The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-03-11 00:00:00

THE CRIMINAL LAW.

In the charge which Mr. Justice Coleridge delivered at
Salisbury to the grand jury for Wiltshire on Thursday,
his lordship proposes a very importa-t alteration in the
criminal law of the country, and expresses his wish that
the experiment should be tried. The grand jury, in a
presentment, echoed his suggestion, and coming from so
high an authority, the proposition is certainly entitled to
consideration. _

In commtutitig on the calendar before him, Mr. Jus-
tice Coleridge observed—. _ .

" In some instances the offences were so very light, that
they suggested to the mind a question whether it would
not be consistent with justice that cases of so light a na-
ture should be summarily disposed of. The expense to the
county was very large, and the long imprisonment and
loss of character when there was a conviction, seemed
heavier than the offence required. In this calendar he
saw a charge for stealing seven dead starlings, another for
stealing two tame rabbits, and other charges equally light,
and the parties had been in prison ever since the begin-
ning of January. Supposing a conviction followed, they
must feel how much the judge was fettered in making up
his mind as to the punishment to be awarded. Here there
had been as much imprisonment as they would have passed
if tried at the time. It was a bad thing for a man to be
convicted, and depart from the co•irt with little more than
a nominal punishment; but if the judge did not take the
prior punishment into consideration, the punishment
would be too severe; but should the party be acquitted,
then every one must regret every hour of the imprisonment
to which he had been subjected. He did not know whe-
ther gentlemen were aware of the large number of persons
charged with offences who were not convicted at the trial.
The last year there had been about 30,000 committals, and
above 8,000 acquittals or bills ignored. That was a very
large proportion of the whole number. It might be said
that many of these acquittals did not make out the entire
innocence of the party ; but he did not think, either as
lawyers or magistrates. they could venture to look at
an acquittal in any other light than that of estab-
lishing the perfect innocence of the party. Every ac-
quittal supplied some degree of reflection upon the com-
mittal—something like a feeling that injustice had been
done. He did not mean to say'but that the committal
might have been perfectly justified by the evidence placed
Lefore the magistrate, but all must join in wishing that
some experiment should be made tor the purpose of seeing
whether these small charges could not be disposed of in a
different manner. It was a delicate question, he admit-
ted, to- interfere with a tribunal which worked well and
wisely for the ends of justice; but they should not be
tied so completely to a particular form of trial as to sacri-
fice the great and paramount end of doing justice to the
individual. It was evident the value of the property
taken, or the age of the offender, would not be the test,
but that there might be some combination of circum-
stances to guide parties and lead to a successful alteration.
He did not mean to give the power to a single magistrate,
but to the petty sessions, and there might be regulations
giving the accused an opportunity of postponing or re-

g his trill.

It is indeed a delicate question, as the learned Judge
admits, that he has raised. It is no less than the inter-
ference with a tribunal which he says " has worked well

nd wisely

PRUDENT CONDUCT.—On Monday last Mr. Samuel
Durnbell, who was lately employed by Messrs. Maclure
and Co.. lithographers, &c., Castle-street, called at the
shop of Mr. Smith, druggist, 35 Great Homer-street,
and asked for some prussic acii, which he said was wanted
by Messrs. Maclure for an improved process in lithog-
raphy. Mr. Smith wished to send the bottle containing
the poison to Mr. Maclure, but Mr. Dumbell desired it
should be sent to his own house, which was assented to.
Mr. Smith, however, let the matter rest till the following
morning, when he filled a phial resembling that Contain
ing prussic acid which he had shown to Mr. Dumbell,
with water, into which he put about a grain of tartaric
acid. This he labelled " Poison" and sent to Mr. Duel-
bell's residence. On Friday last, a messenger from
Messrs. Maclure arrived in hot haste at Mr. Smith's shop
and inquired how much prussic acid he had sold to Mr.
Dumbell. It appears that he had that morning swallowed
the whole contents of the phial, and then, exhibiting it to
the housekeeper, declared that he had taken poison. Ter-
rified, she ran to Messrs. Maclure's office, who, finding
where the supposed poison had been purchased, despatched
a messenger to Mr. Smith to inquire as to the potency of
the potion. Of course all parties were, greatly relieved
when it was discovered that Mr. Dumbell had swallowed
nothing more dangerous than a little acidulated water.
MR. CHARLES KEMBLE.—This highly talented gen-
tleman commenced his second engagement at the Collegi-
ate Institution on Tuesday- evening with great ecldt.
The doors were literally besieged by anxious expectants
long before the time of opening, and prior to the entrance
of Mr. Kemble the house was filled by a brilliant and
fashionable audience. On this occasion Mr. Kemble read
The Merchant of Venice with great vigour, and received
a well earned tribute to his efforts from the assembled
throng. On Frid iy he gave King John, and, in the
a between the King and Hubert and Hubert and
Arthur was exceedingly effective. To-morrow
evening he will read Othello. With reference to this
effort of Mr. Kemble, we cannot do better than quote the
strictures of the Manchester Guardian. It says, " the
unqualified terms of approbation i i which we had occa-
sion to express ourselves at the former efforts of this
highly-gifted veteran leave us almost at a loss to speak of
this, which on the whole, appeared to us the chef& tenure.
In no play is there more scope for the display of his rare
and versatile genius,: and this from the great variety
which the characters present. As Hazlitt justly remarks,
The Moor, Othello, the gentle Desdemona, the villain
lago, the good-natured Cassio, the fool Roderigo present
ad variety of character as striking and palpable

