Yield in effulgence to that coming day, MR. ROGER O'CONNOR. TRIM ASSIZES, Wednesday, MarcH 13. This day Roger O'Connor, and Rodrick O'Connor, Esqrs. and Peter Hayes, were given in charge for assaulting Henry Ogle. Mr. JEBB stated the case, and called the prosecutor, who proved that he had been violently assaulted and beaten by the two O'Connors, father and son, on two distinct days, at Dangen Castle, the resi dence of the elder O'Connor. The witness had gone to the house of the latter to demand a receipt in full for half a year's rent for which Roger O'Connor, his Landlord, had seized and sold Ogle's chattels. Cross-examined by Mr. O'Connor. Q. Do you know two men of the name of Martin McKeon and James Crosbie ? A. I do. Q. Look on the Bench at my Lord Norbury, Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas; is he a sworn friend of your's? A. I never spoke to the Gentleman in my life. Q. Is he a sworn enemy of mine? A. I do not know. Q. Did you ever say, if my rent was to be decided before Lord Norbury and a Trim Jury, they would make right wrong, and wrong right? A. I never said any such thing. Lord NORBURY.-If any person was to say such a thing, I would feel it my duty to apply to His Majesty's Attorney-General to file a criminal information. Mr. O'Connor.-I will prove it to your Lordship this day upon oath. The witness was then examined by Mr. O'Connor as to a variety of dealings relative to the rent of the premises. Lord NORBURY.-I have every wish to give every possible and reasonable degree of latitude in the cross-examination; but, Mr. O'Connor, I request you to recollect there are a number of poor wretches in the dock, waiting to take trial for their lives. Mr. O'Connor.-I do not know how, or why, I am so hemmed in. Is there a man in the country but myself, that would have been sent to the Assizes to stand his trial for a common assault-to be dragged into this Court, instead of being sent to the Sessions, for the purpose of making me more particular than any other manI, who hardly ever stir abroad, except when I go to Dublin or England with my family-who am unacquainted with the gentlemen of the country-who never was in one of their houses for seven yearswhose only acquaintance, and that but a slight one, in the country is Mr. Winter? Why should I be treated in a manner totally different from any other man? Lord NORBURY.-I only wish to assist you in your mode of proceeding and to save as much of the public time as we can. DEFENCE. Nicholas Kerrney, Owen Tracy, and Dorah Crosbie, swore positively that the prosecutor was the first aggressor. Martin McKeon examined by Mr. O'Connor. Was one of the persons left as keeper on the prosecutor's property, and had a conversation with him. Q. Had you any conversation with him relative to the Learned and Noble Lord on the bench? Lord NORBURY.-Sir, I caution you not to commit a studied contempt of this Court. I have as much temper and forbearance as any man that has the honour of presiding in a similar situation. As to myself, I am totally indifferent to what was said, but I never will suffer any man under colour of a defence to be guilty of a studied contempt, because it cannot be relevant to the issue; and as to the gossiping of a parcel of illiterate fellows, it can be of no use to you; and I will not set a precedent for insulting the coming judges of assize. Mr. O'Connor. My Lord, I do think it very relevant; and if it should be a contempt, I do it in ignorance. Perhaps I may put the question this way :-Did you hear any thing from the prosecutor respecting the trial? A. This is the great man that you thought so much about, and that the people thought so much about; and that they thought to crown king of this place. And, if he was governor or king of Tara, you would be worse off than you are-but, if it was left to a jury of Trim and Lord Norbury, little of it he would ever put into his pocket; you know little about it, for they would make right wrong, and wrong right. Lord NORBURY.-Q. Who was present? A. James Crosbie. James Crosbie examined by Mr. O'Connor. Is the second keeper that was on the prosecutor's property. The prosecutor said, is not this a terrible thing, that he should be such a tyrant; but I will let him know I have a friend-my Lord Norbury is a friend of mine, is an intimate friend of mine, and a sworn enemy to Mr. O'Connor; and if it is left to the decision of my Lord Norbury, and a Jury of Trim, by the maculate farmer, he would never get his rent, for they would make wrong right, and right wrong. Mr. M'NALLY to the prosecutor.