The Sun.
London, England, 1861-06-29 00:00:00

E ;PAPER
• .014! p:,sf
•
.ATE CHAR.GE.,A :,c4
F. B.IIELLEri M. 17,01,4)mt
The officers and many- of'4o7:leading nabeiesef 4:3
tTa-e-Sational Rifle Irclunteers-gave a banquet at the
Westminster Palace Hotel, Victoria-street, West-
minster, on Thursday evening, after the regiment
had been keeping the ground for the inspection of
the Middlesex Engineers by Colonel MaMurdo, the
affair being improvised by the officers of the former
corps, in order to express to t heir L;eut
Six John .Villiers Shelley, Bart., M.P., their spir-
pathy with him under the misfortune he bud
suffered in being recently subjected to certain
calumnies, and to declare their confidence in hif
honour and integrity.
Major Wahnisley presided, and amongst those
present were Major Emsley, Dr. Halse, Captains
Nichols, Lynn, Salmon, Hardy, Isaacs, Routledge,
and Bohn ; Lieutenants Jones, Savage, Syms,
Brocklebank, Baker, Smith, and Burn ; Ensign
Ware, &e.
Ample justice having been done to the viands,
The CHAIRMAN, in proposing the usual loyal
toasts, took occasion to remark upon the gracious
manner in which her gracious Majesty and Prince
Albert had saluted the corps in Hyde-park that
afternoon, and especially its Lieut.-Colonel, their
honoured guest on that evening.
The preliminary toasts having been disposed of,
The CHAIRMAN rose and said he had a very diffi-
cult task to perform in bringing before them the
exceedingly delicate matter which had ied to their
assembling on that evening. The entertainment
had been got up without previous arrangement, as
it was felt that no time should be lost in sympa-
thising with Sir John Shelley upon the distre sing
transaction which within the past few day% had
dragged his name before the public. (Cheers.) No
expressions of his were necessary to convince Sir
John Shelley or his friends of their views, or those
of the public at large, with regard to the heinous
and incredible offence which had been attri-
buted to him. They wished to take the
earliest opportunity of expressing their con-
fidence in his honour and integrity, and their
contempt, indignation, and disgust at the charge
which had been made against him—(cheers)—but
at the same time he felt that Sir John Shelley was
too well known for them to say anything in ex-
pressing their unanimous sympathy With him. He
had heard that Sir John's constituents in West-
minster were taking steps to give a similar expres-
'siOn of synapathyr with hini, bat.,aarielte;#l4-he
cl)Fps should be in the vanguard of the peopfe Yof
Westminster. He concluded, after passing a high
eulogium on Sir John Shelley, by proposing his
health, which was drunk with great enthusiasm.
Sir JOHN V. SHELLEY, in rising to respond was
very loudly cheered. He said—Although I have
been engaged in public life for more than a quarter
of a century, I never had reason to address an
audience with a greater sense of the difficulty of
expressing my feelings than on the present occa-
sion. (Loud applause.) I have received this as it
were public mark of sympathy from the corps with
the greateat satisfaction. I have also received
letters from a variety of persons entirely unknown
to me from different parts of the metropolis and the
country, and, what is most gratifying to me, from
many of my own constituents. (Cheers.) The
kindest feeling has been shown to me in Westmin-
ster, and that would not have been so but for the
number of years I have endeavoured, to the best of
my ability, to do my duty; and as all my constie
tuents have always the opportunity of seeing me
whenever they wish, they have come to know what
sort of man I am. (Applause.) Usually when a
man is accused of an offence he has some prelimi-
nary opportunity of preparing for his defence—
there is a summons, or something of that sort, but
in this case it is right to tell you that when I came
back from Haresfield at 12 o'clock on that day I
knew nothing of the course of proceeding or even
that any proceedings had been taken against me.
At five minutes past 12, I was told that an officer
from Marlborough-street wanted to see me, and as
I am always visible to whoever calls, I told him
to be shown in. He was in private clothes, and
said to me, " I am sorry to say that you are my
prisoner." I asked him what was the matter,
and he replied, " The whole proceeding is so out-
rageous I would rather not say a word, but ask
you to read the warrant." I read the warrant,
which only stated the case generally; lat once
sent for Mr. Drake, my solicitor, who advised an
adjournment ; but I said if I could not get counsel,
in time, I would rather defend myself as an Eng-
lishman than ask for a delay. (Cheers.) Sir John
Shelley then referred to the letter which he had re-
ceived from Mr. Train, which came as he was about
to oppose the tramway, and he only took the insult,
he said, to refer to that opposition. He said he had.
to let the case go on the first day without any op-
portunity of cross-examining the witnesses, and the
,papers went down into the country without stating
that any defence had been made. On the second
day he was ably defended by Mr. Garth. He did
not know who his enemies were, but he should like
to meet them face to face on the hustings at
Covent-garden, where they would receive an ex-
pression of the electors of 'Westminster upon their
conduct towards him, but he did not wish the worst
enemies he ever had in this world should ever know
what it was to go through the suffering which he
had endured when this accusation was hanging
over his head.

