The National Register. — London, England, 1819-06-28 00:00:00

JUNI 28. BOOKSELLTIIs. A numerous and highly respectable Meitir .. .g of Booksellers an other trailers aas laid Weilneolay evening at the Globe. tavern, Fleet.stmet, to receive the Report of the Committee, formed at • general meeting, held on the 22.1 of denaary tat. for toe purpose of inquiring what steps were necessery to be clop' ed. in consequence of the Univereities of Canibridire and Oxford having in eituted pnweetlinga in Chancery against a nutaber of individual.. for publishing certain minuets of the Bible and 114 , 4 of Common Prayer. The ("muniittee were further appointed to inquire into the exclusive right which hail been set up by the Kmg'e Printer and the two Universities, to the minting and pub. pshing such work., and the prohibiting an other ("dolma without t'ieir sanction. Mr. It. Baldwin was in the Chair. The report of the tarnmittee was read by the Secretary. It was divided into 4heads. The first of these referred to the nu merous, suits which had been instituted by the King's printer, err the Universities, against booksellers, pawnbrokers, end others, Mr the sale of Bibles, &e. In Chancery alone, 33 suits had been in stituted, and thew at first being directed against the lea, upulent tnulearnen, many.were induced, by threats• to compronwe the matter, and to pay sums of from 301. to 401. in dependent of ex penses to the solicitors. But some individuals ivete heightened ono much larger terms, and even the sum of Minh had been de manded and paid. Those who had so compromised. in general, ascialcil to an unqualified admission of the patentee. right ; *bile others, in many ill6tahe':S, bound themselves by a solemn pledge not to dispose of any other editions of the steired works mentioned than those sanctioned by the K ieg's primer or the mini. veniiies. Those aho hail nut. entered into these trcatia, sued whew nombersewere very conatterante, had still hanging mei them, in terrureui, injunctions in the Court of Chancel), The second head of the report embraced the leo:arches cf the committee as to the exclusive right mistimed by the patentees. '/'he licenses. as they were traced to have existence, were those in the reigns of lien. it, Edw. r, 159.9, and Elie., when Hither(' Jug:r. Fielding. I I ill, and others. possmsett them. These • how. ever, were only known as the standard and uninterpolated edi tions.and intended only for the use ot the epietopacy and churches. A monopoly, lio.vever, was attempted to be made of the publiea thins • and in the reign of Elie ibeth the Parliament was athlre•atitt • or, the subject; when her Majesty received an address, to whit h ehe roomed a most gracious answer, thanking the house for re minding her of such thattere • proteating against the monopoly. and adding, that rhere was also to be found about the ( ourt. men who, by an assmnption of right, eere mithiog more titan "liarpiee and liorseletschee,'' preying upon and susking the vitals of public proper.y. Some of the licenses were then revoked. Neither the l'nivereties or King's printer. therefore, had ever fairly esta blished the right they claimed ; and tile former, on the consrary, having on two occasions referred to the teelebhued Archbishop Laud for a confirmation of those rights, were ants crud by him, that it might be unwise to agitate the question, and advised them to remain content with things as they stood, and to let their rights •• grow strong. quietly. by time." With regard to the nght assumed by the Universities, were it even just, it had been greatly abused: fur they bad each sold the privilege to private inditidu. as. who hail printed the books iu qusation. It so happened , too. that whenever they were printed by private persons, the editions far exceeded in currectnese and executiun those of the patentees. It was admitted alas by the Committee. that the question of pri. vilsge hail been frequently conteoul in the Course of Law ; but that on such occasions. the decision was insariaLly against the inunopuly of the patentees. 'flue caw of the King's printer in Ireland, Grierson v. ducloion, was a recent instance. The defen dant hail published a folio Bible with notes, and the plaintiff sought redress against the supposed infringtanera of his right in the Court of Chancery. _turd Chaucellor Clare. how ever, pc. rempturily refused in injunction, upon the ground that it could Levu have been intended by the Monarchy .to sanction a wont ;arty which would have the effect of limiting the kriowledge ot Christianity, and of intereeptiug the diffusion of moral and - reli. Lions knowledge to the whole human race. The report also remarked, that while injunctions hail recently been taken again , t several respectable persons the publishing Bibles and Prayer. books, unman:tinned by the patentees, others had escaped. The learned and upright Justice Bayley had, in modem times, pub halted many editions of a book of Common Prayer; and his example had been InUoued by Messrs. D'Oyley Ariel others. No notice, however, was oaken of