The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-04-30 00:00:00

LONDON:

MONDAY, APRIL 30, 1810.

MR. SIIERIFF WOOD has published some expla.
nation of his conduct in the late memorable

transactions, which will be found in a subsequent
column. We should have been truly glad to find
a Sheriff of Middlesex that had some clear under.

standing of the important duties of his station,
and firmness to act up to them, even in the must

difficult cases. But we must say, we find neither of

these in Mr. Sheriff Woun, judging him by his own

statement. We will not dwell on the circumstance
of his leaving Sir Fk.vsicis BußoErr's house at
two o'clock in the morning, after tranquilizing
Lady BunnErr, and enabling her and her family
to retire to rest in peace, by the assurance of his
passing the night in the house, for the protection of
Sir FRANCIS by civil power against military force.
No harm happened in consequence of that ; and
it is, so far, all very well. There is, however, an'
obscurity, a confusion in this narrative, which
leaves us without any means of judging what
Mr. Sheriff WOOD positively proposed to himself
to do. Did he mean to protect Sir FaA Nos
Bunnerr by the Posse Commitatus ou the day
Sir FRANCIS was taken from his house, or not—
had he arrived in time? We might ask—why was he
not there in time ? But we pass that also.—
We wish to know his intention in this memorable,
this very important case ; and are sorry to say, we
cannot find it out by his own narrative. His
words on this point are—
" Ou Monday morning I relied on the attendance of nearly
300 constables, us well as that of many hundreds of the inha-
bitants of the comity, who were ready to come forward to
preserve the peace; and t have no. doubt, that with that
force, that object would have been fully accomplished with-
out the slightest aid from the military."

Tats is not au unequivocal declaration, that, had I
Mr. Sheriff WOOD arrived in time at the place of the I
most extraordinary violence ever committed by a
Government upon any of its subjects, he would
have employed the power of the county TO rim.
VENT THAT VIOLENCE. lint nothing could be so
necessary to Mr. Sheriff WOOD'S honour, which
he is in that tale endeavouring to vindicate, as a
clear explicit statement of all his intentions and all
the facts. —Perhaps, as he will probably
have occasion to explain his present nar-
rative, on account of the dispute between him
and the two Magistrates, Mr. BAKER and Mr.
BIRNIE, he may take that opportunity rif stating
hat Sense he • wishes the paragraph, just
quoted, to be taken. With respect to the answer
Mr. Sheriff Woon has given in this narrative, to
the public letter of the two Magistrates, we leave
' that to them ; and do -hope that, between the gnE.
RIFF and the MAGISTRATES, the wh.de truth
will come out. But we must observe, that
our original opinios of 'the speech, said to
have been made by Mr. Sheriff %Vont) at the
City dinner, now appears to be well found.
ed. Some oflitiouS friend of the SUERILT seems
to have reported that speech, which, if ever
made, it would have been kind to have withheld,
for this plain reason—that if Mr. Sheriff Wool)
had deemed it,proper to state such extraordinary •
facts to the public, and meaning the statement
fur the PUBLIC EAR, he might reasonably be
expected to have done so before the Chair.
man had quitte'd the chair, and before the
Company had turned aside to the hilarity which
usually follows the regular public proceedings.—
That speech was of very high import, and if ever
made at all, ought to have been made in the most
serious moment, and with all the weight that form
and regularity could give it.

OUR Dover letter mentions another firing on
the coast of France. The former remains tines-
planted. It is a little uncivil in the French not to
send out their cock.boat bulletins to relieve the
English Public of its anxiety. We ought, per.
haps, to correct that last observation ; for the
People of England have little anxiety now respect-
ing any thing but their own internal concerns.