The Sun. — London, England, 1819-12-20 00:00:00

I'OR TUE SUN. THE-RELIGION, AND poucY OF THE 'COLIN TRY CONSIDEItF!), to a Series of Letters, most respe,rfiilly inscribed to the Pro pri,tor of THE Su N. LETTER V.—RELlGlON.—(Conti nued.) Mr. EDITOR—I-laying in niy preceding Letters the being of a God, I come now to consider the antileividity and inspiration of - his Holy ‘l'ord. l say, consider, since to attempt Yu prove the truth of those Di, ine Oracles which have,tood the test and rectired the sanction of ages, and survived the wrecks of time, would, I conceive, be an absurdity in idea, au anomaly in logic, and a fallacy in religion., Ilowever, before we proceed to consider the evidence, both internal and external, in its sup port, we will first remove the refuse with which this holy superstructure of our faith has been rereutly and so blispheniunsly defaced. When, in older to be liberal even to our enemies, and jtist to ourselves, it will be expedient here to ky dotvn a few plain Axioms, &c. - which the mere untutored cannot miaiipply, and the more crafty cannot controvert. \\That I have designated refuse consists of fal licks, both Lep! and Theolo f tical, which as being connected lvitll the present disens,ion, I shall ex amine here and fit sr those which relate to Law. AAIOI I .I, 1. The hvvs of God Pre . j ., st. Co}OLLAEY, 1. Therefore, any lituriat. Idyl/ Inutulud upon them m r .rreeithle to their spirit and tenour, must be just COROLLARY. 2. hence the law against blasj►lhemy being founded on the laws of God, and fig, eetible to their spirit and tenour, is a jus• SCHOLIUM. The more this argument is examine►!, the more Correct will it appear, not only in point of reason ing, but also as to matter of fact ; for, since God is the immortal source of every perfection, and that mrido infinilo, it necessarily follows, that his laws must be most perfect, and that any human Jaw founded upon them and agreeable to their spirit and tcnour, must be just a! least. AS TO CR.I NI E. DEFINITIoN, I. Crime, any viola:ion of law. ,AXIOM, 2. Crime implies . an intention of doing mong. COROLLARY, 1. Sucl► wrong consists i►i thoughts, words, or actions, whether spoken, written, or done. COROLLAIiY, Hence even the convictions of conscience when expressed either in words, or by actions, which ce contrary to law, become criminal. COROLLARY, 3 Crin►inal words and actions punishable by law. SCHOLIUM, 1. The preceding Corollati e s, &c. el ea lly demon.. !orate, that the late horrid blas'phemies, whether or not they or iginated in convictions of conscience, were, by being expressed in criminal words and leading ; to criminal actions, cognizahle by the law of the land; since, neither consonant with truth, reason, religion, nor law, could they any longer be designated convictions of conscience, but cri rninal words,and actions, Ax. 2. Condi. 2.—As svtll might an effect be denominated the cause. SCHOLIUM, 2 Hence the distinction between crime and er ror :—crime arises from depravity of heart, and supposes the person who commits it a villain ; error from weakness of head, and supposes the' person who commits it an idior, SCHOLIUM, 3. Dror, therefore, simply considered 'as error, that is, sine verb() et sine odic, is punist k able by the kw! of God ; crime by the laws of man, ShottA it be objected here—How can error, thus simply considered, render a man ohnoxious to punishment even agree-IWe to the laws of God, since his laws are jnst and righteous? It is an, kv - ered, error, independent of words and actions, conskt in opi n i on , judgment, and thought ; now as there' is an infinite source of wisdoni . to apply t,o, and the divine oracles to teach us how, when, where, and to whom to apply to, in order to have our opinions corrected, our judgments informed,'and our conceptions enlarged, neglect in this case renders . our error wilful, and as such justly pu nishable by the tightco.,s laws of God. SCHOLIUM, 4.. Tbis shows of ►what a treasure the revilers of the word of God ►vould deprive since ►►hat can dispel those mists-of ignorance in which tlie human intellect is inveloped, brighten the rayit.ss day of adversity, or disclose to onr %it\% Enos peels so pure and so permanent as Divine rieve lation ? Axiom, 3. Error whrn it tends to words or arts injurious to society, w;)ether sues words or acts ate of a civil or a religious ontore becomes crime. COUOL LARY. Therefore such crime is not only cognizable but also punishable by law ; /Iz. 2. Cor. 3. since it viola►es those individual right i which it is the peculiar province of the laws, and the impera►ive duty. of the Government as the guardians of such rights and such liws, to pro►ect. SCHOLIUM, 1. Hence we may infer the justice an►l propriety of the late prosecutions for blasphemy, anA also► the filthily and injustice of the objections urged against them; since by not taking cogni 2:ince of such offences, Goves n went would not only have-negteeted its Own duty, but likewise have prevente&the Laws from doing theirs ; and thus have been•culpable, and that in a t WO• hdd sense while .such neglect must have atfordtd eu e,wr.reenieut for future aggreosions. Whereas by F.r!'