The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-24 00:00:00

~-~'

RT, DUBLIN.

THE QUEEN V. THE ANGLO CELT NEWSPAPER.
This case (which arose out of the unfortunate occur.
rences that took place at the late election for the county
of Clare, when several persons were killed by the sol-
diers of the 31st Regiment) having been specially fixed
for hearing, the court was crowded at an early hour.
The Lord Chief Justice took his seat on the bench at
half-past 10 o'clock.
The Attorney-General, the Solicitor-General, Messrs.
Martley, Q.C., Hayes, Q.C., Thomas Graydon, and W.
D. Ferguson, appeared as counsel for the Crown.
Mr. Fitzgibbon, Q.C., Mr. M‘Donagh, Q.C., Mr.
O'Hagan, Q.C., and Mr. Dowse attended on the part of
Mr. Zachariah Wallace, the proprietor of the Anglo Celt.
When Mr. Swan, a juror, was about to be sworn.
Mr. Fitzgibbon asked him if he had expressed any
apinion on the case ?

The Solicitor-General objected to the question.
The Chief Justice said that perhaps he would save
some trouble by mentioning that he was disposed to
enter a remanet in this case, for the reason he would
state. The facts were these—the libel was sent to him
to read, but the pleas were not, and, having called for
them when he came down to chambers, he found that
the pleas of justification involved the question of the
guilt or innocence of the soldiers of the 31st Regiment ;
and, if such were the case, he would not go on with the
trial, lest it might prejudice these parties on their trial.
The Attorney-General stated that the pleas in ques-
tion were withdrawn.

Mr. Fitzgibbon said, that although some of the pleas
were withdrawn, still he could not conduct the case
without going into the question of the guilt or inno-
cence of the soldiers. He would be obliged to do so,

The Attorney-General contended that the Court
should proceed with the case, observing that he, as the
chief law officer of the Crown, was prepared to ,ake all
the responsibility of the step on himself.
' The Chief Justice then directed the jury to be sworn.
The jury having been accordingly sworn,
Mr. W. D. Ferguson opened the pleadings ; and
The Attorney-General proceeded to state the case.
The defendant, he said, was charged with libel, with
attempting to interfere with the impartial investigation
of an important case, and with calumniating military
gentlemen of the most spotless eharacter. The Crown
charged him 'with having, with falsehood and calumny,
libelled one of the most distinguished regiments in the
service ; and the circumstances under which it occurred
were these :—A most important inquest was going
on in the county of Clare, to inquire into an unfdr-
tunate occurrence that took place at the last Clare
election, and the libel for the publication of which
the Crown was then proceeding against Mr. Wallace-.
was, that, pending that inquest, and before the
evidence for the soldiers was gone into, this gentleman
published selected passages of the evidence against
them, charged a portion of the regiment with the crime of
deliberate murder, and falsely alleged that they had been
deprived of their colours for bad conduct. This was,
in fact, the substance of the charge, and the justification
which he (the Attorney-General) considered aggravated
the charge, was, that the soldiers, who were only engaged
in the discharge of a public duty, and were obliged to fire
in self defence, were guilty of the crime he imputed to
them. An attempt was made to prevent him (the Attor-
ney-General) ' discharging his duty, but he was not to be
impeded in the faithful discharge of any public duty im-
posed on him, and while he filled any public post he
would act on the same principle. The learned gentle-
man then proceeded to state the facts of the unfortunate
transactions that occurred at Six-mile-bridge, which the
public are so familiar with, from the proceedings that took
place at the inquest, and also from the motion in the
Court of Queen's Bench to quash the inquisition, and
then went on to refer to the libel complained of. He
said that, the soldiers of the 31st having been charged
with the murder of several persons who were killed,
while the inquest was pending the defendant, upon an
ex parte and garbled publication of evidence, and before
the officers of the regiment were examined, alleged that
the crime of murder was complete, and that not only
were those men guilty of assassination, but the entire
regiment was a body of cowards, who were deprived of
their colours for bad conduct and cowardice.

A great number of witnesses were examined for the
prosecution, the Crown closing by putting in evidence
an attested copy of the coroner's inquisition ; after which
the Court adjourned to 10 o'clock this morning, when
the case for the defence will be opened. The nature of
the evidence given yesterday was in substance a mere
repetition of the facts connected with the occurrences at
Six-mile-bridge, which are already so familiar to the
public.

