The Sun. — 1840-06-15 (London, England)

CRIMINAL COURT-(THIS DAY.)  The June Sessions of the Central Criminal Court commenced this morning, when the proceedings were opened with the usual formalities before the Lord Mayor and the other Civic Authorities. The Court was extremely crowded in consequence of its being generally understood that some allusions would be made to the important cases which stand for trial at the present Sessions. After the Grand Jury had been called over and sworn. The COMMON SERGEANT, in the absence of the Learned Recorder, who was prevented from attending by indisposition, proceeded to address the Grand Jury. There were a great • number of cases for trial, two of which required some observations from him. There was another case, also, of considerable importance, upon which bills could be sent up to them, namely, that ( f Edward Oxford, who was charged with the crime of high treason. After expatiating upon the enormity of the crime, the Learned Sergeant proceeded to allude to the several acts from the time of Edward which had been passed with reference to the offence. The Act of Edward bad been amended by the Act passed in the 39th and 40th year of the reign of George the Third, which continued the penalties awarded in cases of high treason, but rendered it necessary that there should be two witnesses to the overt act. Subsequent statutes further modified the proceedings, and it was now enacted that all persons charged with attempting or compassing the life of the Sovereign, should be tried as in ordinary cases of murder, or attempt to murder. The case of Oxford would not, however, come before the Court in the present Ses.. sions, as the law required that 14 days' notice should be given to the prisoner. The next case was that of Benjamin Francois Courvoisier, who was charged with the murder of Lord William Russell. The Learned Sergeant here referred to the facts of the case, which had been already fully before the public. He dwelt at some length upon the fact of the two handkerchiefs and the gloves stained with blood, which had been found in the prisoner's portmanteau some days subsequent to the murder, and after search had been made by the police officers. That point was of the highest importance to the prisoner, and, in common justice, it should be known. At the same time, there were circumstances of strong suspicion against the prisoner, more especially the marks on the doors, many of them having been made from the inside, the fact of no trace of any party having left the house by the back entrance, of no property having been taken away, but concealed in the house, and in places to which the prisoner had access. All these were circumstances of strong suspicion, which it would be their duty to weigh well. The last case which he should allude to was that of Gould, and, after referring to the facts of his case, he observed that the confession which the prisoner had made should be very guardedly received, inasmnch as the prisoner might have been tempted by the offer of the reward to do so. If that was so, the confession could not in point of law be received as evidence. If there were any points upon which they required his advice or assistance, he would be happy to afford them all the information in his power. The Grand Jury then withdrew, and the Court proceeded to call and swear the Petty Juries.