!-li . ":?ing, convicting, and punishing such blas ',•.'n,t•J, the Gnver:tn►ent has barely done its ;;;:- SYnte and to the Country. At the , ,tne , 'it raccts hanon*r G ,verton, tit, for being atv,,ke tv, t he calls of duty and having tesolution to perform It. I say arraign, &c. such blasphttnies, since .every one must he convinced, that the punisligiefft Was not inflicted flow any personal enmity to The person punished ; but becau•c the blasphemies themselves could not be punished ; therefore the pe l rsou who propagated and defended them„consegoeutly ac countable for them, must. And this is just, not only according to the laws of man, but also ac cording to the laws of find; as the sinner, .nut his sins, is and will be punished for his sins. SCHOLIUM, 2. Yet, in order to show not merely the justice brit even the absolute necessity of such punish ment, let us for a moment suppose that Go , vernment bad deemed such blasphemies too glaring ; too abominable, and too contemptible, to have metiied its notice: what would have been the fatal CUllSetillenee4 > Nothing less than the vitiation of public taQte, the corruption of public morals, and the until extirpation of public fealty ; thu s Religion would have been reduced to tabl , ,, Low to cbicatietv,,and all salutary and legitimate Authority to despotism and oppression. Nor would the consrquenees have ended here ; for, since that ever-'active principle the soul is con tinually Exciting the functions of the hotly to action, and every principle of action being pre, vi nisly vitiated, it neces\arily tollows, as tight action teas thus precluded, arotig action rntist be the only result ; when such wrung ac like an impctoons torrvnt., would first have swept before it the Temple of G rid , next the Forum, then the Senate, and lastly the Palace. iVtien alas ! too late I .—the isrr idled instruments ot such indescribable devastation, tQrttlied by con science, upbraided by their County, and left to peat It by their abettors, would disconsolately have sat upoi its ruins, cursing themselves lur the wiecks they had made ! Hence th r ii, I piesume, cleat ly appeals, not merely the justice, but evr.n absolute necessity of the late punishment for blasphemy. AxisAi, 4. The tranquillity of the Country, and the secu• riiy of the Crown &tended on a date obset viinee Of the precepts of Religion and the Laws of the Land. COROLLARY. Therefore, whatever tends to prevent a due ob setvatice ot these, most be inimical to the traoquil lity of the Country and endanger the Crown. SCHOLIUM. The preceding Axiom and Corollary must con vince any uttl►rejudiced min(!, that the late prose cutions, instituted by the Crown against Libel, Misphr my, &c. were not cart led to that rigotous extent which., in strict law and justice they might have been. since the aggressors have only been in flicted for inisdeineanours, when they rnight have been arrainged for high crimes and idistlemerinonrs,- sedi:ious in their nature and tieasonithle in their tendency. THIRDLY, AS 'ID TIM PROPER TRIBUNAL. DEFINITION, 2. Criminal Courts, those insti!utell for (lie ex press purpose of trying criminal oiforces. COROLLARY. Blasphemy is a crimival offence, tl►etefore cri►ninal Uotirt is the hues! Tribunal at tshicli to arraign and adjudge Blasphemy. SCU(►LIUM. The preceding will refute the groundless asser tions.of a late notorious Blasphemer, as to the competency of a Criminal Court to take cogoi zanCe of his case ; since his rbla,phamy has been proved, suc h blasphemy has been paved to be a criminal offence ; Criminal Courts :Jaye been proved to be the moat proper for trying snelt tence : hence, then, by a logical climax, we infer that they were the most proper for ttyin~ his. Duly aware, Mr. Editor, of the press of matrer which 'crowds upon you at this period, I find it .necessary to divide into two, what I had Ostend-. ed for one Let'er when, front the mutual bear ing which they must neceyiarily have on each other, I must crave yuknr earliest insettionof thvni both, and am, with bleat respect, Sir, Your most obedient humble Servant, Dec. 6, 1819. A DIU lON. NEW LAW OF LIBEL 01,1 TIIS•I4ANISIIMENT CLAUSE IN THE LIBEL BILL, AS IT AFFECT.S THE BOOKS ..I.EILS AND PRINTERS. The clause, tio far as it relates to transporta tion, has been withdrawn, but as it relates to ba nishment, has been retained. To the latter pun ishelent, however, tl►e booksellers and printers still It'll iustiperable objections. There is, cer-' saltily, a di-dvrence in the two jmnishments ; but although the one be more ignominious and de grading than the other, yet that of binishment may have a severity of 'operation equal to that of transportation In most cases, andmarin some . cases be - tame severe. 