The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-19 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONIYON, THURSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 19, 1344.

but kept leading him by about five or six boat's
length ; when, however, he had got this distance, he
ceased to exert himself as powerfully as he had done,
apparently reserving his strength for any push which
Clasper might make; at this time 401. to 10/. was
offered upon Coombes and accepted. At the Curds
and Cream House, Clasper made a desperate effort,
and decreased the distance between them to about 80
yards, and, that space apart, they rowed beautifully
evenly to the winning point, neither of them gaining
or losing scarcely an inch in the whole distance,
which was done in 34f minutes. The race was good
throughout, and has added to the fame of
both the men. Coombes (though never doubtful
of the result) admits that Clasper would probably beat
many of the best London men. A dispute took place
in reference to an alleged infringement of the articles
of agreement, upon the supposition that Parish had
signed to Coombes that he was going to near the shore,
and who, taking the hint, altered his course accordingly.
It was at first proposed that the match should be rowed
over again, but this proposition was decidedly negatived
by Coombes, who declared that the matter should be
left to the referees, and if given against him, he
would present the money to Clasper. The affair will
not be decided until this day (Thursday). Mr. Went-
zell, of the firm of Cowden and Wentzell, the builders
of the champion's boat, with Newell, Parish and
others from London, were present, and the best feeling
was manifested towards both parties, though from the
cheering it was evident that the Tyne-siders wished
their man to win. It may be stated that Clasper dis-
claimed all connexion or sympathy with a few black-
guards who hissed Coombes at the beginning of the
race ; and Coombes publicly acquitted Clasper of any
participation in it.
_ _

- It is likely that Clasper and Newell will make a
match before the latter leaves on Saturday.

