, 1861-03-06
Enelisll Sentiment and the Anderson

!: Tie idea Of the mere possibility of our Gov
ernment handing over an innocent black man I
to be put to death WIS Eo: fagrantly impossi-
BILE that seems 10 have been universally and ,
our national character to entertain EueA = suS-
Eesd0n as q possibility. The lawyers have 1s :
usunl, managed 10 perplex The question by in.
gclfons verbal reilanents,- and tlis phase Gf
the n1atter has consequently caused q CONVEX
Eationin the House Of Commons We cannot
say ttat Lord Palmerston set asl anxieties to
rest on Friday night, for no anSleties tcTer CIR.
listed; but he showed that the public conIi-
denee YVES entirely justified The Governor-
General of the. Eanadas has long ago received
his instructions 10 hold: Anderson In his Gus
tody and under his projections. and to await,
positive orders: from England. Practically,
As.derso .s as m ST M , ,,, IT, The = te.tt it Of q
4fiica.a But still the legnl auestlons are in
porEant, as directing the course Of procedure
In similar cases: for il q Slave be legai]y in.
peril of q change Of murder for foreiblY de-
Tending: his liberty, lie may: be in peril Of
charge Of robbery fur 6tealiEg his clothes, Or
Canadian deciaign first reached this country
thers was a disposition on the part Of our
lawyers to think that the: Canadian Court WIS
techhfcal}y right. This impression wHs hastily
taken up, less, perhaps, from the arguments Of
the two judges who gave the jud gmsnt. than:
IOm LIE Wetk 1s1Ls0GS given W LGF 1uoSe
who dissented- 4 more leisurely examination
Of; the ea.e has entirely changed the coursS Of
Legal opinion, and at this moment West
minister Hail is almost unanimous to
the effect that the Court Of Queens
Bench IN Canada has given 4 judg-
ment which cannot be sustained before
any Court of appeal :: We :eel it to be the
+. more necessary to state as FIR IS we arc able,
Whist the prepond derance Of legal opinions on
: this side 6f tie Atlantic is; because it is not
easy to say how the only decision upon the
+ subject'Whloh now stands On record ia to: be
revised aud ovevFuled. 1t would appear that
there are some legal doubts with reference to
that writ Of ha5eas corpus which was Issued Into
Canada by our Court OF Queens Bench. That
writ has caused an unnecessary complication
Of the case, and we hope it may not lend to
still more grave inehnYenlences.. Perhaps
theFe Huy be some means known TO tie Caua.
dian tudicial system by which the, Judgment Of
Tue Tue coast @ may se revised, OF perhaps it may
be possible, as it would be heref to renew re
cohstitated. otherwise VIC do not sex
how the man is to be set:at liberty; Some
method ought to be devised OF, cutting 'all
these legal knots. They would seem, ho%ey.
er, to be knots Of entirely our own tying. Il
+ does not: appear from Lord >Pulmerst ton's
made any move in the matter. As to tue Mis-
shuri prosecutor, and as to the Law officers o1
/ Missouri, of course they can have no Interest
| OF right in this treaty matter. Whatever il
done must be done by the two Governments
| and the American Government would appFa ~
| to have made no demand, and In all probabili
| ty will make no demand in such an odIou!
ease If any demand should be made, Lore
Palmerston is prepared, as he tells the Houss
OF Commons, to hold that 8 unless an Ebglisf
lawyer wonld place the act done by Anderson
under the head: Of murder; it is Qnite clear thG
I no good oase. has been made out for the surren
def:of Anderson under the provisions of til.
treaty" Thus the. practical part Of the cas,
| ends; but how the lawyers will manage to IN
rarcl their own webs and to get the man 1NI
fully ont Of priEon VIC walt to see.