The Sun.
London, England, 1834-06-05 00:00:00

LONDON,
THURSDAY EVENING, JUNE 5, 1834.

Dr. BOWRING arrived from Paris this
morning. We are happy to learn that he is
he bearer of the ordonnances of the French
government by which the prohibition of several
articles of British export is removed, such as
cotton twist, lace, iron cables, Russian hides,
rum, &c. The prohibition is also taken away
from the exports of raw silk, skins, &c., and
the reduction of the tonnage duties on British
ships from 3f. 75c. to If.

The Earl of WIcKLOW was pleased to enter
the lists last night against the LORD CFIAN-
CELLOR, and to twit him with having adjourned
the House of Peers on the 'preceding evening
in a highly irregular and unconstitutional
fashion. The Noble Earl was all horror and
trepidation on the subject, and seemed to think
it a miracle that the -most frightful mischiefs
had not resulted from the circumstance of the
LORD CHANCELLOR adjourning the House
in a whisper, instead of in the key of a Tower-
gun ! In extenuation of this heinous
charge, the Noble and Learned Lord ob-
served that he had twice uttered the no-
tice of adjournment in the very loudest and
fullest volume of voice that his lungs would al-
low him to put forth; but, he added, he was not
bound to " find ears" for those to whom he
was addressing himself—a flattering and appro-
priate compliment which the Earl of WICK-
LOW, who " assesses" his own qualifications
at a very high rate, cannot but appreciate. The
house adjourned at an early hour.

Mr. E WAR T deserves great praise for his
perseverance in pressing on Parliament the
bills for the abolition of capital punishments
in certain cases, and for allowing prisoners'
counse to address the jury. He has the more
merit for the latter, because it had been re-
peatedly rejected, opposed by the Judges and
most law authorities, and described as an un-
necessary departure from the wholesome and
long tried practice of ' English criminal
law. It is now admitted by very com-
petent authorities, and we allude particularly
to Mr. POLLOCK, Mr. O'CONNELL, and Lord
ALT 0 RP, that the law requires alteration, and
hat not unfrequently innocent persons have
been convicted, and have suffered the last pu-
rlishment of the law,-merely because their coun-
sel could not address the jury. As this cannot
be denied, even by Mr. GOULBURN, Mr.
SPANKIE, and others, we cannot possibly con-
ceive on what plea they resist the alteration,
unless it be on that old anti-reform doc-
trine, that " whatever is, is right." Humanity
and justice imperatively demand a change, if
the law, as it stands, should lead to the convic-
tion of one innocent person in ten thousand—
nay, in ten millions. The absurdity of the old
hackneyed phrase, " the Judge is the prisoner's
Counsel," now begins to be seen. Even the
best and most humane Judges can neither have
time nor proper opportunities for defending a
prisoner ; and what' chance of fair play has he
then from Judges of a different character—' from
men who unfortunately have a bias against parti-
cular classes, aleaning to the unfavourable rather
than favourable view of a case, and who not un-
frequently by their summing up, would force
convictions against the inclination of the jury.
The existing law is so monstrous that, but for
the fact, we would hardly conceive its existence
possible in a civilized country. The prosecutor
is allowed to make a strong and artful speech,
to make an early impression on the minds of
the jury_„ainstafter calling evidence which, to
juries as 130iv.--trOtsauted, appears to bear out
the :high-colour&I ,-;4tatement, the counsel
of the • prisoner is not Mowed to say one word
to remove the unfairmpression. If such a
aw were proposed. in, the present day, it would
be denounced from one end of the kingdorii to

the other, as an act of the most atrocious in-
justice
and cruelty. Indeed, no member of
Parliament who did not wish to be driven out
of the pale of society would venture to pro-
pose such a measure. It could have been
introduced only in days of barbarism, and can
be defended. only by those that defend
every thing that is old, and rotten, and cor-
rupt. We do not envy the feelings of those
who can put the life of an innocent man in
competition with expense, or loss of time, or
the convenience of a judge. The speech of
Lord ALTHORP on the occasion is highly cre-
ditable to his good sense and humanity, and
will be received by the country as another
pledge of the determination of Government to
abate every thing in the shape of injustice and
oppression.

