The Sun. — London, England, 1820-05-08 00:00:00

FOR THE SUN. TREASON AND INFIDELITY. MR. EDITOR—A s I disdain to trample on a fallen man, Whatever may have heentils errors or his crimes, I should not notice the audacious conduct of Titzsmr.woon in his appeal against the verdict of his Peers, if it did not contain several points eminently calculated to excite false commiseration in the many thousand disciples of infidelity, who are to be found in this once Christian country. If the grave could at the saute time bide the infidel and his principles ; if the agitator and the agitation could be r:lalued by the same solemn scene of death and infamy ;—if the treason ended with the traitor, criminal would that man he, who should fix a curse upon the felOn's tomb, or wound a single heart by the remembrfince of his waywardness; but there are times when private feel ing must yield to public duty, and the softer principles of in dividual charity fall before the imperious .demands of public justice. This is one—the address of the unhappy man in question, engendered in deceit and matured in infamy, will, nevertheless, prove an abundant source of calumnious sophis try to the advocates of infidelity and sedition, and be recorded as a lasting triumph of the power of their principles—what iadeed must be the extent of that power when it can give confidence to the rebel in his last moments, and cause the cold blosided murderer to regard himself as a holy martyr in the sacred strife of freedom ? Here, in the face of God ; in the presence of indignant justice ; with the dread eternity which is to fix his everlasting doom full before him, does a mur derer, an infidel, and a traitor, exult in the crime for which he suffers, and call upon posterity to reverence his memory as a Patriot. Whence, Sir, comes this sad perversion of the iluman mind ? What extraordinary principle can have stifled the common stirrings of upbraiding conscience ? Is there any thing in the crime itself, any extenuation, which can be supposed to operate against self-conviction ? No thing ! Not a shadow of even mistaken patriotism has followed the march of the rebel. In his pursuits a wild dis sipated vagabond,—a gamester, a military renegade, a public house disputant, a systematic plunderer of men's tights to restore his own broken fortones, regardless of the means by which their reparation was to he effected, or ether anxious that they should be attended with inhuman massacre—a seducer of men's minds for his own selfish pur poses; an infidel to his God, and a wanton trampler upon every sacred institution. Such then was the rebel who called himself a patriot. It may be urged that his exultation arose from the ton coalition bravado of ignorance which scorns to sue for pity or to acknowledge error. I heartily wish this could fairly be imputed here; hut Thistlewood was not so ignorant as not to know that to persist in error against self contiction adds to the cep of shame, and increases the pangs of departing Nature. Wicked as he was, there is nothing in the affair to induce this , comparatively grateful conclusion.— No ! he has fallen a victim to false principles, the seeds of which were sown in the French Revolution. and have been fostered into ripeness by the wicked infidels who bare so long made the public press the channel of their poison. If I should say that the blood of the unfortunate men now sacrificed to public vengeance, might be laid at the door of certain writers by whom they were taught to laugh at the idea of Gud's ex istence according to the blessed revelation of the Scriptures, and then told that resistance to the Constituted Authorities of the Realm was a duty incumbent on them as a sacred prin ciple of nature, I should not be going too far, perhaps; but I will leave that question to the sound sense, of those reflect ing men, who, for the sake of ascertaining the fact, will take the pains of reading what is weekly written against Christiani ty, and against every institution, civil and political, which is reverenced by the wise and virtuous, as necessary for good Government and for the general welfare of Society. Every evil propensity has a tendency to harden the mind, hut it is only infidelity, as the natural parent of all vices, that can so deceive it as to make that appear virtuous to the Infidel which is hideous to the Christian. It is very remarkable that of the • convicted traitors during the last two or three years, almost all were infidels; from which we may fairly infer, that Chris tianity is in all its principles diametrically opposed to rebel lion, where resistance to authority does not become a matter of absolute duty, as it frequently does in countries where the Rights of the People and of the Sovereign are not clearly de fined by some well