'And while inevitable ruin aitends,either punishment, the sufferer is thereby placed beyond the benign influence of the B►ri tish Constitution, and left in a situation front whence tl►e Ctown, the fountain of mercy, can.• not be supplica; Hi! 5 or, at best; supplicated under disadvantages from which the greatest criminal is I free; while pet mitred to remain in this country. These considerations, it is presumed, are of the highest importance with regard to crimes - Libel, which are not specific acid certain, and which after conviction may, from that eirem»- . stance, admit of many extentrations wit in►me diately apparent. And as a principle of just and '' ise legislation has been applied in rejecting the. punishment of transportation for the etitnes men tioned in the Bill, so the Book , elleis and Printers venture to hope, that the puni.hment of banish ment, hitherto unknown (as a perninnent mea sure) in the jurisprudence of this country, gill not be retained. They scarcely,feel less appre hensir•e of the consequences itt being stark, t one punishment, than they were of being subject to both; and they cannot but feel great .appree 'tension and alarm; in t_he contemplation of a n►easure which involves every personal and do mestic comfort.—(Dec. IS ) C0:1 1 : [EXTRACT OF A rtirrATE LETTER.] 'roll, of course, havr heard and read - much on the subject of Parga ; as far as i am able to judge, it appears to me that the Pdrgans are as well off as the nature anti citcutustances of their situation will permit us to make them ; they have received an indemnity for their immoveable property, which, though not equal perhaps to the real va lue, was far s uperior to the estimate made on the part of the Ottoman Porte ; and being in ready money, and unshackled by any conditions or in cumbrances, they have an opportunity of dis posing of it to the best advantage in these islands, where the price of land is very low ; the Govern men,,- likewise, has it in contemplation to make them a grant of land, and to build them a church, &c. if they like to settle here. I have not seen she pamphlet published on the subject, but believe an answer is to be prepared. Colonel W---•-• has been here since the begin ning of last year; he is smperinteibiing the build ing of a palace for the residence of the Lord High Commissioner, which will occupy him, I suppose, about two years longer : it is out a small scale, bat planned with great taste and elegance ; the fronts are to be built of Nl,slta s une, brootAt hither for the pnrpo-e ; it will be a great oi n(t. uncut to the place then f l utist cd. A school of industry for destitute Greek female children has been established by pihscrip•ion amoog the English inhabitants, which promises fair to turn out w ell ; it is on a swab scale as well as the palace ; an attempt has likewise been made to establish a day-school on a large scale, and on the Lancasterian system, by subscription aT11011, ; : the Greeks themselves; 1 don't know exactly what sate it is in, but the gewlemau who pro moted it being about to leave the place, wilt, I fear, check its progress : that arntionan is a Qaaker, of the name of Allen, ii Member of the Philanthropic Society, who has been travelling about Europe, with the benevolent object or es tablishing such schools. You have heard, probably, or will hear, of a disturbance which has taken place at othe of our islands, Santa Maura, on account of a new tax laid on by the Senate for the buildang •) a Mole in that island ; it appeared rafter scrim's itt first, but the rowpt and.viorous measures 'adopted by the Go‘erninent soon succeeded in duelling tie insurrection, and the ringleaders have been taken and executed. Di c. 16 ARREST OF A REVOLUTIONARY CONIMITCEE. The !Magistrates, tai ing received information of a Mettiog for" revolutionary purposes, to he held at Bury, about iliac miles frotn• ninchester, last eight sent Nadir, With a detachment of L4ll. ref 9, to arrest the parties. • fie arrived there about eLrht o'clock, and proceeded to the Uoion Rooms. The Committee were then sitting, and-he arrested all of them : one or two Were subsequently 14en at