The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1804-05-28 00:00:00

T:1 1. - rIE, HAYNI% KR r. On Satiirclty night. a new Caiin.l.l7 In fie.: Afts, ktifed. G tiff tr.• ,or Gr. , 407 f win performed :it this T:textre, for the first tirnt ; principal cliaraftzrs of which were thus reprtnented: N'44.1 Mr. Flamm. DI .for Cowie Mr. P.l.nor. TrOvee . Mr. Mathevn. Mr. lia , ovre.. Mr. Chapman. ClArtes Balanre Sr Harm Painter. Mr. D • t amp. Waliarn Yaßeg Mn. Gibbs. N ee . Itednere Sawn. Rigid Mn T. lVoodiall. Japhia M , m Grimani. This Comedy is the produCtinn of Mr. T. Dian's. The story is taken from the Reprobate, one of the hest Novels of that pnpuler writer, .4,(olsent h i F oe . Edneand R%4.1, in the Play, is placed in simi -lit circurnitances with the Repro "ale in the novel. At the opening of the piece, he bears a charafter, almost universally abhorred. It is in the mouth of thewhnle country, that he had attempted to seduce his mother-in-law, and had drawn his sword on hi s o wn father ; he is represented as the object which all men shun; and to place his charalter as low ZS public opinion e:en reduce it, he is contemned as a coward, one prevalent report respeCting him being, flat he had retired from the army because he would not fight a duel. This man, hcw-ever, is of a noble. generous, elevated temper. The ch of bar to ex planation on his part, is occasioned by his generous regard to his father's peace of mind. His mother in-law he had once loved, and she had been be trothed to him ; hot, in his absence on his travels, she had heed induced, by the attriltinns of superior rank and fortune, to marry Lord RiCid. l!e re. turns; meets his mother in law; and_ (from peen. liar circumstances), not knowing his new relation to her, and supposing her still faithful, clasps her in his arms. In this situation he is surprised by Lis father, who draws upon him, and he (from re gard for his father, as much as in his own defence), wrests the sword from Lord .12r,cid's hand ; and, being found in these circumstance; by some of that nobleman's servants, hence arose the grand calumny, which served as a foundation and authority for ail the rest. His mother in law did not explain, from shame of her breach of faith to Et/mm.4; he was silent for his father's sake; and Lord Ri- , il, though sensible of the misake of part of the report, was silent, from a sullen though unfounded jealousy.— AU the equivocal circumstances of Elats.hrs life are at length explained. in a manner equ II v to his honour ; but this, which we have seloeted, will scree as a snecirnen of the embarrassments and di settroment of the plot. It must be acknowledged, that the charaeter and situation of Edmund are capable of producing scenes of great interest ; but. it also will be at once per ceived, that they border very ne..rly on the mura lragant, and demanded great nicety of feeling and judgment. to conduct them through a prc,bable course to a natural and fortunate issue. The au- thor has not entirely succeeded in this. The faCis art too extravagant ; the snspence does not beget much anxiety ; and the explanation is lame and in sufficient This it said of the fable, considered as a whole. Parts of the story are pleasing and affect ing. The situation of Sasrire is most interc'ting. Edivend is married to her, under a feigned name ; and she has to receive from him the explanation. that the man she has been taught to detest, and whose name is her terror, is her husband. Yet this expla nation, so fraught with occasion for passion, is crowded into the throng of explanations, and thus loses much of that power it might have derived from being singled out, and made to Swett in same happy and eventful moment. The situation of Swath with her father (Major Carattle), who sup poses her to have lost her honour (the marriage being a secret one), is well imagined, and produces a fine effelt. The Major's chandler is well drawn as a sketch, but it is not fully made out, nor is it touched with sufficiently glowing colours. This is, is some degree, the case with most of the promi nent charafters. They only want to filled up to deserve a permanent station on the boards of the theatre. This may be more particularly said of the charafter of Edeismet An underplot is very well thrown into this play, to relieve the serious part of the scene; in which the principal personages are, Triangle, who keeps a school, a