organized establislimeut. It is also wor thy of remark, that the source of our civil commotions way be traced to that very liberty which traitors have declared to have no actual existence. If men rebel against God, it may very naturally be expected that they will have no sort of respect for their earthly Sovereign, or, speaking more con stitutionally, for the establishment of which that Sovereign is the duly recognized principal. Rebellion against God is ' unfortunately tolerated by the laws of the kingdom ; for Uni tarians, who deny the Divinity of the Saviour, are allowed openly to promulgate their doctrines. The Unitarians them selves, strictly speaking, may be very good subjects; but does not the law permit them to disseminate certain leading ob jections to Christianity, which, in a weak mind, soon lead on to infidelity of the worst description, and naturally engender t reasoA ? This is hardly a question ; for experience has prov ed the truth of the position. Now, with all my veneration for religious toleration, and I will yield in this feeling to no man, I will ask whether it can be consistent with reason, (with policy I am sure it is not) to allow the 'existence of any Sect, falsely calling themselves Christians, whose doctrines are decidedly at variance with those religious obligations which form part of the Establish ment; and does not the toleration which, in a Christian Country, enables a man to call into question the truths of Christianity, produce Rebellion against Church and State in their various institutions ? To return, however, to Thistle wood; this moan, with unprecedented impudence, has asserted r evcral falsehoods for the purpose of inflaming the public mind and keeping alive the spirit of sedition in his followers. That he knew his assertions to be false does not admit of a doubt ; but in'his view of the crime which lie had committed, lie felt it a sort of duty to excite disaffection by every means in his power—a lie on the lips of a dying man may do much mischief. Let us calmly endeavour to avert it. First, he complains of having been unfairly tried, and states, that if lie had been allowed to discredit the testimony of certain Witnesses, lie would net have been convicted. Yet shortly <Afterwards, he acknowlet:ges to the full extent the truth of the charges against him, which the evidence complained of had previously established. Having acknowledged his inten tion to effect a revolution by means of murder and plunder, it would be almost a waste of time to insist on the legality of his conviction. 'silly, He says that Edwards was a spy of Lord Sidmouth's to entrap hint. This would be a most se rious charge indeed if it did not want truth to support it. — Employing a foolish coxcomb, for such Mist lewood describee ;•alwards to be, to ensnare an old and experienced Traitor, would hare burn a sad proof of official caution; the idea of such a plan almost belies Itself ; but it happens that Edwarde , never was employed to ensnare Thist!ewood and to supply money for a plot which, when matured, lie was to denounce. There is no such refinement on French Police in this Coun try, thank God; and the evidence on the trial has fully proved the falsehood of the accusation. AS-to the supply of money, has it nut - been fully establisht;cl that funds were supplied by Simmonds the footman ? If Edwards bad given a single shilling some witness surely would have proved it; but there is another point. Some weeks ago I sent a letter to your Paper communicating the following intelligence, derived from a person who was deeply initiated in the mysteries of the Spenceans, viz., that Thist lewood had in the course of the present peace been more than twice or three times to France ; and that, although nearly destitute of money wheit he went, he returned with considerable sums, which were itannediately distributed amongst his associates. I never pledged ►nyself for the authenticity of this statement, but it is rather curious that none of Thistlewood's friends have ventured to con- I am, Sir, Your very obedient Servant, G. M. tradict it. As so much has been said of Edwards, in order to excite false pity in the minds of the multitude, we recommend the foregoing judicious Letter to our Readers, which de monstrates the folly of supposing that so artful, determined, and desperate a character as Thistlewood Would have been led by any thing but his own wicked ambition to those plots which were intended for the subversion of the Government and the ruin of the Country. As an additional proof of tha subtlety of Thistiewood, Olonument stated in Court that Theatlewood told him what to say respecting Edwards, whom Monument did not know. LONDON JOURNALS. FROM THE MORNING PAPERS OF THIS DAY. Morning Chronicle.] It was finally determined, in