The Statesman. — London, England, 1820-11-17 00:00:00

Sr ; and also theopinton of Lord Chief Justice De 'trey, that even printing a libel might be an innocent art, but that prima itteie it must be understood not to be meant for publishing, unless qualified by eireunistances. In a Bill brought into the House of Commons by Mr. Doddeswell, upon the subject of libel, it would be 'seen that the publication was what he and his eminent supporters deemed the offence, and the nme was the express o?inioa of the .. 1 -a.iges in their answer to the appeal of the Lords upon the act of the :12el of the late Kiog, for regulating the law of libel. Upon these grounds, then, he contended against the doctrine laid down by the Learned Judge on the trial of tb:s case—namely, that the mere writing, without the publication of a libel. was a criminal (offence. But he had the farther authority of Lord Elletilm rough, in Judge Johnson's case, that publication I onstituted the offence; for, nithout publication, how c.oild Lord de Grey's definition of a libel be in:tint:tin e I—namely, that it was scattering firebrands, arrows an i death among the people ? Here the L.4to ('ter:►-JL•••rtce interposed, and said that as Justice Holrov.l w.is under the necessity of leasing the Court, the farther bearing of this case must be postponed. _ _ _ The ArriiitNev-GENIERSI. expressed a wish to know it was their Lord.hips pieasure that the argu iii•ult should he resumed to-morrow ? Mr. Justice BATLEY uliglerVell, that there was no less than SI causes in the special paper, while 11 causes stood (net' for trial since the last term. This he iii•mtionctl. in order that the Learned litoitleman I.,izlit be aware of the state of the business before the 'u The Clitcr-irsrtce said, that at least this cause not be proceeded in to-morrow, as the Court 1:1•::t go into the special paper. No dad• was fixed for the further hearing of this i::l;oirtaitt cause, the public intere,t with regard to 111.ivit was clearly esinced by the crowd that tilled t:.t. Court. AL TUE XING r. ‘1.)1q), RWIERTS. AND DVI% The defendants, who had been convicted at the last .hives of a conspirac►' to extort nahney J. Roberts, sen., by falsely charging his son, .1. Roberts, jun., with an unnatural crime, were 1.7 , fight up for judgment. The Lord l'utr.►-Jus rice having read over his notes r.f the trial. Mr. ticasET, fur the crown, addressee! their l.or•I -s::ips. lie co mm ruled mr the aggravated nature of the offence committed by the prisoners, characterizing n% a malignant conspiracy conducted with the great e,; deliberation. The Judges consulted together fur few :minutes, after which 3lr. Justice BATLEY sentence!' Wood to 20 months icapliqonment in the Chelmsford Douse of Correction: sod Roberts and Day severally to 9 months' imprison ment in the wane Iloube of Correction. CORRESPOADENI*R IiXTWEIN Tilt SIICRIPFII or AIIDDLLSA% ..Nll MAJOR CAP:VNILIGUT. The following enrreoposidence Isar taken place be tty ecii the Sheriffs and Major l'artsvright, iu rouse s's:l lice oldie refusal of the former to convene a Meeting of the County of Middlesex on Reform, as stated in their answer, which we published last nevi( : •• Tu Robert Waltham. Esq. ■nd James Williams, Esq. tiiieriffs or Anthill-q.v. " Burton C t, Saturday. Nov. 11, 1820. " fientletnen—You hare taken a bold step--a very bold step. When Jefferies was Recorder of London, he did nut venture to go quite so far, but y,-t the House of Commons of that diy toted that the c.uluct of that person, and others, was a betraying of the rights of the subject, and considerable severities followed on the passin of the vote. " Being very reluctant to exhibit to the world any thing which the enemies of public liberty might re present, as a token of disunion among those who pro fess to be its friends, l hope that in your si.