The Express.
London, England, 1862-12-18 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TiltitS.DAY EVENING, DECEMBER 18, 1862.

Mr. Coleridge appeared for the prosecution ; Mr. Webby
(specially retained), and Mr. Morgan Lloyd, for Buckley,
the Fahey', Fynan, Gorman, Hogs, sod Hoare ; Mr.
Bonita, for Larkin, Leamoo, and Martin ; Mr. Pope
Hennemey (specially retained) and Mr. Williams far Tracey
and Shovelin; while the defence of the remaining prisoners
was entrusted to Mr. M'lntyre.

Dec. 17.
Mr. Baron Bramwell sentenced Henry Lennon, one of I
the Birkenhead riotous, to 15 rein' penal servitude. This
man we. charged with having snide a brutal Minsk epos
Patrick iiimanny and John Haawell, two of the helicon. ;
head polka constables, while in the due execution of
their duty on the 15th of October last. At the
close of the evidence, which detailed the particular
assaults of which the prisoner was accused, his
counsel complained of the prosecution taking this
case first, as if the origin and Datum of the riot bad
been shown circumstances favourable to the accused
would have appeared. It might then have been shown
that the constabulary took a violent coarse, and that the
mob bad only resorted to the umeaures they made use of
in their own protection and self-defence. The learned coun-
sel commented with seam warmth as the invitation to the
disturbance offered by the debating society in making
nee of Orange phew& in the midst of an Irish popula.
tion. The learned j in summing up, however, mid
it was perfectly Ministerial to the jury whether the clie-
cumaion of this se called Parliamentary Society was rea-
sonable or otherwise. It was equally immaterial whether
the placards wire orange or any other colour, or no
colour en all ; and as to the complaint of the learned
counsel that the preemation had taken this sue before
some othecw, that was wholly without foundation. It
was clear that the prisoner struck the blow, and it was
urged that he did so in selfdefenco but the evidence
showed that the police were only doing their duty, and,
even supposing they were not, no man had anyright to tarn
round and strike an caber In this manner.
In addition to Lerumo, vine of the male prizooen were
sentenced to two years' and three to one year's hard 'about.,
Catherine Larkin was sentenced to one year's hard labour, I
and the other women to six months' hard labour each.
Jame. Fynan was acquitted.
In the noun. of the trial oa Tuesday,Mr. Pope Hammy,
one of the counsel fort lA Jefeocs, asked • witness whether
he considered that the meeting of the Parliamentary
Debating Society was calculated to produce • disturbance
in Birkenhead.
His lordship held that such a question was inadmissible.
Mr. Hennessy then oiled an opmion of Mr. Baron Alder-
son to the effect that any meeting calculated to endanger
the public tranquility wee an unlawful assemblage.
110 lordship said he send with that opinion ;
but he considered that opinion referred to meetings
which were intrinsically unlawful or bad is them-
soiree. He hoped it would never be the law of this land
that people could not express their (minims on all ',objects,
and especially in • private room, without being prevented
b • number of ignorant savages armed with missiles.
Si was of opinion that the question was not tenable—in
fact, he had not the irlfghtest doubt about it.