Star. — London, England, 1819-11-30 00:00:00

- . ;•fit (tank, - ' . . , . . . A".. . 00 0 -4 . • - %, it; . - , Villi:,.?' .• '". ,E.J..ii , ..",.. 5 "... :e . - • - • . . . -^ "'•-.-' - • !- - • :;- ---•- -..:..- -- • t il l&' 4 i`a b z %•l4 - 11 1 ~.4 ... .03e-Aasil - - I r( ' t I N . .4( 4 4 . ----.\ ~ -•P I . 16. * - 0 1 •• . . - •; , ..14.-.., .- • ' , • N' , . . wir-4. ••• :;.: 10,222 • Cli A RTEIVHOUSE. WN;NDER'S DAY will be celebrated, as A Carta-House On MONDAY, DLOSMIIDA 13. r rcac her, Rev. , .Grouse Pr.ansow. orator, WILLIAM JAGO. STEWARDS , archdeacon THOMAS STEPHEN TUCILDIL, Eq. msert., Esq. Faawcis WALrOLZ, .sarsza, kisq. JOHN CHAPMAN, Esq. yvint Service will begin at Half-past Four. Diana will be on Table at Six preelsely. TALES OF MY LANDLORD. Public are respectfully informed, that the k announced for Pubtleation,under the title of " Taus moss; Fourth Series, containing " Petri:rain: Is NOT ritten hy the Author of the First, Second, Series of " TALES or Mr Liminess; of which we oprietors and Publishes. ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE AND do. rgh, Nov. 1, 1119. ROYAL MEDICAL INSTITUTION, NosAramaean-Swear. PATRONS. s Borst Highness the Duke of Seim. e Most Noble the Marquis of Howse% ght H onou rable Lady F. Hom woon. WILLIAX Ciamoia, Bart. TuosAs BKAUCIIA/117. Bart. 'census Breves., Bart. dy It.. BaaumeAur. wurable B. Coestaams. Surgeon, A. T. Favxmtaw, Esq. INSTITUTION is founded for the express vie of Caring Diseases of the Skin, Syphilis and its rofula, Scurvy, the various species of Leprosy, Cur dle Spine, Affections of the Hip and Knee, and in. kaki Head. hundred and Sfty-seven persons have experienced a cuvery since the second of February last. The most cars bare effectually yielded to the new mode of treat. ttendArise from Ten to Two, and from Four to Nine; ce grads, to the Poor every Morning. All Letters to be Post-paid. LAW INTELLIGENCE. RT OF KING'S BENCH, NOVEMBER 29. being the last day of Term the Court sat from .t nine in the morning until t.• elve at night. LINO V. JOHN ARTMUR SORBAN, &SQ. it will be recollected, was a Rule to shew by a Criminal Information should not be filed the defendant, a Magistrate of the Warring. ision, in Lancashire, for refusing to take de. s in a charge of felony, alleged to have been ted by a private of the Manchester Yeomanry in wounding, with his sabre, a person Richardson, in the evening of the 16th of Au- Manchester. C. WILLTAMS was now heard in shewing cause the Rule, and )ENMAN, Mr. CHITTY, and Mr. Hut., were a support of it. • LOURT said, that if this had been an applica •a Mandamus to compel the defendant to take iositions, they would have granted it imn ; but as to the present motion they would me to consider of it, before they gave any final RAM INQUEST.--THE KING V. 'MIRAN% sso. Serjeant CROSS rose to shew cause against the for a Mandamus to compel the defendant, one :Coroners for the County of Lancaster, to pro sith the Inquest on th e body of John Lees, who lleged to have lost his life by violence on the of August last, at Manchester, and the Learned sel having proceeded at some length upon the s of the case, e Coca called upon Mr. DOMAN and Mr. At, who were on the other side, to shew, first, her the Inquest in question was legal in its nencement? and, second, supposing it was not, her it had been made so by the subsequent pro ngs of Mr. Ferrand ? From the statement of ase at the Bar, it appeared that the Inquest had at first summoned and sworn by the defendant's k or Deputy, upon view of the body of the ased, and after sitting several days, the proceed were taken up by the defendant, who, upon an ctiun being taken, had the body exhumed, and, eming himself with looking at its face, resumed inquest, without re-swearing the Jury. Now, by the Inquest could not originally have been held ttle Coroner's Deputy. Then, had the Cornner's - equent conduct legalised the rroceedings? Cer- mt. The law required the Inquest to be held is visum corporis—the Coroner and Jury being , sei:t at the same time. This had not taken place, das the proceedings were illegal a 6 initio, what bsequently occurred would not remove the objec n. It was the duty of the Coroner when he per nally interposed, to have seen the body in the pre' ice of the Jury—to have the Jury re-sworn, and the witnesses re-sworn and re-examined. this td not been done, and therefore the Court could not ant a Mandamus to proceed in an Inquest which light be afterwards quashed upon being returned tizh this Court. Mr. DENMAN and Mr. TINDAL confessed that they (Te tak -n by surprise by the course which the case ad taken ; but they submitted that it was not neces °TY for the Coroner and the Jury to see the body at same time. The Court, however, reiterated the abovemen 46ed opinion, and discharged the Rule, observing, itat, no injustice would be done in the result , as tfi e 4 '441 Jury of the County was open for further in -9°,rl; or a Commission of Magistrates :night be ap pointed to inquire of the death of the party.