The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-01-15 00:00:00

TIIE STATESMAN.

SURREY SESSIONS.
Yesterday the General Quarter Sessions for the
county of Surrey commenced at the Sessions House,
Horsemonger-lane, before R. JACKSON, Esq. Chair-
man, and a full Bench of Magistrates.
The Grand Jury having been sworn, the CII.1111.•
NAN proceeded to deliver his charge. After advert-
ing to the Calendar, which he observed, though it
contained a long list of crimes, none of them were
of a nature different to what usually came before
them for their consideration, it would therefore not
be necessary for him to dwell upon it. Under the
present state of the police, however, when such
dreadful butcheries were committed, when the public
mind was in such a state of alarm, whilst our houses
were barricadoed and fortified, yet our fears not al-
layed, lest the enemy without should prove more
powerful than the garrison within, it would, perhaps,
be expected, that he should say something on that
subject. It was, indeed, a subject which demanded
most serious attention if, as was the case at pre-
' tent, our merchants and traders could not send their
clerks ant at noon day without danger of being
I hustled, and having their property taken from them,
by gangs of desperate villains, so numerous and so
powerful as to intimidate the police officers, and pie-
vent their interfering, no one would say such was a
fit situation for society to be in., Most of the
Gentlemen present had probably seen the very able
charge delivered by the very respectable Magis-
trate, who was Chairman of the Sessions for Mid-
! dlesex. He (Mr. Jackson) was always happy when
he could agree with that able Magistrate ; in the
greater part of that charge which was applicable on
the present occasion, and which was couched in lan-
guage much more-forcible than any he could use, he
did perfectly agree with him—in one sentiment con-
tained in it, .however, he materially differed. Mr.
Mainwaring, after alluding to the late atrocious
crimes committed in the metropolis, and to the gene-
ral call of the public for the interference of Go-
vernment, declared his opinion that such inter-
ference was unnecessary, and that the power at pre-
sent possessed by the Police, if properly exerted,
was fully equal to its object. In this sentiment he
(Mr. J.) could not agree—he was of opinion no-
thing but the prompt interference of Government
could provide a remedy for the evil. The power to
which Mr. Main waring alluded, was probably that
vested in the Magistrates by the Act of the 17th of
George the Second, called the Vagrant Act, which
gave them the power of committing disorderly and
suspicious characters till the Sessions—but this Act
had either not been properly enforced, or it had
been found not adequate to its object, and the Po-
lice Act was, in the.32d of the present King, passed
in aid of it. That Act might, for aught he knew, be
a very wholesome Act of Parliament ; but it was so
pervaded throughout by conjunctive prepositions,
that it could not be perused by any person, without
feeling persuaded that great pains hnd been taken to
word it in such a manner as to defeat the very ohj Ect of
it, by affording offenders against the law an opportunity
to escape. It was a well-known fact, that Police Offi-
cers frequently passed well-known notorious characters
perfectly answering the description of those mentioned
in the Act without noticing them. Did this arise
from want of power, want of stimulus, or want of
inclination and neglect of duty on the part of the
officer? these were questions he was not able to
answer, but they were circumstances calling loudly
for investigation. The Worthy Chairman then ad-
verted to the number of common prostitutes who
were suffered nightly to infest our streets uninter-
rupted. In the presentation which it would be the
duty of the Grand Jury to make, they might not be
able to present any of these abuses so specifically as
to bring them under the legal view of the Court, but
they might present generally, and that general pre-
sentation would be laid before the higher powers,
where it would not fail having its effect. In the dis-
charge of their duty they would remember mercy,
but they would not suffer their mercy to drivel into
whining compassion ; and at the time they remem-
bered mercy to the prisoner, they would not forget
the duty they had to perform to the public. That
duty he was persuaded,, they would honourably per-
form, and he would take his leave of them by assuf.
ing them that whatever vigilance they might display
in the discharge of their function, would be met (by
equal exertions on the part of the Magistrates with
whom he had the honour of acting.
The Grand Jury then retired, and the Court pro-
ceeded to the trial of several assault causes, none of
which were of any interest.

A few days since, a soldier belonging to the 59th
regiment of foot, now lying in the Portsmouth bar-
racks, being ordered to drill for some misconduct,
drew his bayonet and stabbed himself in the bosom,
deciarias he would sooner die than suffer the punish-
ment: the wound was not mortal, but he lies in a
dangerous state.

SOOTCH
MILLZR'S Wharf.
Prompt (Davison), Leith
Marquis of Huntley (Martin),
Dundee
Fife Packet (Simmers), Dun-
dee and Perth
Commercial (Nisbettl, Leith
Albion (Jameson), Berwick
Downs's Wharf.
Swift (Stark), Montrose
Buceleugh (od), Leith
Bridport (Wishart), Dundee
HIGH WATER AT LONG
Morning, 59 minutes after S.

SMACK:
Arm
1 8 Jan. 1

Sails.
19 Jan. —5, P. M.

16, 3, P. M.
19, —5, P. M.
16, —2, P. M.
16, —2, P. M.
19, —4, P. M.
16, —2, P. M-
-16, —2, P. M.
[DWI THIS DAY.
S, 20 minutes after 3.

lON BTU
I Eveniu