twisted as to resemble an inflamed cork-screw. For this he was brought before the Police Court, Fawkner supplementing a charge of obtaining money under false pretences. T h e Count was committed for trial to the Quarter Sessions, but the case was laughed out of Court, Fawkner vowing vengeance against Judge, jury, and "every mother's soul" involved in his discomfiture. At the beginning of 1840, Mr. Crown Advocate Carrington was superseded by Mr. James Croke as Clerk of the C r o w n and C r o w n Prosecutor. There were no longer military juries, which were, as a rule, preferred to civil juries by the prisoners. "Strikes" occurred at an early period, and in February several journeyman bakers struck for increased wages, and assaulted and burned in effigy a Mr. J. G. Taylor, one of the employers. B y an unreasonable m o d e of set-off, the master bakers got up a "strike" against the bread-eaters, by entering into what was considered an illegal combination to exact extortionate prices. Prosecutions were c o m m e n c e d against the offending parties, w h o were tried at the April Quarter Sessions and convicted, w h e n Henderson, the leader of the m o b who assaulted and burned the Taylor imitation, was fined ,£50, and imprisoned for fourteen days, whilst some of the smaller fry of journeymen were let off with fines of £$ each. O f two master bakers indicted, a Mr. Overton was fined .£100, and adjudged one month's incarceration. T h e following batch of aboriginals were tried at the June Sessions :—Tar-roke-nunnin, Nan-der-mile, Longer-ma-koom, Cowen-yow-let, Mor-rer-mal-roke, Peel-beep, Lam-bid-er-nuc, White-gum, Pine-gin-goon, and War-war-rong. T h e prisoners were accused of having committed various acts of assault and robbery. AVar-war-rong was discharged. T h e remainder, though ably defended by Mr. Barry, were found guilty, and each sentenced to ten years' transportation. At the termination of 1840, the Department was thus constituted :—Chairman, M r . E. J. Brewster, ,£350 per annum ; Clerk of the Crown, Mr. J. Croke, ^£400 per a n n u m ; Clerk of the Peace, Mr. James Montgomery, ,£100 per annum ; Crier, Charles Jones, ^ 4 0 ; Allowance to Witnesses and Jurors, &c, ,£500; Stationery and incidentals, ,£100. Total ^£1490. O n the introduction of the Supreme Court in April, 1S41, the Criminal Jurisdiction of the Quarter Sessions was transferred to the higher tribunal, the Chairmanship tacked on to the duties of the Resident Judge, and the whole staff disbanded. T h e Court itself dwindled into little more than a cipher, languishing in inglorious ease until it got its quietus by the passing of an Act establishing our present General Sessions. THE INSOLVENT COURT.
The initiation of this well-known, oft-used, frequently abused, and highly popular institution was contemporaneous with the establishment of the Supreme Court, of which it was a subordinate off-shoot, and originally the Resident Judge acted as Commissioner. It was just the kind of work that suited the temperament of Judge Willis—a fresh arena in which to stir up strife, m a k e mischief, and pitch into any unfortunate who incurred his displeasure. A n d here he had a rare hunting ground in which to amuse himself, for some of the insolvents w h o figured before him were such unmitigated swindlers that they bore away the bell from all the black sheep appearing there since. During the commercial crisis of 1842-3, it was an asylum for scoundreldom, to which dishonest traders fled like the murderers of old to a church for sanctuary, with this advantage, that the Insolvent Act white-washed the former with ease and impunity, and t,iey re-appeared like whitened sepulchres to rogue and rob afresh. Take the veryfirstcase that came before the Judge as an example. His Honor presided in Insolvency for thefirsttime on the 3 rd June, 1841, and the very first business brought before him was an application to discharge from gaol one G. P. Anderson, detained there as a debtor. T h e prisoner, as is almost invariably the case, was able to retain counsel and Mr. Brewster appeared in support of the application, which was opposed by Mr. Barry on benalf of certain creditors. It was elicited that Anderson was incarcerated for non-payment of ^ 4 5 , and though his assets were returned at ^ 1 3 0 0 , it was probable that not so m u c h as one farthing would be realised ! T h e Commiss.oner indignantly refused the application. During this year there was not a single sequestration, and H.s Honor began to think that it was infra dig. for the sole Judge of the Supreme Court to officiate longer in the Insolvent Court, and where, in the event of an appeal from his decision as Commiss.oner, it would be to himself in the Appellate Court. T h e cogency of the latter objection induced the Executive to consent to the appointment of a separate Commissioner, and the office was bestowed upon