•ws of what yesterday passed in the Bowie of Lords, you may see such a change of cirennastancei as may have materially changed yonr idea of the expediency of refusing to the Freeholders of this Comity the poser of assembling for exercising the right of petitioti ing Parliament fur a redress of the createst of all grievances. " As one who have joined in the application to yore, I shall therefore wait to see whether pm shall, or shall not, forthwith p:y with the requisition for that purpose which yon have ter..ived, before 1 pro ceed in the course, w hil', in the case of non-compli ance, appears to he a public ditty. " 1 have the honour to be, s' headmen. " Your obedient servant, " JOHN CARTIVRIWIT." " Robt. Waltham Esq." " reply to your's of this day, we hare to observP, that regardless of any menace, we shall run tiaue to act from our sense of public dnty. We have given our answer to the gentlemen who waited upon us, and we have neither time nor inclinatien, nor would it become us, to cuter into any personal Otto cation. " We remain, Sir, " Your obedient Servants, " ROBERT WAITIIMAN, ?Sheriff of S " JAMES WILLIAMS, Middlesex Landes, November 11, Ifl2o. John Cartwright, Esq." " To Robert Weidman, EMI. and lames Williams, Esq. Sheriffs of Middlesex." November IS. 11410. 00111411111N -•••-1 have never bad, from the first, ant desire ftAr personal Altercation. All thus has tak.n place between ns has been forced upon me by the dif ficulties presented to the requisitionists, in their legal application for ability to exercise their riglit of pe titioning. " !tieing now necessary to tuske their appli-ation to the Duke of Portland, as Lord Lieutenant of the County, I request that you will either rtturn toe the original requisition, to be I,tid before ids Wail', to getber with your letter addressed on the Nth inst., to Messrs. Mills and Lloyd. or that you will furnish me with an authenticated copy of the form of requisition, THE ST, .ogether with all the names subscribed to the *feral forms, certified by von to be a tree copy, that, without more loss of time, his Orare may be applied to for the meeting which you have refused to convene. `• I remain, Gentlemen, " Your obedient .errant, " JOHN CART% MOUT." " would he improper for us to give up those papers, which you term reqntsitions, and it limn- no Mart of our dnty to furnish or to certify co pies of theism ; besides the papers mentioned, nine in nittuber, and delivered to us at different times, we have had several written and souse Fereunal communications WI the subject : instead of which, the plain and oh %lulus coarse would have bent (and no .me ought to understand it better than yourself) for a deputation to have presented a requisition to . Sheriffs, and re ceived his answer thereto ; and the parties themselves, it they deemed it necessary, should have kept a copy. " Why then are we rept:red to dctiate trusts the mode of ptuceedingc Why are we to Ilikve dif ticultie4 imposed Noon us, anilat a time when it was known to you that insli•pett-,ahle official duties de 'Handed our whole time and attention ? ‘Vhatever permnal claim :%lajor Cartwright may roar .ice himself emitle.l tu, we ran only on Nuels an urcas.uu, know him as a frerholder, and act with the lathe impartiality as to °them •• have already wore than once given an explicit answer, and as,itpted our reasons. We have stated, • that fully► appr►ciating the sacred right of petition ing,' we shall feel it to be our duty to convene a Meet ing of the count•, whenever we are called upon h% a requisition regularly and respectably •igned for tliat purpose; but the papers delivered to us a pi,e,ir to have been circulated and signed, is a manner so unusual and irregular, that we donut feel ourselves justified in con % ening the great body of freeholders of this count• thereon,' and we now repeat, • that regardless of ally menace, we shall continue to act front our sense of pub lic fluty; " Stone of those irregularities we pointed out ; a ith other•, we presume, you cannot be unacquainted. It appeared that those nine papers, containing toge ther about 199 names, had been in circulation for sig natures, et it fortnight, and others three week,: that one-half of the names had no place of residence attached to the' a ; that several nausea were not in the riting of those whose signatures they purported to be ; that the names of the same persons were signed snore than once; that even your 111Wil Mile stood upon three of the papers, a n d upon two of them not in your outs hand-writing ; that several of the l itanies ter- Lot to lie found in the Freeholders Book, beagles other irregnlarities. " rpon such pape:s, however dignified by the name of requisitions, we are content to Irate it to all impar tial met to say, whether any 'public offirer would he justified in calling evcis a 1)&11o:hi:II meeting, lunels less a nseeting of the metropolitan county, coototaitaing so many tl 1111 l