The Sun.
London, England, 1850-03-25 00:00:00

were discharged without a verdict. At the Summer
Assizes she was again arraigned, when it was
objected to, on her part, that the jury had not
been discharged by her consent, or by inevitable
necessity, and that, therefore, having been once placed
" is jeopardy," she could not again be tried. The point
was reserved, and a new jury sworn, who again dis-
agreed, and were discharged after a long confinement,
in consequence of the serious illness of one of their
number. On the present occasion she was again in-
dicted, and, as we have already stated, at length
acquitted.

It is most desirable that the important point of
practice raised by the prisoner's counsel should be set
at rest. It is the unquestionable privilege of every
British subject that he shall not be kept in durance
with a serious charge hanging over his head. If
once tried, and, as it is termed, placed" in j eopardy," he
cannot be a second time arraigned on the same charge,
but may put in a plea of atarefois acquit or autrefois
convict to the indictment. There is allowance made
for a disagreement by the jury, in which case a
second inquiry may take place, but every effort must
be made to obtain a conclusive verdict, one way or
the other, before their discharge. In the present
case, however, no such effort was made. It was not
alleged that the health of any of the jury rendered
necessary their dismissal. It was done solely for the
convenience! of the Learned Judge, who wished to
leave the town without further delay, and who
occasioned the detention of the prisoner and her fur-
ther trials, that he might be enabled to do so. We
believe that similar decisions have on several occa-
sions been made on circuit, but that the " point" has
never been satisfactorily and coaclusively settled by a
full court. This vexata guestio would have been
finally determined had the result been unfavourable
to the prisoner. As the humane principle of the
British law declares that "it is better that ninety-
nine guilty persons should escape with impunity
than that one innocent man should be un-
justly convicted," it certainly seems that if
there was so much doubt in a case that a jury of
twelve men could not agree in judgment, and that
their deliberations were not cut short by the act of
GOD, the prisoner should receive the benefit of that
doubt, and be discharged from further proceedings in
reference to the alleged offence. Such a course
would, we are convinced, be in accordance with the
true spirit of the British law, and, although a criminal
might occasionally evade the punishment due to his
crimes, if such a rule were established many innocent
persons would be protected from the greatest incon-
venience and annoyance, and an additional guarantee
would be given for the full security of the liberty of
the subject.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

' We have received the Paris journals of Saturday
and yesterday.
The Constitutionnel and the Patrie, both Ministe-
rial journals, have declared against the proposed law
on the press, which is now opposed by every journal
of the metropolis.
At a meeting of the club of the Conseil d'Etat,
held on Thursday, M. DB LAROCHE.TAQUELIN loudly
condemned the Ministerial repressive measures, which
were supported by MM. THIERS, MOLE, PISCAToRT,
and the other Orleanists. The Legitimatists (at least
the LAROCIIEJAQUELIN section of them) ostentatiously
ab.tain from mixing themselves up with these most
unpopular measures. These measures were dis-
cussed in the bureaux of the Assembly on
Saturday, and a committee, with a majority fa-
vourable to the measure for the suppression of electoral
meetings was returned ; for although in five bureaux
no return was made, yet as ten bureaux have nomi-
nated members favourable to the Ministerial project,
there can be no doubt as to the report. 'With regard
to the Press Bill, there are nine members of the Com-
mittee in favour of it, and five who are either for its
rejection or its modification. In the course of the
discussion in the bureaux, M. DE LAMARTINE said
that he looked on Socialism as a passing malady,
having its source in ignorance, so that instead of
restricting discussion he would allow it full play.
General CAVAIGNAC said that he never had refused to
Government the means of putting down evils threat-
ening the security of society, but he thought there
was a wide difference between transitory weapons for
transient dangers and the establishment of general
principles of legislation. Seeing that the late
elections had passed off peaceably, he thought
it unwise to pronounce censure on the con-
stitutional exercise of universal suffrage, by
having recourse to repressive laws when there was
no sedition to repress. M. NAPOLEON BONAPARTE
protested that he saw no midway between repression
and liberty. A coalition of the Monarchist parties
had caused a coalition of all shades of Republicanism,
and he thought that to meet the elections for Paris
by such measures was to throw down defiance to
public opinion. M. DE LA ROCUEJAQUELIN, M. DE
BEAUMONT, M. COQUEREL, M. VICTOR HUGO, all
spoke against the law affecting the press; even M.
Tnisus declared that Governments never were saved,
and never could be saved, by such expedients.
There will be a new election of the Soane et Loire.
It appears that at the last election 6,000 persons
voted above the registered number of the whole con-
stituted, and it was likewise stated that 50,000 were
kept from voting by intimidation, an accusation ab-
surd on the face of it, while it appears that 6,000
more than the whole constituency voted. The Com-
mittee recommended that the election should be
confirmed, inasmuch as the majority in favour
of the sitting Members was much more than 6,000.
The Assembly, however, decided that the election
should be null, a decision which might have been
foreseen, inasmuch as the returned Members are all
Socialists. There can be very little doubt of their
re-election.

The Gobemouches of Paris, among the most gullible
of whom are to be reckoned the correspondents of
certain of our reactionary contemporaries, have
lately been regaled by a story of a pretended plot for
the assassination of the Emperor of RUSSIA, the
Emperor of AUSTRIA, the PRESIDENT of the French

---
Republic, and various other illustrious personages, all in
one day. This notable plan was, it is stated, cornmuni-
csted to the democratic leaders, and disapproved of
by them ; but the concoctors determined to carry it
into execution, and accordingly one of them set out
on foot, with only a few francs in his pocket, to walk
from Switzerland, through France and Germany, to
Vienna, to assassinate the Emperor of AUSTRIA, but
was arrested, it is said, in France. Such is the
absurd story got up by the police, in order to distract
public attention from the trial about to com-
mence at Geneva of the Austrian police
spy, charged with endeavouring to suborn persons
to assassinate MAzztrir. The inventive genius of the
employes of M. CARLIEZ is dull in comparison with
that of the ci-devant employes of M. DELESSERT.
The Moniteur publishes a decree of the PRESIDENT
of the Republic, reducing the registry and stamp-
duty in Algeria to one-half of their amount in
France.

The Prevoyante frigate is about to proceed from
Cberbourg to the west coast of Africa, to form part
of the French naval station there.

The French funds are heavy, Five per Cents., 90f.
45c. ; Three per Cents. 55f. 65c.

BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
LONDON STOCK-EXCHANGE. MARCH 23.
Boulogne and Amiens, 614—Namur and Liege, 6%—
Northern of France, 12%.

SPAIN.
Madrid journals of the 19th have arrived.
The rumours of an impending ministerial crisis had
been renewed.
The Bois* was closed.