The Sun.
London, England, 1848-10-02 00:00:00

Baron PLATT said he had no doubt there would be no-
objection to this being done.
Mr. Streighethen called npon the- prisoners, in—fhe-
usual form, to state whether they had anything to urge
why judgment should not be passed upon them aecord-
ing to law ?
Fay—lt must be evident to everybody that Powell
was committing perjury in all he stated. It is useless to
say any more.
Dowling—l only desire to repel the charge that was
made ageing me of acting with duplicity towards the
Chartists when I joined them. It is not true, and I
never concealed my real opinions, and had no desire to use
them for my own purposes, as was stated by the Attorney-
General. I was not influenced by any desire for martyrdom
or notoriety, and I only sought the good of my country,
and was actuated by a feeling of patriotism. Tyrants
may declare patriotism to be felony, but that cannot
make it felony. I have nothing more to say. Having
delivered this address, Dowling leaned his back a4ainst
the side of the dock, apparently utterly indifferent to
the subsequent proceedings.
Leey then addressed the Court. He said, although
I certainly approved of the six points of the Charter, I
never had the slightest intention to carry them net by
violence, and it is well known that I frequently. ex- •
pressed the opinion that the Charter would not have any
good result unless it was accompanied by other social
and moral reforms.
Cuffey then addressed the Court with great vehe-
mence. He said, I say you have no right to sentence
me. Although the trial has lasted a long time, it
has not been a fair trial, and my request to have
a fair trial—to be tried by my equals—has not been
complied with. Everything has been done to raise
a prejudice against me, and the press of this country,
an I I believe other countries too, have done all in their
power to smother me with ridicule. I ask no pity. I
ask no mercy.
Fay (in a violent tone, and striking the front of the
dock)—Nor more do I.
Cuffey told his fellow-prisoner to be quiet—ho would
only increase his troubles by violence. Ho then pro-
ceeded—l expected to be convicted, and I didn't think
anything else, but I don't want any pity. No, I pity
the Government, and I pity the Attorney-General for
convicting me by means of such base characters. The
Attorney-General ought to be called the Spy-General,
and using such men is a disgrace to the Government,
but they only exist by such means. I am quite innocent
—my locality never sent any delegates at all, and I had
nothing to do with the luminaries." I have a right to
complain of the other spy, Davie, being kept back till
the last moment. As to my having a loaded pistol I
only carried it for my own protection, as my life had
been threatened. This, however, is what I have always
suspected. I always thought it would come to some-
thing like this. lam not anxious for martyrdom, but
after what I have endured this week, I feel that I could
bear any punishment proudly, even to the scaffold.
This new Act of Parliament is disgraceful, and I am
proud to be the first victim of it after the glorious
Mitchel. Every good Act was set aside in Parliament;
everything that was likely to do any good to the work-
ing classes was either thrown out or set aside, but a
measure to restrain their liberties could be passed in a
few hours. I have nothing more to say.
Baron PLATT—Prisoners at the bar, William Dow-
ling, William Lacy, Thomas, Fay, and William Cutfey,
you have been tried by two juries of your country; you
William Dowling by one, and the other prisoners by
another, and they have arrived at the only conclusion
that could be come to by twelve upright and reasonable
gentlemen, upon the evidence that had been adduced
before them, that you were guilty of the offences with
which yoti were charged. There can be no doubt, it is
quite clear you intended to levy war against the Queen,
to compel her by force and arms to alter her counsels;
and with regard to you William Dowling, it is evident
that your object in joining with the others was to dis-
member the empire and separate Ireland by force
and arms from this country. What right had you
to set up your understanding against the expe-
rience of mankind and the result of ancient wis-
dom ? You have chosen to call that which the con-
stitution of the country has branded as felony, pa-
triotism. Was it patriotism for a number of people to
conspire in secret, and to endeavour to carry out the
misery, wretchedness, and spoil projected by them at
theiremeeting on the 15th of August? Could it be said
that devoting a peaceful city to flames, destroying inno-
cent citizens, taking, possession of the government by
force and bloodshed, was patriotism? The law said that
such acts were acts of felony, and nothing could bse more
clear than that they were so. It is lamentabre to find
that persons of education, apparently possessing feelings
of manly energy and independence, should have lent
themselves to such proceedings with such a desperate
object. The jury have found that you were guilty of
the crime laid to your charge, and no one who has heard
the evidence can doubt, after the proceedings at the
meeting on the 15th of August, that you intended on
the following day, when the shades of-night descended
upon this unfortunate metropolis, that a scene of
murder, tiring, and robbery should have filled this un-
happy city, and that you intended to have assumed the
government of the country, and have governed it as you
pleased. "You have been convicted of this most daring
defence of the law, and the Court would not be doing
its duty, either to the law or to the country, if when
such an offence was duly established, it did not make a
most severe example of all those who were brought
within the pale of the law. I therefore feel it my duty
to order that you be severally transported beyond the
seas, to such place as her Majesty, by the advice of her
Privy Council shall direct and appoint, for the term of
your natural lives.
When the sentence was pronounced, Fay exclaimed,
in a loud voice—" This is the baptism of felony in Eng-
land," and he then looked up to the gallery and called
" Good by, my flowers; good by, fellow-countrymen,"
The other prisoners made no observation.
The Court then adjourned until Monday morning at
ten o'clock.