their (two horses. There were ten taken in the whole. Their names are James Brooks, Ifult, Wrts. Greeohalh, 1 - taibert Howard, Benjamin Fell, G wrence. Brooks, ,Tohn Greeolialah, Richard Booth, and James GrifThlis Nadir) arrived in :Manchester with his priiontrs in the middle of the night, Hod they were lodged . in the New Bailey Prison. They were privately examined this morning, and committed to Lan casrer atl,e, for a conspiracy to overturn the Government. - I have been informed that some most important disclosures will take place in consequence of this arrest. The prisoners were the leaders of the Union Society at Bury, This Society, like all the other -Union .Societies, meets professedly cn read newspapers and political pamphlets, and for the purpose of political discussion, but in reality tp conspire against the Goveromen% e \ school the room, by which it is freed I roar the payment of poor rates, as being a chari table institution. By this cloak they have the opportunity of disgtrisin4 their real purpose in meeting there, and at the same time that they are bringiug up the poor children in their infamous principles. The institntion is governed by a '-Pr:lidenr, Vice-President, Secretary, and a Committee.— These Officers meet in a private room to which The' other Members of the Union are not ad mitted.- Each Member, on .admittance, re ceives a evil, on which his name is written, and a number, corresponding with the ntst»her - put to his name in a book where they are all entered. There are Union Societies in every towu rite manufacturing districts, and each Union contains thousands of members. The .card which is delivered is the passport to ,admit each mem ber. One shilling on admission, and One penny per creek afterwards, is paid by each person. Out of the funds are port based The Medusa, "Pack Dwarf, Cobbett, &c. The retnaiiider of the funds are applied to ply tire expences of delegttes to all patts of the country, and such other parr poses as the Committee directa 1 understand it will be proved that the iuteud ed Meetings at Manchester, &c. on Alonday were converted by this, Committee. Their object was to collect tire soldiers to one point, in ordcr that an attack might be made where it was un prepared for. This plait was frustrated by the placard it high Wroe posted (inserted in our pa per of Tuesday last). They ink t again on Muntl,l night last, when further rebellious scherues-w ere proposed, which last night might •have matnted.. Thanks to the vigilance of our Magistracy anti Police they are now frustrated, not by Alivkiona amongst (bemsolves, but by tticriNtires which will . briti them to an3wer before a. Cowl 01 Justice. 1 he boil r,tpiireci flora Howard, himself in-3001. inrl two sitretirs in 1501. each ; from t e others, the piiilcipAl in . 2001. and the survr ies in 1001. cHeli. appearance of the prisoners %vas very ‘Ve htive hitherto beet, very quiet this week t the town. BOILEY, bto. 17. CO2l3Ett'S ARItIVAL—As it has become a soil of fashion to report the movemnt#and proceed' ins tilt he principal Radicals of the eluntry, part!' enlist!) , suet, as Waddington, CObbett,&e. we beg to - athiontice the arrival of the lit ter at this place , tVedoesday everting last,- at 0 o'clock. It bed been buzzed about the village fur some time, bY the partisans of the Cobbett family, that the Bone- . porter (i. e. carrier of Tom Paine's bones) would anive first on this day, then on that ; at length, to produce the necessary popular degree of excitement, it was hinted, that strong bed • would be given away on his arrival. This was temptation which no true beer-loving descendant of those ancient worthies who held the far-fame d Botley Asitzes could . resist. Not, therefore, front feelings of ref :arid for any, hut for the glory of 8 of their favourite beverage, they deter' mined to honour the Patriot ! Early on ‘VednOS' day it was announced that he Would arrive et Cottage, about half a rude from Botley• t , hence, on his arrival, they drew him into the village, and having che-ered Ir rn seveist tinter, he int:inter! the dicky and brie2y addrts:ed that it gave him great satisfactio' l to be thus hailed on his return to hi, Inv ive c oon' try, and that, small as their number was, 84 they ail knew hint, it gave Itinymore satisfactio" to ire received by them, than by the hundreds awl • hundreds o f tholis, i ods rt ho had drown his carriage through the - 2.:40r:h o f England. Th at their number was, if CV.I man pertormred hi§ part, it would contribute Featly to restore pro4' (wr it ) , to the country ; that tft,.! country; was in I' worse state than when he left it ; that lie thern'all happier than they se ere, and hoped:1110 should live to pass many happy days aniong [heti); that he w-ns much fatigued, and begged they Is °obi excuse him. He was then drawn home, and, taking leave of the motley group, h e t, } 1,1 [ boo they might then make use of their voices, but id the course of 10 days Aliwsttis would elide:lvo''' . to muzzle them, but he would be d—d if Ord should. Atter this the :nob, who, to tin ; hew justice, 'notwithstanding this act of folly, ale Anti-Radicals, hearing nothing about the strop,: brer, and finding that they had been swindled into a foolish belief, stole away. to the tune of " The Dog hangs ,dowu I,is tail."