The Sun.
London, England, 1847-08-19 00:00:00

tl-treltim

L' y )ON, THURSDAY. AUGUST 19, 1847.

at -r ;s no doubt that the verdict returned by the
urn- ia the ease of Lieutenant MUNRO, who was
yest..riiay tried at the Central Criminal Court on a
ch.a.: re if wilful murder, was strictly in accordance
w-.,.- the law of the land. Nothing can be more
e 1 .-..-ey defined than t. : law relating to duelling. In
es ry instance the ludo will tell the jury, that if two
P • •,eni go out deliberately, armed with deadly
w !)/E.,-.!. for the purpose of fighting, and that one of
tlinn .illed, the survivor, and indeed all the parties
.: ) ic,-n- am ?, whether as seconds or lookers on, will be
luilty o` wilful murder, and that they can return no
0 ier v r lict in accordance with the oath they have
tik .a. he questions for their consideration are of
th ei.:, lest character, viz.—whether a duel took
le.-,es. t ---.-Nether the death of the deceased was thereby
o,:ea ,ioned —and whether the prisoner was a party
Ih.:T!--to. If these queries should be answered in the
a rr,..ative, and the evidence generally speaking
is :e the most conclusive and satisfactory descrip-
Le . such as to leave no reasonable doubt
Lll e should be a conviction, and yet, in nine-
cases out of twenty, the juries have interposed
th anselves between the law and the accused, and
have returned a verdict exonerating him from all
guilt. Indeed, we believe that we are justified in
asserting that no former case can be adduced in
which a conviction had been obtained unless some
blame was imputable to the survivor, either in
the causes that led to the conflict or in the manage-
ment of the duel. The present case, however, forms
a striking exception to the general rule. The unfor-
tunate gentleman placed on his trial received the
highest character from persuns of every class in so-
ciety. His career, up to the commission of the fatal
act, had been in every respect a most meritorious
one. His lather, a gallant and distinguished officer,
who, -iy ::is unflinching bravery and invariable good
condu t, had elevated himself from the humblest sta-
tion t. an honourable position in the British service—
who, a, one of the forlorn hope, had planted the
standard of his country on the armed battlements of
Sering a T2atare, and, rewarded by well-merited pro-
motion, had retired with the rank of captain, to enjoY
in his o1:3 age, that peace and tranquillity he had
so,
richly earned by the services and dangers his
of
youth. The son was not possessed of wealth
or in-
fluence sufficient to obtain a commission in the ordi-
but he emulated the valour of his sire,
nary mode,
and, trusting to his own merits for promotion, he
unbesicaiir,gly entered the ranks as a private soldier.
He w :-: • t mistaken—conduct such as his could not
fail : :1J appreciated, and he was ultimately pro-
motet.. ;:.i a commission in one of our most distinguished
Tegio-leetr. As an officer he maintained the high
character he had obtained in a humbler capacity.
He was respected and beloved not only by his brother
officers, but also by those from amongst whom he had
been promoted, and he was universally looked upon '
_ as a distinguished officer, and "a mitd, humane, and
benevolent man. The illustrious Marquis of AN-
GLESEY,Bouitiz
colonel of the regiment ; the gallant Col.
who had fought at Waterloo with the men
he now corn'
man& ; the Earls of ARUNDEL and
SURREY, Rid of MARCH,
vaitcivAL,
his
brother
GEORGE MANNERS,
and Mr.
officers,otherete
character,
his strca , .estimony to his unexceptionable
his sksfilarly inoffensive, humane,
private were
peaceable dis-
position, while a corporal andew
here produced
to speak of his conduct while he had
Learnedee
jn one of
themselves, so as to justify the
saying that he had seldom heard such a ehtladragecteinr
given to any man. Such was his position when the
untoward event occurred which blasted all his pros-
pects, which deprived him of the rank and station he
had gained for himself by twenty years of unire_
peacl ble conduct, and plunged himself, his wife, and
A
six helpless children, from comparative affluence into
poverty and distress.
His brother-in-law, Lieutenant-Colonel FAWCETT,
on his return from China, had inflicted a gross and
unmerited insult on Lieutenant Musao. A family
quarrel Connected with pecuniary matters, in which
we believ:! there was not the slightest doubt that the
deceased was in fault, led to the unhappy difference,
and Lieutenant Mussao was ignominiously turned
out of th..) house by his relative. What could he do ?
What eaurse was open to him 2
very peculiar one. He b His position was a
belonged to a profession
jealous in the highest degree of i any of its members
submitting patiently to an
vienissutl.t.
theTh lea w o, po tri oonf
afforded to him was either of
plating
panions
... being degraded in the sight of lll-
deprived of the rack VIEWS PAPE perhaps , and
'----,Y•r-'---1 . '':-----t;';-_,
) struggled so
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