Hurrah! for the Trial by Jury (1835)
Tune--"The Roast Beef of Old England."
Since men can be dragged into our Courts of Law,
Charged with stealing sh----t paper, not valued a straw,
It is not without reason we all shout hurrah !!
Hurrah! for the Trial by Jury--twelve good honest Jurors for me !
Since a **** can be found, who though sworn to try,
Each case with an equal unprejudiced eye,
Yet to one side so curiously leans, let us cry,
Oh ! for the Trial by Jury--twelve good honest Jurors for me.*
No wonder the "Faction" detest Jurymen ;
Remove this great bulwark of liberty, then,
Who dares think of wagging a tongue or a pen ?
Oh ! for the Trial by Jury--twelve good honest Jurors for me.
Then thanks to our forefathers, thanks to our King,
And our merciful Governor, let the land ring,
With a shout to them all--BUT THE JURY'S THE THING.
Oh! for the Trial by Jury--twelve good honest Jurors for me.
* Kings, Rulers, and Judges, are fallible beings. They are like other men--and misdirections are by
no means rare. It often happens that the Judge and Jury disagree, without any unworthy imputation,
and not as intended here.
Notes
From the NSW Newspaper the Sydney Gazette Tuesday 25 August 1835 p. 3.
An 1828 Act included a provision stating that English law in force in that year was operative in the two Australian colonies. This meant that English law as it stood in 1828, rather than earlier laws, applied in both New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land. Later English Acts of Parliament did not apply unless they were specifically passed for the colonies. Australian statute law thus had a firm foundation, but was able to evolve according to its own conditions and needs. An amendment of the Jury Act 1829 (NSW) in 1830 permitted ex-convicts to serve on juries there.