The Sun.
London, England, 1851-10-02 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.
TIMES —The love of order and the obedience to
lawful authority for which the people of England
have been so rteently complimented by the Secretary
of State for Pideign Affairs never shone out with
greater lustre than during the singular, and, we are
'sappy to say, unprecedented scenes which have been
passing at Liverpool during the last few days. We
can imagine uothing more iirisating, more celcu-
lated to rouse and in some degree to extenuate re-
sistance to lawful authority, than the course of con-
duct which, for causes hitherto unexplained, though
only too easily surmised, has been adopted by the
Judge of the Lancashire County Court. Placed there
contrary to the wishes of the great majority of those
among whom he was to administer justice, from leis
connexion as the son of a land egant of an aristocra-
tic family, the new judge had, doubtless, much ori-
ginal prejudice to surmount. It was felt, and
with
considerable justice, that so important a situation in
the second city of the empire ought to be
the reward of distinguished merit, and not of
mere personal claims. Reasonable as this feel-
ing was, it is probable that a little tact and good
sense on the part of the judge would lin a short
time have succeeded in removing it; but so
far from this beieg attempted, a course of conduct
was pursued which completely obliterated the re-
membrance of the original appointment in discontent
at the manner in which the business of the court was
conducted and the sort of treatment to which liti-
gants and witnesses were constantly subjected. Then
followed an invostigation, in which Mr. Rameto was
acquitted of charges of which the public opinion of
the town considered him guilty, end readmitted to the
exercise of his office. As if this were not enough to irri-
tate the public mind, he performs a sort of ovation over
his defeated antagonists, and while loading thesis with
the most unmeasured abuse nnuounctd his intention
of opening a regular campaign against the press.
It is with there preliminary causes of irritation
fresh on their minds that the public are called upon
to witness the carrying into execution of threats
uttered a week beforehand. The style of the
examination which the judge addressed to his own
witness has probably nete been paralleled since the
memorable interrogation of Donne by Cleo. Justice
Jefferies at the trial of Lady Alice Lisle.
Judge—" Was his hand doubled ?" Witness—
" es." Zudge—" Then, you ass, don't you
know that was a fist? that is what it is called
legally; you ought to know that." Next to the stu-
pidity of the witeess, nothing seems to have annoyed
Mr. Rarnshay so much as the name of the indoor
superintendent of the police, Mr. Clough, which ap-
pears to have had somewhat of the same effect on the
judicial mind as the exhibition of a piece of red cloth
to a bull. "I do not care who he is, or how big or
how low his name may be ; but as sure as he is a
living man I will bring him before me." The whole
offence imputed to Mr. Clough, in addition to his name
be considered as a fatilt-
-which perhaps can hardly
was his remark to the bailiffs that they could t
arrest Mr. Whitty without a warrant—anpoint of law, and scarcely, we extremeier
ap-
prehend, amounting to a contempt of court. But
sound opinion in
the astonishment and indignation of the audience
reached its climax when the judge, grinding his
teeth with rage, stated that Mr. "Miitty had been
guilty of a crime against the Act of Parliament;
that ho looked like a man in whose eyes and
in whose face the worst passions of our nature
were delineated ;" and after having imposed fines
under every illegal pretence conceivable, wound up
with a declaration that, whether he should impose
any more, or not, at that moment he could not say.
Two of the bystanders were also fined five pounds
each for giving vent to their feelings by applauding
the sentiments of the advocate of the prisoner—a li-
cense which, though always repressed by CoOts, has
never, that we are aware of, before been visited with
a fine. We have mentioned these not with a
view of making out a strong case against Mr. Ram-
shay, an effort perfectly superfluous, especially as we
do not, notwithstanding the threats which preceded
by some days these outrageous proceedings, believe
the judge to be in a state of mind which would lus-
tily us in treating him as responsible for his
actions, but in order to show the amount of pro-
vocation which will be patiently submitted to in
England rather than do violence to that strong
national instinct which impels us to submit to
lawful authority even when most scandalously and
notoriously abused. Mr. Whitty was sent off by the
railway, to undergo a term of imprisonment for four
or five offences, of all of which everybody knew
he was perfectly innocent, in the presence of a
crowd indignant at the insults be had sustained and
the barefaced and cruel injustice of which he was
for the time the victim. Yet, inasmuch as
these things were done in the name of the law and
sanctioned by the warrant of a judge, the large
multitude present at the departure of the prisoner
contented themselves with expressions of sympathy,
and made no effort whatever to interfere with
the execution of the sentence. The reason of
this extraordinary forberance is, no doubt, to be
found in the cause to which Lord Palmerston
attributes it. The people of Liverpool know
well that whatever excesses may be committed for
a moment, there is no fear that their perpetrator
will find any sympathy from any officer of the Go-
vernment. They feel the utmost confidence that so
soon as this extraordinary outbreak shall be known
not a moment wiil be lost in setting the prisoner at
liberty, and removing from his office the judge who
has thus abused the power with which he is invested.
