The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1821-05-29 00:00:00

A MONSTER.

A fellow dresses' grateelly in black, has lately infested the
Oehls &b. ist the Alpha Cottages and Lord's Cricket Ground,
al siy-lc.bone, and attacked and maimed female*, *bunt
dusk itt the evening. Tau instances reached the Police on
P..day and Saturday evening. The brat was a young lady
named Jones, who was accosted in a familiar manner by the
brute, but un ber repulsing his addresses, he wounded her in
the arm with a sharp instrument, and made off. On Satre-
vusy 'night a nurserymaid with Iwo children was accosted
l.y the sante person, in the fields, who made a most wanton
and Indecent attack up.n her, and afterwards cot her in
the hip. We trust we shall hear of justice overtaking the
medium.

A new favourite been started fur the Perky
Stokes. to Lie run at Eiasuut on the stn of June, in
Air. THORNHILL:2 col', by Itubens, out of Belvoi-
rime.

A rating man of the name of Crosier, a French teacher,
ha batl lately been wit of employ, threw linnetlf into the
P*.Mkugtuo Canal on Sunday et °mug. He was obeeteeti by
weveral prisons ou the upputAir Wasik, one of whom, a yullalt
•man of the name of rft thariuKtuu, pulled of his coot, auti
crowed the antlntitnnte man from drooping, 'Perim *Lad
b-en several mimeo 'launder water. He was cameral., the
news: honer oa the Harrow road, and with medical as.
instance he was recovered. Distress was isarismett an the
rause of Ilse sash attempt, aid so premeditated was the
dr►lga, that the CUili pocitts were 6!led with stones.
•
• • 't vtii I.

LAW iNnituallicit.
• •a-a-..
DOOR? OF XING'S 'KNOW, WOONIIIOIOIIIO'i
Illesaim. MAT TS. 4
•
THI KING v. JOHN HUNT.
The SOLICITOR-GIBNIRAL moved for the jitclg.
ment of the Court on this Defendant, who fres
tried sod convicted et the lest Sittings idler Term
before the Lord Chief Justice, at Westminster, fat
• libel on the House of Common,.

