The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-03-26 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL SPRING ASSIZES

At half-past nine o'clock on Saturday niqh,t Mr, Baron
Rolfe entered the Crown-court, and orelled the commis-
sion of oyer and terminer and general gaol delivery for
the southern division of this county. En the early part of
the afternoon, a letter reached , the Town-hall, from the
Sheriff of York, stating, that it world be utterly impossi-
Me for either of the judges to reach Liverpool until a late
hour, as the business for that county could not be dis-
patched without detaining one of them at York until about
four o'clock, p.m., and the other the whole of the day.
The usual orders were, accordingly, sent to the Watch-
office to have a few of the constabulary in attendance at
the courts about half-past eight oclock. About a quarter
after nine Mr. Baron Rolfe arrived at the railway-station
by the last Manchester train, and, being robed, proceeded
immediately, without, as on other occasions, repairing to
his lodgings,
to the Nisi Prins Court in the carriage of
the High-Sheriff of the County, John Fcr.vden Hindle,
fle was escorted by the javelin men and trumpe-
ters from the Town-hall, and was accompanied into court
by the High-Sheriff, the High-Sheriff's Chaplain (the Rev.
Dr.. Whittaker, vicar of Blackburn), the Mayor, Town-
clerk, &c. Mr. Shuttleworth, the Deputy-Clerk of the
Crown, who was speedily joined by Mr. Hopkins, having
it e i read the commission, the other formalities were gone
through, and the court was adjourned.
On Sunday his lordship attended divine service, at St.
George's Church, at eleven o'clock, a.m. There was an
unusually large and highly respectable congregation pre-
sent on the occasion. The High-Sheriff sat in the Judge's
pew ; and, immediately to the rear, as well as in other
parts of 'tb.e church, we noticed the Mayor, who proceded
from the Town-hall in state, the Recorder, the Town-clerk,
.air Thomas Brancker, Mr. Nicholas Robinson, Mr. Peter
Bourne, Mr: Thomas Bold, Mr. Samuel Turner, &c.
Prayers were read by the Rev. T. Leigh, the Rev. Mr.
Monk officiating at the communion table. The sermon
was preached by the High-Sheriff's chaplain, the Rev.
Dr. Whittaker. The text was taken from the 13th chap-
ter of the Acts of the apostles, and the 38th and 39th ver-
ses :—" Be it known unto you, therefore, men and breth-
ren, that, through this man is preached unto you the for-
giveness of sins, and by him all that believe are justified
from all things from which they could not be justified by
the law of Moses." The anthem, " Praise the Lord, 0
my Soul," was taken from the 103rd Psalm, verses 2,8,
15, 17, mid 22, adapted from No. 1 of Mozart's masses by
Mr, John Pratt. The solo parts were sung, with great
taste and judgement, by Mrs. Armstrong. After the con-
clusion of the service, his lordship returned to his lodg-
ings in St. Anne-street. Mr. Justice Coltman arrived
from York at seven o'clock on Sunday evening, and dined
with his brother judge at the lodgings.
There are 54 prisoners for trial, 48 of whom are charged
with burglaries and crimes, detailed in our publication of
this day week, 5 with offences against the mint, and one
with murder. Of these 9 can read, 21 can read and write
iraperfectly, S can read and write well, 2 can read and
write in a superior manner, and 14 can neither read nor
write

CROWN COURT-YESTERDAY.

- - -
At a quarter after eleven o'clock, Mr. Justice Coltman
took his seat on the bench. The roll of county magis-
'zates, mayor, and coroners, having then been called over,
the following gentlemen were sworn of

THE GRAND JURY.
The Hon. Richard Bootle Wilbraham, M.P., Blythe Hall,
Foreman.
William Blundell, Esq., Crosby Hall.
Thos. Weld Blundell, Esq., Ince•Blundell Hall.
Sir Thos. Brancker, Knt., Liverpool.
Hugh Hornby Birley, Esq., Broome House.
John Bentley, Esq., Birch House.
Chisenhale Chisenhale, Esq , Arley Hall.
Jas. Cardwell, Esq., Ellerbeck.
Sir George Drinkwater, Knt., Liverpool.
John Smith Entwistle, Esq., Foxholes.
Jas. Fenton, Esq., Bamford Hall.
James Hilton Ford, Esq., Eccleston.
Daniel Grant, Esq., Spring-side.
John Hargreaves, Esq., Broad oak.
Samuel Holker Haslam, Esq., Greenside.
Richard Houghton. Esq., Liverpool.
John Lister, Esq., Blackbnrn.
Robert Henry Norreys, Esq., Davy-Hulme Hall.
Wm. Standish Standish, Esq., Duxbury Park.
John Reid, Esq., Manchester.
Thos. Sands, Esq., Mosley-hill.
Win. Whalley, Esq., Whalley.
Wm. Brown, Esq., Liverpool.

