The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1819-12-24 00:00:00

. tusten by the flowte, than by Wile other 1 1 , .1r).—Out of doors he had Lees represetated as having said on the night re ferred to, that he was an enemy to the prowess of education, and the diffusion of knowledge gene ' rdly. whereas tte . couthl appeal with confidence to all whu beard Inns, that be had not &livered any ourb• sesitiment. tie had said that atone] he sea aware he differed froth m an y fiends. for .whsee opinions and character he entertained . the highest respect, and though it was very Ronanl to think that the Member for Bram/ter ...(Mr. Witlverforce) was anioug them, yet Ise could Dot he lp enteltainiog very great doubts of the pru dence, in the present 'tate of the country, of carry ing the education of the lower orders , io the ('Pry great extent that the 1111131 braille.' to have set in for, By educating the people so generally, they were placing them in a situet very &Wert-lit from oily they 114 d ever stood iu before, and while they were cluing that, it became the House seriously to lure and consider the rids to wheel, it exposed them, ssoless it early adopted powerful ',response or pro tective measures to oard them f imbibing the poison which womld crrtainly be ditse fffff sated, anal laud been disseminated g them by Inoae and unprincipled men. If the question were put is the abstract, whether education and the eaten bloll' of knowledge was a good or an evil, no Man coold be so brutal as to llroy the excellence of it ; but if he were asked whether, taking into tonsieleration all the circumstances of the present times, he deemed it prnileot and advisable to advance the education of the lower ciao..s of this country to the extent it had been carried. he must he allo , serl to hesitate before ansivernig in the affirmative. The opinions winch lie entertained $lll this sulject were of very !nog standing ; and being so 'warty connected with the disc ussion of a question relative to the regulation of the press, he had thought it his duty to state it.—( ilear.j— lle could not, he repeated, help feeling great sus picions and apprehensions from be.towirig too ge neral it ficility . oo the poor of approaching those abominable productions, now so studiously circu lated for the unsettling their principles, mural and religiote.„ and corrupting their minds. True it was that while the boy was under the roaster's eye, be might be guarded against the contagion of Stich works, hot when absent or wholly removed from .his care, how could be answer for the species of in tellectual food that might be placed before his ap 'elite fur knowledge ? The Honourable Mem ber then entered into a historical statement respect ing the drawing up and passing of the Hill of .Rights, for this purpose of replying to an ob jection made to one of his arguments by Sir fames Mackintosh, and establiiiiing the posi. Lion, that at the time of the Revolution, in the heraa age of Whiggisin—(A l4ugk)—no such principle had been admitted by IVhsgs, as that the Cosistitution could swot exist without the liberty of the press. fie thought that the increase of puntsh nient, iii case of a second offence, might bring a onus hack to his right mind.—/Hear.)—l' it did 1 Ot, should such a person be allowed to remain in the country ?—(Hear, hear)—and if not, could there be a milder mode sendisig him out of it ►ha:l banishment ? Sir. J. P. GRANT said, that he had looked upon the H"n. Member to be one of the must sincere sapporters of the measure, for he bail a distinct re. tollectimi of his having said that he entertaiued great doalus of the prudence of extending the donation of the poet too far, while there was so great an extension of dangerous publications. But the Him. Gentleman was too late in the expression of his opinion, for the education of the lower orders had been too generally adopted to be now ab ut stonrd; it would go on, and he fervently hoped it would—for, taking the bad and good of it to. grther, lie bad beets convinced from what he had witose.sed, that in its effects the peace, religious, awl moraloy of the country would be every day ad vanced, and the government more easily executed. The Hon. and Learned Gentleman then expressed hit reprobation of the measure at considerable length. Lord BIN mills. in opposition to the opinions of the Hots. Gentleman who had just sat down, , thought the papers on the table sufficient to war rant the measure now proposed. He particularly 1-united out the letter of Lord Glasgow, which was proof of itself that the west of Scotland was in a state of most dangerous turbulence. lie insisted cis it (hat Live state of Scotland was in general very sruch disturbed, and not wily defeudtd the Lord President and the people of Editiburgli from the , of the lion. Gentleman. hut coinolitncuted them on their heroic alacrity ill taking arms for the 'lettuce of Edinburgh, while deuuded of troops. in order to repel the invasion of sedition, which they expected to blaze at their own doors. Mr. J. P. Grunt. explained. He did not intepd jto riiilkule the Lord President ; but his new services fully proved that all information should be received bum that quarter with a grain of allowance. Mr. Btacu rose to complain of an article in a .Pattinginori paper, in which he had been osisrepre. seated and libelled, in regard to the expressions he used oa the night in which he proposed to exempt the coroly of Nottingham from the effects of the St•srchwg fur Arms Bill. 