The Sun.
London, England, 1850-02-14 00:00:00

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
TO THE EDITOR QF THE SUN.
Sia,—l beg leave to inform you that the Lord
Chancellor's warrants of attachment against Mrs.
Belson and Major Hartman, for contempt, in having
refused to make a return to the writs of Habeas
Corpus, which required them to produce the bodies
of two of Captain Belson's children before the Vice-
Chancellor, have at length been enforced. The
parties are now in custody of the tipstaff on their
way to the Queen's Bench prison.
In my letter of the 20th December I intimated
that the Royal Court of Jersey -had, for divers rea-
sons, obstructed the service of these warrants, in
consequence of which Captain Belson had complained
of their conduct to her Majesty in Council, and that
an order had been sent down calling on them to show
cause. His petition and their answer having since
then been referred to the Committee of Council for
the affairs of Jersey and Guernsey, the whole ques-
tion touching the claims of. the Jersey Court has
been fully entered into and judicially decided. The
result is that all the twaddle about the constitutions of
King John, and other questionable authorities, have
been pitched overboard, aid the Wilt and jurats
made to understand their relative bearing and proper
position. The arguments were exceedingly interest-
ing, and although their Lordships did not pronounce
their decision at the time, it was easy to see from the
tenor and force of their occasional remarks that judg
ment would go against the Court. .
The premonitory symptoms of what would be the
upshot of this affair soon began -to show themselves,
in,two peremptory orders in Council which were suc.
cessively received here, commanding the bailiff and
jurats forthwith and without delay to register
the Habeas Corpus Acts of Charles H. and
George 111., and carry them into immediate execu-
tion. The authorities had been ordered and directed
to do this in 1832, but having failed to comply, they
now pretended that the. non-registration of the Acts
had rendered them of no force in the island ! This
dictum having been overruled by the. Privy Council,
the Acts were now registered, after being buried in
oblivion for eighteen years !
On the 4th inst. the Lords of the Committee re-
ported, that it was advisable that her Majesty should
enforce obedience to the Chancellor's warrants, and
consequently, on the following day an order in
Council was issued, commanding the Lieutenant-
Governor, Viscount, denunciators constables, and all
other persons, to aid and assist the tipstaff in ap-
prehending Mrs. Belson and Major Hartman, that
they may -be taken to England and committed to the
Queen's Bench prison. The tipstaff (Mr. Allan)
arrived here by mail steamer, on Saturday afternoon,
with an authenticated copy of the order (the original
having been sent by post to the bailiff), but did not
land until the preliminary measures had• been con-
certed by the local authorities, to _ensure the capture
of the parties—strange to say, one of these measures
was the preparing of a writ (I) for the purpose. lt
would seem by this that the order in Council, like
the Chancellor's warrants, was not of itself a suffi-
cient authority, and, therefore, the bailiff issued a spe-
cial writ, called Ordre de Justice, for the apprehen-
sion of Mr. Belson' and Major Hartman. This writ
was' placed in the hands of Mr. Dpntmciator Godfrey,
and promptly executed. The parties were captured
about eight o'clock, and severally admitted to bail, in
200/., to appear before the Royal Court on Monday
morning, when her Majesty's law officers would read
the order in Council, and pray their Worships to di-
rect that it should be registered, in, order that it might
draw its full and entire 'effect. What does this mean ?
On Monday the Court met, and, on calling the
cause, an objection was taken _by counsel for Mrs.
Belson and Major Hartman, that they were not
bound to answer suit until four days had elapsed, as
if her Majesty's mandate bad merged into the bailiff's
writ; but the joke was too rich for the occasion.
However adroitly this objection may be pleaded in
ordinary cases, it would not do in the pre-
sent one. A medical certificate was also
about to be read, showing that Mrs. Bel-
son was not is a fit state of health to encounter a
sea voyage ; but the bailiff and jurats finding the
subject exceedingly unpleasant and very humiliating
withal (they having lost their cause at an expense of
a few hundred pounds), would not listen to these
pretensions, but granted permission for the order in
Council to be registered, and for the parties to be
handed over to the tipstaff, who leaves the island with
them to-morrow.
Rumours were circulated that the jurats intended
to resign office ; but, unfortunately, they have net
thought proper to do their country so great a service!
The majesty of the law has been vindicated, and the
public must ever feel indebted to Captain Belson for
having cleared away the rubbish which obstructed the
prompt intention of, and summary supervision by, the
superior courts of Westminster, to redress the per-
sonal injuries inflicted bylthe local tribunal. It is to be
hoped that he will show moderation and forbearance
in his triumph, and that the parties, who are evi-
dently the victims of bad advisers, will purge their
contempt of the Court of Chancery, and be speedily
discharged out of custody.
