The National Register.
London, England, 1819-10-18 00:00:00

LdiriNTELLI64:.SCE..

TRIAL OF ARLILE.

COURT OF KING'S BENCH. GUILDHALL.
Before Lord Chief Justice ABOOTT dud a Special Jury.
BLASPIIENIOUS LIBEL.
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL v. RICHARD CARLILL

Tue,dae morning, at nine o'clock, the long expected trial of
Riehanl Crir:ile, the bookseller and pamphleteer, commenced at
Guildhall. before Chief Justice Abbott and aSi eeied Jury. All
the avenues to the Hall, as well as the Court. were crowded to
excess at an early hour, and continued so. Notwitlistansing that
50t) constables were in attendants. and that bars had been placed
to prevent pressure, the eagerness of the crowd to witness the
proceedings was so great, that very grog difficulty was expe-
rienced in procwing admittance fur the Judge and Officers of the
Court.
Mr. Carlile entered the Court some time before nine, and took
his scat nn what is called the Solicitor's Bench, on the right of
the Court. The Lord Chief Justice took his seat at half past 9.
When the trial wax about to proceed, Cie business of the Court
was interrupted by Mr. Hunt, who thought proper to charge the
Beneh with soim.thing like a breach of an arrarwement stioulated
with him—that u tam of an alleged libel, in which lie (11 Wit) is
the plaintiff', should take the pl .ce of r c trial Mach was about to
proceed, and all others. Ile real. he said, been waiting with his
wit esse in the Sittings before and after the two last Terms. in
this Court; and his Lorethip had assured him that it should be
the very first trial taken in the present Sittings, and he settled
it for this day. But now the trial. of Mr. Celiac, which
might occupy a month, would again postpone his trod to an inde-
finite time. The Lord Chief Justice told the applicant that his
statement was ernmessus, that lie hail not fixed a day ; but lie
expressed a wish that the business of the trials should goon as re-
gularly as possible in their usual order. The Court was not to
be interrupted in the proceedings it thought most eligible to
adopt; and the applicant had no occasion to detain his mousse*.
but might postpone their attendance to wine day in the course of
next week.
The Secondary was now proceeding to call over the names of
the Special Jury, when Mr. Carlile row.
Mr. Caride.—•• My Lurd, I challenge the competency of the
Court to try the question on which I am now called here as a
defender.
Chief Justice.—" TheCoort is competent to try any indictment
preferred by his Majesty's Attorney (lemma."
Mr. Carlisle.--•• The indictment is not founded on the breach
of any law."
Chief Justiceo•-•" If it is not founded on any law, you a ill
of coure be entitled to your acquittal, and I dare say you will
obtain it."
Mr. Carlile.—“ My Lord, I enter my protest against the pro.
evalings."
The names of the twenty-four Special Jurymen were now
salted over. Only eight answered to their names, viz.
Charles W ood, Abchureh Lane.
Robert Hutchinson, Clement's Lane..
John Manson, Crooked Lane.
George Ilarvey, Lawrence Lane.
A. C. Allen. Ironmonger Lane..
It. Chambers, Dove Court.
William Paiker, John Street..
John Wilson, Queen Street.
The Secondary was then proceeding to draw four talesmen,
when Mr. Carlile desired him to shake the box.
Chief J ustice.—You are not to direct the Officer of the Court
bow he shall do his duty.
Mr. Carlisle.—l only ask that the taleamen shall be fairly
drawn. The first which the Secondary hail in his hand he
selected." . . .. . .

Ti.c Secondary denied the imputation.
Chief .lustice.—Shalce the box well, by all mean,.
The box was acconlingly shaken well, and tour talestnen
drawn, ik hose names were—
Robert Plant.

