Glasgow Courier. — 1858-01-26 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

ARDMILLAN—IS it much worse than 'in respect of his partial admission?' Mr NIACFARLANE adduced as another reason for the appeal being properly to the Circuit Court, Glasgow, that as the sentence had been carried out there was no urgent necessity to have it quashed. Mr YOUNG, in reply, read the 28Gth section of the Glasgow Police Act, which enacts in reference to summary offences. and is confined to prosecutions for a penalty under /to, and for a period of imprisonment under sixty class. Was there any of the limitations in the complaint? Was that complaint connected with this statute or with any statute? It was quite general, and did not quote the statute, which it ought to have done, to fall under it, and have the sentence following protected by it. It was as general as an indictment for murder. Then, is the seconded amitotic under this Glasgow Police Act? In the first place, is it a sentence at all? Conviction proceeds upon evidence led and 'partial admission,' which is a confession on the part of the judge that the evidence was insufficient. To conjoin evidence and admission is a thing untie rid of in our criminal law. A prisoner's declaration is not an admission ,it is evidence. All these flaws—fatal, as he thought —appeared on the print ; but the original was still worse. It had beet, tampered with in a most extraordinary was. The magistrate's name had been originally written in the middle of it, and was scored out, and signed at the end, with a blank space between. His learned friend had maintained that the question was of no consequence; but suppose it had not been signed at all. Then there was no professional ai.sistance allowed to the prisoner, not to mention that his mother had been told to hold her tongue; and so far back as 1821 it had been decided that no criminal should be condemned without professions! assistance. One of the judges then said, what should be written in every Police Court, ' There is no short-hand administration of instice; A more short•hand method than that of which this boy had been made a victim he lied never known; it was calculated to rouse the indignation of every man who had heard of it. Mr MACFARAANE replied. The Court allowed him time to put in a minute if he chose about the position and deletion of the magistrate's name, and are to consider the case in the meantime. Counsel for the Boy—Mr If onng and Mr A. B. Shand, Agent—Mr John Leiahman, W.S. Counsel for fel‘Gill —Mr Macfarlane. Agents— Messrs Campbell St Smith, S.S.G.  DISTRIBUTION or Coats,—Patrick Rankin, Esq., I of A uellengray. Cleddans, and Otter ; and James Thomson Rankin, Esq younger of Auchenr,ray,&c., have for many years past been in tho *habit of distributing coals to the poor and needy in the burgh of Airdrie. This annual distribution took place last week, when 160 carts of coals were given to the most necessitous and deserving of the poor in the town. Though the weather has not been so percingly cold as it usually is at this serson of the year, still we have no doubt that, owing to the depressed state of trade in the town and neighbourhood, this getwrous distribution of coals will be the means of diffusing a vast amount of comfort: in many an humble household. In connexion with this subject we may state that Mr Thomas Chapman of Commonhead, and Mr John Small, Bredenhill, very kindly undertook to send their carts free of charge, with a large proportion of the coals to the poor people.  - °