The Sun.
London, England, 1840-06-06 00:00:00

`II.E SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY, JUNE 6, 1840.

THE ANTI-SLAVERY MEETING.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE MORNING CHRONICLE.
16, Pall Mall, June 4, 1840.
SIR,—My intention has been called to the statement
I in your paper, that, at the conclusion of the meeting
in Exeter Hall, when I rose to speak," Sir T. Acland
and Sir R. Inglis ordered the organ to play." It is a
pure mistake. I did not rise to speak, I rose to go
away. Notwithstanding the many and general calls
made on me to speak during the business, I declined to
come forward, as the Chairman did not accede to the
call ; and as, whilst there was anything to be done, 1
would not speak without the assent of the Chairman, I
assuredly had no notion of " privateering after the war"
by speaking after the business was concluded. The
ordering the organ to play up, and thus " bothering".
the crowd that remained, was therefore quite a gra-
tuitous offence against the meeting rather than against
me. At all events I can afford to laugh at my share
of the insult.
" As I am on my legs," as we say, " allow me to
add, that my object in going to the meeting was to tes-
tify, by my presence, and my ready co-operation (if re-
quired),
my participation in (what at least appeared to
be) a great movement in favour of humanity and reli-
gion. Whatever of partisan trick or dexterity was in
it does not affect me, who was no party to either trick
or dexterity, but rather a victim for so much to both.
I attended also, to testify by my presence my un-
feigned respect for the much-esteemed consort of our
illustrious Queen, on this, the first occasion of his pub-
licly countenancing what he deemed to be a pure work
of unmixed benevolence. It is painful to think that
such an occasion should have been chosen to exhibit
the paltry underworking of either national, or religious,
or (what would be infinitely more degrading than
either) PERSONAL malignity. Ido not—indeed, Ido
not—think it was well to treat Prince Albert in such a
manner as to make him appear, although most uncon-
sciously, a party to such culpable feelings.
I also attended the meeting, that Ireland might, in
the presence of the illustrious Prince, be represented,
at least by silent acquiescence, in the great work of
annihilating slavery. I still think the voice of Ireland
ought not to have been excluded from such a meeting.
If I were not deemed a suitable advocate, some other,
and a better, Irish advocate might easily have been
selected. But Ido say it was an occasion on which
Ireland ought to have been represented, and her voice
heard. The accents of that voice might be rude and
uncouth, but her heart would have been upon her
tongue, and there would have been no hypocrisy in the
ardour of her aspirations in the cause of liberty and
religion.
I therefore insist, on behalf of my despised, but,
blessed be God! still undegraded country, that she
has been wrongfully despoiled of her share in a glorious
struggle. I proudly say that the anti-slavery cause is
deeply indebted to Ireland.

When that cause was first introduced by the venera-
ble Clarkson, and afterwards taken up by the venerated
Wilberforce, they made no way in Parliament—that
is, they were in continual minorities, until after the
Whigs came into office, in 1806 ; when the majority in
favour of the abolition of the slave trade was literally
Irish, all the Irish in the House having voted for it.
From that period until after the restoration of the
Whigs to, power, in 1830, the emancipation of the nee
groes stood still. It was opposed by every grade of
Tory Administration. It was after that year that the
emancipation of the negroes was carried on, and on that
occasion all the Irish Members, no matter of what re-
ligious or political opinions, voted for the measure.
I do, therefore, ;repeat that Ireland was treated un-
gratefully and insultingly, when she was excluded from
her just participation in this effort of humanity. Truly
we had as good a right to be heard as even your Right
Rev. Prelates, who never, I believe, voted for the negro
emancipation ; or as Sir Robert Peel, who, I am con-
vinced, never voted for it, but on the contrary, belonged
for more than 20 years to a party, and a pasty in power,
that constantly opposed the striking off the negro's
fetters, and would not even take the lash from the back
of the negro female !
We do live in a strange world, in which benevolence
and hypocrisy, tuft-hunting and ingratitude, mix so well
together that the anti-slavery palate cannot distinguish
the ingredients one from the other; but swallows the
whole dose with heaven-turned eyes and earthly alacrity
—" of the earth, earthly."
In your paper of this day, a writer puts the question
as if it stood thus—whether, for the sake of hearing one
particular man speak, the boldest and most enlarged
philanthropic measure that was ever propounded is to
be sacrificed? This is not the right way of putting the
question. The question is, whether so great, so sacred,
so awful a cause can be safe in the hands of men, who,
however high their titles and their dignities, cannot
perceive how low, how grovelling—how, in short, un-
genial to such a cause, must be the paltry littleness of
sectarian, or national, or personal malignity. Are the
managers fit to manage such a cause, when we find
them playing off the dexterity of exhibiting to the illus-
trious Prince who filled the chair the opposition would-
be Premier—in the new character—a first appearance
in the character of friend to the African race, and of
leader in the cause of pure benevolence to coloured
man ? Fie upon it ! oh, fie ! It smells rank, and gives
to the celestial glow of charity the dark hue of worldly
policy and political craft.

