The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1821-05-25 00:00:00

THE ZINO V. THOMAS JOHN EVANS.

The Defeintaut, who was proprietor of The
Manchester tlbser•er, was convicted ut the last
Lai.caster Alaizes fur publishing • Itbel on the
Government. and on the King's troops. The July
found him guilty. The libel complained of was
certain torn:tures and observations oil a tumult
which had taken place et • public-11011"e et Ohl-
between a party of the military and the
voutispeopl,, in cinch it was alleged the later were
very ill-tre4ted.
11,14, Jaistice 13EsT having read the report of the
tryt—'
Mr. WittLiAsu rale 10 I■llVe M arrest of judg.
... .r• 114%
1

went, oa account of variance between the alleged
libel, as set forth on the record. and the paper pro- ,
duced. " Deemed" was in the record, instead of,
w sullisns" instead of " ruffians t" in
short, of all the six counts of which the indict-
ment consisted. there were but two, the third sad
the sixth, which were free from she objection of
variance. road those counts, he contended. contained
no charge of libel on which the judgment could
be sustained. The Learned Counsel argued the
point at considerable length with his usuol in-
genuity.
The ATIVIIISIT.GIINCRAL was content to ask
for
_judgment on the thiid and .ixth counts.
The Cala? JUSTICI intimated that the Court
at present thought those counts free from variance,
and from all other objections, in which opinion the
rest of the Court concurred.
The Defendant's affidavit was then put in and
reed, staling, that he had received the account
which he had published from the sufferers in the
effigy, and that by this and other prosecutions he
wies seduced to great pecuniary distress.
Thomas Biggs, John Hall, and others, weavers,
rconfirmed that statement.
Mr. WILLIAMS then aildressrd the Court on be-
-1 half of the Defendant in mitigation of punishment.

1 He was precluded, he said, from a variety of topics
u•essilly urged; be could not, for the thousandth
tints, dwell on the distress of the wife and children

of his client, for it so happened that it was only
Mr. Evans's own tole that was in question. He
was farther abridged and curtailed by the iisstruc-
' lion of his cliesit,'wso would not practise the tune
of whining hypocrisly,le common whet' judgment was
is' be pronounced. He could 1101 even pledge him-
self fur him, that if be were again to hear a similar
account, and be 'satisfied of the truth of it, that he
would write any thing more temperate, more mea-
sured, and more out of the line of libel, than the
paper now complained of. It could not, he thought,
be said, that the press was not sufficiently *open's-
tended, so tl.at all idea of clanger from the indis-
creet warmth of writers was fully guarded against.
It was controlled by the supervision of Parliament,
of his Learned Fnend the Attorney-General, and
by a self-appointed, self-constituted, irresponsible
junto °incrust's-whom no one knew, lie concluded
by quoting the opinion of ■ celebrated writer, who
thought that punishments, though well calculated
to repress occasional disorders, did but aggravate
habitual dascontents,

The ATTOINmr-GINIAAL bliefly addressed the
Court in aggravation of punishment.
Mr. Scsitt.sui now ruse rod moved the jodg•
mesit of the Court on she mine Defendant fur a libel
on rite late Dr. Cultist., of Bury, in Lancashire.
An affidavit of the Defendant wag read, which
stated his having offered so make every apology and
reparation in his power.
Mr. WILLI tms addressed the Court in mitigo.
tion of intuishment.
The sentence or the Court was—fur the first of.
fever, the Defendant to be imprisoned in the
Castle of Lancaster for one year ; and at the ex.
'Motion of that time to he further imprisoned for
the second offence for six mouths, and to enter into

recogniz.inees for his gond behaviour for three years,
himself in 4001., snd two sureties in 2001. each.
The Lotto CHIEF JUSTICE notified to the bar,
that he should not sit at Guildhall on Monday
next,

POLICE.

—.,....
sow-eiruszT.

Yesterday IVilliens Thomas, a genteel looking boy, sp.
parenily about fisartma years of ago, was post to the bar,
charged with picking pockets.
Samuel Lack, owe of the pnt►nt belonging to Bow-eirret,
slated, that on Wedansday night he observed the Prisoner
la King-street, Drury-lane, attempting to pick amend gins
llama's packets, and knowing bins to be the associate of
thieves, apprehended him, and &nod two silk hairdkerchiefs
concealed within the holism of kis kat, and mother mead his
neck, and of ...kick he mold give au satisfactory account.—
He was remanded.

INATTONAMIUDIN.
PRIVATE STILL.
Yesterday John Ore!* and John While were examined at
ibis office, charted by Joho (bun, an other, belonging to
the Excise, with being found in • bursae in One Tors.eirort,
near Hungerfued-onarket, Strand, where an illegal d.stillery
was carrid on. -
Droll, the officer, deposed, that in constrainers of having
received private information, he and John Fetxhisgb, his
broiler officer, went to the place between six and seven
o'clock the preceding evening, and findiuit the street door
open, they went in and proceeded down Main, where they
found a still with a fire under it at full work distilling
spirits; there were rooters, vats, harrels, every or.
misery convenience for carrying on the business, they also
&nod two bladders, couta.ning about six galleon of
raw spirits, • eat full of raw spirits, and three backs, eon.
tabling abort 300 gallons of wash. They found the two
Prisoners whom they •pprbended, and a lad about IS or 16
years bf age, who escaped iu the place *lsere the still was
at week.

The cue being proved, they were convicted i■ the penalty
of thirty pound. each, which out bring able to pay, they
were acatencekto three aunths Imprisonment in t►e Hoeft
of Correction.

MAIILOOROILM
SELLING FORGED NI/TES.

Joh* Swath and Jane Carter, who cohabited together as
man mad wife, were charged with selling divers forged moms
to ditVeewo persorse, and also with haring forged notes is
their possession.
From the testimony adduced, the Prisowers, it appared,
have been selling forged motes by wholesale al their lodging;
in Vine-sireet, ChandoLstrert, where they were apprehended.
On the wooers was toned 'tears 11. forged notes, ■nd their
refiriams dealings have been very extrusive. Both PrisoDers
were remanded.