The Statesman. — London, England, 1821-01-20 00:00:00

R - :R Y. A PRECEDENT ! ! ! MOST REMADE %ELI CASE 0/ THE Imetcvrtnm n► EVIDENCE TO •CCOYPLISH AN IMPLACABLE ritosLciertus. TO TIIE EDITOR OF TIIE STATESMAN. Sta—ln this age of " P,:arEngvr," when wen are afraid—or rather when they will not be permitted to ttust their own hearts and tin , lerstandings, and are obliged to apply to the eraee for wisdom—When our lives and fortunes arc to be disposed of, not by • the judgment of the heloat, , , but of the draft—When the human understsnding is to look for the light of information, not la the days in which we live, but in the darkness of days long past, and forbidden of all ommunion with mankind, and the heart must com mune only with paoehrorall and black letter—When, iu fact, all human wisdom and capacity consists in the knowledge of rare, obscure, and obsolete casts and "peceedeati'—The case which I now present to yon, reef: though not et/tree/de, will not be unwel come. 1 plesent it to yon, not only because of its general relationship to human affairs, but I present it to you ship to a certain must momentous proceeding. I pre sent it to you, not as an advocate, but as a mediator. Not as gall, bat as balm ; and I shall think myself blessed indeed, if my humble effort shall in the slightest rie2ree allay that univer6al pain the unhapFy proceeding I have alluded to has inflicted upon every einitabie, every amiable, every feeling, and let me, lest my political or religious principles should be questioned, or your liberality be reviled, let we say upon every meek, dermal, and loyal heart. Perhaps in the history of relentless prosecutions, there never was a more remarkable, a more curious ease than the one lam about to state. Independent ly of either its legal or its political application, I monceive as an historical fact, it must possess almost the charms of a fairy tale, and be equally amusing to infancy, as it ought to be instructive to manhood. lu its singular display, will be seen the implacable per severance of au angry prosecutor—time risks he will run to accomplish his object, and most especially will be seen with what ingenuity—with what genius this implacable, this remorseless spirit is endowed ; what temporary advantages it can, by its inventhins, arrou,pli b, bet how, notwithstanding its powers, its genius, its spells, all rail he defeated by some simple nererreete. No doubt the suggettion of a wise and i nc e lornridenee. . To induce publie credence and attention to this im portant " pm-rib-at," I refer it for verification to my Lord Redesdale, the late, and to any Lord Manvers, th , ‘ present Chaneellor of Ireland, out of whose Court it ~p:ang ; anal in their presence I cry aloud to those who shall hereafter he called upon as jurors or as judges in eases of rat kMO"ss hatred iniplureility, to fortify themselves in this memorial ; and to he cautions, even to shr/Aormics..r, bow they decide agaipat an o/jcer lorrxrentiou, no matter how strung the evidence against that object may uppcar in In., whilst the elightroi pcos:ibiiity tar shading, q' doubt may exist touching the. accusation. For many years now (urinal to "prcerdent," a most vindictive suit was carried on in the courts in Ireland. The ease was against 1 think ll—e. It was a family contest for • considerable est a te i n the county t.f Wexford, and that family of the ut t resi.ectability in that county. To dispossess the defendant of this envied estate, trial after trial had taken place. Proceeding after paoceeding had bean restarted In. Veleta after defeat was ins ariably s the reward of the persevering plaintiff. Mat he failed only to return to the contest with oaitiee and additional rqueumr. The contest a% of such duration, and so vindictive on the lain of Ile prosecutor, that it was said he reared his only son and heir from the cradle to the liar, merely for Coe purpose of being hi:. legal Chu nylon, and of per ri,aririrt The Coati ty by which the plaintiff failed hi his suit, scus the Want tit . a CERTAIN nI Eli, which was an indis pensable link in tie chain of his claim. Could steels eiod Ise entanuem he was ccuTyiN of sure CEDING ; vithatet that deed aureole was leptily INII'URSIItI.F. Ihe persecuted defendant swat' thou let himself perfectly secure. liclieving, as he did, that no such deed bad ever existed; he was, of course, well sa tisfied, that no suds deed could ever befonntf. . After a