The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-31 00:00:00

THE STATE PROSECUTIONS.

We are really at a loss to conjecture what good Sir
Robert Peel expects from the prosecution of Mr. O'Con-
nelL Be the result what it may—acquittal or punish-
ment--the influence of the agitator is sure to be aug-
mented, and the authority of the Government propor-
tionally weakened. At the date of the latest accounts,
the Court of Queen's Bench had sat eight days, but not
a single circumstance had been brought to light that was
not well known before. The foul and wicked conspiracy
of the Attorney-General, turn'S out to be nothing more
than an open combination to effect a change in the law,
such as has existed over and over again in all parts of
the country, and such as exists in the Complete Suf-
frage Union and Anti-Corn-law League, at present. All
that has been proved, and all, we are satisfied, that can
be proved, against O'Connell is, that he has organised
associations, collected subscriptions, and given tickets of
membership to as many people as desired to repeal an
Act of Parliament that has only existed some forty
years. This he has done peaceably, and accompanied
yprofessions of the most unbounded loyalty.
Now, what is there in all this that has not been done
a hundred times over—that is not done at present ?
What greater crime has O'Connell committed than the
Reform leaders of 1831, or than the Anti-Corn-law and
Complete-Suffrage agitators of 1843? None whatever.
But the Ministry feel themselves in a difficulty, and they
try to evade the concession of justice to Ireland, by
wielding the instruments of justice to do her more
grievous wrong than she yet has suffered.
The whole course of this prosecution has been marked
by folly. It began ill in the suppression of the Clontarf
meeting, and it has gone on from bad to worse through
the blunders of the preliminary proceedings—the unfair-
ness of the panel—and the ludicrous absurdities of the
Crown witnesses. Come out of it what will, the Adai-
r nistration must suffer.—Aberdeen Herald.

TWO SUPPLEMENTS GRATIS,
WITH THE "DISPATCH."
GREAT NATIONAL TRIAL AT DUBLIN.

The immense size of THE WEEKLY DISPATCH has,
hitherto, enabled its Proprietors on all occasions to present a
copious, and, at the same time, interesting account of tire events
of each week. It is, however, now found utterly impossible to
give anything like a faithful report of the Trial of Mr. O'Con-
nell and his repeal associates, without excluding a great mass of
interesting domestic and foreign intelligence - the Proprietors,
therefore, feel that their journal, which has been for years, and.
is now, honoured with more patronage than any other in ex-
istence, should be, in all respects, complete ; and, with that
view, they intend to insert a summary of the proceedings
during the progress of the trial in their usual columns, and
present to their friends and subscribers •
TWO SUPPLEMENTS, GRATIS.

One of these Supplements will be published on the Sunday suc-
ceeding the delivery of the Verdict, and will contain the Speeches
of Mr. O'Connell, Mr. Sheil, Sir C. O'Loghlin, the Attorney-
General, and other leading Counsel; together with the Summing
tip of the Judge, the Verdict of the Jury, and other matters of im-
portance that may arise up to the latest hour, for which the
services of several short-hand writers of eminence have been
specially engaged. The second Supplement (also of the full
size of THE WEEKLY DISPATCH) will, in fact,
form the early portion of the trial, and embrace the pro-
ceedings of the commencement to that stage at which the
other begins; so that every subscriber to THE WEEKLY
DISPATCH will be in possession of a complete and faithful
report of this great national trial—a trial which must become a
matter of history, and be regarded as an event of no ordinary
importance in after time. A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
OF MR. O'CONNELL will precede the account of the
Trial, which will be written by a gentleman intimately ac-
quainted with the " great Agitator," and consequently one who
has treasured up many reminiscences that will render the Bio-
graphy a paper of general aid absorbing interest.
The Two Supplements, forming Ninety-six Columns, will
be printed uniformly with THE DISPATCH, and contain
a quantity of matter equal to at least an octavo volume of 600
pages.
- THE DISPATCM is supplied by every Newsvender in
London, and by the various Booksellers and News Agents in
the country, to whom bills for circulation will be forwarded,
with the name and address attached, on receiving a letter to
that effect, directed to Mr. Wood, Dispatch-office, 130, Fleet-
street, where orders are also received.

Tun SZCIIIIT PASSION.—The author of " Shak-
speare and his Friends," and " The Youth of Shakspeare,"
two fictions which may be said to have created an entirely
new school of novel writing, and which at once received the
stamp of the highest public approbation, has again come be-
fore his admirers with a new story entitled " The Secret Pas-
sion." Without betraying the mystery of the plot, it will be
sufficient to direct our readers' attention to the work to say
that it is written in quite as original and striking a style as
that which marked the author's former productions, and that
at the same time it displays equal powers of fertile invention
in the incidents as well as truth and variety of character. It
has the additional attraction of offering a series of delineations
of the moral feelings, such as have rarely been pourtrayed by
any of the master hands who have treated of the development
of human passion through the medium of fiction.
CAIDIFF.—RATHXR MISTAKEN.—A certain gen-
tleman, who is well known to the commercial world in the
localities of Cardiff, Merthyr, and Newport, had a meeting
of importance to attend at one of these places on a Saturday
evening some time ago, and having finished his avocations
at a considerable distance from the place of the meeting, he
engaged a famous pony to convey him in haste to the place
of appointment. He arrived at an inn on the road not 100
miles from Newbridge, about dusk, and alighted to regale
himself with good creature comforts, and to rest his horse.
After tasting and trying a good quantity of that which the
house produced, and toying with the ladies, till both alcohol
and love made him feel rather bewildered, he was reminded
at length of the flight of time, by hie gold chain and watch,
and getting up, and taking a hasty farewell of bright eyes
and rosy wine, he straightway proceeded to mount his pony ;
but lo ! when seated, he discovered that his charger was
minus saddle and bridle 1 Dismounting-, as well as he could,
and in a towering passion, he reached the bar in a twinkling,
and upbraided the landlord in a masterly style, desiring him
to come out forthwith to see the pony without bridle or
saddle. Out they went, and behold they discovered that
our hero had actually mistaken a poor old cow for his pony,
and had been on her back, in the idea of riding home quite
comfortably, while she was quietly eating grains from a pail
by the door. The pony was standing within a few yards,
going off in a quiet dose, from which he was roused by the
loud laughter which pealed around, on discovering the
gentleman's queer mistake.—Monmouth Merlin.

ASTLEY'S.—The attractions at this popular theatre
continue to fill the house every evening. Last night, the
Battle of Waterloo and the Equestrian exhibition, afforded
the greatest delight to a house crowded to the ceiling.
Lord Fitzroy Somerset, Military Secretary of the
Commander in Chief of the army, transacted business with
fir Jarueo Graham, at the Home-offioe.