a Conncil held at the King's Palace, on Saturday last, that the 'Coronation shall take place on Tuesday the Ist of August; and the necessary direc tions were issued accordingly. [Morning Post.] Many statements respecting the intention of the QUEEN have ffom time to time reached us, but we considered them, for the most part, as not entitled to serious attention. We believe her Majesty has set out from Italy, and that she pur poses visiting Paris, where it is not unlikely a consultation will be held respecting her affairs. She does not, however, mean to take up her residence in that city for any length of titue. Her intention, we understand, is to come nearer the coast, in order to be in more immediate communication with her official advisers in England, who we beliese have suc ceeded in effectually dissuading her from her lately avowed purpose of returning to this country. Mr. Canning, in his excellent speech in the House of Com mons on Friday night, expressly stated that no increasr of the Civil List had been for a moment contemplated. This is precisely what we stated in the first instance, in contradic tion to the statements so falsely made, and so audaciously persevered in by one of our cotemporatirs. The propagator of the .falsehood, for the purpose of bearing out an equally unfounded statement subsequently made by him (when he found his base artifices exposed), that such an intention had been entertained, but afterwards abandoned, took the liberty of misrepresenting Mr.Catining's words in the debate alluded to, by making him say—" that at no one moment was the idea of ally augmentation in the contemplation of his Ma jesty's Ministers, passing a quarter of an hour." Upon this extraordinary, and, we believe unprecedented conduct, we deem it unnecessary to say thing more than that the words printed in Itergcs were never uttered by Mr. Canning!—(lbid.) BUSINESS in the HOUSE of COMMONS, THIS DAY. ORDERS OF THE DAY. Supply—Committee; Ittsolvent Debtors' Continuance Bill —Report ; Civil List Resolutions—further consideration ; Coasting "Trade (Ireland) Acts—Committee thereupon; Ad ministration of Assets (Ireland)Bill—second reading; Courts of Equity (Ireland) Bill—second reading.. [Morning Herald.] Letters from Jamaica, received on Saturday in the City, bring advices that Admiral Sir Home Popham, Commander in-Chief on that Station, had been landed at Port Roy a l I rons the Sybille frigate in so dangerous a state of health, that his life was despaired of. In one of these the death of the gal lant Admiral is announced, but we hope erroneously. A curious discovery has been made since it was determined to remodel the Crown. Several of the large gems, we have not learnt how many, turn out to be paste. It is supposed that this fraud was committed as far back as the time of Charles 11. That there are few real gems io the sceptres, was known some years since. —(Did.) EDWARP3.—The following account of this man comes from respectable authority. We lay it, however, before our readers, without answeringlor the exactness of all the de tails :—" Some time before Thistlewood was released from his confinement in Horsham Gaol, a meeting of some Radi cals took place. Edwards was one of the party, and as the gin libations were abundant, he left the society in a state of intoxication. On his road home he got into a dispute, and a scuttle ensued; the watchman was called, and on his attempt ing to take him into custody, Edwards took out a pistol and fired it at him. He was, however, secured, and next day brought up for examination before a Magistrate. The pri soner had by this time become sensible of the awful state in which he stood. He requested a private audience, and promised to make important' disclosures provided they would not prosecute him for the events of the night before. This was granted, and Other means were probably taken to satisfy the watchman. The informer was then conducted to the Home Department Office, and Was regularly examined. The plot, real or pretended, of setting fire to the City of London during the Smithfield Meeting, was disclosed. Thence the Lord Mayor's declaration on the 'subject, and the cry of " Fire, 61e!" which so often assailed the worthy Magis trate. Soon after this, his meetings with the Radicals be came more frequent. He displayed a comparative state of opulence, and entered more deeply in the plans of the Radi cals. Thistlewood was then made acquainted with him at Preston's, and they connected themselves intimately to gether. Amongst others, he tampered with little Wadding ton, and offerefl him money to purchase arms at a shop near Clare-market. The little man wisely declined, and he has since written to Alderman Wood, requesting an audience for the purpose of giving intorwatiun on oath on this subject."