The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-04-03 00:00:00

THE BELGIIDI ANTI-FREE-TRADE RIOTS.

The Memorial de Lille says that severaf.English
men who had come to Tournay to take part in a
free trade meeXingithought it prudent to leave the
town secretly. The association for customs reform
Of Belgium called a meeting a few days ago at Tonr--
nay, but a disturbance was got up against it, and it
gould not take, place. In the Chamber of Deputies
on Monday, M. Veerhaegen, of the liberal party, com-
plained of this disturbance as a violation of the
right of association and' of public meeting, which
is guaranteed by, the constitution. The Minister
of the Interior, M Dededeer, said that, without
pronouncing either for or against free..trade, the
government lamented that the meeting in question
had been prevented by a tumult, as the constitu-
tion guaranteed to-citizens- the right of meeting.
The government had ordered an investigation to be
instituted into the matter, and it would take care
to prevent shnilar.disturbanees for the future, and,
if necessary, bring the authors of them to justice.

EXTRAORDLVARY! -CONDUCT OF A COLONIAL

JUDGE.

We extract the following particulars of a most strange scene
which occurred at the Westmoreland (Jamaica) Circuit Cott,
from the Fahnouth (Jamaica), Pest, received this morning :
The Honourable Jasper F. Cargill.presided at the Westmore-
land Court last week. Among the several cases tried was one
Which excited great interest, and, in Which rMrFoster Davis
was engaged for the prosecution, and Mr Trench for the defence:
Proceedings were instituted-against-a black man, named Alex.
Barnaby, for burning down a shop and house belonging to Mr
William Patrick, of Grant Vale, in the parish of
The witneises fur the proseceution were five or
six; one of them deposed that he was watching the cane pieces
on the property, ,L o,protect them from the .trespasses of hogs,
&c. ; and that on the night, of the , burning of the place, he
saw the Prisdner walking near it—that he watched him, and
saw hini, go to the shop, draw a match, the light from which
was extinguished by the breeze, and that he drew another and
went into a shed which hid him from further view. Efe (the
witness) thCn went away, and within ten minutes .afterwards
saw a blaze from the premises,. Another witness. swore, that
.on hearing:the alarm of fi.re,, he went to render assistance and
the prisoner limning from the direction:of -the fire; and
dodging in a bush to avoid
„being ,recognised, 'as it- was
moonlight Thes.e two witnesses also spoke of threats
having been previously used by the prisoner against the
owner.of the ahop,. Three.ether witnesses stated 'that the
priserier.hed endeavoured to,bribe the man who saw him
light the match, and they stated further that he had
offsred several articles of considerable value. 'The ease
for the CrOWn clOsed at five o'clock in the evening,:when
the folloWing eonv,rsation took. place between Judge,
Solicitors, and JurorS. Judge : This cse must' be
finished to night. Mr. Trench :, It is utterly impossib!e.,
your Honour, for there are tvvOve, or thirteen witnesses
for the defence, and I have a, great deal to -say about it
myself; 'Judge The case shall be. closed to-night; that
lam determines upan, if I sit here-all night.. Six'cases
at Black 'River occupied, lour days, and I. am. resolved - that
nothing of a Similar kind shall take place here, Mr. F.
Davis: I would rather give up conducting the ease,for the,
prosecution, your Honour, than sit here all.night,•for I am
suffering, under a severe attack of bronchitis, and cannot
remain. • Judee: I cannot help it,: the case must be pro
ceeded with. Mr. Trench then rose to address the jiiry.' Mr.
Addison (a juror) 'Your Ilononr,,if the, case is to go on, I
mast send 'for a cloaca-, for I am sick and cannot sit longer.
(Laughter.) Mr. Davis : I hope,your Honour will not prest
the hearing of so important a cas, at th's late hour of the
Judge : If the case is net proceeded With this
'evening, the pry must be locked up all night. Mr.
,Trench,:. I have no objection to ,allow the.jurors to go at
large until morning, with the usual precaution from the
court, that they do not speak to others than themselves
orilhe.Enbjcet. .'Yttrige : Halle case does not'go on, the
jurorsmust he locked up. Mr. Davis : It has always been
the practice in these courts to . allow the jurors'
to be' at ',large on such. occasions as this. Mr.
'Aleock. (clerk of the , court) : 'There is no
aecommodation in the
_court, house ,for the jurors; and
there 'are no means to procure candles. (Laughter.)
The jurors looked very, dull. Judge: Gentlemen, I am'
going to make an . observation , which, perhaps, 'I ought
not te.make, I do so with delicacy., - But still I MuSt tell
you., that if your minds are made up -you 'may return 'a
verdict at, once.
,At this monstrous preposition, the
Solicitors and all others in court looked amazed at the Son.
Jasper Cargill. Mr. Trench (springing up) : Olcourseyour.
honor's remark to the, jury can refer only to an acquittal,
for I have :already informed you that I 'have thirteen
witnesses, and, have net yet been beard in the defence.
Judge : 'hat.T mean to tell you, gentlemen, lei th4t. if
you haye any reasenable,doubt on the case as it stands' 'or
if you are of, opinion- that thee-case for the prosecution, has
been so slovenly got, together as not to satisfy' you of the
prisOneoe guilt, y u may at I once acquit hint. Mr.
Fisher„ (foreman. al:the jury) t We would not do jus-
tice, on one side or the other, if we returned a
verdict .without bearing the rest of the evidence.
judge: Well,
.gentlemen I have no alternative, and
will direct you to be locked hp forthe night. The con.;
versation then ended—the jurors were put under charge
of 'policeMen, acid marched off to the lodgings of, Mrs.
Rose. .Qn the following morning; when' the court was
opened, an acceunt .was•preeented against the, public. of
Jainaicafor the expellee incurred, and among the items
Were the following :—Dinner for seven jurors, at 6s,
£2 2s ; Four battles port' wine, at 6s; £1 4s ; Two
hottles brandy; at 63, 12s Od ; breakfast for seven, at' 3s,
£1 is ;_ seven. pints wine (for sangaree); at 3s, £1 ,Is.
There were other items chargedornaking t4O whole of the
.acegont,,E7 odd, to -be paid' for by the taxpayers Of the
country. Mr.' Alcock objected to- the charges made for
.brandy
.and wine, as 'they were not' necessaries ,to
which the jurors were entitled. The bill was stib-
sequentl,y •, referred . to Mr. • 'Alcock. The case was
.proceeded with,--twelve witness were examined, whose
testimony upset that which 'was given on behalf of the
prosecution,—and a verdict of "Not Guilty`" was returned.
We received the above statement of recta (min a
parishioner of Westmorland; 'who witnessed the conduct
of the Judge on the occasion alluded to, and 'whdenter-
tales a high regard for the private , 'character of the,
honpurable. and- learned gentleman. The prOp;sition
which :was made to the jurors—the -disrespectful
treatment :to ..the . solicitors—and everything else
connected -with the. trial of the pers.in who was
,prosecuted tor arson—were all painful exhilliticiis., and ,
calculated to lower Mr. Cargill in the,estimation of the
public.