George Coitus. Baker. Farringthsn
Jahn 'Nagy, Chaimiaker, Ditto.
Matthew tiollyer, Glazier. Ditto.
The Jury being now sworn, Mr. Campbell rose from behind
the Attorney General.
Mr. Campbell.—" M 7 Lord, and Gentlemen of the Jury, the
defendant is charged with printing and publishing a e^staire
scandalous, impious, and blasphemous libel ou the Holy Scrip-
tures."
Mr. Carlile here rose,. and demanded that the indictment
should be react at length.
The Chiefiustice st..ted, that it Wai not the usual practice of
the Court to read the indictment, "at keg," added his Lord.
ship, " where Counsel are employed." The fashion of persons
pleading their own causes is quite a new practice.
Mr. Carlini: urged that it was of essential importance to him
that the Jury should have the indictment, on which they were to
judge, read over to them.
The Chief Justice observes', that, if it was essential, Mr. Car.
lile might take every word of it into his speoth in defence.
Mr. Carlile reiterated that he eonside:ed it must vsential that
the indictment should be read, lie would not say when it should
be read. All that lie insisted on as-, that it shuold be read at
the propel time.
The item ray-Ganeral then raldrea‘ted the Jury at great length;
io his speech tnere was nothip,7 of novelty.
The Solicitor-General then coiled Mr. Griffin Swanson, who,
on being Evora, deposed that he was clerk to tire Solicitors of the
Treasury. On the 17th of Decembrr he went to the house of the
defendant, in Fleet Street. lye raw the defendant himself, and
asked for " Paine's Av Rtaaon." Ile delivered it to him, and
charged hint 10e. fail. They had very little conversation.—
Mr. Carlile knew witness to be the Clerk to the Solicitors
of the Treasure, and sent Ida encupliments to Mr Mettle,
adding, that it he would allow him to eat his Christmas dinner at
Louie he would be prepared to meet him.
Cross-examined by Mr. Carlik.—" Was Oxman,' hesitation on
my part to serve you. ?" •
Witneas.—" None at all. You did it rather cheerfully.-a-You
askial me it 1 did not want half a dozen eepte,."
The Chief Justice now stdd, that as the &fondant wished the
information to be rad, the counts and pas.aea-, hi the book to
which they raferted, had batter 'os be read to the Jury.
The first t 'out,t charged. that Richard tio;11.. Lite of London,
bookseller. beit.;.-, n wicked. in,pions, anti ill di-posed person, Old,
on the IL:to:11,1:er. in the SJth year a ign dour pre.
tent Ste:ereign Lord Ocorge the Thinl, &e. ant pubti.h,
am: Cilab:: to be II 1.11!-II,111:1!, a teal •."..C: ralideus in.
our,, and blo,pl,emots il.ri, ~f coneerniug t!‘at r.trt of the
1 I oly v...' , lac.,iled tic Old I at.::, , rat. rontaiiiiif thCrlID
all•lrlght other tiiin;...s! diver, ,e.11,(14,10,, il,ri,tus anti bjjgil•r_
SVOtal matters. et and concerning ti :it 1-:,rt of the Holy thLie
which the Cid Trsoatintit, Img to the L.-taw tool

eliTt fohow i,.g Watt is to ta)l.
oMttne storo-s. d, vuluptioti: .a ham h. tie,, the et ,ma tor-
turous race u. orn , the tint elentim: tiodictireacsa which
more tht,; .he 1300," that part of the Ifoly bible
which is ettd..l tl, 0.0 Tt.sialotrt) " is lhlcd, it wottid te mote
eunsiph.rit et.l.ett i," (meaning that Nut of Me fitly
Bible to:" ..i tl.e OW Ttattumno. t• Vera of O
1.0:11 Of Gad. it" part of tile
Ikh, ti e Ohl Trt.iatrito " is a fowl of
!...- to um raft brtm.lize maul:MO:
to the f,l C.. 1 ctsi lei...llTV Of A.it ighly Go.:, to th. }'teat ace,
infamy anti coottuTt tithe said !art of he I kly 'tibia a filth is
called the Oki T‘btitlll(3lt, to the evil exank ut :4.11 ether, aud