The Sun. — 1855-04-06 (London, England)

SHILLING" RAZOR. (V Sold everywhere. Warranted good by the makers, JOSEPH NW:PIN and BROTHERS, Queen's Cutlery Works, Sheffield ; and 37, Moorgate-street, City, London.  NIAPPIN'S SUPERIOR TABLE KNIVES, as made for the Crystal Palace, Sydenhain ; handles cannot possibly become loose : the blades are all of the very first quality, being their own Sheffield manufacture. Buyers supplied at their London Warehouse, 37, Moorgate-street, City ; and Queen's Cutlery Works, Sheffield.  We have no fears as to the result of the trial. We have perfect confidence in the shrewdness and integrity of twelve English jurymen. They will knew how to banish from their minds Any allegations or discussions they may have heard before they entered the jury-box, and to decide upon the evidence there brought before them exclusively. But in the name of common sense and common spoorality, we must record our protest against the mischieious fallaciee that have been ventilated on the present occasio'n. Some have argued that it is impossible for a rich person to commit a theft, because they can have no motive. Are men to disbelieve their eyes, because it is difficult to conjecture what can have influenced an offender to act as he has done ? The guilty fact having been proved, the guilt of the perpetrator is established : it is for metaphysician, not for judges or juries, to puzzle their beads with curious inquiries about motives. If a man kills another, is he to escape scot free unless the prosecutor can show what object he proposed to attain by committing the murder ? Again, we are told that thefts committed by wealthy persons can only be attributed to insanity, and that insane persons are not responsible for their action. There is in this argument a fallacious play upon words. Psychologists call every person insane who labours under mental disease of any kind or degree. But it is not every kind or degree of insanity that can or ought to exempt culprits from punishment. The object of punish. ment is to afford a motive to abstain from crime to those in whom the natural motives for such abstinence are wanting or too weak. A man who may be unable to control an irregular desire may be induced to desist from its indulgence if he knows that he will be punished for it. All that is required in any man to render him amenable to punishment is that lie shall be able to comprehend that puni-liment will be the consequence of his committing a prohibited act. There are mental diseases which render men incapable of comprehending this, and they who arc visited by them are justly exempted from punishment. But mere violence of desire and deficiency of self-control, though they indicate a diseased state of mind, do not necessarily constitute insanity in the eye of equity or the law. This plea of insanity has of late been crossly abused in criminal cases, and in the interest of public morals and public law the abuse must be checked.  soon be filled, and that volunteering for the militia will proceed even more successfully than before. Looking broadly at the subject we may truly say that the country has little reason to be dissatisfied with its  militia volunteers. The regiments, in most cases, were well and rapidly filled, and the young recruits, after a short period of training, displayed every promise of military excellence. When the invitation was given to volunteer into the line it was accepted with extraordinary spirit, nor should it ever be forgotten, ,when the actual number of militia effectives is spoken of, that the complements of many corps have been laigely and constantly reduced by the draughts thus made upon their strength. Again, when it was made known that the services of militia regiments would be accepted for duty at certain foreign stations there was no lack of offers, nor did the militia fail us in this respect any more than in others. If the force has not been maintained at its full  complement, it has been raised on unexceptionable terms, and without t►he slightest grievance inflicted on any class of the population ; it has made admirable progress in training, it has evinced the most patriotic spirit in responding to the calls made upon it, nor is there any ground for surprise or discontent in the fact that some of its soldiers who had enli-ted on certain specified conditions should, after the due observance of those conditions, have been indisposed to extend them.