The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-02 00:00:00

TILE JURY.

Special_..
Robert Savage, Esq., 11, Montagu-place, Bloomsbury.
James Arboine, merchant, 3, Brunswick-square.
William Fechney Black, merchant, Wilton-place.
Charles Frederick Barnwell, Esq., 44, Woburn-place.
Robert Eglinton, merchant, 29, Woburn-square.
Common Jurors--

Charles Ricketts, stove.maker, 5, Agar-street, West
Strand.

William Poldon, licensed victualler, Villiers-street,
Strand.

John Osborne, confectioner, 401, Strand.
John Johnson Ruffell, painter, 24, Church-street, Soho.
Thomas Reid, baker, 24, Old Compton•street, Soho.
Charles Phillips, ivory brushmsker, 20, King-street,
Soho.
J. Mabow, baker, 34, Greek-street, Soho.

We see nothing in the names or occupations of
these gentlemen which should make them proper
judges of so important a question as the blasphemy
of a particular writing. The selling of gin, or the
making of cakes, kneading dough, or running
bristles through plates of ivory, do not lead to rny
peculiar fitness for judging so nice a question. We
have great respect for the occupations of all these
gentlemen ; they are all those of honest and indus-
trious citizens, of men who live by their own labour,
and whom we therefore are much inclined to
respect ; we only say that there is nothing in their
occupations to give us confidence in their decision,
that a passage of a book is a blasphemous libel.

The general rule, which leaves to the Jury the
decision on the nature of a writing charged as libel
is of high value, and serves in political cases to
protect the people against tyranny ; but, in such a
case as a charge for blasphemy, if the Jury hap-
pen to be ignorant, prejudiced men, that provision
of the law may be productive of much mischief.
We cannot suppose, had the Judge been called
on for his opinion, that he would have described
the words of Mr. HASLANI, though coarse and
rude, and wholly unwarranted by criticism or the
courtesies of life, as a blasphemous libel.
It is not customary, too, in England to make the
persons who are patties to a suit Jurors to
try it. '6 If," said the ATTORNEY-GENERAL,
attacks on the Scriptures were to be permitted,
what was to prevent the pious feelings of the com-
munity from being outraged ? Suppose a man
were to carry a board through the stretits on which
was inscribed in large characters, that CHRIST
was an impostor.' Could it be tolerated ? Yet
this, according to the defendant, was only free in-
quiry I" From this passage, it is plain that tl►e
sum of the offence, though described as displeasing
to GOD, is, that it offends the pious feelings of the
community of which the Jurors are a part. Their
feelings are supposed to be outraged, and it is to
defend them that the prosecution is instituted.
They are, therefore, a party to the suit, and
yet they are made Jurors, quite inconsistently with
the usual practice of English jurisprudence. That
is a palpable injustice, and we hope that the Judges
will not give effect, except nominally, as they must
pronounce sentence, to such an ill-timed and un-
just decision.

The news of the Convention signed by Commo-
dore NAPIER. at Alexandria was fully known at
Constantinople on the Bth ult. It took Lord
PONSONBY and the Porte equally by surprise.
The terms of the Treaty by no means pleased the
British Ambassador, who said the gallant Com-
modore was not authorized by him to sign it.
The Convention was equally in bad odour with
the SULTAN. What will they say to Admiral
STOPFORD'S Treaty, which is subgtaot;.ny
same as that signed by the chivalrous NAPIER ?
Will Lord PONSONBY admit that Lord PALMER-
STON could authorize the signing of a Convention
which virtually secures to MEHEMET ALI the
hereditary administration of the Pachalic of Egypt?

It is high tiro e that the attention of the Great
Powers who called Greece into existence as a sove-
reign state, was directed to the atrocities perpetrated
under the authority of King °TIM, and in the
sacred name of justice, upon the unfortunate inha-
bitants of that country. Have England and France
assisted in establishing legal tribunals in Greece
only to revive the torture, and have they proclaimed
the freedom of her flag that it might serve as a pro-
tection to the slave trade ? If the article which we
quote in another column, from the leading Journal
of Greece produce no effect upon the British and
French Governments, we must carry our appeal
against such barbarities to the great tribunal of the
people of both countries.

The French. Journals of Thursday find, in M.
HUM ANN'S speech on the Budget, ample grounds
for editorial anianadwrsion. Although the Finance
Minister stat,:d that with a deficit equal to
6,160,0001. it was not his intention to impose any
fresh taxes upon the couutry, the Journalists sup-
pose, and not, we presume, without reason, that
such an addition to the public burdens is only to
be removed ultimately by fresh clogs upon agricul-
tural and commercial industry and enterprise. Es-
timated in British currency the gross income of
France for t'ae finsalcial year is 46,480,000/.,
whereas the o sitlav is ,calculated at 52,640,000/.