners confined in the Borough House of Correction,
commenced before Gilbert Henderson, Esq. The
Calendar contained the names of 112 persons charged
with felony. and 10 charged with misdemeanour. Of
these, it appears, 42 can read and write imperfectly ; 20
can read imperfectly ; 52 can neither read nor write ; and
only 8 can read and write well. The following gentlemen
were sworn in to constitute
THE GRAND JURY:—
John /lent, Brewer, Johnson Street, (Foreman.)
Thomas D. Anderson, Merchant, Everton.
Thomas Addison, Sharebroker, Dale Street.
Joseph Aspinall, Ditto, Royal Bank Buildings.
George Barnsley, Cotton Broker, Tithebarn Street.

Willfim Cliff, Jun.. Merchant, Ditto.
Thomas Cannon, Ditto, South Castle Street.
William Mac Murdo Duncan, Merchant, Brunswick Dock.
Thomas Frost, Merchant, Upper Parliament Street.
John Murray Gladstone, Sailmaker, Everton Road.
Abraham Gartside, Woolbroker, Everton.
William litighPon' Broker, Sweeting Street.
Healing, Merchant, Goree Piazzas.
James Nathaneal Holmes, Merchant, Back Goree.
John Herd, Nierchant, North John Street.
William Kershaw, Cotton Broker, Rumford Street.
Thomas Lightfoot, Broker, Dale Street.—Esquires.

The Omni( of the PEACE addressing the Court said, I
there were four of the gentlemen summoned to be in at-
tendance as grand jurors who had not made their ap-
pearance. Great inconvenience arose from this, and he
reminded the Recorder that at the last Sessions he had
said that he should certainly inflict the fine.
The RECORDER said that he was reluctant to do so, but
es The absence of gentlemen summoned, made the duties
'to be performed more onerous upon those who duly at-
tended, he felt bound to fine them on this occasion £5
each—unless they showed good cause for their absence.
The Proclamation against vice and immorality having
been read,
The RECORDER then addressed the Jury. He said in
effect that an interval longer than usual had elapsed since
the last sitting of the court, and that kvithin the space of
the last 76 days, 120 persons had been sent there for trial.
When it was remembered that in 1846, there were 803
persons sent for trial, they would perceive that the com-
mittals on this occasion were below the average number.
They would find that many of the offences charged were
committed by females, but the offences, taken generally,
were not of an aggravated character. So far as the
calendar and the cases sent there enabled them to judge
of the state of crime, it appeared that the means employed
to preserve public order and safety, were, on the whole,
effectually carried out by those on whom the duty devolved.
He had beforehad occasion to remarkonthelarge number of
women brought before that court. The total number of wo-
men committed fortrial, in 1845,in England and Wales bore
the proportion of one female to four male offenders. On
referring to their printed lists they would find that of 118
persons accused, no fewer than 50 were females. Such a
proportion was, he believed, unparalleled in any calendar
in any part of the kingdom. Looking to the return of
their previous offences, and calling to mind his past expe-
rience, he knew that this unhappy class of offenders
passed through a course of vice and profligacy which,
eventually, led them to the commission of higher crimes ;
and it was in vain to hope that the disgrace of any punish-
ment that could be inflicted would have much beneficial
effect upon persons so abandoned, so hardened, and so
dead to all the better influences. Cases, indeed, may
occur, in which such offenders were imprisoned, and even
banished.; but such examples did not sink far into the
minds of those of the same unfortunate class. Other
means were therefore required, in order to the prevention
of crime amongst that class, whose course of life at
the outset, led, naturally, and almost necessarily, to
moral degradation. There was another class of female
offenders whose number was on the increase—those
who were implicated in shop-lifting. These were in
the habit of entering shops, on pretence of making pur-
chases, and, on goods being shown to them, they took
the opportunit3 to purloin and conceal some of the articles.
It would be necessary to visit this offence with considera-
ble severity, in order to its diminution. He preceded
to say that at this season of unexampled commercial
gloom and anxiety, they could not but look (as we under-
stood him) for the prevalence of much distress amongst
many of the working classes. The only cotton manufac-
tory in this town had stopped, and various other extensive
concerns had discharged their hands. But he felt a con-
fidence that in this well-ordered and intelligent commu-
nity, -much privation would be borne without resort to
any illegal acts. Masters who had discharged their hands
had not done so from caprice or any blameable motive,
but from actual necessity—the result of the state of com-
mercial affairs : and if this were felt severely by the poorer
classes, it was not before it was also felt by many in the
higher walks of life. He regretted much to add that the
borough was again likely to be overrun by vagrants from
Ireland, and this was the more remarkable, as the Irish
were,now without the former excuse, the season having
been propitious : the sickness that had prevailed had much
abated, and a law was in operation for the removal of the
poor. Without offering (which would indeed be difficult)
any suggestions to remedy this impending evil, he dis-
missed the grand jury to their duties.
Several true bills having been found, the trials pro-
ceeded.; but the cases, which were of the usual character.
were not, throughout the day, of more than minor
interest.