The Sun. — London, England, 1819-02-22 00:00:00

PUBLIC GRIEVANCES. No. II MR. EDITOR---The second Grievance which touches the feelings of our would-be philanthropic Perfectionabks, arises from an alleged increase of crime, and seeks a remedy in the abatement of capitol punishments. But, Sir, much of this apparent increase, or even absolute increase, may be, and indeed must be, considered only as a numerical increase upon an increased pOpulation, perhaps augmented in some degree beyond the absolute numerical ratio, by the inequality of property, the more frequent example of luxury, and the temptation to theft and dishonesty being not only increased bit fsci litared ; to say nothing of relaxed principles front a demoralized Press. Thus fgr it may he assumed that crime is ex tended ; but if we attempt to legislate for its di t'ninutior►, upon at) erroneous belief of its causes MO extent, we shall risk a greater evil than that which we are atlxions to abate. If we turan to do-grood also, we trust not sink tl.e question into one of pry and ye► lam un- . ch,ritable cnon 4 h to tear that a &sire of poptda- I:fy is too ptedottlimtn , amongst the ,peculative advnekte s of what they term `` humanity," but wonid he more pinpeily named lehify tots aril% evil driers, without any regard to s;,etal cons,( l liepieeq. I shall, however, avoid the rum' that I teprohate, and, without regard to party, en deavour to correct the great practical error that has arisen upon this inretesfing buirject, in the lit %• thuoly of preventing crime by, abiting pu nishment. Such a theory leads indeed to the doing away h all punishment ; at Itast it con , ants not, its own pilneiplec, any guide to the exact point six!) an aba►e/nent of punishment should stop. In tact, Sir, it begins at the wrong end, eXCilint; a morb'd sympathy for great crimes, and relaxing the whole system of our moral and social police ; in direct oposition to the wholesome rule. " Prinripiis obsta " iffiked to those two magical words that we must look for the cure of present evils and the pt.( v: ntion of futtire ones. If evil is checked in its fits! errors, greater ones will be less prevalent; but how stands the case in present practice ? A hackney-coachman mi,behaves, chews, or mal treats his fare ; he is prosecuted, and for his first offence meets with a reprimand or mitigated pe nalt y. A baker poisons half his neighbourhood, or I.e sells light bread to the poor ; but a first offence lets hint off for a mitigated penalty, and his name is concealed. A boy commits a theft, or picks a pock.. t, or stars a few tile):s whitlow ; but his first rffence, or his youth, plead in his favoni. LA, Sir, a moment's consideration wonbtsbow aro ese were nut first offences; and even it they were, t% hat Hre the consequences? tiVlty, that the dread of a second offence, or rather of being a second lime found out, is' diminished in the breast or (hr otletHer, whilst. all others of his class are ttnipted to try thtir lock in the same way, calcu lating on the chances of a first qifence, utter a long career Of irregularity and crime ! Lot who e‘er heat d of a minderer having pu- iti•bmetir mitigated for a first offrlice ? I wish not, ho►vever, fur Draconian laws, writ. ten in blood; but I do feel, in spi►_e of modern theory, that if all crimes, ho►vever small, were punish►erl even as first offences, our penal code would soon be reformed, because capital crimes would then be lest tr.treut. A column iu a - Newspaper, Sir, cannot contain even the Leads of so extensive a subject ; but these hints may elicit a chain of reasoning in the minds of those ►sho have power and inclination to enter into the investigation. If I were asked, hose - ver, for a remedy to the existing. evil upon my own pi inciple, I would oder it in live words—" INDUCE YIIOSSCUTION AND ENFORCE PUNISHMENT." . . In that early severity there would be future lin mAnic y, it it is more humane to prevent crime than to pardon it—for the individual severity vculd the general deterioratioo. By thrse ureaos our prisons would soon be Adequate ;o alt the purposes of classification and reform, tor existing progressive crime would gra dually be checked, and incipient error gradually eon cord. But low is this to be done ?—Simply thus.— Let the crimes recognized by law be classed in fair gradation with their enacted penalties and punish- merits. TO iuduce prosecution, either diminish tne eXpence or increase the remuneration, or, perhaps still better, establish an Insurance Cont-. pany, not to guarantee against theft, but to cover loss of time and I.iir exptnees upon conviction.