The Sun.
London, England, 1826-08-29 00:00:00

TUESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 29, 1826.

part of the public 'whose at/nations keep them absent
from the Inquest, may
have their laudable curiosity
gtatified by the authentic reports of the Press, taken on
the spot, by Reporters, whose huiiness it is to make mi-
nutes of evidence, and who. are responsible for any inac-
curacy they may be guilty of. It would occupy too much
space to quote all
of the oldauthorities which establish the
fact of the Coroner's Inquest being a Public Coutt,but.we
shall mention a few of them
Loin BACON derives then name of Coroner from the
.circumstance of the Inquest being' held in corona populi,
in a circle or company of the people standing or sitting
round about the subject of enquiry. And one of our earliest
law writers, Sir THOMAS NUM, L.L.D. (secretary to
Edward VI. and Queen lelizabeth,) in his work (now
very scarce and valuable) De litkuaien Anglorunt, A.D.
•1583, thus says,

" Moth's cogendi duodocimviloi, ratlaverque fiefuncti a quasi.
tor, quern Conowns. appell4muN inrliiciendi sentratiaque prefer.
end* in• puttlica platen solet peragi, et in Corona Popule."-
-Lib. 4; 'Osp.:24, De ilmniskriii -Quafikr.*
See also Greenwood on Coroners, 291. BloOdone, Coin. I,
141, 111. 372.

But as the worthy Knight may, to some of our readers,
he more intelligible in an English dress—we quota from
the Quarto translation, A.D. 1601, " Of the Coroners."
" Upon the sight of the body so violently come to his death,
he doth empannel an inquest of twelve men or more, of those
which coins next by, be they STRANGERS or INILABITANTX,
and upon their. oaths, and by sight or view of the body, and by
such infornsations-as they can take, must march howe the per-
son Blaine came to his death, &c. p. 05.
The empannelling of this inquest, and the view of the body,
and the giving of the verdict, is commonly in the streets or open
place, and in CORONA
Thus we see that the inquest was held formerly where-
ever the body was found, even if in the street or open
place.; Publicity was courted, and not 'shunned: All
the laws of Ethelred, Canute,. AYred, Edward, (5.e. en-
join publicity of procedure. Spebnan, and &Men,
'F7teherbert, &c. illustrate these pointi in the ancient
judicature.
Mr. Justice BLACKSTONE, speaking of inquests not
being traversable, says—
" It is because of the Norojurry of the Coroner's Inqueit,
Super maims (Jorporis, at which the INHABITANTS Ur eT.t. Tilt
NEIGHBOURING VILLAGES ARE BOUND TO ATTEND." 2
Blackstone's Rep. 0$ I .
COKE, in 4 Institutes, 196, 197, 198, condemns all se-
cret Inquests and Offices; but we have no room for the
extracts.,
In a case .in Burrow's Reports, (Rex. v. Killinghall,
A. D: 17.56, 1 Burrow's Reports, 19,) it it distinctly
ruled, that if a Coroner omit to take an Inquisition upon
an untimely death, it may be done by the Justices of
Gaol Delivery, Oyer and Ternzincr, or 'of the Peace; but
it Unlit be done openly i and if it be done secretly, IT MAY
BE QUASHED; Lord MANSFIELD in tine cage expressly says,
that all Inquests must he "publid,y and openly found,"
by express statutes against St6cexcv,sviz. I?dward 111.
Stat. I C. 8
.; 23 Henry VI. Cap. .16 ; artd,l Henry
VIII. Cap. 8.
" The Examination before a Coroner, is an inquest of-" Office ;:
it is a transaction of NOTORIETY, of which resat ?EASON HAS
A Rider ACCUS ; and writs of Ad quod domnum have been
frequently set aside for want of this Notoriety in the execution of
them by the Sheriff."—Per Lord Knitos, in Rex v. the Inha-
bitants of A.D. 17F18. 3 Tern. Reports, 722. See
also I Phile. .EoidenCe 3'75, in which it is cited.
These extracts will abutsdantly satisfy every one that
Inquests are meant to be as public as. possible ; and it
stands to reason, that an authentic report of the evidence,
instead of being contrary to Law, is in fact nothing more
or less than a
,fidifitnent of the honest intentions of out,
forefathers, and is in strict accordance with the principles
of jurisprudence.
r,
We now proceed to examine the prohibition laid by the
Coroner' as to Reporters taking notes ; for as to Ins re..
fusel to allow the Editor, as a Juror, to minute the evi-
dence, that it is so illegal that we shall not here notice it.
We mean to prove that the publication of evidence cannot;
be hindered on any just grounds.
The usual reasons assigned for thisprohibition are two :—First,
The possible frustration of the ends of justice, which such publica-
tion might produce, by a premature disclosure of the nature and
extent of the evidence against a party implicated; and, etsondlY,
the prejudice created in the public mind against the accused,
whereby he might be-deprived of the benefit of a fair trial by the
Jury, who should ultimately pronounce upon his innocence or