BURGLARY AND ROBBERY OF 7001.—CAPTURE OF ONE
OF THE BURGLARS AND NEARLY 2001. IN LEEDS.—Be-
tween two and three o'clock on Tuesday morning week,
five men, with shirts over their clothes, broke into the
dwelling-house of Mr. George Stephenson, farmer, near
Ponteland, a village about seven miles north-west from
Newcastle, on the road to Scotland, by Otterburn. Mr.
Stephenson is an elderly man, unmarried, and the only
persons residing with him were his housekeeper and an-
other female servant, who slept together. The men
having made their way to the bedroom of Mr. Stephen.
son, demanded his keys, and threatened him with
violence if he should make any resistance. Two of
the men then proceeded to ransack ':the house, while
the other three kept the inmates from making any
alarm. In a chest of drawers the robbers found
between 6001. and 7001., consisting of Newcastle
Branch Bank of England, one Scotch, and other
notes, about 40 sovereigns, and three old guineas,
with which they decamped, together with a silver
watch and single-barrelled gun. Mr. Stephenson fol-
lowed the men after they had left the house, but soon
lost sight of them on the road leading towards New-
castle. About seven o'clock on Friday evening last,
Sub-Inspector Senior, of the Leeds police, received
information that a man, evidently a stranger to Leeds,
was at the Lamb Inn, Timblebridge, and was employing
persons to obtain change for 51. Bank of England notes,
of which he had about 40 in his possession, together
with a brace of loaded pistols and a dagger. Senior
called to his aid policemen Hales and Buckle, and pro-
ceeded to the Lamb Inn, where they found the man
indicated in an upstairs room, with a number of soldiers.
Senior's entrance attracted the notice of the4nan, and he
at once thrust his hands into his pocket. Guessing his
intentions, the officers rushed upon him, and a despe-
rate struggle ensued, the man being in the end secured.
He gave his name John Gray, and is a middle-aged,
powerful man, dressed like an operative or better sert of
agricultural labourer. He was searched, and in his
pockets were found a pair of pistols, heavily loaded with
powder and shot, and capped. In another pocket was
found a dagger and stiletto. Having been disarmed a quan-
tity of gold was taken from him, and the landlady handed
to the officers 33 5/. notes, which Gray had placed
in her care. These notes were almost exclusively Bank
of England, Newcastle branch, but one was a Scotch
note. Gray was taken to the police-office, and brought
before the sitting magistrates on Saturday, where he
was defended by Mr. Ferns, who stated that the prison-
er's explanation was, that he had received the notes as a
legacy from a brother in America, and was going to
Australia, for which purpose he had provided the pis-
tols. The prisoner who was proved to have obtained
change for three Si. notes, by sending out fir trifling ar-
ticles, was remanded till Monday. On that day an
officer from Newcastle attended, and desired to take the
prisoner to that town, but as he could not speak to the
identity of the notes lost by Mr. Stephenson, and those
found on the prisoner, the request was refused, and the
prisoner again remanded. On Tuesday, Mr. Stephen-
son and another Newcastle officer arrived in Leeds, and
though Mr. Stephenson could not identify the prisoner,
yet he gave such evidence with regard to the notes that
the prisoner was given up, and conveyed to Newcastle
the same night. Mr. Stephenson, who had offered a re-
ward of 50/. for the apprehension of the burglars, stated
that one of his servants would be able to swear to the
prisoner as one of the burglars.
THE EARTHQUAKE AT MANILLA.—We have been fa-
voured, says the Cork Constitution, with the following
particulars respecting the earthquake at Manilla. The
letter from Manilla is dated Oct. Bth and 12th :—On the
16th of last month a most fearful earthquake was experi-
enced here. The first and most severe shock was felt
about half-past six in the evening. I was in company
with two young Spanish ladies. We were sitting in the
front of the window looking into the bay, and everything
was very pleasant and happy, when I was suddenly
startled by seeing the two young ladies spring up, ex-
claiming " Trunblon, 'frunblon," and immediately rush-
ing to the door. At the moment I did not feel the vibra.
tion, but in a second or two everything began to shake
to such an' extent as almost prevented us from
standing. I hurried them quickly into the street,
where they immediately fell on their knees, pray.
ing and crying piteously. It was a moment of severe
could
trial ; the earth was all rolling under us, and
hear the houses creaking all around. The shock
continued for about three minutes, but during that time
all the horrors of uncertainty presented themselves from
the fact that we did not know where to flee for safety.
may
open house may tumble and crush us ; the earth •
open and close upon us ; such was, I believe, the generaL
feeling. From the first shock till about eleven o'clock at
night, we had a repetition of shocks more or less strong
than the first ; and I am fully persuaded that had a
second occurred equal in strength, the half of Manilla
would have been in ruins. The roofs of the two princi-
pal churches fell in with a fearful crash, carrying with
them the walls and several houses near. As yet we have
heard of only four or five lives being lost. In my
opinion the cause of the earthquake was the fact of the
volcano of Taal being closed for the last hundr ed
years ; but since the earthquake we were all again
startled by a loud report, like that of artillery, but
which proved 'to be the opening of the crater of that
mountain, which has since been in active operation, and
I have hope that we will not have a revival of the earth-
quakes, and that I may never again experience such
dreadful feelings. At one place. about 20 miles from
Manila, the earth opened several hundred feet in length,
and about 18 inches wide, and threw up a considerabl
quantity of fine black sand, such as had never before been
seen in the neighbourhood, which covered the ground to
a great extent. What the nature of the sand is, I can-
not yet say, not having seen any, but I shall endeavour
to send you some of it. Vessels coming to Manilla ex-
perienced the shock at sea, as if they had struck on a
coral reef. A brig of ours let go her anchor in dee p
water, and lost it, imagining she was on a reef. The
shocks felt at sea were from 80 to 100 miles from Ma-
nilla, but not more than 10 or 15 from the main of Lu-
zonia. On the 12th of October (this morning) we had
another sharp shock at about half-past five o'clock. I
was awakened by my bedstead violently shaking under
me, and quickly dressed, and got out of the house. It
lasted but a few minutes.
BIRMINGHAM MUSICAL FESTIVAL.—The gross receipts
at the last of this, the greatest of our provincial music
meetings, have just been declared to be 11,925/. Bs. 9d. ;
the expenses were 7,220/. 165.; leaving a balance of 4,704/.
12s. 9d. to be handed over to the charitable institutions, on
behalf of which the festival was instituted.