The Sun.
London, England, 1826-02-02 00:00:00

[MORNING. CHRONICLE.]

About a fortnight ago we noticed a paragraph,
stating that a certain Pau C ry of Newcastle
had discovered and stopped' a dead body in a
package directed to Edinburgh. We asked
.what earthly good object was attained by
this piece of meddling ? Who would have suf-
fered had the package reached' its destination ?
and who would be the better or the happier for
the discovery timid", by the busy body at New-
castle? The Leech Mercury, in an article copied
lilto our Paper of Monday, supplied an uniwer
to our que,tions. It states that the paragraph,
on which we commented, " attracted the atten-
tion of tr young man of the name of Daniels,
and the description giseh of - the corpse so
strongly affected his 'mind with the persuasion
that the body described was that of his father
lately deceased, that he passed three
,sleeptess
eights ponderin-
t, over the pat fu I reflections which
such a Circumstance was Cuiciiiated to produce.
intulerable state of anxiety tie ((mid no
longer endure) and he went to the Sexton to ht.g
that an examination tnigh!, he made. le co
pliance with his request, the grave was rf".-opeeed,-
when) on removing the coffin-lid, it was found

that the body was gone."----Thus we see that this
discovery has only had the effect of causing pain
to an individual, who, but for the officiousness of
the busy body, would have remained in igno-
rance of the circumstance which has so disturbed
his tranquillity ; and we have no doubt that'
many others who read the paragraph, were tor-
mented by the same apprehensions, though spared
the list shock of finding them realized. One would
think that there was not enough of misery in
the world, when such pains are taken to increase
and multiply it. When a grave is disturbed, no
one suffers, unless made acquainted with the fact ;
the whole country is, however, immediately af-
fected with the knowledge of it, and hundreds,
especially of the weaker and more vulgar minds,
are haunted with idle fears and revolting fancies.
---Tb make'the mischief the more notable, while

these proceedings pain the imaginations of people
at the present moment ; they have a tendency to
pain their bodies, at a future period, for if this
stupid opposition to dissection is allowed to take
its course, the effects of it must, at no very dis-
tant time, appear in the state of surgical science.
Skill will be limited to those, comparatively few,
who have had opportunities of studying anatomy
in less enlightened countries.—Since writing the
above, we perceive from an article in the Tyne
Mercury, that the spirit of discovery is as active
in Newcastle as ever. The body of a female has
been intercepted, and the description of this
body will no doubt occasion great distress to
many individuals throughout the country.—
Shame !

[MORNING HERALD.]
All lawful Authorities ought to be supported
as far as they use not abuse, the power intrusted
to their charge. Experience proves that men in-
vested with petty authority are generally inclined,
to enlarge it, and will do so if they are not con-

scions of being exposed to a vigilant controul. We
often cibServe, however, that Magistrates, when
complaint is made of :excess or violation of. duty
by inferior -officers, take up the matter, in a
waylhat shows they confound the office with
the person ' who holds it, and are anxious to
protect ' the one on 'account of their veneration
for the other.' Nothing can he more absurd, or
lead 'to more mischievouS consequence's than such
a practical confusion of ideas. We do not say
that, all Magistrates are so incapable of sepa-
rating the dignity from the prejudices of their
station, but certainly a great many are. Hence
it follows that the, oppressive and wanton •acts
of constables and watchthen are often screened,
or but gently checked, where they ought to
be most severely reprehended. An abuse of a
lawfUl power cannot bring that power itself- into
contempt, unless,it be followed by the protection
of the offender.' Authority is better supported
.by inflexibly punishing those who exercise it op.
pressively than b'y enabling them to elude justice..
In the country it' is very common, when the Con.-
stables do what'the law cannot justify, for the
Magistrates to intimate upon complaint being
made; .and before the merits of the case art
investigated,
,that they most protect their
oificerS, and the ' consequence is, that the
necessity for such complaints increases. in Pra•
portiiip as the chance of redress is lessened
town, too, wn could not so constantly hear of
the misconduct and gross insolence of :watchmen,
if
otd,ri cot
e t ;
they .did not_believe that the violation of law
ration
th*ato.uqindartmer wh eetewrci.th
a uokain o
,Vith prompt and severe chastisement. A Truitt