For my poor part, I can only say, that the more so
great a cause is mismanaged, the more do I feel it in-
cumbent on me to use all my humble exertions to dis-
embarrass it from its mistaken, misguided, and misguid-
ing managers, and to give it a fair impetus before the
honest and single-hearted portion of the British and
Irish community. I bless God that there is still an-
other Anti-Slavery Society in existence, in which the
purest motives and most untiring zeal ornament and
strengthen the holy cause of universal emancipation.
As a selected delegate of their really important conven-
tion, I trust that even I—scanty as my abilities may be
—shall be found not a useless servant in the work of
pure and permanent philanthropy.
1 cannot conclude without asking whethcr, in the
dialect of Exeter Hall, the English of " Honestus " be
not " Knave ? " It seems like it ; but it may not he so.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your faithful servant,
DANIEL O'CONNELL.

SUMMARY OF MARSHAL VAL-
LEE'S REPORT OF THE LATE CAMPAIGN
IN AFRICA.

_
The Mot,iiicur, arisie4 of Tuesday night has at
length published Marshal Vallee's report of the cam-
paign in Africa, which occupies nearly ten columns.
The Marshal started from Blidah with a force of 9,000
strong on the 25th of April, and his first engagement
was that of Oued Jer, which took place on the after-
noon of the 27th, in which he lost six killed and thirty
wounded. On the 29th the army left the camp of Af-
roun early, but a body of 6,000 or 7,000 horsemen
being perceived ahead of the column, the Marshal or-
dered an attack to be made, which was attended with
no successful result, and the troops encamped for the
night at Fum Oued Jer. This somewhat ill-combined
maneeuvre was attended with a loss of fifteen wounded.
On the night of the 29th, the Marshal having received
a telegraphic despatch via Algiers, informing him that
Cherchell had been attacked, and being aware that
Abd-el-Kader had concentrated all his forces at
the Teniah de Mouzaiah, and fortified the
pass, conferred with the Duke of Orleans, and
determined on attacking the latter place, at the
same time availing himself of part of the troops at
Oran, which were momentarily useless. An action
here ensued between the corps under the command of
the Duke of Orleans and General de Rumigny, against
the Arabs, in which the former sustained a loss of three
killed and fifteen wounded. The army encamped that
night on the Bon Roumi, on the Ist of May proceeded
to move on the Chiffa, and on the 2d occupied the
Haouch, or Farm of Mouzaia. This post was fortified
on the 3d, and the following day the Marshal went to
the Chiffa, leaving a battalion and the Sappers in the
camp. The Arabs attacked the column, but the
French only experienced a loss of five wounded. On
the sth, a convoy of stores having arrived from Blidah,
the Marshal returned to the Haouch Mouzaia ; on
the 6th the fortifications were completed ; and on the
7th, the stores having been left in that camp, the Mar-
shal advanced upon the Borji cl Arba. On the Bth
the army moved towards Cherchell, and at the passage
of the Oued Nador the rear guard was attacked by the
Arab cavalry, and continued its route to the Oued el
Hachem. The Kabyles showed themselves in
strong numbers on the heights of the left of that
river, and were forthwith attacked both on the
right and left. The body of El Lierkani,
cousin to the Kalifa of Medeah, is stated to have been
recognised among the twenty-six corpses found on the
field. Whilst the advanced and rear-guards were
harassed and attacked, the whole of Abd-el-Kader's
cavalry was fallen in with in the valley of the Oued el
Hachem. The Marshal estimates his loss during the
