The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-07-13 00:00:00

LAIV it:: PORI:

The following is an accurate statement of the
proceedings before the Sheriff's Court, in the case
of Messrs. Fretling and Stanhope, of the General
Post-Office, against Mears. Walter, the Propricires
of The There Newspaper, as copied from the notes
of Mr. Gurney, the short-hand writer :
FIAhCIS Firm-Imo, Esq. Pleinte, •nd JOlll4
WALTER, the elder, 4,4 JOHN «'ALTER, 14f

leavers Propitlers of The limes Plewspaptr, De.

.tend.rnis ;
Ali relua STANNOtt, Leg. Plaintiff', and Joey
WALTaII. the elder, end J• 111111 WALTILI. the
younger, Propertors of The Tome henvepoperi, *De-
fendant..
SECONDARIES' OFFICE, INIDAT. JUL? 3.
-- Urfire • Special jure, of Verehaato.
-•- . .

Mr. ABBOTT-:" Gentlemen of the Jury, you
are assembled here for the purpose of assessing to
Mr. Freeling, Secretary to His Majesty's Post-
master General, in one action, And to Mr. Stanh ye,
who is the Comptroller of the Foreign Letter OtEze,
in another action, damages for a certain put.licAtion
that appeared is a Newspaper, called The Times, of
the 12th May. There had been in another Paper,
previous to that, another Leto, relleiting upon the
charatter of both these Gentlemen ; and there were
also, in .uhsequen. Papers, other *hie. 'anon., ma-
terially tending to ii•jure their char:after.
" Under such circumstances, each of these Gen-
tlemen thought it due to himself, as every man of
feeling, and every m.n who values hi, owu charac-
ter must think, that they should take such a course
of proceeding, namely, to commence an action, such
as should afford to the Editors of this Paper an op-
portunity ot proving the truth of the fadls which
they had thought fit to lay to their charge. Each of
them, therefore. Gentlemen. commenced his aaiost,
giving, by so d Aug. to the Editors and Proptietors
of this Paper, an opportunity of pleading, that the
fads which they had imputed to the Plaintiffs were
true. The Defendants, cautious, as I may now
say, (in conatqueace of what I shall hereafter state
to you), that they could not prove the truth of these
publications, submitted to a judgment by default :
and the to:St proceeding of coarse was, that we
should as-emble here. ti.• at you, Gentlemen, might
assess the damages It also was a proceeding
which each of •c Gentlemen thought it due to
his own hoe-. _r to Institut-, in order that an oppor-
tunity t be given so the Editors of this Paper,
to -1' any thing by their Counsel in mitigation ot
• publication:. lam liAepy. however, Gentle.
men, to state4o you. that the Edam, of this Paper
having committed the error which I have imputed
to them, have done whizb is the best thint that
any person w.h•• .• .2 committed an error can do,
they havin; most honour .:aly to themselves cumin-
ed to acknowledge it

" We shall, therefore, Gentlemen, give you no
trouble. We have agreed upon cei• din terms,
which I am at I'bertc t•s state to you: y nr verdia
will he g.vga ntp•ninally for the damages laid in the
Declaration I but it is agreed between us. that upon
the payment of aU the emits in each moot. as be-
tween an Attorney and Client, and upon the payment
of the sum of 1001. to each of the Plaintiffs, which
will be distributed by them to some public charity,
they being high-minded Genie:nee. and not being
desirous of profiting by the proceedings here. and
there will be an apdrigy. which I shall take leave to
read to you, which shall be inserted in the same
Paper in which the offence was given :
" We, hating inserted serval oeservittleas in our Paper,
renecting on the duration' of Mr. Freollog, as Secretary to
the Po.neastes.Gerseral, and %Ir. Stanhope, as Comptroller of
the Foreign iierartment, it the GQ'teral Post-01140, acknow-
ledge such obeervanau to be tautly grottoolleto old onyeandeJ,
and are esnrontely sorry we were I/betrayal into any such pub-
lic/amts." _ _ _

" Gentlemen. upon the insertion of this apology,
and doing the other alts which I have stated to you,
which it is agreed between the parties shall be done,
I, with the assistance of the Gentlemen who sit by
me here. being entrusted with the honour of these
Plaintiffs, who are not here present, being entrusted
by them to attend here for the vindication of their
honour, have thought, and I hope you, Gentlemen.
will think I have thought rightly, that upon such
an agreement. and the insertion of such an apology,
no further proceedings shall be had. You will,
therefore. give a veedie for the damages laid in the
Declaration."

