The Sun.
London, England, 1824-04-17 00:00:00

MURDER OF WILLIAM WOOD.

At the last Summer Assizes for this county it may he recol-
lecled that a young man, named Joseph Dale, was convicted
of the wilful murder of William Wcod, a respectable factor.
near Whaley, in Cheshire, on the 16th of July last. The
trial lasted from nine o'clock in the morning until sight
in the evening. Mr. D. F. JoNEs, who was Counsel for
the prisoner, having, however, moved for a respite of
judgment on the ground of a flaw in the indictment, it not
hating been stated therein what number of stones lied been
used in the murder of the unfortunate man, sentence was not
then passed. The question has been since argued before tl e
twelve Judges, who have decided that it was not eseemi it
that, the number of stones should be stated in the inliet-
ment ; and one of their Lordships appositely asked NI Iv.ther
an indictment for murder would be invalid by reason of its
not having been stated by how many small shut the death
of a murdered man had been occasioned. A bout six weeks
since. a pet' tion was forwarded to the, Secretary of Sta'e fee
the Home Department for the pardon of was t~icF.
; .t.
respectably and numerously signed, and among the names
attached to it were those of the Mayor and Sherifrs of tl.
city. This circumstance has been matter of suri,rl;e to
most of those who were acquainted with the circumstance*
detailed in evidence on the trial. On the evcnirg of the
IGth of July, the prisoner and two other men we e seen
walking in the company of the deceased along the ro .d lead-
ing to the spot where the body was found : at a sulyequent
period of that night, the prisoner was seen running in com-
pany of his two companions from the spot. A M. rote was
found on the person of Dale when taken : of this he has Liven
no satisfactory account; and a tradesman of Stockport gave
evidence on the trial that he had paid this Sallie note to
the deceased on the morning of the very day on the evening of
which he was murdered. One of the prisoner's companions was
taken a short time after the murder, and being coirm.ttccl to
the New Bailey prison at Manchester, hung himself in his cell
the s.tme night. The third person has not yet been taken, and it
is to be hoped that Dale will yet think fit to make acme atoite-
ment to the violated laws of his country, by giving. infornation
that may lead to the apprehension of his associate in the horrid
deed. it is expected that sentence of death will he pasted on
Dale some day this week, probably on Saturday, as it has not,
we believe, been ueual for thet awful ceremony to take place on..
Good Friday. The fate of Dale Las become of untuual int rest
in this and the adjoining countits, although it w re difficult t)
account for this excitement byond the youth of the prisoner,
he being only 18 years of age.

DARING ATTEMPT AT BURGLARY.—Last night
a most daring attempt was made to rob the hou.e
No. 30, Vincent-square, Westminster, by some
thieves, who seemed determined to effect their
object. Having failed in making an entrance in
front, they had recourse to the back; to accom-
plish which they were under the necessity a
scaling the wall of a rope-ground. Here, however,
they were again foiled,and apparently determined
to have some booty, they began to cut away the
lead work, pipes, kc. In doing the latter, however,
to their utter dismay, the water rushed out in
such streams upon them, that they were obliged
to make a hasty retreat, leaving the lower part of
the house completely overflowed. No less than
five attempts at robbery have been made in the
neighbourhood, notwithstanding two persons have
been executed and 17 convicted within a short

period.
A tnilitary Mandarin observed to a Gentle-
man connected with Lord Amherst's embassy to China,
that •' in times of peace the food became scanty, and that
wars were absolutely necessary to maintain the proportion
between supply and demand." It is something singular
to meet a disciple of ➢9althus on the Imperial Canal ! . .
The story of Mr. WAGSTAFF, who received
sentence of death for forgery, on Thuriday, is
melancholy :—When only 15 years of age,he had
15,0001. bequeathed to him by a distant relative,
and, on coming of age, he married a young lady
possessed of a very considerable fortune. l'he
embarked in business with every prospect of suc-
cess, but somehow or other a sort of fatality
seemed to attend him. lie not only lost alt his
own and his wife's property, but also borrowed
large sums of money from his own relations,
which very speedily disappeared. It has been
told to us by a person of respectability, who has
known him from infancy, that upon a moderate
calculation he mast have dissipated at least
30,0001. within eight years. He is now only 27
years of age ; when sentonce of death was pasted
upon him, he appeared deeply affected ; his situa-
tion excited a good deal of sympathy, hismanner
being very prepossessing, his appearance alto-
gether that of a gentleman.