circulating library, and a room for reading the newspapers; and Sir Harry Pointer, a dashing Baronet and jockey. The charalters were generally well sustained. Mr. Eurstom's ?domed is a bold, rich, and masterly performance. In the tender scenes with the ami able Sasctee, and in those scenes in which the grander passions are called forth, he was equally happy. Mr. MATHEWS gave the charafter of Trienrk with a good deal of vivacity. In the charafter of the lovely &tote, Miss Wools r A LL was all that the author has painted, and he has touched that cliaradler with pe culiar delicacy and success. This play very early interested the audience. and Was received with very great and general applause. Ore instance only cc cnrred of disapprobation. The Mr ! jor fires at Ed mund as he wires after declining to fight hint; and Stunk, rushing in to prevent the duel, is, for the mi. meat, supposed to have received the hall from her frher's hand. There is certainly something harsh in this, which it would be well to alter. When the curtain dropped the applause was unanimous. The two last lines of the Epilogue gave out, in WI, the repettion of the plav, and were received with the loudest plaudits. lire Epilreztie (which has min li merit) was admirably deliyr,o..l by Mr. Ei usrom. - Prologue was spoken by Mr. PA L mut, jun. 'or torne time past a middle-aged man, respecta drew,d, has been calling at the Queen's Those, eking in qu i r i es if t h e KING hid le t .17iy messages him, and if the Pa ilaciasts had left any I.:ttcr. Wm, in answer to .071/C scut thcni Un Fri morning asrilie.l at the ti.' r ot tht• :Pi, and b:virri,- el evrrawly tNinhlesnr:te, th it Atr ait once: :hc gcarkii.ca portur; .1 in: • "I him, ald ennveved him into the c:ismiy rf "%enj. t r officer, who I: , ,[:,ed hint in Fot:till. Is Bridcwell (In Saturday hr was examined Sir ll:Cif A Tt!) Frith, VICII he i roved to b.: 2 l WllO is derangtcl, and hAs-hern custody 5... a t . orr a . r•xorder r l to b: ci:t.utzd. Ifis It. T..: NI AS L' ww. I The c • Ily e Maki for h for h day lodgi Mr. Tow E rc roa n • 1.4,04 LAW. COURT OF KING'. a.“..**:.J, FURDAY, MAT 26. Before Lind ELLEN antinvorr and a Special J:try. LIBELS. THZ RIGHT Hem. WILLIAM CCNNINCHIAIt PLVNKrTT V. WILLIAM CORNETT. This was an aftion of damages brought azainst e I)efend-int for a Libel nt a scandalone and malicious tendency, published by him in his l'oberial lierrs,ter, of the sth of November and 10th of De cember last, wherein he had grossly libelled the Plaintiff; who is the present :iohcitor-General of Trel Ind. The pass Iges from whence the libel was aferreJ, were as follow, and contained in a letter igned " Cambricus:" " If Dr. Aildiocton had requir—l Vat Lord Kenyon should direct a Cambridgeshire Eat' in his Councils, the integrity of uis Lordship would have shrunk from such an undertakiLg, isrticularly if a condition hail been added to it, that a couple of .1 wren, without political !lane's, political information, or ho. nourable connections, were to be joined as Asivs:ors, and to be th:only A.sessms : on the contrary, his prids and integrity would have both joined in preventing such men from being introduced into the Cabinet. It any man could be found, of whom a young hut unhappy victim of the justly offended laws of his country, had, in the moment of his conviction and sen time.., attended to the following apostrophe %het Pip r, whom estryirther nenrisisest ! He it was frens whose principles and doctrines which now by their sleets drag sir to sty yrore; and he K ia who is new bean& forward as nat Prosecutor, and who, by an oaheard.sy eserri,e prr...zarkw, has maidenly lashed with a pees-% to evidence the don sox .y Err farmer friend, Wien that dying siNg had prude. ed cv r ci.ienee, had mode no defenre, bat, en the contestry, had aeskanytudgest the charge, and submitted to his fats :"—Loud Kenyon would have turned with horror from such a seene, in which, although guilt ass to be yet in the whole dram r Justice wits confounded, Ilninanttv outraged, and Loyalty insicted Again, " that Lord Kenyon would have shrunk from recomms:orling to Ills Council a man who had insisted upon the aosere.guty of the People as a essay principle." Mr. Nowt A I.: npened the case: the declaration contained the usual courts, and the damages were laid at 11,0001. The Defendant pleaded the ge nera al.llle. Mr. ERSKINE stated the case. This, be