Jersey Times 1848 - 11

Before Sir Thomas Le Breton, Bailiff and Jurats Le Couteur and Picot

Mr Edward Amy was sworn in as Measurer of Grain, Salt and Coals for the Harbour of Rozel; as was also Mr Edward Mollet, son of Philip, as Vingtenier for the Vingtaine of Faldouet in the parish of St Martin’s.

The Attorney-General read a report of Lieut-Col Mourant, of the 3rd or East Regiment of Militia, against Thomas Le Breton and Thomas Philip Monamy, for disobedience and unruly conduct towards Mr E Marett, Adjutant of the said corps, on Tuesday the 25th of July last. The accused were ordered to be brought up before the Court.

Ann Henthershaw was placed at the bar to receive sentence for having, on the 13th May last, been clandestinely delivered of a child, and not having used the necessary precautions. She was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment with hard labour.

Jonas Seward, alias Sandford, was placed at the bar for contempt of court in having, the previous day, refused to take his hat off when required to do so by Mr Sheriff Godfray, and for having created a disturbance.

Jane Falle, wife of Esnouf, and Jane Esnouf, her daughter, were placed at the bar for having caused a disturbance on Saturday the 22nd of July, and for leading a vagabond and disorderly life. The prisoners denied the facts and they were both remanded.

Wm Marell and Samuel March were placed at the bar and accused of having stolen some potatoes from the fields of Mr Philip Buesnel and Mr E Le Cornu, in the parish of St Saviour’s; and for having threatened the lives of the latter gentlemen when they were in the act of detaining them. The prisoners pleaded not guilty and were remanded.

James Derwin was brought forward and accused of having, on Saturday the 16th July last, stolen from the shop of Mr Charles Nicolle in King Street, the sum of 38s 6d.

The Court, after hearing witnesses, condemned the prisoner to one month’s imprisonment, with hard labour, and to be afterwards privately whipped in the precincts of the gaol; and also, as due caution had been given to the parents on several similar occasions, if their son was again brought forward, the Court ordered that the family be sent out of the Island unless Derwin, the father, could find bail in the sum of £10.

The States ordered the construction of a lighthouse on Gorey Pier and the placing of two buoys on the Grand Anquetin and Fourque Aubert rocks and deputed the Harbours Committee to superintend the works.

The President, Sir Thomas Le Breton, Bailiff, submitted a communication from His Excellency the Lieut-Governor, to the following effect:

It called the attention of the States to the necessity of adopting measures for the public health. Parliament, His Excellency observed, had been recently occupied with the sanitary condition of towns in England, and he thought the States would do as well to follow the example.

He admitted that this object had not been neglected in St Helier; but, not withstanding, there were many streets and lanes kept in a very dirty state. He advised the forming of a depot of white-washing for cleansing the insides of the houses of the poor.

He recommended that the drains and gutters should be well cleaned, and that the medical men should be consulted as to what sanitary means should be adopted at such a time as the present. He was the more interested in matter, he added, inasmuch as, in his capacity of Commander-in-Chief of the troops, it was his special duty to see that the garrison was not exposed to diseases which might be engendered by the insalubrity of several quarters of thee town.

A discussion of some length took place upon this communication of His Excellency, in which Judges P W Nicolle and Picot, the Constables of St Helier and St Saviour’s, and the Attorney-General, took part. Eventually, the States, on the motion of the Constable of St Helier, agreed unanimously the following proposition:

"That the question of sanitary measures be referred to the Drains Committee; that the Committee be charged to prepare a bill enacting such measures of a sanitary kind as may be found advisable; and that the Police in each Parish be instructed to provide for the public health, in causing the removal of all nuisances, by draining off stagnant water, and other means."

Two living specimens of the Chameleon are now being exhibited in Beresford Street, St Helier, and are well worth a visit from all who have never before had an opportunity of seeing that extraordinary creature. Their frequent changes of colour are as strange as beautiful, and their mode of catching their prey (for that they feed on light and air is a fable) is extremely curious. As the occurrence of a cold day would most probably kill them, they should be seen at once.

Yesterday morning week, a woman named Mary Smith, with black eye and torn dress, called at the lodging house of Mrs Wielding, her late mistress, at the bottom of Roseville Street, and stated that she had had a quarrel with her husband, who had turned her out of doors. Mrs Wielding took her in; and in the afternoon, having had occasion to go out, left her in charge of the house; whereupon Mary Smith took Mrs Wielding in, making off with all the plate and money she could lay her hands upon, and leaving the house to take care of itself. We shall, no doubt, presently have to record the fair Mary’s arrest and well-merited punishment.