THE LONDON JOURNALS.

DAILY

• xtracts front the Morning Papers, April 17.

[THETIMES.]
We have received several numbers of a Ito-
maie journal, published at. Missolonghi, under
the title of the Greek Chronicle. The last of
the series extends only to.the 9th of February,
and therefore supplies us with little information
on the state of Greece which had not previously
reached us through other channels. The very
appearance, however, of a newspaper in such a
quarter, at such a time,,and in such a language,.
is not without its interest—recording, as it does,
the noble exploits of a people recovering their
independence after, ages of oppression,--ad-
dressed to the descendants of those whose jour-
nalists were Thucydides and Xenophon and
composed in -a dialect which, with some varia-
tions in grammar and construction, was spoken
by Homer and Plato. The contents of the two
-last numbers, likewise, are somewhat curious.—
That of the 6th of February gives us an'eloquent
address of the Government of the three islands,
_Hydra, Spezzia, and Ipsara, to all the Greeks.
We know well," say these brave men,
" that when a Christian is called to fight
for his faith—when a patriot struggles for
" his country, every thing else is regarded
" as insignificant." They then call to mind, that
in the last three years they have sacrificed their
property—exposed their lives—and shed their
blood for the general freedom, without meeting
with adequate support from the rest of the
nation. This address is so curious, that we
regret our limits will not allow us to give it
entire. With some discussions by the editor on
a 'criminal code, and an account of the sudden
illness and rapid recovery of Lord Byron, this
number concludes. The number of the 9th of
ebruary contains an' extract from the speech of
the American President, received by Galignani's
Messenger, ....here the part which refers to the
Greek contest and cause is particularly pointed
out to the sympathy and gratitude of the Greek
patriots. This paper concludes with an account
of the proceedings of a meeting, at Cambridge, to
receive subsciptions in favour of the Greeks.

[MORNING CHRONICLE.]
The proceedings of the Court-Martial in De-
merara, on the trial of John Smith, the Missionary,
throw a curious light on the notions of the inha-
bitants of the slave colonies with regard to the
Christian Religion. From the questions put to
the Negroes, it would appear that the unfortunate
deceased could not read a passage to them, either
from the Old or New Testament, without subject-
ing himself to the charge of exciting to insurrec-
tion. The very mention of Moses and Pharoah,
Sanl and David, was quite enough for them.
In fact, the Bible appears to them an incendiary
publication of the most dangerous description.
Every thing seems to have been construed by
them as having a reference to the relation be-
tween Master and Slave. The unfortunate man
could not even allude to the necessity for the ob-
servance of the Sabbath, but it must be taken as
an exhortation to the Negroes to disobey their
Masters, or to our Saviour's announcement of
the destruction of Jerusalem, but it must be
deemed to point to the destruction of the Co..
iony. The prisoner, again and again, asked
the witnesses if he applied any of the passages
to the situation of the Negroes ? That seems
to have been deemed immaterial. In short, Tons
Paine was not more an object of alarm to our loyal
country 'Squires during the period of Anti-Ja-
cobinism, than the Bible is to our West Indian
slave-holders. The West Indian Planters do
not disguise their conviction that Christianity and
Slavery are irreconcileable with each other, and
we are not to wonder that, under these circum-
stances, they should look with a very unfriendly
eye on the former. They do not, however, say
in so many words that they are enemies to Chris-
tianity—they are only enemies to cant. But then
cant means a serious concern for those things
which ClniAianity more peculiarly enjoins—lf
any concern is expressed for any other than mere
worldly interests, it is cant, pure cant.

