The Sun.
London, England, 1852-09-25 00:00:00

SUN,

THE lONIAN ISLANDS.

CORFU, SEPT. 16.—The 30th Regiment sationed
at Cephalonia, and the 41st, stationed at Zante, have
been infected by the gold fever, and a sort of plot has
been formed among the men to strike their officers,
with the express purpose of being transported for a
term of years, and thus obtaining their discharge from
the service and a free passage to Australia. No less
than eight of these cases occurred in one month, and
the men were brought here to be tried by garrison
court-martial. All the men were found guilty, and
of course according to military law condemned to
death. Seven, however, were let off with transpor-
tation, but the General in command, General
CONYERS, thinking that an example must be made in
order to check a crime, which would be encouraged
rather tha❑ checked if all were transported, ordered
the sentence of death to be executed in one case. It
was passed on Friday, and on Monday morning
the prisoner was shot in the fort of Vido. A
company from each regiment attended. The man
marched on to the ground, following his coffin,
and the chaplain reading the burial service. Twelve
men were told off from the 49th regiment, and they
had to select a musket each from a stack of 12, 10
of which only were loaded with ball, so that no man
could be certain if be were the executioner. The
sentence of the court-martial was read over to the
man. He then knelt down only eight paces in front
of his twelve comrades, threw open his jacket , the
words, " ready, present, fire," were given, and he
fell dead, with one ball through his head and others
in the chest. Much interest had been exerted for
him, as, although only a private, his father is a cap-
tain in the army, and many petitions were sent to
the general, but he returned them all with a simple
notation " mistaken humanity." There seems to be
a feeling here that the General should have waited
for an approval of the sentence by the authorities at
home.

There have been numerous and angry discussions
in the Chamber on the proposed constitutional re-
forms, and on financial business. On the 30th of
August Sir H. WARD sent a message to the Le-
gislative Assembly, specifying the changes which
he had alluded to in his address at the opening
of the session. He commences by announcing his
assent to a new electoral law, clearly specifying the
conditions on which the franchise is obtained, and re-
modelling the registration commission in order to se-
cure perfect impartiality. With regard to the liberty
of the press, he says that useless restrictions on this
liberty are contrary to all English feeling, and that
the representative system cannot be practically carried
on without publicity and full liberty of discussion.
But he says it was the misfortune of the islands to
pass from a system of absolute restriction to one of
unlimited license, without the smallest precaution or
preparation of any sort. In Greece trial by jury is
applied to all crimes, except those of the press. In
the lonian Islands trial by jury is applied to offences
of the press only. In England, France, Germany,
Piedmont, :and Belgium guarantees are required
before a journal can be established. In these islands
any one may print what he neither dare say or write
without becoming responsible to the law. Conse-
quently, in 1851, the press of Zante and Cephalonia
publishes a series of articles purely calculated to ex-
cite hatred against the British Government. Such
articles would have been punished in England by fine
or imprisonment. Yet a Zante jury supported the
delinquents, and Sir HENRY thought himself obliged
to protect the peace of society by using his powers of
high police, in which decision he was supported both
by Lord GREY and Sir J. PARINGTON.
With regard to this power of high police, Sir
HENRY states that he is specially instructed not to
yield, or in any way compromise the rights of the
Crown, unless the Assembly consent to the following
conditions :-Ist, Without establishing any censorship
of the press prior to publication, he requires respon-
sibility, and therefore demands that before any journal
is established 1001. shall be deposited, or good security
offered for 1501. There being no tax on newspapers
in the islands, such a guarantee appears small. 2d,
Some change must be made respecting " responsible
editors ;" at present some one in the lowest class of
society receives a small monthly salary, simply to
assume the risk of any legal penalty the journal may
incur. 3d, Trial by jury to be suspended until the
above changes became law, in cases of libel against
the state or public functionaries. 4th, A modification
of the penal code shall be adopted, authorising the
punishment of such libels by penalties a the 4th or
dth degree of the code, or by a fine of 51. to 501.
The condition of these changes being accepted by
the Assembly, Sir HENRY states that her MAJESTY
will yield the powers of high police, hitherto consti-
tutionally exercised, and that for the future no one
shall be subject to banishment by order of the Lord
High Commissioner, or held responsible to any other
authority than those of the tribunals of the country.
Sir HENRY further states that if this is satisfactorily
arranged he is further authorised to announce—

1. The assent of her MAJESTY to the proposal that
the present biennial session of the Assembly be
converted into an annual session, the right of disso-
lution or prorogation held by the Crown remaining
unaltered.

2. The same assent to a Bill modifying the respon-
sibility and organization of the Senate.
3. Assent to an alteration in the constitution of
the Supreme Council of Justice, adding a third lonian
member, which would give the casting vote, in case
of dispute, to the lonians.

