The Sun.
London, England, 1840-09-25 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1840.

"Tenth. To devise, from time to time, the best means
by which the members in their several localities may
collect subscriptions and donations in a:d of the above
objects, may manage the superintendence of the halls
and schools of their respective districts, may have due
centrol over all the affairs of the Association, and
share in all its advantages, wilbout incurring personal
risk, or violating the laws of the country.
There is nothing in that which can excite any
alarm in the most timid. The whole work, in fact, is
composed in a sober, yet sustained spirit, well
calculated to command for these two men, and the
cause they advocate, the .expect and esteem of the
public. There seems tc, be no exaggeration and
no flattery in the book. It is far less political
than educational ; and the following paragraph,
would seem to imply that these gentlemen had al-
most given up their hopes, if they ever entertained
any, of much good to tae obtained from universal
suffrage :
The supposition that Universal Suffrage would give
the working classes a preponderating power in the
House of Commons, is not borne out by the experi-
ence of other countries. They are far from possessing
such a power even in America, where wealth and rank
have far less influence than with us, and where the
exercise of the suffrage for more than half a century
have given them opportunities to get their rights
better represented than they are. But wealth with
them, as with us, will alwa3s maintain an undue in-
fluence, till the people are morally and politically in-
structed; then, indeed, will wealth Secure its just and
proper influence, and not, as at present, stand in oppo-
sition to the claims of industry, intellect, merit, free-
dom, and happiness. But the great advantages of the
suffrage in the interim will be these • it will afford the
people general and superior means of instruction ; it
will awaken and concentrate human intellect to remove
the evils of social life ; and will compel the-representa-
tives of the people to redress grievances, improve laws,
and provide means of happiness in proportion to the
enlightened desires of public opinion. Such indeed arc
the results we anticipate from the passing of the
Peoples Charter.
They seem practically to adopt the conclusion of
their opponents, and now have for their object to
make their fellow-men worthy of political power,
when they will be sure to obtain it. We at
least adopt the opinion that forms of government
and paper constitutions are of comparatively little
importance compared to the knowledge and habits
of the people. If they be ignorant, universal suf-
frage can only be an instrument of mischief; if
they be enlightened, the more limited suffrage may
ensure those laws which the public reason ap-
proves. To those who ate already Chartists, we
need not recommend this book as well worthy of
their cause ; to those who are not, we earnestly
recommend it, that they may divest themselves of
any unfounded fears they have formed of the ,

croakings of those who predict ultimate failure, the pro-
jectors of the undertaking are nothing daunted 7, the
local Government still gives thereto its countenance and
support, and, despite of every impediment, the works
constructing are gradually giving to the tidal waters of
the river that direction which, it is supposed, will u ti-
mately sweep away the obstructions refereed to, and
thus open to commerce one of the most beautiful anti
fertile districts of South Africa.

From the accounts given of the Australian settle-
ments, we cannot doubt but that the country in the
ncie,hhourhood of this river is far supetior to any part
of their coast. The hush of those colonies is frightful,
the droughts are more severe than those experienced on
this coast, and the soil in general is far inferior. Here
the land is ready to receive, and is actually courting the
plough. Irrigation is unnecessary,and, in many parts,
manure equally so ; while its topographical beauties
have been the subject of eulogy by all who have visited
this part of our shores, and who could duly appreciate
the beauties of nature. Sure we are, that were such a
country and such a river to be met with in any of the
Australian settlements, a shout of rapture would be
raised fromasthwoose who
uld have adventured
speedilybeileanto tho
se
t distant
too
at
their very antipodes. We, as a people, are more modest ;
we hold out no false lights, we pourtray things as they
really are, we speak of our difficulties as well as our ad-
vantages, and we offer with confidence, to these who
may be disposed to quit the father-land, a fine climate,
a fertile country, and a hearty welcome.—Graham's
Town Journal, of June 23.

[Let us remind
the reader that by the report of the
recently published, the Cape of
to be the most healthy of all our
heitool
ntd lite
Hope tEh e militaryp. appearssuN.]

MADAME LAFFARGE.