We trust the Authorities will look to the street-drain in Hope Street. It oozes out from some of the houses into the middle of the street and forms a mass of nuisance at the end of the street adjoining Wharf Street, where the head of the Mulcaster Street drain is constructed. The Old brook is now useless, and the effluvium arising from it is most annoying and deleterious to all the inhabitants of Mulcaster Street and the south side of Hope Street.

The main sewer in Val Plaisant is a work of considerable engineering skill. It is now nearly completed, notwithstanding the watery state of the subsoil, occasioned by a fine spring of water which had to be cut through in coming to the level. This drain is 16 feet from the surface and is sheeted with planking throughout to prevent its falling in. It does great credit to Mr Gallichan, the superintending engineer. In about a fortnight this work will be completed, and will be a comfort to this hitherto undrained neighbourhood.

On Wednesday evening last, as Captain Walsh and his lady were out in a phaeton near the First Tower, the horse took fright on the discharge of one of the artillery guns and started off at a furious rate towards the town as far as Mr Blandy’s brewery, when it fell down. We are glad to state that this gentleman and his lady, although exposed to the great danger from the violent kicking of the animal against the vehicle, did not receive any serious injury. They were immediately taken up by Mr Blandy, who took them into his house and rendered them every assistance in his power, and very considerately procured a Bath chair, in which Mrs Walsh was conveyed home.

The inhabitants of Peter Street and its vicinity complain bitterly of the annoyance to which they are nightly subjected by the drunken howlings of degraded creatures of both sexes, but principally females – those wretched pariahs of society. We are told that at all hours of the night the inhabitants of the neighbourhood are awakened by these creatures quarrelling in the street, yelling in the madness of intoxication, and that it is not uncommon to find one of them huddled up drunk in a doorway. Strong efforts are called for from those who have the interests of religion and morality at heart to abate this crying evil.

The States Committee appointed to consider this subject met on Tuesday and unanimously adopted an answer, prepared by the Attorney-General, to the petition of Mr Ph De Carteret, which will be forwarded to Her Majesty by the Bailiff. We trust, and believe, that the result will be the entire abolition of the iniquitous local system of unalienable mortgages.

Bread rose ¼ d a pound on Monday in St Helier in consequence of the Jersey millers having raised the price of their flour 6s a sack.

We are happy to hear that Admiral Sir Charles Ogle has appointed the son of Mr E Gallichan, Pilot of the Cuckoo, and the son of Mr P P Payu, pilot of the Seaflower, to the vessel employed on this station, and ranked as first-class boys. They are appointed specially to be educated as pilots, to occasional duty on board; but principally to learn the tides, rocks and shoals around this Island.

On Friday night last, the inhabitants of the town were thrown into alarm by hearing cries of “Fire!” and shortly after hundreds of persons were seen wending their way to Queree Street branching off from Great Union Road, the seat of the fire. The fire broke out in the house of Mr Elias Rive, occupied by Mr Downer, a blacksmith, and Mr Barling, a tailor.

It appears that Mr Downer went to the Theatre on Friday evening and, it is supposed, some sparks from the candle must have fallen in the bedroom, when he was dressing. The flames broke out shortly after eleven, and in less than two hours the whole house was burned to the ground. We understand that Mr Downer did not save a vestige of his effects; that Mr Barling saved a portion of his, but in a damaged condition. Neither the tenants nor the landlord were insured.

Sir: I went to visit many of the farms in the neighbourhood of St Helier on Wednesday to see the effects of the late storm on the wheat crops; and I am happy to inform you that the damage done is far less than could have been expected from the violence of the wind and the torrents of rain that fell on Monday and Tuesday.

I narrowly inspected fields of wheat, in the sheaf, stooked and on the ground; they certainly do not look well, far from it; the ears are shrivelled and black, especially where they were stooked, and many without any grain in them.

Those in St Martin’s between Grouville Mill and Prince’s Tower, were the best in quality; those in St Clement’s the worst; in St Saviour’s and Trinity, they were below the average quality.