ooatools oof f ovhoslolers. ROl ma 11'1,11'11111N, J 1111...4 WILLI 1113, Writs ut " London, %oT. 13, IWO. '.:Major Cartwright, THE QUI:EA. Yestertlav a Meeting of the Inhabitant Householders of the Parish of Short-14A, was held in the Parish Chitral to :ahe into rousialeration the propriety of pre- Negating an Address of l'ungratulatiun to her Majesty on her late gloriuns triumph, and aisu to take hitt, cousi aleration the propriety of presenting an Address to his Majesty, israyang hint to disaliss (tutu his Councils his present 31i:sisters. After some ;preliminary business, Mr. Sta.a; rose to 'e the Resolutions. Ile said lie congratulated the Vestry on the result of the proceed ings against the Queen. When lie recollected the power she had opposed- -that bloe stemmed the torrent of cur minion anal venality—he had Olbly to say, float he ad mired her firmness as lie gloried in her triumph. It was truly gratifying as it was honourable to the coon try, to see the thousands that had pressed forward to support the Queen. What the feelings of the King's Ministers were he dial not presume to say; but this lie would say, that since they came into power they always proved themselves the comics of the people, the sup porters of every measure fatal tar the honour and the li berties of !togland.— (Applause.) Their odious measures had brought the country into a state which it was distressing to consider, anal difficult to correct. Ile knew lint one way of saving the country—it was to ad. dress his Majesty to dismiss them fur ever front his Councils. He concluded by moving a string. of Reso lutions, which were received with match applause. 11r. letwarmca said, that the 3lreting met tinder different feelings from those whirl, were entertained un a farmer oreasnan. On that erosion, as at the present t, the people, indeed, were persuaded of the in vitee of her Majesty, then it was all anxiety for her safety—it was now all delight and trill tipl. at her suc cess. 'l' he individuals who had prosecuted her, did so, not front a sense of her guilt, but fair the gratiliration of a certain personage who should be nameless. When he considered the power of her enemies—the means thee had resorted to—when lie considered tbilit hired agents in every part of liorupe had been retiisird—aud above all, when a host of perjured witnesses mail hewn brought forward to support charges against her Maps. ty, lie could not help considering that she was marked ant as the victim of unrelealisag persecution. Her Majesty had been charged wath actioas all of them ins probahle—all of them infamous—and many of them physically itupossible. Anil by whom were those charges attempted to be sustained? Hy wretches whose lives were infamous as false - aeandalous.—(.l pplanse., tire, who, unfortunately In power, be remembered struck to the heart of tl membered the history of put down the liberty of . their power—he could not their country. They had b attacks against the Conatif lied, at length defeated.- the great cause of their been by the people. her Majesty were I could not help saying, this country had been was by tisi4 proreeding - - might fall, would nut ligh. duet would be looked upon with admiration as her sufferings were looked on n ith deep and universal sem pathy.•--(dpplrttse.)-»The proreedim," against Ler were unjust, unconstitutional, and if successful would have been fatal to the liberties of the country. lie t hen allutied to the supporters of the Bill. 1 here wer e - their testimonyivas false and .) With revive-le the Minis- ' fur the country,4Nit still found :4 many acts of skim men that the Constitiitioniunchen he re- the lire Acts attempts to the press--ital ery act of not but call them neniies of id been hut too as al in their atitution, but they r, thank .—(Applausr.) Two 4 1 seen it defeat, siipporteslias.alie lied The pruoeedl against before the wo u nd lie that if ever I e hy in .n brought into Zmin, it r: but contempt, 104 it light on the Queen. her con- ,TESM ' 9, net mere than nisi or ten mon Mal weld betlled l some further dislussion the nation wa independent who supported them. Melly, by Air the to, and a Committee appointed to preusre ho•'t greater part, of those who supported the Bill, did so ' Addresses, and to lay them on a future day !:elute lest they alwalki be deprived of their places and their parish. patronage. With respect to the Ilishopsathe Bishops The Meeting adjourned at nine o'clock. were hitherto respected ;_but if they had ever signioi their own warrant of degradation, it was in the support they had given to the late odious and unconstitutional. attempt of Meioses. They proved that they could bow down at the sitrinr,of v►nality anti corruption, and that they could 'wive a s',:rinn verdict contrary to their consciences—(Applause.)