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The Green Bag.

disapproves of the foreign or domestic policy were committed before the supposed natural ization took place. The Lord Chief Justice, of his country was at liberty to take up arms in deciding the point in favor of the Crown,! against her and to attempt to join her ene said that none of their Lordships had any mies to her destruction, the very foundations of civilized society would be gone and vio doubt about it, but having regard to the na ture of the proceedings they thought it better lence and anarchy would take the place of ordered government. The misdeeds which that it should be argued out. Finally there is the point that Lynch was a have been done in this case, and which have journalist and not a combatant, but though brought you to the lamentable pass in which two or three witnesses were called by him to you stand, must surely convince the most sceptical and apathetic of the gravity and show that he was a correspondent, the evi dence adduced by the prosecution was over I reality of the crime. . . . The only—I will whelming against him. The trial, after last not say excuse, but palliation that I can find ing three days, ended on January the 24th in for conduct like yours is that it has been for a verdict of guilty, the jury only being absent some years past the fashion to treat lightly twenty-six minutes. The prisoner having matters of this kind, so that men have been nothing to say, the judges assumed the black perhaps encouraged to play with sedition and cap and judgment was pronounced by Mr. M toy with treason, wrapt in a certain proud Justice Wills, the senior puisne judge, in consciousness of strength begotten of the deep-seated and well-founded conviction that the following impressive terms : "Arthur Alfred Lynch, otherwise Arthur the loyalty of her people is supreme, and true Lynch, the jury have found you guilty of the authority in this country has slumbered or crime of high treason, a crime happily so has treated with contemptuous indifference rare that in the present day a trial for treason speeches and acts of sedition. It may be that seems to be almost an anachronism—a thing you have been misled into the notion that of the past. There can be no doubt that in no matter what you did, so long as your con times gone by there was great abuse, and duct could be called a political crime, it was many persons were indicted, convicted, and of no consequence. But it is one thing to punished for matters which would not now talk sedition and to do small seditious acts, be thought worthy of serious or, perhaps. it is quite another thing to bear arms in the any notice. There has been a kind of na ranks of the foes of your country, and tional reaction by which many persons have against it. Between the two the difference is been disposed to treat serious crimes against immeasurable. . . . He who has attempted the State as if the name of treason, and as if to do his country -such irreparable wrong the thing, no longer existed. One moment must be prepared to submit to the sentence of reflection will show you how erroneous which it is now my duty to pronounce upon is such a conception. Civilized communities you. The sentence of this court—and it is exist for the purpose of mutual succor and pronounced in regard to each count of the support. They afford protection to their sub indictment—is that you be taken hence to the jects from foreign aggression and domestic place from which you came, and from thence violence and wrong, and they expect in re to a place of execution, there to be hanged turn loyalty and allegiance. No civilized by the neck until you are dead." community yet has failed to punish severely, - The prisoner was then removed. when it has once been made out, defection Since Mr. Justice Wills pronounced those from that loyalty, whether by way of open words Lynch has been reprieved and his sen war or secret intrigue; and if every one who tence of death commuted to that of penal