— Let it' be imperative top,in Magistrates, in all mi nor offences, to iiiffitt the precise legal !mish- meta, Ithenever the offence is clearly defined. There must be no mitigation, either punishment or arc/Midi; or, it it is thought better to leav e juri dical as well as judicial powers to the Magistrate, still to let him be Judge and Jury in Law, and Chanct;lor in Equity ; establish a Board of Revision, to examine any case that a prosecutor way choose to bring before it, not for the purpose of trying the criminal a second time, but of try ing the Magistrate, as to the propriety of his de cision. l';o honest NLigiitrsite wrul , l object to this, and the mere explessed opinion of such a Board would be penally sufficient to ensure success. IGNOTUS. THE MARKETS. CORN-EXCHANGE, FEE. 22. Although the , ports are now abut against the importation of Foreign Wheat, and the supply of English was small this morning, yet the sales were not so brisk as on Friday ; but fine samples front Essex and Suffolk obtained the came prices as on last Monday. Barley is-is. per quarter lower, and very heavy sale at that decline, owing to the stagnation in the malt trade, which article is full Gs. per quarter cheaper.— Beans, Pease, and Oats are full 2s. per quarter lower, and scarce any demand for either at that decline. SMITHFIELD, FEB. 22. Our Market was tolerably well 'supplied with prime Beasts this morning, but the },rice of Beef was not cheaper, .and fully supported last week's prices. The show of Sheep was large, and what little business was doing was cheaper than oust last. Pork was also cheaper; and Veal remains nominally as per last —The business in the flay Market was bi isk thi ; morning, and the prices of that article were rather chewier; Clover was also cheaper, and Straw maintains last week's prices, .00.7 1..‘ Ll • it {..,1 Never was contempt from a Constituent Body to Election ,Candidates so manifested as in the Present contest for Westminster. A Whig Can didate, not opposed by Goveroment—rather wish ed well to, as a choice of evils, by some of its friends—having Jacobins only for his adversaries, exults that, at the end of the sixth day of the Elec tion, he has polled what P—less than one seventh of the Electors—a [JUN in which he might be out stripped to-morrow ; in a single day by a totally fresh Candidate. Is Mr. GEORGE LAMB, indeed, to he, at this period of his struggle, informed, that the medium poll of any strife deserving the name of a real Westminster contest has been about nineteen hundred rotes per diem for the first week —that is to say, till about 8000 Electors had given -their suffrages ; and does he, ushered under the shadow of Mr. Fox's name, rejoice, that, with such advantages, egaios , such antagonists, his poll had yesterday reached 1824 votes ? It is wholesomer for the political health of the nation that Mt. GEollon [Asia, or Mr. any thing like hint, shook be returned for lVeattninster, than to admit at inference to go abroad implying any iirigmentation of Jacobinicm in this great seat of empire. Why the Government have so resolutely declined, what from the first moment of the va cancy was predicted, and is proved by every suc cessive day of the list six .days, would have been an " easy victory," the Government best know. Fear of failure it could not be. At ercn THIS ;moment the prize is in their power. The unac countable fatuity or Mr. GPottGE LAMB and of his advisers leaves that Candidate exposed, in the very middle of the Election, to the in terposition of that divinity, for waich, undoubt edly, the present pli g ht ot Mr. LIOBHnuiE: is a &gnus !indict , nodes- If Sir FRANCIS BUR. DETT opens the sluices of his purity upon the courts and alleys ot Westminster, the Whigs may find themselves involved in a straggle the like moo which has not been seen in Westminster for upwatds of 30 years.. It is worth their while too, to be aware, that concentrated power is of much mare force than power made up of contin gents. That Sir FRANCIS BURDETT (with his numerous and charming young Ladies growing up into women, the whole of whom the Hollow able Baronet's polity of election in London and Westminster might portion, even to amplitude, for the noblest husbands in the land),—that Sir FRANCIS, iu order to raise up '' a brother near the throne," after all the past election drains upon his