The Express.
London, England, 1848-06-12 00:00:00

eorto

558.] LONDON, MONDAY, JUNE 12, 1848. [THREEPENCE.

PORTUGAL.

come over and assmainate the king, and he did mine in
pursuance of that threat, the threat used was sedition ;
but the act of his ce ming over was held to be an
overt act, and therefore he wu guilty of high treason.
The learned recorder then adverted to the law regarding
conspiracies and high treason, u laid down by Mr. Justice
Foster. The granl jury, be said, would have to consider
what motive actuated the persons charged, when they
deliverer the seditious words imputed to them ; whether
they acted from traitonus motives, or were not exceeding
the limits of legal and proper freedom of discussion. Hie
lordship then referred to the riots of 1780 ; and called the
attention of the grand jury to the lamentable consequences
produced in consequence of exciting language delivered to the
peep a in the Bristol riots, where lives and property were
destroyed by violence and by fire; almost every horror that
could be conceived was then perpetrated, and all &Tieing
from a comparatively trivial cause—a slight excitement given
to the people. In the time of Queen Elizabeth, it was laid
down as law that every citizen and private individual wu
justified in using every moral and physical means for the
restoration of order when it had been violated, and it was
right that the multitude should be fully aware of the danger
that wm incurred by taking part in any assemblage that met
for the purpose of showing defiance to thy law and re-
sisting its commands. The government had re-
solved to suppress toose meetings, and it was proper
that the mass should be warned of the consequences of a
participation in the proceedings of tumultuous arsernblsges.
Ilia lordship, after referring to the law as laid down in an
elaborate charge by Lord Chief Justice Tindall, and to the
Riot and Special Constables Acts, remitted the grand jury
to their dames, informing them that if they saw sufficient
grounds to conclude that, at the time the seditious language
wee used, the persons uttering it contempl►ted the subver-
sion of the authority of the cro en and government, it would
he their duty to find the bills, and so place those persons on
their trial.—The grand jury then retired.

By her majesty's steamer Flamer we have news
from Lisbon, to the sth June, together with the fol-
lowing letter from our correspondent: •
LISBON, Jerre b.
Iler majesty's war-steamer Flamer came into the
Tagus this morning, and a notice is just posted that email to
go by her is io cowrie of mak ng up.
In Lisbon an ominous tranquillity is maintained, notwith-
standing we have rumours of intended insurrection from all
quartet.; the government is kept constantly on the alert, and
numerous political arrests have taken place. The most promi-
nent of the personages seized and sent to the Castle of S t.George
is Colonel Perreira e Hotta, lately commanding °filo r of the
Royal Guard, or Queen's Grenadiers (the picked corps of the
service), his arrest occurred on Saturday ; the charge against
him is not yet made public, but rumourassigns hi the ground
of his impeachment, u denunciation to the effect that tie was
intriguing with the soldiery of his old corps and inciting to
revolt, but public opinion acquits the gallant officer of such
stain upon his escutcheon. In a recent letter of mine, I had
occasion to remark that the fidelity of the army was 1,111120.
what doubtful, and that murmurs had arisen, and discon-
tent shown itself in this very corps, and thin fact,
coupled with the known liberal opinions of Colonel t' retire e
Hone, together wi'h his popularity with the soldiery, most
probably is a key to the motive for his arrest.
The unfortunate Spaniards who had sought refuge and
hospitality in Portugal after the failure of the Seville affair,
bare now strived is Lisbon ; they are at present confined
on board the hulks ; their situation is deplorable, being in
fact treated worse than felons. The Portuguese prime
minister, the Duke of Saltlauha, is said to have personally
waited upon the Spanish minister, to assure him that the
prisoners should not only be aceitrely guarded, but should
ae transported to one of the Portuguese settlements, if the
minister desired it ; they are in consequence to Ire packed off
and distributed lipaiw the different colonial pousesaion, of
this count' y.
Her majesty the queen has appeared but little in public of
late, but yesterday (Sunday) 'he honored the bull-tight with
her presence. The royal reception, even with this packed
aid, was mortifying in the extreme. 11cr majesty looked ill
at ease.
The result of the debate upon Spanish affairs in the En-
glish Holum of Commons supposed to have taken place upon
the 28th of last month, is watched for with the deepest
anxiety here, and by all parties, as the general idea is that
something or other will arise out of this discussion that will
indicate the future policy of the British Cabinet as regards
intervention or non-intervention in the domestic affairs of
the Portuguese.
The financial affairs of the government are in a hope-
less state of embarrassment, and eversb idy seems to wonder
how the government contrives to exist and support itself from
day to day—it is indeed a myetery. Yet all this time the
members of the cabinet, and all the contractors and jobbers
connected with it, gnisv rich, and each minister or high public
entployi would teem to help himst If at discretion; one very
singular method of a minister recruiting his own licence,
app. ars to be by drawing from the treasury two, three, or
four year's salary in advance, and, of course, as in the fre-
quent changes hero and a aimless sctamble for place (and
daisy.) a ministry lasts generally but a few months, then
the trifle ore rdr.iwn remains a debt to the public
From a list, published u few days back, I select a few names
of these gentry who her,; contrived to help themselves Out •.f
the pockets of the people, and subjoin the amounts due to
the state by each individual :
The Duke of Saltlanlia,preseutprime minister—reals 12,712; 104
Francium rialdanha, brother to the minister 1,614 ; 753
Pasta Cabral
Siren Renduffc 16,720; 503
i•coode Torre de Mummy°
Count d'Alva
Ildefonio Leopoldo Bayard, evidently sot the Cheva-
-1,460; 581
lien
These are some odd seines, taken at random, from a list of
cormorants that would crowd a column of the Express,
and all these gentlemen, of course, are dynastic partisans of
her malesty, and warm supporters of Costa Cabral. What a
system ! I defy any other country Irnder the sun to exhibit
uch barefaced instances of public immorality, corruption,
and jobbing. To the Eeglish creditor I would say, " Holders
of Portuguese securities, it ever you expect to get back one
sl Wing of your advances, rely upon it it will not be from the
government of Donna Maria Seguoda."
The only British vessel of war on this station at present is
the Stromboli, a+ the Trafalgar left fur England the morning
['Hewing the arrival of the last English packet from the
north. Its foreign exchanges there is nothing to chronicle.

