The Sun.
London, England, 1837-09-27 00:00:00

" TO THE EDITOR OF SAUNDERS' NEWS-LETTER.

" Sir,—Allow me. to beg you will have the kindness to
call the attention of the people of England, and the Protes-
tant part of the community of this country, to the following
specimen of the sort of civilization and security for life which
her Majesty's Protestant Biblical subjects enjoy at this
morneut.
" On Sunday last, four ladies, two children, and my son,
about the age of eighteen, were proceeding, about a quar-
ter to twelve, along the banks of the Grand Canal, to their
parish church, St. James's. and as they approached tbe
stores opposite Newport-street, and where the canal is
deepest (being at least six or seven feet perpendicular at the
very brink), they had to walk in single file to avoid the dirt
in the centre of the street, and to keep on the raised bank
along the edge of the water. It was then that my daugh-
ter, about fifteen years of age, was precipitated instantane-
ously into the water, by a demon in human form, about her
own age, who had advanced from the opposite side of the
street for this hellish purpose, exclaiming in her ear,
with the scowl 'of Satan, Go to , you Swaddler
and your Bible,' she having a Bible and prayer-book
under her arm at +he time. Her brother, hearing the
splash only, as he was in front, and perceiving as he turned
round his sister's boa only on the surface, with that presence
of mind, which God alone can give to those who confide in
him and his word, without taking any portion of his clothes
off, or hesitating a single second, leaped into the midst of
the canal, and rescued, with the aid of Providence, his de-
voted sister from instantaneous death ! Were it not for
the medical attention she received afterwards, from kind
friends, her ultimate recovery would be extremely doubtful.
" We may speak of the savages of New Zealand, and
the bipeds who maltreated Mrs. Frazer and her friends on
the coast of New South Wales—we may 101 l in security
whilst the thunder is at a distance, and smile at its effects ;
but here is a fact brought home to our own doors—a fact
the atrocity of which, and the fiendish spirit which influ-
enced the actor, can hardly be paralleled in any country or
clime.

" As a father, influenced by paternal feelings, I call upon
the friends of humanity, the friends of religion, of what-
ever sect, or party they may be, to form, if they can, even
by conjecture, the deplorable state of distraction of mind
which her mother and I must have been thrown into,
when the first tidings of this sad transaction reached us, by
our son rushing into the house with his clothes all wet, and
at the same time mentioning that he had just taken his
sister out of the canal.' One of the ladies called to the
crowd to take the Bible out of the water—she was answered
only by one of the men present exclaiming Damn the
Bible.' I remain, Sir,
" Your most obedient humble servant,
" J. O'REILY.

" Dolphin's-barn, Dublin, Sept. 19, 1837."
After the case had proceeded to a certain stage, on a de-
mand being made by Mr. Sprat, that the young lady her-
self should be sworn,
The Magistrate said the young lady has been privately
examined at what may be called an ex-parte investigation ;
and she has satisfied our mind that she has been thrown
into it ; but she would not be able to identify the person
who did it.

Mr. Spratt—lt would be more important that she should
satisfy the public mind ; there is not a doubt but the thing
was a mere accident.

Magistrate—So it is asserted ; and I believe the re-
gular way is to prove so if 3 ou can.
Mr. Spratt—We will prove it so ; the thing is a base
fabrication. If it occurred, why not tell the ' police, in-
stead of inserting it in a newspaper in four days after?
Mr. Browne—When was it first reported at this office ?
Magistrate—I believe not till the publication ap-
peared in the newspaper.
Subsequently Eliza O'Reily, the lady in question, was
examined—She was a thin, sallow-faced, diminutive girl,
about sixteen ; she deposed that she was in the habit of
attending and teaching at the Sunday school ; was there
on last Sunday ; was going afterwards to church with
her friends ; was a little way behind, when she met a
man about forty years of age ; he said, " there you go,
you Swaddler ;" was much frightened, and walked on fast
after her friends ; when she got down to Newport-street,
she saw two boys ; one of them had a dark coat, corduroy
trousers, a cap, with fur on it, and the fur torn just
here, on the left side (here the witness put her hand up
to her ear); he came running over to her, and said, " oh,
you Swadler, with your Bible," and on saying it he put
his two hands to her shoulder, and pushed her off into the
canal ; of course she could not remember anything further.
At the conclusion of the case the magistrates said they
were anxious to know if the gentlemen who caused the in-
vestigation wished to have their opinion.
Mr. Spratt said they would not press for any opinion
from the bench ; what they wanted was the facts to go
before the public ; and in his opinion the most favourable
construction that could be put on the case was that it ori-
ginated in the imagination of a girl that was frightened ;
he and the gentlemen with him did their duty, and they
were perfectly satisfied with the result.
Alderman Studdart said that there could be no doubt
but the lady was thrown in, and that her father was ac-
tuated by parental feelings in putting the case before the
public.
Mr. Browne said he thought it would be better that no
one gave any opinion about the matter, but leave the public
to judge ; but he would ask, why was a statement put
forward about cursing the Bible. There was no evidence
with regard to that part of the case at all.
The parties then all left the office.
Ma. O'CONNELL AND lIIS CALUMNIATORS.—The Pilot,
in au article condemnatory of the clemency of the Irish
Government towards the Orange stipendiary Vignoles, has
the following remarks, in relation to the sanguinary speech
falsely and flagitiously reported to have been delivered by
Mr. O'Connell at Carlow :—" The Mad now asserts that
the Government had been sent an official report of a speech
of Mr. O'Connell's in Carlow, which he never spoke, but
which, it i 3 admitted, the said Vignoles furnished his version
of to a Tory Member, to be used against the Government
under which he acted, from which he got favours, and
which has since extended mercy to him. From whom did
the Tfail learn this fact, if fact it be ? Evidently from the
grateful functionary himself, emboldened, not conciliated,
by the mercy shown to him. What is the use he has got
made of this statement ? His publishers, the Mill, bring
the charge against the Lord Lieutenant, that, forsooth,
O'Connell dined with him while he was possessed of this
official accusation. Suppose the said Vignoles did snake
such a charge officially, what was the part proper for the
Lord Lieutenant to have taken ? He had invited Mr.
O'Connell to dine. Had he a right to believe a person he
thought worthy of his society capable of such a speech
without proof ? Had he not a right to account any man
innocent until proved guilty ? Surely, there is not even