observed, was a civil aclion, and he was happy to find, on looking at the record, that the panne' annexed to it was nearly the same respeetable and enlightened .Turn nho had tried the late conviction. The De fendant was called upon to answer for a crime of a most heinous nature, not by a criminal prosecution at the suit of the King, as in the former trial; but by a civil aftion, whereby lie ii to answer for a personal injury, and to sulThr in damages to the amount of that injury. The Defendant had an opportunity of jireileing, if he could justify, but he had chosen rather to plead not guilty; he might have rejeted the pannel, bun. he was right to chose the same Jury, whose respectability, whose impartiality, whose independence, candour, and integrity. he had already experienced. He could not desire them to forget that the Defendant was not a low, mean, ig norant, and contemptible person ; but that he was, as represented by his Counsel, a man of a strong enlightened mind a man of talent, who bad raised himself virtuoesly, from his low birth and obscurity, to respetability and independence. Mr. Cobbett was now called upon to answer some part of that libel which had already been before that Jury. What the Plaintiff had a right to feel was better under stood than described ; he came in his own proper person to seek that redress at their heads, which, upon the due consideration of the matter, they would find him entitled to. He was a gen tleman who, from merit alone, had raised himself to the high situation of Solicitor General for that part of the United Kingdom called Ireland. He would asic, what justification, what exculpation, the author of that libel could have i—When was it published? at a time when that unhappy country was torn by rebellion ; at a time when he well knew it was di vided by religious dissentions, and agitated by in testine disputes. He admitted that the liberty of the press, the great bulwark of the constitution, must he preserved, must be supp , rted ; it would ill be come him to depreciate that liberty ; it was the boast, the honour of his life, that he had a great share with the most learned men in the land, to bring that Act of Parliament into execution, which secures so im portant a privilege. But the Defendant had violated every principle of laws, human and divine. It was only necessary to state and to destroy.—Had his client been the man the Defendant had represented him, the latter might have proved it, he might have pleaded his justification; and if founded in fact, the Plaintiff would be abandoned to that fate which such a wretch deserved. His client was re presented, in the libel, as a =an of notorious republi can principles, and the r of an , infortunate young gentleman (Mr. Ery - n‘u). The Defendant, under the mask of friendship, put words into the mouth of that infatuated young man, words which never were heard before. He says Mr. Pllnkett volun teered in his speech to evidence upon that occasion, and that h. gloried in insulting him at the moment of his condemnation Could any crime be more de testable ? Air. Plunkett was employed as Counsel for the Crown ; it was his duty to observe upon the evi dence; and, so far from attacking !I man condemned to death, he took a warm and manly manner of reading a beautiful and useful Lesson to the people of Ireland; he would not have fulfilled his duty, if he had not done so ; the case w i so clear, that Mr. Emmett's Counsel tone of the most respect able and eminent G..nthenen at the bar) did riot call any witnesses, r go into any defence whatever When Mr. Emmet nen self was called upon to an swer why judgment s'iounl not pass upon him? not a , ingle expression escaped his lips against the then g ,vernment of the country. On the contrary, it u. , as admitted that the of the Government hail taken away th , ' c cases of rchellion, so virtuous as " this sheep-fsedar, this keeper of a library in Sr. James's-square," in which terms the Earl of I la: siwicke was described by the Di lendant. So prudent, so wise was his government, that Mr. Emmett, so far from comp! dning, returned to his er.,un without a single ob ci cation upon it. The I. arned Counsel then quot .d several passages from the libel itself, and observed upon the mann: r in %eh., h the Defendant had represented this transac• teen lithe Defendant, as he had been represented upon the malls of the several gentlemen who were