The Sun.
London, England, 1824-12-15 00:00:00

[in TIMES.]

There has been a public meeting in the Staf-
fordshire Potteries, to consider about the intro-
duction of a Bill into Parliament, for improving
the administration of justice in that populous and
important district. The debate was principally
on the question whether or not the appointment
of a stipendiary Magistrate should be provided
for as part of the Bill. The majority appeared to
be against such a provision—an error in judg-
ment, as we must beg leave to call it, which, con-
sidering, first, that it was a shrewd and in-
telligent body of men who composed the
assembly, and next, that the majority consisted
of persons who had a direct interest in support-
ing the rejected proposition, seems to us
not easy to account for. A good Magistrate must
be one who understands the law which he
has to administer, and one who is not susceptible
of any bias that might lead him to pervert his
knowledge...,ln both these points, it is to us very
manifest that a regular-bred lawyer, selected
from the profession, will be infinitely better qua-
lified to discharge the office of a Judge, than the
ordinary run of English gentlemen, nut used to
the proceedings of Courts of Justice, or to a dis-
passionate application of the rules and principles
of law. The superiority of the Barrister over
the Fox-hunting Esquire, becomes a fact even
more important in a district like that of the Staf-
fordshire Potteries,where the greater proportion of
differences to be adjusted are such. as arise be-
tween master manufacturers and their workmen,
and where in every instance the dispenser of jus-
tice must belong exclusively to one of the litigat-
ing classes, and be governed by partialities and
prejudices adverse to the interests of the other.
The glare thrown round our Country Justices, by
the flashy epithet applied to them of an 46 unpaid
magistracy," has led, we fear, to much individual
wrong, and to serious political mischief. Of the
long list of poacher cases which occur throughout
England, how many are there upon which no
Country Gentleman of the neighbourhood ought to
be suffered to give an opinion, much less to join
ie a sentence of conviction or punishment ?
Three times out of four, the questions between
rich men and those who work for their daily
bread ace decided by judges (we mean the
country magistrates)'who have, and who must
have, a strong fellow-feeling with one of the con-
tending parties. If this be the case between the
landed gentlemen and the peasants, how much
more forcible and definite must be the sytn-
thickly, peopled district,is always a
pathy, where the Magistrpte, amtatastrerorsrvymbiuu.t
facturer, and where almost all the disputes which
come before him are between his brother musters
and their men, and where his decision is ever after
to operate as a precedent upon similar cases be-
tween himself and hi, own people ! Accordingly,
we find that the argument and common sense of
the Staffordshire folkc Wag, as reported in their
own newspapers, fearfully against tine appoiut-
ment—at least the uncontrouiled authority—of
ccPotter Magistrates," the grcm th of the neigh.
bullring country. Mr. 'W
edge w ood, first in the line
of manufacturiu g gentlemen, had the taste and in-
tegrity to declare,that he did not feel himself quali-
fied to form part of a tribunal before which his
own interests were likely to be brought in con-
flict wit h those of others : hut an honest and sen-
sible, though uneducated worthy, of the name of
Forrester, put the eight view of the subject in
half a dozen words-44 Fellow-workmen," cried
this native orator, " don't let's ha' ouy potter
" Justices, but stypendry, or ony other, afore
" them. 1)o your duty—stypendry afore potter."
So say we.

'l'l)e late llainburgh Papers contain an afflict-
ing article of intelligence, under the date of
Hanover, 24th November :—lt is, that nearly
three-fourths of the town of Elze had been de-
stroyed by a.dreadful conflagration; besides the
new church, 129 dwelling-houses, and 138 other
buildings, asgranaries, &c. became a prey to the
deveuring element. By this truly calamitous
event 265 Ninnies, consisting of 1,129 persons,
have been deprived of their all.
The Journal du Commerce states, that the clear
gain accruing to M. OUVIIMUD, the Contractor
for the. Spanish Army, under his late engagements,
is upwards of 56 millions of francs—nearly 21.
millions Sterling !
We have been desired to stale (says the New-
castle Chronicle of Saturday last), that there is
no foundation for a report lately circulated in our
neighbourhood, through the medium of a public
print, that the disputes between the keelmen and
the coal owners of the, Tyne, relative to the
Spouts erected-on the river for loading ships with
coal's, were now terminated by a confirmation of
the verdict of.-the Jury on the late.trial atYork,
by n Weir these-erections are declared not to be
a nuisance. On the contrary, the case having
been referred to the Court of King's Bench, it
remains yet to be. determined. :The deci,iieb of
that. Court is expected during the present term,.
and will, of course, be made known in a few
days.

nomAs NATERs, F,,q. of New York, has
given a lienefaction of fifty pounds to the In•
firmary
Newcastle-upou.Tyne, of which town
he is a native.

The quantity of rain that, fell at Kendal,
NVestmorland, during the month oiNovember,
amounted to 13,433 inches,—a quantity seldom
exceeded or ever equalled.
Mr. OwErr, who has
arrived at New York,
made 811 expo.ition on the 6th Novernlit4. of
thu outline. of the Improvements which he thinks
it both practicable, and to the highest degree
b,,,,efwiai, to introduce into the present spitem of
human society Mr. OWEN (says the Now
York ihnerican) intends to submit his plans to
Congress.