The Sun.
London, England, 1820-07-28 00:00:00

gone too far for-either party now to recede. Tile
charges brought against the Qiteen are of such a
nature that the People of England would not be
satisfied without their complete establishment or
disproval. What the king or Queen may per-
• sonally wish is now no longer the .m4n abject
fof consideration. The People,. we do not mean
the populace, but the truly respect rble and vir-
tuous People of England, look yith cattleace
to the two Houses of Parliament /to decide whe-
ther the Queen's conduct has or has not been
such as would render it safe for her to be placed
at the head of the British Females. They are
grieved that it should have been possible for any
such question ever to arise ; but having arisen
they will not, they cannot be satisfied that it
should not be determined according to the dic-
tates of sound, substantial justice, • In this point
of view they reprobate any premature assertion
of guilt or innocence without proof. They sus-
pend their opinion until that proof is exhibited.
They presume her Majesty to be innocent, be-
cause every accused person is presumed to be so
until proved to be the contrary ; but they do
not assert her to be innocent ; because, whatever
may be their hopes for wishes, they are not yet
in possession of the evidence either for or against
her. The distinction, between presuming and
asserting is broad and manifest. The one is an
inclination of the mind, tlowina from general
feelings of humanity, and from the general supe-
riority of virtue over vice ; the other is a con-
viction founded on a particular knowledge of the
facts in question. A similar distinction is to be
drawn between accusing and condemning. The
language of a charge is, in all its descriptive parts,
the same as the language of a sentence ; but the
impression which they make is, or ought to be,
extremely different. It has been absurdly ar-
gued, that because the charge slates a criminality
in the accused person, therefore it prejudges her.
—lf this were a valid objection, no crime could
ever'be punished ; because punishment must be
preceded by accusation, and accusation is, upon
this absurd mode of reasoning, tantamount to
prejudication. For our ,own parts, when we
look at the serious charge actually brought against
the Queen, we are satisfied that men of such high
honour, and unsullied character, as those by whom
it was sanctioned, would never have submitted it
to public investigation, if it had not appeared to
them to be supported by a strong body of evi-
dence ; but yet even the Lords of the Committee
themselves cannot consider the language of their
charge as conclusive. The necessary forms of
proceeding oblige them to state their accusation
in positive terms ; but they invite as positive a
denial on the part of the person accused, and they
Would individually, we doubt not, feel the sin-
cerest satisfaction if that denial should eventually
be borne out by weightier testimony than that
which they have hitherto had the means of exa-
mining. To impute to these Noble persons other
and contrary motives, is an incredible libel ; but
much more incredible, much more monstrous, is
the insinuation of the factious prints, that a con-
tempt of all justice, and a predetermination to
oppress and punish an innocent Queen, are sen-
timents common:to the vast majority of Members
in both Houses of Parliament. To put such ex-
travagant propositions into plain language is suf-•
ficient to confute them. The Bill of Pains and
Penalties is an extraordinary remedy for an ex-
traordinary case ; but the very circumstance of
thus adapting the form of proceeding to the na-
ture of the occurrences alleged, only shews the
more clearly the inflexible resolution of the Le-
gislature to do substantial justice. Such is, we
believe, the sincere wish of every honourable
mind, in the state to which things have been un-
fortunately brought : we are certain it is our
own—and we know no more just and accurate
expression of_our sentiments on this subject than
the old adage—Fiatjustitia, runt Grelum.