The National Register.
London, England, 1820-07-24 00:00:00

COMM ON COUNCIL.

PROCEEDINGS AGAINST THE QUEEN.
On Monday a Court of COIIIIIIOII Council was
pursuance of a Requisition presented to the Lord Mayor,
for the purpose of takitrt into consideration the expe-
diency of addressing hi, Majesty, or petitioning the two
Houses of Parliament, on the subject of the pending
proceedings against her Majesty.
The Requisition having been read—
Mr. FAVELL rose to address the Court. Ile coin-
menced by adverting to the great and momentous con-
sequence of the topic to which he was about to call their
attention. The privileges belonging to that Court en-
titled them, on the present occasion., to approach the
Sovereign himself; but he thought it more favourable to
apply themselves to the two Houses of Parliament, and,
if possible, through their means, to avert an esti which
might be products of consequences, the baai aotico-
- of which was calculated to excite well founded
alarm. Those to whom lie had the honour of addressing
himself were all aware of the manlier in MOM, the ac-
cusatiobs against her gracious Majesty had been intro-
duced into the two nooses of Parliament. While in
one House the green bag had been kept shut, to the
other it had been opened, and upon its secret cmitents,
unsupported by open, fair testimony, a Bill of Pains and
Penalties had been brought in against her Majesty, upon
proofs of which the world knew nothing, and of the
credibility of which the Secret Committee, by which the
Bill had been recommended, must have been themselves
totally ignorant. Her Majesty was broadly accused of
an adulterous intercourse with a foreigner, and with an
unremitting course of licentious conduct for a period of
six years. No opportunity had been offered for examin-
ing the character and testimony of the witnesses by
which imputations so proved had been supported; nor
had her Majesty the advantage of knowing the places
where, nor the precise time when, she was supposed
thus to have sacrificed her own honour, and the dignity
of the nation, with which she was closely connected.—
He would ask any fair, candid, or honourable mind,
whether such a proceeding was consistent with princi-
ples of justice in this country t Was it not a departure
from the common and ordinary mode of administeriog
the law of England. Such a course had never been
resorted to since the days of that tyrant and butcher
towards his wives, Henry the Eighth.—(llear.)—The
Hon. Gentleman concluded with moving a series of
resolutions in unison with his speech.
Mr. II oacotatig seconded the resolutions.

Mr. BROWN tru,ted he should not be accused of in-
consistency if he oppoied the lt.'solutions, but he con-
tended that a Bill of Pains and Penalties was the
only mode of proceeding that could meet the case.—He
concluded by moving the previous question.
Mr. Dtstobr supported the motion of Mr. Brown.
Mr. Hu RcomaE spoke at considerable length in fa-
vour of the original motion, and in reply to sl r. Brown.
he recapitulated the various Bills of Attainder that had
been passed, and said they were only resorted to by bad
men and at bad times.

Mr. JAMES said, he could not by any means under-
stand how her Majesty or her friends could complain of
the course of proceeeding in the House of Lords. Four-
teen years ago he admitted the Queen had been traduced,
and had great reason to complain, but now her own
wishes for a fair and open trial were agreed to, and jus-
tice would certainly be administered. Ile concluded
with saying he should vole for the previous question.
Alderman VS AITHMAN strongly supported the reso-
lutions. 'lite people should guard their own privileges,
and he trit3ted the City of London would shew their
spirit, itt constitutionally asserting their rights, which
were, in the person of the Queen, about to be infringed.
Her Nlajesty's case was one which called fur sympathy,
but the public were in this case to look to themselves, as
their liberties were deeply implicated in the consideration
of the question. There was, amongst the distressing
difficulties that presented themselves, that of his Ma-
jesty being obliged to sit in judgment upon his own
wile. Aldermen NVaithmen concluded en animated
speech, by calling on the Court to be unanimous on this
subject.
Mr. T. N. NVILLIAMS said, the course adopted by
Ministers was certainly the best, and justice would un-
questionably be dune by the Lords. Iler Majesty could
nut have refused the very noble offer of Ministers. (A
laugh, and continued ridicule.)
Mr. BLADES contended that the Bill of Pains and
Penalties was against all law.
Mr. FAVEI.L briefly replied, and the previous question
was negatived, after which the Resolutions were agreed
to without a dip

Petitions were read and agreed to, and the Sheriffs
directed to wail on a Lord in Parliament to request him
to present the Petition to the House of Lords, and to
pres.nt the other Petition to the House of COIIIIIIOII3 in
the usual manner.