Were it not for this entire confidence of instant jus-
tice and redress, it would hardly have been in human
nature to have stood by and witnessed the perpe-
tration of so monstrous a violation of individual
liberty. But the people have no occasion to do
that irregularity by their own hands which they
know that their Government is ready and willing
to do for them. It is with some disappointment
that we find that a single day has beentrilwed to
elapse without taking measures to put arl.nd to a
state of things at once so dangerous and so discredit-
able. The Earl of Carlisle is, we observe, in at-
tendance on her Majesty at Balmoral, and as for the
rest of the Cabinet they are we know not where. The
extremely agreeable and exhilerating plan adopted
by the present Government oar leaving the affairs of
this great country to take care of themselves clueing
the recess of Parliament is not without its inconveni-
pe nric)
teesc dangers.taionrd A flagrant outrege on private
i -
01..
that liberty is intrusted is not at
liberty is committed, and the Minister to whom the
his post. A judge runs riot, and the only
person who has the power of stopping him is not to
be got at. No doubt it is highly complimentary to
the spirit of order of the English people that during
a part of the year their affairs should be loft to ad-
minister themselves ; but there are cases—and
the present is one of them—to which this conve-
nient mode of governing does not apply. The
practice is, however, so pleesant that it is sure to
be persevered in till its folly and rashness are
satisfactorily illustrated by some heavy disaster.
We do not regard the occurrences yto vahich
we have been calling attention as reflecting any de-
gree of discredit on the administration of justice
in the County Courts, or as evincing cny serious
defect in the law. After legislative wisdom has
done all it can, much must stilt be left to the work-
ing of individual discretion Red of that most deli-
ciao and easily disorgeeised instrument, the human
mind. Did the County Courts feet,
Rame indeed, confer
hey on the jud es
the powers claimed by eir.
there would be great reason to complain of gthe,
onuegrliglieb%eties;
with
butlNl as theseiellthLe
Legislature
i s la
powerstur e
aired
mossgtlardaesd.
sumptione and n,,;-re imaginations, we can blame
no one for their exercise except the judge himself.
Ia is quite necessary that the judge should be pro-
tected in the execution of his office, and it is not
the fault of the Lsgislature if a gentleman should
be found with a. mind so unhappily constituted as
to convert this necessary power into a general claim
to fine and imprison his fellow citizens at his will
and pleasure.

EXTENSIVB ROBBERY.—Yesterday information was
received that a man who called under pretence of wanting an
answer to a letter, had plundered the premises, 52, Hunter=
street, Brunswick-square, of eight 51. Bank of England notes,
two gold cigar-cases, several double sovereigns and guineas
of the reign of Queen Ann and Charles the Second, about
50/. worth of jewellery, a number of Spanish dollars, and a
gold California coin, inscribed Augustus Humboldt, assayer,
United States, 1851 ; also a similar robbery at 43, Hire-
wood-sguare, from whence a 101., and three 5/. Bank of
laNalioathul'ilstancea the thieves
England notes, about 201. worth of
;jewellery, a mourning
and other valuable
ring, "In memory of Colonel Wild,' a silver medal, with
property,tvo ba r s
dAyoafram
got clear away with their booty.
DEATH or AN AGFD DRutt A •
XARD.-- 13 inquest
wenegrera%Caredrie‘
was held at Devizes on Saturday la.st u h
p‘on t e body of au o7d man named Barnes The deceased, who was 75 years of
-o had long heon addicted to drinking,
al., ,
and on Wednesday
night was brought home so drunk that •
obli ed tav
in bed the whole of the treat " was
g
day. He got up about three
o'clock on Frida- afternoon, but feeling very uncomfortable,
ho was about to g bed again, when, on ascending the
stairs, he fell back
wards, and was killed upon the spit -o Herald,

SHIPS CARRYING LETTERS TO SAIL IN OCTOBER.
—For Mauritius, the Stratford, from the West India Docks,
Oct. 15; Sydney, New South Wales, the Glenbervie, from
London Docks, 10; ditto, the Royal Stewart, from ditto. 15;
ditto, 15; ditto, the Prince of Wales, from ditto, 1; ditto,
the Joseph Somes, from Plymouth, 11; Port Phillip, the
Maitland, from dito, 11 ; Geelong, the Clifton, from ditto,
1 ; Port Phillip and Adelaide, the Duke of Bedford, from
ditto, 20; Launceston, the Arnon, from London Docks, 1;
Hobart Town, the Anna Maria, from Woolwich, 1; Ade-
laide, the Hashemy, from Plymouth, 8; ditto, the Adelaide,
from ditto, 5; New Zealand, the Katharine S. Forbes, from
St. Katharine Docks, 10; Port Lyttelton and Wellington,
the Marmora, from East India Docks, 10; New Plymouth,
the William Hyde, from ditto, 15; Western Australia, the
15 ; Sierra Leone. the
sWa
sl Will Watch.tfrom
te, from st. Katharine London D
Docks, oc,
1U; Madeira, the Dart,
from Southampton, 7; ditto, the Brilliant from ditto, 1;
New York, the Ocean Queen, from Portsmouth, 1; Pie-,
delplaia the City of Glasgow steamer, from Liverpool,
Post-office Official Directory.