The Liverpool Standard, and General Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-10-24 00:00:00

PORTER, V. GIBSON.—The defendant agreed to sell the
plaintiff his interest in a public-house, in Smithdown-
lane, of which he had a lease. After some negotiation,
the price was fixed at £540. When the bargain came to
be settled, the plaintiff was prepared to pay the money,
but the defendant had not obtained the consent of the
landlord to the assignment of the lease. The plaintiff
considered that that was necessary to his getting the
transfer of the license, and hence arose the action for a
breach of the contract. The defence was that the defen-
dant never undertook to get the landlord's consent, and
that it was not necessary. Verdict for the plaintiff—
damages, £l2O, including £5O, which had been paid as a
deposit.
No other cases of public interest were disposed of.

LIVERPOOL BOROUGH SESSIONS,

YESTERDAY

(BEFORE GILBERT HENDERSON, ESQ., RECORDER.)
TILE General Quarter Sessions of the Peace was held at
the Session-house, Chapel-street, yesterday. There were
48 prisoners for trial, of whom 40 were charged with
felonies, and the remaining eight with misdemeanours.
Twenty could read and write imperfectly ; eleven could
only read ; fourteen could neither read nor write ; and
only three could read and write well.

GRAND JURY
Wm. Potter, insurance broke
Wm. Armstrong, merchant.
James Ackera, brewer.
E. M. Brodie, sharehroker.
Richard Bennett, wine merchant
J. Dowie, merthara
James Brebner, me
Richard Houghton, fan., timber merchant
James Stockdale Irving, merchant.
William Inman, merchant.
Thomas Lewin, wine merchant.
Wm. James Paton, sharebroker.
Wm. Richardson, merchant.
Richard Shell, merchant.
John Smith, wine merchant.
David Taylor, broker.
Henry Wood, iron merchant.
Wm. I. Wall, oil merchant.
The proclamation against vice and immorality having
been read, the learned Recorder proceeded to deliver his
charge :—Gentlemen of the Grand Jury (said he), I find
48 names in the calendar, which is but a small number
after an interval of eight weeks. Ido not find any case
of plundering goods from warehouses, or of receiving
stolen property to any amount. There is only one charge
of housebreaking, and that is a case in which two women
are accused of having broken a window and entered a
house, and stolen £2O from a neighbour ; while there is
only one case of street robbery with violence. A clerk—
an office-boy—who is charged with stealing his employer's
cash-box, containing £350, was apprehended in Bath.
Another clerk is charged with having stolen £450 from
a letter given to him to post. He fled to the United
States and was pursued, and apprehended in Baltimore,
and he is brought back here to take his trial. I mention
this case as proving the advantage of the arrangements
lately entered into with many foreign countries, for the
extradition of offenders, so that those who violate laws
here are no longer safe in a foreign country, but are
liable to be delivered up in America, and many parts of
the continent. No speed of flight, therefore, can save
them from justice, because they are liable to be overtaken
at any instant, by means of the Electric Telegraph. A
case was tried not long ago in this court, where the
offender had been brought back from Australia, to meet
his punishment for robbing his master in this town. The
security of society is, therefore, greatly increased by re-
moving the facilities which formerly existed for the escape
of criminals. These facts may well deter many persons
who may be disposed to enter upon a career of crime, by
showing the great difficulty which there now exists for
eluding justice. There are for your investigation four cases
of stabbing, and one of grievous injury inflicted by a stone,
&c., upwards of 2 lbs. weight, with which the prosecutor was
struck on the head. The legislature might have foreseen
the atrocious practices which at present prevail in Liver-
pool ; for, about three years ago, in July, 1851, an act was
passed for the more effectual punishment of prisoners in
all cases of aggravated assault ; and, under that statute,
of are now liable to three years' imprisonment with
hard labour. I make it a part of my duty to read
the Police Reports in the local newspapers, and I
see that scarcely a week passes without some
such assault as I have referred to occurring in the
town. The time is therefore now come—and I think, by
the number of eases sent to the sessions, the magistrates
feel that to be the case—when it is the duty of this court
to put the statute rigorously in force ; and to punish
severely all who are so ready to shed the blood of others.
Clemency in any such case is but giving encouragement