CHARTIST PROCEEDINGS.

(THIS DAY.)
STATE OF LONDON AND THE COUNTRY.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.—Tnis DAY.

The precautions taken by the authorities for the
maintenance of public order, details of which will be
found in another page, have, it would appear, proved
amply sufficient. tip to the moment of going to press
we have not iicard of the slightest disturbance in any
part of the metropolis or its vicinity.
Bishop Bonners-gelds, the scene of the intended
great chartist demonstration this afternoon, by 12 o'clock
was in a state of considerable excitement. The &termite-
non of the Chartist& leaders to hold the meeting, acc..rding
to the manifesto issued by the executive, had given rise to
increased terror in the neighbourhood. Shope were
closed, and trade was completely at a stand-still, many of
II the public-houses having bills posted up on the doors in-
timating that business would be suspended for the day. In
the early part of the morning, several troops of pi ntioners
and police, end 100 mounted arrived.
Between 300 and 100 of the pensioners were marched into
the Bethnal-green workhouse shortly before noon. About
1 o'clock a number of nensons laid cilected about the fields,
but evidently more to witness the movements of the police
than for any political object. The authorities, however,
were informid that the chartists were fast meeting at the
several clubs, and that they were determined to hold the
meeting.
Shortly before two o'clock Dr. M'Douall and other
leaden who had signed the manifesto calling the
assemblage, appeared on the ground. They seemed in
great excitement, and Dr. M'Douall, addressing one of the
inspectors of the K division, inquired if the meeting
would be allowed to he he held. The officer replied
that it would not.—Dr. M'Dowall then said he must see a
msgietrate or one of the principals of the force. On his way
be met Mr. Superintendent Johnson, of the It division,
and that gentleman assured him that every means
would be taken to disperse the meeting.—Mr.
thanked him for the intimation, and salt, " Then we must
are about it." Ile then sent a me sage to Mr. Arnold, and
received the same positive answer alluding to the wrong
force brought on the field to carry out the order of the
goverumi nt. Dr. M'Douall and his friends then departed
with a large mob alter them, and it was understood that
they had abandoned the idea of holding the demonstration.
At half put two all was quiet at Bishop Bunner'atields
' Tne stragglers were tar out-numbered by the armed police,
detachments of which were in occupation of the ground,
while a body of Chelsea pensioners was held in reserve.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.
CHLRTNT I'IIOSECUTIONN.
The June Session of this Court commenced this morning,
before the recorder, the lord mayor, sheriff., nod other
civic functionariee.
The grand jury having been sworn, the recorder proceeded
to deliver the usual charge. The calendar (he said) con-
tainel 200 cases, and twenty bad already been added since
that calendar was issued. The calendar, therefore, was
somewhat be.ivy, but, beyond the fact of its numerical
importance, there were in it ssme cases of so important a
character that he was quite sure that the grand jury
would apply their most serious attention to them, for
certainly they were of so serious a character tha
such attention was demanded. From the calendar he ob-
served that crimes aitainst the person were not on the de.
crease, for three were five charges of cutting and wounding,
three of manslaughter, six of robbery with violence, two of
rape, and twenty tnree of riot and assaulting the police in
the proper execution of their duty. Besides these, there were
several committals of a more important nature,—he alluded to
the charges f using seditious language in such • manner as
to excite tumult and disorder amongst the liege subjects of
the crown of this country. Owing to neglect in a particular
quarter, he ass precluded from making any particular ob-
servations upon the words or language the parties were
charged with using; fur the depositions, which ought to have
been in tile hand+ of the officer of this court as soon as they
were committed, were not yet in the office, with the ex-
ception of one, and that having but just been placel in his
hand., he had only been able to take a corn ry glance at it—
therefore hie remarks upon these charges of sedition would
be general, confined principally to what by law con-
stituted the crime of sedition. lie considered that
the extent of the offence, the malignity of seditious words or