ra imiard on his behalf, was th it admirer, that lover of the constitution, he ought to have sliewn his ar isiehment to it by cb.erying it. laws ; but day after Jay he had repeat, .1 tits crime; aild this lover f 0., ; King's G,utt ..rnent wince that infa mous calumny, a:1.: it in:o that distract,: ountry, at the very moment it was torn to pieces by march) , and rebellion. The Plaintiff was the son of a respeMble clergy man : he had but few prospects in early life, but raised himself by his merit to his present most ho nourable situation . ; he had received an injury to a treat extent by this infamous libel. Mr. ERSKINE, after some further observations, concluded a speech of near three hours length by observing, that the question the Jury had to consider war., whether the libel eas written or published by the Defenc7ant ? and if so, whether it w.a. written for the purpose and with the intention ascribed to it ? and if they were of that opinion, they were bound to give a Vordill of damages commensurate with the injury. The Right llon. William Wickham, the 1 ite Se cretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, was then -examined :he said, that when the ads-ice of the Law Officers was required, which frequently occurred, the Plaintiff was always applied to. The passages in the libel were then pointed out to him, and he said he conceived they related to Plaintiff. Mr. Barnet, the next witness, said, he was pre sent at Mr. Emmett's trial, and had seen the Plain tiff, who was employed on the part of the p:osecu tion, and spoke to evidence. He also conceived that the passages in the libel alluded to Plaintiff. The Right l lon. John Foster stated, that he was Speaker of the Irish I louse of Commons previous to the Union, and remembers the Plaintiff a Mem ber of the Irish Parliament ; that he had given his opinion in debate in that Parliament : he also de posed that he had read the libel in question, and conceived the Plaintiff was the person alluded to in the several inuendues in that paper. Upon his cross-examination by Mr. ADAM, he said, he WAS not at Mr. Emmett's trial. Being asked upon what particular occasion Plaintiff had spoken in Parliament, and the tendency of his speech ? Lord ELLENROS OUCH observed, the Witness was not bound to answer that question, he would consider it a breach of privilege of Parliament. Lord Castlereagh, the Right Hon. Isaac Corry, and several other gentlemen, attended to give evi dence, but were not called upon. Mr. ADAM then addressed the Jury as Counsel on behalf of the Defendant, and said, he had aot only to encounter the greatest force of legal eloquence, but the verdift of the former day, to which his Learned Friend had alluded; and it appeared his principal objet throughout his statement, to remind the Jury of the proceedings on that question ; but the Jury, he observed, were to examine this ques tion with free and unbiassed minds ; they were not to try it, as on the former day, as itirespeCted Lord Hardwicke, Lord Redesdale, &c. they were to dis charge from their minds all the circumstances of that day; and, notwithstanding the force and elo quence with Which his Learned Friend had em bellished his arguments, they were me:cly to con sider the question of damages, to which he chiefly confined himself; they were to consider the history of that gentlemen who then stood before them ; Ise WAS not maintained by libelling. He had been em ployed at the age of eighteen years, in copying the s'orrespondence between General Dillon and the Duke of Richmond. In America, he was employ. ed in defending the rights and privileges of this coun try : he was a MAO of perseverance ; lie lived an uptight, virtuous life ; he was the father of a numer ous family, and the affeEtionate husband of an amiable wile : his writings were cnaralerised by an honest and zealous wish for the good of his coun try; and though, by his own merit and laudable exertions, he had raised himself' from obscurity, he had not realised the means of paying extraordin try damages. If a Verdia was to be given to any great amount, he must be doomed to eternal shame and imprisinment. It appeared in evidence, that the Plaintiff was a King's Counsel at the time of Mr. Emmett's trial ; that he has been since appointed Solicitor General, and sow halds that office : his situ ation, therefore, did not entitle him to exemplary damages, for he had not shewn, in