The Express.
London, England, 1859-04-20 00:00:00

THE UNITED STATES.

(YZOM OUR OWN

NRW YORK, Ann. 6.

Sickles is at last on his trial, and the °Wart expects
to occupy four or five days in impannelling a jury.
The rule that no one is competent to sem on a jury
who has already formed any opinion on the merits of
the sass, whatever be his ability to keep it in abey-
ance while hearing the evidence, is enforced in moat
of the States with great rigour, and often with very

troublesome runts. In this State the mere fact of
a man's having read the newspaper reports, and
formed an opinion therefrom u to the prisoner's
guilt or innocence, let it be ever so vague or indefi-
nite, is good cause for a challenge. Whet incon-
venience this creates in the trial of notorious cues
and in a community where everyone reads the news-
papers, may be imagined. In fact it places in the
prisoner's hands en unlimited number of challenges,
and enables him finally to aft the penal in such wise
that none but the most stupid and ignorant, or in
other words those who never read the newspapers,
shall try him. The result, in this State at least, is
that juries disagree constantly in the plainest
cues, and when they find verdicts at all, find absurd
ones. In Sickles' case, owing to the sensation it has
made, and the strong feeling it has excited on both
sides, this difficulty ii, of course, peculiarly great.
The community is divided into two great parties on
the morality of the deed, and, in addition to this,
the affair has unhappily assumed somewhat of a
political aspect, from a remark attributed to Key,
and which he is said to have made some time pre-
vious to the catastrophe. A friend remonstrated
with him on the impropriety of his attentions to Mrs.
Sickles, and warned him that it would come to her
husband's knowledge, and misehief would follow.
The reply wee, it is said, " that Sickles was a
d—d Yankee, and would do nothing if he did
find it out." Your readers ere, perhaps, aware that the
pen:sable habits of the Northerners, and their dislike
to violence, have long been the subject of Southern
sneers, as at the South a brutal readiness to shed
blood on Email provocation is one of the marks of
rintlemanhood. It is this circumstance that gave
point to Key's coarse allusion, if he ever made it,
and unfortunately it constitutes in the eyes of many
people who would otherwise condemn Sickles a jus-
tification of the inter's conduct. No doubt is enter-
tained by anybody's to the result of the trial; and in
tsetse far as the affair has gone,the prisoner'shienda
have arranged to make it an ovation for him. The
competition for the notoriety attendant on acting as
his counsel was immense, and all his old political
Mends of the legal profession in New York
him with proffers of their services. They are not, I
should add, however, of a very high standing at the
bar. Amongst them figures your old acquaintance,
Thomas Francis Meagher, who, the telegraph in-
forms us this morning, occupies the onerous and
somewhat curious position of "consulting counsel"
to the illustrious culprit. lam half inclined to be-
lieve, however, that this dignity his been conferred
on him by some wag, inasmuch es Mr. Meagher's
legal attainments are of a very diminutive order,
and whatever service he might render in expending
an oration on the jury, his opinion on points of law
would not be of much value. Though nominally a
lawyer, he his never practised here, and devotes
himself to the editing of an Irish newspaper, and
delivering occasional lectures.
Since the tragedy occurred, the subjecrof adultery
and the proper punishment for it has undergone
very lengthy disco ion in the newspapers, and the
general conclusion seems to be in favour of making
it a punishable offence everywhere, at least on the
part of the man. The woman undergoes terrible re-
tribution in the mere exposure, and repudiation by
the husband ; but the man suffers little injury, if he
escape the husband's vengeance. In the New
England states, under the old puritan theocracy, it
was judged by the law of Moue, and both delin-
quents put to death; in moderns times • term of
imprisonment has been substituted for the capital
penalty ; but through the rest of the country the law
takes no farther notice of it than to grant a divorce
on the application of the injured party.
There is a fugitive slave ease pending in Philadel-
phia, one of the few that occur now-a-days, and it
is canna; immense excitement. A negro, who his
been living peaceably and honestly in the city for
seven year; supporting • large family decent, has
been seized in the market place, handcuffed, and
dragged before a United States Commissioner pre-
paratory to his rendition into alavery in Virguna.
The claimant, moreover, is a lady. Pennsylvania is
one of the few Northern states now-a-days in which
fugitive slaves are not protected by " a personal
liberty bill; and it is probable that this occurrence
may lead to the passage of one there. It has been
noticed already, and made the subject of a resolution
in the legislature, which is now sitting. If the South
were wise it would strongly discourage its citizens
from reclaiming their " property" in this way.
Better pay the owners the value out of the public
purse than create such exasperation at the North.
The oonfiict of jurisdiction of which I spoke in
my last has arisen not between the Supreme Court
of the United States and that of Michigan, as I inad-
vertently stated, but that of Wisconsin. The sub-
ject has been taken up by the legislature in a series
of resolutions strongly denouncing the claims put
forth by the federal judges, denying their conclu-
sions, and =priming the most firm determination to
support the state courts in deciding, absolutely and
without appeal. upon the sufficiency of the return to
every writ of habeas corpus they may issue.

