The Sun.
London, England, 1844-11-13 00:00:00

courage the General Practitioners in Surgery and
Medicine, by withdrawing all practice from them ;
because it would hue to refuse to the poorer classes,
among whom this practice at present lies, the privi-
lege of employing quack doctors, or any other un-
qualified person, if they choose to employ them.
We don't find ,at the end of the Bill, what there
ought to be, a " sliding scale" of penalties to be
levied on those who may choose to call in empirics
and ignorant and unqualified persons—(those, for ex-
ample, who would propagate the small-pox by inocu-
lation)—the richer sort, who ought to know better,
and can afford to do so, to be amerced in the
heavier sums ; the poorer sort, who either may not
know better, or may be unable to afford to act as if
they did, in the smaller. The " Address" cleverly
demonstrates that the Bill is a premium on their igno-
rance and temerity, who, being relieved from the
present legal penalties of such attempts, may here-
after " practice"—on her MAJESTY'S subjects, without
being qualified by education or experience for such
duties ; and a gross insult and a civil wrong on that
large community of general practitioners, to whom
the public health is so largely indebted for its im-
proved and improving condition. Let us add, that to
the general practitioners—not to the physicians, as
such, whose range of practice is notoriously and ne-
cessarily limited by the usage of the profession and
by public opinion—are due those sanatory ameliora-
tions which the reports of the Registrar-General are
so remarkably developing in their valuable statistics
of life and mortality in the United Kingdom.

The Paris papers of Monday, which have been de-
layed by the boisterous weather in the Channel, bring
no news of importance. The Journal des Debats has
a long article on the state of the lower classes in Great
Britain, and the means in preparation for bettering
their condition. The Constitutionnel has a leader on
the statistical returns made by the Prefect of the
Seine, and some of the other papers contain
comments on the new loan. One of them
expresses a belief that the great capitalists
will agree as to the price to be offered, and that con-
sequently there will be no competition. The Com-
merce expresses indignation, that whilst Belgium and
Holland resort successfully to a national subscription
in cases of loans, the French Ministry should have so
little confidence in the wealth and patriotism of the
French nation as to suppose that a similar course
here would not be successful. The French Ministry,
however, know the people better than the editor of
the Commerce::

The Journal des Debuts gives the following details
relating to the:trial of General PRIM, transmitted by
its own correspondent, who was present at the court-
martial :

" The appeal laid by General Prim's counsel against
the jurisdiction of the court-martial has not been allowed.
Although the ,General, under an accusation of treason
against the State, thus finds himself desafuero, that is,
deprived of privilege of the fueros, which was anciently
4ranted to both military men and ecclesiastics ; he is
nevertheless brought before a court-martial composed of
his equals, all generals, as he is himself. The six mem-
bers of this Court, among whom are General Ribera, an
old friend of Espartero, the Marquis de la Concordia,
General Pignero, and General Jose Concha, brother of
one of the leading members of the Opposition ; all are
wise and moderate men, and believed to be incapable of
suffering their judgment to be biassed by personal or
political animosity. The President is, ex officio, the
Captain-General of the province, who is at this time
General Mazarredo, the late Minister of War, and the
intimate friend of General Narvai z. In Spain, where all
public acts and ceremonies are attended,with a pomp and
ostentation sometimes ridiculous, justice alone is de-
prived of all appearance of solemnity—we might almost
say, of all dignity. Thus, in general, it inspires the accused
party with terror, without exciting deference or even
common respect in those who are present as witnesses
or audience. The tribunal assembled to-day, in a large
hall of the old quarters of the gardes du corps. It bore
all the appearance of a genuine encampment. A small
table, round which were seated the President, the six
judges, the Procurator-Fiscal, and the Secretary—on
wooden chairs—and two benches for the audience,
formed all the furniture. The public was admitted, but
it does not appear to be very eager to witness such exhi-
bitions ; for, although the hall is spacious enough to
hold 600 people, not more than about 250 were present,
and of these three-fourths were officers belonging to the
regiments of the garrison of the capital, who were called
upon to attend by an order of the day. The only things
saw upon the table were four books ; there was not
even a crucifix. The judges were in uniform, and all,
except two, kept on their hats. All the persons present
walked freely about the hall, approached close to the
judges—standing behind their chairs—for their were no
guards, no officer of the court, not even a servant to keep
order, or call for silence. The charge had been prepared
entirely out of court by the Procurator-Fiscal. The
sitting was opened with a rapid reading of all the docu-
ments, the interrogatories, the charges; but at the same
time were to be tried the six persons who were accused
as conf.derates of General Prim, not one of whom is in
the army, and who, in the opinion of many, ought to be
brought before the ordinary tribunals of the country.
When this reading was finished General Schelly pre-
sented the defence of General Prim, that is to say, he
read a manuscript which had been given to him by the
civil advocates of the General. As General Schelly,
who is a brave and most commendable officer, has never
occupied his mind with judicial questions, he read the
paper in a monotonous tone, without bringing any of its
arguments prominently out, and without any indication
.hat he was impressed feelingly with what he read. I
,bserved, however, that this defence made very strong
and energetic protests against the form of the prosecu-
.ion. One of the principal witnesses in defence, the ser-
vant of General Prim, who had charge of the trabucos
(blunderbusses), had not, it is said, been examined by the
Procurator-Fiscal. The prisoner was not confronted
with his accusers. The military life and general cha-
racter of General Prim were tolerably well set forth. It
was said that General Prim commenced his military ca-
reer as a volunteer in 1833, and had obtained every suc-
cessive promotion for conduct in the field of battle—that
my
etinittuetdihe.add ddeeseivaernatwioonuntdhsatfroitmwtahse
impossibleene
ithrahao.vsee Theboe fco themd eef
se
ainxc defence tch traitor.oenr 6-
'several horses_ri ekniel;liGurenradienierratioh.
.nan so brave as
After the defence of to,
ecution were read by
included with him in the i„
the last paper was
officers of different regiments. When
finished, the public were ordered to retire, anu' .he Court
entered upon the consideration of its judgment. Att,,
the lapse of an hour, the public were again admitted, and
the President announced that the Court was not suffi-
ciently enlightened, and that a further inquiry must be
gone into. This decision was not announced from the
mouth of the President, but was sent to the office of the
Captain-General, who, with the Military Auditor, de-
cides whether the judgment is to be carried into execu-
tion, or whether it is to be submitted to the Supreme
Military and Naval Court-martial. Such are, in all
their truth, the formalities of the military tribunals of
Spain, judging according to their fueros, and which the
Ministers wish to preserve in the Constitution, but which
the Committee has wisely recommended to be sup-
pressed."
Accounts from Madrid of the sth announce that
the Court-martial on General PRIM had, after two
hours' deliberation, come to a decision to annul all
that had been done in their first sitting, on account
of the irregularity of the proceedings and the errors
in the indictment, and had resolved that another legal
examination should take place, preparatory to a new
sitting of the Court, due notice of which would be
given.

