The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-23 00:00:00

AN IRISH SCENE.

At the Wakefield Court-house, last week, Alex.
ander Brady charged John M‘Dermid with threaten
ing to do him some bodily harm. In stating his case,
Alexander, who was a gaunt raw-boned Irishman,
professed no desire to harm John, only he hoped, for
his own protection, that " their honours would bind
him to keep the pace." John here burst out in rich
Milesian brogue, at the same time pulling at a lock
of hair on his forehead, " Your honours, he's none a
good one, for he's bound himself to keep the pace, for
running a man with a dagger." Some more cross-
firing took place between the parties about some
money Alexander owed John, on a balance of
account, " while up the country harvesting a bit."
The Chairman asked John—what's your religion ?
" Plase your honour I'm a Connaught man."—(Loud
laughter.) A what ?—A Connaught man, your
honour.—l did not ask you what countryman you are,
but what is your religion ? "Why, God help me, I
sud be a Catholic, but when I get a sup of beer I don't
know what I am."—(More laughter, in which the
bench joined). Sure, yer honors, it was but a dhrop
of drink I'd got to make myself comfortable on
Christmas day.—Did you tell Father Morris of this ?
Oh, God bless yer honor, no, and I hope he may niver
know; what, it was Christmas day, and both gentle
and simple get a dhrop then, to make them merry.—
Well, but you must find bail, and pay 4s. for your
maintenance while in the lock-up.-oh, then, yer
honors, he's no rale Irishman, at all, at all ; there's
plenty of rale Irishmen that would get twenty cuts on
the head on that day, and niver say a word about it ;
and sure I did'nt strike him.—Well, but you have done
very wrong, and you must suffer for it.—Why, yer
honor, as to the bail, Mr. Brierley will say I'm no
worse a man than the other, and sure, he'll p'raps be
bound for me ; but, as for the money, it's hard for a
man to pay when he hasn't it.—What do you work at?
Oh, yer honor, I worked at Normanton, but they did
me out of my money there, and I get a job where I
can now ; but, rubbing his head, he exclaimed, I can't
carry the, bricks up, yer honors. The Bench, on
hearing a good character of John, agreed to let him
have time to pay, and to bind him in his own recogni-
zance to keep the peace ; and, when asked if he would
give bail, he said, "Sure, 11l not strike him ; but, if
he strikes me, sure it will be a hard case." The neces-
sary documents being prepared and read over to him,
he was asked, in the usual form, if he was content.
" I'm content, sure, if he doesn't strike me." The
Bench explained, that if Alexander struck him, he
must not strike again, but bring him before them, and
they would fine him. this appeared to puzzle John
no little, the Irish law appeared far more to his taste
than the English ; but, a happy thought striking him,
he exclaimed, " Sure, then, he can't hinder me from
talking ;" and, on being told that he might use his
tongue in a proper way, he pulled away again at his
lock of hair, and, shouting " thank you, Mr. Holds-
worth, thank you, gentlemen," made his exit in warm
altercation with Alexander, about the ss. he owed
him, for the harvest money.—Yorh Courant.

MELANCHOLY SUICIDE.
An inquiry of a very painful character took place
before Mr. C. J. Carttar, the Coroner for West Kent,
on Saturday evening touching
the New Farm, Beckenham,
near Bromley, tci the death of Edward Cran-
field, Esq., the proprietor of the farm and the adjoin-
ing estate, who destroyed himself by discharging a
horse-pistol into his mouth, and literally blowing his
upper which presented a dreadful
of the head having been
head to atoms. The jury having been sworn pro-
ly bhieleowwn
the
away
. b°
partay and nothing remaining of it
cc
spectacle,oeemd pe
lde t et view
but a portion of hair and skin hanging to the lower
jaw. Witnesses were then examined, from whose
evidence it appeared that the deceased had been poorly
for some days, but on Thursday morning he appeared
somewhat better. He had been to London on the
Wednesday and brought thence with, him a
large horse-pistol which he told his wife he
had bought in Smithfield for the purpose
of giving to a boy to frighten away
the crows. On the Thursday morning after
breakfast, a servant, upon going into the break-
fast-room, saw the deceased standing before the look-
ing glass with the pi3tol in one hand, and he at the
time appeared to be picking his teeth with the thumb
nail of the other hand. •gpon observing the servant
looking at him he immediately quitted the room, and
went to the water-closet, tend directly afterwards the
report of a pistol was heard, and the unfortunate gen-
tleman was found in the state above described. Mr.
Flett, a surgeon at Bromley, was sent for, and he
speedily attended, and from the examination made by
him it appeared that the pistol had only been loaded
with powder, but the charge was so heavy that it ap-
pears wonderful the pistol did not burst, as it was evi-
dently loaded completely to the muzzle, and in the
act of discharging it the right hand and arm of the
deceased were very much scorched. Upon. these facts,
and after evidence, as to the state of mind of the de-
ceased had been adduced, the jury returned a verdict
—That the deceased destr9yed himself while in a state
of temporary mental derangement.

CHARACTER OF FRANKLIN'S WRITINGS. The
writings of Doctor Franklin are justly admired for a plain
popularity of style, for the distinct picturesque character of idea,
for humourous Socratic irony, and for the art of arguing to the
selfishness; the reader is constantly put in mind of the use
that will accrue to him, and such as him, from the adoption
of Doctor Franklin's premises. Even' a question of science
is never handled as a question of curiosity, whore to evolve
the truth is the disinterested end in view ; it must be
hooked to some petty, practical purpose of private accommoda-
tion, before it is held worthy of being investigated. This
concatenation of the cui bono to every footstep, is a clog to
excellence; it illiberalises science; but it seems to be the
characteristic of American philosophy. The national foible
is readily forgotten in Doctor Franklin, when his vast effi-
cacy is contemplated; history will class him among her
great men—among the strong minds employed in directing
important events. He had, perhaps, more of craft than of
boldness, more of prudence than of magnanimity, but he
attained his ends without harshness or waste of effort ; he
early saw the scope of his pursuit, and proceeded towards it,
step by step, with a singleness of purpose and an undeviating per.
severance that rarely accompany a comprehensive mind. Indeed,
Doctor Franklin's range of attention and idea was but narrow.
The classical, poetical, and elegant writers had employed little
of his leisure; the moral, sublime, the heroic delineations of the
muse, seldom tinged his sentiments or actions ; nor had the
luxuries and refinements of social life attraction enough to en-
croach much on his habits of snug sufficiency. He allowed him.
self time to think, and time to say but little ; that little was
always hitting; and what especially will consecrate his memory to
the grateful veneration and growing applause of the remotest
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