The Sun.
London, England, 1823-07-22 00:00:00

t is the custom of late years to make ope,

log and closing Speeches, as common place
and incommunicative as possible. The late
Session ,of Parliament showed a remarkable
contrast—it was very laborious and very un-
productive—Several subjects of domestic le-
gislation have been started, but scarcely one,
cf any importance,. regularly followed up.—
It is unnecessary to recapitulate them, as they
Must be still fresh in the memory of the public.
The _ Spitalfields' Acts alone may be :taken as
an example—The Bill on this ,subject, after
alternate deliberations and delays, and the hear-
ing of evidence, disappeared at last as if it had
dropped through' the fingers of Parliament. The
CriMinal Laws, and the state and tendencies of
the Game Laws—the latter a crying grievance— '
have undergone no revisiOnor improvement tosatis-
fy the public expectation. Upon Ireland, the time
and labour of Parliament have been liberally be-
stowedand beyond the usual routine allusions
in reviewing' the business of the Session,. this is.
the only topic of a domestic nature that has re-
ceived a .marked notice in the Speech. But it
must be confeSsed--4ndeed it is notorious, that
much of the 'time devoted to Irish business
was _uselessly squandered. The [HA Inquiry'
has become a bye-word—'-the Irish Tithe Bill
is a mere shadow—and though much was un-,
dertalten, . appears to haVe been. done
',beyond tho mere revival of the Insurrection Act,
with a new organization :of the policc.:llbe
Speed] declares that tbe..poivers: intrusted to the
ExecutiVe for the Government of Ireland shall

be "firmly, but temperately" exercised. There
appears to be little doubt—indeed, there seems
the strongest conviction upon the mind of the
great mass of the people id Ireland—that the tem-
perate as well as the firm enforcement of the laws
is the wish, and even the care of his Majesty,',
and in this spirit the Irish Government appears
to act. There is observable a just degree of
vigilance and rigour in punishing, by removal or
suspension, in the first instance, of such of the
new and formidable bands of armed police, quar-
tered or garrisoned, we know not which, through-
out the country, as compromise themselves.—
But the utmost vigilance of Government can go
but a short way in preventing these Janissaries
of the Magistracy from the commission of dread-
ful outrages.—The Government can do no more
than deprive or suspend an offending constable,
and hand him over to be dealt with in due course
of law for the offence. If we may judge by the re-
ports of trials in the Irish Papers, the recourse to
law is any thing but alarming to an accused police-
man. In one of these cases, that of a constable
tried at Sessions, for presenting a pistol, without
the least provocation, and with dreadful menaces,
to a person in whose house he was executing a war-
rant of arrest, a Reverend Magistrate on the
bench is represented to have " interfered in be-
half of the constable," in a manner so glaring,
that mere ignorance of the law and its practice
could not account for, or excuse it. The same
constable was tried for a second, and still more
aggravated assault—with scarcely any provoca-
tion (we have no authority other than the Irish
papers). lie first struck a man, then repaired to
his quarters, and returned armed with his sword,
and again attacked his adversary, upon whom he
inflicted several sword wounds, two of them very
serious. What was the sentence ? One month's
imprisonment! and the prosecutor refused his
expences, because the prisoner being suspended,
was not then receiving pay !! This must operate
as a complete bar to justice, between the poor
and the police. The former cannot afford
their own time and travelling, still less, bring
witnessea, unless allowed their expences.—
There -is a disregard of judicial decorum, a
constant bursting of prejudice and animosity
in the inferior Irish tribunals, where the question
is between the agents of authority and the com-
mon people. The state of Ireland will, no doubt,
be adverted to early in the next Session—and it
may be collected, even from an expression used
in the Speech, that other measures than those of
the late Session will be applied—lt says that
his Majesty hopes the recent enactments 4' will
tend to remove some of the evils which have so
long afflicted that part of the United Kingdom."

[NIORNINO CHRONICLE.]