THE METKOrOLITAN Foncis.—The charge, for the
metropolitan police, for the present year, is £103;645.
SHOCiING AND FATAL ACCIDENT.—TWO SiH,DIEES
SUFFOCATED.—A shocking accident, which unfortunately
caused the deaths of two soldiers of the 77th Infantry
Regiment, has occurred at Cardiff. The deceased men,
whose names were John Lane and Patrick Macdonald,
had arrived in Cardiff by railroasl from Pembroke, in
company with a number of other soldiers, who had,been
discharged from the regiments garrisoned in that town.
Macdonald, who was a Scotchman, had seen a vast
amount or service, and his breast was adorned with
medals he had won for his bravery during several cam-
paigns in India. and also, through the late Crimean war.
Lane, his companion, was an Englishman. The two men,
after having.drunk freely at different houses, proceeded
to a heerhouse called the Jenny Jones, in george street,
near the docks, where they engaged lodgings for the night.
They had some bread and meat for supper, and a pint
more beer; after which they wished. the landlord and the
other partieS in the room good night, and retired to bed.
Lane, who had been smoking at the time, oarried his pipe
up to .bed with 'him, and there can be no doubt that it,
was that circumstance which mimed the ,accident that
ended so fatally. There was no 'fireplace ill the bedroom
in which they.slept, and at four o'clobk the next morning
the landlord was alarmed by-a smell orfire, which he BQOII
found proceeding from the bedroom to which the 'soldiers
had gone, lie immediately got up, 'and' failing to get an
answer to, his. knocks and calls, forced. open the door, mid
then found. the room, so full of a dense smoke, that he
found it almost
,impossible to .proceed. •Ile,t•as soon as
the door had 'been open a minute or two, went to arouse
the men, when he fOund that poor Macdonald was dead,
and his companion 'so far gone that he resisted all efforts
to revive him, and expired alinost immediately, afterwards.
The smoke was found to have proceeded from an old sofa
stuffed with straw, which had been set on fire, no doubt,
by the pipe, and had smouldered in such a nay as to fill
the room with the stafoeating vapour. • '
. •