The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-27 00:00:00

(741y6 ltilit#

LONDON, SATURDAY, JANUARY 27, 1844.

The proceedings of the Irish State trials on
Thursday were of the most uninteresting de-
scription—necessary to the case for the Crown,
but exceedingly tedious to the portion of the
public that happened to be hearers. Not a
single witness was called throughout the day, which
was occupied with the reading of articles and reports
ofapeeche's from the Freeman and Pilot newspapers.
These documents ranged over the whole space of time
du ring which the monster meetings were held, and
the. dinners by which those meetings were generally
succeeded. Many of them having been given in the
indictment, and again in the opening address of the
ATTORNEY-GENERAL, they have been, to a consider-
able extent, omitted in the report. The closing of the
case for the Crown only depends on the extent to which
these extracts and speeches may be read. There is
p 9.: wish on the part of the traversers to prolong the
proceedings needlessly; but their Counsel consider
it but fair, that if portions of speeches are
picked out and read, as evidence against their
clients, they have a right to have other portions read
that may considerably alter or qualify the meaning
of the others, when takentby themselves. The prin-
cipal speeches that have been read by the Clerk of
the Crown are those at 3lallow, Baltinglass, and
Tara. The interest of the proceedings will now
scarcely revive till the speeches of the counsel for
the traversers commence.
Lately Mr. O'CoNNELL has not been much in
the Court. He is busily engaged in the library-
among books and paper..
If the reading of this documentary evidence pro-

ceeds no faster, and if it is carried over the whole
series of the meetings, it will scarcely be concluded
till Saturday.

Our Correspondent makes the following remarks
relative to the evidence of Mr. HUGHES, the Govern-
ment reporter :
" The position of witness for the Crown, in a Go-
vernment prosecution, has often been bad enough in
Ireland ; but it does not follow that the people are
destitute of all power of discrimination between the
honegt witness, and the man wbo gives his testimony
from motives which are neither disinterested nor inde-
pendent. For this reason, considerable regret has
been expressed here to-day, that the Times should
have been so misinformed as to state, in a leader of
Wednesday, that every attempt is being made in
Dublin, to inflame the minds of the people
against Mr. BOND HUGHES, by posting the
walls with placards, describing him as a spy,
a miscreant, &c. Nothing can be more unfounded
than such an assertion. I have neither seen
any such placard, nor by inquiry can I discover any
person who has. Indeed the impression with respect
to Mr. HUGHES is quite the reverse of unfavourable.
Before his evidence was given, and while it was un-
known what he was to be called to prove, it cannot
be wondered at that some suspicion and ill-feeling
should exist respecting him. But from the moment
his evidence was published, not a word has been
printed or uttered respecting him but what has been
complimentary to him. The Dublin Press
has been most scrupulous in making the
amende to him ; men of all parties agree that his evi-
dence did him credit in every respect; and we may even
say that he is rather popular than otherwise. Even
among the lower classes the.same favourable impres-
sion exists, and they draw a wide distinction between
him and the other witnesses, who swore to the
speeches as reporters. That there is any attempt to
inflame the minds of the people against him is a
mere falsehood, which has been imposed nn the Tiznes,
and may pass uncontradicted in London; but read
here, with the quiet and peaceable deportment of the
people under immediate 'observation, such state-
ments appear absolutely absurd."

We are not learned in legal lore ; we do not pro-
fess to understand the subtleties of law; but we do
profess to understand the common sense of questions,
and to see as far into a millstone as any of our neigh-
bours. And, looking at the trial now going on in
Ireland, with all the appliances and means to boot
with which we are endowed, we do think that we
can form as go( a a judgment of the proceedings as
any of our contemporaries.
It is to us evident that the case for the prosecution
is drawing to a. close, and that the end of the be-
ginning is at fiarid: And such an end never was, in
our opini, witnessed:` The evidence for the Crown
might, in truth, .have been given for the traversers,
and every witness against them might, with far more
judgment, have been called for them. The prose-
cutors have proved that the meetings were peaceable
—that no secrecy was used in calling them—that
every publicity was' given to them—that every
reporter for Government or for the press was admitted
freely and without restraint—that peace was on the
lips, as in the conduct, of the leaders—and that no fear
was caused, nor alarm created. What more could
there be proved for the defence.?. Evidence can
only go to facts, not to intent, and intent can only
be judged of by those facts. The evidence given for
the prosecution indisputably proves the innocence of
the accused.

