The Sun.
London, England, 1820-08-11 00:00:00

FOR THE SUN.

Mn. Eorron,—Your Correspendent-IGNiims,
who writes like a gentleman, has said in his letter
to Lord JOHN RUSSELL, that the idea of inno-
cence until guilt be proved has its limits ; other-
wise imprisonment-before trial is illegal. This is
specious, and the trath is, that imprisonment be-
fore trial is rendered legal by an -oath of an ac-
cuser before a Magistrate, or witnesses before a
Grand Jury. The subject is concealed from the
public in its legal form until the arraignment of
the accused ; but, in the case' of the QUEEN,
guilt has been sought at the instance of the for,
mer, and the seekers have reported their disco-
veries without oaths to their employers, who,
without any charge of crime against the latter,
have in the preamble of a. proposed Act of Par-
liament imputed guilt, and -prepared` a puniSh-
ment therein, by way of legislation, contrary to
the proceeding in a like case against a private
subject'.' This on the authority of Lord ELD6N,
who was superseded as Chancellor for Lord
ERSKINE, as appears in the history of an inves-
tigation which was truly delicate from its pri-
vacy, was considered and said by his Lordship
and the late Mr. Phncivn. to be informal, ille-
gal, and ex pa,' • (See p. 3'2, title Defence.)
You say that the-QUEEN instigated the ques-
tion, and demanded an inquiry, -that otherwise
never would have taken place. This: is contra-
dicted by the fact. The question was instiga44
by Commissioners deputed for the puri)Qsel and
when tampered with by her accusreer
js.e(iti!edcotnh:eeir
tqeuremnsc,e ,a
sa
compromising
whenro s
m ishe i
ng
stcl6mlllfguultilYt they implied,
then, and not till then, did she rush into - their
' presence, and demand inquiry, so as. to-involve
her new accusers in that shame which absorbed
her old ones. Her demand was to resist com-
pounding an imaginary offence for a price.---l-am
your humble servant,

AN OLD LAWYERt

LONDON JOURNALS.

[DAILY EXTR.4CTS.]

FROM THE MORNING PAPERS.

[Morning Post.]
The Letter of the QUEEN 'to the KING, which
we ,yesterday noticed, is dated the Ist inst. and
was delivered to his
,Majesty on the. following
day. It was of such a nature that there was
no difficulty in returning an immediate answer
to it. Upon this subject we do not mean at pre-
sent to over a decided opinion ; .but we are not
without serious apprehension that the letter al-
luded to was of such a description as to render
it impossible that it could be
.productive of any
desirable result. It will probably be found to
contain some proposal suggested by Cobbett and
Wood, for the mere purpose of making the con-
tinuance of the prosecution appear to be unne-
cessary, 'while nothing was offered that could
render it really so. It is obvious, indeed, that
her Majesty still continues under the influenceof
evil,ativiers, who, regardless of ,her true inte-
rests, are intent only on forwarding,_through her,
their own factious and mischievous, designs. •

[Morning Chronicle.]
• We stated in yesterday's Paper- the confident
opinion entertained by official persons, that the
Bill of Pains and Penalties would not be pro-
cevded in. By what means it is proposed to pre-
-vent the discussion, and -to put an end to the
subject that convokes the country, we. know noL
It is ,certain that the Queen has addressed a letter
to the King, and rumour says that the purport of
it was to -desire an interview with his Majesty,
which she conceived, from circumstances, might
lead to an eclaircissement that would terminate
the unhappy atrair, to the satisfaction of the
country. The letter, it seems, was directed by
his Majesty to be sent. unopened to the Earl of
Liverpool, as all the matter was in the hands of
his confidential Servants. What the Noble Earl
did on the occasion has not transpired, but it is
certain that Ministers have been actively en-
gaged in Council—that the Lord Chancellor was
yesterday sent for to the Court of Chancery, and
that public opinion is more sanguine than ever as
to the probability of a faVourable adjustment.

[Morning Herald.]