The LORD Cuter JUSTICE having Seed the re•
port of the tend—
The Defendant addressed the Court in mitigos
Lion of punishment from a written paper. He said
he hod been found guilty by a Special Jury, Dorsi-
noted by en agent of the Government, the Master
of the frown-cffice.
The LORD CHIEF JUSTICS—" The Master of
the Crown-office is not all agent of Government, he
is an officer of this Omit."
Mr. Hunt said, he had no complaint to make
asainot the Master personally, but it; was the aye.
:Wm of ihicla he complained.
The LORD CHIRP JuITICR —" That system is
established by law."
Mr. Hunt—+t It appears to have worked an
-tiajury, which, if yoar• Lordships would permit, I
Mtgeld et plain."
Mr. Justice BAYLEY..-it The trystem of which
you complain the Court can't correct': that is fur
the Legislature, if they sue fit.". •-• •••
Mr. I am the sufferer by its end wish
to simaal against i'."
. The Loi) Cater JUSTICE—" I understand
you to say, that you have no complaint against the
Master of the Crown Office in your particular case;
it is the oys.em of winch you complain.. It is a
system established by Act of Parliament, and it is
quite useless, therefore, for us to bear complaints
of a matter over which we hire po jurisdiction."
Mr. Hunt proceeded, and seid, that with respect
to his motives, he must again deliberately affirm
that, instead of endeavcuring to bring. the House
of Commons lido contempt, tt was a branch of the
Legislature for which he had always entertained
the highest respect. Ile bad nut written against
that branch, but lig Gnat those corruptions which
were working to (Intro), both branch sad tree.
His motive fur puffing forth the offending nuttier,
origin-dad iu the belief that such discussion might
give rise to ineasurerthat might relieve the House
of Commons from that public hatred and contempt
into which. in the opinion of many persons, it had
already actually fallen. If he was wrong in the
opioion lie entertained of the House tsf Continent',
he hail erred with many great authorities; Lord
Chatham had declared, diet "if the House did not
reform itself from within, it would be reformed from
without with u vehgeatices" The truth of the para-
graph which he had publudied had not been con.
troverted, and how could a firm tar accused for put-
ting forth well.kuuwo facts? He would venture
to t, that no public writer (be Isis talents ever
'so powerful), could bring ass upright and conatito-
tiusial lluuse of Commons into contempt; that
could only be effected by it. own general conduct.
But itthat House defend practices, which, even in
the opinion of our of its town speakers, would have
'mole our istices.ors start —if the sale of seats—if
Tre;iisury interference—ft' bribery and corruption
prevail there, most not such practices tend to fill
'he House with public depredators, rather thun•
public .guardians 1
The LORD CHIEF itlsTteit—" I cannot sit sod
hear one branch of the Legislature vil.fied."
Mr. Hunt said lie sea only putting it hypotheti-
cally, and continue.! that if it were so, and that
even in the opinion of its mill Members--
Mr. Justice B s wt. —" That can't be kuowu; what
passes in the House can't lie known."
Mr. Justice BAYLEY !ilia it was the peculiar
privilege of P.olioinetit, that untie of its Members
could be questioned lor what they spoke within the
walls of Pediment; but if a speech, delivered
there, contained improper language, it was punish-
able if published any where else, was instanced
in the case or a Member of Parliament who pub-
fished his own speech, and ass puuiblied fur it
by that Court.
Mr. Hunt continued-41e stood there for pub-
!idling that a hick he believed to be true ; he was
sensible how little that defence could avail him,
but he had the satisfaction of knowing that he had
door only that which lie conceived to be his duty.
Imprisonineut sus a great evil, as he had good rea-
son to know, hut a want of public spirit was a
still greater ; and having been long convinced that
the British nation could not continue great and
flourislring without a reform in the /louse of
Commons—with such conviction on his mind, he
would have had abundant reason to blame himself
it' the prospect of any suffering, merely personal,
had deterred him from endeavouring to make it
what it ought to be—a faithful orgao of the public
opinion.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL briefly addressed the
Court in aggravation of punishment, and, at the
same time that he allowed the subject bad a right
to the follest latitude of political discussion, he
maintained the necessity of such discussion being
carried on in decent and moderate language.
Mr. Justice BAYLEY, in passing the sentence of
the Coon, animadverted on the publication, which
lie declared could not be considered that decent,
proper, anti moderate discussion which the law
allowed on public affairs, but rather a geiteral
vectivc in declamatory language, which the law did
not tolerate. The Court, considering that the law
gave the best protection to the freedom of the press
when it corrected its excesses, ordered, that for the
offence or which the Defendant had been found
guilty. he should be imprisoned in the House of
Correction in Cold Bath•fields for cote year, and
enter non recoginsances for three years, himself IN

5001. mod two inurties in e5Ol. each.
LIBEL ON THE QUEEN.
. ___•_

THE KING V. THOMAS FI.INDALL.

The SoLiciTua-GENERAL moved for the juilg-
tnent of the Court on the Derendsiat, who was in-
dicted and tried at the lust Assizes at Exeter, before
Mr. Justice Butrough, for • line( on her Majesty,
published in the Writer,' Luminary newspaper.
The libel, speaking of h. r Maj. sty, asked, ",Shall
a womb' who is a 3 ambitiously devoted to Bacchus
as to Venus (cud who, if tumid oit our pametrieutli,
would be committed, to bndewrii), he held up se
geode( of purity mid innocence ?"—Thi• was pub-
lished in the paper of the 11th July, 1840. The