-,-- (A id.) TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. London, May 6, 1:320. SlR—Having this day seen a paragraph in your Piper, Staling circumstances respecting a trivial accident that betal we last week (by my horse falling down dead„) which are erroneous, and tend to injure the respectable professional Gentleman alluded to therein, I hare to request that you will give insertion to this note in your Paper, in contradic tion tberca, I run, Sir, your obedient servant, 41A:11D. CAMPBELL. It is itnpossible for us to describe the pleasure which we feel in presenting the subjoined most important Document to the People of this Pro testant Country. The Parliamentiary Reporters, in consequence of a new regulation, were not admitted into the House of Lords while the King was present ; but we were told by a very ve nerable Character, high in the Church, that his MAJESTY had made this usual Declaration pre viously to his delivery of the Speech to both Houses of Parliament. In order to give full so lemnity to a Declaration so essentially reliving to the Religion of the State, his MAJESTY delivered it on the Tht one with his head uncovered, the L.RD CIiANCELLOII, we understand, kneeling before bum. His NlsJesTy afterwards read his Speech with his plumed hat on, and with his usual grace and dignity. We regret that this most important manifestation of the Royal Sentiments rk . spec•ing the Protestant lieliLion bad not been given to the People before, as it is calculated to afford heartfelt satisfaction to all true Protestants, as a proof of his MAJESTY'S firm disposition to support the &id.. Wished Religion of the Empire against innovations. It would ill become us to presume to speculate on the motives and views of His MAJESTY, but it , seems not unreasonable to infer that such a par ticularly solemn mode of avowing his sentiments at this pectiliarCarsts,when POPERY i 8 raising its head in the hope of being permitted to share in Legis lative Power, was intended to put a more effectual check to its political ambition, end to render it contented with that toleration which it so fully enjoys, and to crush its expectation of ever hav ing the opportunity of attempting to undermine the PROTESTANT ASCENDANCY. ROYAL DECLARATION. I, GEORGE THE FOURTH, of Great Britain and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, and so forth, do solemnly and sincerely, in the presence of Gov, profess, testify, and declare, that I (to be- Neve that in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper there is not any Transubstantiation of the Elements of Bread and Vine into the Body and Blood of CHRIST, at or after the Consecration thereof by any person whatsoever ; and that the invocation or Adoration of TIJBVIRGIN MARY, or any other Saint, and the Sacrifice of the Mass, as they are now used in THE CHURCH OF ROME, are SUPER. STITIOUS and IDOLATROUS. And Ido solemnly, in the presence of GOD, profess, testify, and de clare, that I do make this DECLARATION, and every part thereof, in the plain and ordinary sense of the words read unto me, as they are commonly understood by ENGLISH PROTESTANTS, without any evasion, equivocation, or mental re- serration whatsoever, and without any Dispensa tion already granted me for this purpose, by the Pope, or any otber authori ty or person whets°. ever, or without any hope of any such Dispensa- tion from any person or authority whatsoever, or without thinking that 1 am, or can be, acquitted before GOD or Man, or absolved of this DECLA. RATION, or any part thereof, although THR POPE, or any other Person, or Persons, or Povverovhatso. ever, should dispense with or annul the same, or declare that it was null or void from tilt be• ginning. As the predicted arrival of THE QUEEN is a subject of general conversation, not only in tl►e Metropolia but throughout tt►e Country, and'iS likely to lead to strong controversies in private , and much conflicting agitation, it seems to be expected by the Public that some authentic in' formation should be given by the Gentlemen who have recently been appointed her Majesty's Lao' Authorities. Perhaps it array nor be consistent ►with the usual etiquette that such i►►formation'' should come from the persons in question, who might consider communication from them as not suitable to their official rank, but the case if quite new, and the consequences of her arrival are likely to be of serious import to the Country, and therefore the People may be thought to have a right to expect to have some authentic gence on the subject. We venture confidently 10 dissuade our Readers from placing any reliance on the reports which are so frequently put in cis... culation for insidious purposes, both here and abroad, anti' we repeat our own conviction, that her MAJESTY; however