The seventeen Spanish refugees, who were arrested
recently at Marseilles, have been sent to Chaumont to
reside. Those who were arrested at Carcassonne
are to be confined in the department of the Cote-d'Or.
As to Generals AMETTLER and SANTA Cauz (says
the Commerce), they are still in prison au secret at
Perpignan.

FIRE IN NEW-ROAD, MARYLEIIONE.---Last even-
ing, about seven o'clock, a fire broke out at the residence
of Mr. T. Kent, 20, Southampton-place, facing the New-
road, Marylebone. The first alarm was given by some
of the domestics, when a back apartment on the becond
floor was found to be in flames. Prompt assistance was
rendered by the- workmen of an adjoining factory, and
ieveral engines were soon on the spot, so that the flames
were got under without any very great damage. Ap-
pearances, howeVer, were at first somewhat threatening.
ATROCIOUS CONDUCT.—On Sunday afternoon the
Dover up-train,.with nine carriages and 150 passengers,
when within one mile of the London side of Folkestone,
was nearly meeting with a most fatal accident. The
guard on the first carriage perceiving about 150 feet for-
ward, and between an embankment of 60 feet high, an
obstruction lying across the line, he signalled the other
guards (two of them) to use the break ; the engineers
did so instantly, when the first engine ran over a parcel
of planks twelve in number, which had been most mali-
ciously placed across the road, and crushed them to
pieces. Happily, however, from the caution taken, and
the act of Providence, the train was not upset, and im-
mediately stopped. A beer-shop is situate a short dis-
tance from the spot, where a number of loose characters
were found, upon whom suspicion fell. The landlord
and his customers disclaimed all knowledge of the
transaction.

GREAT FOOT RACE FOR TWENTY POUNDS.--Yes-
terday the match between Bee (of London), and Powell
(of Hampton), came off near the White Hart Inn, at
Hampton. The distance contested was twelve miles.
Both men had acquired celebrity, and the match drew
together a large concourse of spectators. At the start
the men went away, and completed two miles together
in eighteen minutes, and at the tenth mile Bee was in a
leading position, and was walking strong and full of con-
fidence, while his opponent manifested symptoms of the
pace being too fast, but endeavoured to continue on the
contest. Both men made strenuous exertions when near
the turn of the last mile, and Bee concluded the distance,
beating his adversary by 400 yards. The twelve miles
in one hour and fifty-seven minutes.