-Q. Is that true? A. It is as false as any thing as ever was said.. Q. You have heard what he has said repecting the Noble Lord on the Bench: does he swear false? A. I say it is a most infamous lie. Here the case closed-Lord NORBURY summed up the evidence. duct from malignant and unfounded imputations. Mr. O'Connor said, he alluded to his Lordship's conduct heretofore in the House of Commons, when Attorney General : to that conduct he imputed the partial treatment he had received: it had poisoned the opinion of the people against. him; it had affected him in his character and in his dearest interests. But, however, he thanked the Noble Lord for the patience with which he had attended to the trial, and permitted him to expend so much time. Lord NORBURY replied, that when the history of the year 1798 came fairly to be stated to posterity, he had no doubt but the Attorney-General of that day would appear as deserving the thanks of the country. Mr. O'Connor. Then, my Lord, for your satisfaction, I tell you I am writing that history. Lord NORBURY said, that what he had said did not relate to Mr. O'Connor, but to his family, which had been troublesome, and disturbers of the peace. Lord NORBURY.-I will hold no farther conversation with you, Mr. O'Connor: let the gentleman be taken into custody; we will consider of the sentence. The Jury retired for about an hour, and Mr. O'Connor.-Your Lordship alludes, then brought in the following verdict :- I presume, to my brother, now absent in R. O'Connor, Esq. guilty-Roderick O'Con- France, with whom Government capitunor, Esq. not guilty-Peter Hayes, guilty.lated, and permitted to go abroad. Mr. O'Connor begged leave to address the Court. He said the verdict just given reminded him of a verdict given against him on a former occasion, in a civil action, tried in the same Court-house, before his Lordship, in which the verdict was not only against the evidence, but against the charge of the Noble and Learned Lord. The verdict of this day was a proof of the testimony which charged Mr. Ogle with having said that he could not have justice from a Trim Jury; and he now felt that justice was not to be had for him in the county of Meath. Lord NORBURY said, he would not listen to such a charge against the Jury; they had always shewn themselves the protectors of the peace and liberty of the subject, and had executed their duty this day with a conscientious adherence to the evidence given, and with a merciful attention to the case of the younger O'Connor, whom they had acquitted, and in doing which they had done right; as to any imputation on his Lordship himself, that was below his resentment. Though not of the old Nobility of the country, he was as proud as any Lord that had a title, and he could not condescend to vindicate his con Ditouts. i Mr. M.NALLY informed the Court, it was the intention of the prosecutor to bring an action, and said, he gave this intimation for the purpose of mitigating the sentence: and that Mr. O'Connor should have nothing to complain of he would advise his client to lay the venue in a different county. Mr. O'Connor was sentenced to be confined one month, and Mr. Hayes one fortnight. CORN AGAINST SUGAR. Resolutions and Petition of the Corn Grower of the County of Fife, at Cupur, the 29th March, 1811. In a Meeting of the Noblemen and Gentlemen, Heritors of the County of Fife, held here this Day, in consequence of Advertisements in the Edinburgh Newspapers, to consider of the expediency of petitioning Parliament against the additional Duty, proposed to be laid on. Spirits made from the Grain, GENERAL WEMYSS in the Chair, The Meeting being constituted, General Wemyss laid before them a letter from several Heritors of the County, addressed to Mr. Wedderburn, Convener, requesting him to call this Meeting, together with the Edinburgh Newspapers, containing the Advertisement summoning the Heritors to meet this day and place. There was likewise laid before the Meeting, a letter from the Convener of the County of Aberdeen, referred to in the above advertisement, with the Petition thereto annexed, which was read in the Meeting. The Meeting having fully deliberated upon the subject which they were called to consider, that nothing in the evidence before them could induce a recommendation to that effect; and that they conceived that the frequent repetition would be still more hurtful. "Your petitioners, therefore, sensible of the bad effects which have already resulted from the temporary prohibitions that have taken place, entertain well grounded alarms, that any permanent prohibition, would prove most prejudicial to the agricultural interests of the country, and, of course, to the public in general. Grain in this country is at present very abundant, and the farmers are suffering considerably from its present depressed price from the want of demand for itfrom cattle having fallen rapidly in value, and from the taxes which the present situation of the country renders unavoid able. "Your Petitioners on these and other grounds to be stated to the Honourable House, therefore most humbly pray the Honourable House to allow them to be the foresaid Bill, or to grant such relief to your petitioners, as to the Honourable House in its wisdom may seem proner. "And your Petitioners shall, &c." Resolved-That this Meeting is apprehensive, from information communicated to them, that the Bill lately brought into Parliament for increasing the Duties on Spirits distilled in Great Britain, if passed into a law, will operate as a prohibition against the use of Grain in the Distilleries. Resolved-That this Meeting therefore agree to petition both Houses of Parlia-heard by Counsel against the passing of men to be heard by Counsel