The Sun. — 1825-02-03 (London, England)

ADMIRALTY SESSIONS, FEB. 2. This day, these,Sessions commenced at the Old Bailey. Lord STowELL, accompanied by the various officers of the Admiralty Court, attended at an early hour, but neither of the Learned Common Law Judges were present. The reading the several commissions, and the other usual formftlitleS, occupied the Court for a considerable time, after which the names of the Grand Jury were called over, and being severally sworn, Lord STOWELL addressed them as follows " Gentlemen of the Grand Jury—The forms of our laws Cali upon me to address you, and I find great satisfaction in having to inform you, that but little will be before you that will require of me much instruction or admonition. Your functions will be precisely the same in this Court as in a Court of General Jurisdiction ; and, from your habits of attending in those Courts, you have that experience which renders unnecessary any parti" cular notice from me as to your duties. There was in this Coll. formerly a law which made a distinction between the crime murder from what was the common law of theland in that respect; The common law established a distinction between the modes 0' persons being killed by another. To constitute murder, the corn; mon law required proof of previous malice existing in the mind of the party charged against the party killed ; and where no such proof existed, the death was considered as having been casual,anu., the party causing it was deemed guilty of the minor offence 0' manslaughter. In regard to offences committed on the high seas, no such distinction as that to which I have just alluded existed/ but the ultimate verdict of a Jury in the case of a person being kiled by another, was compelled to be either a conviction for the capital offence or a total acquittal, the crime of man: slaughter not existing. By a late statute, the law in this Cour; has been made similar to the common law, and your duties will be consequently the same as in other Courts.. I mention these circumstances, because I understand that two, if not three, bill", for murder, will be submitted to your consideration. if such should be the case, you will adopt the line of conduct which have suggested to you. There is I understand, also another offence of high malignity, which will also come before you ; it is 11 case of mutiny on board a merchant-vessel, a crime which, by th; law, is termed piracy. I need not comment upon the dreadN: consequences likely to result from such a crime in a gret commercial country like England; but the cruise, great as " is, is generally connected with others of a still more malignanc nature ; for it often happens that it is committed for thepurpase of turning the ship into a pirate vessel, for the object of plundering others, anti is frequently attended by the murdering the captain and other officers on board, and carrying the propert,/, of the owners to places widely different to where they destine, it for. If such case should come before yoti, you will give it your careful attention. I have now only to inform you, that the , attendance of the Learded Judges who were to have assisted me here to -day has been necessary to meet their Brethren in another , place, in order to consider a question of very great importance' I therefore have thought it necessary to adjourn the Court, aft you shall have considered your bills, until Tuesday, on which day I hope you will all of you give your attendance ; most pe.°‘ bably it will be for the mere purpose of being immediately 'lts' charged. But as it is possible that circumstances may render it necessary that you should on that day resume your duties, in order to prevent a very long delay in administering justice' t 0 parties charged with offences, I trust you will not think much of this trifling trouble. I now recommend to you the immediate discharge of your duties."—The Grand Jury then withdrew.