The Sun.
London, England, 1848-10-23 00:00:00

[PRICE SD.

youth, and for other reasons.

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one. Is one witni nongh to convict crf/
ctive
4
when twoyould ke required to convict of a direct
Will the jury permit the accred, by a construe.
be deprived of every benefit which the law con-
because he is not indicted for his true crime, if any?
)posing the jury may be argued into the pro-
priety of convicting on the testimony of a single witness,
it was not surely too much to expect, if, indeed,
tho voice of reason will be heard, that such single
witness be of unimpeachable honour and in-
tegrity. To strip a prisoner of the benefit of
two witnesses, which the law requires to prove an overt
act in Ireland, is harsh enough, but instead of two good
witnesses, to be satisfied with the dishonest evidence of
an uncorroborated spy, would be the acme of injustice.
Was Dobbin a spy ? Was he consistent?—was he con-
firmed in substantial particulars? Unquestionably not.
Would such a doubtfnl witness suffice to induce a jury
to take away human life, when in reality two veracious
witnesses should be properly produced? Do not thus
fritter away the noblest statute upon our books. A
single witness and a spy to establish guilt beyond a doubt
in high treason, divested the subject of all protection,
and prostrated the virtuous at the feet of the vicious.
No treasonable acts have been proved against
the prisoner. • The actings or acts of others
are only evidence when you believe the prisoner's
conspiracy to have ibeen established, but you cannot
prove what must be established by independent proof.
Thus the whole case hinged on the evidence of an
uncorroborated spy. Awful would be the responsibility
of the jury which would touch human life on such evi-
dence. Justice forbade it. Take your stand upon the
ancient law of England, it breathes the spirit of liberty
and reason. Do not depart one iota from that blessed
enactment, sanctified by the wisdom of antiquity, and
bottomed on immutable justice. The lives or liberties of
your fellow-subjects are now confided to your watchful
care. It is not enough that you should be incorruptibles
you must be unassailable by sophistry, inaccessible to
prejudice, resolved in maintaining in its full perfection
that law of which you are now the guardians.
Can you be satisfied beyond a doubt that the
prisoner levied war against the Queen ?
Im-
possible.
If not convinced to demonstration an
acquittal is his right. A mistake would be fatal.
Should a thing so dreadful be hereafter discovered, you
would be tortured through life with a vain remorse, and
your consciences terrified at the hour of death. In the
sacred name of justice I demand the acquittal of the
prisoner. You see him scarcely entered on the race of
life, with every prospect of a happy and a bright career.
Ardent in feelings, of generous aspirations, gifted
with impassioned eloquence—and urged on by a
vehement love of country—his indiscretions have been
free from meanness, selfishness, hypocrisy, and false-
hood. His desire to restore a local Parliament may be
visionary, but it was rational, and sprung from the
noblest feelings that can warm or animate the heart of
man. I declare emphatically my belief that upon
such shreds of evidence as you have heard—if tried
in England—his acquittal would be certain. Discrimi-
nate then between guilt and innocence, judge him by his
own conduct, and a conviction for this crime is impos-
sible. The proceedings of this commission—the con-
stituency of the country—the very prejudices pressing;
upon the prisoner, are all, with honourable minds, so
many additional reasons for the extremest caution in
listening to the proof of words, nothing but words, to
establish treason. I have to tell you this—that an
honest verdict of acquittal will be hailed with delight
by all reflecting men, and by your countrymen through-
out the wide world with gratitude--and, better
still, it will receive the lasting approbation of the
impartial monitor within. Your posterity will remem-
ber and bless your names, it will be said of you that
empanelled in a time of unparalleled excitement, you
had done justice temperately, wisely, reconciling many
to the law who had doubts of its impartiality and firm-
ness—that you had refused to listen to sophistry, and
would not convict your fellow-creatures on conjecture,
or guess that you had struck down the odious doctrine
of constructive treason, and restored the law to the
noble simplicity in which it was fashioned by, a free
and virtuous ancestry. May that law—not a web of
sophistries, quibbles, and constructions—but a law of
of broad reason, be perpetual as the greatness whence it
sprung, and may the free constitution it defends flourish
in unbroken splendour until that dread day in which
we have been taught to believe this fabric of nature must
be dissolved in eternal ashes !

Mr. WMITESIDE was quite exhaused at the close ot
hie address, which ended at about half-past one, and
on this occasion even surpassed his effort on behalf of
0 Brien.