The public mind is in a state of total suspense
respecting the proceedings against the Queen,
particularly since it has become known that her
Majesty has addressed a letter to the King. Of
the nature of this communication we have not a
g!kipse—nor does it appear that any one of our
contemporaries is a whit wiser on the subject.
We have understood, however, that the corres-
pondence between-.their Majesties, if it can be
called a correspondence, has not been accurately
stated in a Morning Paper of yesterday.

" The letter irons her 'Majesty," (Lays 7'/e €i was
delivered to the King at Windsor Cottage, early on Tuesday
morning. His Majesty's messenger arrived with an answer
at Bcandenburgh House about four o'clock of the same after-
noon. The Queen's messenger was immediately despatched
to Lord Liverpool,. and returned to l3randenburgh House
awn his Lordship, at ten o'clock at. night."
We have understood that his Majesty did not
send an answer, but declined receiving the com-
munication, and directed that it should be trans-
mitted to him through Lord Liverpool.—Ac-
cordingly, the, Queen's messenger, upon return-
ing from Windsor, immediately repaired to the
Noble Earl's. Certainly, such a course, oa the
part of his Majesty, would be the most strictly
constitutional, considering the awfully pe-
rilous situation in. which Lord Liverpool, as
his Majesty's Prime Minister, is placed.—
We have no doubt, however, that a private ad-
justment is under consideration. ,It is rumoured
that his Royal Highness the Duke of York has
,engaged his good offices towards an arrangement,
and that this was the object of his visit yester-
day to the King, at his Majesty's Cottage in
Windsor Great Park.

[Britian
,Press.]

The internal state of Spain is undoubtedly
such; as must still excite very anxious fears for
the tranquillity of the country and the ultimate
establishment of the Constitution. We do not
indeed hesitate to think that the Constitution
will never be settled firmly in Spain without very
considerable modifications, . for in its present
form it leaves to Spain but the name of a
.Mo-
narchy. But the dangers most to be appre-
hended are those which will arise from the pro-
ceedings of the Cortes generally, or from the ill-
advised propositions of some of the Members.
Already proposals have been made in the Assem-
bly, which under any circumstances, must ex-
cite agitation and, alarm, but which, in the
present unsettled:state of the public mind, can-
not fail of 'being attended with much evil.—
Such for instance, are the propositions recom-
mended by the Committee of Commerce and
Agriculture of rendering all the property of
the Church national, of granting pensions out
of their own. E`states to all ecclesiastics for
life of such amount as ' the Cortes may seem
fit, 'and of converting the remaining property
of the church, including the tithes, to the ser-
vice of the Government. We shall not here
enter into any abstract consideration's of the wii-
dom or policy of maintaining a national church
establishment in ease, .dignity, and splendour ;
but. we certainly loOk. upon. it as a very rash
an inexpedient proceeding at this moment of dif-
ficulty and alarm, to alienate still further from the
constitutional system
..of government a body of
men in the.state so numerous, active, and power-
tit, as the clergy are iu Spain, and to whoni the
great mass of the people uniformly pay the most
abject and submissive obedience. There is an
evident intention among several Members of the
Cortex . to weaken the. ecclesiastical power in.
Spain. With this intention we do.not profess in
• •
the abstract to quarrel, but it, eviuces.awant of
.PFOince to manifest that intention too openly.
'With the reduction of the church property, it is
also proposed to Unlit the numbers of the eccle-

siastics, by diminishing the convents, prohibiting
profession under certain limitations, and enabling
ecclesiastics to become secularized at theit own
discretion. _

We have good authority for contradicting h
paragraph which appeared in several Papers, that-
her Majesty the Queen was present at the review '
at Hounslow on Friday last. Perhaps it may be
right to mention, that, when the Queen was pro-
ceeding to Brandenburgh House on the morning
of that day, her Majesty's carriage and that of
the Duke of York passed each other near Ken-
sington-gate.—(Mid.)

[New Times.]

The alacrity now observable in expediting the
alteration's in the llouse of Lords, indicates no
intention of postponing her Majesty's case. Yes-
terday the .new accommodation galleries were
both erected. The hangings were fitting up, the
railings fixed up, and great exertions were mak,
ing to complete the distribution of space below
the Bar. Tuesday is at present fixed for the
initiatory proceedings of their Lordships. The
nation will then ascertain what credit the rumours
still afloat are entitled to.