action of this day at fifty-two men hors de combat, and
that of the Kabyles at 200. On the 9th the Marshal
entered Cherchell, and was no doubt surprised on being
informed by the Commandant that the place had been
vigorously attacked by the Arabs for six days, by
which the garrison had sustained a loss of fifty men
killed. (This is certainly a remarkable coincidence,
and questionable on all sides.) On the 10th the army
being revictualled, and having received two thousand
fresh troops from Oran, set out from the camp of Ouad
Bellal, near Cherchell. The Kabyles commenced an
attack, and the fighting continued until the army
had passed the Oued al Nador. The loss on this
occasion amounted to fifty men wounded. At five in
the evening the army reached the camp of the Borji
el Arba. On the 11th the army set out for the
Haouch el, Mouzaia, and the Marshal issued imme-
diate orders for attacking the Col on the 12th,
and en which day the great affair took place. The
details are so very Lengthy that it would occupy
too much space were we even to give but a brief
summary. It will be sufficient to state that it was not
till seven in the evening that the army succeeded in
taking up its position upon the Col itself; continuing to
occupy the peak and the ridges of Mouzaia. This ac-
tion was attended with considerable loss, two hundrei
men being put hors de combat, besides numbers being
killed and wounded, of which no estimate is given in the
despatch. On the 16th the Duke oft Orleans took up a
position in the Olive Wood, and at five in the evening
the whole of the expeditionary army was encamped
therein. At six in the morning of the 17th the first
division moved on, and at eleven o'clock the army was
before the town of Medeah, which the Arabs abandoned
after a few shots had been fired. The French forth-
with took possession of Medeah. On the 20th May
the expedition quitted Medeah, the Prince's division
forming the vanguard, Abd-el-Kader having taken up a
position on the road to Miliana. Then follows the last
action, which was directed by Abd-el-Kader, and termi-
nated by the Arabs retreating to the Olive Wood. The
French lost in the latter 40 killed and 212 wounded.
Nothing can be more vague than the indefinite man-
ner in which Marshal Vallee hints at the loss which the
French army has sustained in this campaign. Accord.
ing to the despatch, however, we are enabled to give the
following statement, which we truly believe to be very
far short of the truth :

Number of killed in the various actions ....... . 149
wounded 342
hors de combat

Total

743

The campaign has been a complete failure, Marshal
Vallee himself admitting the necessity of a future expc•
di tion.

COWES-ISLE Oi WIGHT.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
ROYAL YACHT SQUADRON INTELLIGENCE

ARRIVALS.

May soth—lris cutter, Sir R. B. W. Bulkelcy, Bart.,
From Yarmouth.

May :ilst—Reindeer, cutter, John Moore, Esq., from
Lymington.
June Ist—Elizabeth, cutter, the Hon. Augustus More-
ton, of Southampton. 7, r.Nt.—Clown, ketch, his Grace
the Duke of Portland, from the west of Scotland, and pro-
ceeded to Southampton. Light breeze, Wind E. N.E.,
and fine. Norna, schooner, Stephen Challen, Esq., from
Southampton.
June 2d—Merlin, schooner, W. Lyon, Esq., from the
West Indies and New York; proceeded to Ports-
mouth harbour. Fresh breeze, Wind N.N. W. and fine.
Pearl, cutter, the Marquis of Anglesey, from Scuthamp-
ton. Phebe, cutter, Capt. A. L. Corry, R. N., from
Leighton, and proceeded to Southampton.
June 3d—Forest Fly, cutter, \Vm. Hornby, Esq., from
Southampton river, and returned the same day. Janette,
schooner, the Earl of Egremont, passed the station from
Portsmouth for Exmouth. Fresh breeze, Wind N. N. W.
and fine.