to the offenders, whereas, if dealt with according to the
full powers of the law, these painfill cases, if not altogether
I repressed, may be in a great measure abated. Some time
ago, a savage practice was prevalent in this town, of par-
ties biting off the noses and ears of their antagonists.
The offenders in such cases were sent to this court, where
they were so severely dealt with that I am disposed to
think a stop has been put to this brutal mode of mutila-
tion. If any attempt be made to revive the practice, I
will take care that the parties are severely punished. As,
however, some time has elapsed since a case of the kind
occurred, I trust the law has had some salutary effect.
Having adverted, gentlemen, to the principal features in
the calendar, I may observe, as to the more serious
offences cognisable by this court, that I am disposed to
believe that the state of the town is satisfactory. As to
the minor offences, the calendar does not so well enable
me to form an opinion. The proportion of these sent for
trial here is probably not more than three -out of every
hundred persons apprehended. Though the number sent
for trial has decreased, I doubt whether the number of
those punished by summary conviction has decreased in a
corresponding proportion. Now there are some classes,
even of minor offences, which, in my humble judgment,
are best dealt with by this court. I may instance two
offences, of which you will see some specimens brought
before you. I refer to pickpockets and persons who steal
on board of ships. Now it is perfectly well known that
there are 400 or 500 persons at least in this town who are
known to the police as regular thieves ; and the classes to
which I have referred form a very considerable portion of
these professional peculators—persons who, by practice and
habit, have become confirmed pickpockets, or confirmed
stealers from ships in the docks, or from goods about the
quays, and who live by these practices. Short imprison-
ments produce no good effect whatever upon these
criminals ; they only prolong the careers of those pal-ties,
because they are never reclaimed by light punishments.
A great deal of mischief, therefore, is done by pocket-
picking and robberies from the docks, and this community
are very severe sufferers in consequence. The only remedy,
in my opinion, is to send our criminals to a court which
has power to put a stop to their career ; which would not
only produce good in the individual cases, but would also
prevent hundreds from entering upon a similar course of
life when they see the severe punishment that awaits
them, whereas, if they see prisoners summarily visited
with slight penalties of imprisonment, they willingly incur
the risk for the ease and plunder which their lawless pro-
fession affords them. I have ventured to express my
opinion upon this subject, which I know to be one of very
great difficulty—in fact, one of the most difficult questions
which the magistrates have to decide, is, whether to deal
with cases summarily or send them to this court. lam
only anxious that this court should be made as useful to
the public as possible ; because I am quite sure that all
those who assist me would willingly devote any requisite
portion of time to afford security to society.
The learned Recorder then dismissed the Grand Jury
to their duties ; and in the course of the day the following
cases were disposed of :
Martin Cavannah, boot-closer, charged with stealing
two pairs of boots and one pair of shoes, the property of
John Roche, his master, was found guilty.— Sentence
deferred.
John Morris, charged with stealing a handkerchief, the
property of John Wellington Hunt, was found guilty, and
sentenced to four years of penal servitude.
Matthew Murray, labourer, charged with stealing two
sheets of 7ellow metal, the property of John Deans, was
found guilty, and sentenced to be imprisoned for fifteen
months.

Ellen Miller, charged with stealing ten yards of ribbon,
two pairs of stockings, four pairs of gloves, two collars,
and other property belonging to George Wood, she was
found guilty.—Sentence deferred.
William Bond, labourer, Patrick Joyce, weaver, and
Owen Welsh, labourer, were charged with stealing forty
pounds weight of brass, the property of William Jones.
Joyce was Acquitted, Bond; and Welsh were found guilty
and sentenced the former to four and the latter to six
years' penal servitude. •
Thomas Cradstick, labourer, charged with stealing three
pounds weight of brass wire, the property of Charles
Cotesworth and others. He was found guilty.—Sentence
deferred,
Letitia Patterson, charged with stealing two pounds
weight of butter, the property 9f John John*93l,wae laud