The Sun.
London, England, 1845-08-19 00:00:00

Witnesses were then called on behalf cf the prisoner.

M. Guayras, the landlord of the house, 32, Rue Guil-
laume, stated he had known the Prince for a number of
years, and he conceived him to be in total want of in-
tellect, and that his teachers could never make him un-
derstand anything. That, after attending the lectures
in the law school, he never knew the subject of any of
them. This witness further stated that when the two
families were assembled to sign the marriage contract
between the Prince and his intended wife, he refused to
come up to the saloon, saying that his father could do all
that was necessary without him, and that it was with
the greatest difficulty the witness could get him to come
with him out of the stable, where he was smoking his
cigar M. Guayras related other instances of the Prince's
imbecility of mind.
Dr. Husson, a physician, deposed that he had known
the Prince from his birth, and always found him slow of
conception. This witness was proceeding to prove the
justice of his conclusions by enlarging upon the phreno-
logical indications of the Prince's head, but was stopped
by the President on the irrelevancy of his observations.
Two teachers of English, an architect, and an histo-
rical painter, all of whom had given lessons to the
Prince, deposed that they had never been able to make
him comprehend anything. The last witness stated that
the Prince had nervous affections, which prevented him
from remaining two minutes in the same place.
After a suspension of half an hour, the Advocate-
General addressed the jury in support of the prosecu-
tion. He went through the whole of the evidence as to
the facts, observing upon the testimony of each witness,
and drawing therefrom, as an incontestable conclusion,
that the unfortunate prisoner was guilty of the crimes
laid to his charge He contended strongly against the
attempt to prove that the imbecility of mind of the
Prince was so great as to render him incapable of judging
of the nature of the acts he committed. In opposition
to the opinion of Dr. Husson, in particular, the Advo-
cate-General adduced the fact not previously stated,
that when the Prince found from his interview with
•Lefevre the ivory-turner, that all was, or must be
known, comprehended the consequences, and went to
the examining magistrate at his private residence, and to
him, in affecting and energetic terms, not only confessed
his fault, but expressed his repentance with sighs and
tears, and prayers for fergiveness, thus extinguishing all
idea that he had considered what he had done as a jelre,
.He intimated that a memoir had been put in, contending
that the counters were only of a fictive value, and there-
fore not within the letter of the law. Upon this,
though not a question for the jury, he entered into argu-
ments, maintaining that the objection was not-valid, as,
from the signature of the secretary of the club, the
counters were, as between the society and the individual
members, as valid as any other legal promise to pay
money. The Advocate-General having oonclieded,
M. Paillet rose to plead in favour of the prisoner, and
at once demanded of the jury, not an extenuation, but
that full and free acquittal which he affirmed reason,
law, and justice required, and as he did not fear to say,
was expected by all the world within and without the
Court. M. Paillet first disputed the law as laid down
by the Advocate-General, and went into a long and
learned discussion of the principles of the law, insisting
that the most essential feature was wanting in this case
—the intention to defraud. He further urged this on
the ground that his client had no motive for committing
fraud, having no debts nor any other need cf money
beyond the immense fortune insured to him by his mar-
riage. After examining the immediate circumstances
of the case, and the peculiar character of the Prince
de Berghes, M. Paillet said—" This young man
has committed a fault ! But has he not expiated
it by the irremediable publicity of this trial,
and all that has preceded it, by remaining for the
space of two months in durance, with all the restraints
and miseries of an imprisonment so new to him, by days
without repose and nt.,_,,hts without sleep ? Has he pot
expiated it by the grief he has caused to those around
him, by the bitter tears he has made to fell from the
eyes of his respectable father, his poor mother, his young,
innocent, and devoted wife ? Acquit him then, and you
will leave this Court with tranquil consciences, followed
by the benedictions due to an enlightened act of justice,
a good action."
The Advocate-General having replied,
The President recapitulated the evidence with the
most perfect impartiality, and the jury withdrew.
After remaining an hour in deliberation, they brought
in a verdict of Guilty with extenuating circumstances,
and the Court pronounced its sentence of three years'
imprisonment, with a fine of 100 f., thus negativing the
legal objection raised by M. Paillet.
The prisoner heard his condemnation with the. same
imperturbability that he had shown throughout the day.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
COURT OF BANKRUPTCY, Aug. 18.
(Before Mr. Commissioner FONBLINQUE.)
THE SMALL DEBTS ACT.

