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 Edinburgh 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
their 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 Dilr. Uilbert-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 proceed further." The veteran Baronet stated that he got
his information from one of the jury, a relative of his own,
and a man of undoubted honour and integrity.
It has since been ascertained, we believe, that Mr. Balfour
of Pilrig, 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 Innes. 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 century—and the more so when it is considered that
he was appointed law-agent 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 Blair
Adam, when lie 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 &elle 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 reformer, 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 Bedford, 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 Calton-hill Burying
Ground, was subscribed for by reformers generally, without
regard to any particular creed or class, who gave their money
for the express purpose of erecting monuments both in
London and Edinburgh, on the principles embodied in the
followingnobly-expressed resolutions :
" That while as Reformers we hail with satisfaction the
progress of the great principles of good government, and
confidently anticipate their complete and not distant triumph,
we look back with admiration and gratitude to the heroic
conduct of those intrepid patriots, who, in days less happy
than our own, were advocates of the rights, and martyrs in
the cause, of the people.
"That among such patriots we recognise as worthy ofpar-
ticular distinction, Thomas Muir, Thomas Fyshe Palmer,
William Skirving, Maurice Margerot, and Joseph Gerald,
who in the years t 792.4 were the victims of a Tory Govern •
ment persecution in Scotland, under the form of justice ; that
we approve of their principles, honour their public conduct,
and will commemorate their deeds and sufferings by public
monuments in the capitals of Scotland and England.
" That, in furtherance of these objects, a subscription be
immediately entered into; and the co-operation of reformers
generally in the British empire is requested."
Our distinguished countryman, Joseph Hume, Esq., M.P.,
had the honour to preside at the public meeting where these
resolutions were carried, which was held at the Crown and
Anchor, London, on the 20th of February, 1837. Lord
Holland became a subecriber only a few days afterwards, and
we take great pleasure in transcribing the celebrated letter of
that nobleman, addressed to Mr. Hume, inclosing hie sub-
scription in aid of the contemplated monument. Without
reference to the animadversions of Sir James Gibson Craig,
let Lord Holland be heard in his own words .
" South-street, March 7, 1837.
" Dear Sir,—l send you my subscription to the monuments
intended to be erected to the memory of five persons who
were the victims of au iniquitous sentence in Scotland, in
1793 and 1794. I do so because it seems to me an imex-
ceptioeable method and a fit opportunity of recording the
disgust and abhorrence which I have always felt at those
proceedings, and at " the expediency of transporting men
among common felons for political offences." which, as Mr.
Fox justly observed, was then for the first time invented.
" If such perversion of law, or such harsh and vindictive
exercise of its powers must remain—and I fear they must—a
stain upon our annals, it is surely right that the feelings of
indignation they excited in well-regulated minds, and which
have been confirmed by deliberate reflection, should also be
perpetuated. Such I conceive to be the object—such I hope
will be the effect—of the monument you propose, and I there-
fore feel a pleasure in offering my contribution to the plan.
" The moment seems fortunately chosen ; the Legislature
is actually employed on this very day in repealing the bar-
barous punishment for leasing making, which was so harshly
inflicted on these unfortunate men, and the country is every
day enjoying, in the labours of Parliament and the improve-
ment of its laws, the benefit of that reform which they were
persecuted for recommending and promoting.—l am, Sir,
with great regard, your obedient and obliged,
(Signed) " VASSAL HOLLAND."

