The Sun.
London, England, 1824-08-13 00:00:00

ROBBERY' AT EARL, COWPER'S.

FURTHER RESPITE OF H4tRRIS AND DAVIS.

We stateiti in our paper of yetterday, that in
consequence of thsaconfession of Davis, in which he solemnly
affirmed that Barrie was not concerned in the robbery at the
house of Mr. Mines, both these men heel been respited for two
cleyo. This humsenueleterueination was adopted by Mr. Hob:
house, in the absence of hir• Secretary Peel, with the view, of
Ingutriess how tar.aheartesyeratiens of Day's were foiinded, in
feet. _The ffrat step taken *Mite Vse ene.tiiii 'intirthilaitlion'ar •
Davis, who persisted in his declarations of Harris's innocence.
The witnesses who spoke to Harris's identity were then re..
questioned, and were again brought heto the presence of the
prisoner. On this occasion they repeated their belief that he was
one of the robbers. Still the matter remained in some sort of doubt
and Mr. Secretary Peel having arrived in town yesterday, the
matter was brought under his consideration at the Home Office.
Mr. Richardson, Earl Cowper's solicitor, attended. The report
of the trial was reconsidered with great attention, and with this
was compared the confession of Davis. Nothing, however, wag
elicited from this comparihm, which could fairly justify a further
delay of the dreadful sentence of the law. In this stage of the
business some new and importune facts catr.e out. Sir Richard
Birnie, while in the discharge of his arduous duties at Bow-
street-office, was informed that come of the officers had been
heard to say, that they had heard (in the early stage of the pro-
ceedings, and prior to the trial of the men), from some of the
well-known family men (reputed thieves) that John Harris
war net in the robbery in question. It is known that there are
channels through which the Police officers obtain important in.
formation in the discharge of their duties ; and, in order to us-
certain the character of the report thus circulated, Sir Richard
felt it his duty promptly to inquire into its details. Avis, Mor-
ris, and Nicholls, the three men who hadteen engaged in
apprehending these convicts, were then sent for ; and they
distinctly stated, that, in returning from Hertford, they fell
into the company of two family men, whose names they men-
tioned ; and that these men distinctly said—" Harris was inner-
cent of this robbery." It was true, lie was well acquainted with
Davis and others who were concerned, but he was in no ways
a participator either in its concerting or execution. Another
of the same party said, " that he lenew Harris had nothing to
do with it, and only heard of it after it had been accomplished."
To the stories of these men was added another circumstance,
tending to the same conclusion, namely, the positive assertion
of Mrs. Dudfield, who was well acquainted with all the party,
that it' Harris suffered, he would die innocent of the crime
im-
puted to hint. But a still more important fact was obtained
by this inquiry, on which Sir Richard laid a much greater stress
—it was this : In the confession of Davis the name of a man
was mentioned, with whom the officers were well acquainted,
and whose person they all said bore a strong resemblance, both
in height and general appearance, to Harris. Having elicited
these facts, Sir R. Bluth: lost not a moment in proceeding to the
Home Office, and taking with hint the officers in question.—
The possibility of a mistake in the testimony of the witnesses RR
to the identity of the man, and of their having mistaken him for
another, at once struck the parties assembled, and it was there-
fore decided, as most consistent with justice and humanity, to
delay the execution still further; for which purpostra messenger
was forthwith dispatched to Hertford. Directions were then given
to the officers to spare neither pains nor expence to unravel the
mystery, and to apprehend all or any of the parties named by
Davis in his confessions. Minute inquiries are also to be made
in other directions, and the friends of Harris will be afforded the
opportunity of producing evidence, it' they can, to shoe where he
was on the night the robbery was committed. He confessed him-
self that he was out of the way; but this, he says, arose flow the
fact of his wife having obtained a warrant against him, at Mary.
lebone Office, for an assault. At all events, it is now certain that
he will not suffer until all the doubts which may have arisen are
satisfactorily cleared up; and this delay, it is manifest, can in no
way compromise the ends of justice. Much credit is due to Sir
R. Birnie for the benevolent spirit which has actuated him upon
this, as Upon many other occasions, in the discharge of his office.
It may be recollected that on the trial an alibi was attempted
to be proved by the child of Harris, to the effect that his fa.
ther was on the night in question at Astley's Theatre : but the
child, in cross-examination, having given confuted answers,
, little value was attached to his evidence by the Jury. The
friends of the prisoner, however, relying on the fact, yeeter-
' day caused bills to be stuck up in various parts of London, re.
questing the person to come forward who had left the Theatre
' with him on the night of the robbery, and the result of these
bills has been, we understand, the discovery that the prisoner
was, on the night in question, accompanied home from the
, above theatre, between the hours of 12 and 1 o'clock, by a re-
spectable tradesman of the name of Maisey, living at No. 6,
Circus-street, New Road, and who yesterday went to the Office
of the Secretary of State.