language, depended in • material degree upon the circum-
stance+ surrounding their utterance ; for the offence mast be
regarded in a much more serious view when it was com-
mitted from the evil motive and design of creating excite-
ment in the mind of the multitude, of imbuing the public
with terror and alarm, or with the view of inciting the
multitude to arms. By the common law of England, sedi-
tion had long been a misdeamour ; and, when the use of
seditious words was accompanied by sny overt act, then the
law made the offence one of high tieason. Under a
statute that had recently been passed, sedition had been
made a felony, under certain circumstances, and great care
must be used in the consideration of the circumstances under
which the off. nee charged was said to be committed. The
law did net infringe upon the free and undoubted liberty of
the subject to meet and discus.' public affairs, so long as the
object was to honestly promote the public good and public
liberty, but that right, a most valuable right, and one which
had raised the constitution of this country to the high
position it occupied in the estimation of men, was not to
Ise made subervient to the evil purposes and designs of
those who exercised it, to excite the multitude to violence, or
to disavow the authority of the executive government. That
was the effect of the law as laid down by Lord Ellenborough
in the ease of the " King a. Lambert." In that case, that
learned judge said, that every subject of the realm had an
unquestionable right to meet to discuss political matters
temperately and decently. That was one of the most va
luable the subject could possibly enjoy under the
constitution; but it was not to be used for malicious pur-
oses, to excite disaffection and disorder in the minds of the
loyal subjects of the crown. It was then that the law was
bound to interfere. Lord Holt, toe, one of the
brightest champions of public liberty that ever sat upon
the judicial bench bad stated, as a judge, that no government
would be safe if the right of the subject to meet in pablio
dteussion was to be used for the spreading of disloyalty and
tumuli, and otherwise made subservientto the evil designs of
a disaffected few. In the case of the " King v. Cobbett," •
case of libel, Lord Eilenboroagh held that it was sedition to
endeavour in the least, even in writing, to alienate the affec-
tion of the people from the properly constituted executive
government. The grand jury would apply themselves to the
consideration of the question sr hether,tak in g the circumstances
from which these charges of sedition originated into their
consideration, the words uttered were so uttered in
the free and honest criticism of political matters and the acts
of government, or.with the evil and wicked intent charged
against them—to excite tumult and disorder in assemblages
of the mass and to sillily the crown and the executive
government. It was clear that the words were used in the
presence of a multitude of her majesty's subjects; and
he must tell the grand jury that, under the law
as it now stood, it was a most serious crime to use excitable
language in the presence of an assemblage of the people.
lie alluded to the act which had recently passed," For the
better security of the crown and government of these king-
doms," under the 3rd section of which any person who corn-
palled or designed the overthrow of the crown and govern-
ment, or the deprivation of the reigning sovereign of the
title, &c., of the sovereign of these realms, was guilty of
felony, punishable at the discretion of the court with trans-
portation for life, or for lesser periods, or imprisonment fornot
less than two years. Such an offence had until lately been
high treason, but under the late act, it merged into
• felony of a lesser character than high treason, but still
one of a most serious description. Words addressed to assem-
blages of people of excitable mind were, be considered, worse
than seditious publications. He should not enter into the
grounds upon which the recent act of parliament had been
passed, but an evil existed, and the government met it in the
manner they deemed best calculated to preserve order and
peace. He would tell the grand jury, and through them
those who would use the passions of the multitude to their
own evil purposes, what the consequence of their conduct
would be, though he would not go into the particulars
of particular cases. Until this act of parliament was passed,
words, unaccompanied by any overt act, was sedition;
when accompanied by an overt act, it was treason.
Thus, when a person in a foreign country threatened to