exchequer, world come forth with " ail the pomp and circumstance " of the ever-memorable fourth doy of last year's contest —t his was not likely ; but what is it now P What is it since the day before yesterday ) Is the lnmerrof last Fri day on the hustings—is the metaphor of the ass- trod lion a false portent Is the Baronet's Own in tore fate in Westminster wholty out of the question? Well ; but where was the remedy ? The remedy lay in such a vigorous poll for the last six clays as might frustrate even the wonder•woi king purse of the greatest master in the science of pure election " that ever lived in the tide of times,"—which " vigorous poll " appears to the writer of this ar ticle to have been frothily obstructed by certain quackeries on the side of Mr. GEORGE L 4,1111 upon and air the hustings. With staring, striking demonstrati on . b e f ore his eyes, a well in the poll of Mr. Hots- HoUSB, as of Major CARTWRIGHT, that in no part of this empire are the setrones of th e Parlia-. mentary, Reformers so derided, scoffed arid scorned, as in this superiorly enlightened city of WeStrlllOSter-Mr• GEORGE LAMB oratorites upon Parliamentary Reform as a bonus to his presumed Constituents ; specially directing the promise of his future blessings to that calm, livening, well ordered assemblage which fronts and affronts the hustings at Covent-Garden, and with that hust ings all the decencies of a non-savage state ; as if any Elector of Westminster, even of the humblest class, were ever seen in such a place, unless by the chance of pressure. 'Tis true, in all free States the custom has prevailed of addressing the people ; but what type of " the people" disco vers itself in that roaring rabble which is about as amenable to reason as so wavy wolves % In what jtmqt ure of the many centuries during which- free habits prevailed in (3:Tete and Rome, have such incidents taken place, or when before in England, as knocking clown a Candidate, like Sir AIuRRAY MAXWELL or pursuing an Elector for giving his suffrage, like Lord CASTLEREAGH on the 20th of last June. The most ludicrous feature, however, in the probation creed of Mr. GEORGE LAMB is the im plication of his treading in the footsteps of Mr. Fox. Certainly not of the renowned person, so called. lie never dealt in quackeries either at the hustings or in election meetings. The Mr. Fox to whom Mr. GEORGE LAMB professes being a votary, is a person seemingly known to i;irn only by the version of Mx. HoBHOUSE.—Sir, if Mr. Fox were alive, twenty vindicators, and if in Government, two hundred, would have assail- ed . this 11ir. HoßnousE for his profligate misre presentations and sacrilegious profanations of Mr. Fox. Let A-Ir. lioisnousa, however, not hullow, till lie finds himself entirely out of dun. ger, for hal ieg . invie it the cardinal principle of his Election poli►ics, to peck like a vulture at the memory of Mr. Fox. toily too of such a course exceeds its immorality. What a strange set is the handful pit egotists that pamper and de bilitate Sir FRANCIS B2JRDETT ! Mixing only in their own silly circles, they seem entirely uncon scious of the contempt in which they and nil their theories are held by the rest of the world.— Though directly opposed to each other, Mr. Huanouse's Election system is, in fact, full bro- titer to the systcm of !fir. GEORGE LAMB, Who, since the first moment,of his starting for West minster, has _ scarcely propounded a pi inciple which has not retarded his triumph in the present Contest. It would, however, be lamentable were Jaco binisni to prevail against him. If, recurring, in right'earnest, to his purity of Elect ion, btr CI3 BURDETT should return his nominee, ?dr. Hostiousa, in the present contest, such a result would be very like he surrender of Westminster, bound band and foot, as an appendage to the BA- rouet's purse tor the next quarter ot•rt century— towArdswhich Lonclusioh, by the way, Mr. Cos- ,t es- nicre• reeela 1153(11i01:, if weil-for;;:clt wry,_ _ sentially contri bu te; viz. that the respective con tests of Lord COCLIRANR and Alr. PAULL, in the years 6 and 7, cost those Can:iidates 12,000/ ; and 15,0001. " Fifteen thousand pounds paid by poor Paull," whom his Jacobin compatriots, with that fondness and friendship which distinguish the contending `Jacobins in the present Elect ion, con soled with a vaticination of the " King's Bench Prison," in six months after this supposed sacri fice of a fortune in their cause. The however, of such an expenditure Cat) hardly be other than a mistake; but, oh if true, what a commendation would not such facts present, in. favour of that " moderate Whig Rebrm " an nounced at Liverpool by that special Whig mouth-piece Sir FRANCIS BußDETT—wl,ich nota ble scheme of " moderate Whig Reform" would, do—what 7—only \Vestn►ittsterise the whole frame of Parliamentary Representation—en:wing, at the sane time, a triennial return of all its cheap and chaste delights ! February 2!'t, 1919. THEATRICAL REGISTER. Performed on Satnrdon TWEATIZE nnYAL, DaURY-LANE.