Everybody here is talking of the verdict against
Madame Laffarge, and of the extraordinary disclosure
made respecting Madame de Leotaud. The fact of
her having been in correspondence with Chive up to
Dec., 1839, although she swore at. Brives, that she had
held no relations with him after 18:36, throws an air of
probability over the declaration of Madame Laffarge
that the diamonds had been entrusted to her for the
use of Clave, which did not exist previously, and renders
the public astonishment at the verdict of the jury on
this trial for murder still greater than it would have been,
for the supposed antecedents of Madame Laffarge were
the greatest point against her. There is a proverb
here, "de men/cur, ye/cur; de voleur, assassin," and
having once made the jury believe that she was a thief,
it was supposed that the Avocat-General would have
comparatively little difficulty in bringing them to believe
that she was still worse ; but a doubt, and that a very
important one, having been thrown upon the charge
of theft, people here say that there was an addi-
tional motive for giving to her the benefit of the
doubt and mystery which hung over the affair of Glen-
dier. There arc not two persons here in a hundred
who approve of the verdict which has been given, and
of a hundred persons there are not thirty who do not
believe her to be innocent of the charge ; but those
who think that she is guilty, and those who think the
contrary, a!1 agree in saying that she ought to have had
the benefit of the doubt which hung over the case, and
express a hope that M. Paillet may be able to bring
forward circumstances which will induce the Court of
Cessation to cancel the sentence, and order a new trial
before a more intelligent Jury than could be obtained
at Tulle. The conduct of the Avocet- General, and the
colouring in the summing up of the President are
gravely censured ; and all who know anything of the
just and merciful character of the English law, say,
that in England such an outrage upon decency could
not have taken place. One of the greatest points in
favour of Madame Laffarge, in public opinion, is the
personal character of M. Paillet. This gentleman has
the rare reputation as an avocat, of being so strictly
conscientious, that he would not plead for a criminal
,',hose guilt should be apparent to his own mind. My
personal knowledge of this gentleman enables me to
say that he is really a conscientious man, and that if
he believes Madame Laffarge to be innocent, or
the legal proofs against her to have been insufficient
to justify a verdict of guilty, his opinion ought
to have great weight. Another point in her fa-
vour is the trial for murder which took place a few
months ago at Versailles. Three persons were con-
demned to death for the murder of a relation, on evi-
dence which was considered conclusive at the time—
not only were motives for the commission of the crime
shown, but the circumstantial evidence against them
was as strong as such evidence could well be. A snort
time before their intended execution, facts came out
to raise a doubt of their guilt. They were respited,
and an application for a new trial was made and
granted. They were tried again, and acquitted on the
most positive evidence, and shortly afterwards the real
murderers were tried and condemned. The evidence
in the case of Madame Laffarge was not half so strong
as that which was adduced against these men in the
first instance, and therefore it is inferred that' she too
may be guiltless of the crime which has been laid to
her charge. But the most extraordinary part of this
affair is the nature of the verdict. Madame Lafarge
is found " guilty," with extenuating circumstances. If
guilty, where, I ask, were these circumstances of
extenuation ? If she murdered her husband, she
did so with all the refinement of cruelty —with
all the consummation of hypocrisy. If she was
a murderess at all, she was so under the most mon-
strous aggravations of guilt. Never was criminal so
criminal as this woman, if her husband was really poi-
soned, and poisoned by her hand. What a mockery of
human justice, then, is such a verdict ! It can only
have been what the French call a transaction de con-
science. The Jury would not condemn her to death,
because they bad still a doubt, perhaps, as to her guilt ;
but they would not put into practice chat merciful
axiom of the law which declares that the prisoner is to
have the benefit of the doubt. If she was guilty she
was guilty with all the deepest shades of guilt, and
no other sentence than that of death should have been
recorded ; for although it is true that the aversion to
capital punishment in this country frequently allows the
worst criminals to escape that last judgment of human
vengeance, it is also true that persons not half so guilty
as Madame Laffarge, if she was guilty, are from time
to time sent to the guillotine.—Letterjrom