cessation of several terms, to the great amusement of the reposing defen.lant, the deed tens ItileND. It ti as discovered amongst a MASS of papers aad parchments in the lumber loft of an old and ruined house, formerly the residence of an eminent chancery solicitor, long since dead, and who had been Cie law-agent of the It family. The rain had far years l enetrated the roof of its sel , talchre, by which th;s deed &frac/ wis so much stained and ro t I as to be scarcely legible; but, however, so much of it was readable as was sufficient to prove it was the Pqiel/ decd that was so long- tnissinr, elaic6 had erased so much litigation, and upon which all wow 11'ith shouts of victory this instrument was set up he the unpopular plaintiff. A new bill was instantly tiled ; Chancery, stating the finding of it, and an `ecreed, I think by my Lord Itedesdale, to y. .he trial of this important issue, the defen himself in all the wisdom and learning tm could prodnce. Keepers of ancient ,avers, artists, were collected by him from ,ua ev:ry where, to inspect, to detect this deed, which, notwithstanding its appear 'more antiquity, be peremptorily insisted dav of trial arrived, the Court was :xcess, the whole talent of the Bar en-- fter a most minute, patient, and impartial I, after the application of the most search iisiti►e glasses ; after performing on it the is chemical experiments, it wa• decided .aanintuus approbation of the whole Court deed was Nor a forgery, but an arigiaal—an of much importance to be kept in view is instrument was engrossed on a sort of :h bad not been in use for more that eighty lieb was swpposed to be, if I may use Web *her estiact. which took place on this trial, Mel in 11:1141) lif IfbIll! wall/ der CI its ralitlit3 r To meet th dint arrayed that the real records, engri Lqadu .. from unexpect.4 di h; ance of extr ' I wa% A FORGER When the .i , 4 itiotv,i,d to ~ h.ittled. Aft . investigation, ins and inqui n most curious 1 with the unal !.. i t that this deed dereiekt deed. A matter c this. The i vellum whirl „ years, and al a term, allot The decis . . THE STATESMAN. made a great revetse of public opinion. Mt. R—e, jun..becatue more popular, prejudice gave way to con viction, he was no longer considered as an implacable fiend and perseitutor, hut as the resolute and determin ed champion of his father's rights and of his own law ful inheritance. The DIFENPANT ROW Jemmied a new trial, which was granted. He still maintained that, notwithstand ing the verdict which was pronounced, he would satis factorily prove the deed to he a very rcecut forgery. The iinposaili3tN, the total loapordhility of human capacity fa6ricatiag such an ettraordinary instru ment, as it most unpiestionahly seemed to be, was the almost universal opinion of the Court. The roast- MLITT was as strongly insisted upon by the opposing party. But so aged. s 9 honest, so venerable, so holy looked this record, that the Court with one involuntary accord shook their heads and turned lip their eyes in dissent. " frnpoesillr, impossible," was devoutly uttered by almost every mouth, as if it were a blas phemy to revile th:s scripture. Another, a stewed trial twik place, with doable ingenuity and with don'ole cannon, hut notaitii%tand ing all, a second verdict v.as prmounced catiifi using the former. A gaaalac, an a„ c prat dcrd it teas, and No fOr2fery. Immediately after this second ver.lict was pro nounced, a motion was made to srr asine, upon an affidavit swearing. most positieclo that this wonder ful and matchless deed, this ancient instranaciat whose venerable anal holy features no 11. b,411 could imitate, Which the eve.; of aitists—which no glasses—no chemical process caul I put out of conu• tenance. WAS a FORGIMY ant Tv.zi.vs. MONTS oco. That the deed, the witness's, and the jury hail tiled was not the decal of the plaiotilf—was as , ,t the decal tried on the fOion r trial. The deed fuuud by Mr. K---e, jun. in the I ' ll of ax old house ; nt•T an exact imitation of this inimitable deed, manufactured by au appreatice of the ',Er es I , AN•rs' 'say. The judges were amazed, nor would they believe 'till to their consternation, the Two decals were presented to ether. They ....Tie as like each other as it they were produced by iivagic. When the antazciaient of their Lordships hail somewhat subsided,the gent leanati who hail so admirably rnpied this inimitohte decal was sa•verely reprimanded fur tamper