-(4.itit time), Brutus: Lu cius Junius, Mr. Kean ; Targninia, Mrs. W. West. Atter which (Ith time), High `rations. THEATRE Royu,, Co , ENT-GAnDgm'.—(6th time), Evadne Principal Characters by DI r. Young and Miss O'Neill. After which, Lore, Law, and Physic. PRICE OF STOCKS ruts nay AT TwELve. o'cl.ncm: Bank Stock 2681 I 5 per Cent. Nary Ann. 10611 3 pet Cent. Red. 77,i,} 1 Bank Long Ann.... 20 5 Ifi:111 3 i.el Cent. Cons. TGli India Bonds... ti7s. pr. 31 per Cent 4 per Cents .•..951 91 Cons. tor Account. 76. iii MAI LS. pnblin, 2 Walei•foi(l, I Holland, I Fian.lers, France, 2 I Brazils. DUE-I Sweden. 3 I - latn- Lurgli, 1 Liu:land. • HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE TO-MORROW. Nlat nitig, 39 initiates after I. Evening, 4 minutes after la THE Si UN. 110 LEM QUIS DIMIE FALSUM AUDLAT ? LONDON, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1819. We have heard from a very respectable audio- rity, that information has been received in this Country positively announcing the Death of the King of FIIANCE. We shall be happy in finding hat this report is riot well-founded, though we confess that, from the quarter whence we received , we are not disposed to raise any doubts of its authenticity. ‘lre say we shall be happy in finding hat the report is not vrell-founded, not only be- cause we rever e the virtues, anti respect the ties of the French Monarch, but because we fear hat his death would be the signal for the vile Faction of Jacobinisra once more to rear its bead, and France be exposed to new horrors that might distut b the tranquillity of al! o:her States. We received yesterday the Paris P.iFers of Thurday last. Those of Friday, which were due this morning, have not arrived. We find in one of the Journals of Thursday, a paragraph mention ing that " the Lealth of the KING daily improves, , and it is hoped that his Majesty will shortly be enabled to resume his accustomed promenades." His Majesty on Wednesday received the Bareau of the Chamber of Deputies, conducted by the Minister of the Interior, who presented the projet respecting time financial year, as adopted by the Chamber of Deputies, and which projet was to be communicated to the Chamber of Peers on Thurs day. The KING afterwards presided at a Coun cil of Ministers. It does not appear that the projets re;pecting the Press were presented to the Chamber of De puties (as anticipated) on Wednesday, nor do the Journals say a syllable about them. The Deputies were occupied for a considerable time on Wednes day in discussing and disposing .of Petitions. One from the Sieur REGIS, of Saint Domingo, resid ing at Paris, praying for the, suppression or mo dification of a Ministerial Circular of the 18'h Ni vose, year 12, which prohibited the intermarriage of Blacks and Whites, was chiefly rendered re , markablebyaspeech of M. LAlStilt DEVILLEVRQUE, deprecating any laws of demarcation between Blacks and Whites, principally bn the ground that they would tend to prevent the Black Inhabitants of Saint Domingo from wishing to become part of the French Nation, to which they might wher wise be disposed. The 851011 PA SQUI KR stated, that the Circular had been revoked, and the Chamber passed to the Order of the Day. A Pe tition, praying that the exportation of grain might be allowed, drew fo.lll Some observations from the Baron de PUYMAURIN, who'exprcssed a hope that the Government would protect the French agriculturist against the effects of a low price, caused by the influx of foreign grain. The Petition was referred to the 'Minister of the Interior. The discussion was then. gone through on the projct respecting s , dtpetre, and the vote on it appointed for Tlitos.day. A• Council of I lie National Guards bas been fanned by order or the KING, consisting onbe Chevalier ALLIINT, Pfcsident,. the Duke dc ( -Hots:Luz., [he Like tie CANA-L'S, lIJC L'" JAMAIN DELKSSEIIT M. de SV,'E.Nort., the " el ' ''. Her TERNA VX , and the Connt de SAINT AL/I.Al°' This Council is a! tacked to the Ministry of th e Interior, an d i s to g i ve its opinion n pon ques ti°ll9 of legislation, &c. referred to it by the IVl ( ini ste of the Int e rio r; it ,is besides specially c h arged with the administrative direction and regtldsti°3 of the National Guards. ts The Duke of GLOUCESTER, it is stated', go- Paris on Wednesd.ty next. The Persian Ambassador made his public entry into Vienna on the sth instant. Continual coat: munications are passing between Vienna9ll( Frankfort. vrvg PEA CENTS. Wednesday ;of. --e. DEFERRED STOCK. Of the 22d Mar c h, 1817, g3 f. 30 C. 2" St pt. 1917, ............. 