—Rule dt.tliarged. IRK KIN(; v. inATEMAN AND OTIIIIHL. . ~Ait, it will be r eco ll ec ted, was a motion for an attachmen t :ii , nit these d e f en d ants , f ur a contempt, in resisting the process . I . :cit Court, arising out of a motion for a Criminal . Informa- I w Vouching th e late proceedings at Coventry. • ate hotACITO L (iINE/LAI. and Mr. RIAILEIL Dow chewed swam Ad:setts, which purged the ilet,ndants of contempt; and "'r Mr. C d i err an d )Ir. HILL had been heard on the other 41 1 the Rule was dinhar;e4. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1819. PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS. HOUSE OF LORDS, NOVEMBER 29. The Bari of Cnarnast took theoaths and his seat. Their Lordships then adjourned for some time duringpisimm. , On the resuming of the House, Lord SOMERS presented a Petition from the Churcherai-, dens, Vestry, and others of the Parish of St. Pancras, praying that some effectual measures may be adopted to check the grow ing evil of blasphemous and seditious publications, itc.--Or dered to lie on the table. Earl GROSVENOR presented a Petition from a person named Branford, a resident in the County of Lancaster, the prayer of which, be observed, if complied with, may te nd grew some important lights on the transactione to which a great portion of the public attention was now directed. The Petition was then, on his Lordship's Motion, read. It Peferred cid* to the statements set forth in the Documents bid by authority before Parliament, respecting the transactions at Manchester, and that part of the country. A great portion . • their montents, he alleged, were unfounded, and tended to laitisse sod calumniate a large body of his fellow subjects ' as tie Peddioner earnestly requested he might be permitted to pewee by evid.-nce at their Lordships' Bar. b Illustrating this proposition, the Petitioner adverted to certain parts ht what was dinged to have taken av daee at those Meetings, and which, in like manner, he was unfounded.—The Petition was or ad to lie on the t le. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE, in reference to his b lended Motion of to-morrow on the State of the Nation,wiebed to be informed, whether the sum, which it had been arranged should be paid to the Bank, was yet liquidated? The Earl of LIVERPOOL explained, that arrangement were made, by which the whole of the Sys millions would be liquidated by the tth of April. Lord LILFORD wished the Noble Marquis to inform, whether his intended proposition of to-morrow would refer to the internal state of the country,* to the state of the Nation generally? The Marquis of LANSDOWNE replied, that his intended Motion would refer to the state of the Nation generally. • TRAVERSING INDICTMENTS. The LORD CHANCELLOR, in pursuance of what he had stated on a former occasion respecting, this subject, introduced a Bill for the better preven. tion of delays in the administration of justice, and particularly with respect to a point which, on more mature consideration, he conceived to be of extreme importance. His Lordship proceeded to explain, technically, the grounds on which the Bill pro-' ceeded, and the rights which, in certain cases, brit more particularly of misdemeanour, defendants pos sessed of postponing their pleas until so distant a pe riod, as, not %infrequently, had the effect of defeating the ends of justice. Viewing the subject as be did, he conceived his duty to the House and to the Pub lic, called upon him to submit some proposition for their Lordships' adoption, which would tend to comp• teract that which certainly had an injurious effect. He would now propose its first reading, and when their Lordships thought proper to read it a second time, he should, more fully, explain the grdbncl - and principle upon which the Bill proceeded. Loed HOLLAND observed, he did not now wish to enter into any discussion of die subject, though he certainly felt it to be one of no small importance ' as he understood the Noble and _Learned Lord ' s measure, it would go to affect all cases of misde meanour ; but the difference should be considered between those cases where the delay was occasioned by the defendant's postponing his parlance, and those where it proceeded from the natural course of law. He wished to know whether it was meant the Bill should go to oust the imparlance generally, and whether the whole of the Misdemeanour Law was to be affected by it ? and, at the same time, whether the principle was to extend to those cases where ex officio informations were filed by the Attorney Gene ral ? With respect to the object of rendering trials more speedy, it was one which should be considered with reference to the nature of the accusation. Upon the whole, the Noble Lord thought the subject of the Bill one of considerable importance, and one that called for a particular and deliberate consideration. The LORD CHANCELLOR spoke briefly in ex planation. What was meant was, to call upon the defendant to plead, and it should be in 'the sound discretion of the Court to decide, whether the case was of