A very remarkable case of the failure of justice seems,
as far as can be judged from the report, to have taken place before the Assistant-Judge of the Middlesex Sessions, Mr. P. H. Edlin. Q.C., and several professional and non-professional colleagues on the Bench. Christina Vivian, a young lady of prepossessing appear- ance, whose education had been neglected, pleaded guilty to steal- ing two gold watches, value /30, from Mr. Douglas Cave, watch- maker and jeweller, Piccadilly, on January 15. The prisoner asked to look at some watches, selected some, asked that they might be sent to an address which she gave, and then left the shop with two in her possession which she had not paid for, and sold one of them the same day to a silversmith at Albert Gate. On January 25 she offered the other watch to the same dealer, who having heard of the loss of the first, then gave her into custody. It was pleaded on her behalf simply that her education had been neglected by her friends, and that a gentleman present would enter into recognisances for her appearance, if the Court would take a lenient view of her case. And this accordingly it did, letting off the young lady with no further penalty, although she is at any time liable, of course, to be called up for judgment at the Court's pleasure. If there be no more excuse for this extraordinary leniency than appears in the report, this is a gross case of respect of persons. When did we ever hear of such a theft by a girl of low degree being left virtually unpunished, on the ground of a neglected education,—which is, nevertheless, so very much oftener in the case of the poor than it is in ours, a real palliation of the offence ? Or was it that Mr. Edlin was overruled by his unprofessional col- leagues on the Bench? Unless explained by circumstances at present kept back, the case seems a very monstrous one.
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