'Elie House then resolved itself into a Committee no Ihe Blasphemous Libels Bill. As soon as the Ijsakelause was read— , Bic J. AlacxtNTostt nee to propose some •menditpents. 'the first lie had to offer was to in -traduce the words " maliciously and advisedly" le c ture the words " printing, publishing." &e. as iilry stood in the Bill. This he did to perfect.- the isoisatiou of tlw 36th of the King. from which the kill before the House had been chiefly copied. He irrits mot anxious to go into a discussion of the sub „pre, hriore he learnt from the Right Hou. Gen +snaj► opesite, if there would be any objection. —d.ord Losilereagh replied .6 Yes.")—He was to rpti4erstand diet there were objections ; he must. , siscesSity, then go into the discussioo. He read overihe suirde,iis the Bill. " for composing, prior publisfriqg, any blasphemous or seditious khelr, ?wading tu, bring into contempt the King, retuce, Regent. ,Houses of Parliament: &c. *!:or attTnoptsug te. bring auou; „soy alteration • rburcMK.stste. . y. y paws than lawful. nuasur." Joss 40 , lquire whi sort of a fJeacrip -I.bere tr. Wits it iskteptlext , • Oh, at,. ivecoryirl . to 'air, to welshed bY• tfie Bill ? If It Wl4r • it was :rtetuieti for it defittttioat of libels, it svati.evi deuce of very burl taste :it fratoinK the Act, to de fine, and at the same time to give. the thing dean ed. It would .be much like paymv„ •• a triattgle. havittg three anglesaiiii three stilt-,." Ou the other hand, if it Was meant 10 eiminerate the libels which were to he punished, what, he would twit:, were the non-et:tinr-rated which were yet to be left to the ancient law of the WA, awl were to be eat-titan from the slew penalties' He could boil notniiig clear on either of those two points, eeeee uithetandilig the absurd and tasteless alitwolance of words wttlt wliseii the description was crowded. lie would atroattote also to leave out the words., Kiog. Prioce Re gent, Houser of Parlimient," &c. awl ta leave the passage thus "To excite the subjects of the realm to endeavour to bring about any altrrat 00000 ." &c. He would odd, for the conclusion of that sentence, '• or to commit any uvt which is h Iri by law to hr felony or tredaoo, or to do any thing prohibited by law." He would now state the grounds on which lie contended for these amendments. Every Member who had spoke on either ride of the House, had declared, that the chief anxiety was to dirtiliguisli between the useful and ciecht able part 011ie welts, and that which was rouged only in spreading dud blasphemy; the de sire was to repress Ile- latter, without inpiry to the former. This was a p.tocii•le which had hero ex pressed by every one who had spoken, aiid though it 511051(1 1101 have been expressed, he would have given every Gentleman the credit of entertimmig it. To put that declaration to the lead, he hail brought forward his amendments. He tint pin posed to consider tlw ground of complaint,— Was it the increase of political libels inertly ? That he dratted. Let the press be divided iiito two parts. The first would be considered as that which the country had longest been used to, which had been led lot° audiarretiorm ally. Never were there fewer of these, however, thin at present ; never had the prelim been so pure, so discreet. so virtuous as at present. As to the other part, which had been openly recommend in.; murder and treason, rod the least crime of which was its excitement to revoluti 0000 0 its Mien- ces did nut deserve the name of political libels ; its crimes were not equalled by the press of France, under the horrid reign of Marin and his as st.eim es . Separating the press, then, into these two divisions (he was sorry to use the same mane for such dif ferent purposes), there never was any thing more !noteworthy than the one, or more black and hor rible than the other. His object was, to confine the new law to the new evil, and leave the cm- vional indiscretions of the repptchible press to the old kw. Whatever was intended by the descript• in the Bill, there was nothing more impotiihle thou to define the crime of politichl libel, shifting its properties, as it did. and clninging its contingencies in every case, it *hewed the utmost ignorance of le