The National Register. — London, England, 1811-11-03 00:00:00

our soldiers, he believed it WAS as col pici a; in the ancient battles which the detenti Cressy, Poictiers, &c. The defendant had the solcitv . s who fought in those battles not medals ?"—And said " Oral such distinction army." Now lie would ask did not the soldier feel a pride in the bon:Airs and divinctions conferred upon his Officer ? The medal which adorned the breast of the Commander under whom he had fought, was also an honour to him. Every soldier participated in the glory of those Commanders under whom he bad fought ; and we find in history, that all armies have felt themselves ho noured with the elevation of the General under whom they have fought. The thanks of the two Houses of Parliament were only given to the Superior Officers by name, and yet the whale army participated in the honour. The defendant had also spoken of " the drooping energies and wasted resources of this country.' His Lordship did not know how the energies of this country could be said to droop, and was convinced that the energies of Englishmen would always be found sufficient to defend the r country. He would wish to know, for what period of tune the energies of the people of this country have been to be supposed declining ? Was it during the career of Lord Nelson's victo ries ?—Was it when Captain Hoste lately conquered in the Me diterranean a hostile force of double the number ?—Or was it the other day, when he himself heard with his own ears, the cannon of our cruizers that repulsed Buonaparte's flotilla, under the eyes of that great Commander, and took one of his praams ? The telling the army that they were insulted by their Govern ment, appeared to him a libel of the most dangerous tendency ; and the calumnies against the Members ot• the Government were equally libelous. Character is of the utmost importance to every man in high trust ; and those in the highest situation have A right to the protection of their characters from those coarse, brutal, and calumnious misrepresentations which were so often poured out against them. The principal danger of those foul ca,luninies, which were often bestowed most un deservedly, was, that it was apt to make men callous to public censure, and to generate a sort of indifference as to any thing which might be published with respect to their public con • duct. In thi, manner the licentious abuse of the press prevent ed that public good which might be expected from the fair ex ercise of it. He would not lay it down merely front his own authority, but lie would state it from the authority of Chief Justice Holt (than whom there was no warmer friend to the liberty of the subject), that s libel on the Govern snent of the country, charging them with corruption and baseness, was a sort of libel which ought to be severely punish ed. To tell the army " they were insulted," appeared clearly to him to be a dangerous libel; and from this commiseration of the situation of the English soldiers, the writer (as is the custom in such articles) proceeds to compliment Buonaparte. With him, merit is always rewarded, and the situation of the soldier attended to." He could not conceive what greater mischiefs the emissaries of Buonaparte (if there are any in this country) could do, than disseminate such doctrines among our soldiers. As to the Government, that was charged with so much imbecility and corruption, he did not himself belong to the Administration, Whatever was its character, imbecile or not so : but lie could not have a doubt in his mind but that the charging the Members Of the Administration with imbecility and corruption in their offices, was a libel.. He had also no manner of doubt, but the defendant was legally responsible for the insertion of such an article in his paper. He knew that it was within the province of the Jury to determine on the whole of the case; but it was his duty also, to state to them his opinion of the article before them; and that opinion was clearly that it was a libel. If the Jury coincided in that opinion, they would of course find the defendant guilty. The trial of this information lasted from nine o'clock in the looming till one in the afternoon. 'L'he Jury retired from the box immediately that Lord Ellen borough had concluded his charge, and continued in consulta tion till five o'clock. At about half past four his Lordship left the Court, and at five o'clock the verdict was taken by Mr. Low ten of—Not Guilty. TIDE TABLE. !IMO WATIR AT LONDGN BRIDGE ON MOR NINO. AFTERNOON. Sunday Monday Tuesday . • . . Wednesday Thursday Friday . . Saturday . . . . M. H . 47 after 3 23 4 . • • • • • • • THE 694 'FIONA L REGISTER. talltloll. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1311. Tura NATIONAL REGISTER. 695 sporats.omminan.wromowomm., • - .. ... . -...--. . piceous in these battles, Press of matter compels us to omit many Original Comnaunica- ndant lid alluded to, of dons, among others ON eSIMUS'S Strictures on the Rev. had asked, ~ why were WATTS W I LYINAUN. N ) l3, A. Lecturer of St. Mary Aldermary, s not also honour e d with tion I,vaN an insult to the and . Bt..Tbomas the. Apostle, which shall appear in our nest. THE KING. During the last week his MAJESTY has been, 1,, , 0n the whole, something better in bodily health, but in mental the same as for some time past; so that the malady appears fixed and confirmed, and the mind entirely gone. DISPATCHES FROM LORD WELLINGTON. The following disp.,tc!ies from Lord WELLiNG. TON *ere received yestel,l.4:-, and published in last night's Gazette : DOVE RING-STREET, Nov. 2, 1811. " A dispatch, of which the following is an extract, has been this day received at the Earl of 1.11/ER1.001.'3 Office, addressed to his Lordship by General Viscount WaLt.i..Na rox, dated Fre nada, Oct. 16, 1811. " There has been no material alteration in the position of the enemy's troops since I addressed you last. "The Army of Portugal are cantoned beyond Placentia, having one division at Placentia, with their advanced posts on the Alagon, and the cavalry on the North side of the mountains which divide Castile from Estremadura, about Penacanda. " I learn from Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Ho wAan DOUGLAS, that the enemy are fortifying the posts which they occupy in front of the army of Gallicia.—One division of the sth corps, with a considerable body of cavalry, have crossed the Guadiana at Me rida, under General GIRARD ; and the remainder of the corps was to the South of that river. " I have received a report, that Dos JULIAN SANCHEZ yes terday carries off a large proportion of the cattle grazing near Ciudad Rodrigo, and destined for the supply of the garrison; and he made prisoner the Governor, General REY NAND, either by surprize, or in consequence of the latter having endeavoured to save the cattle with a very Inadequate force." A Lisbon Mail also arrived yesterday, by which we have advices from Portugal to the 21st ult. It does not appear that the French have changed their purpose of taking their winter cantonments h Spain, contenting themselves with merely watching the frontier line occupied by Lord WELLINGTON. His Lordship, upon his part, seems equally to ad here to his prudent system of not risquing his main object. The lines of Torres Vedras are behind him, and with this impregnable barrier he has cer tainly nothing to apprehend against any force which France can at present bring against him. Should the dry weather set in, there may probably be some further operations, but both armies are at present equally stationary. The following are extracts of the most material articles furnished by the Lisbon Papers Lissom, OcT. 20.—Our army remains in much the same •we of position as when the last packet sailed. MAIMONT ad- M. H. 5 after 4 43 4 25 5 11 6 . . • •