ing with justiceonal WAR pardoned upon consideration that the juggle he Isa , l practised was intended by him to d, fret, anal not to rwoodil a fraud or a forgerv. Upon explanation it appeared that Mr. 11. (the ap prentice) was enthe,iastically embarked in the cause of the defi adnat, and to detect the plaintiff, was re rolvcal to slim the possAility of forging- smolt a deed. " I is ill," says Mr. IL " make just such a deed. - - Sit( h a deed that the Plaintiff shan't know his own from mine." With boyish arlonr be went to work, and made himself an "socket dint" which, on the day of trial, with the dexterity of a jaggier, lie ex changed, anal stole away with the original. Under these extraordinary circumstances to refuse a new trial was impossible. A third trial took place, when the question was set to rest by the learning anal ingenuity of the Solicitor-tiesseral. Born the deeds were notoridoas forgeries. 'Flue prioress by which Mr. 11. maansfactiirell his deed, was, I think. pretty nearly this. Amongst the rubbish of the law. he raked oast a piece of ancient vellum from which, by chemical process,heobliterateil the engrossment. The pleadings and the close in spection on the former trial had furnished him not only with an exact copy of this deed, but of its fcatti res and complexion. 'laving engrossed it with au al suirable imitation of the hand-writing, the gran , ' effort was to give it its impusita:r apprgra ser a,ol;rity cod deeay. For this winnow lie alropt arts : fortis MI it in certain places to eat it into holes, :dnr which he steeped it in the strongest eineettr he could procure, and then put it to r..t in damp ease ytazt in the wine cellar. At the end of a few ))))) nth., the happy anal extraordinary resuri,tion which defeated this implacable plaintiff, and release , ' from his vengeance this persecuted and afflicted defendant, took place, to the great joy, not only of the profession of " Ps ere deals," but of the poildie at lame, to wl I Area: II t this singular, this adoonnitorg PRECEDEST. P.M. All the Jullzes who presided oil those trials are still alive, and so I believe are all the parties. To THE Emfort v:r•• THE Northampton. Jen. 17. IF2I. Sun,—As von have already given the public • account tot the Itrinkrupt Loyal Address from this place, hey y ou will L i vour your readers with the following rtiovrks. The I 'ltra-Lneal Address which has been so snugly got up by the corner-men in sots-hole, has now come to a close, after having I.tid three weeks for signatures, (Wrist.. which time there has been two fairs and three market da%s, extremely convenient for their country friends. many of whom gladly emiwaresi the oppor tunity of shewitto their mock-loyalty; this marvelous document has at length obtained Mit signatures. A list of names and occupations bas appeared in print, and it is truly laughable to see what a motley groape of dependants on the pockets of the public they consist of. Every artifice and stratagem has been praitised on the lower order of people to prevail on them to sign this wonderful Address; but they found to their tuor tification that the major part of the industrious class of people, was be..onie too much enlightened to be caught in the sots-hole trap, so that they were obliged to put up with those pensioners on the State, acid those infirm and aged poor who arc dependant on the charities for support: and now they have brought this long and tedious job to a conclusion, they are much puzzled to Lind out how it is to be sent to head-quarters. Aldeman Split-Plum recommends it to be presented by the Members fur the Town. " No, no," exclaims Alderman Jolt, " I have no objection to the worthy Liaronet, but l'tti sure the other :literal have the honour Ito handle our loyalty besides, why, he would present lit with one hand and cut our master's throat with the 'other." "'1 hat's very likely, indeed," replied Alder man Post, sud, as we hare not any Members of our own Tory principles, we had better send it to Lord Sidabouth at once." 1 Some of your seeders will wonder how this change I has been brought about in Northampton, after having sent a Tory Member to Parliament so many years. Now, Sir, the following is the true state of the case : They have never read the fable of the dog and the shallow, who battings good bait in his mouth and hap pening to look into the water, and seeing his neigh bour had one also, foolishly let go his own, in