June 4th—The Marquis of Anglesey is expected in his
yacht, the Pearl, this evening.

SAILINGS.

June Ist—Reindeer, cutter, John Moore, Esq., for
London.

June 3d—Brilliant, schooner, G. H. Ackers, Esq., and
the Fanny, cutter, F. P. Delme Radcliffe, Esq., on a
cruise to the Westward. Fresh breeze, Wind N. N.W.

YACHTS AT THE STATION.

Kestrel, yawl ; Albatross, yawl ;Osprey, Osprey, yawl; Arid,
schooner; Hebe, cutter; Iris, cutter ; Giulia, cutter; Au-
rora, cutter; Nautilus. cutter; Arid, cutter; Emerald,
cutter ; Ganymede, cutter ; Midge, cutter.
The yachting season may now be said to be fairly com-
menced ; the Signalman may be seen at his post, and
everything looks like order and regularity.

The good effects of the Southampton Railway arc felt
here ; steamers run from Southampton to Cowes seven
times a-day, bringing an immense number of passengers,
many of whom run down from town, see Southampton
and Cowes, make the circuit of the Isle of Wight, pro-
ceed to Portsmouth, thence back to London, and all in a
couple of days. Others take lodgings here for a week or
so ; they are altogether a new description of visitors, but
we hear that Mr. Moore has this week let several of the
larger houses. The town is much fuller than ever before
known so early in the season.

MORTALITY in the METROPOLIS.

The following are the results of " A Table of Mortality
i❑ the Metropolis, showing the Number of Deaths from
all Causes Registered, in the week ending Saturday, the
30th of May, 1840." The Table is issued from the Office
of the Registrar-General:—

Weekly
Total. Average
1838.
Epidemic, Endemic, and Contagious Diseases 135 265
Diseases of the Brain, Nerves, and Senses l3B 156
Diseases of the Lungs, and other Organs of
Respiration
Diseases of the Heart and Bloofivessels
DChisieldateed,ofDtihseeasKelidonfeyths,e&uct.er..u.s. .. .
a..
c..... ..... —• • 7 5
Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other
Organs of Digestion
12 10
Diseases of the Joints, Bones, and Muscles

CAUSES OF DEATH.

0 1
Diseases of the Skin, &c
Diseases of Uncertain Seat
Old Age, or Natural Decay 54 79
Deaths by Violence, Privation, or Intemperance 16 2f ;
Causes not specified
Deaths from all causes 795 - -
Average Weekly Deaths ... 1,013
Deaths in the Average Weekly
Week. Deaths, IE3B.
We.tern Districts .... .. .: llB • ••••• 156
North Districts , l5l 172
Central Districts 146 •••• • • 208
East Districts lB9 •••••• 239
South Districts ... ......

Total 795 ...... 1,013
It is stated that under the term Metropolis are com-
prised the 32 districts herein mentioned, which include the
City of London within and without the walls, the City and
Liberties of \Westminster the out parishes within the
bills of mortality—and the' parishes of St. Marylebone ;
St: Pancras ; Kensington • Fulham ; Hammersmith
(,ChaPelrY) ; St. Luke, Chelsea; Paddington; St. Mary,
Stoke Newington ; St. Leonard 13romley ; St. Mary- !c-
-how ; Camberwell ; Greenwich ; St. Nicholas and St.
Paul, Deptford; and Woolwich. The population as enu-
merated in 1831 was 1,404890. The weekly average for
1831 was obtained by dividing the deaths registered in that
year by 52. In comparing it with the weekly deaths in
on had been the samece
clrBe4aos,esit.nmeaurslty
twobeboprenc nt,
in annually
e in mind that the metropolis in.
1840, the deaths
would have been 1-27th part more numerous.
General Register-office, June 4, 1840.
1838 as ;in
populigiand that, if the

HIGH COURT OF JUSTICIARY,
EDINBURGH-JUNE 1.