It appears from the columns of GalignaNi that in
Paris the tide of sonnets Is now at the Seed. Among the
number ere two Miedeoll ceneerts by Madame &weedy (the
Wilbelmine Clamed Elmer days). The grand .4 Krentrer"
sonata of Beethoven; the Barman" welts and the stir!),
(he avid* the right band never touches a white key), by the
piano pest Chopin; Schumann's pleasing variations in B
fiat and liedar, by Schubert, composed an excellent bill of are
for the first. The second was also distinguished by the taste
of the selection. It opened with the sonata (17) by Beet-
hoven for plane and violin, admirably executed by Madame
Searvaety and Becker. Chopin was again brought forward,
and again delighted the hearer under the finger of Madame
&weedy, who concluded the soiree as it began with a sonata
of Beethoven's (31) ; which she played with perfeotioo.
M. Berlioz announces the performance of his last
oratorio, "Waxes do atria, with full orchestra and chorus
of 130 executaats, at the Opera Comique, Paris, on Satur-
day next. The principal parts sot to be sung by MM.
Batten* Jourdan, Idealist, Belval, and Madams Mein*.
The oratorio will be followed by a grand concert of sacred
music, vocal end instrumental. To coach:We with the
..11yeene a la Preece," grand chorus oompoeed by Berlioz.
The Empress of Russia has presented several or-
nament sof the value of 10,000 florins to the church of In-
genheim, in Grand Decal Reese, which her Majesty's
brother, Prince Alexander, has just mused to be repaired
Ina villa in that village the Emma passed part of her
youth with her mother the Grand Duchess of Heim
" The Pope," says a letter from Rome, " recently,
in accordance with annual custom, blessed what is called the
golden NW. This flower, which is made of the purest gold,
and ornamented with pretlions stones, was rubbed with balm
and incensed—his Whom reciting verses explaining the
mystio mecotug of the benediction ; after which be took it in
Ms left hand and blessed the people. Mass was then cele-
brated in the Sixt;ne Chapel. The gold roses are ordinarily
sent to female sovereigns, sometimes to prince., and some-
times, though rarely, to towns and corporations. The ate of
laat year was sent to the Empress of the French, and that of
the yam before to tho Queen of Spain."
Mr. George Manin, the eldest son of the illus.
blocs Predelent of tins Republic of Venice, ha left Paris to
take service in the Sardisian army. Re la an accomplished
mathematician, and till lately was an engineer in the employ
of the Western Railway Company.
The Spanish Senate has adopted a bill providing
for the erection of a statue to Marino, the painttv.
The death of M. de Toequeville, which has been
prematurely advanced, la unfortunately 000 firmed by the
Debate of to-day as having taken place on Saturday, at

Canna. He was 63 years of age.
The Agricultural Society of Algiers has offered a
p=ium of 5,000 fr., raised by Inbecriptien among the metu-
bast to any parson who elan discover the means of
preeerving to bsoco Meals, daring their vege'ation, from the
raysys of insects. A oommtssicrn appointed foe the purport+
will declare, at the end of 8- Member, 1880, and after trial,
which remedy hie suomedoi.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
(THIS DAY.)