—Country Paper.) THE, RAD:CALS. (From Er/i.Aurgiz Co.-tra ;it, Dec. IG.)' GLASG:MV, [)ac. 14 tears aitd dire alarro s of the many have been ioust happily disappointea' and the prittleot preryi :ion a ry measiires adopreA by the local authotitirs,inaveonly been the moi. s of proving the loyalty o; the lieges, cthich owe I see is great." lo addition to ihe rifle corps 11 ' our garrison there are tretachmems of the 6 b milt! 13th te;:irnents of loot ; and in quarters io to,vl, and at Silting Gardens, 4 troops of rite 10:1 1 hirg sars, a detachment of the 13-h, upwards tit 300 of the Mid - Lothian cavalry, dressed in blue, intently moldy fine looking men—the sinews of anti Caledonia--aid a terr of the West Lothians, % slit , wear red jackets, afHl ate very stout, The fowl' , (hiring the day, ++ Lich was pleasant, thoo0) Cn was all gaiety, ann had rather the appearance of a holiday, than one whithwas to blast the nitwit' lion, end loin farni!ii , s of thousrind.4; unc mere the fiicntiiy salutaiions, and ttoly shakes of the hand, exchanged by our wiaritic A citizens mud their armed friends from the en''' d ie least plea s i ! ig parr of ti;e scene. Ttv'' troops of linsSais went to Paisley, and ftior eat ts, escorted by parties of the Rifle Cot ;vl ll ` items and ammunition, and sornt of the D intfries" shire 1, ,, c0! militia Cavire, have been called there. Every thing, however, has been nocoto' mooly quiet. Ta,e Glasgow -Sharp-shooters 10' 4 doing the dory at the Jail, liridea - chl, and other parts of the town. Ott Sunday night, Capt. Si,f": titers' company did duty in the Town' Hall; 'an' pickets went ow Iciwards Calton and Bridgetowo' . and other parts of the city, wher e , lik e a re , 4 ,11 ,0 approach to the seat of war, they were stoppo l almost at the corner of every street appriviciii4 the town by pickets of cavalry, who, on gerrin4 the " word,'' allowed them to pass. The s , r ee° were, hotrevr , r, uncommonly quiet. N eat ly 1 1) 4 same caution was ob•er red last night, a nd tilt'' result was similar. Yesterday, however, was 05' served as a day of fasting by ail the Radicals i ts the vicinity. There are two pieces of ariiilery the Old ftclicf Hospital, and tiro more at the !gar' , - - rack a. On Tlinriiday last, Rodger the President, llillat the Secretary to the Airdrie R tdic t h' were ailmi•ted to hail , and liberated front Hamilton tolbooth. On Friday mornin a lIIvSSNIJer V;" 4 diSparChed to Airdrie for - a post-chaise, a. drove up to the jattl door about 12 o':.lodt“ the Radicals being resolved tri ewer .the at that plrce. Shot fly after, itodgrr and „1.' 5 wi.e. (who is a geared looking ..emnitn), ‘% llll the secretary, walked From their lodgin g; to tile . jail, wearing the iosignia of the order, ji s ' plryed in the sattie mantic-A as the 11/ a tol l ruedals. be insignia are tliri e pieces ribbon, red, %shire, and bloc, p on the le tt breast. Of) Sf erfrif# 4 i o t o t h e eaer i Ag e, 1 1 : 1 prisoners 5% ithin the jail, the CI 11 tird ed xvithout, gave tt.e Radicals .three • lieall7, cheers, r. beta they diove artiviok; a Greenend, near Airdrie, they were met by an nicnse of people, who took the bori c from die carriage, and Mew it into Airdrie, arri • ' l9, thunders of miplause. 1k nt;U:rtlEl). • Oil the Pith i”st. at the lio:se of Sir .Toiin. Gordon, l34ft : near Major-C;eoeral [Call; Governor of G r ': ' flad:l, Aii,S SColi ,:d;:bt daughter o f the !at.: J , " n6- SCili let!, 1.,,c1 of ..14nietica. DIED. 1 7 ,ARL, oF Ent.lN d c th roN.—\% are sorry, to announce !he „ of ti,o.iniWic iiriritvil Nobleman, the Earl of 1;:cli al— nal " i f; d rd uii Tuicsdly night la.a, at seren • o'clock, at Ail sea t Ayrsili7 e. Ytqr,rl;iy, at his house in New Bond-street, u. Itub'rg LONDON: Printud by .1. fl C:I,II.STAIRS, o No. ' 29, it A. iirturoul-stroct, (,lui.co-square; ac i d publi !lerl 1)% SCRIPPS, of No. 7, South Nlolton-struet at 'I'll!, ; 0 . .oilicc,,No. 112. Strand.; , where Adrettisc 1, tiers, &c. (p - ost-wail) must be alsircss: d ~ It 'i, s. 3 • ,~ Ji . I' rel i it, s .....C1 Li,