[MOUNINC POST.]
We do not recollect a Session of Parliament
fur several years past in which so much of the
regular public business, together with the deci-
sion of many important incidental questions, was
disposed of previous to the Easter recess, as dur-
ing the present one. Already the various esti-
mates for the year have been agreed to, and, not-
withstanding the utmost vigilance of the Opposi-
tion, exactly, it may be said, in the terms in
-which they were brought forward by Ministers.
It may likewise be considered that the other
financial arrangements of Government have
been nearly completed. The. old Four per
Cent Stock has been reduced to Three and
a Half per Cent. with the unanimous approbation
of the Public, and without any sensible trouble
to the Treasury, or any present or prospective-
engagements on the-part of the- country to sub-
tract from the-actual profit of the measure. Se-
veral taxes or portions of taxes have: also been
remitted, and an assurance given in the adoption
of salutary. alterations ,in different branches of
trade that- the . future increase of the Revenue
will enable Ministers,to afford still further relief
to the people at no distant period. The most
important pf,these regulations is that affecting
the Silk Manufacture, which, however mis-
takenly opposed,,even at present holds forth the
mostflattering prospects to the nation. The re-
duction of the, Duties on Wool is a proceeding of
the same description, and with the other altera-
tions in o.ur,commercial .code,'intend.to liberate.
trade from the absolute, shackles in which it had
h:eem bound for ages, -wisely aims at the
opening.of new and the enlarging of old chan-
nels for,r the investment of our vast and accu-
mulating capital, as well as the employment
of our increasing population and the general
augmentation of the national resources. The
finaecial arrangements of this Session have in:.
deed. ',wen more politic than popular—they are
directed to the future aggrandizement of the
empire; rather than the momentary gratifica-

tion of public cupidity, but in laying a solid
foundation for our resources, give the best secu-
rity for their permanency and power. If we now
turn to the explanations of our system of foreign
policy, which have been given in the course of
the current Session, we shall find if possible still
higher grounds of exultation. To say that this
policy has undergone discussion in Parliament
would be unjust—the Opposition could find no
tangible excuse for demanding an inquiry into
the course pursued by Mr. Secretary Canning,
or provoking a debate on our foreign relations.

[BRITISH PRESS.]
A Dutch Mail brought us papers yesterday to
the 12th of April. With the exception of an
Ordinance from the King of the Netherlands,
regulating the herring fisheries of the Dutch on
the coast of Scotland, these papers contain almost
nothing of any importance. The Ordinance itself,
if any interest can be attached to it, will be
found to follow. Accounts from St. Petersburgh
to the 26th of March state that the twenty-
third anniversary of Alexander's accession to
the throne was celebrated in that capital,
on the 24th, with universal joy. Te Deum
was performed in the Imperial Chapel, in the
Winter Palace, in the Casa Metropolitan
Church, and all the other churches of the
city. We shall not be surprised, if, before many
revolving years pass away, the Russian has his
Te Deum, chaunfed in the 'Great Mosque of
the infidel in Constantinople, once the Greek
church of St. Sophia. The long-depending disH
putes between these Powers are far from being
arranged, and the wily Russian is only waiting
his hour to pounce on the Turkish provinces.
A new company, it appears, has been formed,
under the name of the Russian South-West
Company, for carrying on the navigation between
the Black Sea and the Baltic, by means of the
canals and the rivers Dnieper and Niemen. This
Company mean to improve to the utmost the na-
vigation on the rivers between the two seas.
Russia is omitting nothing that can add to her
resources and her strength. This ambitious
Power already overshadows Europe ; her dan-
gerous influence is every were felt, and will soon
be incompatible with the liberty and peace of
the other nations of the Continent, who, in their
own defence, must arm against her.

[NEW TIMES.]
_ __

In another part of our Paper will be found
the Affidavit of Mrs. Smith, the wife of the unfor-
tunate Missionary, whose fate has excited so
much commiseration. We greatly lament that
his Majesty's Ministers were not in possession of

this important document when the proceedings o

the Court Martial were submitted to them. We
persuade ourselves, that if that had been the
case, they would, without hesitation, have testi-
fied their conviction of Mr. Smith's entire inno-
cence. The only two points on which any doubt
could arise are here cleared up ; namely,
the intercourse between Mr. Smith and Qua-
mina, the Negro, on Sunday the 17th, and Wed-
nesday the 20th of August. It may have been
thought, that Air. Smith, on the first of those
occasions, distinctly learnt the intention of the
Negroes to revolt, and was culpable in not re-
vealing it to the Governor; and it may also have
been conceived that he sought on the Wednes-

