The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-20 00:00:00

(EXTRACT.)

" Saint Lucia, Z
No. 20. 3
" Downing-street, March 16, 1847.
" Sir,—l have received your dispatches of the dates
and numbers noted in the margin (Nos. 6 and 7, 12th and
20th Jan., 1847), with their several enclosures, relating
to the conduct of the Chief Justice and the Attorney-
General of Saint Lucia.

" I have to acquaint you, in answer, that none of the
public servants in St. Lucia can be permitted to retain
offices which they hold during her Majesty's pleasure, if
it should appear that they have been in any way parties
to the publication of the gross libels which have been
published in the Independent Press, or even if they should
be shown to have been concerned in a paper in which
such articles were inserted. To allow any persons
holding such offices thus to countenance and support
such systematic attacks upon the person administerinz
the Government, would be entirely inconsistent with
the maintenance of that official subordination which
is essential for the good of the public service. But
this observation applies with much greater force to per-
sons holding such high offices in the administration of
justice as those of Chief Justice and Attorney-General.
It is their duty to enforce the law, and, as part of it.
the law of libel. It is, therefore, a most flagrant
violation of that duty that they should themselves con-
tribute at all to a newspaper, which the one might so
probably be required to prosecute, and the other to try
for libel ; and if it could be proved that they, or either of
them, had been authors of some of the worst libels, this
would, of course, be a great aggravation of the offence.

" The charges brought against these officers being
thus of so grave a character, I have to instruct you to
proceed with the least practicable delay to Saint Lucig,
and to institute an inquiry into their truth. If, after
having called upon Messrs. Reddie and Atthill for their
defene, and beard what they have to allige, you do nut
find that they can exculpate themselves from the charge
of having had connexion with the paper in question, you
will at once suspend them from their offices, transmit.

ling to me a full report of your proceedings.
" You will consider these instructions as equally ap-
plicable to the conduct of Mr. Leuger, the second Puisne
Judge.
" Governor Reid, &c.. &c., &c."

(True copy.)
(Signed) ROBERT KAY,
Private Secretary.
(True copy.) _

- W. lIANLEY,
CoL Sec. and Treas.

"Saint Lucia, 1
No. 29.

" Downing-street, April 13, 1847.
" Sir,—l have received your dispatches of the dates
and numbers noted in the margin (Nos. 15, 18, 22, and
24; 4th, Bth, 9th, and 10th Feb.) further relative to the
conduct of the Chief Justice, the Attorney-General, and
the second Puisne Judge of St. Lucia.
" I have to refer you to the dispatch (No. 20, of the
16th March) which I have already addressed to you on
this subject.

" The additional papers now transmitted have not
appeared to me to call for any modification of the in-
structions contained in that dispatch. Referring, how-
ever, to the renewed demand of Mr. Reddie, that the
proposed inquiry should be conducted according to
judicial forms, I have to observe, that public officers to
whom it is imputed that they have been abetting a scur-
rilous newspaper in libelling the officer administering
the Government, are not to suppose that no notice
can be taken of such conduct, unless the charge can be
substantiated against them in the same manner as would
be necessary in the case of a criminal charge brought
against an individual in a court of law.
" Public officers upon whom such an imputation is
made may properly be called upon to deny its truth ;
and if they refuse to do so, or fail to exculpate them-
selves, their removal must be the consequence.
" I have, &c.,
(Signed)
" Governor Reid, &c., Btc."
(True copy.)
(Signed) ROBERT KAY, Private Sec.
(True copy.)
W. HANLEY, Col. Sec. and Treasurer.
GOVERNOR REID AND THE ST. LUCIA
JOURNALS.
In an Extraordinary Gazelle, published last Thurs-
day, Governor Reid makes known his suspension from
office of her Majesty's Attorney-General, he having
failed to exculpate himself from the (false) charges
brought against him by Lieutenant-Colonel Torrens ;
and Governor Reid, to exculpate himself frort2 the
charge of want of capacity, to execute with impartiality,
the task imposed on him by his superior—has thought
it expedient to publish at the same time, and through
the same channel, the instructions of her Majesty s
Secretary of State directing him to inquire into the
truth or falsehood of the charges advanced by Lieutenant-
Colonel Torrens against the judges and the law officer
of the Crown.

"GREY.

Without inquiry this Governor has pronounced his
opinion; but it is only necessary to read the three
notices put forth by Governor Reid, to be convinced that
his want of integrity and narrow mind have made him a
ready instrument in the hands of Lieutenant-Colonel
Torrens, to be used for the gratification of his more than
womanish spite against those inhabitants of St. Lucia
who would not condescend to feed his inordinate vanity
to the top of his bent.
The suspension of Mr. Attorney-General Atthill has
led to the promotion of the newly-appointed Solicitor-
General, Mallet Paret, to that office:—and the Officer
administering the Government has given another proof
of his escape from the trammels prepared for him by his
predecessor Lieutenant-Colonel Torrens, and his dis-
regard of the known bias of his immediate Chief in Bar-
badoes—when such bias would interfere with the proper
exercise of his discretion to nominate to office, under
his administration.

Mr. St. Martin, whom Lieutenant-Colonel Hay has
selected for the office of Solicitor-General, is advan-
tageously known in the colony for his independence as a
member of the bar as well as in his private capacity. It
was this gentleman who, conjointly with his friend, Mr.
Justice Leuger, as stewards of a public ball, shortly after
Lieutenant-Colonel Torrens' arrival here, successfully
resisted the tyrannical attempt of Lieutenant Colonel
Torrens to force on the society of Castries certain per-
sons whose presence was objectionable, and it was this
successful resistance that earned for Mr. Leuger the
inveterate hate of the Lieutenant-Colonel and Mrs.
Torrens.
It was Mr. St. Martin, also, who so perseveringly
exposed all the adsurdity of the law, and its equally
absurd administration, during the persecution to which
he was exposed, as the owner of the dog " Picard"—
relative to the metal collar, so pertin.aciously insisted
upon by the newly-appointed Commissary of Police,
Zuhleke.
But Mr. St. Martin is yet better known for the acumen
he has always displayed in criticising the various laws
and ordinances issued by our very incapable Legislative
Council. His appointment, therefore, to an office
which will give him the opportunity of practically
carrying out his own views, and exercising his talents
as a law-maker, will secure for our laws henceforth that
precision of language and technical correctness of form,on which depends, certainty of interpretation,
publicon, and facility
of execution, the characteristics of ai2f laws.
good