We do not think that any English jury would ever
call for a defence from persons against whom such
evidence only had been given. We are quite sure
that no English jury would convict upon such evi-
denCe. -Why then should we hesitate or doubt as to
an Irish jury ? Why should we fear the result in
their hands ? Simply and solely, because when an
Irish Attorney-General relies upon a case totally
groundless, a mere tale of a tub, to procure him a
verdict, we presume he knows his jury. He ought
to know it, for he had trouble enough to
get it. And if he relies upon the jury,
so much the more fear for the traversers. It is not
sufficient for us to have seen the case against the tra-
versers, grow " small by degrees and beautifully
less"—to have seen it dwindle away, and melt
like snow in the sun; for we feel no confidence in
Irish law, in Irish justice, in Irish juries ; and we
feel grateful that, thanks to the Crown officials, no
verdict, can damage the accused, nor do good to their
persecutors.

Mr. WARD, we perceive, has been paying a visit
to his Sheffield constituents, whom he addressed on
Wednesday last, on the subject of the line of policy
he pursued last session in Parliament. His address
was received with every token of approbation—and
deservedly so, for it was manly and consistent in its
tone, and abounded in useful, practical suggestions.
We wish we had many more men in the House of
Commons like the Hon. Member for Sheffield, who
combines boldness with sagacity ; sees the truth, and
does not hesitate to speak it; steers clear of all party.
prejudices and predilections—those fatal quicksands on
which so many clever men are constantly sinking,
and being engulphed ; and regards nothing but the
interests of the community at large. It is not a little
to Mr. WARD'S credit that while the Tories hold him
in fear and abhorrence as a Reformer of the most
dangerous latitudinarian character, the Whigs have
no special liking for him, inasmuch as he refuses to
run tractably in Whig harness; but chooses to think
—speak—decide—and vote—according to his own
strong and correct impressions of things. We repeat,
therefore, that we heartily wish we had some more
men like Mr. WARD in Parliament, and then
we should no longer be afflicted with such
an overwhelming landlords' majority as was exhibited
last session, and, as we fear, will be exhibited in the
next, unless Reformers .of all classes agree to forego
their petty party differences, and combine together
for the public good. Alluding to this important
branch of his subject, the Member for Sheffield ob-
served, " I have no other hope of breaking in on the
Conservative majorities of the present House of Com-
mons, but by a union of all parties. You tell me that
trade is improved a little. I fear not much. Ido
not see where the improvement is to come from.
I do not see that there can be any beneficial
or extensive increase in our manufacturing trade
and commerce under the present state of export
and import duties. We must break in on the exist-
ing system:- I trust that the whole constituency of
this country will give such an impulse to public men,
as will force them all on in the path of onward
march." Most cordially do we echo this wish. Un-
less something of the sort be done, we do not see
what security we can have against those dishearten-
ing fluctuations and depressions in commerce, which
have of late years been so frequent among us. The
Whigs must learn to lay aside their paltry distrust and
jealousy of the more resolute and advanced class of Re-
formers ; sacrifice at the altar of the public good some of
their old-fashioned, party prejudices; and take the lead
in a vigorous political crusade against the common
enemy, the Monopolists. If the ultra-Tories on all
great questions affecting their interests, can put their
prejudices in their pockets, and join with the more
moderate Conservatives, to check the progress of
energetic commercial reforms, why should the Whigs
hesitate to combine with the more uncompromising
Liberals in their efforts to further the progress of these
indispensable reforms ? When bad men conspire, good
men should combine, says the old adage ; and we hope
the Whigs will bear this in mind during the session
that is now so close at hand. In reference to the
ticklish question of Ireland, Mr. WARD, while pro-
fessing himself inimical to the p4oject of Repeal,
spoke boldly and sternly out as to + necessity of an
equitable, conciliatory course of policy being pursued
towards the sister country. " A little peddling policy,"
he said, " would do no good in Ireland at the present
day. The Government would not concede anything.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM had said that it was a crisis
of the utmost importance, and yet would do
nothing. As respects the Irish Church, he
thought that to sacrifice one part of the
empire to the Church Establishment, was a
matchless act of national imbecility." Mr. WARD, it
may be remembered, expressed himself strongly on
this subject last session ; and, of course, he will resume
the theme in Parliament at the first fitting oppor-
tunity, when we presume he will obtain a more
patient and respectful hearing from Ministers, than
it was his fate to meet with last year; for the
strenuous Repeal agitation that has taken place in the