TRIAL FOR MURDER.

' George Johnston, was brought to the bar, indicted
' for having murdered his wife, on the Bth of April last,
' at a place called Myreside, on the turnpike road lead-
ing from Banff to Huntly, in the parish of Marnoch
and county of Banff.
On the usual question from the Court—" George
Johnston, what do you say, are you guilty or not
guilty ?" he replied—" I canna deny I struck her,
but with no weapon vvhatevee." This was equivalent
to a plea of not guilty.
George Lindsay examined—Said he was travelling
in Banffshire in April last ; and Johnston and his wife
travelled in company with him. On the day that
Johnston's wife met her death they had been at Turriff,
which they had left in the morning. They were tra-
velling to Foggyloan, which is sometimes called Aber-
chirder, which they reached in the afternoon, and re-
mained till about eight o'clock. Liquor was got there,
and Johnston, his wife, and witness's brother, were all
the worse of drink. Johnston's wife and witness's
brother were most affected with liquor. Remembers
passing a plantation, at which time Johnston's wife was
riding on his horse. She came off the horse, and went
up the side of the small plantation. Johnston came
and took hold of the horse's bridle, called to his wife,
and she came back meeting him. On her coming
back, he took hold of her and knocked her down by
a blow of his fist. Witness's brother at this time was
lying on a piece of ploughed land off the road, and
Mary M‘Fie, his wife, was near him. These two were
a few paces in advance of Johnston and his wife. Be-
fore Johnston's wife came back, she said, " Oh, dear,
I am coming back ; I'll not go away." The prisoner
was then very close on her ; and he took hold of her
after that. She was at the side of the planting and
between two ditches, when he laid hold of her. He
then took her to the side of the road, and knocked her
down—two or three yards from where he laid hold of
her. The prisoner spoke to his wife in an angry way.
W hen knocked down, she fell on the side of the road ;
he then kicked her with his feet two or three times.
She cried out murder. He then kicked her about the
head. After kicking her, lie tore the whole of her
clothes, except the shift. He dragged her body,
" rugged her hair," and threw her into the ditch by
the road side. After she was in the ditch he went and
pulled, or broke off, a stick from the hedge.
Saw him lift the stick, as if to strike, but did
not see him strike, calling her to rise—she being
then in the ditch. Shown a crooked piece of
hazel, which witness identified. Pointed out to the
fiscal the spot where Johnston's wife was lying, and the
tree from whence the branch had been broken. Never
heard the prisoner's wife speak after he saw the stick
uplifted. Mary M'Fie went between Johnston and
his wife when the latter was on the road, and the pri-
soner struck M'Fie in the eye, and kicked her. Pri-
soner afterwards lifted his wife out of the ditch, and
laid her on a bank. She was then motionless and like
death. This was shortly after the prisoner had the
stick lifted. Mary A/Tie came again with water, and
I put it into her own mouth and then into that of the
prisoner's wife, to see if she had any breath, but she
was dead. Prisoner and witness then went to the
nearest house for assistance, but the people did not open
the door, saying they had no " way for us." Witness
and the prisoner's eldest daughter then went to a black-
smith's house, who opened his door, got a light, and
came back to the place where Helen Newlands was
lying, and she was pronounced to be dead. There was a
wound on her right brow. A doctor was sent for, and,
on his coming, the prisoner held up his hands and said,
" Between God and man, it is me that did it." Johns-
ston was now much distressed, and crying. There had
been a quarrel between the prisoner and his wife just on
leaving Aberchirder. He then struck her on the head
with a small rod. This was betwixt six and seven ; she
died between eight and nine. The place where she
died might be a mile and a quarter from Aberchirder.
In the course of the cross-examination, the witness
said that prisoner, on seeing his wife dead, cried " Oh!
Nelly New lands, you and I have travelled many miles
together, but we will never travel more." He was
much distressed. (On this the prisoner shed tears.)
Prisoner got water, washed his wife's face, and poured
water OD it. He put his coat and bonnet under her
head, and remained by her till taken into custody about
midnight. Witness had travelled about ten days with
Johnston and his wife, and, till that day, they lived com-
fortably together.

