MEETING AT RICHMOND.

Colonist, Volume III, Issue 238, 31 January 1860, Page 2

MEETING AT RICHMOND.

On Saturday Evening last a meeting washeWat' the School-room in this town (sutnmone,d by Ijand* bills) for the purpose of considering what steps

could be taken to obtain a commutation of tM sentence recently passed upon Mr. Saunders.

Mr. Batey, upon being called to the chair, briefly remarked upon the fact of an 6M friend and neighbor having incurred a very severe saa*

tence, whtch he presumed all present considered required mitigation. Jt rested with them to consider what could best be done under the circumstances, and to suggest means to carry any plau proposed into execution.

Mr. Butler thought it right to say that he waii responsible for the present numerously attended

meeting, the placards had been • issued only the 1 previous evening at his' instigation. He believed

the audience he addressed were friend^ and sym--pathisers of Mr. Saunder-s, and at- the same time-

loyal subjects of the Queen, whose laws they were, always ready to uphold. Still he looked upon Mr. Saunders as an injured man, and if ,a memo-' rial was drawn up he should like to have this expressed in it.' He (Mr. Butler) had been given?

to understand that a meeting was to be. held in Nelson on Monday evening next, for the purpose of memorializing the Governor, but he thought this* movement should originate amongst 'Mr.( Saunders' more immediate neighbors^ aud that; instead; -pf having.many memorials,, the one emanating, from this meetingshould be, sent to , Nelson through a. deputation of gentlemen then present,: lie did. not wish the sentence commuted:because Mr. Saunders was a personal";friend T ;nor. he knew him to be a good masted, and'an'affec'tionate father, but simply becauseiie'regarded him, as a man, who had been severely.treated and deeply injured.' Prior fo the particular object of-the meeting being discussed, he would beg to be .permitted :to,Tead the "affidavit'1 which wa3 entered 'before thfe Courts previously to the trial. - Mr. Butler then1 addressed the meeting upon the various difficulties1 'tinder which Mr. Saimders labored in his defence^ to which -"■.'"

Mr. Batey replied that the, present object was not to approve or censure, the conductofauy one,, but to make some constitutional movement for ameliorating the case. ..,'••/■ .., -.■';; ', . ■■■:-,

Mr. .Kearns suggested that if any gentleman liad prepared a memorial it would be best to aubjnit it, jto the meeting. ,'"' "

j Mr. Barnicoat having been on the jury and -for*/;; iother reasons which might be guessed, did not; j wish to take an active part in the proceedings, but' ' •fearing the meeting might be an angry one, he had [been induced to attend, as' ritiy boisterous exprps*; |sion of feeling would only, injure the cause in' 'hand: It was not his intention to bring anything? j forward in dissent of measures to procure the libe-*-;'' ;ration of Mr. Saunders from his incarceration, on' the contrary, the matter had his fullest sympathy, It.appeared to him the.best, the only mode ingoing, to work, to let .the meeting here, adopt and sign a memorial at once, for, go to work as quickly as possible, there was buc little time to spare, as it would have to go to Auckland, thence to Well :lington, back to Auckland, and'then to Nelson* tie recommended a memorial being prepared, ask-* ing in ■ plain and civil terms for what he belieVedj was the universal wish. ti f--' Mr. Kearns then proposed the adoption of the following memorial:—- ' M " To His Excellency Colonel T. G. Browne, C.B. " May it please your Excellency., ... v ; " We the undersigned iulmbitants of the Province of Nelson presume to address your Excellent cy in reference to the case of Mr. Sduuders^nowaprisoner in' the gaol of Nelson,"whore he is Under-, going a sentence, just passed upon liimbythe' Judge of the Supreme Court, for libelling 'the' Judge of the District Court of this Province; anxiously hoping that your Excellency's clemency may be extended to him, by.the remission of the sentence of imprisonment. " Deprecating any .attempt unnecessarily to disturb His Honor's judgments, we arestill compelledby our duty as mien and as citizens, to make this' request to your Excellency, "We do so because we? believe that the ends of, justice would be fully satisfied, and that there-' spect due to the law and its administrators \yotjld% . be sufficiently vindicated by. the imposition of* fine, which (as part of the punishment'for the same:offence) lias also been inflicted-on Mr..Saunders. Because \ye believe th.st, ali.puuislimenfc,.. iriarked'in the opinion of the public by great ( verity,; produces the'.undesirable''effect of directing ' public sympathy rather to the offender than to t\\p law which.he..may have infringed. Because we believe Mr. Saundera' punishment, if ihfiicte^ though nominally terminating in six mbnthf f >yould really be of very much longer dura-;, tion, Mr. Saunders' previous pursuits rendering ;" protracted confinement within the walls of a prison certainly detrimental and possibly destructive to health, and because we believe that in point of' fact offences of the character of which Mr. Saunders has been convicted, not only may be, but. usually are, expiated by iiiere fine, * \yithout' also, subjecting -tlie offender to the cruel aiid flasjingdegradation of coiifiuement in. a common *gacft' We cannot see a fellow settler, hitlierto. without : reproach among us, whether in his public or pri- ; vate relations, condemned to what we deem a needlessly ignominious punishment, without inak*ing every constitutional effort fur his relief; and . we would therefore most respectfully and earnestly^ iiripress on your Excellency, our most strong and';conscientious conviction (which is shared we- bcV lieve by the whole people of the province). That . the occasion has now arisen in which your Excel* : lency's power may be most timely, wisely and,, benefically exercised, . Mr. Sparrow, in seconding its adoption, ex-"" pressed his hearty concurrence in the ternperat* and respectful terms in which the petitioned favor was couched. .

