Miscellaneous.

Lyttelton Times, Volume X, Issue 606, 28 August 1858, Page 5

Miscellaneous.

THE COTJXSEL FOH DR. BERXAED. W« extract the following from the ' Guardian' of the sth May.— Dr. Ik-rnavd and Mr, Edwin James are reported as having exhibited themselves at St. Martin's Hall on Wednesday evening, on the occasion of a lecture given by Mr. N. J. Slack, barrister-at-law, in aid of the fund for defending the booksellers Truelove and Tehorzewski. The presence of Mr. James was announced by a Mr. Nieoly, in proposing a vote of thanks to the lecturer. This says the " Daily ITews. " was the signal for a hurst of enthusiastic cheering,and there were loud calls for " Mr. James. ° The learned gentleman complied, by advancing, and taking his seat on the platform, when another ovation was bestowed on him. A gentleman having stated that Dr. Bernard was present, he was also called forward and clamorously cheered. On appearing on the platform he warmly shook j hands with his advocate, Mr, James, and took I a scat by his bide:

" Sir. E. James rose, and the cheering was renewed and kept up for some time. He said he had little thought of receiving such an ovation. Next to the consciousness of having discharged his duty as an advocate courageously and conscientiously, the feeling of the English people was the approbation he most prized. (Cheers). He had rejected a retainer from the Crown in the late prosecution, because he believed that an obsolete Act of Parliament -was sought to oe put in. force to please a foreign despot. He believed that the verdict on that occasion was justified by every principle of lav.% justice, humanity, and right. The Judges had never dared to teil the jury on what an obsel&te law it was sought to sacrifice Dr. Barnard's life. (Cheers.) He hoped English juries would never submit to be told by Judges. " You find the the fact?, and what the law is we'll teli you by and bye." (Cheers.) He wished to express publicly his conviction of the entire innocence of Dr. Bernard. The jury would have disgraced themselves for ever if they had consigned his honourable client to a scaffold. (Cheers). He had attended Mr. Slack's lecture with a view to borrow something for his defence of Jfr. Triielove. He should discharge his duty fearlessly and conscientiously ; and he had no doubt the jury would do the same. (Loud cheers.)"

In reference to the above remarks of Ivlr. James) Mr. Hunt, afterwards in the House of Commons, amidst the cheers of the house, asked if it was competent for a Q. C. to refuse a brief when offered by the Crown ? iliV. Waljpole replied that he had read with, astonishment the i report in the papers, and was glad to say it was denied by Sir. James. Not ouly so, but the Home Secretary read the letters that had previously passed, where it appears that the Atj torney-General wishing to have his services, applied for them through the Crown Solicitor. Mr. James replied that he had been retained on the other side, and hoped the Crown would not insist upon his services, To which it was re- \ joined— cil have shown your letter to the AttorneyGeneral, and he desires me to say that he was not aware that you had been retained for Bernard, still less that you Lad conferred with his counsel and solicitor. He thinks that- it might now bs a great disadvantage to tlie prisoner to be deprived of your assistance, and would givs him a just cause of complaint, and therefore that you ought to be at liberty to go on his behalf." "JOHX GREE2TWOOD." (Cheers.) So little did Mr. James complain of the course which the advisers of the Crown had taken that he replied in these terms, which (said Mr. "Walpole) I think must satisfy the houso that there is some error or inaccuracy in the report of the proceedings at St. Martin's Hall: —

"My dear Greenwood—l thank you for your note, and feel the compliment paid rae by the Attorney-General."

I can only acid, that the moment the license to defend the prisoner was applied for at the HomoOffice, that license was given ; and I hope that this plain statement will now go forth to the public, as showing that in no case does the Crown in this country deprive prisoners of any legal assistance which they may desire to* have. (Cheers). * j A correspondent of the " Dublin Freeman's Journal" writes—" I believe lam ri^ht in telling 3-011 that an intimation has been sent to Sir Colin Cajnpbell that a peerage is at his service, but ho does not care to accept it. Sir Colin is a soldier from head to loot, and his desire would be advancement to the highest grade in his profession, that of Field Marshal. That advancement he will shortly obtain ; but the difficulty for the moment is a money one with the East India Company. The pay and allowance of a Field-[Marshal on the Shift' in India would not 1)3 much less than £30.000 a-year, and there is a delay until it is ascertained it' Sir Colin would continue to serve on a general's pay. Tie would undoutedly do so, for Lord II;u\lmgo only took General's pay, though lie continue--! to le Commander-in-Chief for some months after he was made Field-Marshal. Lord Beaton, your Commander of the forces in Ireland, though a General in the army, only receives the pay of a Lieutemnit-Gc-neral; and Sir- Colin himself, when Inspector-General of Infantry, only got the pay of a Major-General, although his rank entitled him to more." Mr. Spurgoon has'of late Leon launching out with considerable energy bell to the thousands who still crowd the Surrey Gardens Music-hall against the shallow ihe-ilogkv.l tonnhing oif i!io Dissenting school;-, ol" uivimiy. Wo h;id hoped tluit there might bo some ex;>;,'ger'-UioM in tho statements of this riv.;-irk;ibh v ur.d giiu'ii proaelier, although tliv.« gvr.;i':l s.-.un-lnc.ss of hi:; own doctrine gives cousid'.Tablo wri^ht, to his testimony on such a tmbK'ct. But we n;v !-'rbv;vl io sop ihnt ti'S'-iiuony strosigiy <-ov:'r.!'or,'ti.\' by a in ii'.o ' AOva^-.^Mioal .'>!.'.•;,iv.'uo,' i!io ;>Kk>-;f, wil In-liow. of (h.1 Xo \:t'A\\^,:.\\\\..l ]io;vidiL'ab*-, ami on..' which is :-:;■. p]Ms,\t t.i *iso.-.k t!io

sentiments of a largo section of their leading m i ni stars.— Record-. The Duke-of Malakhoff was entertained at a grand dinner, on the Gth Ma} 7, given by tho Army and Navy Club. Major-Generol Sir W. E. Williams of Kars, filled the chair. Lieuteuant Geneste, 11. N., of Hango-head, Baltic, celebrity, has been dismissed from the licyal Navy by court-martial on a charge of drunkenness. Mr. C. B. Addevlj has been appointed fourth Charity Commissioner for England and Wales, in the room of Mr. Baines. Mr. W, Deedes, M.P, for Kent has been appointed by the Primate Church Estates Commissioner, in the room of Mr. Spencer Walpole, resigned.