21 JULY 1832, Page 8

1E43 attar gusitict.

The Bucks Assizes were opened on Monday; when the case of Dennis Collins was particularly adverted to by Baron Gurney. In the course of the afternoon, Sir Morris Ximes and the Grand Jury came into Court with a true bill for high treason. In about a quarter of an hour, the prisoner—who had the appearance of a decent-looking old sailor, and was very meanly dressed—was placed at the bar.

Mr. Jervis applied to the learned Baron to direct that the Under-Sheriff should deliver to the Solicitor of the Treasury a list of the Jury who would be summoned to try the prisoner ; and that a copy of such list should be delivered to the prisoner, together with a copy of the indictment. Mr. Baron Gurney gave directions accordingly ; and then, addressing the pri- soner, said—" Prisoner, your trial will not take place earlier than the middle of next month ; the day will be fixed before I leave Abingdon. If you wish to have counsel to conduct your defence, will assign you any counsel you name, if they

H consent to conduct your case. Have you any attorney ?"

The prisoner—" Yes, my Lord; Mr. Frankum of .Abingdon." Mr. 'Baron Gurney—" Mr. Frankum, have you instructed the prisoner whom he should name for his counsel?" Mr. Frankum—" My Lord, the prisoner will name Mr. Swabey and Mr. Carrington."

Mr. Swabey and Mr. Carrington having assented, were appointed accordingly. .

On the same day, two sheep-stealers and a horse-stealer were sen- -enced to be transported for life, under the new Act of Parliament,

%;Iiich abolishes the punishment of death for those offences, and sub- titutes transportation for life as a fixed punishment, without leaving to he Judge the power of mitigating the sentence. By this alteration of he law, the sheep-stealers and horse-stealers have, practically speaking, gained a loss." When the punishment was nominally capital, and ithere it appeared that the party was in distress, or that it was his first :ffence,—the judgment of death was, in practice, always commuted by is Majesty to six or twelve months' imprisonment ; and it was very 'Adorn that a person actually received so severe a punishment as trans- flirtation for life for either of those offences, unless he was either a vholcsale offender or had been convicted before.

A trial of a remarkable kind took place at Abingdon on Wednesday. 11.r. Weedon, a man of the most respectable character, one of the gents of Mr. Hallett darner the last election, and one of the agents >f Mr. Walter at present, and an attorney of long standing in Reading, vas charged by a Mrs. H. Carville with an indecent assault. Mrs. !arville's evidence was, distinct enough.; but she produced no one to

• orroborate it, although, according to her statement, she had, soon after he occurrence, communicated the facts to her husband and to her fe- :mile servant. Thirty witnesses, amongst whom were Dr. Mitford , father of the celebrated authoress, and Chairman to the Magistrates), he Reverend H. H. Millman, the well-known poet and historian, J. 3. Monck, Esq., and'thany bankers and barristers in the town of Reading, spoke to the high character of Mr. Weedon as an honourable :Iran. The Judge, in charging, remarked on the absence of the husband and serving-maid. The Jury found a verdict of "not guilty." • A man charged with atteinpting to murder his wife was lately banished, by the authorities of Jersey, to—England !