The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-01-09 00:00:00

GENERAL AMNESTY FOR THE STATE CONSPIRATORS.
—On Monday the inauguration of the new Lurd Mayor
of Dublin took place, when the late Lord Mayor, in re-
tiring from office, took occasion to make a long address,
in which he alluded to the approaching state trials. He
said they must produce excitement, agitation, and a mul-
titude of evils; and he therefore hoped that" an expres-
sion of public feeling would be made, praying that her
Majesty would condescend to take the question generally
into her gracious consideration, to ascertain, if possible,
the causes of the discontent which prevailed in that coun-
try. He did believe that if her Majesty would condescend
to appoint any commission she pleased, perhaps a com-
mission a the whole House of Commons, to make an in-
quiry into the subject calmly and dispassionately, they
would arrive at the causes of the discontent which pre-
vailed." His lordship then alluded to the probable effects
of the trials, whether the conspirators were acquitted or
convicted; and then said, " he would humbly call upon
her Majesty to grant an act of amnesty until she fully
ascertained from the report of the commissioners what
were the real wants of Ireland." Of course the speaker
is a repealer, and his suggestions are only worth record-
ing as disproving the vaunted readiness of the prisoners
to undergo the ordeal of the approaching state prosecu-
tions.

THE STATE TRIALS—THE SPECIAL JURY.—The
Dublin Freeman's Journal gives a long description of the
mode to be adopted in striking the special jury panel in
the approaching state prosecutions. It appears that the
panel for the year 1844 contains about 700 names, nearly
double the number of the preceding year. After stating'
the qualifications of the jurors, our contemporary pro-
ceeds—" A special jury can be had on the application of
either party in any suit, either civil or criminal, to the
court in which the suit is carried on. Upon the order
so had, the officer of the court appoints a time and place
for striking the special jury. The sheriff and attorneys
for the different parties are noticed to attend. The
officer, then, if required, counts the cards, and replaces
(hem in the box, and draws out from it 48 cards numbered
as we have befor- mentioned, and reads aloud the several
names opposite the numbers. Accordingly as the officer
reads out each name, either party, if he has any objection
to make to the person so named, then makes it, and the
officer then hears the objection and the evidence to sustain
it, and decides upon the validity or invalidity of such ob-
jection. If he considers the objection sustained, he sets
aside that name and draws another card instead of it from
the box. The officer seems to be the final judge of the
objection, and there is no appeal from his decision. As
soon as he has thus got forty-eight names unobjected to,
or with objections overruled, he ceases to draw any more.
He then gives a list of such forty-eight names to each
party, who have twenty-four hours to consider of these
names. After a lapse of twenty four hours the parties
come again before the officer, and each side strikes off
twelve names. The crown strikes the first name it dis-
likes, the traversers the second ; the crown again the
next, then the traversers, and so on till each has got rid
of twelve ; so that there remain then but twenty-four
names. Tese are then to be placed in a list in the order
they are drawn out of the box, and in that order are to be
called on the day of trial. And the first twelve of these
that, on the memorable fifteenth of this month, answer
to their names, are destined to be the men to try Daniel
O'Connell and his Co. conspiratot s."
BOASTED LOYALTY OF REPEALERS.—We hear much
boasting of the affection borne towards the person of her
Majesty by the prime movers in Irish agitation. The
fulsome adulation—the loathsome lip-worship expressed,
in days past, by the traitor O'Connell himself—are still
fresh in the memory of the public. Repeaters are loyal,
devoted, faithful subjects of the British crown, and ler.
dv eenfet admirers, n
der
s of the
n .
throned—werea an d iifts
fraeiqr ua inr
de dy—o
nwt ohuf dl
obeen
ps tatout t.
Indeed! We will take the liberty of testing these pro-
fessions, and, in so doing, shall not go further back than
to the proceedings of the Repeal Association during the
past week. lit the report given in the London Times,
from its own correspondent, of the weekly meeting of that
body, on Tuesday last, we find it stated, that " Mr.
O'Connell (John O'Connell) again spoke of the general
prospects of England, which he concluded, from the lan-
guage of the American President, of the French King,
and from the conduct of the Russian Emperor, were any-
thing but cheerful. Having alluded to the probable mis-
fortunes which would, in his opinion, soon threaten
England, Mr. O'Connell said, ' that when they came,
the Irish people would not, perhaps, signify outward joy
at their arrival, still they would be more than men if they
did not delight in that hour at the fall of their oppres-
sors.'—(Loud cheers.)" These very loyal(!) people,
then, gloat over the prospect of " probable misfortunes
which will soon threaten England." They will not "sig-
nify outward joy at their arrival"—oh no!—their boasted
affection for their youthful Queen—for that fair being,
whose happiness has been so often the object of the
hypocritical prayer of their ruffian leader—would not
permit the exhibition of any " outward joy" at the pros-
pect of calamity to that realm whose crown she wears,
and the happiness of whose people is the object of her
ceaseless care ! No " outward joy," then, over Eng-
land's tribulation ; but " they would be more than men,
if they did not DELIGHT IN THAT HOUR AT THE FALL
or THEIR OPPRESSORS"—at the prostration of Great
Britain beneath the feet of her foreign foes! Oh! this
is loyalty I such loyalty, however, as we trust may never
have committed to its exclusive keeping the greatness of
England, or the happiness, the liberty, the life even, of
England's Queen !