Mr. Janvt.t..." Gaidenses of the Jury, I do
assure you, most onaffededly, that the principal
and almost the only saddle:lion that I feel upon
the present occasion is, that I am certainly pre-
cluded now from trespassing upon your leisure. I
admit, to the fullest extent, the principle my Learn-
ed Friend has laid down, namely, that Gentle-
men clothed with the considerable fuodions that
these two Plaintiffs are, in the administration of
the public Goveinnient of the Country. were under
the necessity of proceeding to take the steps they
have taken upon the present occasion.
" My Friend hes stated, with great accuracy, a
consciousness, on the part of my Clients, that
what they have so insetted in the Newspaper, is pet-
tedly unfounded. at least is not maintainable in
evidence; and I am desirous that you should accept
of that apology from the present Defendants, from
a consciousness that they are totally unable to de-
fend what they have charged the Plaintiffs with,
that they are unable to defend thenvelves with mo-
rality, justice, and honour ; and though upon this
record a jUS:IIIC4dOO is put, which they have abets-
dolled, they have not. upon the present occasion,
deemed that their conjla ought to have any other
colour, ,and chancier than that of an admissioa
tb. they ought to give such reparation as is in their
power.
" Gentlemen, it is needless here to speak of the

its licentiousness. Bet I think I shall have this al
least to say on the pout.of my clients, cleat, looking
at their paper, as ,11tOtt of Us are in the habit of
doing daily, we can hardly sera paper less prosti-
tuted either to party or to individual calumny. I,
on their part, accede to the full extent of that apo-
logy which we are about to puhlish, and admit
before you, that this is a statement made against
gentlemen, not only unsupptirod, hut 'lnsup-
portable ; And, therefore, I, for one. on the part of
my clients, shall he perfectly satisfied to accede to
the terms offered, only obset ring, that I flatter my-
self von will feel, that lilwever high the •horillie of
the Plaint fie upon this record is, Mr. WAlter Arc! his
Son have aped with as much honour as the netute
of th it situation admits. and t •at they ate willing
to do that which every honourable to tn, when ver
he has commited an error, is ready to do—to Ac-
knowledge it, and to express a sincere concern that
such circumstance has ever ezi.ted."—Tke Verdict
owl taken feeerdia:lo .

NAPAL 131 tI.I.IGh;NCE.

ruarsmouret, JULY 10.

Sailed. this aftvrnoun. the Par, apse. Capt. Den-
can. with disp itches tor tke Mediterranean; and the
..ter, on a cruise.
Arrived the Amide, from a cruise.
The Laurel has the signal flyint fur convoy to
South America.

VALMOUTIC, JULY 8.

Arrived this morning the American schooner
Erperinsent, of New fork. Captain --, front Us-
bon, with hicl.n, bound to France, detained by His
Majesty's ship Liseit, 38 guns ; also arrived the
American sloop of war Bess. 18 guns, 42-pounders,
Captain Smith, Worn Norfolk, twenty-tight days
passage, with dispatches for our Government,
brought by a Mr. Purviance, formerly Secretary
of Legation front the United States. She havin4
lost six of the crew, is ordered into quarantine. On
the tith lost, she spoke, a few leagues to the westwar d
of Scilly, the homeward bound l'sleiliterranean flea,
about SO sail, the wind then et East.

FROM SATURDAY' NIGHT'S G.IZETFE.

KairGreedh July 4. 1807.

- , - -
His Mai sty has bosh pleased to gram his tnnet gracious per-
mission to the 75th Regiment to mouse, in addition to ens
other d. mess or badges to which it may be entithel, aii.l
to beer in the Coition, and on the Appointment: of the keg,.
meet, the" RosalTiger," with the word "
as an hoonurableand lasting testinsoily of the diwitiguislird ser-
vices of that Corps in Ihtlia doting a period of nineteen ream.
By Order of his Royal Hilburn: the Commaii•ler iit Ch tf,
IiARRY CALVERT, Adj--Gen.

MILITARY ritumurl()N3.
Irer-Ofte, yoly 11. 1807.
Regirnent of Dragoon (;oardt--Captaan the honourable
John Somers Curk., (ruin the 3d Four, to ba Cactain ot a
Troop, giro Muftis, who exchanges.
14th Itegi uncut of Light Usagut.tis.—Captain the Hon. Charles
nutter, is. be Major, %. about purchase, tics Smith., •hu rF
tires.

BREVET.
Captain deem. Herbert Adams, of the Giit't root, to be M ajo►
in the Army.

STAFF.

James Dru.nmood, Esq. to be Deputy Concubinary of Ac-.
co.-opts to the Forces.
Daniel Cioekhett, Gent. to be as Assistant Commissary of Ac-
corn ply to the Forces.
24 Reanneot .4 the Royal East India Voluotyous..-Lieuteolant
Robert Ge tr !, be :1-iptain of a Company, vice Ifeathehtou-
hough, who raglans.
Li:Jtona4t Julio Maltitaa to be ditto. vice Gilmour, who re-

gn J +se,* Allen, to be Liesstenan!, ,ice Geo..
Ris•ign S'altaril K. Mai-trison to be ditto, vice Mathison.
Heim 0 .en, Gent. id be Ensign, ,ice Allen.
Edward W.i.te, Gent. to be ditto, vice Morrison.
(Jr ln.mce O.N,e, July 10, 1107.
Corps of Royal Engineers—Captain %Viiliaro Fenwicic, to be
Liervenant•Coloriel, vice Skinner, retired. Dated July 1,
1407.
Medical Establishment for the Military Departments of the
Orunance.—As.sistent burgeon Joseph Fletcher to be Sur-
geon, rice Rely, deceased Lasted Slay St, 18'17.
Superisunierary Assistant Stlf;Ptlil 'Flignsas Maxwell to be As-
ust.ant &argent, •11111 Flet.:her. Dated as above.
Supernumerary Assistant Surgeon James Powell to IN As•
swan, Surgeon, vise Mem* dtceased. voted June 4,
1407.