The National Register.
London, England, 1812-12-13 00:00:00

TUT: NATIONAL -REGISTER.

'7 8 e

mind already ited by the ritsapooint men. oceas:oned by the Prince's
measures, etaleuvoured to point out its ridsehood by some incidental
observations his Royal Hielioess, which otherwise would not have
been made. Mr B. quoted the ,xample el Burke, who might
been pr. +scented fur bbel• on Royalty, if some passages of his work
had been separated from the rest, although he was a decided chom-
pioo t M eiarchy. and rewarded as sie:h. He then commented or
various expressio-•s in which the pteotut libel was said to consist.
Whee Mr Hunt termed the Prince " a violator of his word," he (lit
snot, in it in a prie.ite but in d pehlie mid political seise, atid
it
Indict t the disalumitinent of tli • Cadioties. When lie stated tilt
Neat• ttobe in delo, it wet nude hservhig th It one branch of the re-
venue we• in arrear, sieen the latgislatui e had taken upon itarlf
pa% went of his- Royal li -dutess's debts, and l• told the pubic dolt la
volt t, twist oot, contract a debt to the amount of sixoenee, or, It
the. suffered it, tie's they should not be paid." Mr. B. next cinie
tr
a wi,ich lie would fain loos over, but his duty compelled hitu
to
notice a. Al; ew to wheat Mr. Hnnt referred when he said the
Prince %vas 4 a despiser of demestic ties." lie would go no further
but content Ishii:vit. with saving that the author alluded to that event
whirls had occrsioned 1 setter to establishment to form a part of the
Defect of the year. The defendant then phrased the Prince the com-
panion of gamblers and demireps ; this too coutil be justified by public
record Haying heated himself with a perusal of the srech of Mr.
Curran, the present Master of the Iln!ls for Ireland, agienst a Nohas-
man, now one of the Prince's hoeschold, for criminal intercourse
with a lady in that country, and then seeing in The Gazette the ap-
pointment of that same Nobleman to a hie!) offieial situation about thr
• . Regent, the author exclaimed, " See whom it is you are praising—see
whom it is you are thus wounding with the sat ire of pier panegyric !"
They who had the resources of this mighty 'Monarchy at their com-
mand might %redl despise censure, if severe notice of their conduct wos
to be deemed libellous. Fenced rotagal then with all the maenilicenee
of Monarchy, with every thing that tended. to d.tzzle the senses, what
had they to fear from a line a, two in a Sunday Newspaper ? Oliver
Cromwell lidel said, 't limy Government is made to stand, or deserves
to stand, it need not dread paper shot." lf, then, a year or two after
he had obtained possession of an rotten Throne, could so despise
paper shot, why should nut the Prince Regent? If he had not Mil-
tons for his private Secretaries, still the Throne was leeitimate. and our
Monarchy aced lint fear the effects of " paper allot ;" for the person
who filled so exalted a station was far bevond its reach. Were the
Jury prepared to say, that the failings and vices of c.mrtiers were to
be as ar above reproof fron the press as they were above legal con-
trol? The vices and failings of such men were {testator the reach of the
law, and they had only to dread the visitutions of the press. It they
were prepared to open the Hood-gates of-innueralities, if they were
prepared to let loose upon the world the race that wets disfigured by
them. then must the verdict-go aeninst his clients. But he talked of
inepossibilities; he was sure that truth and justice would prevail, that
they would do their dots, and that his clients would be acquitted.
The Sot MINOR-GENERAL in replY--expressed his surprise at its
being asserted that she libel was not written with an anxious de•ire to
pull down men le high antlinrits, but that it had only bet I, composed
merely to anseer some. doggerel ryhmes. The deceit:Loa by his
Counsel went much Prater Blatt this, fir he said that unless you
allowed him to do this in the way which lie had done it, thee there
would !aeon end to freedom of di;cussion and the liberty of the pres•.
The expressions it seemed were to he pardoned, because the defend
ants' hones of the Prince le pecting the Catholics hart tint been rea-
lized ! He stood nut there either to justify or to question the Princ. 's
conduct as Regent. Ile had been termed a violator of his word, be-
cause, being called to the exercise of the supreme authority on accouut
of the lamentable situation of hislloyel toe-, he took care not to forget
it, and to act as he knew that theinenished person would approve if
he were restored to his health and- the ructions of Royalty ! The
author told his readers that his Royal Hiehness was in dcht---but did
he stop there NO, for he added, that he was a libertine. and in dis-
grace, thus bolding him up as a fit ehiect for the detestation of the
Public. ' He would put it toohe Jury, whether they (lid not con,eien-
tiously believe, that the libel had been connereed with the delibersoe
view of writing down the Prince Regent ? Mr. Hunt acknooliebool
that they were hard truths, but then, he asked, were they not truti•s ?
He would tell. hint that they were not ; and lie would tell him more,
that the litae was calculated to alienate the feeltilos of the people from
his Royal Highness: In conclusion, he would not threaten the Jury
into a verdict, he would merely calleni them to pronounce their ho :est
whether Ale publication before theta was not a most gross,
wicked, and diabolical libel !
Lord ELLIIIO4 uoaouG it charged the Jhry, and sail, that the Learned
Ccuusel for the defendant had imbibed the soiot of his client, aed
svelued to have inoculated himself with all the poison and mischief