nearly she may approach to The French coast, will not be in a hurry to ven ture across the Channel. The reports in question have a more subtle meaning than is generally imagined, but they are not likely to produce the intended effect. The KING'S first Levee takes place on Wed nesday next, and his MAJESTY has been pleases to appoint another for the 17th instuot ; the pres sure, therefore, on the first will of course be greatly lessened. We received yesterday the Paris Papers of Thursday last. Those of Friday, which wire due this morning, have not arrived. The Chamber of Deputies, on Wednesday, *het the Court Ceremonies, resolved itself into 4 Secret Committee to hear M. MANUEL develops his proposition fora• addressing the KING on the state of the Country, which, after a discnssiou of some length, it was decided should not be taken into consideration; it is, therefore, in effect negatived. The Journals are chiefly occupied under the Paris head wi►h the details of the Court Cert.+ monial on the preceding day—a number of De+ potations from different public bodies having b e en received by the KING, who respectively congram tulated his MAJESTY on the Anniversiry at bis return. M. LAMB, the Reporter of the Committee 0* the new Elvetion Projet, was expected to make the Report on Friday. The Constitutionnel states, that the Qualm of ENGLAND had arrived at Paris. M. de &RIM, the Keeper of the Seals, is es' pected to return to Paris about the 15th instant. At midnight on Wednesday M. MOUQUART, 9 garde do corps of MONSIEUR, who bad just re ceived the order or pass word at the 'Thuil , • leries, was on his way from thence on foot, attack.. ed in the Rue de Bourbon by three men, who die-. charged pistols et hirn,the balls from which wound-. ed him in both arms, and in the breast. M. Mon! QUART tell, and the assassins, precipitating thew selves upon him, robbed him of the order or pass word, but took nothing else. U. Moutauani. whose wounds are happily not mortal, had the presence of mind, upon assistance arriving in • few rninutes, to state immediately that he had bee* robbed of the order or pass word, and the word was changed without delay, in order to prevent persons from gaining admission by the use of the former. The Duke D'A NOOULEMB was expected to ay' rive at Lyons on the 4th inst. There, is no further news from Spain in these Papers.—Wednesday was kept as a holiday at the Bourse. New York Papers to the llth April erriveti this morning : (From The National Intelligclicer of the Bth April) Extract of a Letter from Laguira, dated March the Bth. We have accounts that CALSAD'S division had formed a junction with those Of Papyan aw l Quito, and had fallen upon the enemy, but in the meanwhile another division from Mompox ha d ascended the River Magdalene, and that two other divisions, one Ocanas, had 'marched to PamPe' luna, and the other to Cocuta. BouvA,a, With some precipitancy, had to change his Om' of operations on the Apure, and had marche d toward the Kingdom of New Granada ; b" t I think he will find some difficulty in crossing the Cordilleras ; in the mean time we have, d e : , stroyed there several detachments which he, W 3° left behind different quarters ; and, finally. the Bth inst., we have blockaded the Port 6 Pampatar, in the Island of Margaritta, where 41 ' 1 . 5 prepared a famous Expedition, composed pliocid You 111 Neki, tie d . visio Pres Cessi 11len thole tun rest, Tat 'hilt po w Fitt; car,, Ices lbw be n tie! full( b„ tie t -14,t, NOTICBS OF MOTIONS. • Mr. Tierney—Upon motion for farther. consideration of the Report on the Civil List—to move appointment of a Select Conunittee on the Civil List. Mr. Grant—Bill to reeilate the House of Industry at Dublin. THEATRICAL REGISTER. Performed on Saturdaq Night. TIMATRE ROYAL, DRIMY-LANE.—King Lear : King Lear, Mr. Kean ; Edgar, Mr. Rae; Goneril, Mrs. Glover ; Regan, Mrs. Egerton; Cordelia, Mrs. W. West. After which, The Devil to Pay. MEATHE ROYAL, COVENT-GARDM—Henri Quatre : Henri, Mr. Maeready ; Eugene, Mr. C. Kcmble; O'Donnel, Mr. John Johnstone; Florence Saint Leon, Miss Stephens; Clotilde de Biron, Miss Brunton; Louison, Miss M. Tree. After which, Too Late for Dinner. 1, ,,,,* For LITERARY REVIEw, see the First Page. PRICE OF STOCKS THIS I►AT AT ONE o CLUCK. 3 per Cent. Red. India Stock 221 3'per Cent. C0n5 ..... 691 70 India Bonds .... 225. 235. pr. 4 per Cents h per Ct. Navy Ann. 1051 106 Cons. for Account 70k 70 70i Bank Long Ann..... 18 1-16th M:~ I LS Anatven-3 Dublin, 3 Waterford, l France, I Flanders. Dot —I Holland, t Gottenburgh, 1 Lisbon, 2 Hamburg!). HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE TO.MORROW. Morning, :39 minutes after 11. Evening,O minutes after 12. THE SUN. SOLEM qtYis DICERS FALSVM AUDEAT LONDON, MONDAY, MAY 8, 1820.