WALES.

THE REBECCA RIOTS-EXTRAORDINARY

David Evans, a farmer, and James Evans, his servant,
were charged at the Carnarvon assizes, with having, on
the 30th ot September, with others, riotously and unlaw-
fully assembling at Pantycerrig, in the parish of Llsofi-
hangel, Ithosvcorn.
Both prisoners pleaded not guilty. They were de-
fended by Messrs: N. Carne and E. C. H. Hall.
The Attorney-General rose on behalf of the prosecu-
tion, and said that the prisoners were indicted for a mis-
demeanour and riot. The substantial charge was, that on
the night of the 30th ot September they, with others, de-
manded a sum of money from Thomas Thomas, of Pan-
tycerrig, a farmer. He then proceeded to detail the facts.
The parties appeared to have intended not to remove any
public grievance, real or imaginary, but to make the agi-
tated state of the country subservient to their private
purposes, and obtain a settlement of a claim or debt.
Sinee the occurrence for which the prisoners were now
arraigned, Mr. Thomas had been found dead. He did
not, however, mean to hint that they were implicated
thereby. The character of the county had been satisfac-
torily vindicated by a careful inquiry, which had given
every reason for belief that Mr. Thomas's death had been
the result of an accident. The Attorney-General then
read the deposition of Thomas Thomas, as follows :
" I live at Pantycerrig, in the parish of Lanfihangel
Rhosycorn. lam a farmer. I remember, early on Sa-
turday morning, the 30th of September, at about one or
two o'clock, a number of people, about 15 or 20, came in
disguise to my house, and called to me to come out with
£5. They said they came on behalf of David Evans of
Bergwm, to demand the £5 in satisfaction for a trespass
upon his corn by my cattle. I did not go down to the
door, but my wife did. In consequence of the door not
being opened immediately, I suppose they reduced the
demand to 40s. I went out of the house among the
crowd and was taken by the collar by a tall man in dis-
guise with his face I lackened. He called himself Becca.'
I was dragged against my will to Bergwm, a distance of
about three quarters of a mile. It is the house of the
prisoner, David Evans. They all acted in concert. Some
had guns and others horns. I recognized James Evans;
he behaved the worst to me, and shuffled me. I also re-
cognized David Evans. James bad a short old gun, and
was disguised by having his face blackened. His clothes
were not changed. David Evans was not so much dis-
guised ; I knew him very well. They took me to a field
near Bergwm, where we were desired to stop, while some
went on, so as not to alarm the family. I saw David
Evans go on first, and go into the house. They then took
me into the yard, and afterwards into the house. I saw
David Evans, and told him that I had made up with him
for 10s. for the damage done to his corn. He said, 'The
matter is now in these people's hands, and I cannot in-
terfere.' They further demanded money of me, but I said
that I had none. I then asked David Evans to allow me
to stop in his house, as I was afraid to go out. James
Evans seized me, and dragged me out of the house in a
different direction from my own house. He said he wished
to kill me. ' Becca called out to him, Why he took me
in that direction ?' Becca and the party then took me
along the turnpike-road to my own home. They called
to my wife, and told her they had brought me back as
they promised. They then gave me nine days to pay the
money in, and said, that !if I did not pay it by that
time, they would come again, and would kill and
burn."

The death of Mr. Thomas was proved, and his deposi-
tions was formally read by the officer of the court.
Two or three witnesses were then examined, but their
evidence was so directly in contradiction to that given by
them before the magistrates as to render their testimony
of no value.
Some other witnesses were also examined.
The learned judge having summed up, the jury returned
a verdict of guilty. Sentence deferred.

REBECCAITES.—At the Carmarthenshire assizes last
week, John Jones was sentenced to be transported for
life, and David Davies for twenty years, for having riot
ously demolished a house. The former person was also
convicted of shooting with intent, &c.

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON " NAPPING."—At the
conclusion of the banquet at Windsor Castle, on Tues-
day evening last, her Majesty and Prince Albert, with
their distinguished guests, retired as usual to the green
drawing-room; the Queen's private band being stationed
in the adjoining apartment (the crimson drawing-room),
the folding-doors of which were thrown open. In the
course of the evening her Majesty left the private apart-
ment, arm in arm with the Duke of Wellington, and
seated herself with the Duke on her right hand, and sur-
rounded by the court, near the band. After listening to
the performance of two or three compositions, the Queen
rose from her seat to retire, a movement which was, of
course, followed by the whole party, with the exception
of the duke, who had fallen into a profound nap. Her
Majesty, smiling, and evidently enjoying the involuntary
forgetfulness of his Grace, play fully tapped the Duke on
his shoulder with her bouquet, which speedily brought
him from a state of momentary oblivion to perfect con-
sciousness, when the Queen, with a
gracious smile (amidst
the suppressed titterings of the illustrious guests,) made
his Glace a low curtsey, and, taking the noble warrior's
aim in the most kind and affectionate manner. and laugh-
ing.
the while, proceeded ttom tl.c cuII;SULI togt.-ea
drawing-teem, where coffee was served.