The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-12-11 00:00:00

.ale sal ft mile prisoners. Some years ago gaols,
iiiitead of being schools of reformation, were semi-
naves of rice; the young delinquent was placed in
the same cell with the old and irreclaimable
offender, and, when liberated from confinement,
put into practice those tricks and artifices which he
feed learned from the more experienced violators of
t:ie law.

Though the Report of the Committee is upon
the whole highly satisfactory, much remains to be
effected. The House of Correction in Giltspur-
street " is lamentably defective in the classification
of convicted offenders," and the prison in Cold-
bath-fields, and the Bridewell io Tothill-fields, re-
quire a speedy and effectual reform. The Corn-
snidee express their decided approbation of the
tread-mill, and when it is considered that a pri-
seiner at Brixton is compelled to take from forty-
five to fifty steps a minute, we can readily believe
that very few return to this formidable ordeal.
The Gaol Committee (of the House of Com-
mons) have been assiduously eugaged in revisiog
t;-,c Bill which was lately introduced into Perlis•
i,ent for consolidating the various laws at present
jr, force fur the regulations of prisons, and its ge-
n, ral spirit and tenor are most excellent. " It re-
cognise', as the basis of prison regulation, clot-
ssirintion, inspection, hard labour, and moral and
religious instruction."
To this Report is annexed an Appendix, in
which are contained extracts from the foreign cor-
respondence of the Society. These papers are
highly interesting, more particularly those which
relate to Spain, and their perusal cannot full most
powe►fully to excite the attention of the public.
The state of the gaols io the Peninsula during
the reign of the Inquisition, and the sufferings in-
Airted by the " Holy Office" on their miserable
victim., have long been the theme of horror and
elecnition. "At Madrid," says the correspondent
of the Society, " I have seen cells from which
prisoners have come forth in utter mind incurable
I.lindness : there were others in which the body
could rest in no one nitwitl position, neither sit-
ting, nor standing, nor kneeling, nor lying down."
llere is an instance of the tender solicitude and
paternal care of legitimate Government ! Let it
never be forgotten that while these diabolical toe- '
turn were inflicted, the Sovereign was piously en-
gaged in embroidering with his own royal hands a
petticoat for the Vi►gin 1
Immediately on the re-establishment of the con-
stitutional Government in Spain, the first object
which engaged the attention of the Cortes was the
awe of the public prisons. They instantly abolished

-Anent of any prisoner in subterranean duogeons,
Fit an end to the exaction of prison fees, intro-
. iced a system of classification, and created from
their own body a Committee, whose attention hus
t,eett unremittingly directed to promote the bene-
volent schemes of the Spanish Legislature.
We cannot dismiss this part of our subject with-
out expressing our indignation at the rancorous
shale which has been poured out against the Cortes
by the prostituted press of England and France.
Language has been applied to QUIROGIA and
limo, which would have disgraced the most nn-
rincipled malefactor; the Spanish Legislative As-
,nobly has been denounced as the hotbed of
~.iarchy and irreligion; and even the Courier,
hose pages are seldom disgraced by low scurrili-
es, polluted its columns by applying the epithet
-• ferocious" to the patriotic and noble-minded
Aiwa. Nothing but the most atrocious malignity,
or the most deplorable ignorance, could have given
;:se to such infamous calumnies; and the Quotidi-
(rime sod its coadjutors may select as they please
the character of knaves or fools. Let these Journalists
'ce cautious how they indulge in invectives, for they
may provoke comparisons which may not turn out
very favourable to their paymasters. When the
mist of prejudice shall be dispelled, sod the busy
politicians of the present day have mouldered into
dusts a grateful posterity will bless the names of
QIIitOGA and RISGO, and call them the liberators

of their country. FERDINAND will be known u
itie deserter of his country's cause, the murderer
f LACY and PORLIRR, the supporter of arbitrary
z)rernatent„ and the patron of ecclesiastical op.
.-es/ion.

MaToi describes the Nightingales. the bird that" sing
Jurkling." Mr. Comm. seems to have coNeeived that be
can rival sweet Philomel by shutting out all letresive view
surrounding objects, and pouring forth the melodious
.:umes of his own native genius. One snisfortuoe atteud-
g thin originality is, that when be is obliged to use his
moo, he betrays extreme simplicity, and excites the merri.
Not of irreverent contemners of his genies. An iestance
• this kind occurred yesterday evening. The paltry ger-
ge " the native dirty soil" of the Courier offurded
Thursday last, was given by L'Efoik of Saturday as an
—igincil" Postscript." The Courier of yesterday re-adopted
as a French postscript. Then comes forth the Atoned,
(dam Cormarr, and taking it for frrab and genuioe

each produce, pronounces judgment that we must have
lir with Spain. It is most amiable to find so much
larklin simplici:y in en uld man. Sweet bird of night,
tune those notes spiv.

Extract from a letter dated Paris, Saturday, De-
nitser 7 :—" There is an important decision in
e Court of Caseation to-day. That supreme
.:ourt has annulled the judgment of the Coor
"Assizes of Paris, which condemned the Liberal
'winds to silence in reporting the proceeding. of
e Courts."

t'
he Provincial Papers state that the west of Eng-
nd was visited by the dreadful storm of Thursday
ternoon, of the effects of which, io Dublin and
rerpool, we gave au account yesterday.

LA, IPITRZLICENCE.

COURT OF CHANCERY, threomes lAN,

TIJZSrOAT, DiCtMall 10.

