The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-17 00:00:00

BUENOS AYRES.

Letters from Buenos AYre;,lst December,
state that the negotiation for a settlement of dif-
ferences between the Government and General
Urquiza had failed, and that the sword must settle
the question. An army, which would shortly
amount to 8,000 men, probably under the command
of General Paz, was then assembling at San Nicolas ;
and as the Government were strong in the material
for war, it was expected to be of short duration.
From Monte Video we learn that everything was
tranquil. The President was on a tour in the pro-
vinces, where he was well received.

THE SHEFFIELD MURDER.

EXECUTION OF BARBOUR.

On Friday morning a communication was received by
the authorities at York Castle from the Home-office, in-
timating that the result of the further investigation into
tthe case of James Barbour, at Sheffield, on Wednes-
day, was such as to preclude Lord Palmerston from ad-
vising any interference on tho part of the Crown with
the sentence of the law, which was, therefore, directed
to be carried into effect at the expiration of the respite
for seven days, received on the 7th instant. The fact
that such instructions had been received was communi-
cated to Barbour, but the intimation produced no visible
effect upon him. The letter was read to him, but he
said nothing, and maintained his wonted sullenness and
obduracy.

At about seven o'clock on Saturday morning Barbour
was removed from the condemned cell to a room on the
opposite side of the Castle-yard, and adjoining to the
scaffold, in the fixing of which workmen had then been
employed for nearly three hours. When it was inti-
mated to him that he must be so removed he evinced a
perfect readiness, rather an anxiety than otherwise, to
leave the condemned cell, and to be taken nearer to the
scene of his final and fatal doom.

The chaplain had an interview with the culprit at ten
o'clock, when he told the rev. gentleman that he felt
very much distressed on account of his parents. He
said, "They will feel my death very much." The chap-
ain replied, "Yes, no doubt they will ; but it would be
a great satisfaction to them provided they knew that you
died truly penitent, and had confessed your sins." Bar-
bour said, " Will you write to my parents ?" The chap-
lain answered in the affirmative, and Barbour then said,
" Well, then, sir, I am guilty ! and nobody had any-
thing to do with the murder but myself !" The con-
demned prisoner then intimated that he felt very much
relieved in his mind, and expressed a wish to receive the
sacrament, which was administered to him by the chap-
lain, and from that time forward up to the last moment
be continued to pray.
After Barbour had received the sacrament he was
handed over to the officers whose duty it was to perform
the operation of pinioning, whereupon all his fortitude
left him ; he became most dreadful nervous and agitated,
and this great change in his demeanour increased more
and more, until at twelve o'clock he was conducted to
the scaffold, when he became perfectly terrified, being
only able to ejaculate in trembling accents the sentence,
"Lord have mercy upon me !" which he repeated many
times. The sufferings of the wretched creature seemed
to be of brief duration.

The body of the culprit, as usual, remained suspended
until one o'clock, when it was cut down, and in the after
part of 4 the day interred in the burial ground of the pri-
son, adjoining the condemned cell. Barbour will be
interred in the same grave which was dug for Wadding-
ton last week.

THE MADIAIS.

( Front the Morning Herald.)

Some of our friends may, not unreasonably,
have thought us rather backward in the expression
of a natural indignation at the. supposed death of
Francesco Madiai. We have alluded but once to
the subject, and then only hypothetically. , The
truth is, that from the first we entertained a de-
gree of doubt as to the fact. We knew, indeed,
that poor Madiai was in a weak state of health, and
that there was no innate improbability in the story.
But the rumour reached England in a manner not
carrying with it much assurance. A single Paris
journal professed to have seen in a single Turin
journal a statement of Madiai's death. Beyond this
brief newspaper paragraph of three lines, coming,
too, not from Tuscany, the scene of the transaction,
but from Piedmont—beyond this one statement we
had not a single word. Since the rumour first
reached us we have watched every post with the
greatest anxiety, but we have watched in vain.
Neither from France, nor Italy, nor Switzerland has
a single syllable touching Francesco Madia, reached
us for five days past. At last on Saturday we
were favoured with the sight of a letter, dated
" Nice, Jan. 8," which virtually demolishes the
whole story. The writer, an English clergyman,
says

" I have a letter from Florence last night, giving
most comfortable particulars of the continued support
and happiness of the sufferers. The Swiss Minister had
just returned from a visit to them. He says he never
witnessed such a blessed scene. Francesco, though too
ill to read, says his days pass happily in communion
with his Saviour.