these; And it was therefore but fair to ask, whether the right did not extend to all. Upon the whole, the Committee were decidedly of opinion that there was no exist ence of an exclusive right in the King's printer or the Universities; and that it was ve.ted only in the King. as head of the church, who sanctioned the distribution of correct standard editions of the Bible and Common Prayer among tile cpiseopiwy and in churches. The report, which excited great applause, westlictaproposed to be agrevd to. Mr. Mawman, agent for the sale of the i7nivezaity editions, lahiented that the report charged the L'eisereit:es with arbitiary prosecutions. Ile was ready to declare that no such intention was indulged, that the bodies he defended were not conarious of the existence of such prosecutions, and that at the very moment when the meeting ot the booksellers took place in January last. the Syndicate was issuing orders to stay the proceedings. The lYnivirsities. he hail no hesitation in saying, were ignorant of the extent to which, without their orders or advice, the proceedings had gone. Mr. Offer, alluding to the editions of the Bibles and Prayer books published by the Universities, said it was notorious that those printed by private individuals were beta executed, and more correct. Ile instanced the case of one of the University standard l'rayer.hoolts, which in the prayer oldie 'lies Court of Parliament omitted the following striking and beautiful passiti,v— -•• That peaee and happiness, truth and juetice, religion and piety. may be ostablidied aiming us for all generations. An edition 'of the Bible, too, under the same high sanction, had put forth le,ooo copies, in all of which a blunder was commuted, by making a sudslen stop in the midst of one of St. Paul's Epistles, and then going on with the Ith chapter of the book of the Reve lations. Another of them standard editions had calktl the para. tile of the Vineyard, '• the parable of the Vinegar." And again the University l'rayer-book had, instead of t• the world," pro mulgated this prover—" (/ Lamb of God, who takeet away the sins of • the Lord.' " ( fernghter.) /.Ir. Maxwell said, that whatever they had heath from other quarters, the meeting should not be lulled into security until the injunctions were completely taken tiff This 11.1t1 only been Mew in the case of Mr. Illancherd. the Wesleyan publisher.. alto lint! circulated large numbers of 1/r. Coke's Bibles. Mr. (lifer stated, that it struck him very fallibly that the in junction which had been dissolved as to Mr. Blanchard, was dote so under a conviction that that individual would be sup ported by the whole of the great body of Methodists to which he la:longed, and who, as suffering clirisuans, would till doubt make u stand. Urinal as the meeting now was, with the assistance of other friends, they might also make a stand, and little doubt re mained of enemas. (Oral applause.) Mr. Ilarrieon (one of the deputation from the body of pawn. brokers who had been threatened with prosecutions) bore teeti• inony to the very hatitteome way in which he slid his companions had been received at the Universities. Tne Vice-Chancellors assured him, iii die most unequivocal terms. that no proceedings whatever had been instituted et their dedre, and that such a wire must have been adopted by the solicitors, not only without • heir csneurrence, but inch without their knowledge.—( hear.) %Vino was his aurpr se, however • to find in a few days afrer he returned to taw.). that the protacutioga were once more threat erred by letters, anal which subsequelndy were again and again renewed. ( /tear.) Some of the members here inquired of Mr. liarrisom whether, 'Lanny of his interview* with the Vise-Chin:4a Voss, tiny thirg had NATIONAL REGISTER. paited which might elucidate their specific claims, and to what limits, as to tile puldienvons in question ? lkirriseii, and another of the deputation, were not rre ptful to answer this. The public conference they had already given to the committee, but there certainly did take place lowly private conversation. wllich, in honour they were bound nut to do close. They could assure the meeting, how•eser, that nothing had omutreti to alter their feelings as to the conduct that hart en pursued against the booksellers as well as Olen:selves. (Wile.) A liberal subscription was ellteted into, and tire meeting. broke up. The particulars of the disturbances at Liverpool are briefly as follow:—Some persons having been on Wednesday apprehended tbr felony by the Dock officers, and put into Bridewell, a cousideraLle mob collected for the purpi se of liberating the pri. loners. They broke down the doors of the liridewell, and in the,atfrey Feverul of the Dock constables were .seriously hurt. Seventeen of the rioters were secured, and the necessary informations having been taken against them, they were on Thursday corn. mitted by the Mayor to take thLir trial fur the offence. QuAg...se..Aer..