The Sun.
London, England, 1848-07-10 00:00:00

(Before the Vice-Chancellor KNIGHT BRUCE.)
Hie Honour was occupied the whole morning with
hearing bankrupt petitions.
(Before the Vice-Ch=Aicellor WronAm.)
Hie Honour, after disposing of the case of '. Salisbury
v. Salisbury," which related to the constructio:l of a will.
proceeded to hear causes, but nothing of interest came
before his Honour during the morning.

THE CHARTIST TRIALS.

CRIMINAL COURT.-(THIS DAY.)
OLD COURT.
_ THE TRIAL OF ERNEST JONES.

The Chief Justice of the Common Pleas took his seat
on the bench at ten o'clock.
Immediately after Ernest Jones was placed at the bar
and indicted for sedition, attending an illegal assembly,
and with riot.
The prisoner pleaded not guilty.
As the jury were about to be sworn,
Mr. Sergeant WILKINS objected, and ten of the jury
who had been sitting in the New Court, and two other
gentlemen were sworn.
The ATTORNEY- GENERAL then stated the case against
the prisoner. He said he had no objection to the oppo,
sition of the Learned Sergeant. It was perhaps as well
that the jury who tried the former case should not try
this. His acceding to the request was a favour, since he
might have objected to it; but all the Government
whom he represented required was that the prisoner
and his companions should be tried with the
strictest impartiality. This case, though the last of the
Chartist indietments, was by no means the least; pro-
bably, when the prisoner's position in life was considered,
it was the most important of them all. He did not
Mean because the language uttered by the prisoner was
more violent than that of others who had been found
guilty of a similar offence, but because he was not suf-
fering from the same distress, and, because being a mem-
ber of the legal profession, it was his duty to obey the
law of which a person in the position of the prisoner
could not plead ignorance. What was the tendency of
the course he adopted? A general rising throughout
the country of the democracy, which would not only
have menaced the safety of the state, but ended
in a military despotism. This was his avowed
object. He called upon the people to arm to
obtain the possession of the principles which he
promulgated. The prisoner, let them bear in mind,
went about the country advocating acts of violence at a
time when the whole of Europe was in a state of com-
motion. He should not proceed with the charge of riot.
Mr. Jones might be an honest Chartist, or he might not,
but it was not to be tolerated that those who advocated
its principles, which might be right or might not, should
address violent language to excited assemblies, where
calm deliberate discussion was altogether out of the
question. He was the last man to wish to take one iota
from the right of public discussion, which had descended
from the time of the Normans—nay, more, he consi-
dered it one of the greatest rights which the people
enjoyed, that of meeting together for the pur-
pose of discussing their grievances ; but, as he had
said, it could never be tolerated that the pub-
lic peace should be allowed to be disturbed by such
assemblies. The meeting, at which Mr. Jones uttered
the speech complained of; was held at Bishop Bonner's-
fields, on the 4th of June. (The Attoruey-General then
read the speeches delivered at the meeting.) Sharpe at
the meeting advised the people to attack the police and
destroy their petty power it' they interfered with them.
The tendency of Mr. Jones's speech was that the people
should arm and resist the constituted authorities. He
said the meeting had been called with his entire consent.
Let them hold their meetings, for the Government would
not be mad enough to put them down ; if so he would
hurl defiance in their teeth. He was going to Lancashire
by the mail train that night, where the people were more
excited than in London. If the police came he advised
them not to run—there was danger in running—let
them stand their ground, shoulder to shoulder, and the
police would fear to attack them, and if they assaulted
them the law was strong enough to punish them
He advised them to form wardinotes, class leaders, and
classes, but first to elect class leaders, who would among
their friends form their classes, and they would soon have
thousands under the banner of each class. It was no
use eoming among them unless they were organized ; let
them do so, and they would have a glorious opportunity
on the 12th, Whit-Monday, when it was believed there
would be a general and an armed rising throughout the
country--a general exhibition of physical force in sup-
port of the charter. Prepare in the meantime, and de-
pend upon it, you will make no false step ; you will not
bbe advised to adopt one false step •, don't in the meantime
reak your force by partial riot. There had been an out-
break at Bradford, and they (the Executive) had directed
DV. McDougal to go there, who at that time was address-
ing aglorious meting at Paddington. What, asked theA ttor-
ney-General, did he mean, by "partial riot?" Not tolet the
Government have the oportunit of dispersing partial
riots—let them rise sh-nultant;mps:l;, and the Government
could not do so. From such rson suela an argument
was fatal. Mr. Jones then asked tor funds. For what?
Not the prosecution of free discussion—oh no but for
the purpose of sending a deputation to Dublin 'to see if
it was in riot, in order, if it were so,. t.ht the Govern-
ment might be embarrassed by a rising in both coun-
tries—expressive, too, of sympathy ire
a deservedly
convicted felon, who had preached rebellion. Mr.
Jones advocated not a union between the two countries
of peace, but one of blood. He went on to tell the
Meeting that he should not advocate in the provinces the
namby pamby doctrine of non-resistance and passive