In the House of Commons last night, the
Labourers' Employment Bill was thrown out
by a majority of 80 to 36. We do not at all
regret this, for the Poor Laws' Amendment
Bill will accomplish all, and more than all, that
Sir C. BURRELL'S measure proposed. The
committal of the Ministerial Poor Laws Bill was
postponed till Friday, when Lord ALTHORP,
at the instigation of Mr. Hum E, announced his
intention of proposing that certain morning sit-
tings should be devoted to the consideration of it.

Mr. WALLACE brings forward to-night his
motion for an Address to his MAJESTY, pray-
ing that he will be graciously pleased to place
the office of Postmaster-General in commission.
The motion is founded upon the 19th Report
of the Parliamentary Commissioners of Revenue
Inquiry.

We have made the request before, and we
beg leave to make it again, that every person
of observation and reflection will put the ques-
tion to himself, how it happens that in an in-
dustrious and intelligent country like this, the
number of labourers without employment should
continue to increase, and that the amount of
money unemployed in works of industry should
also continue to increase. In proof of the first
fact, namely, the increasing number of unem-
ployed labourers, we referred to the Poor re-
turns for the years ending the 25th March,

815, and the 25th March, 1832, the return in

1816 showing 5,418,8451. expended upon the
relief of the poor in the preceding year, and the
return in 1833 showing 7,036,968 expended
in the preceding year, being an increase of
1,518,1231. in the intervening seventeen years,
notwithstanding that in these seventeen years
every article required for the consumption of
the poor had fallen nearly one half in price. In
proof of the second fact, namely, that money
capital not employed in works of industry con-

tinues to increase, we referred to the amount
of exchequer bills in 1815, which were only
24,500,0001., and these at a discount, and I
the amount in the last year, which were
33,750,0001., at a premium exceeding their
interest for twelvemonths, and the price of the
Three per Cents. in 1815 were 401. per cent.
lower than they are now.
Our attention has been again drawn to this
subject by an abstract of the Poor returns for
the year ending in March, 1833, from which it
seems at first sight to appear that there is a
shade of improvement in the last year, inasmuch
as the sums thence appearing to have been ex-
pended in the relief of the poor are only
6,790,7991., being 246,1691. less than the
amount expended in the year ending in March,
1832, but the total sums expended in the year
ending in March, 1833, appear to have been
8,739,8811., whereas the total sums expended
in the year ending in March, 1832, were only
8,683,4611., so that upon the whole charge of
the year there was an increase of 56,2201.
It would be very desirable to ascertain
the cause of the increase of the County

Rates, which have kept pace with the
Poor Rates. We believe it will be found to
arise in no small degree from the increase of
crime, which, again, springs from causes that
have tended to increase the Poor Rates.

But we request attention to the Abstract of the
Poor Returns for the year ending in March 1833,
on another account. For the first time a dis-
tinction is made between the sums levied upon
land, and the sums levied upon dwelling-
houses, mills, and factories, and manorial pro-
fits, navigations, &c. The total sums levied
on land in England amount to 5,110,870/. ;
on dwelling-houses, 2,597,956/. ; on mills and
factories, 346,771/..; and on manorial profits,
navigations, &c., 174,2001. The total sum
levied in Wales, . being 376,702/., is smal
compared to the total sum levied in England,
which is 8,229,798/. ; but a larger portion.in
Wales is levied on the land, the amount being
:324,020/., while the sums levied on dwelling-
houses are only 37,3011.; on mills and facto-
ries, 5,708/. ; and on manorial profits, naviga-
tion, &c., 9,6731.

Some particular counties also furnish flatter
of observation. Thus, in Lancashire, where
the Poor Rates are the lowest of any county in
England, in proportion to the population, the
amount levied upon land is 167,681/., and on
houses 162,691/. ; on mills and factories,
75,5471., and on manorial rights, navigation,
&c., 24,5081. Again, in Sussex, where the
Poor Rates have always been the highest in
proportion to the population, the amount levied
on land is 239,8431., and on houses 67,095/. ;
on mills and factories 4,5931., and on manorial
rights, navigation, &c., 8,2201. Thus in Lan-
cashire, where the Poor Rates are the lowest
in proportion to the population, the land is the
least burdened, and in Sussex, where the Poor
rates are the highest in proportion to the po-
pulation, the land is the most heavily burdened.

