Star.
London, England, 1830-10-09 00:00:00

TRIAL OF CAPTAIN HELSII4.II.

We brought down our account of the proceedings of this trial till
half-past two o'clock yesterday, and we now give the conclusion a.
The following witnesses were called to character:—Lieut. Baker, of
the Navy • Thomas Tillintnn Bernard, the bander ; Wm. Ales:l-
der Hank confectioner, of Bond-street ; Ballet, Erg of
mexaeuthire ; Thos. Maguey, Esq. formerly a solicitor in Duutin, who
had resided for six y care with Capt./lash= at Boulegne.sur.ffler ;‘Vrn.
Henry Hunt, a Magistrate for the county of Kilkenny for the last 20
years, and who had known him for 20 years ; Stephen Fagan,
Doctor of Medicine ; Joseph Niell, Commander in the Navy ; Heine
Gerald Chesterton, Esq. Thomas Webb, Esq. Fred. Augustus Trig.
gear, &c. dt.e. the whole of whom described the prisoner to be highly
honourable, mild, inoffinsive, good.tempeted, and generous to a fault—
a peaceable and humane man.
At half-past six o'clock, Mr. Justice BATLEY commented summing
up the evidence to the Jury. Before going into the evidence, his
Lordship said the points for the consieleration of the Jury were as
follow—first, they must be satisfied that the prisoner and the de-
ceased were both subjects of his late Mrjesty—that Joseph Crowther
was the identical person shot—that the deceased came by his death by a
bullet fired front a pistol by the Prisoner, and that the pistol was fired
maliciously and with maker aforethought, with intent to kill and murder
him, the said John Crowther. His Lordship having explained the law
applicable to the case, namely, that if two pekoes went our and put
their lives in jeopardy, in the event one falling, the rurv:vhr ass
guilty of murder, went minutely over ihe evidence.
The Jury retired for twenty-five ininuits, and on their return the
Judges, with the Recoreer, again clam: into Court The names of nee
Jury were called over, and the Clerk of the Airaigns put the question
to them in the usual manner.
The Foreman 01. the Jury—" We, find the Prisoner—Not Guilty."
An immediate burst of applause followed the announcement (.1 Me Set.
diet, which was with difficulty stopped fur Mwae seconds.
Mr. Justice BAYLEY OfhectS, 11101,1 t net ahy vie of the per-
sons who have been guilty of this it:tete:iv:ion. Gentlemen of
the Jury, I by no means find faith with the verdict you have
returned, and I feel conscious it,: yen will feel setisfied that
you have done your duty to the istidic. I never Express my feelings,
whatever they way ht., hut a Vernal Jury muse not he biassed ill this
way.—(No one pointed cut any individual. and the te:iireil Judge ten.
tinueo. I—l wish any person will point .me of the individual.. wi o have
items icsulted the solemn proceeo!np of the Court.—(No answer.)--
Gentlemen, you have done your duty, and the coulitty is it.elebte; to
you for lour services. Gentlemen, you are now d6citttigetl.
aptain Helshsm then left the bar, and was immediately tut-rem:did
by his numerous friends. A ternale, elegartiv aircvsed, alto had Leen
watching closely the proceedings of the clay, anti who had never left the
Court, was heard to taciturn from the gall( 11. • Thank GOD !" which
was mimed/A to by several Gentleiiii n ariint.d her. supposed to be ill:.
mediate Wends of the highlv•respeets:el family of the individual who
thus, by the trial of a British Jury, returned to the bosom of iiis
suffering family.
The Cour: was crowded to races throughout the day, and up to the
close of the trial. There was a conaulerab!e number of ladies proem
who did not leave the Court until the vend RA was returned. The trial
laced ten hours.

This morning, between nine and ten o'clock, as the wife•
of Mr. Jones, draper, of Knightsbridge, was etor•iog the toad at the
top of Piccadilly, 'be soddenly fell down ; some ticrsons who were pas•.
ing by, went immediately to her assestanc, and endeavoured to raise
her up—but she never spoke nor moved. lies husband was sent for,
who had her conveyed home; a gentleman fronts she hospital attended,
and endeavoured to draw blood, but none would flow—the poor wetaikn
was no more. Apoplexy was the cause of her death.

