The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-01-27 00:00:00

ben were allowed to return to their provinces, and their ex.',
penses paid. The tranquillity of Rio remained undis.
turbed, and business had returned to its former channel.
Cuba, for the present. has submitted to the absolute Go-
vernment of the mother country ; letters from Ilavannah,
by New York, to the lith December, state the circum-
stance. On the 9th of Decemb.r, it appears, a French

frt:zate appeared in the harbour of Havannah, bear-
ing a flag of truce ; the Governor sent his boat on board,
which returned with despatches from Cadiz, announc-
ing the restoration of Ferdinand to absolute power. I
The previous conduct of the Governor Vices had paved
the way for the annunciation, and the account brought by I
the French frigate was received with partial rejoicings :
on the morning of the 9th, the guns of all the fortifica-
tions at the Havannah were fired, bells rung, &c. ; the
troops were turned out, and marched to the Cathedral after
Ferdinand's decree from Port St. Mary's had been read;
they were accompanied by Vices, the Governor, the Coun-
cil of Cuba, Fr end' Officers, and a crowd of Negros, by
whom any joy on the occasion was principally exhibited. 11
In the evening the city was dimly lighted ; but the inha-
, bitanis seem to have met the change but coldly. The sud-
denness of the notification may have prevented any attempts
at resistance : but we do not think the dependence of Cuba
upon Spain will last long ; that fine Island will probably
very soon declare its independence, and shake off its de-
grading connection with unhappy Spain. The sudden ar-
rival of the French frigate shews the anxiety of the Paris
Cabinet to further their views in the western world ; these
designs are not yet abandoned, and deep intrigue will, for
a while, be substituted in place of open force : French
agents will be scattered throughout South America. Cuba
was looked to as a substitute for St. Domingo, and pro-
bably even ceded by Ferdinand and Sacz. The declaration
of America, and the menaces of this country, will prevent
any armament sailing for those shores; France will not be

suffered to disturb the New World by invasion, ner to pos-
sess herself, by cession or otherwise, of so rich a prise as
Cuba, without the prompt interference of this country
and America—a coalition too powerful for France or the
despots of the Continent.

Letters from Demerara to the 29th of November state
the termination of the proceedings of the Court Martial,
for the trial of Smith, the Missionary, and that i%.e result
was transmitted to the Commander-in-Chief. The finding,
or sentence had not transpired ; but a later letter states,
that the unhappy man was found guilty on the clearest
evidence, and that a day for his execution had been named.
The whole subsequent proceedings after his trial gave but
too strong assurance of his fate. H. was removed, on the
morning of the 27th of November, from the Colony House,
where he had hitherto been confined, under a military
guard, to the New Gaol, where the 21st Fusileers took
the guard, in place of the Militia, in the evening. If
this unfortunate individual has been found guilty, we
trust his guilt was clearly established; prejudice, all
through the island, has existed strongly against the
Missionaries. and we fear with too just cause: if they
did not, like Smith, excite the negroes to open in%
eurrection, their fanaticism was productive of great min-
chief. The spiritual dominion and triumphs announced
by them in the supremacy of grace, were confounded by
the negroes with temporal enfranchisement and Authority;
and deep and dangerous discontents followed. The general
espulsiun of the Wesleyan and other Missionaries from
among the negro.populationia, in our opi flier); indispensable
to the peace of those- islands. • The stake Oki 'is too
vast to be trifled-with. . • . •

We have received • letter from Jolm William Trust,
who was convicted some time since for selling blasphemous
publications, and who was brought before the King's
Bench for judgment on Saturday, complaining of his hav-
ing been represented u one of the unfortunate Carlile's
sbopmen. He states he never knew any thing of
Carlile, except from some correspondence with him;
that his publications were sold at Trust's shop in the
way of trade; but that Carlile bad no other property
whatever in the concern. The deluded boy further states
Ilia intention to give up all the anti-christian publications
in his possession, and to abandon the dangerous trade in
them for the future. Trust mentions, that previous to his
embarking in the latter concern, he was Secretary to an
Alderman in the City until his decease, and never person-
ally connected with Carlile. How far this statement may
be well founded it is useless now to inquire : it matters
'little whether the boy sold these works on his own account
or Carlile's ; what we deprecate is legal prosecution for
religious opinions at all. If Christianity rated on no
firmer basis than its being " part anti parcel of the law of
England," mixed and confounded with antiquated and
sanguinary statutes, we are afraid its existence would be
very short. The great truths this sublime code contains
were not originally propagated by temporal power or terror :
on the contrary, the whole influence of, imperial Rome, in
its day of greatest strength, was directed against the inno-
vation ; but ten tremendous persecti4itt, far from extin-
guishing
its followers, only bound them more closely
together, and attached them, amid tortures and death,
irrevocably to that faith, their devotion to which was
written in their blood. Carlde's sect would long since
have been extinct, had not state prosecutions given it
notoriety and permanence. The doctrines this infatu-
ated man circulated were too revolting to find any fol-
lowers, even amongst the most ignorant and deluded,
had not the judgments of the King's Bench and the Old
Bailey filled the prisons with martyrs ;—such they
are now regarded by their own followers, and the circle
hits increased. Cubic has at present many readers and
supporters, who would have known nothing of him or his
publications, but for the newspaper reports of the pro-
ceedings against him and his family, and thc curiosity ex-
cited to go further into those works, detached passages of
which were read on the trials, and subsequently circu-
lated in print. These are facts that cannot be contradict- I
ed ; and may we not in consequenie declare that these suc-
cessive prosecutions, far from doing good, have been pro-
ductive of deep and irreparable mischief ? But we take
our station on a higher ground, and unhesitatingly assert,
that every man has a right to have what religious belief
lie pleases, and that no state 'prosecution shOuld be exer-
cised on that score. It never yet had any effect, but to
bind the reties so persecuted mow strongly to their opi-
nions, and bring over. new proselytes to their side; and it
never will answer any other end. If the monstrous
Church Establishments of this country and Ireland can
only be supported by the terrors of the law, the verdicts
of special juries, and the heavy sentences of the Judges,
and possess no other stay in public estimation or opinion,
their existence must be short. We think the persecution
the mistaken and unfortunate Carlile, his wife, and sister
have undergone, has been cruel, impolitic, and unchris-
tian ; and his treatment within his prison a stain on the
administration of justice in this country. Sufficient vic-
tims have already been flung into dungeons in the name
of outraged justice and Christianity the spirit of the
latter is mildness and Dot persecution, and can never sane-