Thefirst of these is possible, but no more; for the gen-
tlemen of the press are always discreet enough to sup-
press any or all of the matter, if necessary ; and as the
Coroner can issue• his warrant instanter on the verdict
of the Jury, there is little, fear that publication can be,
" premature."
With respect•to the second reason. It is founded on
criminal informations having been granted against news
papers accompanying the evidence with comments; but
When a simple account of plain evidence is published, it
cannot be objected against. When eoinments are added
that may prejudice the public mind, then, and not till
then, can an information be granted. More real injury
will arise froM the exaggerated verbal statements of the
spectators, than from any printed report, when in the
publishing of it, the Editor of the newspaper renders him-
self liable to prosecution, if it ix unfair, or false. Ex-parte
,verbal statements will affect the mind of a Jura; whilst
an authentic report of the evidence will leave his mind
unbiassed. Truth is often elicited by the publication of
evidence; whereas, if it remain' unpublished, the friends
or relations of the deceased person, anxious for revenge,
may begin

Spargere voces

• In vulgurn tunbiguis:"
The publication of evidence is a positive good, the sup-
pression of it a negative evil.
We maintain therefore that no law exists:which ryas
a Coroner Power to forbid any Juror taking notes o the
evidenee; to-assiatyhts memory, and the Coroner so doing
does it at his own risk. Probably Mr. Nand,; vent farther
than his intention, but that cannot excuse the illegality of
the action.

PAISLEY, AUG. 19.—Within the last, week the
number of applicants to the Subscription Committee liesincreased
'considerably. This, however, is mainly attributable to the termi-
nation of the demand for harvest labotir. As to trade, little, can
be said either on the score of deterioration or improvement-. Our
nianufecturers have been visited by some English purchasers of the
better times, which at least looks auspiciously; but from what we
can learn, die prices they proposed were such ueould only have
been' offered with a view to make our misfortunes the source of
profitable speculation, and under the hops that, circumstanced u
We are, we would willingly surrender at discretion. The county
cdmmittees are not in the mean time forgetful of the interests over
which they preside. Deputations from those of Lanark, Ayr, and
Renfrew, have joined in en application to Government for assist-
ance to. form the rail-road between Johnstone and Ardrossais,
which has long been a matter, of 'contemplation... The ramifica- ,
lions of this great projected work, running through the very heart
of the distressed districts, it would, if brought into effect, he a
mett'powerful medicinatn the die with which their inhabitants'
are afflicted. Ministers have here: the opportunity of benefiting
a largeportiOti of the Coufmnnity without sinning either against
econoniy or precedent; and Ws are not dispOeed to believe that
they Will neglect it. Let them remember that we ire a dutiful
peivie--that meats of our ovna we hen twine—and that it is fit-
ling that the sttiStitl'S hand Should be provided with work--..when,'
without it, neither he nor hiechildren can support existence„....;..
Paisley Advertiser.

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