gislation to attempt it. But it would be easy to de fine UP libel, direct excitements to the worst crimes of human nature. It wrs reinarkahle that in the anxiety to push forward the present Bill, not only were many rdieli comprised which did nut belong to the new evil, but in toy also were omitted which did belong to it. Ile would defy the Hon. and Learned (ielitleinen opposite, to point out lily clause which puni.ilied excitement in arsassination ; neither was there any provision &loins% VP uti.,nce which had been actually practised—a proposal for an extensive plan of forgery, for the purpose of ruining public cr.dit, and fur bringing thereby, as it must, every 111311 in the kingdom to beggary and ruin. his amendments would meet those cases. The !slim of the Bill, us it stood, corn• pounded blasphemous and seditious libels with ED others W1114:11 could be committed, in one scale of csitne and puilisi tttt eta. l'his more than any thing would tend to weaken the horror of crime, and to confound all tno.al feehog—it would have the effect of impartiug credit iu huld and adventurous minters, who would venture to daft/ it. ',twilit.. . . On the uther hand, nothing could be more unjust to writers of principle Iha►► to make them liable to the sau►e penaltics with the basest pack of verib biers ever known. The evil was again greatly aggravated by confounding the publisher with the author. A buukwller would stand within the be outlook.. The House might make that press its enemy, but ennui meter noire make it powerleva; it haul gathered about itself honourable and able fic had witnessed all the change+ which had taken p`;are in it during the last thirty years, and lie could testify that its 111 l rid+, virt;ic. nod regard for the laws, had hero preserved in t h e midst of the rtrty What would the I bus:* ,713 . to 041 nnnt 0114.0 he knew, who hail coo.. dui t•ul o,ie of the chid' daily journals for forty yew-s— -trip, kid iu tit woe ciij;iytd the confidence of one of tits cii.er Patties to that House--wis hail thereby iiirirairti! , ii and oppottosittioe--who had the talents of his assocants at Pint plispos•l, his own home being o secret to the ;midst!, doll withal mu exirtnn ii) the wawa anal most offensive matter but his owls character ; and yet this man had never been pposecuied for a seditious or blasplo-itious libel—liarl never bent sued 111 111111 action for 'Limier by private i n dividuals, nor ever been convicted of libel. He believed there were f e w men in Europe who could :cake such a bon•t. This was, liouvever, with the difference of period+. which was in favour of the particular in rtancr had alluded to (which instance wail that of Mr. Perry, of Ihe Alarming (.'hronicle). the gene ral character of the Opposition Press. Of the Nlistis. tenni he need say noihisig—but he had something ruse t' , u•siv for that inv.'. In the evils which had lately sprung up, and which ought to be the only object of the ;present Bill, there had been is splen dour sod vigour of taleiit exerted by that pies' iti repellimt it, which was not known before. Abating 164 , :sir tits:niter which had taken place in comm. guipure of late melancholy trappsactionc, the CIIIIFSC• ter•gpf vita press hod been dignified stud honourable, aa*S« the House was about to confound it with that **l-whicti it had done more to prevent than all the restrict 00000 s ever attempted by that House. Some absurd bewailing' had taken place in lotion to the spited of knowledge, rod especially political knowledge. This was absurd. The csr cumstaricrs sod changes of society could nut be thwarted or altered by that House; the order of the moral world was uo more to be changed by them than the course of the pls stria. They could not cull back the power which society had invested in the periodical press ; they might make it adverse, but they could not make it impotent. The Hill would have the ef fect of driving away men of character and pro perty from newspapers, who were at present at tracted to such speculation, by their emolument and respectability. This was not arranged by that h o use or by any former one, nor could it be an brought about; it had been formed by orcum- stances—it could nut be made, hut it might be thrown sway. Persona of intelligence, of educa . , and integrity, had attached themselves to such establishments; having driven these away, fo o l s so d f ana ti c + would he let in—genius and timi dity would retire—impudence and turbulence would succeed. lie ►epeated it once more, never was a measure more calculated to confound good saute degree ul penalty fur the bide of a work which lie might even have enjoined his shopmau not to sell. with tom who should for years be employed in exciting toe {tropic to the commission of the basest crones. This was to confound moral feeling. not to strengthen it. It would he said that such was the fault