The Sun.
London, England, 1825-02-21 00:00:00

say, " Here are grievous complaints made, and here is a Judge
suspended from his office; there must be something improper
here." He was therefore compelled to come before their Lord-
ships to vindicate his character to the world ; and not only his
own character, but also, that of a young gentleman .whom
he had taken out with him- as his secretary, the son of Mr.
Basil Montagu, a highly honourable and distinguished mem-
ber of the bar. As that young gentleman had-always con-
ducted himsellivith undeviating propriety; Mr. Sergeant Rough
did himself honour by stepping fotward to protect him against
the unjust and groundless attack by which he, as well as him-
self, had been assailed. Upon examining the complaints which
had been made, they all fell to the ground.- As to the charge
of taxation of costs being. prevented, that was unfounded, for
there was no cause then ripe for taxation. Where, then, was
the ground for hasty proceeding ? The ground of complaint
alleged by General Murray was the publication of two noti-
fications of Mr. Sergeant Rough's in the Royal Gazette.
General Murray treated this as an encroachment on the exe-
cutive power, and therefore suspended Mr. Sergeant Rough
from his office of President. The notifications in question
were those which had been posted upon the walls of the Court,
apprizing the public of the temporary suspension of the sit..
tings. The Guiana Chronicle, the author of all the slanders,
published a version of their own of these notifications, and
grossly misrepresented them. To meet this new libel, Mr. Ser-
geant Rough, without alluding to it, sent correct copies to the
Royal Gazelle, and this was considered by Governor Murray as
an encroachment of the executive. Now the Royal Gazelle was
under his own immediate censorship ; every article in it was
submitted to his inspection before it appeared ; he, neverthe-
less, permitted these notifications to be published, and then
turned round upon 31r. Sergeant Rough, and said, " You have
encroached upon my Royal Prerogative, you shall therefore be
turned out of your office and go home to England." These
were the plain facts that appeared upon the face of the papers
themselves. What, then, was the short history of the whole
transaction? A storm was raised against an individual of high
judicial rank, and because General 31urray had not- thought
proper to comply with the directions he bad received from Eng-
laad, by entering into an inquiry with him respecting the fees
—because he had made an. anonymous letter the ground of a
.public proceeding—because he had suffered and encouraged
a series of libels to be circulated—because the President's
colleagues having resigned in consequence of these libels
being thus sanctioned by the Government, the sittings of
the Court of Justice were thereby necessarily suspended—
because such suspension was notified upon the walls of the
Court—and, in fine, because that notification, being untruly
stated in one paper, was truly stated in another, and that
other was the Royal Gazette, which being retised by the
Governor himself, this publication was in fact •his own act—
he, therefore, thought proper to offer a most violent outrage to
the feelings and character of their Lordship's petitioner, in sus-
pending him from his office under circumstances of deep aegra-
tion. Such were the principal circumstances connected with
the injury of which Mr. Sergeant Rough complained, as ap-
peared from the papers in the hands of the committee ; but nu-
merous facts would be brought before their Lordships by wit-
nesses who would fill up the chasms of the conspiracy. He
would just mention a few, to enable their Lordships to form a
'1 More accurate notion of the conduct pursued towards their peti-
tioner. A person of the name of De Groot at one time filled an
office under the Government. He lived with a woman named
Mullert, by whom he had six children. In the year 1812,
he came before the Court for the purpose of having these chil-
dren legitimated; and after that he allowed this woman to
marry his own brother. In consequence of this revolting mis-
conduct, be was ignominiously dismissed from his situation
by the then Governor of the colony. Notwithstanding this,
in the year 1819, Governor Murray thought proper to ap.
point him an officer in the Court of Justice, contrary to the
remonstrances of Mr. Sergeant Rough, against whom he be-
came an active instigator of those disgraceful proceedings so often
referred to. Another individual, of the name of Tonge, who had
been Drossart of the colony, but who had also been dismised
from his office, was an active party in the same proceedings, and
was at the same sime received at General Murray's house, and
was one of those with whom he shared his confidence. There
were several other persons who had taken a prominent part in
those transactions, and who would be shown to have -been at the
time advisers of the Governor, and active instruments in his
hands. In short, without entering particularly into all the mi-
nute details of evidence that would be• brought before their
Lordships, he would content himself with stating that it would
be fully sufficient to prove that the conduct pursued towards
Mr. Sergeant Rough was tile result of a conspiracy to injure
his character and deprive bins of his situation.
Lord Gls roan here interposed. lie did not see how they
could receive evidence which affected other persons titan the in-
dividual against whom the complaint had been brought.
The COMMON SERGEANT contended, that the conduct of
these individuals having been sanctioned by General Murray,
necessarily formed part of the ground of Mr. Sergeant Rough's
complaint, and was also evidence of the conspiracy formed
against him.
The Earl of HAttuownv said that they were not sitting as a
criminal court, to hear a charge of conspiracy.
The COMMON SERGEA T said he should be able to show
that these individuals took an active part, for instance, in get-
ting up the mock procession, and that they. were in General
Murray's confidence at the same time. n ith respect to this
procession, of which General Murray declared " I have only
to oppose my solemn assurance that I never did in any manner
encourage or applaud any such mock procession or vulgar riot,"
it was notorious from advertisements that it was to take place,
and the Governor had been even requested to interfere to pre-
vent it. So much for his solemn assistance. He (the Com-
mon Sergeant) would be glad to know if he " opposed his so-
lemn assurance" that he did not know of the other circum-
stances which he had stated ? If he did, he (the Common Ser-

