The Sun.
London, England, 1836-11-12 00:00:00

heavy affliction under which the Hon. and Learned
Member for Kilkenny now labours, would have wholly
disarmed, or, at any rate, mitigated the bitterness of
political animosity ; that when the object of enmity lay
prostrate and defenceless under the chastening visita-
tion of Providence, the uplifted' dagger would have
been suspended ; but Mr. MACDONNELL, loftily su-
perior to every touch of humanity, stoically regard-
less of every generous emotion, has taught us that
then is the time to plunge the weapon deep into the
heart's core. This gentleman was once the friend
of Mr. O'CONNELL. They had carried on the
struggle for Emancipation together ; each had wit-
nessed and encouraged the efforts of the other
to benefit their common country ; each taken his
share in the perils of a perilous season ; and these
recollections, we should have supposed, would have
been uppermost in Mr. MACDONNELL'S mind at
a period like the present. " Auld lang sync" is a
strong plea, and rarely fails to reaeh the generous
heart. But here it would seem to be utterly power-
less. No " compunctious visitings" of nature touch
the:singularly constituted ENEAS ; no softening memo-
ries of the past " disturb his soul with pity ;" he allows
of no pause in his hostility ; he sees—he bears in
mind only that Mr. O'CONNELL is sore afflicted in
spirit ; and that this therefore is precisely the time to
make his blow tell. When JOHNSON praised a certain in-
dividual for being a " good hater," he meant to say, that
he hated like a man, not like a fiend ; had he sup-
posed him capable of venting his rancour, MACDON-
NELL fashion, he would have held him in disgust and
horror. We trust the pious ENEAS will give us no
more of his du 11, disgusting malignity. He has al-
ready convinced us that he is a bore of the first water;
and having now convinced us, in addition, that his
heart is on a par with his head, we can dispense with the
exhibition of any further qualifications.

We beg to direct the attention of the Spanish Fund-
holders to the declaration of the Spanish Ambassador
at Paris respecting the debt, which we have copied
into another part of The Sun. It appeared in the offi-
cial part of the Moniteur of Thursday.

We beg leave to direct attention to the intelligence
which will be found in another column, under the head
" Ireland." The demand upon the banks for gold—
and Mr. O'LournEN's reported refusal to accept the
Puisne Judgeship— possess a more than ordinary de-
gree of interest.

CHANCERY COURT.-(THIS DAY.)

SENDING THREATENING LETTERS TO A.,
MASTER IN CHANCERY.
IN THE MATTER OF THE LUDLOW CHARITY.

Mr. MAuLE, of the Common Law Bar, upon his Lord-
ship taking his seat, requested permission to mention the
case of the Ludlow Charity, in which our readers will re-
collect a letter had been sent from a gentleman at the Bar
to Master Brougham, containing insinuations and threats, for
the purpose of inducing the Master to come to a dif-
ferent decision from that which he had been sup-
posed to have done. The Learned Counsel stated that
his Lordship had directed a communication to be made to
the Solicitors and Town Council of Ludlow, relative to a

letter which had been written by a gentleman at tine Bar

to a Master of this Court. The Town Council understand
that that communication was intended by your Lordship to
require an answer from them, and they think it
most respectful to return that answer to your Lord-
ship in Court by their Counsel. Upon receiving
that letter, of which a copy was contained in that
communication, the first object of the Town-council
was to inquire whether it was really written by the
gentleman by whom it purports to be written. It turns out
that it was actually written by him, and that being so, the

