Star.
London, England, 1812-05-16 00:00:00

time was allem4a, 'while the • Criet was' aseettai'gr
whether there were any witnesses from Liverpool;
none appeared, however.
'Sir It NI EIS 'MA salstm then addressed the Jury. He
began by observing, that they were called upon
.by
art indictment against the prisoner at the bar, for the
Wihul Murder of the Right Honourable Sl)enctr
Perceval ; of a man distinguished for talents and pri.
late worth, and whose amiable and virtuous charac-
„ter none could estimate too highly. In forming their
rverdict, however, they were bound to lose sight of
those circumstances, and to frame it entirely upon
the evidence that had been adduced. They were to
consider the case without any reference to the
dual who had fallen; for the law protected tit_ lives
equally of the rich and the poor---of the great and
the mean. The only questions they had to decide
were, *hether Spencer Perceval had been wilfully
murdered I and then, if they aflo riled that, whether
the ptisoner 'at the bear was the person who cimunit-
ted that Wilful Murder/

The Learned Judge thin proceeded to recapitulate •
the whole tvidence, afterwhich he: proceeded to state
the defence of the prisoner. In tliardefence, be Con-,
tinned, he has br9ught forward what he .suffered in
.Russia as a justification of what he has done ; that he
only sought for justice, and that he perstia:leal himself
he had a tight to avenge his 'cause in the way he did:
A dreadful mode of :vast-Ring, for if a man fancied
that when hecould not proceed in *hat he might consi-
der as a just cause; he r: ad a right to put the presumed
author of his failure to death. by the same kind of
' argument, every person presiding in a Court of Judi-
cature might be assassinated when 'he refused to
grant the claims of.iny indifsdual who sued there for-
Justice. With regard to the act itself, it had been
attempted to do away its criminality. by the .plea.of
the Prishmer's insanity ; but that plea was acknow-
ledged by the law only under peculiar circumstances.
If a man was so insane at wit to be . able to distin-

puiSh right from wrong, 3sls, discriminate between
the =St wicked and the milt virtuous deed, such a
man would not be criminally responsible for his con-
sleet. But it Must bc clearly made oat that he was
so completely void of reason as to belncepable of
distinguishing right from wrong: that i.e did nct
know, for example, that murder was a crime either
in the sight of Gon or man. No other sort of insa-
nity can prevail as a general plea. There were, how-
ever, various kinds of madness. Lunacy, for exam-
ple, in which a person w:is commonly of liced with
mental derangement only at particular periods; and
if such persons committed ally' crime at the time when
such derargement was on them, they stood excused,
but if they were guilty of any crime when their disor-
der was not Upon them, and when they were capable
of judging between right and wrong, then, though it
might be proved they were occasionally insane, that
• would be uo jollification of a crime committed at. a
time when their insanity was manifest. There was
another si ecies of insanity which • displayed itself only
upon the occurrence of some particular occasion, the
person so afflicted being Windy sane on all other
occasions. But with regard to the insaaity attempt.
ed to be urged in behalf of the prisoner, the witnesses
had not described in What it consisted ; they had
only, he thought; given a very singular account,
which proved nothing, it it was meant to prove that
he was insane at the, time he committed the crime for
which he stood indicted. [Here the Learned Judge
recapitulated the evidence of the prisbner's witnesses.]
In all the evidence laid before them, there was riot
one rict adduced whch.piotted a disordered mind.—
They therefirr., had to consider, Ist, Whether Mr.
Perceval was really murderedin the manner stated in
the indictment : i2dly, Whether he was so killed by
the prisoner at the bar : and idly, Should they affirm
the first two, whether he possessed a sufficient degree
of understanding at the time, to know distinctly that
shooting a man was a crime ? If they llad any doubts
upon these points, they would of course, acquit the
prisoner ; but it they had none, they must then find
him guilty.
Ile Jury withdrew-for about ten minutes, when
they returned to the box, and gave in a verdict of—
• GUILTY

The Recommit then addressed the Prisoner in the
following words : .
e‘ John Bellingham, you have been convicted by a
most attentive :.nd merciful Jury, of one of the most
malicious crimes that human nature can perpetrate;
a crime which hai io all ages, and in all nations, been
held in the highest detestation. Odious and detestable,
however, as it is in every case, it is iii your's aggra-
vated and heightened by many atrocious circumstan-
ces: The object of your blood-t 0 sty vengeance was
possessed cf every public and every private virtue.—
In destroying him, you robbed charity of one of its
vearme:it pations, religion of one of its firmest suppor-
ters, domestic life of one of its most endearing cha-
racters, and his country of one of its brightest orna-
ments. Every Iran of youi iniquitOus conduct is
strongly impressed with every quality of atrocity.—
In the %%try sanctuary of the Senate which he adorned,
I and as he was on the very point of fulfilling his duty
there to his country, you sacrificed him to your infu-
riate and Malignant revenge. To indulge in my con-
jectures as to your motives, would only lead me into
revolting details of wickedness that is unparalleled.
The tripe the dreadful action is contemplated, the
more the mind recoils from the heirrid ;gene. Assas-
sination is the most abhorred of human crimes. It
renders bravery useless, and cowardice triumphant.
Dut the voice of GOD bas declared, that whoso shed-
' detb hues blood, by man shall his blood be shed ;
and publicly therefore' you must expiate your crime.
May-your ignominious fate deter 'then from siiilar
atrocity ! A very sbort time remains for-you to sup-
plicate the throne of mercy. Use it it diligently, I
(•implore 'JAL I sincerely hope that the interval which
pits passed since the commission cf your dreadful
crime, has licen passed in solemn endeavours to pro-
! pitiate your offended Gon, and my most fervent wish
is, that your, prayers may snd acceptance, through
the merits of your Redeemer.
" It now only remains for me to pass the sentence
of thelaw, which is, That you be taken, on Monday
next, to eplite.e,of execution, there to be hung by the
i neck till you;arq dead, and your body delivered over
•to be anatomized; and may Gop have mercy on
, your soul 1"
The Prisoner received his sentence with the most
`profound awe, and was led out of Court, seemingly
I much affected by his dreadful situation.—The trial
'lasted till half pibst six.