Sir John's observations were received with great
epplause, and the proceedings were prolonged till a.
late hour.

THE NEW LAW APPOINTMENTS

We are happy to state that arrangements have
been made by which the Government will obtain
the services of Mr. Roundell Palmer as Attorney-
General. It is understood that Sir William Ather-
ton will accept a judgeship which is likely to be
shortly vacant, and that the office of Solicitor-Ge-
neral will be conferred on one of the Common law-
yers in the house. We believe that Mr. Palmer
will be a candidate for Wilton, for the representa-
tion of which Mr. Antrobus retires. There is every
reason for congratulating the public on these new-
appointments. In Lord Westbury we have a Chan•-
cellor who is not only a most eminent lawyer, but
who possesses also the mind of a jurist, and has
long been intent on endowing the country with ith a
more compendious, logical, and symmehtrtihcae
law
wof
juris-
prudence. Those who know how
England, though for the most. partmfoudedoofnjust
and liberal principles, fails in the qualities . order
and simplicity, how much of delay and uncertainty
and expense to the suitor, how much of anxiety
and weariness to the practitioner, arise from the
nature of this learned chaos, and who are also
aware how opportune the present time is for the
great work of consolidation and arrangement, if
not of codification, will be glad to find that the
legal profession is to be presided over by a man
who at least is not wedded to abuses nor afraid of
confronting difficulties. But an able Chancellor in
the House of Lords cannot do all that a Government
requires. The House of Commons contains many
lawyers who are fond of criticising measures of
Law Reform. Although we cannot say that they
are more capricious or fasten on a bill with a
greater desire to tear it to pieces than the Law
Lords, yet, with a weak Attorney and Solicitor-
General in the Houe, the fate of the Government's
best considered measures would be a most unhappy
one. At the present time there is no equity lawyer
of eminence on the Liberal side of the Ha
Commons. The Conservative tendencies ofothesbaNa,or
have been very conspicuous of late years,the
and
not been changed by the temptations
rising which hlongtenaduvremoafteo.ffitime
rb.yßthouenLdiebleiralsl horldiosuotooo
to a
of
thesen t f emw i
nwi
shtor sye.
H e opinions
belonged,agre e with
whenpePeitaiht
iemonspeeraor
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et-
before, to what was called the
members of this party—
house, and as the principalo
ymerastle, Lord Her
to the pre-
Mr. Gladstone, the Duke
Lead proper that
sent Government, it is.
bert, as well as Lord l
will, therefore, rejoin his
naturalVbetsllfmuNre
office also.
the most eminentm r.pajlarnmesrt of thetf
Apatrt
otyrnsehyo.uoldentearkale,
and, if he has as 'such Parliamentary success as
friends by accepting the pos o
• marked his former
With two career, he will be a most valu-
ble supporter of
a the
Ministry.
such
men as the new Lord Chancellor and the new Attor-
ney-General to advise them and prepare their mea-
sures, the Government may attempt the only com-
prehensive measures likely to be carried in the
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Times.

MADELEINE SMITH.—The Plymouth Journal
states that this young lady, who, it will be reraembcred,
was tried at Edinburgh a few years ago for pois oning her
sweetheart, a young Frenchman, the verdict retu rued being
" Not proven," has recently " turned up" in the z leighbour-
hood of Plymouth. It was reported immediately after the
trial that she was sent to Australia. Our contemporary
says she has captivated many hearts in the 'neighbourhood
of Plymouth, and has finally been, or is about to be,
married.

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