The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-11-18 00:00:00

HONE'S LITANIES.

On the motion of Mr. CLARKE, Joseph Russell,
nr:nter and bookseller, convicted at the Warwick
A4sizes for publishing Hone's Political Litanies,
was brought up for judgment.
The CHIEF JUSTICE, before whom the De-
fendant was tried, slated the nature of the libel,
and read the proceedings of the trial. The libel,
hr said, tended to bring into contempt the service
of the Church of England, as well as to make the
people discontented with the Government of the
tuuntry. His Lordship said that he told the Jury
vat the publication was a libel. both in a religious
end political point of view ; that he put the book
i•ito their hands, and desired them to draw their own
'inclusions. and form their own opinions. The
Jury found the Defendant guilty generally, hut
recommended him to mercy, which recommends-
ti.n (the Chief Justice) promised to report to the
Court.
The Defendant now put in several affidavits
made by himself and others, in mitigation of
punishment. One of the affidavits stated the length
I/8 time that the prosecution had been hanging over
the Defendant—that he had attended at Warwick
Spring Assizes, 1517, in order to take his trial, and
was theta informed that the proceedings were re-
moved to the King's Bench—that having subse-
quently been served with notice, he again attended
et Spring Assizes NIB, collected all his witnesses,
end employed an agent and two counsel, bat the
Prosecutor, without assigning any cause, withdrew
the record—that he was put to vast expense, lost
his butane, aid became absolutely ruined in his
circumstances in consequence of the prosecn-
CS&ilia, mid was obliged to surrender up his ef-
fects to trustees in favour of his creditors...
that the prosecution originated in the malice mid
of a person named Harley, a bookseller in
itwasinghem—that since 1817, the Defendant,
bustling that a religious horror had been excited
missions the publication altogether, desisted from
selling it—that Charles Barber, the witness who
peeved on the trial the sale of the libel, came to
witness's shop, and finding that the sale was stopt,
revealed one copy for a particular friend of his,
were was very anxious, as he said, to read it—that
ou.tilis representation the Defendant gave Barber
• copy. and that that copy. with two other copies
which he gave to the brother of Harley. from mo-
tives of kindness, and relying on his honour, were
the only copies which the Defendant sold, since he
ilkseovered to 1517 that the work excited the alien-
ties of the Attetney-General.—that Barber, in
abut • fortnight atm he received the first copy,
cause again to witness's 'hop. and requested De-
ena/sot to give him two more copies for his friends,
mud at the same time observed to Defendant that he
was wt of employment and reduced to great dis-
tress. and if Defendant would give him some num-
best' of the libel to sell, it would tend to give Vim a
mesas of living. to which proposal the Defendant
refused to assent.
Other affidavits were reed, which went to shew
that Swim was the tool of Harley, sod that the
pmeocetineocigioated is malice.
Mr.C.t.aaca, as Comma for the Cm,. put in
an oildseit. statisg, that on the 90th et August
tam. • pamphlet was published by the Defend-
mat, at totalled. The Trial of

