The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-18 00:00:00

THE SCOTTISH POLITICAL

MARTYRS OF 1792-3-4.
• The unfortunate result of Mr. Adams' motion in the Com.
mons made a deep impression on the public mind, and par. •
ticularly in Scotland. The following circumstance, however,
connected' with the interesting subject, has only recently
been made known to the public, and we are persuaded that
the perusal of it will surprise many reformers of the present
day. •
At a public entertainment given in Elinburgh in honour
of laying the foundation-stone of the Political Martyrs'
Monument, 21st Aug., 1844, Sir James Gibson Craig occu-
pied the chair. After dinner the chairman stated that—
" The sentence pronounced against Muir so astonished
the jury that they met together immediately after leaving
the Court, and unanimously resolved to state to the judges
:heir opinion that it was greatly beyond the crime of which
they had found him . guilty ; but some hot-headed zealot
having sent a letter to Mr. Gilbert Innes, the foreman of the
jury, threatening him with assassination for having concur-
red in the verdict, it was considered imprudent by the jury
to praceed further," The veteran Baronet stated that he got
his informationfrom one of the jury, a relit ive of his own,
and a man of undoubted honour and integrity.
It has since been ascertained, we believe, that Mr. Balfour
of Piing, who was clerk to the jury, actually drew out the
appeal to the judges, when fourteen out of the fifteen signed
it—all. with the. exception of Mr. Gilbert Tunes. Strange,
indeed, that this important matter should have been kept a
secret in the .breast of Sir James Gibson Craig for more than
half a oentitry—and the more so when it is considered that
he was appointed law-agant by the Court of Justiciary for
Gerald, one of the .political martyrs ; for had the circum-
stances in question been furnished to Mr. Adam of hlair
Adam, when he brought the martyrs' case before the House
of Commons in March 1794, it appears pretty evident that
Pitt, the Minister of the day. might have been compelled,
cruel as he was, to yield to an appeal to the Crown, and thus
have saved the melancholy fate of these distinguished and
patriotic men,
We regret exceedingly to state that the venerable Sir
James Gibson Craig, who for more than half a century has
appeared in the minds of his fellow-countrymen as the "beau
ideal"...of a Scottish reformee' should' have thought it neces-
sary, on the occasion to which we have alluded, to throw dis-
credit on the mighty cause for which the lives and fortunes of
Muir and his associates were consecrated. He ought to have
known better and acted Otherwise, and not attempted to
state that great pains had been taken to represent
the subscribers . to . the martyrs' monument as the
friends of . Annual Parliaments and Universal Suf-
frage, and to add, in these remarkable words, ‘" Now, I
think it due. to the memory of Lord Holland, the Duke of
Norfolk, and the Duke of Bedfbrd, and many other sub-
scribers, to say that we never entertained them; we have
always disclaimed them." Such a statement was altogether
erroneous and uncalled for, and nothing could have been
,more calculated to
_create disunion, or to throw over them

the " wet blanket." The monument in honour of the martyrs
—now fortunately completed—in the Caltou-hill Burying
Ground, was mibseri,,bed for. by reformers generally, without
r: Bard. to any particular creed. or class, who gave their money
for the express purpoge of erecting monuments both in
Lo don and Edinburgh, on the principles embodied the
hlrowir.g nobly7Apressed rnsolutionsi
"That while as Reformots we hail with satisfaction the
piogress of tile, great
,principles ,of 'good -government, and
cdptideutly anticipate their..eoniplete and:not distant trianiph,
we look nick with admiration and gratitude- t - the heroic
conduct of tlyse.,intrgpid „patriots, whorin days less hippy
tan our own,. were fkdvoc.atea.of.the rights, and martyrs in
the cause, of,,ifie people.
"That ahnhg,sach patriots. we reovrniso asvorthy ofpar-
• • ,t

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