The Sun.
London, England, 1849-12-24 00:00:00

, Courts of Chancery and Exchequer (it is presumed)
to compel attendance in England, because that Act
establishes the principle.
The merits of Bels-n's case lie in a nutshell. The
Jersey Court hos done him a great inju'tice, and they
wish to obstruct inquiry ieto it, to shelter themselves
from disgrace, and prevent him from obtaining redress.
This is shocking, but still it is true. It is said by
way of excuse, that if this mode of revising their pro-
ceedings were tolerated the independence of the tribu-
nal would suffer ; but I hare yet to learn that the
Royal Court of Jersey is beyond the control of the
superior Courts of Westminster when a proper case
is wade out for their interference. Even the charter
by which it was instituted expressly provides for the
jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery, in these
words, which are translated from the Latin,—" No
man shall be compelled to answer concerning the free
tenement which he has peaceably held for a year and
a day, without a writ obtained from the King's
Court of Chancery, expressly mentioning the tenant
and the tenement (ate 9 h Art.); and no Order in
Council, custom, or usage, can take it away. I hold
this to he incontestable. lam aware that the Jersey
Court has for a long period interdicted the ser-
vice of process; for I find that in 1766 June 21,
Philip Colitis was sentenced to a fine, and struck off
the roll of solicitors, for having served a summons
from the Court of Chancery on Deb. Dumaresq.
I'hey have also interdicted the service of proce-s front
the Court of Admiralty. In the case of Hillary
Brocq, a Jersey pirate, who plundered four English
vessels, richly laden with merchandize, off the Welsh
coast, and brought his booty, to the value of ten
thousand pounds, to Jersey, a warrant was sent over
here for his apprehension and removal to England for
trial, where all his accomplices had been convicted
sad executed; but, strange to say, be escaped punish-
ment, the Court having interdicted service of the war-
rant for his protection. The Lord High Admiral
" did greatly marvel, and thought it meet that the
bailiff•andJurats should be called thither to answer
their disobedience." (See his letter, dated June 17,
1593.) In 1608, a warrant from the Admiralty was
sent to Guernsey, under cover of an Order in Council,
for the surrender of a vessel found on the coast of
Sark, which had been abandoned ; and even this the
Court of that island reused to obey ; but in another
case, 1660, the Lords of the Council issued an extra
order to compel them to execute all orders, warrants,
decrees, and judgments, which the Court of Admiralty
should from time to time make, give, and set forth in
that particular case, which concerned a frigate and
prize. It is not long since that a Guernsey merchant
committed an act of bankruptcy in England, and re-
fused to surrender to the fiat, upon the pretext that he
was a privileged person. His Guernsey creditors also
held that they were privileged to plunder his estate
by attachments. However, the bankrupt was out-
lawed, and threatened with an indictment before the
Central Criminal Court, which had the effect of bring-
ng him to his senses; and an interlocutory decree of
the Privy Council stayed the plunder of his estate,
which, after some difficulty, was equitably distributed
among all his creditors. If an inhabitant of these
islands can be exempted from the laws of England for
acts that he may commit there, by merely escaping
back to his country, the sooner such a system is abo-
lished the better. It is injurious to the body politic,
and must be got rid of. Hoping that you will lend
your powerful pen to accomplish this object during
the forthcoming Parliamentary campaign, and to
obtain for us English laws and English judges,
I subscribe myself, Sir,
Your ever faithful friend in the good cause,
ABRAHAM JONES LE CRAS,
Author of a work entitled " The Laws,
Customs, and Privileges of the Island of
Jersey."
Aldenhury Lodge, Les Petit Vaux,
Isle of Jersey, Dec. 20, 1849.