By Lord-MoNcuiEFF—From the time the wife came
off the horse till she was lying dead, might be a quar-
ter of an hour.

By a Juryman—Witness was just at the prisoner's
back, and must have seen had he struck her with a
stick from the hedge. The prisoner assisted in remov-
ing the body to a mill in the vicinity.
Mr. Leslie, Procurator-fiscal of Banff; Mary M'Fie,
sister-in-law to George Lindsay ; and Mr. Mackay,
schoolmaster at Aberchirder, were examined, and cor-
roborated the first witness's evidence.
Two medical men had examined the body, and said
the wound on the head might have been inflicted by
the stick, but not by a fist.
Johnston stated himself to be about twenty-five or
twenty-six years of age, a native of Allness in Ross-
shire, and had been married these ten years. Has
three children. His account of the affray did not ma-
terially differ from that of the boy Lindsay, but he de-
nied using any stick.

The Jury were addressed by the SOLICITOR-GENE-
RAL for the prosecution, and Mr. JAMES MONCRIEFF
for the prisoner, who contended that the crime only
amounted, at the very most, to culpable homicide.
The LORD JUSTICE-CLERK, in charging the Jury,
was of opinion that the evidence established a case of
murder.

The Jury, however, took the more lenient view, and
round the prisoner guilty of culpable homicide.
He was sentenced to transportation for life.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOUSE.

A man named Campbell, who was in the employ.
went of Mr. John Dixon, of No. 77, Aldermanbury,
silk-mercer, as agent, was brought before the Lord
Mayor, charged with having embezzled considerable
sums of money belonging to his employer. The pri-
soner had been remanded from a former day, when he
was considered to be under too much excitement, from
the use of strong liquors, to undergo examination.
Mr. Dixon stated that the prisoner had a commission
for selling goods for the house. On the 27th of Feb-
ruary, .53 yards of satin were given to him to sell ; and
he, on his return to the house, stated that he had sold
the articles to Messrs. Shoolbred and Cook, and it was
to go on credit to a monthly account. On the 28th
of February, he received 81 yards of pearl satin, and
19i yards of pink satin, and he stated that he sold them
to the same house, under similar circumstances. Wit-
ness further stated that the prisoner received, on the
10th March, 44 yards of coloured satin ; on the 13th of
March, 79 yards of white satin ; on the 20th of March,
79 yards of lavender satin : on the 27th of March, 57
yards of black satin ; on the 2d of April, 20 yards of
drab satin ;on the 24th April, 23 yards of pink satin,
and 841 yards of white satin. All these he stated he
had left upon credit with Messrs.. Shoolbred and Cook,
in Tottenham-court-road ; but witness ascertained that
they had been paid for to the prisoner in cash. There
were several other goods which the prisoner had sold
to other houses, and for which he had been paid, al-
though he placed then to the credit of the different
Concerns.

Mr. James Shoolbred stated that the prisoner had
received cash for all the goods.

A policeman stated, that, upon apprehending, he
found irs the pocket of the prisoner a pocket-book -with
invoices and duplicates, which proved to refer to some
of the property of Mr. Dixon. The prisoner said to
witness, upon being asked what he had done with the
property, that be was a fool, and that if Mr. Dixon
would make the matter a debt, he would pay ; but, if
not, he must take his chance.
The prisoner was remanded.