Fortunately, Morillo's treachery, like that of
Abisbal, will not be, even to the French, worth
the money they have paid for it. Among his
own countrymen it will cause him to be held in
abhorrence and contempt, and will serve to im-
press on the people that they can place no reli-
ance on those Ines' who have once faltered in the
national cause, or 'have been the inmates of a cor-
rupt palace. Morino' wished to make the leading
men in Galicia parties to his treachery ; but they
rejected his overtures with disdain. The several
towns in Asturias and Galicia, without any pre-
concerted plan, in an uniform and simultaneous
manner, declared their firm adhesion to the good
cause, and agreed never to tarnish their national
honour by any compromise with the French in-
vaders.—All this was necessary to rouse the
energies of the Galicians. It may therefore
be expected that the best consequences will fol-
low Morillo's defection. lie has closed his
career with infamy, and it is fortunate it has
h only
t
been at so early a period of the struggle. On
1,200 men with him
in single the 10th ianlslt a
militia,n haddtid o a company of
regulars. They were at that time quitting him
as fast as they could, so that by the time Gen.
&tuck reached the above place, he would be
left alone, or at least accompanied only by a few
Officers belonging to his staff. Having penetrated
so far into Galicia, the French now give out
that it is their intention to besiege Corunna, in
have long threatened to
tbhets'iseagteneSuti.alSilii!ebrasBtsiatnh'esy, Pampeluna, Barcelona,
and Cadiz. For any attack in that quarter
the Galicians are, however, prepared. Co.
retina is built on the neck of an irregular
peninsula, and well defended by a line of
bastions. It has also a strong citadel, besides a
fortress and castle. Its chief defence is towards
the sea, yet the heights by which it is surround-
ed have lately been fortified so as to afford a very
effective resistance. Ever since the French
crossed the Pyrenees, the inhabitants have been
preparing the means of defence, so that they are
quite ready to give a warm reception to their as-
sailants. The garrison, well provided with every
thing, while the sea is open to their receiving
supplies, is composed of 3,500 men, a large pro-
portion of whom are artillery.: Ferrol is situated
three leagues N.E. of Corunna, surrounded by
the sea on three sides, and fortified on the other.
there there is a garrison of 800 men, and in Vigo
the same number.—The French, therefore, in
laying siege
to Corunna, must expect some hard
fighting, and to be continually exposed on their
flanks from two points, in daily communication
with the one attacked, and consequently able to
concert such operations as circumstances may
suggest. Corunna has now become an import-
ant Place, not only on account of the facilities it
affords to
prizes taken from the French, but also
because it will become a great rendezvous for
vessels arriving from the westward, which will alter
their destination the moment it is known Cadiz is
blockaded by a French squadron. It is also the pre-
sent point of communication with England, and all
these rensons will contribute to an effective defence.
Besides this, Gatlicia is provided with a strong
army of operations, which will act on the rear of
the enemy, commencing, in all
probability, to-
wards Orense. I
"
,o..owing a re the particu-
lars of, this force :—Regiment of Burgos, 1,200
strong,commanded by Colonel Pereda ; Regi-
went of the Constitution 800, and that of Es.
panio 700, under the orders of Colonel Campillo
Regiment of Granada, 1,200, commanded by
Colonel Horn ; the Regiment of Arragon, 1,400,
commanded by Colonel Conget ; Regiment of

kerrol, 700, Colonel Quintana ; Regiment of I
Pontevedra, 500 ; a corps of Artillery, 600, com-
manded
by three Lieut.-Colonels ; Volunteers
of Bilboa, 375, Colonel Arana ; Volunteers of
Guipuscoa, 300, Col. Zorva ; Ditto, of Santander,
Col. Bustamante ; a corps formed out of the
deserters from the Army of the Faith in Navarre,
and represented as being the most determined,
350, commanded by Colonel Barredo; a le-
gion of Piedmontese and French, 180.— „grand
total, 8,535, of whom upwards of seven thou-
sand are regulars. The volunteers are chiefly
men who came from the Biscayan Provinces when
the French entered ; of course they can be relied
upon. This corps may be doubled the moment
arms can be procured, and luckily by this time
supplies are at hand. In all probability, should
the French keep their word, and attack Co-
runna, the defence will be confided to Quiroga ;
and Sir Robert Wilson, who has received his
commission of Lieutenant-General from the
Spanish Government, will act in the interior; he
will be aided by Gen. Palarea, known during the
lust war as a Partisan Leader, by the name of Me-
dico, a late Member of the Cortes, and an ex-
tremely clever, patriotic, and surprizing man.
—Such are the preparations with which the
defence of Galicia commences, and it is
a subject of exultation to reflect, that it
can no longer be obstructed by the trai-
torous designs of a Morillo. The sequel may
shew us that the French have themselves been
out-generalled.

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

CROYDON, MONDAY, JULY 21.

This morning the Assizes commenced at Croydon before the
Right lion. Sir ROBERT DALLAS, Kut., and Sir ROBERT
GRAHAM, Knt., at the Town-Hall.
The Judges were met at Streatham by the Sheriff; Charles
Hampden Turner, Esq., and several gendemen, and proceeded
in grand procession into the town. On the. Grand Jury being
sworn, they were addressed by Sir ROBERT GRAHAM, upon
the number of persons for trial—and he observed particularly
upon the three prisoners, Stoffel, Keppel, and Scott, who stand
charged with the murder of Mrs. Richards, at Clapham.
The calendar contains 114 prisoners for trial ; but they are
principally for minor offences, except the three wretched indi-
viduals before named.