[The Times.] .•

. The 'revolution broke out at Naples. The
first impulse of the Sicilians, say the letters, was,
on hearing the new son the 14th ult., to, wear the
tricoloured badge of the Constitution. But
this lasted only a single day. On the 15th the
yellow or Sicilian ribbon was displayed:in con,
junction with the other. An accident, or an indis-
cretion, exasperated the people against the Nea,
politan authorities and trcops ; an English
officer in the pay of Naples, zealous, perhaps,
(though unfortunate in the application of his zeal)
is•said to have torn the badge of Sicilian inde-
pendence from the breast of an unarmed citizen.
The forts in possession of the Neapolitan sol-
diery, were attacked and carried by the islanders.
An association of distinguished individuals was
formed for the maintenance of tranquillity, but in
vain. O►► the night of the 16th the garrison were
concentrated i►i the public squares of _Palermo.
On the morning of the 17th, if we can follow a
confused and agitated narrative, seven hundred
prisoners were released from confinement by the
populace. Then says the writer the work of
death began. The Neapolitans were furiously at-
tacked, and, we fear, indiscriminately butchered.
The accounts in general labour to throw a veil
over the circumstances and amount of the car-
nage : but a statement, in which we are. disposed
to place confidence, estimates the loss: of life at
2000 killed, and about 3000 wounded. This is
a dreadful history—dreadful to the feelings of
humanity, and alarming on every political con-
sideration. Divide et impure was never more suit-
able to any great crisis than to this. IV Naples and
Sicily should now be disunited, neither will be
strong enough to defend itself. Austria will, for
a short time, find an easy prey in Naples ; and
Sicily must become a stake to all the prize-lighters
of the 19th century. 'l'l►e Prince Vicar-General
had sent a small squadron to bring Off from Pa-
lermo such Neapolitans as could lei saved; and
as many Sicilians as were inclined to transfer
themselves to Naples. We wait with much
anxiety for further accounts from. the Mediter-
ranean.

MR. OWEN'S PLAN.

Last night Mr. Mu DIE commenced at Mitchell's
Assembly-room, Portsmouth-street,Lincoln's Inn-
fields, his series of explanatory dissertations on
the plans of Mr. OWEN, of New Lanark, for
bettering the state of the labouring classes, "and
for ameliorating the condition of Society at large.
He proposes to examine, in a course of fourlec-
tures, the probable results of that Gentleman's
plan, if carried into effect, and to answer such
objections as had been hitherto urged against it.
The present Lecture was in the nature of an in-
troductory exposition-of the causes of-the exist-
ing distress in 'this country, which the Lecturer
traced to circumstances interwoven in the frame
of all political Societies hitherto in existence, and
not resulting from forms or mal-administration of
the powers of their Governments: lle was as-
sisted in developing Mr. OW ideas by a
ground plan of one of that Gentleman's villages
of co-operation
Sand unity, calculated to contain
a pauper population of 1,500 persons. The
room in which the Lecture was given is spacious,
And well lighted and ventilated. It has been
observed, that though Mr. Owcx seems perfectly
assured of the truth of his principles, yet from
whatever cause it may arike, he has not as yet
succeeded in impressing the public generally
with the same opinion. Thescheme of Lectures
proposed by Mr., MuntE seems, at all 'events,
well calculated to give the public that thorough
knowledge of the subject which the acknow-
ledged importance of it so: well deserves.---Ori-
tish Press.)

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

COURT OF CHANCERY, AUGUST 10.

THE EARL OF WESTMEATH V. THE COUNTESS OF W^S'TMEATH

• Mr. HAmsoN stated, that the Earl of Westmeath was wait-
ing in town to hear his Lordship's, judgment in this case. It
was of the highest importance to the Noble Parties that the
decision of Court should be speedily krn.wn.
The LORDCHANCELL.--" I will give judgment in it in
three- or four days." • • . • -