(By the Eketrie Telegraph Company's Express.)
BIRMINGHAM, 124 P.M.—There will be no meeting
of the chartists until six o'clock this evening, and se the
races take place today, it is expected that the attendance
will be small.
MANCHESTER, 11 A.M.—The meeting called for to-
day, hu, in consequence of the mayor's proclamation, been
adjourned till this evening at the Hall of Science. The
placard making the announcement, denounces in strong
and indignant language the unconstitutional interference of
the magistrates.
LIVERPOOL, 12 NooN.—The chartist meeting will
not be held here until the evening. The place and hour are
not yet announced. The town is quiet.
NEWCASTLE, NOON.—The town is quiet. A
meeting is announced to take place at 3 p.m.
HELL, NooN. hull is quiet. A meeting is
called in the Town-hall for this evening, under the
alleged sanction of the mayor (who is absent), to protest
I against tne interference of government officials, in the eelec-
' tion of juries, and to form a subscription for the benefit of
the wife and family of Mitchel.
NorTiNGIRM, 1 p.m.—The meeting now being
held here consists of about 2,000 persons, mostly idlers. All
quiet.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY.—ALTERATIONS:The Dean
and Chapter of Westminster deserve very great praise for
the recent alterations in the Abbey. It is hardly like the
same place. The north transept is open to the south, and
the south to the north, and when you stand in Poet's-corner,
by the graves of Garrick and Johnson, and the monuments
of Shskspeare and Gay, you can see Flaeman's Lord Mans-
field, Bacon's Lord Chatham, and Chantey's statue of George
Canning, in the transept on the other side of the choir.
Formerly you could see nothing more than an incongruous
screen, very little better than an ornamental hoarding.
Then the old stalls and seats have been removed; new cano-
pies erected, in capital taste, carrying on the style and cha-
racter of the Aymer de Valence monument; the organ
placed on one side, and the great west window made visible
from the choir. By these alterations one thousand additional
seats have been obtained. But this is not all. The windows
in the south transept and Poet's corner have been filled with
stained glass, in an early and goad style, by Messrs. Ward
and Nixon. The great upper light is a marygold window,
of exquisite shape; beneath is an open arcade, with three
doable lights, and beneath that is a row of six lights. All
are filled with entitled glass, and each compartment is com-
plete in itself. The colours are rich, the rubies and blues
wonderfully so. The designs, too, are good. Other works
are in progress. The dean and chapter are about to restore
to the places from which they were stolen two emblazoned
bronze escutcheons from the tomb of Edward 111., and a
broils:, wreath from the tomb of Henry VII. These have
been returned by the repenting individuals, or executors of
parties that must have torn them with heavy tools from these
royal monuments. Another penitent pilfLrer has lately sent
to the dean a slice taken some years ago from the royal
I coronation chair.
FATHER MATLIEW.—In a letter from the Rev.
Theobald Mathew to Col. Sherburne of the United States,
and which was published in an evening paper of Satur-
day, he communicates the painful fact that not a shil-
ling of the pension (3001. a year) granted to him by the
government Can be appropriated to his own use. "It has
(says the rev. gentleman) been assigned to pay a premium
of insurance on my life for 6,0001., the amount of the ba-
lance of a debt I have contracted in my perhaps imprudent
seal to promote the great temperance movement."
FRIGHTFUL SCENE IN WOMBWELL'S MENAGERIE.
—At Stafford, on Friday evening, the company of visitors
who had assembled in Wombwell's Menagerie, now exhibit-
ing in that town, were thrown into a state of the most painful
alarm by the following occurrence. In the early part of the
morning a lion and lioness, recently purchased, were added
to the collection, and about 9 o'clock, one of the keepers,
William Wombwell, nephew to the proprietor, entered the
den in which they were placed, and tbs y then displayed no
symptoms of ferocity. In the evening, the same keeper en-
tered the den, for the purpose of showing the spectators the
command he had over these brutes of the forest. Scarcely
had he, however, lain down with them, than the lioness
darted up, and, with savage ferocity, seized him by the neck,
tearing the scalp off the back part of his head, and frightfully
lacerating his neck with her fangs. Durieg this time the
lion had thrown himself across the body of the unfortunate
.an, as if to overpow, r him. Shrieks arose from the spec-
tators, and instantly a rush was made to the entrance. An-
other keeper seizing a piece of iron, instantly made for the
den, and, with much effect, struck both brutes over the head.
They ran from the wounded keeper, who was then removed.
His death was expected. The sight had a serious effect upon
everal of the persona who formed the company.
A COLLIERY ACCIDENT occurred on Thursday at
the Haigh Moor Pit, near Wakefield, one of the deepest in
the works, the shaft being no less than 270 yards. Four of
the men were being raised in a oorve from the pit, and had
ascended about 70 yards, when, by an accident to some por-
tion of the engine by which the colliery is worked, all
control was lost over the machinery, and the cone con-
taining the men was precipitated to the bottom, their own
weight counterbalancing the empty cones which were
descending. When the unfortunate men were brought up,
however, it was found that though injured by the fall they
were not killed. One of them bad his leg broken, and ano-
ther had severe injuries in the back ; but no apprehension is
entertained that fatal malts will follow, except in the latter
case. Had there not been the counterbalancing weight of
the descending cones, the men must bare been precipitated
with such violence as must have resulted in instantaneous
death.

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