THE EXCLUDED EVIDENCE— THE UNTRIED TRAITORS !

New Zealander, Volume 4, Issue 285, 21 February 1849, Page 3

THE EXCLUDED EVIDENCE— THE UNTRIED TRAITORS !

Under this heading the Freeman's Journal of Saturday published the following letter of Mr. Tboniat Young to General Napier, which the Court at Clonmel had refused to receive in evidence on Smith O'Brien's trial :— H. O June 2b, 1832. My dear Napier :— Sir H. Bunbury told me of your wise determination not to become " a parliament mart,' ' at least for the present. The offer was very tempting, and you have the more merit in declining. I refrained from writing to you while the matter was undecided, for I did not wish to obtrude my opinion, but I felt that reason was against your Rcceptance, as your health, your purse, and your comfort, would all hare suffered by your attendance in the House of Commons. The history must have been laid aside. You could not, moreover, have been a calm and silent member, but would have been exerting yourself to push onward the movement fai er than it probably will march, or than, perhaps, all things considered, ii is desirable it should march. Let us go b-jck a moment. The display of energy, and a readiness to act, on the part of the people, uhen the Duke of W— — was on tbe eve of coniinu in, was greater far than I expec cd. I speak not of the Cockneys, but of the men in the North — Glasgow, Newcastle, Birmingham. Are you awaie that, in the event of a fight, you were to be invited to take the command at Bit mingham. Parkes got a/rani from me for you, with that view, but had no occasion 111 1 send it. Had he written I should have fired a despatch at you with my friendly and anxious c unset and entreaty to keep you quiet and nut to stir from Freshfo d. It is not well to tnter early into revolutv ns— tbe first fall victims. What do you think would have happened ? The Reformers, (Place, &c ,) talked big to me, and felt assured of success. The run upon the banks and the barricading of the populous country townt would have brought matters to a critisyand a week they—the

Reformers— thought would have finished the business. They meant so to agitate here that no soldiers could have been spaied from London, and the army in too imttll elsewhere ta have put doion the rebels ; in Scotland, I believe, the moi,t effectual How would have been struck, and it seems difficult to have resisted the popular movement. The Tories, however, say the Duke would have succeeded. No doubt the discipline under which soldiers live might have proved a stronger element than the public enthusiasm, t. c. unless the latter was universal or extensive, and then it would have carried all before it. The task would have been to bring back society to its former quiet stnte 1 Thank God we have been spared the trial ; bat as > matter of ■peculation tell me what you think would hare been the remit ? Am Fright in my conjecture that you would have refused the Birmingham invite, and kept your swoi d in the tcabbard ? Yours, ever truly, T. Y. Thanks for your first volume— Jones has come back better. Major-General Napier, in his examination, swore that the above letter was received by him j that "T. Y." were the initials of 'l bornas Young, Secretary to Lord Melbourne; that the letter was in his hand-writing-, that " H. 0." meant " Home Office," and that the letter bore the Home Office seal and the Home Olßce frank.