We advert to these things at present for the
purpose of awakening reflection. We wish
those who clamour so much against the Poor
Laws' Amendment Bill would direct their at-
tention to the facts of the case.

German papers have been received. They
mention a rumour of the pregnancy of "the

otieeh of DELGIUM. The following are ex-
tracts :

According to a regulation which has lately been
adopted, none of the Polish refugees who receive an
allowance from the government will henceforth be
allowed to reside at Brussels. They will be disyersed
in various parts of the kingdom. Those who have
means of subsistence may continue to reside at Brus-
sels as hitherto.

BRUSSELS, JUNE 3.—The Emancipation announces
the pregnancy of the Queen as a report which merits
confidence.

BELGIAN FUNDS.—Baussus, JUNE 3.
Actual Debt, 2 IA per Cent.
Rothschild's Loan, 5 per Cent 9B 3i
Loan of the City, 1832, 4 per Cent. .........

VIENNA, MAY great deal of business is doing
in our Stock Exchange, and the Funds continue to
rise. Shares in the new loan, to be delivered at a fu-
ture time, are much in demand : the present price is
from 1121 to 113 per cent. Some houses here have
news from Turin that the Sardinian Government is
engaged in negotiations for a new loan. The amount
is said to be twenty-seven millions of francs, with five
or more per cent. interest—the statements on this
point differing. It is added, that some houses at Turin
had made offers to the Government at 115 per cent.

The following are extracts from Dutch
Papers of 4th June, received this morning ._
, •

THE HAGUE, JUNE I.—Letters from Berlin say
that the Prince and Princess Albert of Prussia will go
at the end of June to Carlsbad, and thence to Py-
mont, after which they will come to Loo.
We learn that his Majesty has appointed Lieutenant-
General Van den Borch to the post of Minister of the
Colonies.

THE HAGUE, JUNE 3.—We learn that travellers
intending to go to Prussia must, in order to prevent
delay, have it inserted in their passports what road
they wish to take, or what town they intend to visit ;
and their passports must be countersigned, as far as
Holland is concerned, by the Prussian minister at the
Hague.
Mr. E. Livingston, American Ambassador in France,
has arrived at Amsterdam.

The Prince Field Marshal reviewed on Friday, on
the heath near Oosterbout, the Ist and 9th Regiments
of Cuirassiers, and the 10th Lancers. The Artillery
has been reviewed at Breda by General Pole Capelli,
and the garrison of Deventer by General Fauvage,
AMSTERDAM, JUNE 2.—The Minister of Finance,
who has been for a short time here, has now returned
to the Hague.
DU FCEI FUNDS—AmsrEnnam, JUNE 3.
Actual Debt, 2S per Cent.
A mort Syndic, 4,4 per cent. 91)% to 91%
Ditto, ditto. :3t;, per cent.
Loan of 1830, 5 per rent
Ditto, 1832 and 15.33, 5 per Cent 9714 to 97x4
Exchange on Landon l2 I`2
Ditto, two months
—Dutch Papers, June 4.

The following are extracts from Brazil
Papers : _ __

RIO DE JANElRO.—Accounts from Monte Video,
of the 18th of February, say that " the tyrant
of Paraguay has suddenly awakened from the
state of lethargy in which he has remained
for twenty years past, and has invaded the pro-
vince of Corrientes with 4,500 men, without any
previous declaration of war. The government had
taken the most rigorous measures to repel this invasion,
and the troops were described as animated with the
greatest enthusiasm."

The Courtmartial on Captain PIGOTT was
brought to a close last night. The Sentence
was passed at half-past Seven o'Clock, which
we are happy to learn was to tile following
effect :---that Captain PIGOTT was fully
acquitted upon all the charges.

