TRIAL OF PATRICK SELLAR. I"Jl 



and Mr. Sellar was preferred as the highest offerer. 

 Before Whitsunday, 1814, he brought regular actions of 

 removing, and it was not until after he had obtained decrees 

 in these actions, charged the whole of the tenants to remove, 

 and taken out precepts of ejection against them, that they 

 were, in the month of June, actually removed from their 

 lawless and violent possession. These facts were established 

 by the decrees and precepts in the hands of the Clerk of 

 Court. As to the demolition of the houses, no houses 

 were pulled down till after the ejections had been completed, 

 and the property had become Mr. Sellar's. No furniture 

 was destroyed by him, or by his orders, no unnecessary 

 violence was used, nor any cruelty exercised, but everything 

 was done in due order of law, and without oppression of 

 any kind. The charges of culpable homicide were quite out 

 of the question, and Mr. Sellar defied the Public Prosecutor 

 to prove them. Upon the whole, it was not doubted, that 

 if truth and justice were to prevail over malice and con- 

 spiracy, Mr. Sellar would obtain an honourable and trium- 

 phant acquittal. 



THE Advocate-Depute having here stated that he did not 

 mean to insist on any charges, excepting those which were 

 specially and articulately mentioned in the indictment, Lord 

 Pitmilly said : 



" It would be improper for me to enter at present into 

 the origin of the prosecution, or the nature -of the defences. 

 Neither shall I say anything of the publications which have 

 been alluded to, except that they appear to be of the most 

 contemptible nature, and the only prejudice which I can 

 entertain is the other way; that is, against the cause 

 requiring such aid. I have no doubt as to the relevancy of 

 the libel." 



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