The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1848-05-09 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

THE NEW REGULATIONS AFFECTING THE  CORONER'S COURT.  At the close of the business in this Court, on Saturdart the Coroner, Mr. Curry, in dismissing the jury, whom had served for years, took occasion to address the,Le not as jurymen, but as citizens and loyal subjects, on the new law framed by the Common Council affecting 020 Court ; and which he said would come into operation o Monday (yesterday). It was, he said, the deity of all °,(l, them to accord with the requirements of the law, and, f give to every new legal measure the fairest possible trial From the oldest period he could recollect, the jurors at A. coroner's inquests received one shilling each, for etc. case that came under their consideration. When hel elected to the office of coroner, that allowance was ram mostm of , to one shilling and sixpence, and considering the dull!! they had to perform, he did not think that amount toy much. The change in the regulations of that court Of, .. nated, he believed, with one or two, or perhaps 07 members of the Council ; but he deemed it would be ion dious to allude to individuals, for they, no doubt, conscientiously, though in this case he certainly did 0; agree with them as to the policy of the new law. He eel pecially disagreed with the doing away with the pay me of jurors. The new system, too, was to pay to a scitn., ita whatever were his station in life, only one shilling. e rcgard to rich men he did not care much for this changer but to a poor man, earning by his hard labour, se, be a-day, the case was widely different ; for he Would compelled to attend, and must go home to his and children after. it may be, a detention from hi work of a whole day with but one shilling to fete them, in place of three, which he would otherwise haa earned. This he considered was a great hardship; The juror, with all his responsibilities and his povvers'dia considered had even as much to do as himself, and he not see why they should not be, in some degree, St munerated for the trouble and loss of time. With resPvt,4 to picking up bodies in the river, a rule was laid down one allowance to be given if a body were picked uP Inv calm, and another if in a storm. The jurisdiction 09.. reward in these cases was taken from him, and be Pi; sumed he must be careful to ascertain personally ;as peculiar state of the weather. The coroner's court won' aist under the new law, be an itinerant court—now at Kirk a athenentraaltdiTatrioxatetat,hinpaornke d , aanyd. tiNieenwat juries ar zitisidkirts, ano be got in each district. The system would entahilavereatg additional trouble on himself, and also on the beadle, without, as lie conceived, any advantage to the Publici proceedings There was another important point. The a inquests ought to go forth tothe public, and he:musb say that the reporters for the press had hitherto done all tu,o or could be expected—ever attending to any suggesticna ' remarks of his that went to forward the cause of Pub justice. But how was it now. The court would be 1 a " Will-o'-the-Wisp." The reporters would Nape .j hunt him out as they best could. The coroner then PT, a high compliment to the ability and intelligence of tPe jury. The foreman of the jury, Mr. John Owens, thee, °cf. behalf of himself and colleagues, acknowledged the kin ness and urbanity of the coroner on all occasions. The first inquests under the new law will be held to-usd one of them is a hospital case, and the other a COn suicide.