of the law as it bud stood before. Ile adwitted it. and ott that account lie begged the house not to again enact the coolotinding and iocutiventent principles of the old law. It would be . a itlittuiiii!iie objection 10 urge against Mery flow tile ancient laws of a wise and Hum. rishing republic. but it was not argument for the support of mere political bigotry in such Case*. A NORiall receiving an intrimiy from a yeast/aver at SOO miles distant, would be as pouishuble as the most tut bitlent and seditious rut' . If the Bill had defined the offence of and bmd principle ihan th■t Bill. He apologised for det ' g the House, and proposed his first A inendinent. Mr. C•N MG said. that no apology could ever he necessary trona the Hon. and Learned Gentle. man, as he never spoke without giving pleasure or information. He was sorry that his speech, excel lent in many particulars, had prevented him (Mr. Calming) from feeling so impartially with respect to the amendment. The generalities with which he had embellished his speech, had caused him to take so wide a grottisd of argument, that he (Mr. C g) found himself bound to dispute it with him The Hon. Gentleman had resolved the situation of the Hume on the particular ques• ttini before it, into the alternative of surrendering reason and the Constitution, or extinguishing the (Lily press : as it was, therefore, in spite of ob. loquy, which he knew he must expect, he must speak out. Let the Flouse bike the definition of the power of the press, as described by the Honourable Gentleman ; let them remark in what security of clouds and darkness was its eftwelling, yet with how sure a bolt it smote its victim; let them consider, if any conces sion should be made to this power, what then would be she power of Parliament. This would be the despotiora of the press, and not freedom. Against despotism of every kind (and lie enume rated various, with their corresponding evils) he had the greatest abhorrence ; but lie had never yet heard, among all the imagined forms of possible potency, of any thing equal to that described by the Honourable Gentleman, which was to add to the greatest power enjoyed by ally recognised authority, the certainty, in its punish meats, of a Venetian tribunal, arid the secrecy of the Holy Inquisition. And the House was now to be called on to allure that press to the de.. fence of the Constitution, out of the bosom of which its own liberty had grown ! He was certain that if such a thing had been proposed to the Honourable Gentleman by any acknowledged polity in the world, he would have been the first to shrink from receiving it. Ile (Mr. C.) a seditious libel, convictions would have been of admitted what had been Mid respecting Mr. Perry, easy attainment ; but if every 'possible offence which having had several occasions for knowing how well could be committed by man, wimps's, or child, he deserved it. But was the rest of the press so were to be colifounded, juries, witnesses, and pro- pure ? Ile thought not. He could shew an instance stcutois would be anxious to avoid proceedings in which one Journalist had quoted a passage in apinst a writer. As proof of the trepidation, the culcating assassination, and that, too, though ac astonishment, and terror into which the public companied by a comment, without condemnation, mind had been thrown by the announcement of thus—" Observe, the assassination is conditional." the Bill, he need only refer to the petitions of the lie was as ready as any man to admit the general booksellers, and persons coutiected with newspapers, tone of decency which characterised the c loot of Several petitions had been already received, sod the better part of the daily press, and to admit the throughout the kingdom many others were pre- respect to winch it was fairly entitled ; but in le paring or forwardiug. Nu one could pretend gislating to meet the great evil which our/ im that these persons were used to tile commission 'moiled. he could not look to the right or the left— of the crimes complained of, shy more than he must meet the danger, come from what quarter the Members of that !louse. Fur same time lit may. Would it, he asked, be considered sound past all political subjects had been chiefly dos- philosophy, when they knew that a volcano was cussed iu tile periodical pre... This revolution ready to burst beneath them, to remain calmly in literature had been going on for thirty years by iu the silence of derroir, awaiting its explu past. Some politicians had front time to time won, instead of promptly and wisely adopting raised an outely upon it, and had wiolird to those precautions which may take from the phe destroy it. A worse priiiciple could not be otl'ered nometion much of its terrois?