4. Assent to a Bill re-organizing municipal insti-
tutions and improving local government.
Some other matters of minor importance follow,
and the message terminates by cautioning the As-
sembly that factious conduct may render any consti-
tutional government impossible. He warns them not
to conspire against the political system of which they
form a part and have sworn to maintain, and tells
them plainly that they alone are the means of main-
taining the powers of high police, so contrary to the
spirit of a free constitution. He offers to substitute
law for despotic power. It is for them to accept or
reject the offer on the conditions above stated.
Angry discussions followed the message. On the
lath, Sir HENRY dissolved the Assembly, and made a
speech in Italian, reproving them pretty sharply for
their conduct in rejecting the gracious offers of her
Majesty. He says :
"If the representative of the Queen of England re-
tains in those islands the powers of high police, you are
responsible for it, for you have refused to him those mo-
derate legal powers, the necessity of which none of you,
in your recent conference with me, could deny. If the
country languish for eighteen months without the popu-
lar branch of the Legislature taking any part in its
affairs you are responsible for it, for you have refused
the annual session which I was authorised by her Ma-
jesty to propose. If, in the course of the next eighteen
months, many Acts of Government are passed, you
alone are responsible for it; for you have declined the
remedy which I recommended. If the Lord High Com-
missioner and the President continue to form
part of the Supreme Council, you are responsible for it ;
for you have rejected .a change which the protecting
Sovereign was willing to concede, in compliance with
your supposed desires. In short, you have had, and
lost, a great opportunity ; and, whatever be the
policy which her Majesty may now think proper
to adopt here—whatever be the use which I,
as her Majesty's representative, may be forced
to make of the powers that are: left to me under

the present constitution, and which I shall use without
fear or scruple, should it be necessary to do so for the
maintenance of public tranquillity—you have nobody to
blame for it but yourselves, for you have rejected, by a
majority of one, an arrangement which would have de-
termined the rights of all the constitutional powers, and
substituted for the will of the individual the peaceful
authority of the law. I cannot disguise from you that,
in my judgment, you have made a great mistake—
of which you will, in all probability, have ample time to
repent. As regards the press, you have retained a no-
minal liberty, upon which I have a most effectual check.
As regards the Senate, you have thrown away that moral
influence which an annual meeting of the Parliament
and a freer communication between the Senate and the
Assembly, could not have failed to create. To those who
have acted with me in honourably sustaining a plan
which I sincerely regarded as likely to prove useful to
the lonian people, and creditable to the protecting power,
I offer my cordial thanks. Those who have opposed it
—no matter from what motives—l leave to the judgment
of their countrymen, and of time."

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON'S OPINION OF THE
BATTLE OF WATERLoo.—The following anecdote may not
be generally known. Some of the Duke's guests were dis-
cussing the circumstances of the battle in his presence. It
was not his habit to take an active part in any conversation
referring to his own campaigns. But on this occasion the
arrival of Blucher, the absence of Grouchy, and other
similar topics, together with the antecedent probabilities as
to the issue of the great conflict, being freely talked of, the
Duke suddenly said, " If I had had the army which was
broken up at Bordeaux, the battle would not have lasted
for four hours." As the Duke was not given to boast, and
his judgment may be relied on, this forms an important
comment upon tb e engagement, about which so many theo-
ries and speculations have been offered.—British Army
Despatch.
MELANCHOLY SUICIDE.—Last evening Mr. Brent
held an inquest on Mrs. Anne Turner White, aged 37, wife
of Mr. White, schoolmaster, 4, Featherstone-buildings. It
appeared that deceased had been confined a fortnight ago,
and that soon after she was seized with puerperal fever,
followed by insanity. Mr. Clarke, her medical attendant,
ordered her to be well watched, and that all destructive
weapons should be removed from her reach. Every needful
precaution was therefore constantly adopted. Yet, about
four o'clock on Tuesday morning. she availed herself of the
nurse's temporary sleep, from fatigue, to get out of bed
before the nurse, who awoke at the instant, could prevent
her, and jumped out of the window. The unfortunate woman
was found impaled on the area spikes, which entered her
back and loins. Being released and carried into the
house, she was promptly attended by Mr. Clarke, but,
notwithstanding all his efforts to save lite, she died on Thurs-
day from the effects of the injuries she had received. Ver-
dict—"lnsanity."

M. T. B. MAcauray, M.P.—Contradictory state-
ments as to the health of this gentleman having appeared in
the Scotch and other papers, we are happy to be able to state
that the air of Clifton has proved most beneficial to him, and
that the Right Hon. Gentleman is now rapidly recovering
his accustomed health and strength.