The following is the result of seven ears taken indiscriminately:

Total number of grains, 239, of these 61 were good, 67 middling, and 111 very bad – this gives 25 per cent of good grain, 28 per cent of middling, and 47 of bad; or each ear averaged 34 grains, of which 8 were good, 9 middling and 17 bad; a very poor look-out.

As to the potato crop, the least said about it the better. The disease is daily becoming worse and every class of potato is now infected with disease.

We regret to have to notice the departure from our Island of James Hodges, Esq, late of Steephill. This Gentleman embarked, with his family, for France, on Tuesday last. It was a gratifying sight to witness the children of St Marks’s schools assembled on the Pier to bid farewell to their benefactor. Several of Mr Hodges’ personal friends were present; and fervent were the aspirations for his welfare and happiness offered up by many whom he was wont to visit and to liberally relieve.

On Monday afternoon, between 5 and 6 o’clock, a man was seen carrying a bundle of straw, which he at length deposited at the Hospital, and then made rapidly off in the direction of Patriotic Place.

Two men, who had watched his proceedings at a distance, on coming up to the gates, found that the bundle of straw enveloped a fine, well-dressed infant, about 6 weeks or two months old. It was taken into the Hospital, and confided to the care of a nurse.

The works at Verclut Point and at the Archirondel Tower, the northern and southern extremes of St Catherine’s Bay, are proceeding much more rapidly than hitherto, and the breakwater from both ends is now considerably advanced into the sea.

The blasting of the rocks, the movement of the carriages along the rails, the placing of the massive blocks of granite in the foundation, and the dashing of the cleft rough stone into the water as each carriage in succession arrives at the brink of the sea, and then of itself discharges its load, altogether constitute a scene of great interest for even the most unscientific looker-on; especially when the view of the sea, filling the entire bay at high water, the surrounding scenery, and the gleam of the French coast, adds to all a coup d’oeil not to be exceeded, and not frequently equalled.

His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor, Lady Reynett, and family, and the Bailiff of Jersey, witnessed, and evidently with great amusement, the performances of M Herrmann at the Theatre Royal, Crescent, on Wednesday evening. A large proportion of the Military Officers stationed in the Island were also present; and the house was in every respect most fashionable as well as fully attended.

Upon gold and silver plate, watches, jewellery and property of every description, at No 21 Hue Street.

The long experienced integrity and real solvency of the establishment (some twenty years in existence) offer a safe security to the public against fraud or imposition of any kind, and insures the longest possible indulgence to those who need temporary loans.

The strictest secrecy is observed.

A young man of first-rate abilities who has had several years in a large establishment in London, is desirous to obtain a situation in a cutting room. No objection to making himself generally useful. Address A B, 21 Devonshire Place, St Helier’s.

Gregory’s Livery Stables, Ann Street, Jersey offers Pic-Nic Omnibus and every description of Fashionable Carriages

S G returns grateful thanks to the Nobility, Gentry and Public generally, for their liberal patronage, and begs to inform them that S G had added to the Stock of Fashionable Carriages a Superior Southampton built PIC-NIC OMNIBUS (to carry ten inside and one on the box), fitted up in the first style, with good horses and careful drivers, able to vie with any in the Island.

NB:- Gentlemen’s horses taken at livery. Close coach house. Standing for private carriages by the day, week, month or year etc. All orders gratefully received and punctually attended to.

Wood’s Little Tea Shop, 43 Charing Cross (bottom of Broad Street)

We are now selling a really useful Cougou at 1s 2d, 1s 4d, and 1s 6d; Souchong, strong Pekoe flavour, 1s 8d, 2s, and 2s 6d; Young Ilyson, 1s 4d, 1s 6d; Gunpowder, 2s, 3s, and 4s.

Our system is to buy and sell for cash exclusively, and never to recommend any article unless the quality is such as to justify our doing so.

The quotation of low prices to articles, the quality of which will not bear out the description, is a mere deception and only tends to disappoint the purchaser.

The Cheapest Establishment in the Island for New and Second-Hand Furniture of Every Description

Mrs Wincey, No 10 Charing Cross, in soliciting a continuance of the extensive patronage bestowed upon her, begs to acquaint her friends and the public generally, that she has constantly on sale a very large assortment of excellent new and second-hand household furniture, feather beds, hair, wool and flock mattresses, palliasses, china, glass and earthenware, furnishing ironmongery, and every article requisite in the furnishing of a house, which she is enabled to offer at the lowest prices.

Furniture lent on hire. Registry Office for Servants. Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Wardrobes.