that nature that was fit to be postponed or not? from what was - submitted on the point, to its consideration. No alteration was made by the Bill in the powers of the Attorney General. The Bill was then read the first time, ordered to be printed, and the Lords to be summoned for Thurs day, on a motion for its second reading. INTERNAL STATE OF THE COUNTRY. Viscount SIDMOUTH, pursuant to notice, ad dressed their Lordships at some length on this sub ject, and stated the nature of those measures which were deemed necessary to be proposed, with reference to it. In the Speech of his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, at the opening of the Session, he was pleased to declare, that he felt it his duty to press on the speedy attention of Parliament, the consideration of such measures as were most likely to counteract 4nd do away a system which, if persisted in, would inevi tably bring confusion and ruin on the country. His Royal Highness's confidential servants felt it incum bent on them speedily to bring forward those mea sures for the consideration of Parliament, which they deemed most likely to arrest the progress of the evils adverted to in the Speech from the Throne. He now rose to communicate the nature of those measures to their Lordships. They were so framed, he thought, as not to go beyond the necessity of the case, and at the same time not to circumscribe the rights or pri vileges of the subject, farther than what was deemed to be connected with, or due to the paramount con sideration of the safety of the State. It was unneces sary now, he felt, to enter into any detailed deicrip ticn of those various dangers, the existence of which was universally known and admitted—(Hear, hear). A conspiracy, it was apparent, existed against all the Civil and Religious Establishments and Institutions of the Country ; in fact, to subvert the Whole fabric of the Constitution in Church and State--(Heat.) In considering the causes which led to such a state of things, he believed there were few who did not feel, that it was from the operations of the Press much of the evil complained of proceeded, and that the country bad been brought into the state in which it nine was—a MCC which, at best, was one of great diffi- culty and danger. Prom that Press issued those de• testable attempts to rob mankind of all the hopes and spiritual consolation they derived from the pre cepts of Religion ; and it was no less notorious that its machinations were equally directed against the Laws and Constitution of the Country. The great charaejristic of 4 free Press was, that no interference should take place with respect to publications that were not injurious to the morals, the peace, or the religion, of society. In the Bill relating to this part of the subject, which it was intended to submit to Parliament, those great principles were not invaded. The principle of interference after publication took place, was that on Which the framers of the Bill pro ceeded. It was proposed not to visit, in the first in stance, with increased 'punishments, the publishers of blasphemous or libellous matter ; but in the event of a repetition of a conviction for such offences, that they should be visited - with an accretion of punish ment, which was proposed to be that of prolonged imprisonment, banishment, or transportation, ac cording to the judgment of the Court. It was fur ther proposed, that,in case of a second conviction, a. 'seizure of the copies should be authorised of such matter as was adjudged to be seditious or blasphe mous, with some provisions for subsequent restoration with reference to the event of an arrest of judgment.-- With respect to the principle of another intended Bill, it was acknowledged to be somewhat deficient in principle from that which he had described—that for imposing a duty on such obnoxious publications, and this it was proposed should attach upon a given number of sheets, to an amount equivalent to that now imposed upon Newspapers. This was not, how ever, done in the spirit of a fiscal regulation, but with a view to counteract the baneful tendency of cheap publications, which disseminate poison through out the country, and corruption in the minds of all who peruse them. A measure of the kind was called for by the indispensible necessity of checking the progress of such publications. It was further pro posed, that all persons who should be en in printing publications of that description, s i ro g u e ld be called upon for the production of some securities, which may answer for the discharge of such penal ties as may be imposed in consequence of the parties offending against the law. With respect to another part of the subject, legislative provisions were ititro duced to guard against those attempts, in many cases but too successful, of bringing together vast numbers of persons in seditious assemblages in different parts of the kingdom. As the law now stood, any posed persons might call together assemblies of that description, by issuing placards, at any place and at any time they