Town Council then consulted their Counsel, the Learned
Recorder and myself, whether they would institute any
proceedings on the subject. Undoubtedly the letter does
contain some scandalous imputations against the Town
Council and against the gentlemen who have acted as their
legal advisers, imputations which will form the ground of
proceedings either here or elsewhere on the part of the
Town Council ; but when they look at the letter in its more
important aspect, they consider that any private ground of
complaint which they have is altogether merged in public
consideration, for the letter unquestionably amounts to a
gross insult to a high judicial officer in the exercise of his
duty, and an attempt to impede the proper course
of justice. It unquestionably is a case of great pub-
lic concern. It is one, however, in which the Town
Council have no private interest, any more than the rest of
the public. They are disposed, therefore, to waive all con-
siderations relating personally to themselves, and not to in-
stitute, either here or elsewhere, any proceeding against the
gentleman in question ; and they are the rather disposed to
do that, because they consider that the proper course has
already been initiated by the learned person to whom the
letter was addressed having placed it in your Lordship's
hands ; and they are well satisfied that your Lordship's
wisdom and justice will be able to discern and execute
whatever the interests of the public require to be done in
this most important case, and that your Lordship will be
able to do whatever may be necessary to prevent in future
such an attempt to impede the course of justice, and vindi-
cate the offended dignity of the Court.
The LORD CHANCELLOR—I thought it right, as the
letter which I mentioned in Court on Monday last, not only
affected the general administration of justice, but affecting
particularly those who are parties litigant in the proceed-
ings before the Master, which gave rise to this letter, that
they should in the first instance be informed of what had
taken place, it being a part—a small part, indeed, considering
the terms in which this letter is couched—but it being a
part of the offence to endeavour in any way to communicate
with a Judge, or any one exercising judicial functions, in'
the absence or behind the back of the parties litigant.
From the parties to whom I directed that communication
to be made I have now received the answer from the Bar ;
one other party, to whom similar communications were
made, have, through my officer, just put into my hands a
letter, in which he states that he has not yet received any
instruction from Mr. Morris, of Ludlow, as to any proceed-
ing which they nay or may not think proper to take, in
consequence of this letter. It would, therefore, be incon-
sistent with the course I prescribed to myself on Monday
last, until that communication has been made to me, to
adopt any course which it may be my duty hereafter to
take, if parties exercising the same discretion which
has been exercised in this case, which has already
been represented by Counsel to me, leaving the matter
finally in my hands, if I did anything at the present
moment. I am, therefore, under the necessity of post-
poning the matter till Tuesday next, by which time
I shall desire that I may be at all events furnished with
an answer to the communication I have directed to be
made. A case not very dissimilar from the present, at
least raising the principle undoubtedly upon which I should
feel myself authorised to act, occurred in the time of my
Lord Hardwicke. In that instance a letter was sent by a
party litigant to his Lordship, inclosing a 20/. bank note.
The course his Lordship took was to make an order nisi,
calling upon the party who appeared to be the writer of
that letter to show cause why he should not be committed
for a contempt. That was the mode in which Lord Hard-
wicke brought the subject under the jurisdiction of
the Court. There can be no difficulty, therefore, in
point of form or precedent, in bringing this matter
under the cognizance of the Court, so as to enable me to
deal with it as for a contempt. But I have serious doubts
whether, considering the magnitude of this offence, that
will be an adequate protection for the future to those who
are parties litigant in courts of justice. My present impres-
sion, however, is, that it will be my duty to put this into a
course of investigation under the criminal jurisdiction of
the county ; and the only doubt I have as to the propriety
of doing so is,that I have duties to perform, not only to hold
'out to parties in future the criminality of proceeding to
endeavour to influence persons entrusted with the•
administration of justice—but also to ensure the due
prosecution of proceeding before the Master. Whether
that will be attained by putting this letter into the hands of
the Attorney-General, or whether it may not be necessary
for me to adopt other proceedings for the purpose of pre-
venting the interruption of the administration of justice in
this particular case, which this letter is calculated to pro-
duce, I shall take into consideration between this and Tues-
day next, on which day I shall finally dispose of the case.
His Lordship rose at two o'clock to attend the selection
of Sheriffs in the Court of Exchequer.

ROLLS' COURT.-(THIS DAY.)

VERNON V. VERNON.

This case came on upon demurrer. The bill was filed
by Mr. Justinian Vernon against John Vernon, his father,
and Messrs. Frazer and Co., merchants. Frazer and Co.
were charged with an estate in the island of St. Vincent,
called Mustique. The owner of the plantation was a gen-
tleman of the name of Punnett. Frazer and Co. lodged
a claim for the compensation money awarded in respect of
the slaves upon the estate, and a counter claim was lodged
by the plaintiff, Mr. Vernon, and the defendant, John Ver-