The Sun. — 1839-02-01 (London, England)

SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY, REDIVITART 1, .1P39.  " The proceedings in the case of ' The Queen against Lawson,' in the Queen's Bench yesterday, must not pass without remark. Sir John Conroy was, our readers have seen, ill-advised enough to call for judgment upon Mr. Lawson, for the publication in the Times of an article the truth or falsehood of which lie (Sir John) did not dare to put in issue, at the very time wh a he %las confessing that, if true, it reflected iuvouly upon his character. Wny call for judgment, if Sir John does not wish to deter others from making statements the truth of which he will not allow to be proved ! As fa; as his own contradiction of the Times could go in setting up his character, he had succeeded when he obtained his first object—when he got his criminal information ; all thatfollowed was an idle parade of the operation of an odious law—if it was not vindictive or minatory. We presume that Sir John or his friends will not justify his later proceedings as vindictive —for this were to say that he is neither a good citizen, gentleman, nor Christian : it must then be minatory ; but minatory as regards what ! The exposure of the conduct of men placed in situations affecting the public interests—to say nothing of the inconsistency of such a design with the least respect for public liberty and the public good, its folly is egregious. A greater man than Sir John Conroy could not effect this while any spirit of liberty should linger in the British nation. The menace, if not the most extravagantly stupid in the world, must have an especial respect to Sir John Conroy's own proceedings. It is a proclamation noli me tanyere—l am of that constitution of character that I cannot bear handling. The Times, in its allusion to the case, hints a doubt that the article which was the subject of the prosecution was a libel. We must differ on this point from our respected Contemporary. Anything true or false which displeases any individual named, or even hinted at in it, may, in the present state of the I.w, be successfully prosecuted as a libel. Ex. cremes try principles,' as Lord Brougham says. It was a libel punishable by law to call Greenacre a murderer the night before he was hanged, and had any accident spared Greenacre's life, he might have indulged that animosity to the officiousness of the Press which he entertained in common with his class, by successfully prosecuting every one of us for the publication of his trial. So much for the honour that is won by success in libel prosecutions—so much, too, for the degree of disgrace that can attach to a conviction for libel. Mr. Lawson's punishment is light (this marks the Court's sense of the affair); but were it aggravated twenty-fold—if he has anything of our feelings—and we are sure that his feelings are those of a gentleman and an honest man—he would not change places with Sir John Conroy for those Welch estates, that, for all that has been permitted to appear, have been bought with, fairy money, or sums raised by the wand of an enchanter."— Times.  sum of 1:20/ paid into Court by the defendant in this cause, should not be taken out, on the ground twat the cause had ceased in consequence of the death of the plaintiff. A Learned Counsel now appeared on behalf of the executor of the deceased, and submitted that, acting upon its equitable jurisdiction, the Court would allow the money to remain in Court, to abide the event of another action intended to be commenced by the widow for its recovery. Lord