The Sun.
London, England, 1826-01-21 00:00:00

vantages of prematurely judging and condemning
the conduct of Lord Charles Somerset is, that in
either of the only two cases that can occur, justice
and truth must suffer. If the previous obloquy
and prejudice weigh down his just defence, he is
a victim. If he refutes a single instance of obloquy
of this sort, he gets credit for innocence beyond
his fair portion ; and the current of prejudice
will run as strongly in his favour, as before against
him. If Lord Charles Somerset has a sound case
to show, it must be his wish as it is his interest,
that loose charges, without evidence, which he
has the means of refuting, should be circulated
previously to his trial.

EMORNI NG CM RONICLX.3
We regret to find, that the general want of
employment which we so much dreaded, as the
calamitous result of the immediate destruction of
so much of the circulating medium of the coun-
try, the consequent depreciation of property, and
the suspension of confidence an credit, is now
realized to an extent beyond what we anticipated.
At Darlington, one-third of the people are out of
employment; at Norwich,lo,ooo ; at Huddersfield
there is quite a stagnation ; at Nottingham and
Leicester half the hands are unemployed. We
are assured by a gentleman connected with one
of the first Houses in the kingdom, who has lately
travelled over the greatest part of the manufac-
turing districts, that on an average, one-half at
least of the operative mechanics are out of em-
ployment not including such as are employed in
the manufacture of hardware. The letters from
all parts of Scotland, but particularly in the dis-
tricts of Dundee, Arbroath, Aberdeen, &c. state
that the various works are stopping daily. Fac-
tories to a large have already stopped, and the
greatest alarm is beginning to prevail with respect
to employment for the people. In the districts last
mentioned, we are assured that one-fourth at least
of the hands are out of employment, and the num-
ber must increase daily. Manchester, which, with
the rest of Lancashire, seemed for a time untouch-
ed, according to the letters last received, is in as
distressed a condition as Scotland. Till the con-
sequences direct and remote of the present
failures and stoppages are known, the most dis-
tressing anxiety must every where prevail.—Et is
but the other day, too, that Ministers were boast-
ing of the flourishing state of the country-the
unexampled prosperity of all classes ! When
the mad speculations of which we are now pay-
ing the penalty, were filling all sober minded
men with alarm, what was the great Council of
the nation, the guardian of its interests, about ?
Alas ! gambling in shares, and transferring the
manoeuvres of the Stock Exchange to its own
Committees. In the mean time the Metropolis
is one great nest of gamblers and cheats. From
the beginning of time to the present day, we
question if ever there was, a tithe of the syste-
matic fraud now practising. in London. The
voice of the Press is lost amidst the din of con-
tending miscreants ; for public. opinion is power-
less when such a proportion of the public is im-
plicated. Indeed, the swindling Companies,
having possession of considerable funds extracted
from the unwary, make no secret of their deter.
minntion to use the law to the furtherance of
their purposes, and a better Instrument than the
English law, for assisting in furthering knavish
designs, could not be wished.