CO885-(2-3) — Page 651

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III.-SUMMARY CONVICTIONS.

TABLE showing the Number of Summary Convictions for various Classes of Offences, and the kind of Punishments inflicted.

Punishments.

Total Number of Offences.

Assaults and other

Offences against the

Person.

Malicious Injuries to

co Property.

: Prædial Larceny.

Offences against Property other than Malicious Injuries to Property or Prædial Larceny.

Offences against Revenue Acts, Highway Acts, Health Acts, and other

Acts relating to the Social Economy of the Colony.

Offences against Masters including Acts relating

and Servants' Acts,

to Indentured Coolies.

Other Offences.

165

Report of the Attorney-General, accompanying the Return of Criminal Statistics, for the Year 1874.

Sessions of the Supreme Court and Circuit Courts.

FOURTEEN sessions were held during the year, viz., eight of the Supreme Court at Pietermaritzburg; five at the Circuit Court at Durban for the district at Durban; and one at the Circuit Court at Estcourt for the District of Wecnen.

Indictments Presented.

There were fifty-five persons indicted by me before these Courts, viz. :-

Europeans.

Natives.

Indians.

Supreme Court

7

14

Others.

3

Circuit Court, Durban Circuit Court, Weenen

I

6

17

1

I

14

32

5

4

Fine

3,388

503

3

Imprisonment, in lieu of fine

or surety

484

Peremptory imprisonment

847

124

. 03-

269

Whipping

301

37

2,211

11

343

5

257

189

29

Bound over, with or without

sureties

33

Total

5,053

757

7

383

53

1,081

2,772

Note. Where there has been an appeal from the Magistrate's decision, the case is to be entered as finally decided, and not necessarily according to the Magistrate's original decision.

IV.-INDICTMENTS AND INFORMATIONS IN THE SUPERIOR COURTS.

Include in the Returns below the Indictments for Attempts and Conspiracies to Commit the seroral Offences.

State how the Cases

tried in the Superior Courts

ended.*

Judgment for the Crown

..106

3

5

Judgment for the prisoner

6

Prisoner found insane

:::

:::

:::

2

Case fell through for want of

prosecution

8

1

2

* Each prisoner tried should be counted as a separate case; but where any large number of prisoners have been convicted together, the fact may be mentioned in a note below.

Of these, as shown in the returns, forty-seven were convicted, four acquitted, and the prosecution of four others fell through, or were abandoned for the following reasons:---

Charge of Theft-The witnesses for the Crown had left the Colony.

Charge of Rape-The accused having been found guilty of murder and sentenced to death, this charge was withdrawn.

Charge of Theft The prisoner absconded and escaped from the Colony. Charge of Hut-burning-Extenuating circumstances inducing the abandonment of The convictions show a decrease of 25-4 per cent., as compared with the preceding

the charge.

year.

Combined Court.

The return shows a very large increase in the number of cases of cattle stealing, and killing or stabbing cattle by natives cognisable at these Courts, and while the number of cases reported is almost the same as in the preceding year, the number of persons com- mitted for trial has been almost double. The following table reveals this and other facts:-

Reported Committed

Indicted.

Convicted

1873,

1874.

04

95

42

79

41

30

65 59

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

חון

C.O.885

Reference :-

V.-COMPARATIVE TABLE.

COMPARATIVE TABLE showing the Number of Offences, Apprehensions, Convictions, and Acquittals for the last Four Years.

There were fourteen cases in which I declined to prosecute at the public instance, and directed the prisoners to be discharged. The subjoined table will show how these cases were distributed.

1871. 1872. 1873. 1874.

**

The number of offences reported to the police

The number of persons apprehended by the police or summoned before

the magistrates

The number of summary convictions--

1. For offences against the person

2,334 2,388 4,028 6,785

}

8,530 3,370 4,102 0,754

Pietermaritzburg

Durban Ladysmith

Newcastle

Inandu

Prosecution

Indicted.

Convicted.

Acquitted. withdrawn.

24

24

r

1

1

12

2

2

Tugela

Umvoti

254

387

590

790

Weenen

10

2. For prudial larceny

60

69

Upper Umkomanzi

5

3. For offences against property other than prædial larceny

250

305

282

397

Alexandra

1

4. For other offences

1,950

2,126

2,505

4,505

Alfred

+2

2

The number of convictions in the Superior Courts—

1. For offences against the persun

28

22

229

14

65

59

2

4

2. For cattle stealing, &c., by natives

18

26

30

59

3. For offences against property, other than those specified

10

19

34

31

4. For other offences

2

1

+

The number of persons acquitted—

1. In the Inferior Courts

318

397

623

861

2. In the Superior Courtsa..

21

14

19

G

A prominent feature of the above return is the unusual number of convictions obtained as compared with the indictments. This may be attributed to the fact of the committing Magistrate being a member of the Court; and perhaps chiefly to the Court

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