The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-08-20 00:00:00

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I.

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SUBSCRIPTION FOR JAMS BYRNE.
In consequence consequeoce of a letterfroomMr. Parkins, in some
of the newspapers, ingitiog a public Meeting to be held
at the White Lion public-house, St. Albans-place, St.
James's, at seven o'clock on Monday evening, to enter
into a subscription fro James Byrne. a number of per.
eons, apparently tradespeople, assembled yesterday at
the time and place appointed. The first floor of the
house was quite fell about half-past 7 and at 9 o'clock Mr.
Ex-Sheriff Parities entered the roan, accompanied by a
Captain Harris sod about half a dozen more gentlemen.
Mr. Pawnees 'mein been warmly greeted, and being,
by the unaminione voice of those in the room, called fo
the Chair, proceeded to state the objects for which be
had taken on himself lo call the meeting. He observed
that it was not necessary to explain to them the injus-
tice and the pssseeutions intlicterfon the unhappy James
Byrne. A shameful crime, committed, or attempted to
be committed lately in the very house they were then
sesembled Is, was the cause by which the sufferings and
persecutions of Byrne were made known from one end
. of the country to the other. That unfortunate, but in-
noceot mss, had become the victim of a dire conspiracy,
because be had the honesty and the courage to stand
forward and charge a high and distinguished personage
with an attempt to escarole a shocking crime. Mr. Par.
kins here gave a history of Byrne's suffering*, wide
• which the public have been already made acquainted.
He said it was incumbent on all classes, whether Eng-
lish, Scotch, or Irish (for they were all still bet one
people), to come f,rward,and attest their abhorrence of
the man. by whose iuktuity Byrne was persecuted, as
well as their svmpathy for his sufferings, by contribut-
ing to relieve him aid his poor family from poverty and
wretchedness. He was able to state to deem that there
was only the small sum of fd. is oddities to 5/. sent by
himself (Mr. Parities) yet banded to Byrne, although
It might have been expected that in his own country a
large SUM would have been subscribed for him. He
was fled to lee eo large an assembly on the present
occasion, particularly after so short and limited a no-
Ike. That they had not earlier and fuller notice was
not his fault. He bad written letters to all the news-
papers in tows, to the somber he believed 0f42, and he was
sorry to say, that only four of the daily papers inserted
dun. Some of the other daily papers demanded three
goioess for the insertion. That sum was asked by two
particularly ; one the scavenger of the city, the other
the nightnian of the city. Some of the Sooday papers
oleo seconded his wishes. By the conductors of The,
Weehig Dispatch it was replied. that they would take
up the cause themselves. He believed the proprietor
sal conductor of that paper was a lawyer; but if die
Resign was to make ajob of Byroe's case. he would be
mistake°, for be (Mr. arkias) would have an eye after
bits. With respect to the place is which-they had met,
-he would make only one observation. No place was
more appropriate for each a meeting than the house, in
which the base criminal had been detected by the intre-
pidity of the honest proprietor. whose silence would
have been purchased with thousands, but Mr. Lea pre-
ferred the dictates of a good conscience to base lucre.
A person. mood CATANNAS, addressed the Meeting.
and said he had been an eye-witaess of the punishment
indicted on Byrne, in Midis, in 1811. The unfortunate
man was whipped behind a cart moving slowly the dip.,
tance of a mile and a half. Such was the horror enter-
dined of the charge on which Byrne was found guilty,
that the populace heaped the greatest possible abuse on
li;in while suffering the sentence of the law. So severe
was the whipping that the dab was stripped off the un-
fortunate mans back. He would only add that he was,
Chairman of a Meeting at the York Minster public-
ises'', in North Audley-etroet, which subscribed 61.165.
61 for the benefit of Byrne and his family.
A person, whose name was Mawr, next addressed
the wetting, but went mere Into the field of general
politic..
Dr. WATSON followed in nearly the same strain.
A person, named Root's. observed that it was the
work of Divine Providence to reserve Byrne, until guilt
should be detected, and his innocence proved. The de-
tectien, exposure, and flight of the culprit, left little
doubt of the innocence of Byrne.
Mr. Haw. said be felt it necessary to address a few
words to the meeting, in order to correct a mistatement,
which had been (unintentionally, no doubt) 'made by
.the worthy Gentleman in the Chair, for whom he had-a
ligh respect.—Mr. B. said he was the Editor of the
•)I 'eeirly Dispateh, the paper alluded to by the Chairman;
and it was true that he did decline inserting Mr. Parki ns's
letter; but it was sot from any indisposition to serve the
unfortunate Byrne, whose cense he came there that night
to advocate, and for whose relief he was ready to give his
iui•e. His reason fur omitting the letter was, that it
contained expressions, which, however true they might
Le, would be offensive to many of his readers: besides,
he did not conceive that the publication of such an arti-
cle is the manner it was worded, was likely to promote
the object they all hal in view , that of affording re-
ref to the unhappy and persecuted man. Mr. Bell then
tool: occasion to dwell for some time on the peculiar in-
terest which this case ought to excite in the public
cried. 'this was not a erestioo whether charity should
he exten•led to a man reduced to misfortune, or over-
whelmed by any unforeseen calamity—cases of that kind
were occurring every day, and in many instances the be.
nevolcnce of individuate had the effect cf preventing
numbers from being frugal and industrious—but here
was the case of a man, who had fallen a victim to a most
horrible conspiracy, carried on against him for the sole
purpose of screening a titleddelinquent from infamy
and punishment; a man who had been overwhelmed by
the force of wealth sad power— whose character had been
utterly ruined, and rho lied suffered under long impri-
eontneut and torture. Such a cosi: as this involved in
it a great poli::cal as well as a marsh principle, and he
had no doubt hut that the generous and public spirited
people of England would come forward os such an occa-
sion with an indignant feeling against those wha hail
siolate.l the laws of the country, as much as for the poi,.
rose of extending read to the nnbappyman who had
suffered through such perversion of justice.
After some remarks from other Gentlemen who at-
tended the meeting, a Bharat subscription was raised in
the room ; mid the following resolutions were agreed to:
" That houses in various parts of the metropolis be
opened to receive subscriptions for the safortunate and
muck-Inbred James Berne, the victim of the diabolical
Bishop of Clogher. 'that the Chairman (Mr. Parkins)
✓ed his friends give public notice of the houses where
such subscriptions shall be received.
" That on the present occasion this Meeting cannot
avoid expressing its abhorrence of the imperfect and par.
yid mintier in which justice has been administered iu
Ireland, as is evident from the Report of the Trial of
Jellies livened:l the year 1311, when it appeared that his
(*otiose "gave up the cause of their client ; that the
Lord Mayor of Dublin bad not only refused to admit
him to hail, but detained certain papers of his which
were necessary for his defence ; 1111.1 that the Judge,
when passing sentence on him, acted more like a par.
tizan than an administrator of justice.
" That as there is reason to suspect that certain per-
eons in Dublin bad conspired together for the purpose
of utterly destroying James Byrne, with a view of
screening Bishop Jocelyn from the consequences of the
charge which had been preferred against him by the I
said Janata Byrne. whose 11100Cant0 is DOW fully esta-
blished by the recent conduct of the said Bishop is this
taco,., the present Meeting is of opinion that a subsoil). 1
tion ought to be raised for the purpose of instituting eel
in•joiry. whether the pasties sn suspected may not be
proaecuted for the emptier"