as that produced by the opposition of costume in the pic-
ture." Yet the distinguishing traits of each and all these
re brought out with the most complete con-

and produ-ced a tout ensemble which we have
never seen equalled, with the accompaniments of all the
' means and appliances' of stage accessories. Amongst
the innumerable beauties with which Mr. Kemble's read-
ing of this noble tragedy abounded, we must particularize
the drinking scene. I,Ve venture to say that Cassio's ine-
briety, as pourtrayed by Mr. Kemble, will not be easily
forgotten b 7 those who had the gratification of being
present ; nothing could be more true to nature, and free
from that offensive grossness of manner with which we
have seen it given by some of our actors."

characters
sistenc

MR. THomws Hoon.—We can hardly congratulate
our readers on presenting them, this month, with an
effigy of Thomas Hood's outward features, instead of
that portraiture of his mind, and those traces of his kindly
heart, which he has been wont with his own pen to draw
in these pages. During. the last month his physical
strength has completely given way, and almost as much
through incapacity of his hand to hold the pen, as of his
brain for any length of time to guide it, be has at last been
compelled to desist from composition, Those in whom
admiration of the writer has induced also a friendly feel-
ing towards the man, will have some consolation in
learning that amidst his sufferings, which have been se-
vere, his cheerful philosophy has never failed him ; but
that on his sick bed, as in his writings, and in his lif, he
has known how to enlighten the melancholy of those
around him, and to mingle laughter with their tears. We
have thought it due to our readers and to the public thus
briefly to make known that Mr. Hood is more seriously
ill than even he has ever been before ; avoiding to express
any h open or forbodings of our own, or to prejudice the
uncertain issues of life and death.—Hood's Magazine.

CHARACTER OF THE PRINCESS CAROLINE.—If her
education had been what it ought, she might have turned
out excellent ; but it was that very nonsensical one that
most women receive—one of privation, injunction, and
menu

to believe no man, .and never to express what
they feel, or say what they think, for all men are inclined
to entrap them, and all feelings are improper ; this vitiates
or abrutis all women—few escape." (Surely this censure
is too sweeping.) "On summing up Princess Carolit,e's
character to-day, it came out to my mind to be, that she
has quick parts, without a sound or distinguishing under-
standing; that she has a ready conception, but no judg-
ment; caught by the first impression; led by the first im-
pulse ; hurried away by appearances or enjouement ; lov-
ing to talk, and prone to make missish friendships that
last twenty-four hours. Some natural, but no acquired
morality, and no strong innate notions of its value or ne-
cessity ; warm feelings, and nothing to counteract them ;
grea

0_ __ 0,,0d humour, and much good nature—no appear-
ance of caprice—rather quick and vice, but not a grain of
rancour. From her habits, from the life she was allowed
and even compelled to live, forced to dissemble; fond of
gossiping, and this strengthened greatly by the example of
her good mother, who is all curiosity and inquisitiveness,
and who has no notion of not gratifying this desire at any
price. In short, the Princess, in the hands of the steady
and sensible man, would probably turn out well ; but when
it is likely she will meet with faults perfectly analogous to
her own, she will fail. She has no governing powers,
though her mind is physically strong. She has her fa-
ther's courage, but it is to her (as to him) of no avail. He
wants mental decision ; she, character and tact.—Lord
Malmesbury's Diary,
A TOUCH OF COLD WEATHER.—A New York paper
of Feb. 11, says :—On Sunday week the mercury in the
thermometer at Quebec was down to thirty degrees below
zero.