pleased. The injurious consequences which resulted were unhappily too notorious. The display of flags or other symbols, whether in itself legal or not, he meant not then to discuss; but these had latterly, it was well known, contributed to in duce consequences little short, if not fully amounting to rebellion ; and he thought, in any state of society, there would be but huh chance of preserving the public tranquillity' if such practices were tolerated . What was proposed with respect to Public Meetings, would not interfere with the undoubted right of the subject to petition Parliament or the Throne, or of the discussion of grievances, whet those grievances were truly stated. But the object for which those Meetings were lately intended, was well known, and the baneful prartices of itinerant demagogue orators on such occasions. To guard against such evils, it was proposed that in all cases of Public Meetings, no tice should be given, signed by seven householders, to some Magistrate within the district; that it should be declared illegal for any nto attend, unless he was usually resident in t he parish or township ; and farther, to give Magistrates a power, under certain limitations, of appointing the time and place of meet ing. Such were the leading provisions of the intended measures. There was still another important considera tion: it was not only by means of seditious and blasphe mous publications, or the insidious practices of dema gogues, that the objects of the obnoxious persons were attempted to be carried into effect,but the state of the existing laws was such as to embolden them to ad vise the attempt of accomplishing their desizas and purposes by of arms. On this part of the sub ject, no possible doubt could exist. With a view to such objects, a system of instruction in military exercises, and the use of fire-arms was established. Of what had been done iit character and extent in these respects, there was incontestible evidence. No less than thirty of the depositions applied to those circumstances. The mode in which these were taken was dictated either by the obvious expediency or the necessity of the case. The whole shewed the extreme danger of the practice. Preparatory to the Meetings in August, the practice of drilling was extensive, and many of the bodies assembled for the purpose were numerous; same exercised one hundred persons. Under such circumstances, a check upon the Meet" ings would not be effectual, if not followed tip . by another provision respecting drilling a n d training in some parts of the Country, and respecting , the possession of arms. In the manufacturing distracts, where large portions of the disaffected were it arms, regulations of the kind were peculiarly necessary. It was, therefore, meant to empower the Magistrates, upon well-grounded suspicion that such were in tended for purposes injurious to the State, to take possession of such arms, and to place them in some place of safety, until further steps should be taken with respect to therii at the Quarter Sessions. Such were the outlines of the intended measures, and the principle upon which they proceeded. It was the anxious wish of the Prince Regent's Government to restore conciliation and confidence, but they were averse to holding out delusive expectations. In some cases; however, a lenient system of measures would be injurious. They would gladly attend to any sug gestions calculated really arid practically to alleviate the distresses of the suffering People. But he re peated, that under the immediate circumstances, concessions would 'only tend to aggravate the danger, especially at a time when the o,onetittatinn was more n'r• 'Ai CB SVAEMPENC F. _ - seriously endengered tbaier any period * since the succession of the House of Brunswick. Upon' the ; whole, they were called upon by every tie td take every justifiable means in their power to preeerve the real liberties, the prosperity, sad the inestimable Con stitution of *e Country. • The Bills. .presented by the Noble Secretary 44 State were, that respecting the seizure of arras, as d . that which respected seditious and blaspheme** pubs lications, which, on his Lordship's motions, Wee shortly read pro . fortoa, ordered to be primed, said ott the suggestion of their second readings for Tinetiday, Earl GREY expressed his almost uaqualified approbation of the system ielicy proposed by hii.- nisters in the present ciiti• circumstances of thO country. He deprecated the hurrying oa a dint* sion of such extreme importante on so early a day as Thursday, muds of which sitting would peobably be occupied by 'the important alteration in the lave proposed this evening by the Noble Lord est tbe Woolsack. It would be impossible duly to discuss the measures just proposed on that evening. No man. - would more willingly concur in measures likely to avert the pending dangers than himself; but for one., he thought the proposed measures would go rather to irritate and increase than to diminish the evils. It was on the causes. of the present state of the country that he differed, chiefly, from the Noble Viscount.