The Sun.
London, England, 1827-06-15 00:00:00

MILBURNE V. CODD.

Mr. J. WILLIams said, that this action, which was
brought against Major Codd alone, was for business done
pending the existence of the Company.
Lord TENTERDEN. —That may make a difference. I
recommend to both parties to let the master inquire both
as to the liability and to the amount ; and the bill of costs
in the other action can be taxed at the same time.

Verdict accordingly for the plaintiff, subject to the
reference.

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS, JUNK 14.

LAST DAYS OF LORD BYRON.-(LIEEL.)

PARRY V. HUNT.
(Concluded from Tux SUN of yesterday.)

Martha Gill examined by Mr. PLATT.—I am a widow.
My husband went to Greece at the same time that Parry
went. 1 knew Parry as a shipwright before he went
away ; he was not a master shipwright. I have seen him
in, his working dress, and he has told me that that was
his trade. I have seen him affected by liquor. I consi-
dered it was his habit, for I generally saw him co.
By Mr. J. TADDY.-.-I lived in the house with him.
I have not been taking notes to-day.—(Laughter.)

By the COURT. —fnever knew him work as a caulker.
My husband was engaged by the Greek Committee, and
was an engineer.
Mr. Bowriug sworn—By Mr. TADDY.-.-I acted as
Secretary for the Greek Committee. Parry was recalled
by a vote of the Committee. I have seen the book now
produced, and should think him unable to write it without
assistance. I have never seen him absolutely drunk, but
having taken more than he ought to have done. I saw
him on one occasion with what he called materials for
making a book.
By Mr. J. TADDY. —I corresponded with him while in
India. He was recalled in June. A letter of the 11th
May, 1824, put into my hand is an official communication.
Charles Knight examined by Mr. TADDY..—I am a
publisher. Early in the spring of 1825, Parry applied to
me. He introduced himself to me as a Captain Parry,
with a sort of postman's bag, or wallet, across his breast.
—He said he had been at Greece, and wished to publish
something relating to Lord Byron; he left his materials;
I examined them immediately; I returned them after-
wards in a few days; they consisted of a few official do-
cuments, containing technical particular terms of war,
estimates of ammunition, and so forth; there were also
several Greek Newspapers, &c. ten folio sheets, purport-
ing to be a Journal of Capt. Parry ; the documents were
very few ; I cannot recollect the very words he used ; I
have read his book, and towards the end of it, in the ap-
pendix, is comprised all I saw; there is not a line in the
body of the book that was in the papers brought to me ;
the Journal was evidently the production of a man who
went out in a military capacity, or rather the capacity of
an engineer ; the details related to some appoint-
ments by the Greek Committee. Wherever he had
occasion to use the name of Lord Byron, he,
invariably said, "the Right Hon. Lord George Gordon
Noel Byron." It was. the production of an unlearned man.
I should not think this book the production of that man.
By Mr. J. TA DDY.—I was never in Parry's company
but twice. I very soon made up my mind not to publish it.
Knight and Lacy published the book for the plaintiff.

Cross-examined by Mr. TARDY—Mr. P. was introduced
by a friend of witness's. The sale of the book fell off after
the libel had been published. The gentleman who intro-
duced him is named Hodgkin, who is iu the kabit of
writing. The papers were put into Mr. Hodgkin's hands
to arrange them.
The parts_ of the book which Mr. Sergeant Wilds
pleaded in instiu4ation were now put in and read, and ex-
cited considerable merriment in the Court, particularly that
part of the book which related the manner by which a
corps of 307 unincumbered women were collected by the
Italian wife of a Greek tailor, to assist the army, and the
part where he describes the running after Mr. Bentham
down Fleet-street, and of the author's partiality for " Billy
Shakspear," as he termed him.
Edward Henderson, butcher, knew plaintiff, lived next
door to him, he is a married man ; never saw him intoxi-
cated; if he had been a sottish man witness must have
known it ; did not know if he had ever been a caulker.
Thomas Boston, gaoler, had known Mr. Parry nine
years, and he had never seen him intoxicated.
Several other witnesses had known the plaintiff from
his boyhood, and had always thought him a sober man ;
he had built two steam-vessels, the North Star and the
London Engineer; he had been for three years a clerk
in the laboratory at Woolwich, and was then sober, in-
dustrious., zealous, and honest. He was with Sir W.
Congreve in most of his experiments; the latter had sent
him on military experiments to Marlborough Downs.
A letter was here put in and read by Mr. TARDY ; it
was from Mr. Bowring, as the Secretary of the Greek
Committee, to the plaintiff, in which the former expressed
great respect for his talent, and sanguine hopes for the
Greek cause from the execution of it.

Mr. Sergeant WILDE, in his reply upon the evidence,
contended that the charge of drunkenness was fully jus-
tified by the evidence, and the same by the other charge of
the libel.

Mr. Sergeant TADDY, in his final reply, contended that
the injury which the libel had inflicted had been aggra-
vated by the instructions which had been given to the de-
fendant's Counsel to ransack the plaintiff's book for every
word and every expression which could hurt his character,
or wound his feelings. He then read some abstracts from
the plaintiff's letters to Mr. Bowring, to refute the charge
that he could not write ten words of English. This letter
was written on the 11 th May, 1824, officially from
Mr. Bowring, and commencing " Dear Mr. Parry;"
and said the Greek Committee placed the greatest
confidence in his talents and his exertions. He con-
tended, that instead of being full of slanders on every
body, not even excepting Lord Byron himself, he had al-
ways evinced towards him the greatest kindness of disposi-
tion, and the warmest attachment : but he had given, as a
true historian ought to do, those moments of weakness
from which the strongest man was never free, but giving
at the same time that nobleness of mind, attachment to his
native country, and all the other great and noble qualities
which adorned Lord Byron. With regard to Lady Byron,
he (Mr. Teddy) would never have brought forward her
name or that of any female in such a case as this, and he
considered that it was a portion of the malignant spirit
that gave rise to this libel, which now endeavoured to
raise the question of Lord and Lady Byron's( private differ-
encea, with which this cause had nothing to do. The
Learned Gentleman, then read several passages of the book,
which he contended proved that Parry was the author of
that book, or at all events, the greater part of it.
The LORD CHIEF JUSTICE, in summing up, observed
that he was a strong advocate for the Liberty of the Press,
and he was certain that if they always were to publish the
truth, and nothing but the truth, they would always have
the twelve Judges as well as the Jury for their supporters.
On that subject, one of the greatest men who ever lived
had said, " Quid vis verum discere, nihil non verum dis-
cere audeat," and with that sentiment he perfectly coin-
cided. His Lordship, after elaborately summing up the
evidence, declared it as his opinion that the justification
bad failed.

___ __.......
The Jury retired for half an hour, and returned a ver-
dict for the plaintiff—damages 50/.—saying that the ex-
pression which had called forth that verdict was, that they
had not said the worst of him.