—(Hear, hear.) — to a Statesmatt on such en occasion. Let the —Were they to be told that now the hour of public House remember the language of Burke. when re- fret.loin was guile. and that Parliament was willing marking ou the distinclione between a system to withstand public opinion, and able for some time of coercion amid one at and apply to resist it, come with what force it may ? To this j„it ,to the case of . the periodical press. Its lie would say, that never at any former time did s lipper and importance had gradually increascil ; I public opinion bear so intensely in its operation it bap. by degrees requited the ally-ce and sup- upon public measures as it did at this moment s pelt of great and able in t o. The se thi ngs cou ld ou t an d th roug h c h anne l s so a d apte d to g i ve i t all the force of which it was so stiaceptible. ilia Elm!. Frieleil had coinoluiced of the length of the &Co noco of the offiesice iu this Bill, bat his substitute was nor rail Imager. He wail ready, however, to add his Hon. Friend's to the definition already in the Bill, but lie cool.' never coliseet to eibatidolas that which it contained already. It was impossible to leave out those wends which deliorel libel to be •no iAivg tending to bring tutu lostred and con tempt his Majesty, his successors, the Prince Re. gem, the Government, or either House of Nehm en% tit, without vscrificing the real object of the 8011. And for what was this to be done ? to pro piti ate the for ttttt 'Ade p ower of the loess, whicb they were told, was COMllelrlll to heat dowse the evil. Was Parliament to abtlicate its functions. conferral for the preservation of the institutiosie of the Shoe, rod consign them over to the public press ? For his part, he never could resign to such an ordeal the guardianship of the public liberty— that sorted trust which lie was sworn to MA6114111. The power of Parliament was known; their (acid ties astir measured; their acts were public; the ryes of the people were upon them ; and, in a few hours after their deliberations were concluded, they *ere known in remote coolers of the country; there was no cloud thrown around their proceed jug.. He knew the power of the public pies.; lie knew that *Wieser little reputation he might be supposed to have, lay at its mercy iti what hr now said—hut, nevertheless, to that press he would never yield the supreme Nisei 00000 s of Parliament. What belonged to Parlisineut they should themselves still 00.11.111 e, in legislating for that country the liberties of which they were bound to preserve.—(Hear.)— He repeated his willingness to accept from his Hun. and Learned Friend his additional definition of the crimes to which it applied, and was happy to share with him the honour of assisting in framing the enactments of this Bill, soil thereby conferring so much good upon his country. Nu matt he knew better valued temperate liberty than his Hon. and Ledford Friend —no man he knew was more 1111X10110 to defend it, or more capable of teaching its true principles to others. But again, he would state, that though lie was willing to avail himself of his Ilon. and Learned Friend's proposed definition, he would not consent to eliaiedon another fur it, and still less under the influence of what was to be ex pected frmn the public press iii the event of a re fuse I.— ( Hear ) Lord FOLKSTOKE defended the prominent parts of his lion. and Learned Friend's (Sir J. Mackin tosh's) speech, mod denied that it contained soy thing to justify the imputation cast upon it by the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite, of contai n ing threats to influence the opinions of that House. There were no threats held out in that speech, if there were, lie would himself be the last to accede to then,. Nothing could be more unusual than the Right Hon. Geittleinais's offer to take the defini tion' ottered by way of ainriolinent, without surren dering that to which it was intended as a substitute. The Noble Lord then objected to the clause ena bling Magistrates, on the conviction of a party at the Quarter Session, fur libel, to break into his place, and search for other copies of libellous matter. Thus a 011111 ' 11 property *night be runimaged at perhaps the inancious instigation of sit enemy. Then. the clause for imposing the punishment of banishment—this surely count not be intended to be left in its present form. It was a provision of absolute law that protection and obediessce were re ciprocul. Now he would ask, ea hat was to be done respecting the allegiance of the party 'lent into banishment ? Suppose he shall take up his domi cile in a country with which Esiglaod may lure after go to war, anti that while there, he shedd be forced by conscription or any other means into the ranks of the enemy—was he then, if taken iii arms against his country, to be told he had forfeited his allegiance., and to suffer death as a traitor ? Banish meta for offences of the public press was also bail policy, for it might