SUPREME COURT.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1592, 18 June 1861, Page 5

SUPREME COURT.

The usual qutrterly sittings of the Supreme Court were held on Monday before His' Honor Judge Johnston. The calendar was a very light one aiid there ' were no cases of particular interest. The following gentlemen were sworn on the Grand , Jury,— G. Hunter, Esq. Foreman, C. D. Barraud, James Carter, W. Hickson, J. Hold. - swortb, J. G. Kinross, W. Lyon, G. Moore, R. Park, J. Smith, W. Spinks, W. Turnbull, J.. Woodward, W. Beetham, J. Jackson, and D. Riddiford, Esq-aires. His Honor then delivered the following CHARGE.

Mr. Foreman, and Gentlemen of the Grand Jury ofthe Middle District of New Zea- . land, Anxious as I always am that the business of the Supreme Court should be conducted with punctuality and regularity, I should have been very sorry if my unavoidable detention at Auckland on tbe publio business. of the colony had interfered with the interests of suitors in tbe district, or caused unnecessary delay in the trial of persons committed for trial. lam glad to think that no such inconvenience, has oc» curred; and at the aame time it gives' me satisfaction to announce to you that the labours ofthe Judges in Conference during my absence, which have caused the delay in holding these sittings, bave been devoted to matters, of great and urgent.iraportance affecting the administration of justice. The Judges have had an opportunity of considering and bringing to the attention of His Excellency the Governor, and His Adviser^ and of the Legislature, through them, several subjects wbich their common experienoe has proved to require investigation, alteration, amendment or regulation. Tbe establishment and proceedings of a Court of Appeal for the Colony, the state of the Prisons of the Colony and the subject of tbe Punishment of Cohviot-J, the remission of Punishments, the incarceration j of Lunatics, tbe revision of the Jury system, the regulation Of Criminal prosecutions, the establishment of the Court of Vice Admiralty upon a bas_3 proper to insure its * efficiency* and various other topics of interest and importance to the colony have been discussed and' made the subject of reports or memoranda; and in these mutters as well as in the alterations of the rules of procedure and other praotical matters to which their time has bfeen devoted, the 7 Judges have striven to .help: to make the|; administration of justice as efficient and satisfactory as the circurastainoes of the colony wiU permit. . . ' 'yZZ X-' \l Z' X-. It : may, perhaps, be well to. inform yoy,:!a\ l ease of misapprehension, that in the >ex#utiott 7 of a Commission whicb, with the concurrence of • _•--• . y :o y.-'y-y

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