The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-09-06 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL INTERMEDIATE SESSIONS.

The intermediate sessions of the peace for the borough of
Liverpool commenced yesterday, before JAMES CLARKE,
Esq., Recorder. The calendar contained the names of 70
prisoners charged with felony, and of 14 misdemeatiments ;
total, 84. Of these only (3 were able to read and write well;
28 could read and write imperfectly ; 21 could read imper-
fectly; and the large proportion of 29 had never been taught
either.

The following gentlemen were sworn the grand jury :
George Beal Brown, Esq., merchant, foreman;
Michael Bonsfield, merchant, Rumford-street ;
Major Dawson, gentleman, Huskisson-street ;
John Grantham, ironfounder, Everton-road;
James Nathan Holmes, manufacturing-chemist, Paul-
street ;
Charles Macmurtlo, broker, Great George-street;
NVilliarn Maxwell, wine-merchant, Union-street;
Daniel Neilson, merchant. Bedford-street;
William Nixon, rectifier, Vernon- street ;
John Neal, merchant, Dingle-lane;
Thomas Rodick, merchant, Hanover-street ;
Thomas Ripley, merchant, Duke-street ;
John Kevan Sutton, mordant-manufacturer, Great
Mersey-street ;
Robert Taylor Woodward, merchant, James's-street.

The RECORDER, in his charge to the grand jury, said he
was very happy to inform them, at the outset, that their la-
bours at the present sessions would not be very severely felt
by them. Indeed, they ought not to be, because the interval
of time between the last and the present sessions had been
very short; but, at the same time, he regretted to say that
the number of prisoners was considerable. He had gone
over the depositions in the several cases ; they appeared to
be of a very easy and simple nature, therefore, he expected
they would arrive at would not take up much time.
lie was happy to communicate to them that the new
law was now in operation which compelled public-
houses to be closed at twelve o'clock on Saturday night ;
this part of it commenced yesterday, and he had
been told by Mr. Whitty, and by a most respectable in-
habitant of the town who bad watched its operation, that
those disgraceful spectacles of drunkenness which had pre-
sertted themselves on Saturday night and an early hour on
Sunday morning, had all disappeared. This was very de-
lightful information, and he trusted that it .would continuo
equally satisfactory. The quarters from whence he had re-
ceived it would be the last to deceive him; and from their
accounts he had no reason to expect but that the operation
of the act would prove most useful. If the moral condition►
of the people could be improved, there would be every chance
of the diminution of crime. Liverpool had distinguished
itself upon a late occasion; it had not lent itself to those
frightful scenes of violence and disaffection which had
brought and would bring severe punishment upon many
parties who had done their utmost to overthrow the law. He
trusted that the example which Liverpool had set in this re-
spect would have its proper influence over all other parts of
the kingdom. The learned Recorder then dismissed the
grand jury to their labours.
The t.ials commenced immediately afterwards, but nothing
of interest occurred during the day. The sessions are ex-
pected to close in the course of to-morrow, (Wednesday.)