The Sun.
London, England, 1833-07-08 00:00:00

SUGAR REFINING.

Mr. GROTE presented a petition from the sugar brokers of
the City of London, praying for admission of foreign sugars
for refining for exportation.
Mr. EWART supported the petition.

Sir JOHN KEY brought in a Bill, for the purpose of raising
a sum of money for the repairing of Blackfriar's Bridge, which
was read a first time.

The Speaker then left the Chair, at five minutes after three
o'clock.

ILLEGAL INDICTMENTS AND CONVIC-

TIONS.

This morning, upon two men, named Murphy and Doyle,
being put to the bar of the Old Bailey, (Old Court), to take
their trial,
Mr. CLARK, the Clerk of the Arraigns, informed the Re-
corder that he understood the witnesses in this case had not
been properly sworn previous to going before the Grand Jury,
to give evidence in support of the Bill.
The RECORDER examined the witnesses upon that point,
when it appeared that they were sworn on Wednesday last at
the Sessions-house, Clerkenwell, by a clerk, and then they
went before the Grand Jury ; but when they were so sworn,
there was no Court sitting, nor was any Magistrate present.
Mr. Barry, a barrister, said the Middlesex Quarter Sessions
certainly adjourn& from Monday to Thursday, in consequence
of their having no larcenies before them.
Mr. PHILLIPS observed, that if that We-e the case, and the
Middlesex Sessions did not sit on Tuesday and Wednesday, all
the trials that had taken place upon bills found on those days
were invalid.

The RECORDER said, in consequence of what he had heard,
he could not take a trial of such an important nature as the
one before him, until he knew that the indictment had been
legally found. It appeared that there was no competent autho-
rity to swear the witnesses before they went before the Grand
Jury.

Mr. Alderman VENABLES said on the back of the indict-
ment it was stated, " sworn in Court on Wednesday 3d July,"
and yet it appeared that there was no Court sitting at Clerken-
well on that day.
The RECORDER said, it was a moat dangerous precedent;
true bills were found against persons for capital felonies, and
yet none of the witnesses were sworn by any competent
authority.
Mr. Alderman VENABLES said, the indictment was just
as legal as if any one of the jury had sworn the witnesses
in his own private shop.

The RECORDER said, at present he would take no
Middlesex cases, the bills upon which were found be-
tween Monday and Thursday, and he would take the opi-
nion of the Learned Judges upon the subject. All the
London cases were right, and he would proceed with them. He
desired the Clerk to make out a list of all the causes which had
been tried upon indictments found on Tuesday and Wednesday
When Mr. Justice GASELEE and Mr. Justice J. PARK ars
rived, they had a long consultation with the RECORDER,
and other authorities, in a private room, but the result
did not transpire ; it was understood,• however, that
they gave their opinion that the convictions upon all
indictments found as described were invalid.
Shortly after their Lordships came into Court, _ _ _

Mr. Sergeant ARABIN came from the New Court, and asked
their Lordships' advice how to act ; several Middlesex cases
were before him, and probably some of the bills were similarly
defective to those to which reference had been made.

Their LORDSH PS advised the Learned Sergeant to detain
the Middlesex Jury until they heard how the matter really
stood. They had sent for the Middlesex Clerk of the Peace.
About one o'clock, their lordships were called out, and had
another private conference. On their arrival again in Court,
Mr. Justice GASELEE directed that all witnesses upon Mid-
dlesex bills which had not yet been tried, should go again before
the Grand Jury on Thursday to prefer fresh bills, and that all
Middlesex jurymen be permitted to depart, and to attend in
this Court again on Monday next, to which day this Court would
ultimately be adjourned, after it had gone through the
London business.

We believe that a similar instance of such gross error never
occurred, and the consequences will be very serious. The pri-
soners already convicted, it is thought, must be discharged, and
it is a question whether they can be again tried for the same
offences; besides which a great extra expense to the county
will be created in the prolonged attendance of a great rumber
of witnesses, probably until the middle of next week.

THORLAKSON, the poet of Iceland, who
has translated MILTON'S Paradise Lost into his native
language, inhabits a poor hut at Baegi.a. His chamber
is sclrcely 6 feet long by four feet wide, and contains only
his bed and 'the table on which he writes his verses. Its
situation, however, is most picturesque, being seated be-
tween tbree high mountains, and is, as it were, sur-
rounded by torrents. His whole income is said not to
exceed 6/. per annum. We should imagine that seal's
flesh and train oil must form staple artic'es of his daily
bill of fare.— Galignani's Messenger.