the hope of catching both, when l►e soon found he could get possession of neither. Poor silly brute, he like his brothers, had never read the fable, that one bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Poor silly apes, they will never have that chance again while the mechanical part of the community continue to study their own intere•!s, as they have a just right to do, as long as the higher orders set them the example. Now Sir, taking another peep into the corner, I found Alderman Jolt on his legs calling aloud, " Gentlemen, gentlemen, I have a motion to make for your consideration." Alderman Split-Plum re plies, " Now then, gentlemen, hear our worth• Chair man."—Chairman—" I beg to propose that the bill of fare for this loyal assembly be charged to the town." " I beg to second that motion," says Alder- Ma n tiol,ble Pudding , " and I also have an amend went to make. There have been some necessary el penc,n attending our loyal address. At this in clement season, it has been thought proper to keep up a good fire to warm the poor creatures fingers be- fore they could hold the pen to sign; and as the days are :bort, it has also been thought expedient to have a number of candles to throw some light on the subject." " Well, well," says the badger Alderman, " I propose that the whole expenees he put into the Cm.stsbles B Ils, that then the Itadicak who as • •I not sign our flanks Nit Address, as they call it, will have to pay fur our punch." This proposal we; carried unanimously. On the en•>tion of Alderman Mediterrania that this Meeting do adjourn to Sunday evening next, the Chairmen retire.!, when those who were sober enough to speak, bid him good night. N.B. The badger has crept ont of the town by just crossing the bridge, so that he will escape the pay ment °luny part of the expenses by shifting the weight from his own shoulders on his pourer neighbours. CURPOILITIONS rt rasa etrif, I,IIIERTY aid PUBLIC PROSPER !TY SECOND SERIES.-LETTER VII. " Nns Pretres On soot pas ea qu'un vain people pewit, Notre credulite fait taute leur science." tivAsist:4t'slara or VULTAIRF., p. 191. " Tint which makes the clergy glorious is to be knowing in their profession 4. unspotted in their lives, active and labo rious in their elinrays. hold and resolute is nispnxi my :alto errs. lad daring to look rive is Use fare ; and, 1301 y. to be yrwllr, euarleuss, uad rognitassioaate to all."—Sot in. Stit--The obligutiuns which we owe to her Ma jesty, arc too great ever to be repaid. She has, by her heroism, in the space of six months, dune more to unveil the diabolical nature of the system by which this country is scourged, and the baseness of its tools and agents, than has been accomplished by the united efforts of patriotism and the progress of knowledge, in thrice as many years. We owe it, then, to her Majesty, who has been the means of preserving and perpetuating our liberties, that our lives, whilst ne cessary to her safety, should he at her disposal. But it is farther necessary tit it at the present crisis, our time, and our must vigorous exertions, should hires sautly be employed in watching over, and proterting her from harm. We must watch the " workings" of that infernal system, to which mural assassination, and physical itmeder are equally familiar. Such, in deed, is the inimstrons, an l almost incredible nature of this system, that its inevitable operation is not only methodically to suppress tenth, science, awl dis covcry, an king unfavorable to its stability, but me tho lividly to engender falsehood, treachery, and con spiracy, as necessary to its preservation of time former part of this proposition. the fate. Of al most every really useful subject of enquiry, which has, for many years come before parliament ; of the latter, the unprecedented perserution of her Majesty, whirls now overwhelms us with shame, might he adduced in proof. A change, a radical change of system, then, is vitally essmitial to the salvation of all that is two' th preserving in the state. Under the present system, it has long been obvious, that not only nu ministers can call into action a particle of public principle; hut that, talents being equal, the greatest knave must he its hest agent; whilst under a good system, i. e. where the three Itraitelles of the legislature were dully balanc.d, and respou-iltility effieient, even the present men would he under the necessity of being honest. Btu aid