The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-05-14 00:00:00

THE QUARTER SESSIONS.

The May Quarter Sessions commenced yesterday, be-
fore GILBERT HENDERSON, Esq., the Recorder. The
number of prisoners for trial was below the average of
former corresponding periods, and the offences charged,
with but one exception, of a less than usually aggravated
nature. The following gentlemen were sworn of the

GRAND JURY :
John Barnes Brancker, Falkner-street, broker, Foreman.
Daniel Bell, South Castle-street, merchant.

Michael Bolsfield, Rumford-street. merchant.
Swinton Boult, Water-street, merchant.
Robert Cochrane Crosbie, Dale-street, merchant.

John Campbell, India-buildings, merchant.

Wm. E. T. Duncan, Exchange-alley, merchant.
Major Dawson, H uskisson-street , gentleman.
George W. Ewing, Brunswick•qu.y, timber-merchant.
Thomas Stewart Gladstone, Union-court, broker.

George Glen, Upper Parliament-street, merchant.
John R. Greaves, Fenwick-street, cotton-broker.
John Herd, North John-street, merchant.
John Haselden, Bedford-street South, merchant.
John Owens Johnson, Cook-street, merchant.
John Miller, Netherfield-road North, merchant.
Saml. Martin, Netherfield-road North, insurance-broker.
Thomas Rees, Shaw-street, brewer.
Joshua Rawdon, Shaw-street, merchant.
John Jackson Starkie, Canning-street, merchant.

John A. Syers, Chapel- street,Merchant.
John Tomlinson. Nile-street, corn-merchant.
John Twiname, Duke-street, corn-merchant.
The RECORDER, after the proclamation against vice and
immorality had been read, briefly addressed the grand
jury. He said that upon this occasion he had but few
remarks to make. He was happy to say there was a di-
minished number of prisoners for trial, the means adopted
for the suppression of crime having been attended with
considerable success. With the exception of one case,
none of the offences charged involved the robbery of any
very considerable amount of property. There was one
case in which the parties were charged with taking a quan-
tity of tea, sugar, &c. ; and if they found that the articles
had been removed by them from the warehouse, the bill
for the felony would be made out. Still, though in most
of. the cases a small amount of property only was taken,
it would be necessary, if the parties were convicted, to
pass sentence of transportation upon some of them, in
consideration of their frequent previous offences ; and
that sentence would now be severely carried out. It
would be their duty thoroughly to sift the evidence, and,
though they might not themselves be enabled to form a
decided opinion as to the guilt of th 3 accused, to send
them for trial if sufficient grounds of probability appeared.
He dismissed them by tatiog, that, aware of their intel-
ligence and cx erience, he need not detain them with any
further observations.

The grand jury then retired, and having, in a short
time, found some true bills, the business of the court
proceeded ; but none of the cases were of an unusual or
interesting nature—being all merely petty thefts.
The following were the sentences passed during the
day :
Seven years' transportation.—Robert Kehoe, aged 17,
(an old offender) for stealing a quantity of bread, and a
pair of boots.—James Henry Golding, 20, (also a re-
puted thief) for stealing a handkerchief.—Catherine Bur-
rows, 19, for stealing twelve pairs of shoes.--James
Barrett, 10, (to the Penitentiary) for stealing one yard of
satin. He had been convicted of petty thefts several
times previonsly.—John Williams, 15, for stealing an ac-
cordion, also a habit, (a reputed thief.)—John Higgins,
21, Wm. Richardson, 18, and (...eorge Calligan, 17, for
stealing a number of articles of wearing apparel, &c..
from on board a vessel. They had all before been fre-
quently imprisoned.
Six months' imprisonment and hard labour.—James
Griffiths, 15, for stealing three bottles, conta;ning whiskey,
lemonade, and gingerette, from a spirit vault. The case
was recently recorded in this paper.
Three months' imprisonment and hard labour.—Thos.
Linacre, 40, stealing three cart-loads of timber.
Two months' imprisonment and hard labour.—James
Mooney, 43, for stealing a hat, the property of John
Wilson. The prisoner, who bad been an attorney's clerk,
but had been discharged, put in a written defence, which
excited a good deal of interest in the court.—Mary
M'Cormick, 32, for stealing 49 yards of calico.

Several other prisoners for minor offenceswere sentenced
to imprisonment for from one month to a week.—Mary
QuBltrotoi, charged with stealing a sovereign, was ac-
quitted.

ENLARGEMENT OF ST. MARY'S CHURCH,
KIRKDALE.

The ceremony of laying the first stone of the addition
about to be made to this church, took place on Wednes-
day last. At nine o'clock in the morning the Rev. D.
James, incumbent, Arthur Hill Holme, Esq., architect,
and the gentlemen of the committee, arrived at the church
for that purpose. In a few minutes every thing was de-
clared ready. The Rev. D. James proceeded to address
the company to the following effect :
" Gentlemen of the Committee,—We are assembled
for the purpose of laying the foundation-stone of the en-
largement of St. Mary's Church : and, though it is not
our wish to invest the occasion with the importance which
properly belonged to the laying of the first stone of the
building already in existence, yet when we consider that
the additional room which will be acquired by this enlarge-
ment, will be equal to almost one-third part of the church,
and will be devoted entirely to the accommodation of the
poor of this district and their children, we cannot :view
th. avvnf in on? ntn...l;sht thnn ac nne of &pp interest.
If there be a class of people to whom the house of God is
peculiarly dear, who value its services as the principal
source of their joy, and find therein a solace for all their
troubles and privations, that class is the poor of the com-
munity—a class from whom the Almighty withholds the
riches of this world, because he purposes to give them
through faith in Christ an inheritance that fadeth not
away in the world to come."

After
hermetically a fews
emaol reed, ocbosnetr:i
na
ni ogn ss
etvheer a l rev
si vge
re n
at lnedm
pr ee -r
ceived from Mr. Holme, the architect, two glass bottles
cop
coins of the present reign ; a plan of the elevation of
the church as it will be when enlarged ; a map of the
township of Kirkdale ; a brief account in writing of the
origin of the church, with the nunibm- of sittings; the
names of the committee for conducting the enlargement,
and a copy of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD and Liverpool
Courier. 'I hese bottles having been deposited in the
cavity prepared for them, Mr. Holme handed Mr. James
the plate containing the following inscription :
" This church was enlarged and improved by the congregation
in the year 1844. Rev. D. James, incumbent; ,;eorge Pitts,
Joseph Hampson, churchwardens; Arthur Hill Holme, archi-
tect; John Johnson, John Mackarell, Andrew Dempter, Andrew
Wilson, builders."
The stone was then lowered and adjusted. Afterwards
the 84th Psalm was read and the Doxolugy sung, which
concluded the ceremony.
The enlargement of the end which fronts Walton-road
will be all of stone, and executed in the decorative style
of Gothic architecture. The east window will, it is ex-
pected, be the handsomest in Liverpool. 400 additional
sittings will be acquired. The contract was taken at
£1,300; but as there is a large deficiency in the sum sub-
scribed, we hope our generous fellow-townsmen will cor-
dially respond to the appeal which Mr. James is about to
make to them.