New-York daily tribune., 1844-03-14

hcse heterogeneous masses OF men. whether IN
nocent or guilty, are confined at night in damp
cells, quite too small for comfort or health, and
IN the day time permitted to mnge indscrimi-
nately together, and fed upon the scantiest and
most loathsome food. From this it results that,
whatever may be the moral condition Of an indi-
vldual when he goes in there-whether he may
be innocent or guilty: old or young-he is pretty
sure to be deeply imbued with all sorts Of depra-
vlty when he comes out, md ready and anxious
to declare relentless war against society. To this
is to be added The want OF Work House, by
which persons under detention might be employed
and made to contribute towards their e.vn sup.
port A judicious Work House system could.not
fail Of producing the happiest effects upon the
prisoners-espccialy those detained merely under
accusation.
The Committee complain that the Courts are
not always open in business hours, SO that crimi-
nails sometimes escape and innocent personsare un-
Justly and oppressivey punished. The subject Of
appointing by the Criminal Courts individuals
| as Counsellors and Attorneys who are eitheri In
capable or dishonest, is also complained OF. The
extent Of this evil is enormous. TIE Committee
also aliude TO the frequency with which Lawyers
are permitted ia become bail fox prisoners The
appointment as Justices Of VIGOROUSLY lncom-
petent aud unworthy persons is another prominent
evil likewise the manner Of prosecuting forfeited
recognzances, which is at present totally ineffi-
Gent, and the permitting of the Marshals to re-
ceve fees, instead Of being paid regular salaries,
&c. &c.
The Report then goes on to enumerate the de-
fects of the present laws and the lax and corrupt
method of their administration; but as these arc
too familiar to render list of details necessary
we omit it. The single item of forfeited recogni-
zances will furnish a fair specimen Of the whole.
The number Of forfeited recognizances in the
General Sessions, from Jan. 1910 to Dec. 1913, is
scuea hundred and forty and it is not
probable that enough has ever been collected OF
them to pay the salaries Of the Magistrates for the
time employed in making out the bail bonds
But we cannot pursue this subject any furtherand
must refer the reader to the Report itself-assur-
ing him that the labor of picking out the facts he
may wish 70 learn from the crude and ill-digested
documents appended to the Report will be an ex-
cellent mental exercise, although one not very
well calculated to benefit his temper
While the Board of Aldermen are thus busy
with the interests of the city, the Board Of As
sistants have adopted another plan of reform
worthy of at least equal consideration with the
first. For synopsis of this plan, we refear the
reader to the Daily Tribune of the 18th inst un-
der the head of " City Affairs
LATER FROM AFR1cA.-By the arrival at Bal
timore of Lieut.. Ferris, an officer of the u. 5.
Squadron upon the African Coast, information
has been received that three of the vessels COM
posing it, the flag ship Macedonian, Commodore
Perry the sloop Saratoga, Commander Tatnall,
and the sloop Decatur, Commander Abbott, have
had some warm work upon the Coast IN the way
of Furnishing the natives concerned in the murder
of the Captain and crew Of the schooner Mary
Carver, about two years ago.
On the 4th of December last, the three vessels
met at Monrovia, and after taking the Governor
of Nlonrovia on board, proceeded down the Coast
to about 60 or so miles below Cape Palmas, and
| on the 18th landed force Of about 5eo officers
and men, 4 council house was erected on the
beach, to which on the 18th the African lNlng and
his Interpreter came attended by has people, all
fully armed, to hold q p0larer. The talk was
very unsatisfactory, and finally the King, his In
terpreter and the people, turned and ran, but had
not proceeded far, before a volley from the Amer
lean force killed the King, his Interpreter and 9TH
ers. The natives fled to a Jungle from whence
they continued for above an hour 10 fire upon the
Americans, who retained volley for vollcy, burned
their towns, destroyed their canoes, ana then re-
turned TO their ships
- On che following day the force again landed a
few miles further down, burned five more towns,
DESTROYED considerable number OF canoes, &c.
I'm one of these towns the Register OF the Mary
Carver was found also private letter belonging
to the captain of that vessel and other papers
which had clearly belonged to 1t. The boats
again returned to the ships, and few mles iur-
ther down a treaty of peace was concluded with
another tribe of Africans.
The Saratoga arrived at Madeira on the Goth
from Monrovia, and Just before she left the latter
place. the Rev MIR. Sawyer one OF tne Mission
aries stationed about so miles below Monroyla,
TT The Barque Roderick Dhu arrived at Nonro-
royia from Providence about the 9Th OF Dec.
MIR. NJ. Appleby, African Missionary, arrived
| AT this port Tuesday in the brig Antarctic, har
inr left Sierra Leone i2th Dec.
The BRIG Frances Lord, hence, had arrived.
The missionaries, Mr.. Raymond, wife, and Mr..
LIVINGSTON, passengers on board, were IN good
health, The place had been unusually healthy
for the last year. The Spanish brig Voladore'
SLAYER with $50 slaves, had made her escape
from the Coast, she had been chased several tunes
by II. NJ brig Boneta, and one of the American
cruizerS.
From HAyr1.-The brig Republic arrived yes
terday in fifteen days from Port Republican Fort
au Prince. Captain Smith reports that there had
been /, serious collision at town called Peut tie
vera, q few miles from ST. Marks, between the
,eonIe and the military, in which a General and
s;x officers of the Government troops were killed.