Star.
London, England, 1831-04-20 00:00:00

SPIRIT OP THE JOURNALS.

Timis--Our printer was brought before the Bowie of L els 'r.t
night, on account of the article in this journal of the IG.h Inst. in which
Lord Limerick was spoken of in a manner which provoked Ire cots -
plaint. As soon u the question of privilege was touched by t! •
house, strangers were obliged to withdraw, so that we have no acts u t
to offer of the proceedings but such as was gathered in desultory cos.ver;
sations after the house was up. Lord Limerick having mad- his e.n..
plaint, left the matter wholly to the Mouse. Mr. Lawson lxi .n
called, was asked if be was the printer of the Times, and, t f Ts.,
answered in the affirmative. Did he write the article in quo im. ?--
No.—Who did write it ? The answer to this was obvious a he w a
confidential agent, and wtuld not betray the confidence %limb was e-
posed in him.—Was not such a gentleman the Editor of 's h* Times
There was the same objection to answer this question as the 1.4-
mer. Mr. Lawson was ordered to retire. When the 'eject was
resumed, Lord Wynford proposed that the Printer should be BO).
jtcted to a fine of One Hundred Pound, and committed to 'nil. u.
This was opposed by the Lords Lansdowne and Grey. he
Lord Chancellor, and (we understand) the Duke of We:-
, lington t and Mr. Lawson, on the motion of Lord Farnham. ass
finally ordered into the custody of the Usher of the Black Rod. Now,
certainly, we bare not the slightest objection to any part of this pro-
ceeding, so far as we are the passive objects of it. We are content.
And now, also, that the issue is certain, we will frankly acknosl.dc.e
our regret that the observations appeared in offensive and intrrn cc
terms : but for this we must plead the excuse which our printer pleaded
at the bar—the dicraction of our attention by a variety of important
objects. and the hurry of composition.

POST.---HAPPY EVENT—Tag Constrroxsow SAVED! —Most
cordially do we congratulate the true friends of England on the triumph
of the good cause, in the signal defeat of Minisurs on the first particular
question arising out of the atrocious Reform Bill. The debate up. o
General Gascoyne's motion, that the present number of members for
England and Wales should not be diminished, was last night resumed,
and continued till half-past four o'clock this morning, when the house
divided, and the numbers were—For the Motion, 298; Against it,
291: Majority agaittet Ministers, 8 ! The fate of the Revolutionary
Bill may thus be deemed virtually decided. We cannot indeed 'es
bow so monstrous a measure can be any longer entertained ; and tot
the credit of Parliament, therefore, we rejcice in the cheering propect
now Defoe* us. The credit of Parliament we have all along considered,
was imminently at stake in the result of this momentous qtrestino ;
for it is impossible that the success of so outrageous a project could be
attributed by the country, to any thing short of a palpable betrayal of
trust, on the part of its Representatives—as Junius well observes, it
is not an act of open violence done by the Ministry that can ever en-
danger the liberties of this country ;—we can never be really in danger
until Parliament itself betrays its trust, by contributing to establish
now principles of Government, and employing the very weapons corn.
mined to it by the collective body—to stab the Constitution !—The
firmness and patriotism of Parliament has rejected a measure tending
to Revolution ; and the sober judgment and good sense of the country
will confirm and ratify that happy decision.
HERALD of yesterday.—The case of Ellis, who was to have
died on a public scaffold this morning for hoisoottowaking, but who
was on Saturday respited, in consequence of convincing evidence being
adduerd of his innocence of the crime, for which he was about to un-
dergo the extreme sentence of the law, is another instance to be added
to many en record of the fallibility of human judgment, where the
awful question of life or death is to be solved by the decision. Relative
to the case of this person, the following paragraph was published on
Saturday :
Seven or eight persons attended at the Guildhall Justice-room yes-
terday, to swear exculpatory affidavits in favour of Ellis, who is or-
dered for execution,. Mr. Alderman Copeland, after making some
inquiries, said he was at all times unwilling to refuse .to go a little
beyond the routine of his duty, where the object was to benefit a fellow.
creature ; but he must refuse to do so in this instance, foe he saw other
reasons besides that; the committing magisuate, and other county
I magistrates, had refused to allow than to be sworn.—Application
fu

