THE ART OF UNPACKING JURIES.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XVII, Issue 1377, 22 February 1861, Page 4

THE ART OF UNPACKING JURIES.

To Vie Editor of the Southern Cross. Sir, — Having been desirous of seeing what Jeremy Bentham had to say on the subject of libel, I found the observations of the great juris-consult to be comprised in a chapter in his sth volume on " The art of packing special juries, and their effect upon libel law." I do not intend to trouble your readers with any of the observations I met with there. In this end of the world we are more familiar with unpacking than with packing ; and the following specimen of the art of unpacking as applied to special juries may probably prove as edifying to this community as anything that could be extracted from the pages of Bentham. s&The Special Jury list for 1860 contained 110 names. The Special Jury list for 1861 contains ,83 names. The Special Jury list is made up by the Sheriff annually, from the common Jury list ; and he is instructed to place in the lißt of Special Jurors all persons of the rank of esquire or merchant, and others of higher rank ; the members of the Legislative Council and functionaries of the Government, as well as ministers of religion, physicians, and others having peculiar duties being exempt. The Special Jury list for 1860 contains 47 names which do not appear on the Special Jury list of the present year — of these four have been pointed out as representing one person who is dead ond three persons who are exempt ; probably there may be other names left out for a sufficient reason. Of the remaining 44 names, 19 are altogether omitted on the Jury list. The designations of the remainder are altered so as to make it out of the power of the Sheriff to put them on the Special July lilt. The following is a list of names altogether omitted . Bell Augustus, Dedwood, gentleman. Buchanan John, Parnell, gentleman. Buckland William, Buckland road, esquire. *Burnside John Henry, Upper Queen-street, merchant. +Davis Charles, Queen-street, merchant. Fishwick Edward, Lucas' Creek, gentleman. Graham Walter Knott, Wellington Place, merchant. Graham George Samuel, Coburg street, merchant. Hargreaves Joseph, East Tamaki, esquire. Ireland Barton, Hobson-street, merchant. Macky Thomas, Victoria-street, merchant. Mason William, East Tamaki, esquire. Macfarlane John Sangster, Parnell, gentleman. Peacock S. P., Ea3t Tamaki, retired field officer. Powell Chas. Henry, Onehunga, merchant. Keid Joseph, Chapel-street, gentleman. Strickland O. R , Parnell, merchant Webster George, Grey-street, mci chant. Wilson Francis Hawker, Parnell, gentleman. * Entered in this year's list as Thos. Burnside. + Entered in ditto as Thos. Davis. The following is a list of names which appeared in the Special Jury list of 1860, but -which are not in the Special Juiy list of 1861 in consequence of the designations appended to their names being altered. Name. Designation in 1860 ; do. in 1861. Caileton Hugh, Official Bay, esqune, tettler, Coolahan Hugh, Queen-street, esquire, baker, CruickshankJas ,Shortland-st., merchant, ironmonger, Dilworth James, Itemuera, esquire, farmer, Edmonds S. J., Victoria-street, merchant, storekeeper, Farral George, Onehunga, esquire, settler Foley Edmund, Otahuhu, esquire, faimer Forsaith Samuel, Hobson-st., merchant, draper Goodfellow Win., Otara creek, esquire, farmer Graham John, Eemuera, merchant, draper Graham Kobert, Eemuera, esquire farmer Griffin William, Hobson-street, esquire, painter Henderson Jas., Hobson-st, merchant, commission agent. Jupp Henry, Vietoria-s.t , merchant, brewer and maltster Lynch Daniel, Auckland, esquire, timber merchant May Joseph, Mount St. John, esquire, farmer Owen Geo. 8., Wellington-i.t., merchant, storekeeper O'Ne.ll Allan, North Shore, esquiie, fanner Phillips P.A., Waterloo Quad., meichant, storekeeper Rout Samuel, High-street, merchant, clerk Smart James, Shortland-street, merchant, ironmonger Vaity John, Parnell, gentleman, shopkeeper Williams William, Cook-street, gentleman, settler I am, Sir, Your obedient servant, James Busby. Auckland, Feb. 20, 1861.