Obedience, but manly firmness. He would endeavour to
bring Leeds and Manchester to the excited state which
Ilaltfax and Bradford were in at that time. There
should be no peace, if he could prevent it,
till the pc or man attained his rights. Doubt-
less he meant by this the division of pro-
perty, so that those who had been the architects of their
own fortunes might be brought to ruin. If so, the pro-
perty of these persons would all be placed at the dis-
posal of an unthinking and ur,judging, reckless, perhaps,
bloody mob. " The men in:the provinces looked to the
men of London. Liberty might be obtained without
striking a blow in this country, but in Ireland it must be
struck. If they acted as be advised them the green flag
would soon float over Downing-street, John Mitchel and
John Frost would be on their way to England, and Lord
John Russell and Earl Grey would be on their way to
change places." What did he mean by this, than that by
secret organization, and communication by a trusty mes-
senger, with Ireland, in order that the time might be
fixed for striking the blow? Mitchel, the felon and the
traitor, and John Frost, who led on the people to their
destruction, and sneaked away like a coward when he
had so led them on, were to change places with those
who held the highest offices in the State. The meeting
separated after it had been announced that there would
be no procession. After hearing this excited language,
the people gathered about the church in the neighbour-
hood, in which police had been stationed. The police
inspector who came out was attacked, and was not yet
recovered. The windows of the church were broken
with stones. A police-constable was struck with a
crow-bar, and the crowd, thus excited, was not
dispersed except by mounted police. He asked
them to say if the language uttered by the prisoner was
tattered in the fair course o public discussion, or for the
purpose of bringing about a rebellion. To him it ap-
peared that language of this kind in the humblest and
most illiterate man, would be guilt of the highest nature;
but in one of the prisoner's station and education—one
who had sworn allegiance to the Crown—and whose
oath by such proceedings as these he was violating, such
conduct imputed guilt of the deepest and blackest kind.
Mr. James White, the short-hand writer, deposed to
being present at the meeting, and read the speech of the
prisoner from his short-hand notes. The speech was
received with applause. Jones left the meeting as soon
as he had ceased to speak. He went to the City of
Paris public-house, and soon after heard the disturbance
that had taken place.
Cross-examined by Mr. Sergeant WILKINS—Sharpe
sent for a table for me to take the notes. I was not an
inch from Jones when he spoke ; he and the other
speakers sat upon the chair in which he sat. There were
a number of pleasure parties in the park. A minister
was preaching to a crowd in a another part of the
ground. He thought at first that the crowd round him
Was the Chartist meeting. He preached during the
Chartist meeting, but ho lost a good many of his
bearers. The people behaved themselves peace-
ably and orderly. Jones endeavoured to keep the
people off me in order that he might not be
Interrupted. Jones must have been quite aware that he
attended on behalf of the Government. He and other
short-hand writers had attended the Convention, and
therefore they were all well known to the delegates.
. Inspector Waller was called to speak to the riot that
ensued, but as the charge of riot had been abandoned,
his Lordship did not think it necessary to examine him.
Inspector Shackell said he attended the meeting. In
consequence of what was stated at it the police had in-
structions to keep themselves in readiness for the an-
flounced meeting on the 12th. The military were also
in readiness. (A placard was submitted to the witness
by the Attorney-General; it was the one issued by
the Government stating that all such assemblies
were illegal.) He said it was issued in consequence of
the announcement. (The placard was read at length by
the Attorney-General.)
r,; Cross-examined—There was no meeting on the 12th,
Mr. S. WILKINS—No meeting except a pie-nic for the
police.—(Laughter.)
Inspector Harries of the Detective Police, said he was
r Bradford on the 29th of May. A disturbance ensued
of such a nature that the military had to be called out.
No lives were lost, but several were wounded a 17 to 18 were taken into custody.
forTa his was
tithme.e case for the Crown, and the jury retired
short
IkOn the jury taking their seats,
Mr. Sergeant WILKINS proceeded to address the jury
for the defendant. He said it was far easier to sting
than to eradicate the venom. The Attorney-General
had thought proper to use a great deal more vehemence
in opening the case against the defendant than he had
with respect to any other of the defendants. Perhaps
the weakness of the case against him led him to
act
thus, and to be guilty in using so much of fallacy and
of sophism. The jury could not fail to ask if this was
the speech which had called forth the strong remarks of
the Attorney-General ? lie called upon them to dis-
miss from their minds all that they had heard out of
doors, or through the medium of that great power the public
press, some part of which he thought would have acted
More fairly if it had deferred its accounts until the whole
Of these cases had been brought to a termination. He
.asked them whether they had been special constables, or
Whether they had their fears excited or not in their
glens undertakings, to confine themselves entirely to
he
evidence alone. If he did not overrate his powers,
141 s believed before he concluded that he should be able
.
Zslaore that the defendant was not guilty of the charge
•Puted to him. He denied that this was the most im-