308 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. 



fresh notices of trial given, and, 

 in fact, all tliat had already been 

 done, with a view to the trial of 

 causes, would be superseded. In 

 such a state of things, it is im- 

 possible to describe the sensa- 

 tions which every where prevailed. 

 The trumpet having sounded, to 

 announce that the learned judge 

 was about to go into court, an 

 instant rush took place, and in a 

 moment the Crown Court was 

 crowded in every part. On his 

 Lordship's arrival on the bench, 

 and the confusion which arose 

 having subsided, he addressed 

 the grand jury, of which the 

 Marquis of Worcester was fore- 

 man, to the following effect : — 



" Gentlemen of the grand jury ; 

 It may be proper that I should 

 explain to you the course which, 

 in the very distressing, and to 

 me very afflicting, circumstance 

 in which my learned brother and 

 myself are placed, Ave have 

 thought it most expedient to 

 take. It is now, gentlemen, 

 perfectly well known to you all, 

 that in consequence of the great 

 pressure of business at the last 

 county from which we have come, 

 notwithstanding every possible 

 despatch was used, I did not 

 arrive jn this place till some 

 minutes after midnight. The 

 commission under which we were 

 appointed to assemble here re- 

 quired that we should commence 

 our duties on the Wednesday. 

 It has been the usual course to 

 open the commission on that 

 day, and, generally, nothing more 

 has been done ; the Court ad- 

 journed to the following day. 

 On the present occasion the 

 commission, from the unforeseen 

 and unavoidable circumstances 



to which I have alluded, was not 

 opened within the time stipulated, 

 and a difficulty has occurred in 

 our minds as to whether it may 

 be strictly correct to proceed 

 with the business of the assize. 

 Since I had the pleasure of com- 

 municating with you before, my 

 learned brother and myself have 

 given our best consideration to 

 this new but important question, 

 and upon the whole, we are of 

 opinion, that the most prudent 

 course will be, to charge you, 

 gentlemen of the grand jury, to 

 make inquiry into the matters 

 which shall be submitted to you 

 in the ordinary way, and to ad- 

 journ from time to time, to receive 

 such bills as you may find. In 

 the interim we shall omit nothing 

 to remedj^ the inconvenience 

 which has arisen. A messenger 

 has been despatched to the Lord 

 Chancellor on the subject, whose 

 judgment we have thought it 

 proper to consult. If, unfortu- 

 nately, it shall be found necessary 

 to issue a new commission, then 

 nothing will have been done of 

 an important or injurious nature. 

 We shall abstain from taking any 

 trials until after the answer of 

 the Lord Chancellor has been 

 received. When you are sworn, 

 therefore, we shall adjourn, as I 

 before said, to such time as shall 

 appear most convenient for the 

 reception of your bills ; and it is 

 now to be understood, that neither 

 in this court nor in the other are 

 any trials to be proceeded with, 

 until Saturday morning. It is 

 impossible, gentlemen, that I can 

 refrain from expressing the deep 

 and heart felt regret which I feel 

 at the disappointment, inconve- 

 nience, and additional expense, 



which 