DISCO VERV-OF A NEW DIAMOND
MINE IN BRAZIL.
(From the Journal des Debuts.)
We here received from Rio de Janeiro a letter, which
gives some curious details relative t.''the working of a new
diamond mine recently discovered in Brazil. For some
months past the communications and commercial inter-
course with the province of Bahia have been extraordinarily
brisk. A large number of inhabitants, speculators, adven-
turers, and even sugar planters, are emigrating with their
slaves to the province of Bahia, where is situate an immense
diamond mine, the produce of which is incredible. It was
discovered in October, 1844, by a slave, who in 20 days had
gathered 700 carats of diamonds, and carried them a consi-
derable distance for sale. Arrested and imprisoned, the
slave obstinately refused to disclose the locus in quo. They '
therefore let him loose, and put a number of intelligent In-
dians upon his "trail" The latter pursued him for several
days, and found him working for the extraction of the dia-
monds not far from Caxoeira, the second city of Bahia.
Investigations were then made on a large scale along a chain
of mountains called Sincura, which have given the name to
this mine, and on the banks of the river Paraguassu, which
falls into the bay of Bahia.
The first persons who established themselves at the mine
of Sincura were chiefly convicts and murderers. They
made known their presence by fires and assassinations. The
difficulty of subsisting in the country, and the danger to
which those were exposed who proceeded thither to ex-
change diamonds for the paper-money of Brazil ,prevented
honourable merchants from entering into the trade. By
degrees, however, when the population had become more
numerous, a system of police was established by the new
colonists, and the mine was then worked upon a much
larger and more extensive scale. The population, which
only amounted in August, 1844, to 8,000 souls, distributed
over three villages, was, at the end of July, upwards of
30,000, and on the increase. The villages at present inha-
bited and cultivated are seven in number, and are named—
Paraguassu, Combucas, Chiquechique, Causu-Boa, Andrahy.
Nage, and Lanced. The last- named village, which is 20
leagues distant from Paragua-isu, contains alone 3,000 fami-
lies and 20,000 inhabitant The central point of the diamond
trade is Paraguassu, which, although sufficiently peopled, has
only at present twelve small houses of brick. Almost all the
miners go thither on Saturdays and Sundays to sell the
stones they have picked up during the week. They receive
in exchange different articles of consumption, arms, and ap-
Barel, which are brought thither at a great expense from
ahia. The diamonds extracted from Paraguassu are, gene-
rally speaking, of a brown eo'our, and of a very irregular
formation. White and light green, almost tran3parent on
their first extraction from the mine, distinguish those of
Lancoe. They are of an octahedal form, and are the most
in request. It is often requisite to dig three or four metres
in order to reach the cascaille or layer of the diamonds.
Diamonds are also discovered in the rocky ravines at the
bottom of the Paraguessau itself, and the streams which fall
into it.
The price of these diamonds varies, at Bahia, from 250
to 500 milreis per octave (670 f. to 1,3401'.), according to their
fineness and size. The octave is 171, carats ; but the Brazi-
lian carat is 7!s per cent. less than the French, which makes
the Brazilian carat about 67f. to 134 f.
The present course of exchange at Bahia is 365 rein for
1 franc.
The two English steamers of May and June brought
about 5,500,000 francs' worth of diamonds from this mine.
During the months of June and July the mine yielded
nearly 1,450 carats per day. It is estimated to have pro-
duced, during the six months of its working, nearly 400,000
Portuguese carats (about 18,300,000 f.), of which three fifths
were sent to England, another fifth to France and Ham-
burgh, whilst the last fifth awaits buyers at Rio de Janeiro
and Bahia.

Not all the lapidaries in Europe would be sufficient to po-
lish only one-half of the produce of the Sincura mine; thus
a depreciation of that value is expected, which gives vise to
the most hazardous speculations.
Brazil, which has the privilege of supplying the trade with
diamonds, did not produce annually, before the discovery of
the Sincura mine, more than six or seven kilogrammes,
which cost more than a million for the expenses of working;
thus the price, even in the rough state, has always been very
high. Hitherto, no very large diamohds have been found
at Sincura. There are very few in the world weighing more
than ‘..)0 grammes. The largest diamond is that of Agra,
weighing 133 grammes ; that of the Raja of Matan, in Bor-
neo, weighs 78 grammes ; that of the Great Mogul, 63
grammes ; and that of France, called the " Regent," 28
grammes 89 centigrammes; but it is of a very pretty shape
and perfect in every respect. Before being polished it weighed
87 grammes, and cost two years' labour.
The mine of Sincura presents the spectacle of an indepen-
dent colony in the bosom of the mother country. Hitherto
the Government has taken no steps to possess itself of the
direction of this trade, which promises to be so abundant a
source of wealth to Bahia, and it will be perhaps induced to
sanction the regulations formed by the inhabitants them-
selves for the working of the mine, which already covers a
superfices of more than 30 leagues.

Two small paintings (on panel) were recently pur-
chased, for a few shillings, of Mr. Fenton, broker, of Bury,
and were sent to London, to be cleaned, when, on removing
the thick incrustation of dirt, they were discovered to be
originals of Charles the First and his Queen Henrietta, by
Vandyke. They are in the possession of. Sir Thomas Cullum,
Bart., and are supposed to lee worth 500 guineas.—Suffolk
Chronicle.
STATE OF THE HOSIERY AND LACE TRADES.—The
depression in the lace trade, which we have reported from
week to week, still continues ; and though sales of fancy goods
are making, the prices are such as rather to limit than in-
crease the quantity produced. There is a good business doing
in the hosiery trade.—Nottingham Review.
MASTER AND SERVANT.—"MERCY AND SACRIFICE."
—A case was decided by the Justices of the Peace, in a Court
held at Stranraer, on the 2d inst., where a servant claimed
wages and board wages for being dismissed betwixt terms
without a sufficient cause. The mistress stated, that the
servant had asked leave on the Sunday morning to go and
see her family, and she had been refused leave, and that the
servant had been dismissed for this act of disobedience. The
servant admitted that she had asked and was refused leave,
and that while going towards the church she was told that
herbrother was just dying, whereupon she ran to her father's
and saw him, and returned home in sufficient good time.
The justices, Messrs. M'Neel and M'Douall, were of opinion
that there was no sufficient cause for dismissing the servant,
and found her entitled to wages andboard wages,—Edinburgh
Weekly Register.