NELSON.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 79, 2 December 1864, Page 3

NELSON.

The Supreme Court Session was commenced on the 16th ult. The Calendar was light.. ,'Mr. Justice Johnston charged the Grand Jury as follows.—" The calendar of criminal charges preBentedfor your consideration, does not seem to Buggest or require any observations from me .with reference to the general condition of the colony, as to the special- existence of crime. When I last addressed a Grand' Jury in Nelson, I drew attention to the extreme probability that circumstances would arise calculated to generate a more serious amount of crime in this and the neighboring province : I am glad to find that the evil is not of bo serious a- nature as might reasonably "have been anticipated, I am by no" means prepared to' conclude that we Jbave brought before us all the criminal - charges which might have ensued, had a more vigilant system of police been in existence. I cannot permit myself to be so sanguine as to suppose that all has been done which could have been done, yet I - have no desire to cast blame on the police authorities, who, no doubt, have acted to the best of their ability.^ While I feel bound to make these remarks upon this subject, I do hot impute to anybody a dereliction: of their duty, but it seems impossible that ■ucli a charige should have taken place in this and the neighboring province, without at least .a considerable addition to the number of criminals. Persons must have been attracted here whose normal condition was to prey on the public, and therefore it was our duty to take every possible means to prevent the successful establishment among us of a regular criminal population. To that end their wisest efforts and those of the police should be directed. The calender contained, eleven charges, but not one of the case's involved any difficult question of law. His Honor then referred to the several cases in detail, and concluded his charge by saying, he would call their attention to the escape of prisoners from gaol. He thought that public opinion should be so brought to bear as to show the great necessity for a general reform throughout the colony in the management of gaols; for providing better police supervision; and for the erection of convict establishments, which would enable them to stem the tide of crime that must be calculated upon as likely to set in towards this colony. Let them look around as to th© experience of the mother country, and they would see how serious it was to let the first steps towards the formation of crimiinal Glasses remained unchecked. The question of transportation of criminals, and secondary punishments had, for the last four or five-years, greatly occupied the attention of the authorities, legislature, and the public at home, and he thought that these Southern colonies should take advantage of the experience thus gained. He did trust that the day was not far distant, when the legislature would provide for the establishment of one or more convict establishments, so conducted as to make punishment a reality indeed. He would remind them that the escape from gaol, of one single bold and resolute ' prisoner, who was not retaken wasa standing disgrace to any community, because itwould show that they had not done all they should have done to prevent it. When any one had occasion, as he had lately done, to go from one extremity of the colony to the other, and observed what was doing in the North and South, they must see from the influx of crime, the extreme importance of the question. It therefore behoved every member of society to U3e his influence for the obtaining of some deciaiv« means of punishing and suppressing crime. His Honor tien referred to the cases to be tried, and impressed upon the Grand Jury the necessity for caution in deciding upon the case of rape."