The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-04-09 00:00:00

made some remarks upon the tyranny and ex-
treme brutality of seamen, as exemplified in the
trial of CAMPBELL, the second mate of the James
L. Bogart, for a felonious assault upon a seaman
on board that ship, in the river Mersey, on the
19th of January. To-day we turn to another
class of offence, and a trial of a totally different
nature. In the former, the parties concerned
were of humble parentage, men who are com-
pelled to earn their bread by the sweat of their
brow, and to be content to associate at most
with the "middle ranks of life ;" in the latter, all
the parties concerned are educated—the plaintiff
and defendant members of a sacred profession,
and the "go between" of the two, nothing less
than a princess of the blood Royal of France.
Most of our readers are aware that, at the
Gloucester assizes just held, there was tried in
the Nisi Prius Court an important record. The
plaintiff was the Abbe Roux, and the defendant
no less than the "high and mighty" Italian
prince, Cardinal WISEMAN. Considering the
position of all the parties, particularly that of
his Eminence, the Cardinal, and as the trial has
excited what experienced reporters term " extra-
ordinary interest," we shall be excused for calling
special attention to the matter, even were it not
a subject which marks it as one deserving of
comment, and we wish we were not compelled to
acid, condemnation.
The cause of action between the reverend liti-
gants is a painfully simple one. Some time ago,
the Princess LETITIA BONAPARTE, daughter of
Prince LUCIEN, and cousin of the present Em-
peror of France, who married the Right Hon.
Sir TFIO3IIS 'WYSE, formerly M.P. for the city of
Waterford, and now her Britannic Majesty's
Minister in Greece, having been, owing to her
extravagance, separated from her husband,
although in the enjoyment of an allowance of
2001. per annum,- Men into great pecuniary em-
barrassments, and by some it is said, abject
poverty, when she accidentally made the ac-
quaintance of the celebrated humanitarian, M.
CONOVOVA,' and through this gentleman enlisted
the sympathies of a friend and a brother in
the person of LOUIS MARIE Roux, the head
of the Refuge of Workmen, in Paris. True to
the principles of a real philanthropist, and one
who denies himself the enjoyment of the pomps
and vanities of this wicked world, in order that
he may act the part of the good Samaritan, the
Abbe instantly set about relieving the princess
from the pecuniary difficulties which beset her
on every side, first from his own means, and
afterwards by borrowing considerable sums from
others who were ready to lend out their surplus
capital upon his representations and security.
By these means he at length succeeded in bring-
ing her forth from a debtor's prison, released
many of the valuable articles which her helpless
poverty compelled her to pawn—for princesses,
as well as washerwomen, have had sometimes
to ask the aid of "mine uncle,"—in compound-
ing claims, and rendering her other services, the
total of which amounted to no less a sum than
25,000 francs. But the Abbe Roux did not ter-
minate his good offices here. He undertook, at
his own expense, a mission to London, the object
of which was to seek an interview with Mr. WYSE,
and if possible effect a reconciliation between that
gentleman and his erring spouse. On arriving
in London, the Abbe was unable to gain access
to Mr. WYSE. Still unwilling to give up his
disinterested and holy mission, he repaired to
Cardinal WISEMAN, and solicited his assistance
in the delicate affair. His Eminence promised
to obtain him an audience with the offended hus-
band of the Princess LETITIA. By way of snak-
ing his purpose doubly sure, the Abbe incauti-
ously placed in the Cardinal's hands all the
securities he held from the Princess. These
documents, be it further observed, she had not
only signed, but had induced her son also to attach
his signature thereto. Matters stood thus until
the sun of prosperity began to dawn upon Louts
NAPOLEON, and he was declared Emperor of
France. Application was made to him on behalf
of his " dearly-beloved cousin." Well knowing
from practical experience how useful borrowed
money is to persons in distressed circumstances,
although obtained at a Jewish rate of interest,
as well as being desirous to uphold the reputa-
tion and honour of his Imperial Family, he gave
his consent to liquidate the debts of the unfortu-
nate Princess LETITIA. As a matter of course,
it now became requisite for the Abbe Roux to
get back his securities and other documents from
the " Head of the Church" in England. Appli-
cation was made to that effect. This obliges the
Cardinal to have recourse to shuffling and special
pleading—prevarication, and all sorts of strata-
gems, which in common parlance are commonly
termed " artful dodging."
Such may be in unison with the—charac-
ter of Royal British Bank Directors, with
PAUL, STRAHAN, and BATES, with REDPATH,

&c., &c ; but we say it ill becomes those

who minister at the altar, and who preach

from and enforce the binding obligation of the
Ninth Commandment ; those to whom are com-

witted the overseership of the Church, to act as
his Eminence is proved to have done in this case.
The evidence shows that when applied to tbr the

documents in question, he had lost all recollec

tion of where lie had placed them; secondly, when
requested to write out their substance for the

Emperor's satisfaction, he promised it should be

done, but afterwards set forth his inability to
frame such an abstract. Then he agreed to sign

one if the Abbe Roux would draft it. To give no
loop-hole for the crafty Prince of Rome to escape