The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-26 00:00:00

O'CoNxELL convicted—a verdict for the Crown.

after a prosecution concocted and got up in such a
manner—before a jury so selected—and after such
proceedings in Court and out of Court ! Will any
living creature tell us, what the Crown can do with
such a verdict—of what earthly use it will be to the
prosecutors—and how it will serve the purposes they
profess to have in view—namely, the putting down of
the Repeal agitation. We tell them such a verdict
as they hope and seek, such a verdict as they be-
lieve they have ensured, will be utterly useless to
them. It will be vox et preterea nihil, or, as an
Irish Latinist translated it, all moonshine, to the
accused, but death to the prosecutors.

The public like justice purely administered—they
respect the laws dispensed legally, and for legal ob-
jects; but they despise justice turned inside out—
bearing the name, but not the substance--dispensed
without regard to the statute book, and rendered
subservient to the worst passions of tyrants, rene-
gades, and persecutors.
The conviction of O'CormELL will be destruction
to the present Government. Its temporary triumph
will be the forerunner of its complete diigrace. And
what if the Jury should do their duty ? We pause for
a reply.

It may be remembered that when Sir EDWARD
CODRINGTON went out to take the command of the
Mediterranean fleet, just previous to the "untoward"
victory of Navarino, he was reported to have received
his instructions in these words, "Go it, NED I"
Parodying' the pithy language of these instructions,
we may say to the monopolists, who are now begin-
ning to stir in all quarters, "Go it, Neddies,"
though we have not the slightest apptehension that
another " untoward" victory will be Ike con-
sequence of their display of newly-awakened
energy. The truth is, they have stirred too
late for any efficient purpose. They should
have enlisted their recruits, collected their resources,
and taken the field months since, when the League
was less able to cope with them to advantage than it
is at present. They should have torn up the tree by
the roots when it was a mere weakly sapling, and
not have waited till it had become a lusty, deep-
rooted, matured oak, capable of resisting the strongest
hurricane that hatred, self-interest, and desperation
may let loose against it. The monopolists,
we repeat, are too late with their display
of energy. The industrious classes have rallied
and combined against them; and even in the agricul-
tural districts—so many years their strong-hold—
men's opinions are seriously divided, and the League
can already number its converts by hundreds. Yet;
the monopolists do not seem to be aware of their true
position, or else, from politic motives, they are keep-
ing it concealed from each other ; for they are at,
work at Warwick, Spalding, Buckingham, and
Heaven knows how many other places, expostulat-
ing—vilifying—sophisticating—and pouring forth
twaddle and fustian with a profusion that bids defi-
ance to exhaustion. The Post, meanwhile—the
hitherto pensive, but now frisky and rejoicing Post—
cheers them on in language of congenial beauty, and
riotously alluded yesterday to " large funds" at
their disposal—funds which are yet in embryo, and
which, we greatly fear, are never destined to
chip the egg-shell. Go on, gentlemen of the
monopoly persuasion—go on, we say, "fast and
furious"—uplift your oriflamme, and rally your
clodpoles under that august banner—declaim "
whole hour by Shrewsbury clock" to every mob yoij
can induce to listen to you—mesmerise all Bucks„,
and rouse all Lincoln to duck Mr. COBDEN in one of
those sleepy, stagnant ditches, which presum
to call themselves rivers—draw forth from
the shy depths of your reluctant breeche. s
pockets subscriptions that shall show you ar e
at length in earnest—do all this and more ; and whey,
all is done, you shall still have reaped no solid ad .-
vantage—in no respect have strengthened yoitr
position—but continue on the same precarious footir,ig
as that on which you now stand. To struggle 'With
Any chance of success, a confederacy must strictly