who is appointed to protect the' peace, nod
to preserve order and decortito, is more,
culpable when lie becomes an offender' than
person in whom no such trust is reposed. When
a guardian of the peace becomes a disturber:of
it he sets a more dangerous example than an
ordinary transgressor. In our Mary-le-bone
police report of yesterday an instance occurs of,
aand cruelty against some
Ige
watchmen,iarof violenceWhicli,if true, ought to incapacitate
them for ever for the office which they have 'so
grossly disgraced. In that instaisce' the charge
was not contradicted, and therefore we take
it to be admitted. A man: hat] been taken into
custody for' being concerned in what is vulgarly
called " a row," At the examination a' woman
came forward, who stated that 't she was: pre-
sent at the 6 row' in York-court, and that some
of the watchmen treated the prisoner in the most
brutal manner. Although he said or filid no.
thing, they 'beat him with their, sticks'atid took
him by the amp and legs and dished him against
the ground. A girl Who was looking on remon-
strated with them, and for so doing received a
blow of a stick across the thigh from one of the
watchmen." Now, 1‘ hatever the conduct of the
party in custody might have been—and we
,do
nut mean to exculpate it, surely nothing could
justify the barbarous cruelty of " taking the pri-
soner by his legs and arms and dashing him
against the ground." 'fhis Certatnly • could
not be necessary to secure him, for it appears
he was already in their power. We do
not find that any comment was made On the •ion-
duct of those watchmen, or that any inquiry
to ascertain the truth of the transaction was
instituted. With respect, indeed, to " gallant
Dogberry," who struck the girl that remon.
stated with his stick across the thigh, Mr. Raw-
linson very justly remarked that "' such condi:et
was highly improper, that he was determined
to find out his name, and that his 'conduct
should be investigated if the woonatOs story
proved true." But why was it nut thought
necessary to inquire into the conduct of thet
whole party, who are charged with tukinz on
themselves an execution of punishment on an
offender more brutal than the flagellation which
the little Turkish tyrants inflict upon their
slaves ? If the statement be false, let their cite.
ratters he vindicated. lilt be true, let the
" and the lantern "be taken from such bar-
barous hands, and others will derive instruction
from the example.

N.gwfp,t PERS.-411e rager:for,etliorolg Npws.
p4\ els,,,(um,,
id: ail I,pr:ciansaoin, atbh nigapreal iktsu
of ttte „riix2vathit,7l,
Intelii-
geni,er.z.46.lllls paver, the by; bag latelyht4n4erauzedi
most formidable 4Aze,ani,.l now resomwes this ,41ain.414
oe
'Dan of war, about as mtic.i as it doea a riewitialier of 20*Yeati,
ago.—lt almost makes ca ;:'s arms itch° to open it,"

ATROCIOUS MURDER.

BERMUDAS-ST. GEORGE'S, DEC. 1825.

A Murder of a most atrocious description wilt
perpetrated at this place, on the evening of the 4th
Dec.,on the body of Mr. FoLoea,one of the prin.
eipal merchants, a most respectable, amiable, and
useful character, whose loss must be deeply felt,
and long lamented, throughout this colony. It
appears that Dr. HUNTER, a Magistrate, in, the
course of his Magisterial ditty, found it necessary
to commit to prison the son of one Joseph Gwyu
(a silversmith), in revenge for which,The fattier
swore publicly that he would murder Mr.
Hunter, and with that professed object repaired
the same evening to- his residence ; but Dr.
Hunter having heard a report of his diabolical
intention, refused to admit him into the house,
and at the same time sent to request the
presence of the unfortunate Mr. Folger, in
order to consult with burn, as to the proper mea-
sures to be pursued under the circumstances.—
Mr. Folger complied, with this request, but on
his way encountered Gwyn, who, after a few
words had passed between them, fired a pistol
at him, and unhappily wounded him in the groin.
Surgical assistance was immediately obtained,
bat it was very soon evident that the wound was
.mortal. The unhappy man lingered till the fol-
lowing morning, and then expired ; he was fully
sensible to the last moment, and arranged- his
affairs with as mach precision as tire shortness
of the awful summons would admit. The Jury,
after consulting for two hours, returned a ver-
dict,' amounting in substance to " wilful inurdey
against Joseph Gwyn ; " the wretch was disco-
vered concealed under a trap-door in his own
house. On his apprehension he conducted himself
in the most hardened manner, and regretted that
he had not murdered both, instead of one. In the
gaol, as he was being conducted to his cell, he
met his son, who in the most abandoned manner'
gloried in the deed WI father had perpetrated,
and reproached him for not blowing out his
braiiv:, rather than allow himself to be taken.
The family of Gwyn has for a long time beetir
excessively troublesome to all the authorities ill
this place, destroying their cattle, and committ4
ing every kind of annoyance ; it is to be hoped
that some measures will be adopted for the re-
moval of this.desperate `set Of miscreants from the
Island, for such, a diabolical spirit seems to pre'
vail among them, that no person's life wiil be safe
so long as they are allowed to remain.