" Arrests continue, and the state of things is very
fearful. It is stated that the Grand Duke intends a
commutation of the sentence, but no one knows when."
We apprehend that, with this evidence before us,
the idea of the death of Francesco, as stated on the
3d, must be entirely abandoned.
So much the better for the Court of Tuscany ;
for, assuredly, there was the near prospect of such
a storm, not in England only, but throughout Pro-
testant Christendom, as would have shaken this
petty but bigoted power to its very foundations.
Yet, although the crime is not now presented to
us in such hideous colours—although a man of
middle age has not actually perished in a dungeon
for the crime of reading the Scriptures, can any
one, on consideration, say that the real guilt of the
Tuscan Government is lessened by the mere fact
that Francesco is still alive ?
But Francesco and Rosa are known to be in
such weak health that their imprisonment en-
dangers their lives. The rumour, which now
proves to be untrue, was so readily credited chiefly
because all who knew them felt their existence to
be matter of doubt and fear from day to day. All
who were concerned in the matter knew this. The
Grand Duke himself—his own female relatives, who
have visited Rosa in prison—the priests, the public
functionaries—all these knew that they were en-
dangering the lives of their prisoners by keeping
them immured in their present weak state of health.
Surely, then, it makes little difference in the moral
guilt of their conduct, that the event which they
knew to be so probable has not yet actually taken
place, but that their victims are still alive, still
suffering the living death to which they have de-
liberately consigned them.
We believe that Englishmen generally are grow-
ing impatient of the longer continuance of this
enormity. For several months their patience has
been kept alive by constant promises and predic-
tions, that the release of the prisoners was near at
hand. And still, we perceive, the same game is
kept up, and an " intention" is talked of, on the
part of the Grand Duke, to grant them some
remission of the punishment, soon. It is nearly
three months since the English deputation visited
Florence, and that deputation was then told, that
a relaxation of the sentence might soon be expected.
Now, with prisoners guilty of atrocious crimes, or
possessing the courage and strength of youth, all
this delay might be tolerable. But so intrinsically
unjust is the whole proceeding against the Madiais,
and so entirely free are they from moral guilt, that
the stupid and tedious pertinacity of their persecu-
tors, with a knowledge of the danger which this
pertinacity involves, is creating a feeling, in British
bosoms, which will soon break forth into some kind
of menacing action.
We are assured that the London Protestant
Alliance, in summoning a public meeting, to be
held in Exeter-hall on the 25th, has, instead of
promoting agitation, rather repressed and kept it
down. For several weeks past loud calls have
been made upon them for some public demonstra-
tion. London, it has been said, instead of being
foremost as usual, has lagged behind in this matter.
As many as nine or ten large meetings to protest
against the unjust sufferings of the Madiais have
already been held in various provincial towns.
Bristol, Brighton, Birmingham, are all in the field.
Why does the metropolis hang back ? Thus urged,
the resolution has been at last adopted ; and on
Tuesday in next week a great assemblage may be
' anticipated, over which the Lord Mayor has con-
sented to preside.
In another point of view it is high time that this
step should be taken. The people, generally somuch
alive to cases of oppression, have, in the present
instance, been slower than their rulers. Our readers
will doubtless understand to what we allude. They
have already heard, we are well assured, that more
than one crowned head has shown solicitude in this
matter, and that the Grand Duke of Tuscany, in
his course of senseless cruelty, has not only out-
raged the feelings of humanity which dwell in the
breasts of millions, but has also disregaidell ihose:
courtesies of high society which in some :. in,
prove a substitute for deeper and noble; Jr iric Ptise
As matters stand, princes have done dap ' ilk
persecuted Florentines than the peoplet*
,`,.ii :iyxkfie. '
time that the millions began to take their pal,lrt- in
this great controversy.

ENGLISH ARTISTES IN PARIS.—Among the number
of foreign artistes now assembled in Paris when the
musical season is just commencing, none seem to have
been heard with more favour than our couniryman Mr.
Binfield, and his accomplished little party whose per-
formances are thus described in a Parisian journal,
which will be seen alro pays a just compliment to the
progress of musical art in England :—"The soirees of
the past busy week have brought a new feature into
our musical entertainments, iatroduced by Messrs. Bin-
field from London, who, now here on a pleasure trip.
have been induced to give a few performances, and,
judging from the enjoyment it evidently afforded a
large envie comprising several of the most noted of
our conescenti, promises to take root in Bans. It con-
sists of a chamber—or family concert, the executants
being all members of Mr. B.'s own family—a family
of musicians really meriting that designation, who,
under the direction of their father, an accomplished
artiste, perform the works of the first masters with a
facility and finish that give a flowing ease to their
performances quite charming to listen to. The pro-
gramme on the evening we were present, comprised
selections from Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and
Rossini. the arrangements and accompaniments combined
with truly musician-like skill, giving the little orchestra
surprising richness and effect. The performers are six ;
the instruments two harps, two pianos, a violoncello, and
lastly a concertina, the capabilities and powers of which
weare clearly yet strangers to in Paris, but which, with
the improvements introduced by Wheatstone, is surely
one of the most wonderful little instruments for morceaux
d'ensemble ever invented. Its effect also in one of the
Irish melodies introduced singly by Miss Binfield was
admirable. Four of the party are soloists, all of whom
display masterly skill, and both in their separate per-
formances as in the concerted morceaux, we have rarely
found executants render so completly the colour,
style, and expression of eaeh composer. We may
particularly refer to Bach's Fugue, by Mr. W. R.
Binfield on the piano, as an instance of this consci-
entious homage to the intentions of the great old mas-
ters—it was perfect. We would add that, for the taste
of Paris, a little more of the Italian school, and perhaps
some selections from the French, would be useful to
alternate with the more classic excerpts of their pro-
gramme, the taste of London being in this respect un-
questionably very far in advance of Paris ; except, of
course, among real lovers of the art."

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, JANUARY 171 1853.