against the Bill being passed into a law, and direct Peti ions to be made out and signed by the Heritors present, in the following terms: "Unto the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament assembled The humble Petition of the Noblemen, Gentlemen, Heritors of the county of Fife, at their General Meeting, assembled at Cupar this 29th of March 1811; sheweth, That your Petitioners have observed with concern that a Bill has lately been brought into Parliament for laying additional Duties on Spirits distilled from Grain, which the Petitioners are apprehensive will operate as a prohibition against the distillation of spirits from that commodity; and on that account, they beg leave respectfully to represent the bad consequences of such a measure to the interests of the County. Resolved-That the Petitions be transmitted to the earl of Morton, and Sir John Anstruther, of Anstruther, bart. M. P. accompanied by letters from the Preses of this Meeting, requesting them to present the petitions to the House of Peers, and House of Commons respectively. Resolved-That Copies of this minute be transmitted to the Members of both Houses of Parliament connected with the County of Fife. That the Minutes of this Meeting be published in the Edinburgh and London Newspapers, and that the Clerk be instructed to transmit Copies of the Minutes to the Conveners of all the other Counties of Scotland.-Signed in Name, and by appointment of the Meeting, by "It has hitherto been almost universally W. WEMYSS, P. admitted, that any permanent prohibition of this nature would be productive of dan- General Wemyss having left the Chair, gerous consequences to the landed interests the thanks of the Meeting were unaniof the country; and accordingly it is ex-mously voted to him for his conduct as pressly stated by the Committee of the Preses of the Meeting. Honourable House, which recommended the use of sugar in the distilleries as a temporary precaution in existing circumstances, that the permanent adoption of the measure would be attended with great evils to the agriculture of the country, that they felt it incumbent on them to state, CORN AGAINST SUGAR. ENGLAND.Protest of the Landholders against the Distillery Bill.-The DUKE of BEDFORD in the Chair. At a Meeting of Noblemen and Gen tlemen, held at the St. Alban's Tavern, encouragement to the Agriculture of the St. Alban's-street, London, on Tuesday, Country, was deprecated in the strongest 9th April, 1811. His Grace the Duke of BEDFORD, in the Chair. 1 The following Resolutions were unanimously agreed to: 1st, Resolved, That under the protecting influence of the laws, framed at the end of the seventeenth century, for the encouragement of Agriculture, the cultivation of our soil provided an abundant supply for consumption, and produced a large surplus for exportation. 2d, Resolved, That the duty of sixteen shillings then imposed on the importation of Barley, when the price of that article did not exceed thirty-two shillings per quarter, gave to the Farmer a decided preference in the Home Market till the value of Barley exceeded that sum. 3d, Resolved, That in consequence of the depreciation of money, 32s. at the time this protecting duty was imposed, appears from Sir George Shuckburgh's Tables, to have been equal to 85s. in the year 1800; and that, in consequence of the progressive depreciation, it must now be equi a larger sum. 4th, Resolved, That the policy of the present Corn Laws, which admits the foreign importer into competition with the British Corn Grower, when Barley (on the cultivation of which the abundance of all other Grain mainly depends) is at 33s. per quarter, does not therefore appear to us to merit that applause, which has been so studiously bestowed upon it; for, by these laws, the effectual encouragement formerly given to Agriculture has been reduced, and the Country has since become dependent on importation for its sustenance. 5th, Resolved, That it appears from the Report of the Committee of the House of Commons appointed in the year 1808, To inquire and report how far and under what circumstances it may be practicable and expedient to confine the Distilleries of the United Kingdom to the use of Sugar and Molasses only; and also what other provisions can be made for the relief of the Growers of Sugar in the British West India Colonies," that the suspension of the Grain Distillery was recommended under the circumstance of the stoppage of all foreign importation, as a means of temporary relief to the immediate distress of the Colonies; and that a permanent or frequent interference with this source of terms. 6th. Resolved, That on the principle of giving aid to the West India Colonies in the year 1808, the use of Grain in the Distilleries was prohibited when the price of Barley was nearly the same as when Parliament in the year 1802, acting solely with reference to the encouragement of Agriculture and the due supply of the Country, removed the prohibition of Distilling from Grain. 7th, Resolved, That it is therefore incorrect to aflirm, that the use of Sugar was never admitted in the Distilleries to the prejudice of the Agricultural Interest of Great Britain, from the consideration of the situation of the West Indian Colonist. 