The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-11 00:00:00

of the fifteen Judges. It would be thought that the
Judge would have been glad of an excuse to relieve him-
self of the awful responsibility, and, if only one doubtful
point had presented itself, would have been eager, in such
a case, to have the opinions of all his brethren. Not so
Mr. Baron PLATT. Not one point only, but six or
seven points of nicety, were raised in this case by the
prisoner's counsel ; and the professional character of
Mr. Sergeant MANNING was a guarantee that the points
were worthy of consideration. Mr. Baron PLATT saw
no necessity to reserve anything ; he had his doubts at
first on some of the points, and had expressed them ; he
had admitted that the points were new ; that the Bra-
zilian treaty, on which all depended, was new
to him ; but in a trice his mind was made
up—he had no doubt ; there should be no
delay: the jury found seven of the ten prisoners guilty,
and Mr. Baron PLATT sentenced them to death; and
they would have been hung within ten days but for the
interposition of Sir JAMES GRAHAM, who did what
Mr. Baron PLATT had refused to do —brought the case
under the review of the fifteen Judges, who, after much
deliberation, and after calling for a second argument
from civilians, have reversed Mr. Baron PLATT'S
judgment.

If Mr. Baron PLATT has any feelings of shame, we
do not envy him under their working at this moment.
To Sir JAMES GRAHAM credit is due for the moral
#courage of an interference that must have been most
!unpalatable to a Judge very recently made by his own
Government. But if these Brazilians had been hnaged,
illegally, as the Judges have decided, what irretrievable
disgrace would not have been cast on the English ad-
ministration of justice—what a heavy blow and deep dis-
rouragement would not have been given to our efforts
for the abolition of the slave-trade—what danger might
tot have been incurred in our relations with Brazil !
As it is, Mr. Baron PLATT'S judicial conduct cannot but
lave lowered the character of our Judges in the estima-
t ion of foreign powers.
The grounds on which the Judges have determined
that the conviction was illegal are understood to be
two. The convention of 1826 with Brazil, which de-
dlares Brazilians carrying on the slave-trade pirates is
aof sufficient, in the opinion of the Judges, to give our
Courts power to punish them as pirates, there being no
11 sw in Brazil making the carrying on of the slave-trade
piracy. The carrying on of the slave-trade is not
piracy by the law of nations; it cannot be made so, say
tl to Judges, by treaties. The Brazilian Executive can-
riot supersede the Brazilian Legislature in the making of
laws; and until the Brazilian Legislature has passed an
Act making the carrying on of the slave-trade piracy,
we cannot legally punish them as such, notwithstanding
the convention with Brazil.

The other ground of reversal is, that the Felicidade
had no slaves on board when she was captured, and our
treaty with Brazil prescribes that no slave ship shall be
detained, " not having slaves actually on board;" that
the capture of the Felicidade being thus illegal, the cap-
ture of the Echo was illegal also, and that the prisoners
were thus justified in putting Mr. PALMER and his men
to death, no other means being sufficient to extricate
themselves from illegal custody.
We thus see what caution is necessary on the
part of British officers in carrying out powers,
given by treaties with foreign nations, for sup-
pression of the slave-trade. A failure arising from
an exceeding of our powers injures the cause which the
English nation has so greatly at heart, and for which the
English people have laboured and sacrificed so much.
The continued failure of the Brazilian Legislature
to pass an Act making carrying on the slave-trade
piracy, and thus give effect to the convention of 1826,
is a subject of far greater interest and importance. The
explanation of the conduct of the Brazilian Legislature
is our own conduct with regard to Brazilian sugar. They
will do nothing to further our objects while our com-
mercial legislation proscribes their staple article of
commerce. But this is a subject too large to enter upon
at the tail of an article. We shall shortly return to it.