—s i t o pl a y Ann Wettow, rimeged tsith having 4 Meted the apart no at of .loin 'Swan, is private in 1he.1.51 reg.. Foot Cu trd,, to the day time, and sealing therefrom a box coati his ae,tri o g apparel, and whet articles, 44 its brost4ht up fur rxamuua pogo; hut to colo r .. garlic,- of one of the pan obrdker., a ith tthom she bad pleil4ed part of the pluperty, out bring iu attoidance, rite tta. reiiiii Duiti: Lea v.—Psi:lay or early Semr,ley ramming, some daring villains broke 14)4'11 the thiliting• 1.1111-r oi I'. Barton. farrier, near she Dere° Man, on the hem ro id: and wit hnul disturbing the.faink, su• ireeded in carry Mc off a feather bed, tin stets, *her Is, :egrets* qu.tntity of liouc,liold linen, vs calico.; apparel, a fete trinkets, and 111. iu nutty, and escaped undiscovered: Aluctist. AT Tll E AWNS . T .—Snturday. a numerous turtling of ladies and gentlemen took place, to consider of Mr Owen'. plan, for a mode of permanent, h. nolcial, and productive employment to the pour." The Duke of Ficet was in the chair, supported by the Duke id miw g, and attended by sev eral masons of din action, w hen the Aubjeci of the meeting was opened awl explained by the Noble Chairman. Itesolotions of re, after au explona. ti 88.1 of %Ir. Owen's v ieu s, being explained 18v him. adopted, and as Committee appointed to further 111911, can ied. I he thanks of the Meeting were then voted to the C liairma a. Fraud.—Friday afternoon a man, having the appearance of a gentleman, went into the shop of Mr. Grant, a watchmaker, in High -street, Ali!gate, and agreed for the purchase of a double • bottomed gold watch, N 0.254, upon a diamond, for 251., for which he tendered in payment a bill of exchange fur .501. purporting to be drawn by a person of the name of Maund, and payable at Messrs. SMith, Payne, and Smith's, dated the lst of May_last. The man called himself Dr. 141 Mame ,: raying be was from the country, and was at the Swan with Two Necks, where he invited Mr. Grant to call on him at ten o'clock. All this Mr.. Grant incautiously believed, parted with his tvaLeli and 251. in change, and on inquiry at the bankers nothing is known of the par. ties, nor was he known at the inn. Mr. Grant ap plied at Bow-street Office, but nu assistance could ha raidered him. - Transaction in the Borough—Mrs. Kirby and her children on Wednesday arrived at home, to the great satisfaction of the neighbourhood. It appears, that she and her husband quarrelled on the road, in can sequence of which Kirby returned home,. and .she and the children pursued their way down the noun try to beg, but did not go to Woolwich as was ex pected. The man is now nearly well. DREADFUL Soli:mg.—On Monday afternoon, about four o'clock a well-dressed gentleman was observed walking along Chan,los-street, in a very agitated Wan ner ; at length he tinned round the corner of Castle court, Strand: he advanced towards the door of Mr. Donaldson,. broker, seemingly with an intention of enter but finding it shut, went to the opposite door; that being also shut, 1w stood a Few minutes on the spot, feeling in his pocket*, and taking a lancet from a box, he put it to his throat, and cut it in a dreadful mossier from war to ear, and in a moment. the pavement was covered with blood. Hefei! hack .ual was tillpported by - Robinson the beadle, who was passing by. Ms. Morris, a surgeon, attended, but the maintain ate gentleman had injined himself so (dreadfully that lie was qu;te dead.— Some papers, a set of surgeon's insi tttttt cuts. with three half-pence,- were found in Iris pockets. His body was taken in a shell to Mr. Bartlett's, undertaker, where he was shortly after owned lay his friends, firms whom it was tanderstood his name was Brotherhood, son of the Bev. Mr. Brotherhood, of Desborough, N4411)8'111)1°11- shire, a surgeon of Crown -street, Soho Tuesday afternoon an inquest was held at the King's Arms. Chandos-strect,, on the body. Oa Monday list, the deceased went into the coffee-room in Castle-cotirt, and requested Mrs. Glintalth to lend hint a sharp knife to bleed himself, which she refused, Ile left the place, and shortly afterwards something was heard PO fall, and, on looking up the court, the deceased was dashing his head on the pavement,. n ids Isis legs in taw air ;. he go t up and walked on. When hearrived near Mr. Donald son's, the broker, he ttttt vcd his neekkerchief," anal with a lancet, after a sodden-start rotund, inflicted a deep wound. lie a terwa rd. took off his neck kereltief,and cot his throat again ; he then st.tggered abort five yards and fell back, the blood flowing profanely .I.t w as UseleSS to render any medical assistance. Mr. 13.11, of the Crown Tavern, said, the deceased had occupied apartments at his house since Febritaty , last Ile was imam:times very collected, anal at other times flighty. Within the las. five years lie had run through au immense MD, though CGu now he was In very indlreln Cifel.llllsl4llCri. r and brother are respectable clergymen in Non harootiiii. tire, and his t' ire and family ire at Lancaster Whett to to bed Ino Sunday ilielit be requested Jr.N Hell to nnk nun Inc bedroom the follow