§ LORD ELCHOasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether his attention has been drawn to the following paragraph in the "Times" of the 24th instant:—
South Eastern Circuit. —In another case of manslaughter, a man named Breakspeare was charged with the death of a man named Wright, at Watford, the jury acquitted the prisoner. In consequence of the present state of the law the prisoner had this charge hanging over his head for no less than eight months, without the possibility of being brought to trial, the circumstances which gave rise to the charge having occurred on the 31st of July 1875, just after the last summer assizes, there having been no gaol delivery in the winter;and, whether he will take any steps to prevent the recurrence of such a case of hardship?
MR. ASSHETON CROSS, in reply, said, he was sorry this man had been kept waiting for trial so long. The usual practice with regard to Winter Assizes had been this—At the end of October a Return was made from all the gaols throughout the country of all the prisoners confined therein, and if six prisoners were waiting for trial in any of them a Winter Assize was ordered to be held. But, as there happened to be only one man in confinement here no Winter Assizes were held. He quite agreed with the noble Lord that it was a great hardship, and before the end of the Session he hoped to be able to submit some measure to the House which would prevent such cases for the future.