91 f. 30 C. 22d Match, 181 , i, 79 f. 30C. 22,1 &pt. 1819, 77 f, 25C. EXCHANGE ON LONDON. One Month 23 f. G o c . Three Moutbs,., 2 3 f• 4oe. We have several times expresseclfour (1193P1 ballot' of that whining. imbecility with some of our Political Oritors have come f"" " f with attempts to excite a 'false pity in f4v(nir ° e !hose whose crimes have exposed than Justice of their country ; Such Orst" rs themselves to be tor a lly nufit to be or 1 "" rbl .,1 as Statesmen, since their foilY, tenderness, would tend to bring gull( f" tint", ruin upon every Country, whet : e the' r e' C"11115 ci s should become ' prevalen% W e l' r all our sound Statesmen to the secou'l 'etre! On this subject in our Parer of to-day , IGNOTUS, from a Correspondent, , 1 11°9e svl°l of mews on all subjects entitle him to the tel e• the Public, as w e ll as to our gratiimk, fo r we Pi ference which he has given to this Parr' We have this day finished the excellent °`; of Articl es 011 CATHOLIC ENIANCIVATION, ftric they contain arguments and proofs of the be Sobti description. in order to demonstrate thc danger of granting any farther concessions 10 1 0 , PAPirrs, enjoying a s t h e y d o a ll p o ssible t 0 e we tion for their religious Faith and m WorshiP'ke trust that these va l ua bl e D ocoents will ' l ' 4 due. imp ress i on u p on our R u l ers, and "P w) b : of our Legislative Bodies, as we" 85 fly the whole Protestant Cononuoity t hroughwit:eil Dotninions.---The Papi s ts must b e u-- t ,O by ambition to obtain P o li t i c ,' power for plirpose but t o p repare t h e way f or the d estr i , l !ion of the Protestant Churelt.-:rite s triki l4 ' Jeo that the Pore has revived the alle y ()f of SUITS, the most s u b t l e and intriguin. I)(3 ` . ' PAPISTS on earth, is sufficient to excite a lai." not only in Protestaut,Countries, h ot tries also where PorERY is the Religion dj Government, for th e J e s u it s w ill contr ive to `, themselves into th e k now l e d ge o f a ll St a te-~e eryl : t and if the ,Potent a t e sh ou ld b e a bi go t, 35 2ig: might naturally be e x p ecte d, cois id er i n g k. gion he professes, they might direct' his c °ll s science as they pleased, however iojtoi'lli their Counsels may be to all other Couniri el ' It is therefore an imperative duty on o ur materially to weigh this subject, so important only to the Rdigious, but the Political interests of the. British Empire; for if PorgaY 0( 1 1 : obtain Legislativ e P ower h ere , i t wou ld io' llieb ; ately begin to undermine our Constitution in C s u rc S II and State, while the JESUITS, who once, 111 " 1 ascendancy over every Country on the Contio ° would be incessantly at work to prorrote they deem a holy duty, the form " d ewo ii t ion Of t ': Religion which they , pronounce to he nothing 11°- dauiiihble illeresy, on th e d es t ruct i on o f w hicll depends the furore happiness of mankind. curving to the Series of Articles, w hi c h t ee C O ' re elnde this d,iy, we hope that smile patriotic 1 3(1°1‘° seller will collect and publish them in a parnpl' ier ' which would be a vllleabie treasure to the TESTANT WORLD, and operate as a pow er fu barrier against Ore arrogant pretensions of FoPis 1, Ambition. WESTM INTEII ELECTION. STATR OF THE POLL AT ONEi O'CLOCK Tills nkf; The lion. G. Lamy - 1,986 J. C. limmousg, ESCI. - 1,369 Ithjor CARTWRIGHT 36 Dublin journal-011iee, Feb. 19, 4 o'Cioc 4 " An adjourovd Ql3rter Assembly was hell the Exhibition HotiFe, Willnim-street, thi, - - - A Resolution was carried, censuring the Co' duct of the Lottp MAYOR for calling a Pt' slic Mt , eling of the Protestants at the Rotunda. TfIC (louse divided on the Resolution, and the nuinberi vvere 7 -- For the Motion. i4O Against it l3 Majority The PRINCR REGENT is expected to re 'row Brighton in the course of the present eeh' (1. ktt,