—lt was not to be disputed, but that tonne of them declared that they could net vote for the Bill, and afterwards those %cry men, those dignitaries of the ohurch, actually voted for it. Ile turned front them with pleasure to other individuals, who, on a late occasion, had acted a truly noble part. One Noble Lord particularly (land Erskine), who had ever been the advocate of public freedom, had, in hi' old age, at the very Isasard of his life, gone down to the liuuse of Lords to give his pen erful and eloquent opposition to the Bill of Pains and Penalties. Wit:fever might be the opinion of the House of Lords, he hoped the Meeting would not for get, that there were men within the walls of that Hoese oho entertained truly constitutional feelings— who hail nobly stood forward to defend the oppressed, and to protect the innocent—(_lpplause.)--lie hoped and bt lieved the Meeting would act in a manly and independent way: they would not forget to tin justice so the subject anti to themselves--(Applause.)----Ile sencluded by moving the first Resolution. 'I he Resolution was put and carried unanimously. Mr. Sac, sec miled the second Resolution—that Resolution above all the rest mi t with his approbation. Tracing the history of the proceeding against the n np to the present moment, there was nu lamest wan who would not subscribe to the truth of the lan guage of the Resolution. lie uas sorry to say that the life of her 3lajesty was one of misfortune and oppression from the day of her marriage to ',re sent hour. Iler Majesty, he said, had been wined out of doors, forsaken by one who should have pro tected her—shunned by the rest of the Royal Family, and subsequently expo%rd to the attacks of perjured instruments—attat•ks aimed, not merely against her honour, lint her life. Ile alluded to the conspiracy of whirl: the Donglasses were the instruments. lie then said that her Majesty was followed abroad by spies and base agents, and when she was a! length stalled upon to till the high station of Quet•n Consort of England, she wit at once threatened and insulted, anti attempted to he bribed. Here, said the minister, here is 511,41110/. x-year—here is any tiring you will ask, if you will only remain away from England. She spurned those offers, and then the proceeding was taken against her—a proceeding the most disgraceful—sup ported by bribed, profligate, and perjured witnesses— (Applause). After 'inserting on the evidence that had been brought forward, lie said, that the enemies of her Majesty defeated themselves, they blasted their o wn ea .'', and the character of her Majesty came out off he ordeal unstained awl unsuspected by the people of Eit;lanil. Rut with respect to others, he would boldly say, that no proceeding was ever wore calcu lated to bring blootarrhy into contetupt. Formerly the people looked up to Kings and Queens, to Lords and thiLes, as s 'what re 1111 l ved above the COllllllOll standard ; they found, however, that those exalted 'mesons were made of flesh and blood like the rest of mankind. The Resolution was passed unanimously, as were the third and fourth. IL-. MAI scittiv/a seconded the fit h RA/elution. lie approved most cordially of the Resolution ; it was evpressive of feelings which he woniel ever cherish. Every one conversant with the institutions of the country, knew that the country was innebted to the press for its ahs..lutr salt allot'. here and there, indeed, were hirelings wle received their price for base actions, and who were followed, Lot by the execrations, but by the contempt of every honest titan. In tlbtctissio:.: the Queen's case, the pre ad; orated the principles t I.e rr li~iouand the constitution of the country. It called upon the natural guardians of the clinch, to defend its pu rity ; it Illa.lY a glorious and successful effort to pre. vest the Minister front making that dreadful inroad on the l'uncittition which he had so wickedly con teotplatcd: . _ _ The 5111 and Pith Resolutions were carried unani. ustsusly. Tile Rev. Mr. Pizetery next proposed an Address to her 'Majesty. lie was gisd to is itorss so respect able it inceting, and had to congratulate them on the triumph of her Alajesiy. It was the triumph of vir tue over v i,oe —of innocence over p.a 4ccation—(Ap pltits..).