Star.
London, England, 1831-04-09 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE JOURNALS.

'hues —Reports have lately been much circulated, with reference
to a belief of an improper interference on the part of an illustrious
personage on the subject of the reform bill. We know that lady to be
as much diatinouished for the most amiable feelings, and fora just sense
of her duties as she is by her exalted station; with such feelings,everything
tending to political intrigue, or to an active part la the measures of a
party, is absolutely incompatible:and weare as confident /A we are of our
existence, that no attempt could proceed from that quarter to disturb
the mind of the Sovereign, or throw difficulties in the way of his Mi-
nisters. We think it necessary to 'ay thus much in justice to the ex-
alted personage in question, and we would guard the public against
the error of supposing that the language and conduct of certain persons
belonging to the Royal Household can have received the slightest en-
couragement from the authority by which they have been said to be
approved.
Hanatn.—The trials at the Old Bailey always afford a practical
satire on the state of our criminal laws. In that Court, at the close of
the Sessions, the solemn ceremony of passing sentence of death on a
large number of convicts takes place—sometimes as many as 30 or dO
pawns appear at the bar together, to receive. for crimes materially dif.
fering in malignity and magnitude, the wholesale sentence of ex-
termination. This would be a very awful proceeding, if it had not
necessarily become a mockery. We say necessarily, because it is
the inevitable result of the proven of civilisation that the laws
which are so profuse of blood should be rarely carried into
effect. Enlightened opinion, controlling judicial power saves huma-
nity many of those disgusting spectacles of human sacrifice, for infe-
rior crimes, which were some years ago of frequent occurrence. If the
criminal laws cannot be generally or uniformly executed, why are they
nut made conformable with the advanced spirit of civilization ? if they
were generally executed, every Court of Criminal Justice in the Realm,
to which belongs the power of trying capital offences, would be a
great abattoir, or slaughter-house, in which crowds of human vic-
tims would be Sri lathy immolated by a most compendious sys-
tem of legalised butchery. At a late Special Commission in Hamp-
shire no less titan 101 persons were capitally convic.ed ; but what power
in the land would dare to offer tit this human hecatomb to the Moloch
spirit of our criminal law P It has been been well observed that the
prevention of crime is better attained by certainty than severity of pu-
nishment. laws which cannot be uniformly :executed are bad in
principle and ineffective in practice. As long as enactments
denouncing death to offer ccs inferior to those of the most dangerous
and enormous magnitude disgrace our Statute-book, a large propor-
tion of crimes, deserving of severe punishment, but not justifying the
extermination of the offenders in .he eyes of considerate and conscien-
tious persons, will go altogether unpunished, from the repugnance of
injured parties to put human life in petil, where the sentence of the
law betrays more of the character of vengeance titan the spirit of justice.
It is not an uncommon practice of jurors at the present day, especially
in this metropolis, to strain points of conscience in favour of hunrinity,
and to contradict the evidence by their verdicts, in their enlightened ab-
horrence of sanguinary punishments.
Pour.—The contrast presented by the County Meetings of England
and Scotland which have been held on the subject of Reform, with re-
spect both to the composition and the determinations of those assem-
blies, cannot fail to have attracted the attention of the community. The
county meetings of England have been generally clamorous in support
of the revolutionary measure of his ltiajcaty's ministers. Those of Scot-
land have on the contrary firmly and manfully opposed it, pointed
out with calmness and truth the manifold mischiefs which
must inevitably result from its adoption, and laboured with
great ability and success to open the eyes of the community and of the
Legislature to the fatal precipice upon the brink of which they stand.
The county and all other public meetings in England, without we be-
lieve a single exception, have refused to listen to any statements or ar-
guments uncongenial to the preconceived prejudices of the numerical
majority. At the meetings in Scotland every man had a fair hearing,
to whichever side of the question he inclined. This is decisive. It
proves the latter to have been assemblies of men of sense, decency,
and education ; and the former, under whatever names they may
have been disguised, to have been principally composed of men
without decency, education, or good sense. The Scotcit meetings are
not controlled by the mere rabble—the English meetings are so con-
trolled. Nothing can be more gratifying to the anti-revolutioaists,
nothing could afford them a more decisive omen of eventual niutuph
than the discovery, that in every aasemblv of men that has yet been held,
in which deliberation has been permitted—in every assembly not abso-
lutely governed by the refuse of society, who alone will degrade them-
selves by clamour and vociferation, their party has been unequivocally
the strongest.
HERALD.—It cannot have escaped observation, that the enemies
of reform have, since the first ebullition of their wrath, entirely
changed their ground At first they declared their uncompromising
hostility to it, in whatever shape, or under whatever guise. The
very word was water to their hydrophobia. But now the case is
quite different—thty have quietly passed the Rubicon—and. with the
exception of the Duke of iVelliegton, are unanimous in admitting that
some Reform is necessary and unavoidable, anti their hostility is con.
fined to the particular measure of Ministers alone. We do not, we
confess, attach much value to these sudden conversions. Men who can
desert their deliberate opinions so hastily are entitled to but little cre-
dit for their conversion, especially in a case like this, where there is
too much reason to suppose, they only change their
ground by way of a feint, to alter the nature of their attack.
Tessa.—Papers and letters from Paris of Wednesday speak of an
intended Congress at Rome to arrange the affairs of Italy. It would be
good policy in Austria to concur in forwarding such a meeting. Her
troops in the mean time, might overrun the Papal States, and create bu-
siness for the assembled Plenipotentiaries. The French could no; object
to so reasonable a proposition, and could not begin hostilities against
her with so near a prospect of au ultimate arrangement. The insurgent
patriots would be paralyzed by a meeting at which the Plenipotentiary
of France would be seen acting in concert with the Ambassador of
Austria—at which the Huly Alliance would appear to shake hands
with the populat sovereignty of the barricades—and at
which the conservative principles of legitimacy would
again revive, sprinktd with the eau benite of Papal benedictions.
The news front Poland h of such a complexion as perhaps to render
more necessary a Congress in the north than in the south of Europe.
It is evident that the campaign must be prolonged, and It seems even
probable that the Russians may be again defeated. The brave Poles
seem resolved to make every sacrifice to show how they can resist or how
they can die ; and having measured swords with their gigantic enemy,t hey
feel confident of victory. The conqueror of the Balcan now finds a
different enemy before him titan the Turks, and his troops are beginning
to be disheartened by the privations, or to desert from dissatisfattion.
Let the dismembered provinces of Poland again unite with the gallant
portion of the nation which has lately exhibited such miracles of
bravery and devotedness, and the Russian eagle may be for ever scared
beyond the Dwina and Ihdeper.