— In his conscience he believed, that no system of force, terror, or coercion, would tend to restore the coun try to its once enviable state; instead of alleviating the distresses, what was proposed would entail ruin and destruction upon the country. The restraints about to be imposed on the Press he. (Lord Grey) heard with the utmost dismay—(Hear, hear). —They were absolutely incompatible . with • that freedom which the Noble Secretary admitted had produced so much adrantage to this country ; which had pro tected those . Institutions, and diffused that spirit ; which constituted its boast and its glory—( Hear, het:N.—The Noble Secretary had stated, that sedi tious and blasphemous publications were one main, source of the dangers with which the country was now threatened ; but had he ascertained that the de struction of the freedom of the Press was the only, mode of checking its abuses ; and had he reflected on the evils which restrictions would bring along with them?—(Hear,. hear).—To the freedom of the Press this country owed the preservation of its liberty,, which could not be long maintained without such an ally ; and with its liberty, its strength, its happiness, and its glory. When, therefore, he saw a design to impose new .restraints - on the Press, by enacting severe additional punishments in cases of second con- • victions, and requiring securities before publication, he. could not but be alive to the evils which the men. . sure would produce. He was alarmed when he re flected how it would raise the ' , rice of knowledge,. and impede the progress of education to the poor* (Hear, hear). —It took away the protection allowed, to free discussion, and aimed a blow at one of our most valuable rights, such as the most arbitrary Minister, in the most arbitrary times, never pro posed to Parliament, and against which he (Lora 'Grey) would never cease to protest—(Hear, hear)..— But there was another view of the case hich ren dered the proposed restraints the more obnoxious, by 'taking away all pretext for them. The Noble Secre • tary now demanded the enactment of new laws for the protection of the Government, and the mainte nance of public order; but had the old laws been en forced, and foupd inefficient for that object ?-( Hear, hear). --The Noble Lord, before he asked for aJdi. tibnal restrictions, was bound to shew that those seditious and blasphemous works which had been so long in circulation had been made subject to the most rigorous exercise of the existing laws of which they were susceptible—(Hear, hear).—He (Lord Grey) knew that the Law Officers of the Crown had, in one or two instances, prosecuted, without being able to procure a conviction ; but be knew, at .the same time, that some horrible and disgusting-publica tions, publications directly recommending assassina tion—publications supporting principles contrary to. all law and order, had not been prosecuted. For two years the most seditious doctrines had been pub lished in a work alluded to in the Papers on the table—Sherwin's Political Register; and yet no at tempt was made to check their spread.• Such works had poisoned the public mind, if the good sense-of the people would allow them to be poisoned by such offensive trash ; but no endeavoiir was made to sup press them by the existing laws—(Hear, hear). —The Noble Secretary, therefore, before he came to ask for new enactments, was bound to shew that such offen ders had been prosecuted as theronght o , iirisrgset thi existing law was insufficient for their coercion• and punishment—(Hear, - hear).—Feeling, as be did, on these points, and looking as he did, with dismay on the proposed system of Government, which would increase the danger it was meant to avert, he could not but take the earliest opportunity of expressing -his sentiments although he did not mean to enter at large into the -separate measures: those' measurel comprehended restraints on Public Meetings, and oo the. Liberty of the Press, and put into the power of. the Magistrates to deprive the Subject of these arms which he might have for his own defeat The justification of such restraints rested on the Ps, pars which had been presented to the Home s—and which. were considered by his Majesty's Ministers as disclosing a great extent of danger. Now, he was ' willing to allow that these Papers, incomplete as be maintained them to be, and requiring many addil dolts and explanations, did prove a coasiderable e t . tent .of slang , : but a danger arising Bore the disi. tress cif the le.--a.distressainotintiog to absolnup hunger, and admitted by the Magistrates thenseknie in their first accounts, as the cause of the dsager.." That there were persons who took advartneof tbli distress to inflame the discontents of the 141irp, bb watwilling to allow ; but, he said, there !Ms noevis 406, either is the Papers on thetable r araiadmark istual state of the country, to convince blastbat any 44paRplracy, „ against law 1.• aad bad ?POMO,* • .t -.77 -7. - 4;!. dl I