To THE EDITOR OF THE COURT GAZETTE.-Sir,-
Being myself very sceptical with regard to what are usually
denominated restorative preparations, my wife had some
trouble in persuading me to try a preparation for the
purpose of attempting to recover my hair, of which a
fever had fully deprived tee ; when about sixteen months
since I read in your Court Gazette of Old •dge's Balm of
Columbia, (of 1, Wellington-street, Str. • , London,) and
I allowed my wife for three months su • essively to rub my
head as often as, I believe, the dire ons required. As a
constant reader at the rooms here •f your paper, I have
to thank you for the successful ex riment, for lam happy
to say my hair is now as thick s ever it was, and 1 have
every reason to speak well of . e Balm of Columbia which
I certainly obtained throng, you ; therefore I am, sir,
your truly obliged, J. b.
Glasgow, May 20, 1844
We have been request • to corroborate the receipt of
the above, which we hay much pleasure in doing, having
heard of the virtues of the Balm of Columbia in other
instances.—CEO. C.
OLDRIDGE'S ILM causes Eyebrows to grow,
prevents the hair f m turning grey, and the first appli-
caion causes it to c rl beautifully, frees it from scurf, and
stops it from fallin off. Abundance of certificates of the
first respectability are shown by the Proprietors, C. and
A. OLDRIDGE, Wellington-street, Strand, where the
Balm is sold, an by most of the respectable Perfumers
and Medicine V odors.
Price 3s. 6d Gs., and lls. per bottle

No other prices

are genrine.
Ask for OLDRIDGE'S BALM OF COLUMBIA, 1,
WELLINGTON-STREET, LONDON.
Sold by respectable Chemists, Perfumers, and Sta-

tioners

CORRESPONDENCE.

SHIPBUILDING

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

SIL—In the report of the council proceedings on
Wednesday last, I perceive that, in reply to some very
just remarks from Mr. North on the arbitrary treatment
the Liverpool shipbuilders bad received at the hands of
the corporation, by which shipbuilding had become al-
most extinct in this port, a port of all others where it
should have been fostered and encouraged, Mr. Moore
attempted to vindicate the conduct of the council by
stating, that the trade, had not been driven away by them,
but had left the port in consequence of the rate of car-
penter's wages being higher here than in Whitehaven and
some other places. Now, I freely admit that shipbuild-
ing in Liverpool is by no means a lucrative business, and
that the high rate of wages is one reason of its being so,
but I most distinctly deny that it is the only, or even the
principal cause of the trade leaving the port; the high
character and superior workmanship of Liverpool-built
ships have always secured for them a better price than those
built in the outer ports ; and had not a long continued
system of fatal discouragement been pursued by the au-
thorities towards the builders, Liverpool would at this
day have stood preeminently conspicuous amongst the
shipbuilding ports of the kingdom. The necessity of
having carpenter's yards and graving docks distributed at
something like convenient'distances from each other, ap-
pears to have been entirely overlooked, and Trentham-
street, where so many noble ships have been constructed,
and which in 1840 contained more than half the ship-
building establishments• in the port, has been converted
into the Albert Dock, and out of seven ship-builders who
were then removed without any remuneration for the
loss they sustained by taking down the extensive build-
ings, which, at their own expense, had been erected suita-
ble accommodation, could only be provided for three
firms, thus, at one fell swoop, wiping four from the al-
ready limited number. But this is not all. Two of these
parties, Messrs. Wilson, and Humble and Milcrest, the
most extensive builders in the port, after laying out im-
mense sums in erecting suitable buildings for carrying on
their business at the. North Shore, have now been com-
pelled to remove, after a few months' notice, without ap-
peal and without redress; both firms have given up the
building department of their business, and thus in 1845
there are not half the number of ship-builders in the port
that there were in 1840. There are, indeed, plenty of
ship-cobblers in the town, but where, as Mr. Royden
very reasonably asked, " are apprerdices to learn their
trade? and, how do the shipowners expect their vessels
will be repaired if shipbuilding cease to exist amongst us ?"
While on the subject of repairs, allow me, Mr. Editor,
to enlist your aid, or, at all events, through the medium
of your widely circulated journal call the attention of the
members of the Dock Committee to the present scanty
supply of graving docks; they have not been increased in
any adequate proportion with the wet docks, indeed, one
of the most central and convenient of them has been
taken away to make an entrance into the Canning Dock ;
the necessary result is, there are nearly always a number
of vessels waiting for berths, and instances are not unfre-
quently occurring of their being sent to other ports for
repairs, from want of accommodation here. It will, per-
bps, be scarcely credited that in Liverpool there is only
one graving dock capable of receiving large steamers, the
Great Western, on a recent occasion, having to be sent
round to Milford, the steamer Reindeer, within the last
month, went to London for repairs. after waiting here
for some weeks, and the Queen of the West, packet-
ship, sailed last week without being coppered for New
York, where the work will probably be done, she had
been entered for the graving dock here, but was unable
to get in ; other instances might be mentioned, but I trust
enough has now been said to call attention to the grie-
vances under which the shipbuilders and shipwrights of
Liverpool are at present labouring, and that those who
have the power may likewise have the will, of introducing
a better state of things amongst us, and adopting a more
liberal policy tan they have hitherto pursued, restore, so
far as yet may be practicable, the noble science of ship-
building to a position becoming the second commercial
port in the kingdom.