In closing this narrative, I beg leave to make one
more remark. It appears to me that a standing order
ought to be issued by the Privy Council, to prevent
these obstructions to the course of public justice from
ever happening again. To effect this, the repealed
order in Council of May 21, 1679, by which the
Court lays claim to the right of withholding the re-
gistration of Acts of Parliament, Orders in Council,
warrants, &c., and pretends, by so doing, that such.
documents have no legal force, ought to be formally
expunged from the records. Nay, more, I think that
this system of burking, or nullifying, the Imperial
statutes and mandates, ought to be made a penal
offence ; and that the fact, as to whether the bailiff
and jurats had, or had not, complied with the order
of the Privy Council, ought always to be certified to
their Lordships by the clerk of the court, within
seven or fourteen days after the receipt of the order.
Nothing short of this will prevent a repetition of
these scandalous proceedings.
With many apologies for trespassing on your co-
lumns, I subscribe myself, Sir, your faithful friend
in the good cause,
ABRAHAM JONES LE CRAS,
Author of a work entitled " The Laws, Cus-
toms, and Privileges of the Island of Jersey."
Alderbury Lodge, Les Petits Vela,
Island of Jersey, Feb. 12,1850.

THE LATE Da. LYNCH.—Last evening, in pur-
suance of a resolution agreed to by a committee Of in-
quiry, a meeting of the friends of the late Dr. Lynch
was held at Anderton's Hotel, Fleet-street, fur the
purpose
,of adopting measures to ascertain why the
cmeoanseedy
gentleman
nd
htonathneotwyideot
wbeeennd pfaamidiloyv eorf t toh thosee dt-
for whom it was intended—Mr. Edwards in the chair.
It apt cared from a statement made by Mr. Willoughby
that Mrs. Lynch had made frequent applications for the
money, but without success. At one time Exchequer-
bills were offered to the lady, and at another, when
pressed by necessities, she was compelled to request an
advance cif 204 This sum was handed to her, almost on
the condition that she should not make another applica-
tion. Tho amount subscribed in London was 4111., and
upon his (Mr. Willoughby) writing to one of the tre •
curers to ascertain why the money had not been paid,
he received an answer to the effect that it had been in-
vested with him and another as trustees, that they had
placed it in the bands of a banker, and that they had no
right to appropriate it without the authority of the
committee, a nutting of which was to be held on
Friday, the 22d inst. lie (the treasurer) had, how-
ever, given Mrs. Lynch 201. out of his own private
means, and he had, moreover, purchased three 100/. Ex-
chequer-bills out of his own pocket rather than touch
the money at the bankers, so that he was in actual ad-
vance upwards of 3301. Under these circumstances be,
Mr. Willoughby, thought the time had arrived when
they should come to some definite arrangement upon the
subject. It appeared to have been supposed that the
money was intended to be invested for the future benefit
of Dr. Lynch's children, but he contended that the ob-
ject of the subscription was to afford immediate relief to
the widow and her family. Several other gentlemen
addressed the meeting, and the following resolutions
were adopted:—" That this meeting has learnt with
consider able surprise and regret that the subscription
raised for the benefit of the widow and children of the
late Dr. Lynch, in August, 1847, has not yet been ap-
propriated according to the intention of the subscribers,
nor invested for their benefit." " That this meeting,
believing that the subscription raised for the widow and
children of Dr. Lynch was benevolently intended to aid
them in their immediate necessities consequent upon the
sudden death of Dr. Lynch,
strongly urges upon the
committee and treasurers to pay the amount immediately
to Mrs. Lynch, this meeting having full confidence in
her integrity that she will act as appears best for the
interests of her own family." A committee NMI ap-
pointed to carry out the objects of the meeting.
REPRESENTATION OF THE STEWARTRY OF KIRK-
CUDERIGHT.—A requisition having been presented to
Mr. John Mackie, of Bargaly, the sonveter of the ste-
wartry, inviting him to become a candidate to fill the
vacancy caused by the elevation of Mr. Maitland to the
Scottish Judicial Bench, that gentleman has accepted
the invitation. In his address to the electors, Mr.
Mackie says—" You are aware that I have always
been Liberal, though not extreme, in my political
opinions. I will attach myself to no particular states-
man or patty, but support those measures which, in
my opinion may be most condusive to the good of my
country. I approved of the free-trade measures brought
forward and carried through Parliament by that emi-
nent statesman, Sir H. Peel ; and I am still of the same
opinion, as I entertain a conviction that the present low
price of agricultural produce is only temporary, and
will pass away as on many former occasions." Mr. P.
Francis Johnson, of Carnsalloch, son of the late Sir
Alexander Johnston, has also issued an address to the
electors, from which the following is a quotation :
" My anxious desire will be to promote economy and
retrenchment in every department of the state, and to
support such measures as may procure the fair and
equal taxation of every class of the community. The
agricultural interests, the present state of which I
deeply deplore, will find in me a steady friend ; and it
will be my peculiar duty to promote their welfare, and
to assist in removing the burdens which press unequally
nu them,"