Joseph Russell fir printing lione's Litany."
—This pamphlet is dedicated to " The Shade
of British Freedom." and contained an attack
on ilia neighbouring Magistracy, as well as
some strong political allusions to the state of
" unfortunate Hibernia," who suffered so much
under the hands of one of the present Ministers of
the Crown. Another pert of the pamphlet was
read, at the instance of the D.-fenirlatit, in which
he stated that lie omitted altogether. in the report
of the trial, that part of Holies Litany which was
supposed to reflect on religion.
The Defendant 'text addressed the Court. He
said it struck him us very strange. that • case which
had been decided on by a Jury, in London, should
be again agitated in another part of the kingdom ;
that he was not a principal, he was • mere accessary.
and it was very hard that the ac y should be
punished. whilst the principal was declared inno-
cent, and was held harmless. In consequence of
this prosecution he was obliged to travel four times
to Warwick and three limes to London, as well as
to take different other jouruies. to inquire into
the principles of the Jury who were to try him.
He next owed the postponement of the trial im the
part of the prosecution, when he had witnesses and
counsel ready for his defence; that when the trial
came on at the last Warwick Assize' he was no
longer able to employ counsel, having been ruined
by his previous exertions ; he was therefore obliged
to defend himself, and the Jury, feeling the hard-
ship of his cue, recommended him to the mercy of
the Court. In making that recommendation it was
clear, he-said. that the Jury felt the extent of his
sufferings. The Defendant next alluded to another
prosecution. which at present hangs over him, and
Complained of the conduct of some professional
persons, who, in the first instance, offered to
take hail for him at Birmingham, but who,
notwithstanding, afterwards brought him to give
bail fur this ofiruce at the bar of their Lord-
ships' Court ; but he felt, he said, satisfied that
this would not at all tend to Inc the severity
of their Lordships' judgment. Fie published the
work originally, because he considered that it would
tend to promote the cause of parliamentary reform—
a cause which, as an Englishmen and a citizen of
Birmingham, he had much at heart. He was the
father of two children, without a mother—he was
their only hope—he was already ruined in his af-
fairs—and he hoped the Court would consider him
as sufficiently punished.
Mr. CLARKE next addressed the Court in aggra-
vation of punishment.
l'he Court consulted for • considerable time,
when Mr. Justice BAYLEY proceeded to pass sen-
tence. After dwelling upon thee evil effects of the
libel, his Lordship said, the Court much lamented
that the effects of the prosecution brought down
upon the Defendant the distress and ruin in which
he stated he was involved. The Defendant stated
that he had children—it would be well, said his
Lordship, if parents looked upon their children
PS sureties for their good behaviour. The De-
fendant had beets recommended to the mercy of
the Court by the Jury who found him guilty,
and it was much to be lamented that his subse-
quent conduct had been such as to bare greatly
cancelled the fair effect of that recommendation,
were it not for his conduct. the judgment of the
Court would be very different indeed from what it
now must be. Though the Court did um mean to
punish the Defendant fur the publication of what
he called his trial. the nature of that publication
embracing much of the original libel, greatly re-
moved those circumstances of mitigation, which,
otherwise would have been taken into the conside-
ration of the Court. Under all the circumstances
of the case, the sentence of the Court was, That
the Prisoner should be confined in the Gaol of War-
wick for six months, and should give sureties for
his good behaviour for three years, himself in 300/.
and two sureties in la each.

After the sentence was pronounced. Mr. Walter
said, that as the Defendant was now at the bar, it
was right that he should enter into recognizance.
for his appearance to answer another prosecution
which at present bangs over him.
The CHIEF JUSTICE—" Let the Defend-
ant enter into his own recognizance, and at the
expiration of his imprisonment he can give bail at
Warwick." His Lordship at the same time ex-
pressed Isis regret that the very indiscreet conduct
of the Defendant destroyed in a great degree the
effect of the original recommendation in his favour :
as it was, the Court was influenced by that recom-
mendation, and by his previous suffering..
The Clerk was now about to read the usual
form of the recognizance to the Defendant, " You
acknowledge yourself indebted to his Majesty—.—"
when he was interrupted by the Defendant, who
said, " 1 acknowledge nothing-1 am a ruined
find that 1 am to be imprisoned for life."
The Defendant war then taken iu custody out of
Court.

The contest for the new Royal Academician in
the room of the late Mr. Bunn, will in all proba-
bility be between Mr. COLLINS •nd Mr. Cooese,
both Artists of distinguished merit, the former as
a painter of Landscapes, the latter of Animals.
We understand that the following Officers are to
hare the command of the Veteran Battalions, vit.
Colonels CHRISTI; LEITII. ELLIOTT, Mats.,
KELSO, MACKENZIg. DOYLR, RAYMOND, Doti-
SILAS, and N•soitsta. The Battalions, we learn,
are already more that) complete.
CORNWALL INTRNDRD COUNTY MERTIIIO.
A Requisition, to which the names of between
11 and 1,200 Freeholders end inhabitant House.
holders are affixed, was yesterday presented to the
Magistrates who signed the former Requisition to
the High Sheriff, for a Meeting of the Freeholders
mud inhabitants of the County. The Magistrates
have attended to the call thus made on them. •od
have ordered • meeting of the Freeholders and
inhabitants of the Courtly. to take place at Bothnia
on Tuesday the 23d instant.—( West Britox.l
The tansies of pressure ow the agricultural inte-
rest are °belong ; but it is far from clear that they
can be removes( by legislative enactments. The
customers of Eugiond are the nations that form the
world : sometimes they are necessitous, arid eruct
purchase; jealous and capricious. and will not; or
inventive, and sapply themselves. Those causes
nom operate. America is pour. sod has lost the
confidence of the British merchant ; Europe is also
poor, jealous. and ruventive to sabetitute her pro-
ductless for ours.