day a clandestine meeting with Quamina, from
which clandestinity a partnership in guilt may
have been inferred ; but these suspicions vanish
before Mrs. Smith's plain and simple statement,
which carries truth on the face of it. It appears
that on the Sunday Mr. Smith had been busied
till a late hour in the fatiguing duties of his
church ; after which Quamina, Seaton, and two
other Negroes, came to bid him good bye, as
was usual with them, another Negro, named
Bristol, being present ; they stayed only two or
three minutes ; it was in the open hall; and
nothing was said from which the most sus.
picious person could have conjectured that
any thing like a revolt was in agitation.—
On the Wednesday Mrs. Smith, having passed
the preceding day and night in great alarm
on account of the tumult of the Negroes,
without consulting her husband, sent for
Quamina (because he was a Deacon of the
Chapel, and therefore better known to her
than any other slave), in order to learn
what the news was. He came to the house,
quite unexpected by Mr. Smith, and left it
again, after a few insignificant phrases had passed
between them. This short statement is perfectly
consistent with the whole of Mr. Smith's con-
duct ; whereas the accounts given by this Ne-
groes Bristol and Seaton, which might seem to
infer some degree of imprudence hi Mr. Smith,
are confused, contradictory, and such as might
be expected from the vague and unexercised me-
mory of persons in their situation. It must not
be forgotten that even Bristol and Seaton do
most explicitly declare that Mr. Smith, far from
encouraging any idea of revolt, uniformly depre-
cated any such proceeding.

[MORNING HERALD.]
Nye gave yesterday and the day before copious
extracts from a trial, by a Court-Martial, of Mr.
Smith, the Missionary, who was sent by the Mis-
sionary Society to Demarara, for the purpose of
converting the negroes in that colony to Chris-
tianity. For our part, we do not like trials by
Courts-Martial ; and in this case we cannot
see why, as a matter of necessity, it should
have been adopted. Why could not a Common
Jury have been summoned ? Were the Go-
vernment of that colony apprehensive that
no Common Jury would dare to find. MT. Smith
guilty, in case-the evidence were sufficient ? If
the Governor of that colony were apprehensive
that such was the ease, and if sit should be the
belief of the inhabitants of Demerara, that, had
a sufficient number been impanneled, and had
found Mr. Smith guilty, their lives and those of

•
their families would have been endangered,
then- there is a good reason why he should
have bee►► tried as he was. Mr. Smith was,

in all probability, as most of the Missionaries are,
an enthusiast. It is no wonder that they should
be enthusiitsts, foe the education they receive
iti the society of those who profess Methodism
causes them to be enthusiasts, These people ire

!accustomed, from their childhood, to hear a long
prayer before breakfast, long graces before and
after their repasts, and a, long prayer before and
after their suppers, besides a prayer of their own
just before going to bed, independent of prayers
and sermons at places of public worship, often
delivered with considerable enthusiasm—add to
all this, what are called the love-feasts, the pri-
vate assembling of the old and the young, both
male and female, for prayer meetings, succeeded
by what are called religious conversations. We
have been at Methodist meetings where the
preacher has so worked on his audience, that
they have been in the most extraordinary
ecstacies. Whether this mode of worship-
ping be in strict accordance with the doctrines
as taught by our Saviour, we will not stop to
inquire, but we hardly think it is. Not that we
would attempt to alter it ; foi had we any
thing to do with the Legislature, we would
let every body worship the Divinity in any
manner they thought proper; but this we
must say, with regard to prayer, that our Sa-
viour repeatedly said to his hearers, " When ye
pray, do not make long prayers to be seen of
men : but enter into your closet, and pray in
secret, and thy Fattier, who seeth in secret, will
reward thee openly." Certainly, the Methodists
justify the enthusiasm of their preaching, by set-
ting before us the example of the Apostles
Paul, Peter, John, and others of our Sa-
viour's disciples, or believers ; but why
should we not in these matters go to the
fountain head ?—The Founder of the Chris-
tian Religion delivered a very different doc-
trine. We have made a digression, but we
hope our readers will excuse us. We have done
so for the purpose of endeavouring to account for
the religious fervour with which, there can be
no doubt, Mr. Smith was imbued, even before
he left this country. If we, as a Juryman, had
been sitting in judgment on Mr. Smith, we should
have taken these circumstances into consideration,
and we should have given him the benefit of
such circumstances.