The Sun.
London, England, 1823-12-08 00:00:00

cions. Nothing could be lost by public justice
from delay, which would not be gained from
humanity by a postponement. Many of those
atrocious ,publications, which have corrupted the
public ear and feelings on this subject, must be
forgotten in a few weeks. The agitation excited
is even now in a course of suspension, and 'Ave
have every reason to believe, that, at the.period
to which the trial is postponed, all passioni and
prejudices will be allayed and forgotten, and
that the trial will-take place under circumstances
approved by all mankind. The case of :Belling-
ham, the murderer of Mr. Perceval, (who was
tried soon after, the commission of the horrid
act), has been adduced as an argument Against
the postponement of trial in the present in-
stance. The circumstances, however, are widely
different. Here the murder has been com-
mitted in darkness and unseen ; there it was per-
petrated in the open face of day, and in the pre-
sence, of scores of witnesses, the murderer him-
self savagely exulting in the accomplishment of
the atrocious deed ; so that whilst in the one
case the conductors of the prosecution find diffi-
culty in providing sufficient evidence to sub-
stantiate the charge, in the other there were
not only an abundance of eye-witnesses to the
• fact, but the assassin himself gloried from the
commencement in the commission of the hellish
act. By the delay of a month the persons lic-
ensed of the murder of Mr. Weare will be
brought to trial in such a situation as to satisfy all
the ends of impartial justice.

[THR T 1 mEs.)
We observe wish regret a disposition to blame
the learned Judge, on account of the late ex-'
pected trial at Hertford. We are hence induced
to resume that subject, which we had intended to
drop. A slight investigation of the occurrences
in the Court on Friday, will prove that the
blame, if there were any upon this subject
(which we are far from allowing), would attach
to an higher authority than that of, Mr. Justice
Park, however respectable he may be,•both by
his station and character. What we reprehend
is, that the suspension is, from motives of im-
proper delicacy, not attributed to the real cause.
The immortal author of the Peloponnesian war,
in speaking of its origin, describes the causes of
it, and the pretexts for it. We shall sub-
sequently show how this distinction applies to the
prorogation of the trial. At a very early moment
of Mr. Andrews's pleading, and before Mr.
Platt or Mr. Chitty had spoken at the Judge
asked the counsel for the defence, how long
a delay they claimed ; and on their replying,
" till the Lent Assizes," his Lordship shook
his head in sign of disapprobation, and suffer-
ed the pleading to proceed. It is very clear,
therefore, that he came into Court prepared to
grant some delay. At a subsequent period,—
but before Mr. Gurney had indicated that he
should not oppose the delay,—when the dis-
turbance took place in the right hand gallery,
his Lordship used the following remarkable ex-
pression to one of the disorderly persons
44 Should I be obliged to commit you, Sir, and
44 then adjourn this Court for rI mouth, you
44 you will lie in prison during the whole of
44 that time." It is therefore equally clear,
that the precise period of suspension—namely,
a month—was fixed before the Court was'opened,
or, in truth, before his Lordship left -AMC
And that such was the case will appear from
another consideration, which we shall put before
the public in the shape of a question. Could a
Judge of A.size—a puisne Judge--take upon
himself to order, as it were, a Special Commis-
sion for the *trial of a peculiar offence, without a
previous consultation from the higher powers—
that is, with the Officers of the Crown by whom
Special Commissions are directed, and from
whom they must emanate ? It is clear, there-
fore, that the suspension, which some, ns we
think without due consideration, reprehend, is
an act of Ministers.

[MORNING CURONICLE:]

The doctrine of prejudging received a blow at
Hertford on Friday, from which it will not soon
recover. Manned with n little cunning, it

might have struggled on for years, provoking
occasionally a smile from the more reflecting
,part of the public ; but having been put so
prominently forward, having been exposed so
long to such a glare of light, the general attention
having been so formally challenged
,to it, its ab-
surdity was thus made apparent to all who were
not utterly incapable of thinking. The ri-
dicule, too, thrown on the whole busi-
ness, by the business which was followed
so soon after the solemn ejaculations of the
Judge, and the mock-heroics of the professional
men, who certainly out.heroded Herod on this
occasion, had almost as unfortunate an effect on
the public, as the bringing the Rood of Grace
of I3oxiey, which used to roll its eyes to the
amazement of the multitude, to St. Paul's Cross,
and exhibiting its springs, had on the belief of
our forefathers in Monkish miracles. It is
justice to the Lawyers to allow that they
have always done all that the most deter-
mined perseverance could do to keep the Press
from prying too closely into their proceed-
ings, and that they have often displayed no
little ingenuity in the means they have resorted
'to for the effecting their object. Down to a
comparatively recent period, they contrived to
persuade the public that great inconvenience
would result from the proceedings in law, being
carried on in English, " I believe (says a
clever writer,--on Posterity) a few ages hence
will hardly think it credible that their ancestors
would he such a pack of easy fools as tamely to
submit. to have .the proceedings in their Courts of.
Justice, upon which, their lives,, liberties,
and properties daily depend, carried on in
foreign language." --- And yet, merciful
Heaven, how strenuously the• Judges fouht.
against this innovation, and. what evils
they foretold, would result from it ! Even
Blackstone could not digest the statute
which forced the lawyers to give up tln
hieroglyphics, and chuckles at the idea.that their
Actions and other artifices had prevented the
puhlic,from receiving all the benefit from, it to,
which they were .entitled. Tho proceedings at