Alt'. Eban perceived a lack of purport in the me- ' igoirial; He understood upon good authority tliat iVlivjSauntlers'was suffering from some liver cbnti- '• plaint or heart disease,: which the exciting circunjstaneesof his recent trial and the 'confinement of a prison were calculated to augment. He would suggest that this tact shouldbe stated, and a rhedi- ■ cal certificate obtained. He (Mr: 'Eban) had n«»t been in tile Court, but he had been given to understand there win a Iritterui-ba and si-verity ahout tlie proceedings unparalleled in the Courts "of law. He would say to any oie " I am a man, as well as you ? and ought not to be overridden, whatever your office may be."' He could acknowledge and respect an office, but.he would not have his rightstrampled on by any one in that office. He consi- . dered there was no real freedom where,there was , not equity and justice, and while He wouW, <c«JJU upon all to upjtuld the British Wvsto ;th*ij|Usra>& of thYu1 ability t lie would adso'call u{K>tf tlw& tjfc;;' «B(j*tUeir rigUtq us Uritum. . " '

Mr. Butler proposed •'•That a deputation be appointed to attend the meeting at Kelson,, on Monday eyening next, for the purpose of submittiiig the niemorial now adopted to their consideration." Ssfconded by Mr. David Hammond. ;, ■■'•; Moved by Mr. Eban, Thai, Messrs. Barniepat, Ba&y, and' Butler be appoin.teila deputation. After the usual vote of thanks being presented to (lie chairman, about 40 persons remained to sign the memorial, hut as it had to be transcribed from the draftj and the hour was late, the remainder of the atadience separated. •■'■;•

Meeting.—A meeting of the friends of Mr. A. Saunders took place last evening at the Trafalgar Hotel, Mr. C. Parker, M.P.C. in the chair, and a memMal was embodied to His Excellency the GovfeoV h\ behalf of Mr. Saunders with a view to the liberation'of that gentleman from. gaol. The mating was numerously and respectably attended, amongst those present we noticed the Speakerof the Provincial Council, J.P., F. Kelling Esq. M.L.C., G. White, Esq., J P. and Messrs. Parker and Dodson, ■ M.P.C.'s, and many of the inhabitants of Nelson; a deputation from Richmond was also present. After discussing tho preliminaries, the meeting unanimously adopted a memorial and called upon the.Chairman, with Messrs. Bamicoat and Kelling to present it Jo His Honor, Mr. Justice Johnson this morning. The following names were proposed to form an Executive Committee :—Messrs. Simmonds and Dodson, M.P.C. W. Bell, E. Hodder, Butler, Batey, Sheet, Baigent, M P.C., Reynolds, Parker, M.P.C, McKenziej Lightband, Webb, Jackson, Goodman, Harris and Wilkie. ;. . :