8th, Resolved, That in the Bill now be fore Parliament the equivalent Duty is so settled, as by a Bounty on Sugar to prevent the Manufacture of Corn Spirits from entering into competition on fair terms with the Manufacture of Sugar Spirits, unless the Price of Barley is five shillings and nine pence per quarter lower than the Price of one hundred weight of Sugar, exclusive of the duty. 9th Resolved, That this calculation makes no allowance for the additional expence of manufacturing Spirit from Grain beyond the expence of manufacturing Spirit from Sugar, which at the rate of one penny per gallon would prevent the manufacturer of Corn Spirit from meeting the Manufacturer of Sugar Spirit on fair terms in the Market, unless the quarter of Barley was seven shillings and three pence lower than the price of one hundred weight of Sugar and if at the rate of two pence, would exclude him from the Market, unless the quarter of Barley was eight shillings and nine pence cheaper than one hundred weight of Sugar; yet it is generally admitted that the difference in the expence of manufacturing Corn and Sugar Spirit (exclusive of the advantage derived from the Grain) exceeds that sum. 10th, Resolved, That adopting the calculations on which the Bill proceeds as correct, though we deem them to be far otherwise, and assuming the Duties to be so settled that Sugar Spirits, while Sugar is at forty-three shillings and nine-pence per hundred weight, can enter into competition with Corn Spirit whilst Barley is at thirty-eight shillings per quarter: it follows that if Sugar is reduced to forty-two shillings and nine-pence per cwt. Corn Spirit cannot enter into competition unless Barley is at thirty-seven shillings per quarter, and that the following Table will shew the highest prices at which, if Sugar should fall in value, Barley can be used in the Distilleries: 13th, Resolved, That it appears necessary to give the Public this explanation of the Bill now under the consideration of Parliament, because if the statement was founded, or the reasoning just, which has been relied upon by the West India Planters and Merchants, it must follow, that if under a system of equivalent Duties, calculated on Sugar being at 43s. 9d. per cwt. and Barley at 38s. per quarter, a ..Barley is excluded if above 36s. Ditto..... 35s. proposal was made to admit Sugar to a S4s. competition in the Home Brewery, is 338. would be in the estimation of that Meet31ing no hardship to the British Farmers, 30% whilst foreign Barley was permitted by Law to be imported at 338. per quarter. Ditto... Ditto.. Ditto. Ditto Ditto.. Ditto.... Ditto.... Ditto..... 31s. 9d.......... Ditto...... Per Quarter. 32s. 31s. 29$. 28s. 278. 26s. 11th, Resolved, That the grievance occasioned by this measure appears to us therefore to be misunderstood, when it is represented as fixing thirty-eight shillings, or any other certain sum as the maximum at which Barley can be used for Distillation. The real grievances of which those concerned in British Agriculture have to complain are-That by an unprecedent refinement in the vicious policy of Legisla tive Restrictions, the price at which Grain can be used for this purpose is made to depend upon the value of another article; -That if in consequence of an abundant crop, the market price of Sugar should be as low as in 1807-8, Barley would be excluded from the Distillery, unless its value was reduced under twenty-eight shillings. per quarter, a price at which it cannot be grown without a great loss;-And that it is thus rendered impossible for the farmer to compute the fair rent he can give for Land, without entering into an investigation of the probable price of Sugar during the currency of his Lease, 12th, Resolved, That it is therefore either a misconception, or a wilful misstatement of this measure, to affirm, that "the West India Colonist, so far from being in effect admitted to an equal competition for the Distillery with British Corn, is not even admitted upon terms as favourable as the foreign importer. The foreign importer is admitted into general competition with the British Corn Growers when Barley is at 33s. per quarter, while 38s. per quarter is the price now proposed to be fixed for the admission of Sugar into competition with British and Foreign Corn conjointly on what is assumed to be an equal footing." For it seems impossible to deny, that the same reasoning they have used to vindicate the admission of Sugar, under these circumstances, to a competition in the Distillery, must also authorise the inference, that the measure of admitting it to a competition in the Brewery, would in like manner" only afford support to the British Colonies, far short of what they feel themselves equitably entitled to'- "at the expence of our ene mies"-without discouraging the agriculture of this Country." BEDFORD. Resolved, That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to his Grace the Duke of Bedford for his great attention to the busi ness of the day. OFFICIAL PAPER, SPAIN AND PORTUGAL.-French Official In- |