MT. 13,

wui •11 (his lily-I was calculated to effect : hut he w.,tild horc
things of hint, and attribute what bad liven AnI,I /0 OW °pint."
S client, and not to take them acs lOS The Jury hoti to deei:;e
to-day whether we were in (Mare to live under the t,f
or the controul and government of the law ; fur against all tke 1
its provisions had tin, libeller set his K hole fro• t at di-nia:cr.---1
proposition was no kaS than dolt every' twin, from the Iii;:) 't u.„
:ewer, who accepted an idfiec of publc trust. should Iv
nounce the protection or the law; and that any in.tivohol
rase and aba 4ionvd, should, Cr in thenceforth, be at Imeitv ;,,
the slats of calumny nt his brea.t. Wlad man w.ts
come forwaid to st rve los country on such ctilitious?
Lord then recapitulated tit? heacls iii the and rcinal.ed
colic:tiding words of it, " These are hard tratlot, but are tit./ t
truths ?—he observed would ill beco..ne into to flatter any pen„ t,
•owever high a: t 1 exalted his rank % he had never d tie i• ;
wou!d. He did not sit there as the comoieudator of the P. ioct. ,
hut wag it he endured, that his ltryal highness s'lf.Anti he dtlcrii,,,a
as a man, wit t, ittler living half a century, hrd never dole
s.ll 21e act wind) should deintind the approtaation ot. hi•
ciety. It was holding that illustrious person up as one ‘ilio hurl E ca
worthless for the past, and ly peless for the future, who would hvc
the world without benefit to it, and gait it without brim; o•;.1: t•;•,!,
Under all the cliciitustancca the caw, iti, Lord.l.lo it
Ve —ell .eition,
he was confide 11 nt there was not 0... of the t .WP. C; I
he was addressing, Who could lay his haul upon hN heat and
this was not a foul, atrocious, awl 0n0.%
The jury were then directed to Nost-ter ttr. it verdict., and a'ter
few minutes consultation, they were ii,ked, whe.her 017
in their verdict " Yes," a tswcred one of the uryiern, .1 all ha
perom." The Jury were thvit desired to revile, watch tlwy did. ai,
returned in About- a quartet of an hour. when they pronounced both
the delemdants--Guilty.

CRIM. CON.
CTIAMTEttI.AVNE V ABOonttgAn.
This was an arlion of Cries. Con Ti. Plaitaitf was a clerk in Ole
'Packet Agents oilier at Lisbon, and the defeno -ot ()I a
mar, of war. The evidence stated that the Plainti:f ..;(1 sent his wit
away (rota Lisbon s me time nao in eon.ecpteace of her aduiter us can.
duet, and from that period had allowed her tier loot
resided for four years in London, and became acquair,ted with the dv-
lentlant, with whAn it was clearly proved she 11:,(1 t,ct,tt etinutl.l:‘
but it was proved that her gvuet-ai conduct was imleerlit, aid
that she was als -.ot 'infrequently, in a state of beattly int(A.eltion.
Lord Et.I.IN flu or it here ioterfereii, anti observed the acCeal
uid
lie, and there must be a verdict for the Plaintiff but he Ott
Jury would not give any serious damages. Verdict fur Plain gi
Damages, One Shilling.

DVNILIS V. T.OIND SEMVf.E.
This was an action against the Defendant, Lord Semple, for
conversation with the Plantifrs wile.
The Sotrcrror-GENLR At. stied the circumstances of the c.i'e
which were as follows : - Plaint.'ll; Mr. I)iitidas, was a Gi'l/1e":11
cd small fortune, who hail connections and property in n%eilea. ta
which country be frequently resorted. lie had inarrie'd his Lady mike
year 1801, at which time she was about cars of age. Loist yor
hr
went as usual to SA but Oir acciillitt of the d•sturbeil stale "t 'l:e
country lie left her at home with wsister, in Berkshire. During
sei.ce she became acquainted with Lord Semple, mid helm e his reftra
she It.id eloped. and was now living in open adultety.
T tie Noble Lord made no defence, and the Jury found fa the nuin.
tiff—Damuges, 40001.