The DEPUTY CLERK of the CROWN having read her
Majesty's proclamation against vice, profaneness, and im-
morality,

His LORDSHIP addressed the Grand Jury to the follow-
ing effect :—Gentlemen of the Grand Inquest, I shall
have very few remarks to make to you on the subject of
the present calendar, which I am happy to say, with one
exception, is not marked with any very atrocious crime.
There is, unfortunately, one case of murder, which will be
brought before you,—a case which seems to have occurred
under circumstances certainly of a very lamentable nature.
A mother is charged with destroying her child, and indeed
it does appear that she endeavoured to poison herself at the
same time. I apprehend that your duty in the case will
not be attended with any difficulty, because so far as the
depositions disclose the circumstances to me there can be
little doubt of such facts coming out as will warrant yon
in finding the bill. Gentlemen, there are four cases of
manslaughter, or homicide, in the calendar, but they are
not attended with any circumstances of aggravation. They
are cases either arising from negligence, or casual rencon-
tres, and not under circumstances of a bad description.
I believe, gentlemen, there will be three cases brought
before you of violence to the persons of females. With
regard- to one of those cases the party is charged with hav-
ing committed the offence on a child under the age of ten
years ; therefore, all inquiry as to consent, you know, is
perfectly unnecessary. There is another case, also, in
which the party is charged with having committed a similar
offence upon a young person, but one of a more advanced
age than the former. She appears, I collect from the de-
positions, just past the age of twelve. In this particular
case it does not appear that any inquiry was instituted
for some considerable time after the occurrence. That, in
the case of a female of mature age, would be a circum-
stance so strong against the parties bringing the accusa-
tion, that it might affect your decision, or, at all events,
the decision of a traverse jury. But the case is different
in so young a person as the present, because you may
think the omission satisfactorily explained by the age of
the party, and, upon this ground, you may find yourselves
warranted in finding the bill. In the third case also, I
apprehend, the prosecutrix is one of not very mature
age. Gentlemen, there is in the calendar, what we too
often find, a considerable number of wounding, cutting,
or stabbing cases—as many as seven. It is an offence
which it is necessary to watch with great vigilance, and to
check by punishment as often as the circumstances may
warrant. I shall only observe that those cases, or at least
that some of them have been perpetrated after assaults
committed by the party who was afterwards wounded ;
and it is right that I should observe on this, that the
circumstance of a previous assault will not, by any means,
prevent a party from being amenable to the law for a sub-
sequent wounding, because the law will not justify a party
in using a deadly instrument, unless it be for the necessary
protection of his own life. Before it is used he must be
under a reasonable apprehension that his life is in dan-
ger; and it is advisable, perhaps, that I should advert
to this point, because it appears that assaults were com-
mitted previous to the woundings in those cases, which
assaults, to a certain degree, must of course mitigate the
offence of the party charged. Gentlemen, there are three
eases of highway robbery in the calendar, but they are
cases attended with no great degree of personal violence.
There are also, as we always find, a large number of
burglary or housebreaking cases ; but, with regard to
them, I see, with great satisfaction, that I believe in
none of the instances were the family disturbed. The
essence—the malignity—of that offence consists in the
disturbance of the family ; and where a burglary is com-
mitted without any disturbance, it is of the lighter de-
scription of that class of offences. There is a case that
will be brought before you in which the depositions run
a very considerable length ; and certainly, a very bad
case if established in evidence. That is a case of arson.
It is a case depending entirely on circumstantial evidence ;
but it is very probable that such evidence will be brought
before you as will satisfy you that the party should be
put upon his trial. I need not advert to the other cases
in the calendar. They are such as you, in your official
capacity, will be familiar with. I do not apprehend that
any difficulty in point of law will arise, or that I can offer
any further observations for your guidance ; but if you
wish for my assistance at any time, I shall be most happy
to attend to you.
The Grand Jury then retired to their room for the de-
saatch of business , and shortly after sent several bills
into court.