An article in the German papers dated Vienna,
July 2, says—" Their Alajestics the Emperor and
Empress, and the Archduchess of Parma, have been
for some days at Perscnberg, on the left bank of the
Danube. They are expected to return to this city
in a few days. The Archduchess Clementine, Prin•
cexs of Salerno, arrived here on the ?th ult., having
come 'Ewes Le z, ..15, water, an the Dinube."

HIGH TREASON.

SPECIAL COMNIISSION OF OYER AND TERMINER.

SIIIILING, .It7LY 13.
'l' ire Court at smie o'clock recommenced their Sit-
tings at Siirling.
Tire whole of the prisoners seized at 130nnymnir (18
in noinh:r) ‘vcre brought train the Castle, under an
escort of the 13th Foot, and placed at the bar.
Mr. Jeffrey, as Counsel for the prisoners, addressed
the Court, and stated an objection to Mr. Sergeant
IluNoek appearing oil the part of the prosecution, as he
was et itled to ple.id only English Courts.
Tile Lail President said, that by the Articles of Union
the law %yds the saute ill Scotland as in England. There
was no rii&rence whatever, and if Mr. Jeffrey thought
proper he could claim :1 right to plead for the traitors at
the approaching Court of Oyer and Terminer, at York.
Tire bit of Jurymen, coils:stir% of 153 names, was
the called over.

Hardie was tliett informed that he was to be put ott
his trial.

Several of the Gentlemen called for this trial were
challenaed by the prisoner's Counsel.
The Clerk of the Arraigns read the Indictment against
all the prisoners remaining at the bar.
Tile Lord Advocate opened the case on the part of
the Crown, and proceeded to call witnesses, who con.
firmed the su.temetits already before the public. Mr.
Jeffrey delivered a long speech for his client, but called
no exculpatory proof. The Solicitor-General replied,
and concluded by expressints his firm conviction that
the Jury would find the prisoner amity. The Rigi e
Hon. the Lord President clvirged the Jury in a very able
Wanner, who afterwards, retiring for :t few minutes, at
a yaarter past one o'clock in the morning of the 14th,
returned a verdict of Guilty on the 2d and 4th counts of
the indictment.

The counts and overt acts are the same in all the in.
dictrututs brought before the Special Commission.

STIRLING, JULY 14.
The Court met this forenoon, at ten o'clock and pro-
ceeded to the trial of John Baird, weaver in Condorrat.
the leader at the battle of Bonnyntuir. He is a stout
smart-looking little man.
The whole of the other prisoners with the exception
of Hardie, who was tried and convicted yesterday, were
at the bar.

The Solicitor-General brought the case against Baird
before the Jury in a speech of considerable length.
A number of witnesses were then called for the pur-
pose of proving the publication of the treasonable
address ; that a conspiracy was formed against the life of
of his Nlajesty ; that the persons seized at the skirmish of
Bonnymuir were levying war against the King; and
that the prisoner was one of the number concerned
in these treasonable proceedings.
Mr. Jeffrey addressed the Jury for the prisoner in a
very eloquent and ingenious speech. He did not deny
that the evidence went the length of proving the prisoner
to have been present at the affair of Bottnyn"r, but cot'.
tended that there was nothing in that affair to constitute
the crime of a treasonable levying of war.
The Lord Justice Clerk charged the Jury
STIRLING, JULY 15.
This morning, at two o'clock, the Jury returned into
Court, with a verdict of—Guilty.
It is thought probable that the sittings at Stirling may
be shortened uy some of the prisoners concerned in the
a frair at Bonny mum throning themselves on the mercy
of their country.
In the Court of Justiciary aiEdinburgh,on Friday last,
John Sharp was convicted of firing a loaded pistol :it the
county patrol, in Main Street, Bridgeton, Glasgow, on
the 19th January last, and sentenced to be executed at
Glasgow on the 16111 of August.
Although the Court did wit adjourn till three o'clock
this morning, the Commissioners entered the Hall at
ten.

