London, Saturday, July 17...
The Times, 1824-07-17T00:00:00

The great peculianities attending the trial of yesterday. it, which thlis Journal acted as dlefendanit, would of them- selveA naturally Iraw the public attention to the subject. Mr. BoDXIw-a name whiclh the assiduous endeavours. o' its owner have conspired with our humble, and we fear less zealous, eftirts to raise into celebrity, andmake known to the world-AMr. Boir,N, the Honiorary Secretary and quondam Assistant lar.ager of the Mendicity Society, -was the plaintiff'; and hii grievance, real or imagi:ary seace remarks transmitted so us in a letter, but certainly sanc- iioned hy our publication, which Temarks chiefly reprobated hiis acceptance of the sum of f.ve hui!dred pour.ds under the .nore octult character of A.Nting-Manager, wvhilst he ap- -e.a.rcd chiefly before the WOild as a pe-:on enJoying only an honorary eaion-that is, performing gratuitous ser- viems in tihe Society. A%;d i:, when we itirwrted ihose let- terF, we directe(d picik atttDLofn to tbei- cnittents, mnuch snore do we now sohlit that sanle public attntion to the interesting trial which has been the result o- Ehe publica- tion in question, and whic l wiL be found iu our columns of this day. Antl first, as to the title of H1onorary Secretary. Far bW -. from us to reproach anJ man with his prlstin,; poverty, the meanress of bis occullpation, or the narrow sphere of his cor- *ernE, if he has been able to raise hinself by honest industry. Mr. BovDXIN, iL apl%!ars, lhadl not been a professional mran, as we had iigorant!y supposed, prior to his becoming an Hoaorary Secretary, but an auctioneer. This was no shame to him ; hb;t when we assert, as we do mBost eon- scientiously, that he was never knouw to us in that cha- racter, it vill surely follow that bis dealings were mot of a very extensive or luerjtive nature. Now, all that we have to ask is, was it right, or was it natiral, in such an auc- tioneer as IMr. BoIxiNx Must have been, to propose that hie ehould wolik gratuitously for any bodyof men? Was such a person in a condition to work gratuitously? He must tlerefore have had somo ulterior object in view, when he tendered his services to the Society for nothing: his great error lay in not avowing candidly, that he had himself and his family (if he bad oine) to maintain, and be could not effcct those very nec'Esasy and indispensable objects by kraetuitous services. Tbese remazks, we fear, may apply to other honorary officers in public char:ties; andl we are con- vinced, that whesever any charitable institution is started, and propositions ofgratuitous services are tendered,the more opulent nembere should never fail of asking those who ten der such propositLonu, "lWhat are their means of workineg "forn6thing? Where aretheir fortunes laid up" (in security no doubt);,"by the r'osession of which they can-now dedicate " their time, in whole or in p&st, graiuitoumly to the public "eervice?.". And if it appears they have no such fortune,no sa teans f livinlg upright" as the pbase is, then dbeir pro5iotiMisouglit to'b rctet1id:5 mere 1e$ Ideedsl w7e Iu.t:ay that-it2wouallbe cruel as1d nljU4 in Wn of .aut; 4a>dstuJe,ce cYet>0 awe the P~scep of.e 0 cZ t improvident enough to neglect.thef{irt princip20 of charity, and to transfer from horne theproduct of tie. time and talent needed at home. % le have delayed putting the paper to press till iline o'clock this morning, for the Tlirposo of comifluni- cating, if possible, the decision in the case above referred i to ; but at that hour the Jury, who had been locked up eighteen hours, had not delivered any verdict. We have only to mention one adAitional circumstance to those re- lated in the report of the trinl, showing the state in wshich the Jury were. At seven o'clock this morning a violent knock;ng weas heard within the (leor of the rooin to which the Jury had retired. lVhen the door was opened by the officer of the Court, at the order of MIr. BELLAMY, one of the Jury attempted to rush out, but was put back by the officer. The Jutryman exclained-." I must be out, I must be out; they are " driving me to madness !" Thje door was instantly cl6sed on them, and lockled. The name of tha Juryman above al. luded to, we hiave since heard, is GODSALL. A singular afair took place in tde vicinity of the Court, about three hours after the Jury had retired, be- twen Mr. Bitocx, who had given the chief evidence in fa- vour of the plaintilf, and the highly respectable gentleman who was our solicitor; upon which, however, as the parties were reconciled, we abstain from making any remarks, fur- ther than by saying that it occupied the Court in hearing witnesses for more than half an hour, wlhile the Jury were deliberating on their verdict. LOArDOXV, SATURDAY, JULY 17, iM4.