At the Middlesex Sessions, on Monday, John Ellis was charged
with stealing a truss of hay. The prisoner received a good character, but the evidence against him was strong. The , Chairman, Mr. Ser- geant Adams, was about to sum up ; when the Foreman of the Jury said there was not sufficient evidence. The following procedure then took place— The Chairmas—" You have strangely forgotten your duty, to attempt to deliver a verdict without having consulted together. Because One man took a particular view he was not to decide for eleven others."
Mr. Dallautine here wished to address the Court.
The Chairman said he could not hear him.
Mr. Ballantine said, he must take an objection, after the Foreman had said they had consulted and made up their minds. The Cliairman—" But they have not consulted, and I wish to address them." The Foreman of the Jury said, they had consulted, hot it was ouly partially. If the Chairman wished to address them, they would hear him. The Chairman—" Will hear me ! It is your duty to hear me." It was a custom, he continued, a hundred years ago, and he hoped it would be se for hundreds of years to come, for the Chairman to take notes, for the Jury to hear, for the Chairman to point out what was the evidence, and then for the Jury to consider of It; and if any one of these things was omitted, they did wrong. He then went through the evidence, and pointed out the parts which affected the prisoner.
The Jury consulted for about twenty minutes, and then returned a verdict of 4' Not guilty."
The Chairman told the primmer be bad had • marrow meape.
At the Thames Police-office, on Wednesday, Mary Ann Blay, who
lives at Limehouse, applied to the Magistrate for advice. She toil the following story. About four er five months ago, as she was walk. ing at night from Poplar to Limehouae, she picked up a hat, with the name of Lord John Russell written inside. Soon afterwards, she act a Policeman who took her, on suspicion of having stolen the hat, to the Station-house; where she was detained some time, and then die. charged. She now wished to know what bad been done with the hat, and what redress she could get for her imprisonntent ? Mr. Ballengee asked bow she accounted for the hat being found on the toad ?
woman replied, that there had been a Ministerial white-bait dinner at Lovegrove's on that day ; and as people don't eat white-bait without drinking a good deal of wine, site thought it probable that Lord Jobs Russell got very drunk, and lost his hat by bobbing his head out of the carriage-window as he wits returning home. The hat was worth about a gunea. Mr. Ballantyne said, he thought Lord John Russell hod the best claim to the bat ; and be would inquire whether it was ern returned to him.
On Thursday, " Lord John Russell's bat" was produced—a shabby boy's hat, not worth sixpence, with no name or tl,c inside. Tte wotnan May, who was present, persisted in diet:oil% that Lord John Russell's name was in the butt when she found it. The Magistrate told her to be off, and there the matter ended. [Tile Horning Mist& says that Lord John Russell was at Endeleigh, near Tnvistock, at the time when this woman pretended to have found his hat.]
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