make elite men the engines of a foreign power. The Alien Law could at say time expel a foreigner from England, but the pre sent Bill had a tendency to make a writer curry the favour of that power which might afterwards, its the event of banishment for a second uffence, be come his domicile. Besides, the very operation of the punishowist became different according to the quality of the offeeder. To the rich mail it was comparatively nu punishment, while to the poor it was an absolutely ruinous one. Sir J•IIIKS MACKINTOSH recalled the attention of die Committee to the grounds on which he hod made his motion, and from the consideration of which they had been diverted by the eloquence of his Right Hon. Friend (Mr. Canning), and the skill he had displayed in dexterously warding off the real points to which he (Sir James) was anxious to direct their attention. His Hon. Friend had created an imaginary pertain to combat, and who, as it seemed to him, came down to the House armed with the threat of the public press in the event of Parliament not attending to its warning voice. To struggle with this imaginary being and dispel threats which it never entered into any body's mind to hero foolish or absurd as to make, her Right Hon. Friend had directed the whole battery of hisextraordinary ta. lents, while he had carefully evaded the dry felito. l of the arguments with winch he (Sir James) took the liberty to trespass on the attention of the Com mittee. That coercion was necessary to put dawn sedition and blasphemy was a principle on which they ware agreed ; but what he contended for was, that the offence should he so defined, as while it answered every perpose of the Go vernmeut in repressing the infamous publications through. which it was committed, it should at the smite time nut involve the other soil retell; useful class of publications which were tl ne slipportess or religion and liberty. Sir James then enforced with considerable eloquence the necessity of making a distinction between the really reopectieble and liar ful conductors of the public press, anal the ruffians who abused it by their blasphemous and violent writings. This distiuctiou had nut been touched . upon by his Right HOll. Friend, while lie appealed with all his ardour and fascinating eloquence to the pride of that Committee. in the soothing sod ',repos. mooing straits of impressing up on them the irt e t r oo rty of supporting their own privileges froui being over awed by the imaginary being that be conjured up to wised them. He (Sir James) would yield to ins num its an ardent wish to ministries to the lust or.- 'smut of his life their rights and twivilegys ; but that derelict had nothing to do with the necessity of comprehending two different classes of perms under the head of ow: offei.ot—ono chess, of tin riret respectabiltty, who st-re• the defenders of rib. scion and liberty, and the other tine wig.? libeller. of both. The Hon. and Ltiorned f;ent . .. r oan again implored his Nlsjeaty's Gower sssss rot n , mike this distinction hi the 8011, ands t e d when he hail referred to the character and henna. tout station of the dimity press, he listl done MI ion,. force and illo•trate his argument, and nut with ti e remotest idea of using any weapon of threat, he knew Patti intent would despoc, and which h. was the last mars in the empire who would ;mom s , to tender. I'll threes he would never himself one instant yield, and 111,4 wl.ich lie wo ild not in his own 'Case, it never should be Baia lie wont' recommend iu smother. He was an enemy to all sorts of fell', bin or none, to use the eXprewittre gus‘e of am Hors. And esteemed Friend (Sir Wil,„ Grant), more than that worst of ali fears, of lacit,„; thought afr,,id. Mr. CANNiSin lamented much that lie hull understood Its Hun. and Leartied Friend, not ti e did think when hr lid introduced the topic of the powerful seril of the Troilus press, its forc e from one part of 'he universe tr. the wiser. the livered still mystic manner ill wipe!' is doctej or , were propoiiiiited, awl the overwlirl n.flueuee which it commanded—lie rind tlitok when description had been applied to it Ittai it itulll.l only have beefs to creole the altlpresk sssss lie had attributed in In ! arguisiant opuir it, for what else was the effect of thai urst.!r of np:uiun r, eltiqUeully :u. His Him. Friend could trot blame Inin fur falling into this error—fur thiwkirs K that he meant to impress them with the give fur its character that King Eratitler tlescrdied the rustics fell *hen they surveyed the Tisrpriiii, rock: Iligiu 'wears terrebat agrrstes don loci. With respect to the ditt . t.rent chissi-r upon whom the Bill was to operate, he hail only to say, titat they were Hut to legislate fur the iretson, but the crime, and I hat though he trusted in Goa 110 nett of the respectable press would lull Hilo the error against which this Bill provided, yet, if they did, upon their own heads must be the consequence. His Hoti. Friend, iu describing the qualities of fear, hail forgotten to enumerate nue ft:ar, was the worst of the whole. It was that tear of the fascination of fancied security which laid the tim in the jaws of the monster In waitirig to devour him.