The Sun. — 1848-02-02 (London, England)

GEORGE BENTINCL. On this question, also, we trust the Ministers will lose no time in announcing their intention, and while on the one hand we protest against any attempt to revive the absurdity of protective duties, we on the other hand protest as strenuously against the equal absurdity of giving the present black population lof our West India possessions the monopoly of the labour market by throwing obstacles in the way of a free immigration of free African labourers into our sugar colonies. The question of the repeal of the Navigation-laws will also occupy the attention of the House during the present session. The Committee on the Roman Catholic Relief Bill is fixed for Wednesday, and there can be no doubt that the year 1848 will see the erasure of the last vestige of the persecuting penal laws from our statute book. Should this Bill and the Jewish Disabilities Removal Bill pass during the present session, the year 1848 will be distinguished as the year in which perfect religious liberty was for the first time established in Great Britain. The affairs of Switierland, Italy, and Spain, will also, no doubt, come under discussion early in the session, as' will the subject of our national defences; and we see that Mr. Huta has given notice of a motion on the subject of the Raja of SATTARA, which will bring East Indian affairs under the attention of the House at an early period. Here then we have work enough carved out for our representatives if they will but do the work— ther besetting sin, however, is that they prefer talking to working, and we are reluctantly forced to admit the truth of the charges brought against the Members of the House of Commons by Colonel THOMPSON in his letter to the secretary of the Bradford Reform Association, and that the reproaches addressed to them are well deserved. The present, however, is a new House. Let us hope that, eschewing the evil ways of its predecessors, Members will do more and talk less, and that at the end of the session of 1848 we shall not be presented with that terrific list of murdered innocents which we have had ,to record at the conclusion of every session of late years—that we shall have more acts, and fewer promises.  We yesterday alluded to the propriety of having, not only public prosecutors, but public defenders appointed, who should act in every case where the prisoner did not wish to select his own professional advisers. A case which has just taken place at Clonmel, before the Lord Chief Justice, is worthy of notice, as affording a strong illustration of the evils to which we then adverted. Two brothers, named CODY, were charged with a very serious murder. When placed upon their trial, they were asked if they had any attorney engaged. They answered in the negative. The Crown Solicitor stated that a Mr. HuQuas had obtained copies of the informations, and had been in communication with the prisoners. Mr. HuGnas said that he was ready to act if assigned by the Crown ; but the Court haring intimated that it was not the practice to assign attorneys, he declined to give his services gratuitously, stating that he had understood he would have been assigned. His Lordship then assigned Mr. ROLLESTON to act as counsel on their behalf, but that Learned Gentlemen very properly intimated a strong objection to conduct so serious a case without the assistance of an attorney, without any instructions whatsoever, and also without having had any opportunity of making himself acquainted with the facts of the case ; for al- ,