The Sun.
London, England, 1821-03-31 00:00:00

CAPITAL CRIMES.

Mr. MARTIN-moved the second reading of the Capital
Crimes' Defence Bill. He went into-some arguments in sup-
port of the Bill. The Hon. Member cited several instances
that had come under his own cognizance of Judges not only not
acting as Counsel for prisou-ers, but of their acting as Counsel
against them. He moved that the Bill be-read a second time.
,The SOLICITOR-GENE RAL said he should oppose the
motion. His' experience hi Courts of Justice informed him
that the Pill, if passed into a law, would operately greatly- to
the prejudice of prisoners. -He would.assert that Judges were,
in all criminal cases, Counsel for the prisoners substantially,
zealously, and - even astttaly.—(flear, hear, hear !)—lle was
satisfied that in•nine cases out of ten
_the prisoner would. be be-
nefitted- by having the Judge for his Counsel; and if in a case
where the evidence was yery_strong against the prisoner, would
it not be better for him to have the Judge as his Counsel ;
since if he was represented by Counsel, the latter must have re-
course to sophisms and evasions, which the Judge would feel
it his.duty to unmask, and thus effectually become Counsel
against the prisoner. Hi objected therefore to the second read-
ing oftheßill. ,

fir J.,iIIACKINTOSII. said he could not conceal his surprise
at the Course of argument employed by his Learned Friend.—
Accordhlg to him Counsel were injurious to prisoners, and yet
be looked upon the assignment of Counsel to persons accused
of high treason as a privilege of Cie highest consequence. In
short, the effect of his Hon. and Learned Friend's argument
was, that more guilty persons would be convicted and more
innocent'acquitted in consequence. of this Bill—the very result
intended;

Sir J. YORKE feared he should incur the charge offpre-
. gumption in ad‘..iressing the House upon this subject after
the two Learned Gentlemen ; but they both seemed to forget
that which was most material in this country—namely, time.
Suppose Counsellor Bore'em, and COunsellor llother'em after
Fim, to be employed in a case—they- would occupy in their
addresses two. hours a-piece at least. , This being the ease,
and it further
,appeexing,- from the statement of one of
the Honourable Gentkmen oppOsite, that the number of
criminal cases in a year amounted on the averar to three
thousand, the consequence would be that.twelve thousand hours
would be wholly consumed in each year by the spSeches of the
two Learned Gentlemen. '

The .ATTORNEY-OENBRAL thought that the Bill
ought not to be sanctioned by the Houl, since no inconveni-
ence was stated to. result from the present system 'of criminal
trials.

Mr. MARTIN shortly replied.
The Gallery was about to be cleared for a division, but the
mction was negatived without a division.

NAPLES.

Lord CASTLEREAGH laid on the table a voluminous
quantity ofTapers,btirg the Correspondence of the British Mi-
nister at Naples with the Duke de Gallo.
• COLONIES.

Mr. GOULBURN laid on the table-Papers containing the
correspondence on the subject of the , Colonies paying the ex-
pences of, their military defence.
• ARMY ESTIMATES.
Lord PALMERSTON laid on the table papers relating to
the Army Estimates.