geant) would show, by satisfactorily proving, the contrary, that
his " solemn assurance" was not entitled to much. credit. He
Ir
had now opened the case to their Lordships, and when be
should establish these facts by proof, he hail no doubt that
their decision would fully justify their petitioner's complaint
which he had brought, not from vindictive feelings towards
others, but out of consideration to his own character, and the
happiness of those connected with him. He would now leave
-the case in the hands of his Learned Friend (Sir J. Mackin-
tosh), who would enter more fully into the general principles
it involved. ,
Sir J. MAcxxsTOSII then addressed the committee. Ile ap-
peared before their Lordships as Counsel, at the request of his
friend Mr. Serjeant Rough, for which he felt under more than
usual obligation towards him; he said " unusual," from the
peculiar_situation in which he then stood. There did not exist a
man of more distinguished talents and learning, and above all,.
Of more spotless integrity and unsuspected honour, than that
' individual.
The Honourable and Learned Gentleman was proceeding
with his statement, when it was observed by their Lordships,
that the documents before them could aot be referred to with
sufficient precision in their present shape; and after some con-
versation upon this subject, it was ultimately directed that the
papers should be more methodically arranged, with distinct re-
ferences to the appendix, and a specific statement of that part
of the evidence with which the complainant meant to support
his complaint..
Upon the suggestion of Mr. F. Po r.r.ocx, General Murray's
Counsel, a copy of this statement was promised to be furnished
to him, as soon as it was printed.
The case was then adjourned to this day week.

A Deputation of West India Merchants and
Planters waited on his Majesty's Ministers on Thursday last;
respecting the alterations proposed in the duties on sugar, cof-
fee, and rum ; a reduction of sixpence per pound on the home
consumption of coffee was understood to be about to be brought
forward, and the question of allowing the distillers to use sugar
or grain at their option, was also favourably entertained by
Ministers. A long conference then took place as to the bounty
on refined sugar being withdrawn or lowered, as to the reduc-
tion of the import duty on Muscovadoes,- and as to Mauritius
sugars being used for home consumption at the same. duty as
the West India sugars, but on these points there was no de-
cision.
A Petition was presented on Friday night to the
House of Commons, for cutting a Ship Canal through Central
America, for the purpose of uniting the Atlantic with the Paci-
fic Ocean, and for Mining and other purposes in Guatimala.
A Meeting of the . BRITISH CATItoLrc Asso-
cuTiox took place last night in Dean-street, Soho. The
Chairman, in announcing thereceipts ofthe week( which amount-
ed in all to about V.) said, " that the collectors visited not only
the houses of the poor, but the house of Royalty itself, for the
servants of the Duchess of Kent contributed one pound.—(Loud
applause.)—A member (whose name we could not learn) stood
on the table, and .addressed the meeting as follows :—" Gentle-
men, I ask what is this money tor ?—(..oud applause)—and so
would any other person ask : I'll tell you, gentlemen—(Ap-
plauso)-it is for three purposes—tint, to pay the expences of pe-
titioning for a redress of our grievances ; secondly, to pay men
of merit,forL defending us against the libels and calumnies of our
enemies ; and thirdly, to enable the poor to get redress in a court
of law ,against the rich.,—( Loud Applause•)_Gentlemen, we are
all unanimous in seeking .those rights for which our ancestors
bled--.(cheers)—and in co-operating with Ireland for the re-
storation of our freedom; " E►iu go bragh."—(Applause.)-
I!e.Chairman said that they were advised by their friends to
abstain from discussion at this momentous period. The contri-
butions were perfectly legal; no person could hinder another
from putting his hand into his breeches-pocket and taking his
money out.—(Cheers.)_,, The Catholic voluntary free g?ft will
be applied to every purpose that the. rent in Ireland will be ap-
.
to."—( faoud. applause.)
•