That the Bth charge was partly proved, but
found frivolous. The 12th charge was found
to be scandalous and malicious. •

After the delivery of the sword to Captain
PIGOTT,

Sir RICHARD KING, the President, after
promulgating the sentence, addressed himself to
Captain PIG6TT—" I feel happy in returning to
you youir sword, and in expressing my conviction
that if ever you have occasion to draw it against
the enemies of your King and country, you
will so act that it will redound to the honour
of both, and also to your own credit.
Captain PIGOTT was then warmly congratu-
lated by his friends.
The following is Captain Pigott's defence :
" MR. PRESIDENT, AND THE MEMBERS COMPOSING
THIS HONOURABLE COURT:--

" I have appeared before you at my own earnest en-
treaty, to be tried for alleged improper conduct whilst
commanding his Majesty's ship the Barham, and being
senior officer, at Constantinople, in the early part of the
year 1832, in attendance upon his Majesty's Ambassador
Extraordinary to the Sublime Porte.

" After the full and patient hearing you have given to
all the circumstances bearing upon the extraordinary and
vexatious charges brought against me by my prosecutor,
Lieutenant Henry Walker (a) formerly commanding his
Majesty's steam-vessel the Alban, under my orders in the
Bosphorus, charges fraught with malice against me per-
sonally, and with disrespect to the public service, I hesitate
to trouble you with even a single line in the character
of a defence ; the facts already in my favour, and such,
also, as 1 hope to be able to bring forward from very many
highly respectable witnesses, being, as I have no
doubt on my mind they will be viewed by the
Caurt to be, clear and unquestionable. It is, never-
theless, right that I should declare to you, Gentle-
men, that in all my transactions with Lieutenant Walker,
I was actuated by a desire alone to insure a strict and cor-
rect execution of the special and important service con-
fided to me, and the support of that respect to the British
flag, important to be maintained on all occasions, but more
particularly at the period mentioned,—looking to our un-
certain position with the Porte, and to our constant inter-
course with the foreign ambassadors: resident at Constanti-
nople; that desire, however, it was Lieut. Walker's unceasing
study to oppose to the utmost of his power, by a wilful mis-
conception of my orders, and constant endeavours to evade
them—trying my feelings; likewise, by indirect insults,
such as he has repeatedly shown throughout this impartial
investigation, but which, with the cordial and correct con-
duct of the officers I am proud to have had the honour of com-
manding in the Barham, I had the means of defeating.
The very discreditable state, notwithstanding, in which
the Alban was still kept called for my marked reprehen-
sion, and that step has been the cause of the ,vialexit and
unjustifiable measures adopted against me.
" 1 shall not trouble you, Gentlemen, with any
comments upon the evidence adduced in support of
the Ist, :Id, 3d, 4th, sth, 6th, and 7th charges, the proofs
to be shown by me, in refutation of them, being, as I pro-
mise myself they will appear to you to be, clear and satis-
factory ; and being aware that my entering upon addi-
tional explanation would be taking up your time unneces-
sarily.

----iitpon the Bth charge, however, I must beg you, gen-
tlemen, to bear with a few observations from me. In the
first place, I have no means of calling upon any one to disprove
the assertions of my prosecutor, with regard to the occasional
presents sent to the Alban, because nobody was near to us to
hear my disapproval of his having accepted them, nor myin-
quiries respecting the money which it was generally under-
stood had been received by him ; but I do most unhesitat-
ingly declare, that, with the exception of a few of the
prosecutor's very unimportant statements of my conduct
towards him, on these points, his assertions are 11(!t
founded in truth. I regret being obliged to make this
declaration, but the prosecutor has really compelled me
to it.

" With respect to the accusations of my having con-
ducted in a partial and an unfair mannerthe inquiry into the
misconduct of several men belonging to the Alban,
I must entreat your particular attention to the fol-
lowing facts :—The general insubordination of the
Alban's crew was notorious ; it was, therefore,
a matter of the greatest moment, not only for the support
of that respect due to the British flag which was totally
disregarded by the prosecutor and his officers and crew,
but for the protection of all our lives, that the glaring
misconduct of the parties should be strictly examined,
and an immediate example made of the guilty, to pre-
vent a recurrence of such disgraceful and dangerous scenes
as had been represented to me to have taken place in
the Sultan's Valley ; for it had been reported to me that
there had been drunkenness and fighting amongst them ;
that a Turkish officer had been struck by one of them ;
and that Turkish women in the Valley had had their veils
pulled off their faces ; but on the particular occasion men-
tioned, James Wiltshire's misconduct appeared to me so
positively established in my investigation, that I ordered
him to be punished. My decision, however, was strenu-
ously opposed by Lieutenant Walker, and finding that
that officer would not inflict the punishment that had
been justly awarded to James Wiltshire, I felt myself under
the necessity of giving a written order for the punishment,
without viluch Lieut. Walker declared he could not think of

