The Sun. — 1812-05-16 (London, England)

OLD BAILEY, FRIDAY, MAY 15.  TRIAL OF 10HN BELLINGHAM FOR THE MUR. DER OF THE RIGHT HON. SPENCER PERCE. VAL. Abput ten o'clock Sir.JAMES MANSFIELD, Baron GRAHAM, .and Mr. Justice GROSE, entered the Court : they took their seats on each side of the LORDMAYoR,:and wereaCcompanied by the Duke of . CLARENCE, the Marquis WELLESLEY,• the RECORDER, and almost all the Aldermen of the city of London. Besides the Duke of CLARENCE and the Marquis WELLESLEY, we observed many other dis- . finguished persons in Court. The crowd was so immense, that no distinetion of rank was attended to, and many Members of the House of Commons were, therefore, obliged_to mingle in the throng. Among the most prominent of the'Members were `Lord LEVESON GOWER, Sir FRANCIS BURDETT, . General GASCOYNE, Mr, WILLIAM SMITH, Mr. :VERNON, (son of the Archbishop of York) &c. There were also present a great number of Ladies, all led by the most intense curiosity to behold the assassin, and to hear what he might urge in defence or in palliation of his atrocious ad. . . At length Bellingham appeared, and advanced_ tt the bar with a firm step, and quite undiSmayed. He bowed to the Court most.respedfully, and even -. gracefully. The impression that his appearance . made, accompanied as it was by this unexpected and unnatural fortitude, it is impossible for us to de-' scribe. A mute horror seemed to sit upon every countenance in the silence o: the first, few minutes ; but the miserable cause of it looked altogether unconsciotls of the effeel he had produced: . He was dressed in a light brown surtout coat, and .striped yellow waistcoat : his hair plainly dressed, and without powder.. Before the prisoner was called upon regularly to plead, • Mr. ALLEY rose, and said, he had 'to-Make an application for the'postponement of the trial. That application was founded upon statements, which went to shew that the prisoner could be proved to be insane, if sufficient tirne• were allowed for wit-. . nesses .to appear in his tavour. Mr. ALLEY was here interrupted by the Attorney-General. He objected to the (node adopted by the Counsel for the prisoner in making" his objections. This was certainly not the, proper titne for making speeches. The first wage of proceeding:, was, according to all pradice, the pleading of the prisoner to. the indictment. Mr. GARROW agreed entirely with the Atiorney- General. He spoke after , the most mature consideration ; and he was of opinion that there was, in, ' fad, but the one course which the Court could. suffer upon this occasion. Mr. ALLEY was about to reply, ~w!,;en he was told by the Court that they would not bear him. An application of this nature never was made before. How did the Court, e'en know, ;until the prisoner pleaded, whether he was in Court or not, or whether lie had Counsel ? This point being thus ruled, the indictment Was read, which contained three counts, and in the usual ,form charged the prisoner with the murder of the Right Hon. Spencer Perceval. - While the indictment was .reading, the prisoner listened with ,the greatest attention ; and when the I question guilty, or , not guilty was put to him, he t. spoke-shbitly tb the following effect :—“..My Lords  t can pieaa to this inciiament, I east  state, in justice Co myself, that by the hurrying ori. 4 of my trial, I ani 'piked in a most remarkable situation. It so happdnit, that my prosecutors are actually the witnesses agaiiist rne. All the document on which alone I could rest ttiy defenCe, have been taken from me, and are now to ptziession of the Crown. It is only. two days since I was told by Mr. Litchfield, :the Solicitor of the Treatury, tei  prepare for my trier and.'wheni Asked filth --for my papers, lie told me that they would, not be vett up to, me. It ,is, therefore, my Lords, rendered utterly impossible for me to go into my justification ; and under the circuMstance in which I firA Myself, a trial is absolutely useless. The part; are to be given to me after the trial, but how .cati that .avail me for my defence? I arm therefore;  tot ready for my trial." The Court, however, insisted that he shoulj dead to the indictment : and then, in a silbdueti :one df voice; he said, " Not guilty I put thyself  upon God and my countrY." Mr.