— I It , gr-it. the kind-h sarted, the noble. minded Que-n of England, hail triumphed. The limit Creator, the King of Kings, who sways the seepti-e of universal dominion. protected the Peo ple and the Queen ; he mad to the proud, implacable enemies of both, " hitherto you shall gn. and no farther---here shall your . i.rond waves be St.iye.l."---( A p;-1 iiise.)----lrhe enemies of din Queen wete the impi ruble foes of the people, and the coon tett-rejoiced to see them prostrate at the feet of her Ma jesty I defeated and despised as they were, he trusted inever swain would rake their heads, and that the 4t would lung live a ***** vigst the people that stippot t ediler in the hour of danger; as she would fur ever live in their ailections.--(applause.)--Ile concluded by muffing the Address. M Oil-smolt:it a E moved that the Address which hail bee 'i v 'Sad should be referred :o a Coututit!ee fur re-con side on. A r liras said he cordially approved ofthe conduct of th,paiisli towards her Majesty. Me thought from the btfirising that her Majesty had been a wronged ird pelar#ruted wotnan.---(Rear, hear'}-lint with re spect to the Address before them, he thought that there were many passages in it whirls might be amended. The Address was ref reed to a Cuss tttt ittre. On the questi.in that it be referee I to a l'osittlittee to prepare as Address to his Majesty, praying hint to dismiss kis Ministers. Mr. BLACKINURNZ sai#l, that he eonsidered the meg. sire unnecessary, because they could nut hold their places. . _ _ TO THE EDITOR OF THE BTATES.ILIy Sin-1 bet leave to lay hefore ynn an sc.-emit of the rammer in which the inhabitants of Oxford ~, . ducted thetuselven, on occasion of the Queen's action:al. On Friday evening, at about half-pan nine ei'cloc!,, it was publicly announced that the absoninahie Lit containing fal.se charges against her Majesty nas ejected from the house sot' Peers. 'this g l o ri uti s an I long anticipates, infiortnation spread with electric ra pidity, and anion of the moist rapturons aeclanntio l were heard in every street. The bells were rang as i a bonfire was lit in the centre of the l ity, round wiiica vast cross al s assembled; aged people and i 0 valids who pre trebly bad not left their I es fur several weeks beer., came forward amongst the rest to celelirate the Inmai event. And well they might, for it woe was tile tr - umph of innocence and jitstice, over persecution and calumny. Never did I see so The Corms of exeltatioon I have often witnessed, hat here the very heart apoke ill every countenalee. There Stan a beatitiful display of fireworks, and inane ingenious devices appropriate to the occasion t such for instance, as three Breen Bari, imprinted on piles with the following inscriptions, " This is tiiled with filth." " This in filled with lies," tsa:. Thee were carried about the streets fur a while, and then curt signed to the dames. An effigy also of a certain character notorious fur his base conduct en every import ant state affair, and particularly Isis inveteracy agaiust the fifteen, was suspended on a gibbet and hail up to public view, and well li is the public scorn been wo:e strongly expressed than it was against this person's r- I presentative. %Viten it was thr.mon into the tire, such a burst of exultatiol arose as was heard in the re motest part of the city. Duriag then, t ransact i on , the utmost harmony and deco: um prevailed, and the fire was not extingitislowl our the atreet deserted till past five &elm:. the billoiwing worsting. On Satur day many began to make preparations to illuminate their homes that Mein ; but others tbiakiug there would be not be sufficient time to snake that display which this occasion deserved, wished it to be de ferred till Monday. A slight but general illumina tion therefore, to. , k place on Saturday evening, when the effigy of a fori:arol Bishop wan burnt, and the same generous entlitts'asm and wanly order prevailed as on the preceding night. On )landau preparations were made for a splendid exhibition of the Queen triumphant over her enemies. Many allegorical transparencies were painted