The Sun. — 1853-09-19 (London, England)

DAY.)  OLD COURT. The Sc-pteui..er sessions of the Central Criminal C9urt, eiiig the eleventh of the present mayoralty were opened t`iis moving before the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor tie Recorder, Aldermen Farncomb, Sidney, Wire, and C cr len, attended by the sheriffs of London and Middle:ex and other civic functionaries. The first edition of the calendar contains the names of 74 prisoners, being 21 fret') London. 38 from Middlesex. 1 from the A •iniralt,,, 4 from Kent, and 10 from Surrey. Ile case from the Admiral y is that of Henry Branchett, ,scribed as a labo.irer, who stands charged with stealing 580 ozs. weight of gold upon the high seas. The grand jury having been sworn and empannelled, The RECORDER proceeded to charge them. He said it this season of the year, when the husbandary Lions connected with the harvest afforded a greater amount of employment to the industrious population t an usual, they generally found the calendar comparatively light, and he was happy to cotigratulst; them upon this fact, that the present calendar was no exception to that rule. On the contrary, he found, on looking over the calendar, that the number and character of the offences were of a light description as compared with former years, and the labours of the grand jury would tiierefore not occupy any lengthened period of time. there was one circumstance connected with this calendar which he could refer to with particular satisfaction, and that was this. It was generally supposed, that while the increased prosperity of the country had diminished ,rimes against property, it had increased those of violence and cruelty, but the records of this court went to eh° that such an impression was founded in error, for while' it was undoubtedly true, hat offences against property nad decreased, it was equally clear, that so far as the metropolis at least was concerned, crimes against the erson had diminished in a corresponding degree. Nene of the cases in the present calendar called for remark but one single exception ; and that was the case of person named Mobbs, who was charged upon the return of the coroner's inquisition with the murder of his own wife. There had been no preliminary investigation be' fore a police magistrate ; but, nevertheless, if the el' lence at all bore out the statement in the depositions Laken before the coroner, the grand jury would have no lifficulty in returning a true bill against the prisoner. .Much attent.on had been lately called to cases where .ssaults hard been committed by a husband and s wife, both by the Legislature and the public press, and an impression prevailed that such uses were greatly on he increase ; but on looking over lie records of this court he did not find the slightest vidence of any increase of that description. On the ..:ontrary, there was reason to believe—and this was not Las own opinion only, but the opinion of all the °thee° the court— that the great improvement which had re' eently taken place amongst the classes where these ~utrages upon the wife were generally found, had ended materially to reduce this character of offences' He was rather disposed to attribute the increase which lied taken place in the number of cases brought before the public, not to any actual increase in the crime itself, out to the readiness which the press afforded for ;lying publicity to them, coupled with the facilities which were now given to the injured parties for bring' mg the offenders to justice. On that account, there' fore, he did not think it would be necessary or wise to • call upon the Legislature to magnify the punishment which attached to these cases, as that would only iry crease the indisposition of the wife or her friends to pro' secute. It would be much safer and more prudent to let the law remain as it was, and he was eatis• tied that, combined with the power which public opinion exercised over the minds of persons who were predis. posed to resort to acts of violence against their wives, it would be found sufficient to meet all emergencies. it was unnecessary for him to detain them with any corn' ments upon the nature of their duties, and therefore, with these observations, he would at once request theta to retire to their room, where there were cases ready to be brought before them. The grand jury then withdrew, and in a short time several true bills having been found, the trials were int" mediately proceeded with.  afARLBO.