gh a ch Inge of men, without a radical change of measures, i, e. without a tit 'rough reform of parliament, he much worse than idle talk, yet tit-re are engem reasons why a removal of the present ministers 'oust necessarily precede any reform whatsoever. In tia• first place, the honour of the nation, so deeply tar nished by their proceedings against her Majesty, im peratively demands their instantaneous removal. Even if their crimes ag.itinst the State had been limited to their cittrageous proceedings against the Queen, their remaining a single week iu office, after the meeting of Parliament, would he tantamount to a confessiou that justice and spirit have fled the land; and that all our anti-ministerial fulminations amount to nothing hut smoke. Anti, when we farther consider the insulting manner in which they lately dismissed the Parliament itself, we cannot he persuaded that the Members of that body retain the spirit of Gentlemen, unless they wreak their vengeance upon their insolent head-. The honour of the nation, then, no less than the dig nity of Parliament, demands thedismissal of these mi -1 Initials as a to of example and punishment. But 1 the safety of the State no less imperiously requires their removal. They are so touch identified with the system, they are by habit and by interest so interwo ven with it, that they are incapable of discovering any thing but through its delusive medium. They could not be expected to attempt any change, but fur the pur poses of delusion. Rather than betray their second na tures, they would run the risk of perishing victims of theirobstinacy. But they have a still stronger motive for wishing to perpetuate a system so destructive ;ud so odious. They conceive it to be the only means of saving themselves from punishment for the it past misdeeds. These old hacks of corruption calculate, that, if they were even removed fur their late iniqui tous conduct, without being impeached and punished, ehoald the system remain, they would mere trium. h the phantly to office, in ce, as soon as th e i.or, whic , have raised, should have subsided. Ih. y would the., have leisure to rene.v the persecution of the Queer. 117 if the people, and of the j ress, and to consolidate tie onspiracy entered into with the hely brotherhood o f Continental tyrants, against the rights, liberties, and h 'pp' ness of the world. Tlisir dis, osition i s s e c firmly manifested by the presence o f a B r i t i s h ssitta drun (Oh ! Shame !) at Naples, awl the tra ns p ortat i on of the poor old King of the Two Sirilies t o L eg h orn, in one of that squadron, in order to be placedat the disposal of those new state inqu:s:tors, and enn o, epd eventually, as an instrument in their hands, fur the subjugation of his own subjects. Is this England? And are we in the nineteenth century of the Christian or, '- Although an immediate change of men and of itteas , fts 9 , then, are both intlispensible to the salvation o f the state, the former ought, for the reasons :.to r d, to pee. cede the latter; and the people ought never to cease petitioning the throne until both objects be arro n . plished. I would not he understood to be so unpin. losophical as to impute to the tools and agents S r the system an exclusive, or innate depravity, at ther, in their wisdom, impute exclusive or innate disloyalty and irreligion to the people, whom they wish futthe f to oppress. The fact, is, how•ver, without any d n . clatnation, that a system may be of such a descriptina as necessarily to resider all its tools awl agents, pr ,. _at: and corrupt beyond all other men. The sp. tent is the school, in whirls they acquire their educa tion : and none of them will pretend . to de n y, t h at, upon education, which includes 11.:bit, the con duet of men must depend; unless, i n d ee d, i t should be denied by the phi losoplfecs of the Pitt Club of Scotland, who hive just made the notable discovery that the fit,erty of tiro ti:ess may be preserved, rcithoat its licentionsness ! We now hire the proofs before our eyes, that a system may exist of so horrible a nature, as methodically to prumitt, encourage, and maintain profligate pretchers of sell. lion and bloispherny : that its tcols and agents, when it suits their purpscses, may have an opportunity of disguising the enormity of their own misdeeds, by inspnting sed:tion and blasphemy to their opponents, the nation ; to patronize rogularly fabricators of treasonob'e placards, for the purpose of sacrificing the isf-ttnated individuals who become the dupes of the artiite, and of propagating a belief of the gene ra l existence of revolutionary designs ;—to regard with special favour the efforts of clandestine association., in vilifying and morally assassinating the people from holes and corners ; and even to pardon and cherish the most atroeioos outlaws and defaulters, when th-y roturn to their outraged count ••y, distinguish the seises by (list glossness and incredibility of 6-4 calumnies against the queen and the people.