This was the second Seal after Term.
THE PORTSMOUTH rnsE.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said, as his Learned
Priend Mr. Horne wis in Court, perhaps lie would
have the goodness to inform his Lordship whether
he would be reedy in this case on Thursday.
Mr. HORNS said he had rend the affidavits, and
wished to be informed, if Lody Portsmouth with.
drew her opposition to the issuing of the commis-
lion, whether his Lordship would allow the other
parts of the case to be entered luto at the bar.
Mr. Wrrnatet.t.—" It does tint lay with the
Court, the discretion is vested in the Counsel."
Mr. HORNE said he had addressed himself to his
Lordship, end not to Counsel.
The ArroanEy-GuERAL said he would assure
his Lordship nothing would be done by the Coun-
sel in support of the petition, but what would be
dictated by propriety.
The LORD CHANCELLOR-" I have a right to
know whether the opposition is or is not withdrawn,
and When I know that it is, it will be for me to
determine what further coarse ought to be Liken."
Mr. HART said, as Counsel for the Earl of Ports-
mouth, lie would deprecate auy futtlier public dm-
cussiou.

The LORD CuANCRLLOR-rr I find it has gone
forth that I should sly ex-parte statements being
published are legal. I apply to the bar, whether
any such expression did lever escape from me. I
said when I first came to the bar, there was no such
practice known. The Court. of Law had latterly
not been so strict; but if the question of publica-
tion is properly brought before me, I should
know how to act with the parties transgress-
ing. There was a late case at the Old Milky,
where the Judges had given notice not to pub-
lish, and a person transgressing was fined. I
recollect an Attorney-Gene►al, as able and as
good a one as ever was at the bar, giving notice to
the public (Aces that if they allowed to be pub-
lished what passed in them, relative to Prisoners
who were afte►wards to be tried for their lives, he
would prosecute them all. I never acknowledged
the legality of the practice of publishing es-pa►te
cases."

Mr. Hoeme.—...., We will agree t. the coarse
pointed out by Mr. Hart."
The LORD CSANCILLOR—" When I cotne into
Court on Thursday I will ask, is or is not the op_
position withdrawn, and whether it is or is nut I
will know how to act."

Mr. HaILD said he was afraid, as the matter
now stood, the Court was not in possession of the
determination the Counsel of the Countess of
Portsmouth had come to. It would be in the re-
collection of his Lordship. that Mr. Treslove. in
the first instance, moved for the affidavits in sup-
port of the petition to he referred, as being irrele-
vant and impertinent, but his Lordship was of opi-
nion that the Master was not the proper tribunal for
them to be referred to. When the other day, on
addressing his Lordship, he said be was Couasel
for the Earl of Portsmouth, retained by the Coun-
tess, he meant that he would be able to show that
no part of the ca►e would reflect on the cha-
racter of the Countess. He well knew that it
was not a case of continence or incontinence,
on the part of the Noble Countess that the Court
had to try, but that of the sanity or insanity of the
Noble Earl ; but he found by the letter affidavits
which had been filed in support of the Petition
amounting to 60 in number, the question had solved
itself into that of the continency or the incontinency
of the Countess, and he could not enter into her
defence io that Court, his Lordship not having
jurisdiction in such a subject, even if the Countess
had committed adultery. He and his Learned
Friends flinched from the defence of the Coun-
tess, because they had not an equal chance with
those in support of the Petition. If it was not
for what he was about to state, he would say
the case was with his Lordship, for him to de-
cide as he thought proper; there was an anomaly
io this case that wee never before known ; here wits
a supposed lunatic defended by Counsel, who said
nothing of his sanity ; if they were to take op the
business and say he was not insane. he would be de-
fended properly before the Court. His Lordship
would recollect what took place on n former similar
p ding, when the Gentlemen of Hants came for-
ward. In the event of the Noble Conntess withdraw-
ihg her opposition, and his Lordship thought proper
to send it to a Jury, he would be sending it to a Jury
without any person to defend the issue. He trusted
if his Lordship did send it to a Jury, that he would
, insist on those odium* who were instructed by the
Earl of Portsmouth, as a sane man, to defend him
honestly, he would withdraw the opposition of the
Countess, as it involved so many points which ought
nut to be tried in that Court.

Mr. HART said, the Counsel for the Earl of
Portsmouth would do their duly towards him sod
the Court.

Mr. TagsLos's said, the adultery that was ellAig.
ed against the Countess,-as it was not charged that
the Earl was privy to it, it had nothing to do with
his sanity or insanity.

The LORD CHANCEDLOR—u You must judge
for yourselves whether you will or will not with.
draw the opposition on the part of the Countess, if
you give reasons for withdrawing it, I most hear the
Counsel on the other side. If on Thursday you
any withdraw,' I cannot afterwards hear you."
The ATTORNEY GENERAL said the only ques.
lion was, whether the care was or was not to be
heard on Thursday. There wag nothing so mon-
strous al to say that the affidavits were irrelevant,
when the Countess had made an affidavit denying
the adultery, but hir Learned Friends found now
that the adultery was clearly proved against her
Ladyship, and shelved how she had treated the
Noble Earl for the lust four or live years.
Mr. HEALD We do not intend to say any
thing on Thursday."
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL.—" You have made
your speech already."
Mr. HEALD You rosy put it down for
Thsirostai."
Mr. Snapwm—" Do you withskips the cm-
veatr „
Mt. HEALD—" That requires considosiotion."
The Arroaneo-GenERAL said, that 'till
withdrew the opposition, or did 'not ;they di