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 niiht Mr. Baron
Rolfe entered the Crown-court, and opened the commis-
sion of over and terminer and general gaol delivery for
the southern division of this county. In the early part of
the afternoon, a letter reached the Town-hall, from the
Sheriff of York, stating, that it would be utterly impossi-
ble 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 Prius Court in the carriage of
the High-Sheriff of the County, John Fowden Hindle,
Esq., lie 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
then 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 the church, we noticed the Mayor, who proceded
from the Town-hall in state, the Recorder, the Town-clerk,
Sir Thomas Brancker, Mr. Nicholas Robinson, Mr. Peter
Bonnie, 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 3Sth 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, and 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
imperfectly, 8 can read and write well, 2 can read and
write in a superior manner, and 14 can neither read nor
write.