TEN MILES OF PAPER.—Paper used to be
sold by the sheet, the quire, or the ream ;
,but, in " the
march of improvement," stationary will not remain sta-
tionary, and so' it i. now sold by measure. The following
order was received from a pottery firm the other day. The
writer, it be observed, gives his orders with as much
coolness and indifference as though they were not at all
extraordinary :--" Gentlemen,—Please to send us ten
miles of your best printing tissue paper, in- length ; six
miles to be '3O inches broad, and four miles 22 inches
broad, to be wrapped on wooden rollers, according to the
plan given' to' Mr. GEORGE FOURDRINIER." The object
of Faving the piper of such great length is, that it may he
printed from engraved cylinders, in the same way as call-
Coss,
Mr. WARBURTON, the worthy M.P., a large
timber merchant, and proprietor of the ground west of
WEverloo Bridge, on the Surrey side, bas recently added to
the value of his property in that quarter, by erecting a
number of excellent dwelling-houses, substantially built,
and fit for the residence of the respectable class of society.
THE ENGLISH ARISTOCRACY.—" They
have had," observes a weekly contemporary, the " enjoy-
ment of the public wealth, of this, the richest and most
ingenious of countri-s; they have been the models of ge-
neral imitation in manners and sentiment; their patron-
age has insured success, their name has been a passport;
millions have lived and toiled for them, and in these
latter days millions have starved for them. What, then,
is the reaction produced on this indulged class? What
is their moral state ? Has this exotic life been favourable
even to themselves? Are they happy? With all their
mighty advantages, are they good, great, virtuous, en_
lightened ? Do they enjoy their circumstances? Do
they repay us? or is it all one laborious failure ? This
is the problem proposed to himself by the author of
' Godolphin.'"

LONDON,
MONDAY EVENING, JULY 8, 1833.

A Morning Contemporary gives what appears
to be an official account of a draft of the Biil
which has been prepared for the purpose of
carrying the resolutions of Parliament for the
emancipation of the slaves into effect. The
measure is said to be entitled an " Act for the
abolition of slavery throughout the British colo-
nies, for promoting the industry of the manu-
mitted slaves, and for compensating the owners
of such slaves." In the very statute; therefore,
which abolishes slavery for ever in the British
colonies, the property or " ownership" of the
masters in their slaves is formally recognised.
In the preamble, however, if rightly described
to us, the admission is not so broadly announced
as in the title. The negroes in the former are
called "persons holden in slavery in his Majesty's
colonies," and the planters are termed " persons
hitherto entitled to the services of such slaves."
The Act, in its protective character, is to
take effect from the Ist of November next,
though it does not confer its full benefits on the
slave till the Ist of August, 1834. From the
beginning of next November the cart-whip will
cease to be plied in the hands of a driver, or at
the dictation of a master. The compulsory
labour of the slave is to be reduced to 10 hours
a day for six days in the week, or, in other
words, to 60 hours a week ; the slave, though
obliged to work these hours, is not liable to be
flogged or to suffer corporeal punishment for any
offence, unless upon conviction before a court
of justice, a magistrate, or a justice of the peace ;
and though the authority thus exercised is sum-
mary for all offences created by the existing
laws of the Colonies, the passions of the owner
or manager are likely to be less violent or out-
rageous when the administration of an oath and
the process of a trial are interposed between
them and their victim. If a greater amount of
labour is exacted from the slave than the present
Bill authorizes, or if, in contravention of this
enactment, the owner commits an assault on his
slave, the offending master is to be liable to the
same penalties, 'suits, or actions, as if the slave
had been of free condition.

We hardly think that the Government can
have well considered this provision. To tell a
slave, poor and ignorant, and long dependent
upon his master as he has been, that he has an
action at law against him for an assault, is
a mockery. The master has a summary remedy
against the slave for disobedience, and we do not
see why the slave should not have a summary
remedy against the master. The master takes
his slave before the justice of the peace to
he flogged ; why should not the slave summon
his master before the same tribunal, to
be fined or imprisoned ? But supposing the
objections against this mode of remedying the
wrongs of the negro, which may be urged on the
score of his poverty and ignorance, to be over-
come, we should like to know what kind ofjus-
tice a slave serving his master would meet with at
the hands of a jury of planters? The interval
of nine months between the Ist of November
and the Ist of August is intended, we presume,
to enable the planters to prepare for the state of
" apprenticed labour " which is then to com-
mence. Originally it was intended that registra-
tion of an apprenticed labourer should be op.