and other inoenione (leases were got really to dee orate the window,. Bust all this was absolutely forbiddeu by order of the Vice-Clianerller, seconded by his ever etemplying friend—i Illeall Isis trO,Shidfil colleague, the Mayur. Accordingiy three hundred special c Ols. *Wes were appointed, and bills issued to prohibit ," any such practices," as they termed illumination and bonfire. lint many of the citizens had the 'erne thy, notwithstanding, to disregard their arbitrary slecre. , , and, soon atter the darkness closed in, the candles which ha d . been previously arranged were lit op. Upon this, hnwever, the Mayor and other 31a ghtea:es, st ith a train of si,ecial constahln paraded the streets, iegosesting or commanding the inhabitants le extinguish their lights. iVith this mandate, many Here mean enongh to comply, but others manifested their loyalty and affection bir the Queen, be a manly perseverance iu their original design. At about halt past six o'clock the Prue:sirs made their appearance, I I attended by a train of college servants and masters of 1 arts. These priestly worthies were more peremptory in their conduct, and many who refused to acquiesce in the reqnest of the City 31agistrates, readily obeyed in the true spirit of Catholicism, their " s, iritual pas tors and as %Averts !" If any one uas hardy enough to utter " the Queen," leis name was demanded by the velvet-sleeved despots, sold he was singled out for fu ture retribution. Still the people cortinued to pass and repass up and flown the streets, so whams; the in nocent objects of their admiration, but they were neon interrnpted by a snob, who swarmed like the locusts of Egypt—a mob of gonmstnen, upwards of a thousand in number, many of when were armed with weapons of offence, sn,•ll an hlwl_eons, iron bars anal plate's. 'they carried it now with a high ar:n, and weed every means to insult and irritate the towns , law who offered no resistance, except a feeble cry of " the Qneen," whirl' was heard now and then, could be deemed such. They stopt at ere." , louse that had a light in its a ionlow ; hissed, groaned, howled, snot menaced the inhalointute, it it was not immediately extifignisheol. And altlsoagh the insulted people 'hewed not the alight •st disposi ants to create confusion, yet before eight o'clock the Riot Act was read, ansi many uf, the_ most orderly, and best disposed citieres were for.ibly sized awl thrown into prison, while the onrush ) • mob of goner wets were left untsiol-sted to insult the Queen aml I, people according to their inclination. Are these the wen wid:, admire and Menleate the generous and li beral sentiments of Ormoathenee and of licero, those noble advocates fur popular liberty: ?t o, they may pretend to admire then, in the tette-, but they do not respect them in the spirit. Is this tile country that ' boasts its exemption from the transfix of priestly power? No! Oxford at least is as nutria in reality under the dentination of tls l'ice-Cbancell or, as any part of the dominions of the Hely See art solder lb" ,1 i of the Pope. Here, "an Englialonati's house is not his til I castle," as Lord Chatham proudly stile.' it, for a'- 11l thow.;ll the king dares not cuter it, yet the Proctor' may dare. Yes, front their prying in.pectineary, no Isoon is sacred, aweigh it be the eliaut! , er of a beloved wife, a virgin daugfiter, or a dying mother. liars ' then, you see, not military but acs letnical despotism prevails. We have nuniinally a onavur and inferior snaglatratea it is tree, but these are really on every tiecaaion to lick the feet of their gown-clad tyrants. Besides this, we have a troop of veumenry cavalry quartered upon us, who lord it over our towasasee like the heroes of Peterslield, and I am almost ashan* ell to attbscrib• tisysel 1 AN tSil inIT INT OF TIIF VEUR iprO CITY OF QXII,OO, Mr. laNnstrr said, that it eras not merely to dri►e them from/Jun.4.r, but to mark the public abhorrence of their poittiesl conduct, that this Address mu in tended. tt • r ir is is I I 111 0 bow t er Alt it* • 901 i le at .e Cot Mos le PAI who at at no the unit tt P tal rr t -rot F r, 11,e per or 11. Nita ttka molt ont,ti "111 I:p els e to Sol rt a l tI e-s rI4 sty it t e.r cad hr. ith !ON ailll In o th Si tier sty K w !cher • u ist Urn ei r sac /MCI li I t I stir pawl and funs •blr ride ohm jesti •—lii of t lbw Sail .11.• •or Col 11 a IN if IE