According to an official Report in the New
Fork Gazette, there were 598 Newspapers, of
one soft and another, published in the United
States in 18`23.

MK. EDlToil,—Our own free country affords
numerous instances that freedom of speech and
freedom of discussion may be carried too far,
and, in proof, I need only adduce the case of a
high-minded and estimable Baronet in the House
of Commons, the proceedings against the Inde-
pendent Whig (newspaper), and the incarcera-
tion of Mr. Coanzrr and others, and the re•
peated prosecutions whicls.-l*r_e %taken place in
our Courts of Law for libel. I°`.
In this enlightened and happy' country the
executive hart.. found it necessary; for the well.;
being of the State, not
,only to: impose restric-
tions, but often. hitie been obliged:to use
the strong arm of power in keeping • pub-
lic speakers and writers within proper and
constitutional bounds. If this is the case
in England, where a counteracting influence
exists, and an antidote to the poison is
always to be found in contemporary prints
professing different political principles- and
sentiments, let tire, in dispassionate and can-
did language, ask every well constituted mind
how is it possible a Free Press can exist under a
despotic Government ? India ever has been, is,
and must be a purely absolute Government, re-
gulated by laws and institutes as dissinfilar from
those of any other civilized state as can pos-
sessing an immense subjugated population, the
great majority of which are of military habits,
restless, ambitious, and bold. India being far
removed from the Mother Country, the-adminis-
tration must possess a decisive and arbitrary.con-
troul ; if this is abused it is amenable to his Ma-
jesty's Government, the Parliament, the Board'
of Coutroul, the East India Directors, the Court
of Proprietors, and,
lastly, public opinion. We
all know the Government have the power,, and on
.
occasions can use it ; as was the case in the long
protracted and cruel trial of that much injured
and calumniated man WARREN HAITINGS.—
Among the numerous millions of India, many will
be found dissatisfied and intriguing, and only
waiting for an opportunity to replunge the coun-
try into the measureless woes and indescribable
horrors of former Mahommedan rule and oppress
sion. In the hands of these men, unrestricted
liberty, not in discussing the merits or errors of
Government, but in inflaming the public mind
by false and seditious writings, would in a few
years, after various bloody struggles, bring about
a revolutionanst -.fo,r.er.#l#o7ow'ol,tPower
ortyte-arutsis Ifie-OrThriTAa .i"stitinent, and give
to the Musselman life lost:doMinion. Heaven in
its anger could hardly inflict a heavier curse on
the beautiful. plains of Hindustan, that in restor-
ing the Maliornedun to power. Every page of
history, every village and field, steak of the re-
morseless, cruel, and desolating sway .of the for-
mer rulers, yet our mild, beneficent, and pros-
perous rule is to give way for the visionary pro-
ject of enlighteuing the natives by a Free Press.
God forbid that I should oppose the freedom of
speech, or of writing, in India, did it promise to
the „„tiv" one single, advantage or comfort, but
thoroughly convinced in my own mind that the
effect produced would be disastrous to their pre-
sent happiness and future prosperity, and at the
same time he the infallible means of ruining us,
and causing, by inflammatory and revolutionary
writings, discord, and civil war, I will for ever

raise my voice against a Free Press in that coun-
try. Ido it on two plain and simple princi-

ciples ; first, that the natives in no possible way
can he benef►ted by it, and, secondly, that it
must be injurious to us as foreigners and con.
querom
Ilavina premised thus far, our observations

shall be discussed as concisely as the importance
of the subject mill admit, and in endeavouring
to lessen, if not do away, the effect produced by
misrepresentations and exaggerations, we will be
as brief as possible.

The Indian community, may be divided into
three classes; the first, and of course the largest
part is the natives, Ilindoo and Nlusselmans—
the former being about one to ten of the latter.
Among the native population it. a sprinkling of
Jews, Arabs, Armenians and. Parsees, with a
few Chinese. The second ,classis the officers,
•
civil and military, of his Alajestt and the East
India Company's Service. The third class con-
sists of the European community, all of whom
are, or ought to be, licenced acconliog to Act of
Parliament. These Consist of free merchants
and free mariner's, perions who are smuggled out
by, being borne on the Ship's Books as seamen,
Sic., and allowed to depart on the ship's arrival.
Probably the most numerous part of the third
class are those persons who have deserted froM
the East India Shipping.
It is the latter part of the community whom
faction anti clamour wish to establish as the
British Public in India; if they are such, they
must be froM their political situation in constant
hostility to' the Government; it is not in the na-
ture of man to do otherwise; he goes nut to India
under certain restrictions, and, while there, must
conform to the orders and regulations of the Go-
vernment, as eitablished by the flritisti Legisla-
tive in England ; he it .consequently ever dissa
tisfied and anxious to throw off the necessary re-
straint and surveillance in which he is plaCed ;
but that which most excites his displeasure, and,
often gives rise to misbehaviour and reproach, on
the part of the licensed settler and deserter, is,
that ,he is not permitted to go up the coontry to