—.( Hear, lieur.j Mr. iIIiOUGHASI complimented his lion. Friend and the Right Hon. Gentlrmo) opposite on the tor rent of eloquence they :tad 1 red upon this goa— t! ..., tin iniall share of which was directed in Mao. nichreir strains in praise of each o.liet's great abili ties. The Hon. aid Learned Geod.-man then, with great energy, justified the do.taictiort foe which his ; [lon. Frittiol had contended, arid ttr4.-11 the necessity of its adoption to prevent this niorgliog together under our herd offences so ililfeirot iii their nature,i and applicable to persons of so docirict a character. The state or Europe, he said, leave- a discretroir t i the Noble Lord or his successor with respect to M.! punishment of banishment,: which might be abuse' to a frightful extent. He believed he was correct in varying that it was the practice of the Governiner t of Germany not to admit ai'y persou into that tour try without the c onse nt of the Got/eminent undrr which he bad lived, so t it the unhappy and ba nished exile might seek in its for en asylum : but ender this Act the Gore rut might banish the m i offender to soy part of - i ' he world they thought tit to urine; the effjot of the law gave Government the power ,- 'tartish him to Siberia if they thoriglt proper, and he entreated the throve to recollect who the objects of that puoishineht would hr ; lilt the affineut, but persons of humble condition arid of drpeutlant circumstances, the author who dr peutled un his literary labou rr, and who, alter com mitting one farrier, would feel it necessary fur Is bread to run the risk of eointititinig another. Tio boon of the Noble Lord was, he thought, or a tre• vial nature, when he changed the puntaltouent front transportation to broishoterit, fur lie did thirik that transportation Itself was preferable to hanisi 111 l rte. where the poor and humble and unforrided w, i . driven from his native country, without nteari.. 1.. seek a precarious existence in another. He would entreat. the House to consider the consequence ol sending that description or oersoos to reside : ~,,,, ',pi those who were, and might hereafter be, Gtr riot— mies of this cr ~,,, try. lie spoke f. experience. %Vito, lie asked, *ere oolong the 111..bt iiibettrot.. the most able, and the moat active of their eliestii , . in America ?—the Irish exiles, veto, were hato.hed from their native country its 179 a. W 1,0 "".• amongst their worst enemies *lli Nits ? who coo ducted newspapers there ? who j.ritital with Oita bitterest enemies 1 the perstiii• ago were bam.i.. ed from Ireland in 1798. Wior became C.to ire!. of Irish brigades, strieoded for the inertYeet a F:ngland, and mill mote iniptwa.sl, who 1,, came the Editors of newspaper. deserted sgastist the nor rests and the character of the Eligli-li Groiermireit '.' —those persons who were hairialied from Irelaiiii in 1798. He would therefore sodium to the Commit tee the impolicy of a Irw, which would throw utile men, excited by their freliiigs mid their puin•lt merits to hostility agairot the Governmeor, I n to foreign countries. 'Die I lout. void Learned Cr tit Ic. man next aduded, in strong terms of indiguroloir, to libel on private character. Pitsate character was never more exposed to foul spoliation than within the last twelve years. The public seemed to hate a morbid appetite, for ota this subject panders acre not waiittrig to eneutirage alaiirler. He regretted to say, that persons of the higher urtierli gave eft. couragesproit to the wrrtches who &ale in the h . "' co 11111 l orlit:.. More promos—Ore fuel Idashleirra of private fame—the odious venders id* iird.ceircy, not Drily were not it 111 l laird. butt 111.1 afters futinil Lowish anti liberal patrons in the higher walks HI Id . He mentioned dm. to whew the incosisodrocy of those who talked of the licenti 111 l 411( . 1 , 4 of the press. but who drult out, slot iitiotshoseat bust parMl.tgr. 011 the lace defamers of private character, i i.r ssa... however, delighted to say, that the good stove and the mural feeling of the public did that which Mi nisters slid not do, and the Law Officers of floe Crown did not attempt to do—the public put down thine infamous publicatioris. He was sorry to say. that patronage and promotion rewarded, in ramie tit marksble instances, the foulest of these slanderers he meant the editors of the Satirist and she SCON IV* T 11C editor of the Satirist profedied to be . a high Tory; the editor of th e Savarese professed' an opposition to Government. Ili the discharge •el • • I I