On Monday we expressed our conviction, from what
had occurred at two agricultural meetings held last
week, as well as from the tone of journals which advo-
cate the claims of the landed interest, that the " farmers'
friends " were resolved to resist every alteration of
the corn-laws. Our anticipation has been completely con-
firmed by the proceedings which took place on Tuesday at
the annual meeting of the Agricultural Protection Society,
held at the Society's Rooms, Bond-street. The meeting
was not large, for, according to some accounts, it did not
exceed fifty members ; but that is not material, for many
of them were delegates from branch societies established
in the provinces, and the chair was taken by the
Duke of RICHMOND, regarded as the head of the party
resolved to resist to the last all further concessions to
the corn-law repealers. No other nobleman attended
except the Marquis of SALISBURY, though a communi-
cation was received from the Duke of BUCKINGHAM,
who simply stated that he was desirous of being present,
but was unavoidably prevented from attending. This,
we admit, looks a little ominous for the " protection"
advocates. For some time his Grace was the leader of
the party, and had obtained the endearing epithet of the
" Firmer's Friend :" he actually resigned his seat in the
PEEL Cabinet, because he would not hear of the sliding-
scale being touched, though ever so gently ; and great
expectations were entertained that when in opposition he
would have rallied his friends, end made a successful
stand with those who had placed Sir ROBERT PEEL at
the head of the Cabinet. From some cause or other,
however, all these expectations were grievously disap-
pointed ; his Grace evinced no vigour in the good
cause, and actually refrained from attending agricultural
meetings when be knew the backslidings of the Premier
would form the principal topic of discussion. He still
perseveres in the same plan, and the Duke of Mu:l-
- therefore, may expect little aid from his brother
of BUCKINGHAM. But the Noble President of the Pro-
tection Society is, like all his family, brave and un-
daunted, and will fight the battle to the last, though even
single-handed. "In your hands," said he, "and in the
hands of the Protection Societies of England,
at the present moment, are the weal and greatness
of the country. My opinions are unchanged.
I hope and trust that the report which we have heard
as to the intention of the Government to move a repeal
of the corn-law upon the first or second day of the next
session of Parliament is not a correct one. I cannot
believe that it is. I cannot believe that such perfidy
could enter the minds of any Government. I cannot
believe that it should. All I can say is, that if, unfor-
tunately, it has, I hope the House of Commons, the
members and representatives of the agricultural interest,
will throw it out. And if they do not, I look still to
the hereditary Peerage of England for maintaining
your interests." These sentiments were responded to with
loud cheers, and a petition to the Legislature was pro-
posed and adopted, calling upon them to uphold in
their integrity the present system of the corn-laws, or
appeal to the constituencies of the United Kingdom—in
other words, call upon her MAJESTY to dissolve the pre-
sent Parliament. The numerous free-trade meetings
held lately throughout the country have afforded wel

grounded hopes that the corn-laws cannot last another

session; but these hopes are greatly strengthened by the
proceedings which took place on Tuesday at this Anti-
League Society, and especially by the dubious language
in which some of the speakers expressed themselves.
They have no hopes in the Minister, and even doubt
the loyalty of those who were to unmake
him. Many of them have already yielded to
his gentle insinuations, and more desertions are
anticipated; indeed such is the spirit of disaffection,
that little confidence is placed in the decision of the
Commons, and the only hope is from a new Parliament.
This is a dismal prospect for the Protectionists in the
present excited state of the country, with such a power
ful Opposition pledged to total repeal, and with the well-
known sentiments of Sir R. PEEL in regard to the
principles of free trade. If the present Parliament,
returned for the purpose of resisting any change in the
corn-laws, cannot resist public opinion and the
great
crisis brought about by the state of the crops, what
holm can the Duke of RICHMOND
have from an

i+oard, was captured in

trade, but having no slaves on „ the Felicidade,
February last by H. M. brig Wasp ; an, of the
having been taken possession of by the office._ .I,e
Wasp, afterwards captured another Brazilian slaver, t,
Echo. Some of the crew of the Echo were taken to the
Felicidade, and there left under the charge of Mr.
PALMER, midshipman of the Wasp. They fell upon Mr.
PALMER and his men, and, after stabbing them with
knives, threw them all overboard. The Felicidade was
afterwards captured by H. M. ship Star; and ten of the
Brazilians concerned in the death of Mr. PALMER and
hie men, being brought prisoners to England and landed
at Plymouth, were tried at the last summer assizes at
Exeter for murder. Seven were found guilty, and sen-
tenced to death. The counsel for the prisoners
urged a variety of points, chiefly arising out of
the treaties with Brazil for the suppression
of the slave-trade, to show that the capture
of the Echo, and consequently the detention
of its crew, was illegal, and that the prisoners having
no other means of extricating themselves from illegal
custody than by killing Mr. PALMER and his men, were
not guilty of murder, but committed an act of justifiable
homicide. Mr. Baron PLATT overruled all the points
raised. Mr. Sergeant MANNING, the prisoner's counsel,
then urged the Judge, in consideration of the great im-
portance of the case, and of the nicety and newness of
the points raised, to reserve these points for the opinion