The Sun.
London, England, 1812-09-18 00:00:00

COURT OF JtiSTICIARY.

We yesterday gave a full statonent of the trial
of Alexander Thomson, :or passing forged • notes.
—On the verdict not pronen being returned, the
Lord • Justice Clerk, -after mentioning that be
never made nor Ivould make any observations on
the. verdict of a Jury, when unanimous, found
himself under the necessity of. saying, that in the
present instance,. when Ow verdict was returned
merely.by a plurality of votes, had he had the
honour to be one of the number who composed
.the Jury, he certainly wpuld have voted with the
minority.

Lord liEnmAign said, that he never could ap-
prove of meddling with •the sacred right of Juries,
when unanimous, but he fully agreed with the
Lord Justice Clerk, tl'.at in cases like the present,
the Court were at liberty to express their opi-
nion ; and he• entirely coincided • with his Lord-
ship, that had he been one of. the Jury, he also
would have voted with the minority.
• Lord MEADOWBAN4 .expressed himself to the
same effect.

Before the sentence of the Court, assoilzieing
the prisoner .from the bar was read, the Lord
Justice Clerk said, that he found himself under
the necessity oc making a few observations,
and addressed the prisoner to the following
effect :---

“, You stand in very peculiar circumstances.—
Yesterday, the proofs of your criminality appeared
so plain- that it appeared next to a miracle that
you should have escaped. It has, however, been
determined by a Jury, upon oath, that the crime
libelled against you was not proven. Of this they
niu:t have been convinced ,• but this I also niust
say, and it is the opinion of my bi-ethren, that,
from the nature of the proof adduced, you are
guilty of the crime libelled against you, and you,
:Sir, ought to be thankful to Providence, that the
minds of the J,ury were so influenced as to bring'
in such a verdict as they have done, for I do be-
lieve, that not another Jury could be found in
Edinburgh, who, with such' evidence, would re-
turn such a verdict. But, Sir, do not think that
you go from this Court as an innocent man.—Do
not lay the flatterieg unctipn to your soul, that
.you eau again mingle society with an unble-
anished character. No, Sirs your comrades, all
with Whom you associate, must consider you as a
suspicious member of .society ; and, wherever
vou are placed, in whatever situation you may
hereafter appear, you will be strictly watched,
your very actions will be investigated, not only
by those with whom you associate, but, but by
the officers of justice, who will have a strict eye
oveiyou: You go from this bar under very un-
common circumstances. The proofs
,against you
are such as the Court consider sufficient to esta-
blish criminality ; and I must warn you, that
should you ever appear, here again, from what has
come out upon this trial, you may depend upon
it, much le-is proof than what has now been
brought forward will tend to convict you. YOUr
crime, Sir—l cannot help, from the proof, call-
ing you convicted of. a crime—your crime, Sir,
is of the deepest dye. You, have associated with
the lowest ranks 6f society, for the purpose of
deceiving them ; you offered to them fictitious
notes, purporting to be notes of creditable banks,
and you have taken frOm these, pOor 'illiterate
people, who were unable to distinguish the real
value of the notes- you offered them, property to
the amount of their real value had they been
good. This, Sir, is a species "of crime no less
hurtful to society than if you had robbed these
individuals of their property in their own houseS,
or on the highway. It is even, worse to the in-
dividuals, for they we're incapable of guarding
against it. The Jury have found this crime not
proven, yOu must, therefore, be acquitted, but
recollect, there is a Providence who knows whe-
ther you have committed this or not. To an
awful tribunal you are yet amenable, and I be-
seech you, by repentance, make up your peace
with God, and by. your future conduct atone to
your country for your past, td say the least, im-
proper conduct.” .

Extract of a letter from the Revereild Mr.
Ford, Ordinary of Newgate, to Basil Montague,
Esq.:
h e chief cause of the committing of crimes,
is to be ascribed, in my. humble opinion, to the.
want of early instruction in reading, and conse-
quently, a total ignorance of religion, as well as
of every moral principle. Indeed the lower or-
ders are by habit so far familiarized with the Di-
vine Being, aS to swear by him ; but they neither
helieve'in him, nor pray to him :—and why ? Be-
cause they have not been made acquainted with
him in their youth, nor have . they enjoyed the .
greatest of all blessings, as well as comforts, of
being instructed in his holy word. . You cannot
expect these people to practise what they do not
know. Let the poor be but educated,*and I will
venture to assert, that in the course of thirty
years at mast, there will not be one-fourth of the
crimes which are now committed.

About seven or eight years back, going into
'the desk, at the Chapel.of. Newgate, on .the first
'Sunday after the precedinh,..sessions, I saw twelve
in •
men the condethned felons pew ; who,. from
the respectable amiearance,of their dress, and the
ease of their d.eportment, seemed to have been
proper characters to be introduced into the. very
best company. When I announced the day of the
month, and mentioned the psalm,' was very much
astonished to observe that,not one of there con-
victs took up a prayer book, (thougb there were
several lying before them) neither did any of the
party seem to know,: a single particle of the church
%ervice, 'or when they were to sit, or stand, or
kneel. The ensuing day, I attended them in the
condemned room, wherr, aftet some conversation
suitable to their forlorn situatibn, the following
dialogue took place
Ordinary. I take it for granted you are•all dis-
senters Oh, dear Sir, no = I -be=
lieve we are all Church Men;

Ordinary. 4°w-did it,happen, then, that none
of .you opened a prayer-hook, yesterday, during
divine service ?'-Upon this there was rather an
appearance of confusion, and Li dead silence. 1

[OM A S WOOD, of -No. 35, Milikn,lane, Corent-g (alien ;1 and published by WH.LIAM ARMI(iER SCRIPPS, South Molten-street, Gros vennr:squa: 0,
;.E. Nu. 112, 'Strand_ whereldvertireinenis, Order: Our the Paper, Letters for the Editor, &c. (pest paid), must be addressed.