any manner whatever. that he has been injured in his charac ter either as a Lawyer, in his public situation or pri vate life. Lord EL tcm swim; oit shortly observed upon the evidence. The Jury retired a few minutes, and returned for the Plaintiff a verdid of 5001. BINGHAM 9. SKILL This was an aftion brought against the Defendant, as Receiver of Gosport, for the amount of a verdia found by the Jury for the Plaintiff, as compensation for cerain premises which he had given up to His Maje Ly's Officers of Ordnance, pursuant to the A.l of Parliament. The Plaintiff, who was the incumbent ofijosport, held certain premises under the Eishop of Winchester, upon which he had crated a house, and expended a large sum of money; the exigen cies of the state required he should give up the pos session to the Officers of Ordnance, which he ac cordingly did; a Jury was impanelled to value the premises, and they found a verdift that the Plain tiff was intitled to 14,7181. for one part of the pre mises, and the further sum of 4701. to he paid for the benefit of the Incumbent, for the other; ura application being made to the I)etcndant, as Re delver for Gosport, he at first promised to pav the amount of the verdiCt, but afterwards refused) the anion was then brought. In going through the evidence, a point W:11 made by Mr. Gi ass, on the part of the Defendant, which was, that the Reversioner should have been called in upon the valuation, as well as the Leasclial.!er. verdia was, therefwre, found for the Plaintiff subjed to this puiut. SEVLILEDOL s. TUL artairrs 07 TILL COUNT': Of MI DDL [SEX. This was an aelion brought :11 tinst the Sheriffs of Middlesex, fur having artesnd a rctr,on of the name of Walden, at the suit of the Plaintiff, and afterwards suffering him t,a escape from their cus tody. The Plaintiff not being able to prove the liana' arrest, and offering panne evidence, when written evidence ought to be i>iiicuied. he si.is nonsuited. HOLLIDAW o. COLDSMITIi ' nth SW4I an :idiom of damages 1.,r cutting th- Plaintiff' wilt a sharp edged tool, and thereby dis abling him. The Plaintiff WAS working in the shop of th. Defendant, who is a chair maker. when the lk tenctint. in a passion. took up a c . aisel and :brew it at his apprentice, u'au haJ provoked lum ; it rni ;sc.' ihe apprentice, and struck the Plaint r^ e 1.171 the Dcrcrith . ,.nt, alarmed at the mischief Prj. i . promised to support the I'laintiff ur.tll coveted ; but shortly after, finding the Flairail: c .it (4 danger, he repented of hi s p rom i se , an d tota ll y negleded him. The Plaintiff had been a long tittle, and still remains unable to earn any kind of ; many applications was made to the Defends ant, for some kind of maintenance, but to nowt, pose. He was at last obliged to resort to his -2460 d; 1., recover compensation for the injury he had sus ta:ned. Ihe fails were pmfed, ind the Jury found a verdict for Plaintiff, 151. damages. DUBLIN, Mat 23. it is wlth infinite satisladion we have learned that nor liigitly respelled countryman, tha Right Hon. .1 •hn Foster, about to bring forward a plan fOr fte impr.rvement of this country, by giving to Ire- I .n.l the complete possession of the British market iu he important article of grain. Formerly Great Britain esed to export large quantities of corn ant nu illy ; but since the great encrease of her manu iadures, her agriculture has been diminished, and sire has become a constant and great importer of corn, which has amounted, on an average of the last ten or twelve years, to upwards of '250,000 tonsan nually. «r understand that Mr. Foster's plan is to lay a duty on the import offereign cornintothe United kingdi in, thereby to give to Ireland the soleand extensive supply of the British market. This seal at once settle the ere!' tripe between the two islands, ant will more than countervail the drain occa*ntssl by absentees, and the interest of public debt nenutted to England;—but it will do More- r --it will effed these ohjeds in the best possible ways, nansely t thp increase of agriculture. The proprietors of land. well as the monied interest, may rejoice in a mama which will ne ar ly d ou bl e t h e va l ue of land, Mad render every mercantile transadion between the tiq islands highly advantageous to the merchants of Ireland—and with such a spur to excite industry, we may expedl to see inland navigation extend to every corner of the island. Lord HA iDwiccs—We have already mentioned that His Excellency Earl Hardwicke has been in vited in the most flattering manner, to remain in his Government, and we now have the heartfelt sa tisfa3ion positively to assure our readers that his Ly cellency, aluated by feelings correspondent to the deserved attachment entertained for him by the people of Ireland, has determined to remain among them. 