The National Register.
London, England, 1820-05-28 00:00:00

f it/i

'• r" It 414 tft
llationali toil

Our Ring, Comititution assn itaimS.

SUNDAY, MAY 28. 1820.

Ilea to whom they wets indebted, for the great comfort
nod excellent arrangements of She day. The worthy
Alderman concluded by hiving" Tots STEWANDS."
The Noble Chairman then rave" Tait CITE or LON-
DON ;" on which
Mr. Aides moo W•trastari rose again and said, that con-
nected as he had been for many years with the City of Lou-
dun and indeed as he still was, it gins incumbent upon him to
offer his thanks fur this cumplimest—tliouAh in fact the In-
stitutions they were then cekbrating, mere art connected
with the City, yet the Citizens were always &oxtail is for-
ward every itrsirable and praiseworthy undertaking.
Sow, Mr. Jolly.-- When the asite itent eirlfeekd.
Colonel NoosisT, in a speech freqwentl) interrupted by
his feelings proposed" The Memory et the late Mannerless
or Buctit Nun an," who was the earliest Patton of the Pro-
vident Life Otbee ; which was drank is silence, after which
the Noble Chairman, at 10 o'clock, loft the room, attended
as on his entrance.
Mr. BAasca BEAUMONT was Instantly called to the
Chair, nod continued to shed happiness and hilarity around
him Io a we' y lute hour.
We caeca, in justice to Mr. Cut, close this *cecina i
without noticing the superior arrangements of the Dinner
and the excellence of the Wines, which were of such a
quainty as no Peer of Englund could hesitate to glace on
his own tablr.
SIR FRANCIS Bußozrr.

The following admirable letter has been ad-
dressed to the Chief Justice of the Court of King's
Bench :
" My Lottn,--I did not expect that I should again
have an opportunity of addressing your Lordship on the
subject pf the prosecution against Sic Francis Burdett.—
I had hoped that, before the close of the last term, your
Lordship and your brethren would have granted a rule to
show cause why there should not be a new trial. The
delay which has taken place proves the COMCLUCS3 of
the report, that a difference of opinion has existed among
the Judges; and it has been said, thud on the question of
publication, the Bench was equally divided. As coy
difference of opinion in the Court boa hitherto been con-
sidered as • conclusive reason for granting a rule to show
CAMS,. I am at a loss to conjecture why thi► has not been
done in the prosecution ageinst Sir Francis But dett. It
has, however, been reported, that the Court hiss at length
determiued that the rule is to be refused, in consequence
of one of the learued Judges havig brunglit over the
rest to his opinion. Tae iinprobablltly of this report is
apparent to every one. It can never be believed that
env one of your Lordships would take upon himself the
office of advocate fur the Cronus ■nd labour to per
suede the rest of the Court to refuse • rode, to show
awe in a criminal Case. and that too t, political one, in
which it is most important that the fountains of justice
should at least appear to be pure. lam therefore con-
vinced that these stories are calumnies invented by seise
person, alto desires to degrade the Court in the cotton-
lion of the public. What is so monstrous as to suppose
that a rule to show cause can be refused is a ease where
the questions have been so difficult, that, after consider-
int4 them fur a whole Tetra, the Cr.tr, nos been linable
to come to a dt.ei,ioll? If a question be so doubtful as to
require great consideration even on the Bench, it surely
ma its lull discussion at the Bart and in a criminal case,
involving as this dues the most important of En-
glishinete I cannot doubt but that his Majesty's Attie tiny-
General will be called upon to answer the arguments ad-
oueed on the part of the defendant. If, after this delay,
which can only be ascribed to the difficulty of the case,
the Court were to refuse a rule to show cause, such con-
duct would, I fear, deprive the people of all confidence
in the adirinistiation of justice ; your Lordships might
be bat:peeled of standing in the character of advocates
fur the prosecution, instead of iii tho dijolifod chat acter
of impartial dispensers of justice. My Lord, recollect-
ing that in cases relative to property, even where the
amount is small, a rule to show cause why a new Phil
should not be had is never refused, II any of the Judges
entertain a doubt, 1 have no supicion that the Court will
refuse the same privilege in this case, which so mate.
richly concerns the Fibrily of one of his Majesty's sub-
jects. lam convinced that your Lordship will not only ,
graut a rule to show cause, but make that rule absultite.
la thin former letter which I had the honors to address to
your Lordship, I showed to your Lordship, from deltic..
rities never before questioned. that the Court eau pass
no judgment, miles+ it be of upiniou that the verdict is
fully &auto' ted by the evi‘lence; that it would be against
law either to alter the entry of the vervect upon the re.
cord, or to pass judgment, as if the verdict were special*
and testy foetid the defendant guilty of part ofeho charge
—that to alter the ern!y of the verdict would the to as.
stone the powers of Jurors; and to pas. judgment as if
111101 alteration had been made, but without furinally
ranking it, would be to exercise the same pesters. and
also that of Li gislators, as the Collet would he deciding
a:sal was curate without giving the accused the p..wee
of appeal t dual 111101 ealidati would he covert and clan-
d,.tiue, and Culla, quruU3 the more dangerous and iiiiron-
Minn tonal. 'these can, Illesefore, he no judgmeut which
dues nun n' that tile Court onsideis the whole charge
satt.factouly made out in evidence. I base also shown
that evet3 clime 11111,1 be tiled in the county where it was
tied; abet publication constitutes the cities! cf b-
eet ; aaid that u fies,wo can only be tiled for a libel in the
comity is hete the pii.tlication took place; thot publica-
tion meal's waking haus% it, and therefore the crime of
libel is commit it. that coni.ty where the writing is
made knout,: ti...t, in tho case seder discussion, there
was not the slighted evolkuce that the letter was Made