MEMOIR OF DON JUAN VAN HALEN, CON.II.4NDER-

I 37-CHIEF AT BRUSSELS.

How entirely the revolution at Brussels was brought about by the
people, may be inferred from the fact, that it was so iittle countenanced
by influential persons, however advisable they may rnw think it to ap-
pear and direct or influence it, that the leader is said to have been Don
Juan Van Helen. a Spanish refugee, who now signs himself Commander.
in-Chief of the Belgians. Under the extraordinary circumstance of his
sudden elevation, anti his present rank and influence, we have thought a
brief memoir of him might be interesting.
Don Juan Van Haien was born at the Isle of Lien, near Cadiz, in
1750. His father was a naval officer, the son of a Fleming, who held
military rank in the Spanish armies. The present Van Haden
began
his career in the navy, and served as midshipman in the battle of Tea.
faigar. He was subsequently appointed a lieutenant, and was after-
wards employed in the civil department of the navy at Madrid.
Upon the entry of the French into that city lie joined the army of
Galicia, and was appointed an ensign of cavalry ; but, on the
surremier of Ferrol, being taken prisoner by the French, he
abandoned the cause of his rountry, and swore fealty to
Joseph, with whom he became afterwards a great favourite.
When Joseph was obliged to fly from Spain, Van Helen accompanied
him to France, but was immediately dismissed in great anger, and with
circumstances of insult ; the reason has never been known, and even
Van Haden himself professes to be ignorant of it.Afterithis he presided a
short time at Bordeaux, but upon the publication of the amnesty he de.
termined to return to Spain ; his motives and his conduct at this time
arc extremely questionable. According to his own account he joined
Marshal Suchet at Barcelona, in his old character of faithful follower
of-Joseph, but immediately opened a communication with the Spanish
Government, the nature of which he has not made public.—
It is: certain that he was kindly welcomed by the Marshal, re.
ceived an appointment on his staffilwas, to a certain extent, admitted into
his confidence, and by way of making himself welcome to the patriots, he
fabricated orders from Suchet, directed to the Governors of Lerida, Me-
quinenza, and Mormon, and contrived to affix the Marshal's signet, di.
resting them to abandon those places, and retreat immediately upon the
main army. These orders (and we must here do him the justice to ac-
knowledge it was a service of some risk), he personally delivered, and
being well known as an officer in the French service attached to the Mar.
stud, they were immediately complied with, the troops abandoned the
fortresses, were betrayed on their retreat into an ambush, and all
taken prisoners. These important services secured to Van Haden a
cordial welcome front the patriots, and he was immediately appointed a
captain ; there was, however, nothing in them likely to win their confi-
dence, and they always entertained suspicions of him t and two years
afterwards he was arrested by the Colonel of his regiment, and conducted
to Melbas, where an order from the King was produced, directinshim
to be shot forthwith. Fortunately, the Governor had some suspicions
about its being genuine, and deferred the execution until he could com.
municate with Madrid, and the communication proved it to be a for-
gery—this is another extraordinary circumstance not well explained.
He was now appointed a Lieutenant-Colonel, and became a Free-
mason ; but in consequence of some imprudences, it became known
to the Government, and be was imprisoned in the Inquisition of
Murcia, and afterwards in that of Madrid. From thence, by the help
of a servant-maid of the gaoler, he contrived to escape--a circum-
stance so rare, that it was soon tricked out with all possible romance,
and excited immense interest in Spain. On his escape he came to
England, and afterwards went to Russia, where he was admitted
into the military service, and joined the army of the Caucasus;
there he remained till 1820, when he was suddenly dismissed by
the Emperor, and returned to Spain. He then married the sister
of Quiroga, served under Mina in Catalonia, and with his pa-
triot countrymen, emigrated to England in 1824. From hence he went
to New York, where he resided for three years, and on his return he
published a narrative of his imprisonment in the Inquisition, and an
account of his Russian campaigns. He has since resided in England,
France, and Belgium, and been engaged in commercial speculations ;
one especially, the introduction of an improved bit, for which a patent
aas taken out both in France and England, but a want of sufficient
t yrds has hitherto prevented the parties from manufacturing it on a great
s: ale in this country, although it has been reported to us as a very
sluable improvement. Van Helen, however, was not the inventor, but
the partner or agent in the business.—.4thentsess.