The Express. — 1860-05-25 (London, England)

THE PEISONE.  The reports of the visiting justices of the poisons were brought upp and read. There were 1,238 prisoners in the House of Csefeetios, Coldtoth.fiekla ; at Westminster, 131 boys and 556 females ; and iu the House of Detention, 219. It was dated in the Coldbath•fields' report that " the visiting justices :egret toreport to the court that on the 19th of April last James Cuckatun, a sub-warder,Was assaulted by John Buck, a prisoner, who struck him so violent a blow on the back of the skull with the head of a broom, that the scalp was cat to the bone, to the extent of two inches, and it was a fortnight before the surgeon was able to pronounce him out of danger. Nor is be yet sufficiently recovered to be able to resume his duty, his nervous system in particular remaining much shaken by the severity of the injury. The prisoner was committed to the Central Criminal Court and indicted for the capital offence of cutting and wounding with intent to murder, a coast for assault for grievous bodily harm being added. He was convicted on the latter count, and thereupon sentenced to three calendar months' imprisonment, to take effect after the expiration of his exists bag term. The visiting justices feel that remarks are not to be lightly made upon the exercise by a judge of the discretion which the law vests in him, but they, nevertheless, consider it their duty to remark that the gravity of the crime committed in the present instance, and the vital imof protecting the lives of the various officers, ee demanded in their opinion a much more severe punishment than that which has been imposed upon the prisoner Buck. 'James Cuckston, the officer inMred, baying, in consequence of the shock to his nervous system, felt himself unable efficiently to discharge his duties, has requested leave to resign, but the visiting justices strongly recommend the court to defer the acceptance of his resignation until Christmas next, and to give him leave of absence, in the hope that rest from fatiguing duty and change of air and scene may re-establish hie hollth." Mr. Corram, in the absence of the chairman of the committee, called attention to this portion of the report. A good deal had been said about flogging both in prison and out of prison, but he had faith in flogging prisoners for these atrocious seta. He knew many instances in which the committee had felt constrained to order flogging, and three dozen had had the effect of restraining the most desperate. In cases of this sort it was the only kind of punishment that was of any real use, and, for so serious a crime as Buck committed, a sentence of three months' imprisonment was, as he had before said, moat inadequate. On the report of the visiting justices of Westminster Prison, and of a special report of a committee appointed to consider the desirability of all male prisoners being sent to the House of Correction, Coldbath.fields, and all females to Westrqinstar, the court made an order to that effect, to come ffito operation on the 25th of June, on which day all the male prisoners then in Westminster Prison will be transferred toColdbath-fields. The committee recommended  ..,....... that on the 26th of June the services of the governor be dispensed with, and other officers, and that the present matron be appointed keeper. The reports were adopted and the recommendations agreed to. TILE a►t.L OF