'this puts an end to all the idle rumours, and conjeaured appointments on this subjoin, and we are sure that there is not a virtuous or moderate man in Ireland, and who feels interested for its peace and prosperity, who will not rejoice at this communication.—(Dr//i n Eveving Post.) , GeeNo Review. Y ester 3 ay morn i ng, i t um early hour, the Yeomanry Corps bel•olgieg to• the county and city of Dublin, marched to the Phoutiot Park, where they were reviewed by the Comatan4er in Chief. The following corps were assembled : C AV• I. IC Y. --• Lawyers, Merchants, Attarikys, R.ttlalowa, Loyal Lublin, Rattifamtsam. rotunrLi, Stepheli . .-freen a Fmgal,&e. INFANTRY. Linen hall, Merchants, Morse's. - • Lawyers, Steph , it's-green, Loral Dwblin, Lasouche•s, Rotunda, Lnierl-Kausinse--- Loughini.town, Rlnetepd, Donnybrook, Castle Relemen, Sea Fenritilet, Revenue, Lin'illuti Art+llern Conic Andlery, Ere. Lord Cathcart must have been gratified at the Rao appearance of the men, and their state of diseipliut. There were about 5,000 reviewed, in the presetree of as great a concourse of spelators as we ever wit. nessed. The troops did not return to town till Imo in the evening. On Saturday last, another trial of an important nature, before the Chief Justice of the King's Houk and a respeelable special Jury, was concluded. haring commenced the day before. It ts the coo of five fatherless children, of the name of Cairncross. against Atkinson, remainder-man in a will of the late Joseph Cairncross, who, by a long process in Chancery, sought to b as t er di se the Plaintiffs, and take the benefit of the will. This was an issg e di.. retried by the Lord Chancellor to try the fan of le gitimacy, or the contrary. The Plaintiffs rested their case simply on proofs of a legal • be. fore their birth, between their father, George ' - cross, coach-maker, l a t e o f Cole's-lane. Henry.strert, with Eliza Murphy, who previously said in cap.,. city of his house-keeper. Vcrdkt for the Plaintiffs, with costs—which will leave them a handsome property, and r v.ctie than from inspend;ng beggary and ruin. It should have been observed, that Cairncross, on his death-bed, made a will in favour of Eliza Murphy, whom he sails his wife, and her children by him. In consequence 01' the crowds ut persons anew' s, ing at the Bank, for several days past, fur the ptlr-.. pose of getting the old dollars exchanged for new ones, the Direaors applied to Sir %CHAU) Fop" for some of the Bow : street ofEcers to attend, to pro. vela the depredations of the desperate gang of ps,k psckets, who are always upon the alert ; and on Thursday, Friday, an 3 Sattoday last, Macs AN Cr, Towitscso, and SAYI&S, attended, by order of Sir RICHARD FORD. A Baltim ore P a p er , o f t h e Ist t f April, say V " The George fracirissgion, arrived at Philadelphia from Canton, was *pitied in the Straits of Su by a French 74 gun ship. having two f ' gates is cempany , waiti ng f ur the British Chinad ileet. Captain HA VS reports some had beent taken; and, as he left stvenieen at Canton about t • sail, it i, p ro b a bl e - Ciat more of then will fall into the hands o f th e French." ' the Fa me . arrived , New Y4llt, saw the F renc h fl eet i n t h e S traits, on 1 the 17th of December, as did the Ck ro ti ee , Due tax,/ on the t!...11 wil.,wing. Th e formerupE these irals boar Jed by sums F renc h Offi cers in Ismgc.lls Ea . a l, who stated that part of the fle e t that had,,terr a ' the Isle of F ra n ce , h a d sa il e d to Bruise idt Ba . of Bengal. The expedition of General Letts against the l i jah of a abangar has born at en ted wi i h comp susses: the - Raja's, in Ilv'ag fr ms our troops, Ira , 9 opposed by a n ru.eroos body of his insurgent is II jeers, demanding arrears of pay ; and being un to satilty their claims, they atuctked his escort, and ,: fter a most sanguinary conflict, cut it to rieres.a 1 . 4;4 Riiiall was severely wounded, but escaped tai ii the Northward. He has been deprived of the OW ii • . reijinty.