The Sun. — 1848-01-01 (London, England)

FRENCH— having reference to such things as salt, postage, mortgage, savings' banks, and pawnbroking : and much in a very large way is guaranteed to Great Britain by the programme of the Russell Administration—these improvements bearing in an especial manner upon the sanitary question, the educational question, and the religious toleration question, as well as upon taxation, criminal jurisprudence, colonial government, and our national defences. With the exception of the electioneering excitement which was experienced among ourselves, and the reform banquets which have agitated the Liberal party among our neighbours, quietude has been maintained in both kingdoms. Peace and Preparation have been the predominant characteristics of 1847: may Peace and Fulfilment be the characteristics of 1848!  Some of our Contemporaries have severely censured the line of defence which Mr. SEYMOUR, who acted as counsel for REID on the occasion of the late trial for the Mirfield murders, thought proper to offer on behalf of his client. It was said that he, being fully aware of the guilt of the party for whom he was engaged, on the very best and most conclusive evidence—his own confession—still attempted to obtain REID'S acquittal, by imputing the actual commission of the appalling outrage to the other prisoner, thus seeking to transfer the odium and the punishment due to the crime from the real offender, to a person of whose innocence he was fully cognisant, and of which innocence he himself made a representation to the presiding Judge immediately after the verdict of the jury was recorded. The Learned Gentleman has published a letter (which will be found in another column) in vindication of his own conduct, in which the real facts of the case are set forth. It appears, then, that previous to the trial REID had returned in confidence to his attorney, in answer to certain questions submitted to him as to the character of the new evidence, replies which were almost conclusive as to his crimi nality, " which (in the words of Mr. SEYMOUR), tended very much to inculpate himself, but did not at all exculpate APCABE from the suspicion of being some way engaged along with him." These replies, moreover, were so contradictory in themselves, and so totally opposed to the evidence for the prosecution, that they were not credited, and the Learned Counsel did not in any manner depart from the line of defence which he had previously decided on adopting, a line of defence which had been resorted to on the previous trial, by one of the most distinguished ornaments of, the bar—Mr. Sergeant WlLE.isis, a gentleman whose high character affords the strongest guarantee that he would not have had recourse to any unfair or unprofessional conduct. A line of defence, too, which obtained the acquittal.of the unfortunate man on that occasion, the jury manifestly believing that M'CABE, who was then examined as a witness for the prosecution, was himself implicated in the transaction. The entire facts of the case led to the conclusion that two persons at least must have been concerned. There were three separate murders, in different apartments—several weapons used—the soldering iron and the kitchen poker, in the first instance, and subsequently the razor, by which the throats of the victims were cut. There was much struggling— the keys taken from the pockets, drawers opened, the house plundered, curtains drawn, doors and windows bolted, the escape of the murderer or murderers, and all within a very few minutes—ten at the outside; then there was the great improbability of M'CAEE's statements, which were hardly credible, until corroborated by the subsequent explanations, the more explicit confession of REID ;—all these circumstances combined together and attentively considered, led to a very strong presump tion of M'CABE's guilt, and it was not improbable that REID might have desired at that time, to shield his companion, and not to make any statement, even to his own professional advisers, that would criminate him. There is frequently a principle of rude fidelity to their accomplices, that is regarded in the most sacred light, and observed i even by the most abatidoned criminals. This s peculiarly the case in Ireland, of which country REID was a native. Mr. SEvstoun was therefore fully justified in acting upon his own judgment, and leading others to adopt the same opinion to preserve his client, even should the conviction of M'CABE have been the result.  of his guilt. This necessity was imposed on Mr.