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS

PROM THE EVENING PAPERS OF THIS DAY.
GLOBE.—Petty Sessions justice has passed into a
proverb of reproach for its dissimilarity to that substan-
tial
law, ought to be administered in a free country. The vast
disproportion between the fines imposed by magistrates on
summary convictions for trifling offences, and the fees
demanded on those convictions by their clerks, has been
the subject of frequent remark. The latter, being often
from ten to twenty times the ameunt of the former, and,
being beyond the means of payment by the defendant;
having caused the petty delinquent to be imprisoned
for several days or weeks, at the discretion of the ma-
gistrates, entailing all the consequences, personal and
relative, which such a proceeding is calculated to pro-
duce. The evil has been somewhat modified ; and, to a
slight extent, mitigated. The source of the mischiefs
has, however, remained untouched. The system of pay-
ing magistrates' clerks, and the other functionaries—
whose " expenses" press in such cases with ruinous
severity on the class of peesons who constitute the great
mass of those who are summarily convicted—by fees,
instead of by salary, required to be abolished.
That system, however, was retained ; and, while it
continues, will operate as an engine of oppres-
sion, and source of misery and demoralization
on the lower classes ; while it will increase the burdens
upon the county and parish rates—upon the former, for
the expense of maintaining the poor defendant in the
gaol; and to the latter, to support his wife and family in
the union, or by an allowance in money to prevent them
from going thither. This, however, is not the only form
in which the system works to the discredit of justice, as
administered is petty sessions. The defendant is not the
only party who is made to suffer by its operation. If the
convicted party be unable to pay the fino and the fees,
he or she is committed to gaol ; and thus pays in person
through inability to pay by purse. The Queen loses the
amount of the penalty, whether it be a penny or a pound.
But not so the magistrates' clerk, and the other fee-paid
officers of the petty sessions court. The complainant
must pay them. He may be a poor cottager ; his garden-
hedde or gate may have been broken by the act of a
malicious neighbour, and the growing crop of vege-
tables, on which he has bestowed great labour and
care, may have been extensively injnred by the act ; he
may have been also assaulted by the person who has
perpetrated the offence against his property. For the of-
fence he causes the party to be brought before a magis-
trate, who convicts him summarily, and inflicts a tine
and costs—and, on the non-payment of which, to
be imprisoned for a specified period. The de-
fendant does not pay, and is committed. And
there the matter ends, so far as the complainant
is concerned, would be the conclusion to which every
one who, in ignorance of the law and practice in such
cases made and provided, had merely watched the pro-
ceeding up to this point. The poor man had been
seriously injured. He had obtained no compensation for
the wrong ; but he had caused the wrong-doer to be
punished by the law ; and had thus taught him, and
taught others actuated by mischief or malice, that
they cennot indulge their propensities or passions
with impunity. A person who would so reason
would obviously reckon without his host. The law,
in the person of the magistrate's clerk, has yet a hold
upon the person, or purse, of the poor complainant.
And, if he be unable to meet his claim for the fees
incurred in obtaining satisfaction and protection
against the party who injured him—why then, as,
an illustration of petty sessions justice, he will by sum
mary process be sent to keep company with the party he
has prosecuted I We are not drawing an imaginary
sketch. Our observations are founded on facts, for
which we are indebted to a correspondent, to whose for-
mer communications respecting petty sessions practice in
his neighbourhood, we have been indebted for some
striking illustrations of" Justice's Justice."
STANDARD.—We do not think that by any means
too much importance is attached in this country
to public dinners, though it has bern a fashion
with many abroad, and to some among ourselves,
to sneer at such demonstrations. The principle
of centralisation, now contended for with so much zeal
by particular schools of politicians, is neither convenial
to the feelings and habits, not consistent with the con-
stitution of this free country. Englishmen like to form
their own opinions, and to express those opinions in their
own way—like to express their personal indignation,
when they think they have reason to be indignant, in
their own words, and when the debt of gratitude is to
be paid to a great public benefactor, they will not
forego the high gratification of paying their share
of the debt in their own persons. The Constitution
allows them this indulgence, and the effect is in the
highest degree ben, ficial ; for the punishment of mis-
conduct or the reward of merit is thus multiplied in-
finitely beyond the force of a single censure from
any authority how high soever, or the greatest fa-
vour in the power of the Crown or the Legislature
to confer. Public dinners, however, present one of
the most convenient channels for the expression
of the public sentiment, and there is no danger that
they will ever have the effect of perverting that
sentiment, for they will be always estimated at
their proper value. A dinner to Mr. O'Connell at
Covent -garden, presided over by Mr. Thomas
Duncom be, and enriched by the speeches of
Mr. Coppock (we forget the other speakers), is a dif-
ferent matter from a public dinner given to Sir H. Pot-
tinger, under the presidency of the chief magistrate of such
a town as Liverpool, attended by a principal Minister of
the Crown, Lord Stanley, and by such men as Lord San-
don, Mr. W. Patten, Mr. Entwistle, and the leading mer-
chants of the second commercial emporium of the world.
Such a dinner as the latter is not inferior in interest and
importance to the most serious and most dignified
discussion of the Legislature ; and it presents the
advantage of a gratifyint harmony, never found in
parliamentary debates. These reflections are sug-
gested by the proceedings at the late Liverpool
dinner, a report of which will be found in our
first page. Will the reader forgive one other pre-
liminary reflection, before alluding' particularly to
the incidents of this splendid national celebration ?
We are, unfortunately old enough to remember the
address of the House of Commons to the Duke
of Wellington, upon his return from the Penin-
sula, delivered with such feeling and eloquence by
the then Speaker, the late Lord Colchester. It was
remarked upon the occasion, for the scene made
a great impression through the whole country
—" That such rewards must make heroes."
" No," replied a veteran fellow soldier of the Duke's
" heroes are never made—least of all are they made by
the prospect of rewards, even as precious as this. Heroes
are inspired by the consciousness of genius and the con-
suming sense of duty, which extinguishes all selfish feel-
ing—when the country gives to them the meed of her
approbation, she gratifies herself and honours her-
self. I, though not accustomed to shod tears, wept like
a child at the scene in the House of Commons—
wept for joy, not that I was the hero's fellow soldier, but
that I was an Englishman, and that as an Englishman,
I too had my share in paying the debt of gratitude." A
feeling of the same kind, though perhaps different in
degree, will, we are persuaded, affect every reader of the
honours rendered at Liverpool to our great pacific con-
queror. Apart from these considerations, however,
the proceedings upon the occasion are full of interest. Sir
H. Pottinger's speech is precisely what might be expected
from so great a man. An inferior or less ingenious per-
son would have magnified his service by expatiating
upon its difficulties, as enormous difficulties the Right.
Hon. Bart. must have had to er.counter. Sir Henry
alludes to nothing of the kind : he speaks
warmly and generously of the encouragement and
support of the Queen's Government, and of the bound-
less confidence reposed in him ; delights to honour
the hearty and effectual co-operation of his naval and
military colleagues, and takes a noble pleasure in
doing justice to the wisdom and good faith of the
diplomatists with whom he had to deal, whom he
will scarcely allow to have been opposed to him: his own
share in the negotiation is treated as nothing. In a word.
according to Sir Henry Pottinger's account, Sir Henry
Pottinger was a mere cipher. You may hear of his
talents and labours, the
,difficulties he overcame
the immense service he rendered to his country,
everywhere except in his own speech. This is the true
English spirit, the spirit that claims no merit for self in
the faithful discharge of duty, however gloriously or
successfully the duty has been discharged, but anxiously
and gratefully devolves the praise upon all who have
contributed to its success.

We are requested to state, that a paragraph which
appeared in our last paper, copied from the Perthshire
Courier, having reference to the sale of the estates of
the late Lord Lyndoch in Perthshire, is incorrect in
several places. The sales of Lynedoch and Balgowan,
to Messrs. Simpson and Thomson, are made by Mr.
Graham of Balgowan, not by the trustees of Lord Lyne-
doch, and are conditional sales, dependent upon Mr.
Graham's power to sell, which is disputed by the heirs
of entail, and will form a question in the courts of law
--Edinburgh Advertiser.