If the reason which Alderman Copeland is alleged to have given,
for not allowing the affidavits to be sworn had been acted upon by all
other Magisterial and Judicial Authorities, there could be no affida-
vits in the case laid before the Secretary of State for the Home Depart-
mem, and who would not think it his duty to attend to unworn state.
!EMU of facts. The consequence would have been that the law would
have taken its course—the uhfortunac: man would have been executed
—and before he was cold in his grave his innocence would have been
made known by the publication of documents, and a barren
commiseration is all that would have followed an irreparable
wrong I Notwithstanding the refuel of the worthy Alderman
to swear the peaces making the exenkpotoey her the
that the esonnitting Magistrate sad some etltriitd.stred-
dined to swear them, it appears that some penes, clothed la ahnilar
withority, did not think himself justified en such a ground to bar all
access to the seat of mercy, while so many Individuals presented them-
selves, prepared to offer, under the solemnity of an oath, proofs of the
Innocence of a fellow-creature convicted of an offence of which life is
the forfeit, and already standing or the brink of an untimely grave.
—We are now told that seventeen affidavits and statements were re-
pined, and laid at an early hour on Saturday morning before Lord
Melbourne, who entered immediately into the investigation, and that
copies of the documents were also sent to the Lied Chancellor,
who had not attended the Council. The result was, that before eight
o'clock on the same evening the prisoner was on his knees. returning
thanks to Heaven for being rescued from the peril of impending fate,
while just within the deadly grasp of the executioner. Great credit is
due to the Lord Chancellor, and the Secretary for the Home Depart.
went, for the humane promptitude with which they attended to this
sue. Their own feelings will be their best reward. But let us only sup.
pose that the prisoner had been left for execution in a remote
put of the kingdom, where the affidavits might have been
hawked about From one Magistrate to ;another, because the
Committing Napidrate refused to allow them to be sworn ; the intet vat
between the order for execution, and the time at which it was to have
taken place, might have expired before the documents could have Leen
communicated to the Home Department, or submitted to the intelligent
glance of that distinguished personage who fills the highest judicial
office under the Crown. In the number of the EdiuleuryA Review for
last January appeared an article on the " punishment of death for
forgery," which justly stigmatized the law as both sanguinary and
ineffective; but, at the same time, decried as springing from a
" perverted humanity," all attempts to " interfere with the
ordinary course of criminal justice, in particular eases of capital
punishment." It may be very well to confine philosophical die-
quisition to abstract principles, when practical results are less regarded
than the display of ingenuity in disputation; but it is our opinion,
that partik in general are seldom to be convinced of the viciousness of
bed.: principles, in matters of law and government, without having their
' attention called to the injustice and misthief of their operation its par-
tiouiar instances. If Alderman Wood bad lett the four poor historic:l
to their fate, whom the blond-money men had convicted on yet-
ijured testimony, by due course of few, and of who e guilt pet.
they Judge nor Jury entertained any doubt, the Reviewer might
have complimented him un not " interfering wi It the milt.
I nary course of criminal justice in particular Cases of capital
punishment ;" but we imagine be erjoys a .1111-re (aqui-
quisite satisfac ion in the consciousness of his keying ta.v.el
four human beings from a fate as unjust es it was terrible
and ignominious. and that because of sub very interfe7.
cum. Besides, when a law is admitted to be unnecessarily le I.
gulnary and severe, every individual instance of its application culls te.r
prompt and immediate sympathy and interference, lett, while mercy is
Indulging in abstract speculations of improvement, juries may be de-
filed, and barbarism promoted, by cruel and inhuman preview. The
punishment of death, when inflicted, is, of course, irreparable—no
atonement can be made to him who unjustly suffers it, as in the clue
of secondary punishment—and thetefore every instance of error in ult.
judging death ought to serve to put legialatots on their guard aguins•
the danger of being, too Ready to arm fallible men with the weapons of
judicial extermination.

CITY. ONE O'CLOCK.

We have experienced a great sensation in the City this
morning, owing to Ministers being in the minotity last night
in the House of Commons ; %thick) has caused a general out-
cry, and dissatisfaction. and the public are in hopes that his
Majesty will be staunch to his people, :Aid inanedistely dis-
solve the Parliament ; which, report from the West-anti says,
is to take place this day ; but what is more singular, is the
rise in the fuuds—there being a prevailing opinion on the
Stock Exchange, that the Tory• Administration will come in.

Consols, which left off yesterday at 791 for the Account,
opened at 79, and rapidly went up to 791 i and 791 for
Money. Great anxiety prevails to know the future opera-
tions of the Ministry on this important event.
No arrivals, and nothing doing in the Foreign Market.

CITY, TWO O'CLOCK.
Consols, which were in the early part of the morning at •
79f for the account, have receded to 79i. The well-
informed expect that Ministers will not dissolve Parliament.