Glasgow Courier. — 1858-04-13 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT BERNARD'S I CASE. (PER ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)  Lord Campbell attended yesterday morning to open the special commission for Inquiry into the charges against Simon Bernard as. being an accomplice in the conspiracy of Orsini and others to assassinate the Emperor of the French.  The Commission included the Lord Mayor, Lord Campbell, the Lord Chief Baron, Mr Justice Erie, Mr Justice Crowder, the City Recorder, Commissioner Prendergast, the Common Serjeant, and all the Aldermen, according to their seniority. The Grand Jury having been sworn, Lord CAMPBELL addressed them. After explaining the cause and application of the special commission to inquire Into this case, his Lordship said the question of fact which the jury would have to consider would be whether the evidence which would be laid before them was sufficient to show prima facie that Bernard while residing in England was an accomplice in the plot to assassinate the Emperor of the French. If he was such an accomplice, and auppoxing the object of the conspirators had been fatally accomplished, he would have been accessory to the murder. He was equally an accessory to the murders which were committed, as they were a probable consequence of the murderous deed which he had expressly sanctioned. The depositions clearly showed whether Bernard was privy to it or not. A plot was formed by certain foreigners, who had found an asylum in England, to assassinate the Emperor of the French by explosion of gunpowder. There was no direct positive evidenee in the depositions to show that Bernard was aware of the purpose to which the grenades were to be applied; but the depositions did disclose serious facts, which, till contradicted or explained, might lead to the presumption that he was an accomplice. His Lordship then enumerated a few of the most prominent facts. They showed the connesion of Bernard with Orsini and Pierri, his promotion of their plans,his procuring Rudio'spassport,and in dressing him to go to Orsini in Paris; his assistance in transmitting the grenades, he having purchased materials for making fulminating powder, and his despatch of the revolvers to Paris. Such complicity might be sufficient to make the accused an accessory before the fact to the murders which in the event were committed, although the deaths of the individuals who were not in the contemplation of the accused when he became a party to the plot. Bat, said his Lordship, unless the evidence unanswered did, in the judgment of the jury, make out against Bernard a;prima facie case of complicity in the plot against the life of the Emperor of the French, he thought that they ought to return the indictment, which would be laid before them, not a true bill, and that would pot an end to all farther proceedings under the commission; but if the evidence did, in their judgment, make out a prima facie case of complicity, he would advise them to find a true bill, so that the trial might proceed. Whatever questions of law might be raised during the trial would be deliberately considered. Four judges of the superior courts were appointed to preside, and would all be present. Furthermore, the commiasioner had power of taking, either before or after the trial, the opinion of all the 15 judges upon any doubtful question of law that might arise during the trial His Lordship trusted while the trial was proceeding, there would be a total absence of comment or discussion on the part of all the public journals. The jury considered the matter for four hours, when they returned into court with the announcement that they had found a true bill against Simon Bernard fur the capital offence. The trial will commence on Monday.