carrying it into execution. These, gentlemen, are the facts of
the case, which I am sure you will consider to have been
sufficiently strong for my justification, if I have deviated
from the Admiralty Circular, No. 58, which I submit to
you is not the case, as this transaction appeared to me to
be one not contemplated by this circular.
" I must now mention. that it is highly gratifying to
me to be able to call to your recollection, that the pro-
secutor has wholly failed in proving the desertion al-
luded to in the graver charges. The other charges
and accusations, also, contained in the several letters
from the prosecutor have been so minutely inquired
into, that no doubt remains with me of their
having been answered upon all points to the entire satisfac-
tion of the Court ; but I may yet have occasion to offer
some further information upon the subjects of them.
" I am sure, Gentlemen, that I shall be borne out in
my assertion, that the total want of respectability of several
of the prosecutor's witnesses, has been evident, of Foster,
for example, there cannot be the slightest doubt, this man
having been turned out of the service with disgrace,
prior to his being entered in the Barham, which
' was. not, of course, known at the time, and having
been discharged from her, on paying off, as a bad cha-
racter—the only man of her crew whose disgraceful con-
duct called for my note to that effect upon his certificate of
servitude, and having actually absconded during this trial.
" You must be quite aware, gentlemen, that the vile
and unmanly paragraphs and garbled statements that have
appeared in the daily newspapers, since the trial com-
menced, have only kept pace with the unwarrantable and
infamous reports in circulation in the towns of Sheerness
and their neighbourhood. I have taken no pains to con-
tradict these reports, which the prosecutor must be well
aware of.
" In further confirmation of the extreme difficulties I
had to contend with, in all my transactions with Lieute-
nant Walker, I may be permitted, perhaps, to allude to this
officer's highly disrespectful conduct, even luring this trial,
a fact recorded on the minutes !
" I would add, likewise, that I am not the
only Captain who has experienced the strong disinclina-
tion of this officer to obey his superior ; and in support
of this assertion, I beg to refer you to the log-book
before you, from his Majesty's ship the Stag, for
August or September, 1832 off Oporto, when she
was commanded by Capt. Sir Thomas Troubridge ; indeed
it has been shown, even by the prosecutor's own witnesses,
that, in many instances, my orders were totally disregarded
by him ; and it is now to be regretted that, through my
mistaken lenity towards him, the public service has been
‘
put to so much inconvenience.
oYoufw Vice-Admiralerapprised,
sir gentlemen,i3uiteney iathatiticwomas, the
thelate
inten-
tionCommander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean, to attend my
trial, to give testimony upon several material points.
Knowing the importance of this officer's early return to
his family in Scotland, after a long absence abroad, I
begged he would on no account come to me. He has, in
consequence, sent me the annexed letter, which I have
thought it right to embrace in this address

(corY.)
" London, May 19, 1834.
"My dear Pigott—l am much obliged to you for dis-
pensing with my appearance at the courtmartial, as
business of considerable importance requires my immediate
presence in Scotland ; but I feel it due to you to state how
much I was gratified on my passage from Malta in the
Barham, by observing her perfect order, and the alacrity
and goodwill with which the duties were performed ;
and the more particularly so, as I know, from the
reports of punishments, with which I had been regu-
larly furnished during the time that you had been,
under my command, and from my own personal observa-
tion that no undue severity had been exercised, and it was
with pleasure I remarked the attention which was paid to
the comforts of the men.

" Had I not had an imperative call to Scotland, I would
have attended to have verified the above statement on
oath.—Believe me to be

" Yours truly,
" PULTENEY MALCOLM.

(Signed)

Captain Hugh Pigott."
" I request your acceptance, Gentlemen, of my best
thanks for the patient attention you have been pleased to
do me the honour to give to this address, and I beg to add,
that I am now perfectly prepared to enter upon the
examination of my witnesses.
" (Signed) HUGH PIGOTT, Captain."
" Courtmartial Room, on board his Majesty's ship
Hastings, at Sheerness, May 31, 1834."