The fate of the unfortuna...
The Times, 1824-06-14T00:00:00

The fate of the unfortunate Missionary Mr. S-MITHI, has, as will be seen from our report of the debate on M?r. BRouGilAm^'s motion, produced that impression upon the most enlightened portion of society in England, which all events of a nature to excite alarm for the liberty of the sub- ject, aind for the administration of justice, ought to create among a free people. If th?sympathy of spectators on be- haif of sufferers under a violation of law, humanity, or ho- nour, should become-we will not say, deadened, but-ever so little relaxed in this country, it will be at once a proof that our moral feeling has degenerated, and that our public rights are menaced with the nmost imminent danger, inas. much as the trae secret of our national greatness is, that every Englishman feels the woand inflicted on his fellow. The debates on Mr. BROUGHAAs'S motion, wlhich went to charge upon the D nmerara Court-martial, a direct violation oflaw and justice, did,not, we rejoice to say, exhibit an in- difference to the merits of this important case, more than was to be looked for from the (perhaps necessary) policy of MIinisters, and from the biassed minds of a few indivi- viduals connected by interest, and more by prejudice, with the white community of Demerara. The case, in fact, by the opposers of the motion, was never arguetd on-its, merits at all. The legality of the tri- bunal was given up, as not warranted by the code of Rol- land-the ptuishment,as in defiance of the law of England -theevideenee, as in part contradictory and incredible; part obtained by cruel treachery, and applied to the prosecut,ion by a strain of tyranny unheard of since the days of JzSr- FRIEs. The crime itself for wnichl Mr. SMITH had been condemned was alizndoned by the feelings of every mem_-; ber of Parliament wvho spoke upon it, as not more incon-" sistent with the evidence on the trial than with the laws of the British empire, with the character of the accused, and lwith the dictatesof common reason. Our owR persuasion fromthe first had been, that to sup- pose this missionary in any degree a partakerof, or party to, I the insurrection of the Blacks, would be to imagine him not the most iniquitous, but the most insane of beings. Mr. AbNaiNG acknowledges that there is no tittle of proof as to SMITv'S having encoaraged the insurrection. He ascribes his taciturnity tobisabhorrenceof thename of aininformer. This: is pure childishness. No such scruple could have operated uponi any sound mind in a case so awful. Air. BaouaHAX, in his masterly reply, puts the fact upon its right footing; for he states from the minutes, that the letter which con- veyed to SMITH his first distinct knowledge of the conspi- racy, never reached his hands until three hours after the disturbances had alreadyr broken olit. The motion Was opposed on the single grounl (for of Mr. IORTON's speech the less is said the better) that the members of the court-martial lid not intend to act crimi- naly, and were therefore fit objects for the humane for- bearance of Parliament: this was aU that 'Mr. CANsNG'S dexterity could do for tlem. The list of the minority in- cludes the name of almost every member, except the re- gular adherents of MIinisters, distinguished for-reputation, public influentee, or talent. The majority was even in num- bers but a feeble one-no more than 47, out of a house of near 350 members.