--Let not the frieasls of the Queen, for the people, thee, he entrapped into any legal proceedings against such mi.- rrea nts. Snell, indeed, is probably the principal object of this new !dot. The tools and agents of the cyst .us, if they could mislead the Queen, or the people, into an a:tack Nom the freedom of discassion, through their scour:lons emissaries, mould, doubtless, be glad to follow up the !flan on their side, in the hope of being able to impose further shackles iron the press, ft ithout incurring the whole odium and reponslblllt7 of such a measure. In respect to what may require areoeusent, neither the Queen, nor the peeple, need apprehend that the hob-prudent part of the press 11 , 14 not he able to dispose satisfactorily of all their op ponents : anal, as to their impossible falsehoods, they arc either beneath notice or will refute themselves. My next letter shall treat of the means, to - which it is iurun►lont on tl►e pe:iple to resort, if, upon the Meeting. of Pa►li:.n►rnt, that body should neglect or violate their duty to the nation. ARISTIDES. FOR THE S FATES.II.IN. --gam.-- 10 V Inli INIUS. Jan. 18, 1811: tits---As a constant reader of Stat e smen*, and a warm adherent to the rause it has lung and ably ad vocated, 1 feel myself irretistahly impelled to notice whatever appears in its noloentss inconsistent with the character it has a•qiiir...l, and which every lover of that cause, amongst whom you claim a place for your self, must wish to see it preserve. Allow me, Sir, to observe, that although the triumph of the best of causes cannot :Ow:« s he lan lined by the hest logic and most pervasive elopience, it must invariably be iii;ureil by the of intemperate feeling oa the part of its advocates, or unsupported vague abuse to watch; its op;.onents. I am, therefore, very sorry to notice the tenor of vonr fetter to the successor of 31r. Canning. The want of argument, and the absence of fact, arc the only presumptive parents of scurrility T.iat we should expert it in Me Coarice or Morning Pull, is natural ; hut a paper like 75e Statesmen* must he injured in suffering its pages to be contanii a tied by it. The cause it advocates is so self-evi -41.-ntly just and good, that no attack on the individual character of its opponeuts is necessary to its vin dication. 1 ant the more sorry to find myself called on to address these observations to you, because I must eandidl; confess that your letter to Mr. Hathur t bears evidence of talent, which, if properly direct«', could be an acquisition to our cause, and a credit to roorself. I am at a loss to conceive from what sr.. logy of circumstances you have adopted the signuttuf you assuntr. Is it that the name of Viestimms is In tended to denote a Virgin performance? If so, you are entitled to some indidgencies, and I will theretere nut too severely ex. , ecise the rod von have made for your own back, in mistake for that of Mr. Bather , '. whom I beg to assure you is neither deficient in tale' t or character ; and 1 conceive that my assertion to that effect, will have equal weight with the public, as 1 0 1.6 I, the contrary, so long as either party suffers his i.•- sertion to remain ti.fsupported by any corrotior iti e evidence. The private life of dlr. Itatintrst has been that of a gentleman am'. a ntat, of honor ; t were it other% ise, I would remind t . ou that Fir., c and pudic character are distinct thin From tI t earliest periods of history, I believe the instances I t the association of public virtue and private view, ate quite coal to those in which the private virtues hats beets coupled with public delinquency. With the pri rate character of Mr. Bathurst, I conceive, therefore, rou have nothing to do. As to that he has evinced in public, however much I disapprove of it, I mi«: conical' it has at least been consistent. You cool! II I ; ,