itig otortrimi. Wi.ness bed, " A•e you going to kill yourself 3 - lie replied. " No, persons shits talk most of that do It Ow kart, it was irnpoisible to say what might happen. - lie pat up the following niorstinA at six o'clock, thottais he genur .11v slept till detest, and asked dr. Bell if his :twirl luck bad color (isteattine Se%eral pawnbrokers duplicate, were vomit:et& Ver. A long letter from I.etl Cochrane, (lutes! in Fe bruary, from on beard the squadron off Valparaiso, was an Friday received in the city : a great portion of it refers to the •Andemenche British frigate. It will be remembered, •that .his. Lordship made severel inquiries of the Commander of the United States sloop of war Ontario, regarding the thriller vessel, as to the quantity of specie onboard, and to whom it belonged. In. the communication to which we allude, his Lords:lip rates, we understand, univii. vocally, that he eerteinly would have captured the British tligate, had he not been constrained by the Government of Chili, as he firmly believed that the specie on board of her was actually Spanish properly ; but the Chilian authorities were too well disposed towards the English to risk Oleic dislike. sloe, by making an attack on the And. umache, though they might have considered themselves justi tied in so doing. I‘l PoRTA NT IN Faint ITroN.—On Friday morning a gentleman. named Edmonds, waited on Mr. Rirnie, the sitting Magistrate, at the Police Office, Bow -street, and informed him that,he ilea just re ceived a letter from Colonel Flint, at Liverpool, stating that the country in that. vicinity was in a very alarming state. Upwards of 800 men had as sembled together. many of them lamed, and ap parently with every disposition to commit violence, but every necessary ..preparation had been inude to preserve public peace. Mr. Birnie tlewked dee gentlemen for, the iaforraation, and immediately conveyed, the .intelligence by letter to the Under Secretary of , State fur the Heine Department. We ore happy to hear that the number of persons above alluded to is exaggerated, and that their otjcct is not connected with politics. We understand that they had in view to attempt rescuing some persons in. custudy form violation of the law, but no doubt. . their attempt has been frustrated. A letter from Beauvais, of the IGth inst. transmits • - the following facts, which may furnish M. de La fayette with the .means of supporting the opining) expressed by him, us to the favourable state of,public morals :—A young woman threw herself, .with her. infant from a window. A sick man, weary of lite, did the same. A woman was- shot dead as she was passing through her garden, to warn her daughter not to appear before her father, under evident symn-. toms of improper conduct. A love-sick youth. whose marriage. was opposed by his mother, came to Beauvais on the Nth instant, sold his watch, bought a pistol with the money, and blew his brains out An Ancient President of popular Societies, the Sitter Legras, a .most assiduous rraderof the worst boas, drowned himself. At • the present moment, the Court of Assize is employed en the trial of a pare. cide, only 20 years old, who, while his mother was at her prayer, fractured her skull with a blow of a hatchet, and to semen himself from detection, set fire to the house.. important atEtirs appear at this time to engage' the Cabinets elthe great Powers. Their solicituile. is particularly. exercised regarding the thiferences• between Spain and Portugal. Persons well informed pretend that the following project of cession and division is at present under discussion:—Portugal is to be united to Spain, which will cede to England the island of Cuba ant two ports on the. coast of Portugal and Spain. Tide project appears extraur-: dinary, but it may have some foundation. At any • rate. there is a rumour on the stbject among diplo matic people. In order ti indemnify Portugal, . Spain is tei cede Monte Video. Russia has made new applications to Spain to obtain the islands of Majorca and. Minorca; and it is expected that, in tho present situatioa.of affairs.. elle .will succeed in her object. There are in foreign papers.somenther intimations of intended Royal maciieges, but there is something , mysterious in the following parageaph, which we lied in a Manheinppaper:—" The Princess Leiden, second daughter of Prince Louis of Wirtemberg, will, it is said, be married to a Monarch, who, how ever, is not act mentioned, although there ate nut • at present many Monarchs unmarried." WrdneWay Pe'rnsiski Re , unv 11. 5... r NI Writ T.I. holy, F...srs, the reside:lse of the Her. aid 521.1,n -mas, was broken into, and ploodrard of . geld %mete , . :111404, plan., tlansa.k linen, %tat ins appa sod usher prolrr•rty, to the a:uunut of at least 40..1. ahr I , wer ' , nit of the boost. was titled of every tiring ralwahle,end sltlelo4,ts the hoiily were in thr house at the t i ttt r, no inti,e n.es 'flare ..n.:nrimis looking men, e.arying lame hoinlies, weer traced as far ar I'la.stow oa Tltu.sdan.% lusts the clue was lust.