The evidence for the defence was then called. The
first witness deposed to being a member of the Red Hand
Club, and being acquainted with Dobbin. He was a
member before Dobbin, and swore that neither Dobbi►.t
nor any one else had ever been appointed a delegate
from the club, under any circumstances, and none of the
club had ever been armed.
Mr. Kirwan, the solicitor for Mr. Meagher, then de.
posed that he had examined the balloting papers for -the
council of war, and though Dobbin had stated that Mr.
D. Reilly and Mr. Lalor had an equality of votes, the
numbers, according to the papers, were—for Mr. Reilly
16, and for Mr. Lalor 10, and this o❑ the first ballot.
Similar evidence to that in the case of O'Donohoe was
then given, showing that Mr. Meagher, on the day of the
attack at Widow Cormack's, was some miles distant, and
could not have been there.

After a short adjournment, Mr. Butt followed on the
same side as Mr. Whiteside, on whose speech he passed
a high culogium. lie necessarily passed over the same
ground as on this and previous trials. His speech was
able and argumentative, and had not concluded at half,
past seven, when he prayed the indulgence of an ad-
journment, which the Court refused, till Mr. Meagher
implored them to do so as an act of justice to his coun-
sel. The verdict will probably be given late to-morrow
night. The Commission will continua its sittings ott
Monday.
urch..4 will be the next prisoner tried.
THE VERDICT.
CLONMEL, SATURDAY ETEXING.
Mr. BUTT having concluded his speech,
Lord Chief Justice BLacicntraNE then informed Mr.
Meagher that if he wished to say anything, this was the
time.

Mr. Meagher replied—No, my Lord; I will say no.
thing. I have committed my case to counsel whose
abilities and genius I am satisfied with, and who have
said all I could wish.

After a short adjournment,
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL replied on behalf of the
Crown.

Lord Chief Justice BLACKBURNE then summed up,
during which he read the evidence of Dobbin verbatim,
and told the jury that they must be the sole judges of hi•
veracity. . _ _

The jury retired, and at a quarter to eight returned
into court with a verdict of Guilty against T. F. Meagher,
strongly recommending him to mercy, on account of his

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pills night and morning for fifteen days, and after wards
to take two or three doses a week. Thus the highest
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Sold by all druggists, and at Professor Holloway's esta-
blishment, 244, Strand.

[ADVERTISEMENT. I—lndigestion—that Parent of
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of the celebrated Vegetable Restorative Pills, prepared
by John Kaye, of Dalton-hall, near Huddersfield. This
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each box, as without this none are genuine. , Sold by all.
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per box.

SUSPENSION OF THE WORKS AT THE NSll' PALACE
AT ESTNINSTER.—For several weeks past consider—
able excitement has prevailed amongst the workmen,
and those dependant on them, as to the course that
would be adopted by the contractors, Messrs. Peto and
Co., with regard to those workmen who continued their
work, and had refused to recognise the mischievous
strike of the masons.On Saturday, however, in conse-
quence of the continuation of the strike, the contractors
discharged a large body of the men engaged on tho
works, to the number of 200, in addition to a much
larger number gradually discharged during the pre-
ceding weeks; and it is to be regretted, it was stated,
that the remainder of the men employed on the works.
to the number of upwards of 800, would be discharged
on Saturday evening next, and that the works would be
entirely stopped during the winter.
CLASHING OF THE CORONERS' AND MAGISTRATES'
CounTs.—On Saturday Mr. Waklcy, summoned
a jury at the Duke of Wellington, Brighton-street,
Cromer-street, New, roadO Rot inquire into the death of
Harriet May, aged three years. Previous to the jury
being sworn, Mr. Wakley inquired of his summoning
officer whether the witnesses were in attendance ? The
officer replied that they were not, in consequence of de-
ceased's mother and aunt having been arrested under a
charge of having caused deceased's death. The wit-
nesses were, therefore, compelled to attend the police-
offit!o at that very moment. The coroner and jury depre-
cated this clashing of the two courts, and, after some
very severe remarks by the jury upon the subject, the
coroner adjourned the inquiry to another day.
THE ALKALI TRADE.—Wo understand that at a
late meeting orate alkali manufacturers of the Tynv, it
was agreed to increase the price of soda, which is now
twenty shillings higher. It is doubtful whether the in-
crease can be sustained ; aad some have suggested, as
a more preferable mode of remedying the embarrassed
state of the trade, to lessen the manufacture about 20
per cent.—Sunderland Herald.
The 411/a4 says that " Major Edwardes, the rising
military genius of our eastern empire, has lost the use
of his right hand by the explosion of a pistol."

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