The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-02-26 00:00:00

Miraculously discovered in time to sale the lives
of the poor Irishmen, they were io their torn brought
to trial. Vaughan was tried fora conspiracy, and
also for being accessory before the fact to coining;
and Brock, Power, and Pelham were tried for the
second only of these charges. The pardon of these
deliberate and sanguinary villains was actually avow-
ed by Mr. BATIIUMIT and the ATTORNET•GENERALs
as the result of recommendation to the Panne

°Ext. It seems the twelve Judges have decided.,
against the conviction in the case of Vaughan, on the
charge of being accessory to coining before the fact ;
and on the strength of this decision in the case of
Vaughan, his Majesty's Ministers have advised a free
and unconditional pardon to Brock, Power, and
Pelham. Bat why, we ask, were these wretches
once let loose on the Public to commit new crimes,
and not brought to trial for a conspiracy ? Is leni-
ency to be shown only to (those who live by seUing
the blood of their fellow-citizens? As Sir FRANCIS
BumorT7 justly observed, although a representation
might necessarily be made on a point of law reserved
in ono case for the benefit of the Prisoners, yot we
an zeds° reason why they should all escape popish-
sionz.:hi a case whertfr the law was clearly decided
.egainst them. • •
• As this act is avowed to be the result of advice

given to she Crown, the exercise of the prerogative
in respect tojemay be cinvassed : and in spite of the
pies for mercy to these convicted blood-hounds,
foonded upon the humane doubts of the Judges and
.legal techuicalities,comparisons of mercy will be made,
-and feelingv.no wise in approbation of such lenity
will be expressed by the Public. We have witnessed
:no such delicacy of abstinence from prosecution and
punishment in regard to persons suspected of State
adeoces. No doubts of legal propriety, no pious
arrestations from the scruples of conscience interfered

to prevent the multiplication of inveterate proceedings
against the Reformers—nothing but defeat could
awaken conscience in this respect. But is there
• really nothing politiCal at the bottom of these ac-
(phials ? These scoundrels must have some merits,
though we cannot discover them. We have seen an
insinuation that Vaughan's services have been re-
warded by a situation at the Penitentiary. is this
true? And how do these things sound in connection
with such melancholy details as will be found in the
letter which we this day submit, relating to the fate
of the respectable individual, THOMAS Ritzy, whom
the disgrace and privailensof the imprisonment under
the Suspension Act, dross to suicide in York Jail
The case of the enfortunate Mr. RILEY, so piiint-
edly and properly mentioned at the Common-bill,
who, as Mr. STOCKS, a Magistrate near the spot; in
his Letter to LordMILTONI said, was is/dually cosi--
witted to York' Castle, by order of Lord Sfromorru;
rani of whose inoffensive deportmOet and fate, 'the
letter we have inserted and alluded • to, more folly
. and honestly 'speaks, contains a charge, which is to
be answered at an awful tribunal. The Courier of
last night,in its abominable attempts to find grounds
of exculpation for the shuffling and severities

so palpable in the conduct towards this man,
makes this base insinuation, 66 May not the
wretched mat► have destroyed himself as well from
conscious guilt as from the despondency of oppressed
innocence." What foundation there is for this gra-
tuitous assumption of conscious' guilt, may be seen
as well from the letter we insert as from every parti-
cular that has transpired respecting this iudi-
'ideal. That 'his persecutors were conscious of
his innocence is pretty strongly demonstrated,
from their not daring to bring him to trial:—
The heart sickens, to read the details, the shocking
details of the ncent persecutions. They are scarcely
c►sdible. IA RILEY'S case there is a want of candour,
not to say of honesty, between the Home Secretary
and the local Magistrates that disgusts thimind. When
the Magistrates were applied to, to know the charges
against him, and whether he could be admitted to
bail, the answer wav, " he is detained by the authority
of the Secretary of State." When Mr. BARCL I Y ap-
plied. to the Secretary of Slate, he knew nothing about
him—he had no charge against him ! The local Ma-
gistrates were not authorised to detain him tathosst
charge, under the Suspension of the Habeas Corpus
Act. And the Home Secretary says is was taut
detained upon his- authority! Wbat juggling r Bet
there is yet something more. It is represented to
the Home Secretary, that further• confinement of a
man, against whom he says he has no charge, will be
fatal! Still the man is left to linger in the cell, acid
he commits an act of suicide! Gracious Heaven ! Is
a Bill of Indemnity to wipe away this pan's-blood,
and turn his widow and his weeping children from
the bar of justice ?

.

We have been favoured with Bengal Papers to the'
18th of September, by which we learn, that the Mar-
quis of HASTINGS had arrived at Allahabad on the
Ist of that month. The espected proceedings on the
North-western Frontier were likely to be of consi-
derable interest. The .Madras troops were Ott Ate's'
March to the Nerbuddr, and a large force ()linty',
try and cavalry was to take op a position to the
Northward of that river. Sir T. HISLOP was ex-
pected to proceed direct for Ellichpore. The troops
of the third division of the Field Army had received
orders from Sir D. OCHTEMLONY to bold themselves
completely equipped for in "N tog by the 15th Sept.—
The Pindarree force of Scimnt t,t scus estimated at
70,000 men; but that of Lil,: KHAN at Only a few
hundred followers on *whom can def•eild. •