..•

3siy found the Defendant guilty, but at the saint
time recoadheutled• hien to the utiartiat txtent uT
mercy.
The Defendant's Aura affidavit ;FM put in and
rend ; it stalest that heaves 64 yesrs of age, and
had a wife and twelve children, sine of whom de+
pearled upon his exertions for support.
The Defendant then sddreased the Court at con-
siderable length m midge' df punishment, fr..ra
a written paper which he held in• his hand. He
referred to and read the Report of the Committee
of the House of Lords, on which thir inquiry into
her Majesty's conduct was instituted._ He coo-
' ceived that there existed ■ party in Chit country,
r whose object was to vilify and defame the Coned-
' lotion, and all the institutions of the couutry ; lie
conceived that this party, aided by the factioua
part of the press, had 'United and taken op the
cause of the Queen, as a metros of forwairling
their views, to oppose which lie thought was his
duty, cud the duty of every good suLject. Hader
the eircumstarices of the times, he trembled for
the safety of the thronw and the sitar ; many of hi.
neighbours also part.ok of his apprehensions, and
his Iwo elder sons had actually put themselves
under military training. He complained that oilier
publications hod not been visited by the Attorney-
Genenil, aliliongli they lied offended in a still
more glaring manner ; but he attributed his being
*elected, to ilw secret inatigatious of that faction to
whom he lied before alluded. Hit complained that
he had been called " coward," and " wretch," and
those terms were laid upon him in a place where
privilege protected the speaker from reply. He
complained of die expense to which lee bad been
subjected, and stated that his wisolosra had been
broken by the populace, and the life of his wife
placed in hazard.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said, be would not
'Offend their Lordships' ears by repealing the term.
of that libel, for the publication of which the De.
fendaut now stood to receive punishment. There
could be no doubt d was as fool and scandalous a
libel as ever issued from the press. The Defendant
had referred to ilw Reptirt of the House of Lord.:
lie was not sure that the Defendant would. have
been justified in publialmig tbst Report at the
but here was a charge ugainat her Majesty
which w 55 not contained in it: -Ho observed also on
die period of time the publication look place—a
time when an inquiry was in progress, during
which any prison of decent feeling would have ab.
stained frum giving careeticy to calamity. In jus-
tice to the Defendant, he meat advert to a fact,
which, he believed, hr had omitted to observe upon—
he
meant that the Jory.hail reconduetitled bout in
the at gest terms to mercy.
The Lola Caige JUSTICR—" He did advert to
that"
The SOLICITOR•GENERAL begged pardon, but
be had heard imperfectly what
.the Defendant had
addres-td to the Court. 111elnerf thought that at
the first port of Its addrei.' he hail justified the
publicolion, hut lie was inforiai.,l diet towards the
close of it lie had staled his sorrow for having pub-
lished the libel.

Mr.-Justiee BAYLEY, in passing sentence, ani-
madverted in • terms on the libel, observing,
that inquiry by no isreasis supposed guilt ; ground
for inquiry there *night be, but from that it was im-
possible fur any peso's to predicate guilt on the
part of her Majesty. The libel also contained a
charge of vice-as different description from any
that was then she subject of inquiry, and was pub-
lished of a 'semis of the highest ruck, and nearly
related to Ins Majesty and the family on the throne,
and of that sex to whom it was the duty of man to
afford protection. The Court bad allowed all due
weight to de recomiutsidat 00000 of the Juiy, but
feeling that the offente of which the Delendent
stood convicted, had been properly described by the
Solicitor-General, the Court adjudged him to he
imprisoned iii the gaol at Exeter fur eight month.,
and at the end of that time enter into recognizant:es
fur three yews, himself in soni a ail_ two burette's in
4601. each.
THE KING r. Btu..
_

Mr. Scsittirre shrived canoe against • rule ob-
taiued ou u former day by Mt. Serjrant Nuke,
ii;er a criminal information against the Deft/mien',
the printer of The Times newspaper, for a libel.
He briefly stated, that the matter complained of
was the publication of an account of a meeting at
Denbigh, in which the Gentlemen applying to the
Court were reflected upon. This account was re-
ceived from a person whom his client did not know,
and the ;wrest ire was certainly isicurrect ; under these
ciremusTanets his client had offered to make every
reparation in his power, by endeavouring to find
out the author of the matter complained of, though
hitherto without effect. This, he understood, would
be accered by the other side, on their paying the
costs of the present applicatioli, which they were
ready to do.
Mr. Setjetint Pcaus consented to what Mr.
Scarleit propeoed.
Rule di%cherged on payment of costs.
The Orval' pronounced sentence of imprieon-
meut on various person, for offegges against the
revenue laws. •