The Learned ComatissioNErt sat to-day for the pur-
pose of hearing a number of summonses issued against
debtors under this Act, and the persons who appeared in
answer to them were of the most needy description.
Of the 14 cases heard all were dismissed for want of
judgment except one, and that was where a tailor, who
had recently taken the benefit of " the Act" in another
Court, was adjudged to pay 11. per month in liquidation
of the bill incurred with his attuney while passing
through that ordeal.

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
WESTERN CI RCUIT.--Brist)l, August 16.

The commission was opened in this city on Friday
afternoon, by Mr. Justice Erle. Rumour had been rife,
and it was confidently stated at Devizes that 120 venire;
had been returned, which, according to the usual calcu-
lation, would have produced about 80 causes. This, on
a circuit which had been far from prolific as to fees, gave
a most encouraging prospect, and seniors and juniors
hurried off from Devizes to be earls in Bri,tnl, for fear
clients might imagine that they would not honour the
ancient city with their presence; but, alas! many were
doomed to be disappointed. They sat in silence all the
Friday evening; but few, if any, briefs came in; and the
youthful junior, whose friends had been pushing hard for
him, and who had promises innumerable, took his tea
without interruption, and went to bed upon the reflection
and sweet hope that perhaps briefs would not be deli-
vered till the following morning. At length, that
morning came, and at ten o'clock he found himself in
Court without a single piece of "paper." The printed
cause list soon appeared, and after paying Is. for it you
perceived that only 33 cases had been entered. Of
these seven were undefendtd, one cause was tried, and
notwitstanding it was the day for the grand dinner
given by the mayor, the Court sat till 9 o'clock at night
to dispcse of it. It has long been desired that there
should be a regular and proper assize in this city, land
that the judges should come twice a year and deliver
the gaol, and try civil actions in the same way as they
do at other places. One d.fficulty, however, stool in the
way—there was but one court that one certainly was
the most inconvenient ever built, and all persons having
business there joined in the hope that some cause or
other might tend to its removal, and that two courts
would be erected, in order that business might be pro.
perly conducted. At length it was intimated that; he
old building would be taken down, and that proper con-
veniences for the assizes would be afforded. But if it
had not been that the people here have become notorious
for their foresight by building a ship much too large to
be taken out of dock, it would have caused great amaze-
ment, and would indeed scarcely have been'credited,
th it though there was every space for Erecting two
c-irts, th, y hare actually only built one, and that pro-
mises to out do the ancient one in inconvenience and
bad arrangement.

CENTRAL CRImINAL COURT.
OLD COURY.

Richard Jervis, formerly a clerk in the Bank of Elg-
land, was indicted for stealing an Exchequer-bill of the
value of 2001., the property of the Governor and Com-
pany of that corporation.
The prisoner pleaded guilty.
The COMMON SERGEANT, in passing sentence, said
that Mr. Freshfield, the solicitor to the Bank of Eng.
land, had repm.ented several circumstances which had
thy' effect of mitigating the sentence, that must other-
wise have been passed upon him for the serious offence
he had committed. It appeared that he had been in the
service of the Bank for twenty years, and had conducted
hinr,elf all that period remarkably well. Ile had alto
voluntarily returned to this country from France, whi •
ther he had fled after the transaction, to meet the charge.
Under these circumstances the seutouce upon him was
that he be kept to hard labour for two years in the
House of Correction. _

Some other cases were disposed of, but they did not
contain any matter of interest to the public.
The judges, who are expeetA to attend on
Wednesday, are Mr. Justice Williams and 11r. Justice
Creiswell ; Mr. Baron Rolfe is also on the rota.
The following is the present state of the gaol of New-
gate :—Prisoners for trial at the present session—males,
187, females, 32 ; remanded from the last—males, 3 ;
under sentence of imprisonment, males, 4; ditto of trans-
portation for 10 years, male, 1 ; ditto whose judgments
were respited, males, 3. Total,. males, 198 : females,
32-232

Rear-Admiral Dacres is to hoist his flag in the
Excellent, and take the command at Portsmouth during the
absence of Admiral Sir Charles Rowley on leave.— :baited
Service Gazette.