The Sun.
London, England, 1868-04-15 00:00:00

TALLOW.

The market is steady at 45s 3d spot, 15s Gd June, and
45s Gd to 45s 9d last three mouths.
COTTON.

LivErtrooL, April 15. —Sales probably 1,000 bales
Market firm and advancing.

C MMENCEMENT O 1 IER3E--- 7 his Day.

The Lord Chancellor entertained her Majesty's
Judges this morning at breakfast, on the occasion
of the commencement of term. After the break-
fast the Judges, attired in their state robes and
attended by their clerks and trainbearers, went in
procession to Westminster, to open their respective
courts.

There were a great number of persons present
in the ancient hall to witness the arrival of the
Judges.

TilE PRISONER ANN JUS7ICE.

". --

The following letter has been addressed to the
Secretary of State for the Home Department :
" 38, Red Lion-square, 11th April, 1868.

" Sir,—lt is, I think, most necessary that you
should be informed of the position of Ann Justice
with reference to her defence against the charge of
being in some way mixed up with the explosion in
December last at Clerkenwell. It is generally sup-
posed, so I gather from the newspapers, that she is
adequately and properly defended; while the fact
is that such supposition has no fair foundation.
My own connection with the business is simple and
short enough. About a fortnight ago I was re-
quested to undertake the defence. Being then in
London, and likely to remain so, I consented to this.
That is, I consented to be the prisoner's attorney,
and to do the work which an attorney is permitted
to do, preparing briefs, taking instructions from
the prisoner, examining witnesses, conferring with
counsel, and attending to the general conduct of
the defence. Nothing was said to me about
money, the payment of fees to counsel, expenses
of witnesses, &c. But I was under the belief—at
all events I permitted myself to believe—that suffi-
cient money would be forthcoming from friends, or
a subscription, or from some fund applicable to such
purposes. But as day after day went by my belief
and hope became much qualified. Ann Justice has
no means whatever of her own. Strictly speaking
she cannot, being married, have any means. Her
husband is away—his residence unknown—he has
sent no money. The woman indeed is so poor that
she has been obliged to content herself as to food
with the prison allowance. It is right, however, to
add that she makes no complaint of this ; and also
that the stringency of the ordinary prison rules has
been relaxed in her favour. For the prisoner's de-
fence counsel of weight, courage and influence, and
also of learning and experience, will be required.
Her case is peculiar. It is an absolute necessity for
her protection that she should be tried alone, so that
she may have only to contend against the evidence
that relates solely to herself. To insure a separate
trial will be attended with much difficulty. Counsel
who could easily be put down, or frightened, or led
away, or who were not of large experience in cri-
minal courts, would not only be unequal to the
work, but they might, notwithstanding their zeal
and talent, do harm instead of good. Of course
I have in mind the fact that an apparent faci-

lity is, in cases of importance, granted to pri-
soners by the judge who presides assigning coun-
sel for their defence. But this so-called mercy of
the law is in truth a miserable deception. It is
absurd to suppose that counsel can be expected,
any more than others who work for their living,
to give their labour, industry, and anxiety to a
business which gives them nothing in return. The
work of reading and thinking—of comparison, ana-
lysis, and study—entail heavy labour where the ser-
vice required is to be done faitllf ally. And where
there is no payment the real work of a defence is
often put off and avoided. Counsel may not be
themselves aware of this, but attorneys are painfully
sensible of its truth. The end of such defences—
where all the gain is the honour of being assigned
by the judge at the request of the prisoner—is
usually a flashy speech, after an indiscreet cross-
examination. No talent in the world will compen-
sate for the want of that knowledge which only
industry and refleztion can give. Talent and readi-
ness are indeed sometimes successful. But it may
be safely asserted that no prisoner was ever
fully defended by counsel whose only payment for
his work was the ' honorium' which, a long time
ago, was spoken of by the inexperienced as a suffi-
cient substitute for money. Permit me, then, to ask
you to give a favourable attention to what I have
written. I have waited till now in the desire not

to trouble you if I could avoid it, and in the hope
that I might obtain aid from other sources. But
that hope is gone. The only friend I have seen of
the prisoner is her brother, who is nearly as des-

titute as she is. He can do nothing. lle has fur-
nished me with shillings enough (perhaps, for I
am not certain) to procure a copy of the indictments
and that is all.

" I beg therefore most respectfully to ask for such
assistance as the Treasury may feel it right to give.
The prisoner is a woman, weak in health, with no
money, married, her husband away, with no friends.
If you grant my prayer I pledge myself to use
honestly for the prisoner's defence, and under what-
ever directions you may give, whatever you may
think fit to trust to my discretion. The trial will
probably be on in a few days. Nu counsel are as
yet retained ; but I have spoken to Mr. Montague
Williams. That gentleman kindly made an appli-
cation in the prisoner's favour a few days ago.—l
have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient ser-
vant, " W. P. ROBERTS.
" To the Right Hon. the Secretary of State,
Whitehall."

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