,elO-11 eet,,;‘;el o; Tory law as that accl)set
cmiviction ? There eras', too, such ei eii;:ure) ti.e
face of the expressions attributed—who could believe
them ? " You must shed blood ; and I say this, that blood
may not be shed," is arrant nonsense. Yet such was the
speech falsely attributed by this trustworthy and veracious
official to a man, of whom, whatever may be said of him, is
not often accused of talking nonsense." •
Mr. O'Connell used no such expressions, and the person
who reported them must have wilfully fabricated. We
were within one or two of Mr. O'Connell on the occasion.
Mr. O'Connell and all those about him knew perfectly well
Mr Vokes was in the room. It was the subject of con-
versation previous to the speech. There was no probability,
therefore, that a man who wished to convey what Mr.
Vignoles imputed, would have said it was the perfect know-
ledge that a Tory official was in the room. But he said, in
fact, the direct reverse in words and meaning—if the Vig-
noles version can be said to mean anything which is a con-
tradiction. Mr. O'Connell said in substance that " Irish-
men had often been injured,' and had borne it. But in-
sults were harder to bear than injuries, an d therefore it was
that having been insulted' by the alien speech, if justice
were not done to Ireland he feared be could not restrain
men so insulted, and that blood would be shed ; and as he
always deprecated that, to prevent blood being shed he
called upon Irishmen to animate themselves to procure
justice." This was the substance of what Mr. O'Connell
said, and not the Vignoles absurdity about invoking the
shedding of blood that blood may not be shed.
The case can now be brought to the test. The .2Wail ha's
declared in effect, that Mr. Vignoles reported to the Go-
vernment the absurd speech ascribed to Mr. O'Connell.
Let him he required to substantiate it, and let e itnesses be
called. He will be proved by reporters who took down
Mr. O'Connell's real words, and hundreds of others—a
slanderer ; and if he did report such words to the Govern-
ment, he was a deceiver, and unworthy of further trust.
Either Mr. O'Connell said the words, and deserves punish-
ment at least for nonsense, if not sedition ; or else Vokes
is a slanderer of the man, and a betrayer of his office. Let
the case be tried—and then, if Vignoles be proved a fabri-
cator, which we pledge ourselves he will, then let him be
dismissed, and we venture to predict there would be less
insolence shown under that dismissal than under the present
half measure. If, added to that Mr. Gleeson's case was
reconsidered, and that he who refused to aid the man " too
ready to resort to force" was estimated as he ought to be—
es a functionary who saved the shedding of blood, and, per-
haps, the tainting of the election—by viewing the conduct
of Vignoles on the instant, as the Government afterwards
did by its censure, there would be nothing wanting then to
the justice administered in the case—and we predict that
vigorous justice would be followed by the submission of the
party now emboldened by inadequate punishment to its
minion, and by the sacrifice of a meritorious officer to ap-
pease its vengeance.

LAW APPOINTMENT.-Mr. Power, the eminent soli-
citor and tried patriot, of Carrick-on-Suir, is appointed Fi-
lacer of the Law Exchequer ; the salary 8001. a year. This
appointment is in every way up to the mark, will encourage
honest men, and inspire confidence in a Government which
is found worth while to defend.

The Rev. R. J. M‘Ghee.has published a couple of cpis-
tles, the upshot of which consists in this, that he will not
meet the Rev. Thos. Maguire in the controversy about cer-
tain portions of Dens' book on Theology.
The Athlone Centinel states that John O'Connell, Esq.
M.P., has returned from France, and that the projected en-
tertainment to him and his illustrious father will take place
early next month.
The proposition of Ireland's most gifted and eloquent son,
to invite the Sovereign to visit this interesting portion of
her dominions, will be responded to by grateful and loyal
millions in a spirit worthy the incomparable purity of Erin's
daughters, the exalted virtue of her matrons, and prover-
bial chivalry of her sons. In the glorious language of the
sing-le-minded Boyse, " her Majesty will come, where she
will hear in the plaudits, and read in the eyes of an admi-
ring people, the enthusiasm of their allegiance, where the
affection, and devotedness, and the hearts and hands of free-
smiled men will be all the ramparts round her."—Wexford
Independent.