When the prisoners were placed at the Isar, James
Cleland, smith, of Glasgow was named for trial.
NI r. Jeffrey staked, that seeing the issue of the trials
of Baird and Hardy, notwithstanding the struggle of
their Counsel, he thought it his duty to advise the pri-
soners, if they were conscious of their guilt, to with-
draw their plea of Not guilty, and to throw themselves
on the mercy of their country.
The Lord Advocate addressed the Court. Ile wished
it to be distinctly understood, that this line of conduct
was adopted by the prisoners without any bargain being
made for them. Ile had no doubt they might receise
the mercy of the Crown; but he consid. red it his duty
to intimate the possibility, nay, the probability, that the
urisoners iniabt, notwithstanding then pleading Guilty.
suffer capitally.
?Ir. Jalrey acknowledged that there had been no
compromise.
The prisoners then severally pleaded guilty. They
were taben from the bar and sent back to the Castle.
The Lord Advocate said, that there were diiierent
shades of guilt; and it would certainly give him great
personal pleasure to see the royal clemency ex:ended.
The Petit Jury were discharged for the lime ; but
they, as well as the Grand Jury, were directed !narend
Oil Monday, the 3lst July, when the Court svili
its sittings.

The Bill for establishing Express Pests at a
double rate of postage, has nearly gone through all
its stages. What will the think if this
perimeto degenerates into mere tax on correspon-
dence, by sending all letters, in this way, and
increasing the rate of the present pustoge, the
increased expellees affording a pretext for the
advance ?

A. Protestant Cer,;yrnazi, at ticuie, has written
to bis friends cn the banks of the Rhine,
that the I'ope has r,ermiitod the public csereil.e
he Reformed is an ova. templs, in 1... e
Roman Capital.

••_

e'lleier.i:DlNG.S AGAINST THE QUEEN.

How every principle el English jurisprudence
seems to be inverted in t'►e progress of the proceed-
ings ►gai►ist the Queen ! The meanest ofTender
against the laws is confronted with his accusers
before commitment, he hears the time and place
def►nitive:r stated at which he is charged with the
ofllnice ; he hears the depositions of the witnesses
against him, and he is at liberty to qneetion them.
Being thus fully acquainted with the evidence in-
tended to be brought against him, he has every op-
portunity (if falsely accused) of proving his
innocence. The time when the alleged crime was
committed being distinctly painted out in the
indictment against him, he is prepared, probably, to
prove a complete and satisfactory alibi —or knowing
the whole charge to be a base and wicked conspiracy,
founded on the depositions of perjur«l and worthless
wretches, he is al de to sheen that their testimony
is wholly unworthy of belief. But in the case of
the Queen there is nothing resembling all this.
She knows neither the time nor place where she is
charged with guilt. It may be any time in the
space of six years: it may be in Italy, or Greece, or
Constantinople. Then, the witnesses against her,
who and what are they ? That she is expressly for-
bidden to know. Report certainly does not speak
very favourably of them, and she may be able to
shew that they are suborned and perjured villains;

but how is she to do this while kept in ignorance
even of their names, until the very moment they arc
called into Court? Coming from a country where
daggers are to be hired, such evidence should be
looked upon with some suspicion ; at any rate the
person who is to be tried upon such testimony ought
to have (and according to the principles of English
law she has) a right sift into their characters;
and if they arc the viprous and loathsome spawn of

Sir John Leach's Milan Commission—if the 123,0001.

has been expended in teaching these reptiles their
lesson, and in making it worth their while to come to

England, nothing but a full conviction that their
testimony would not bear examination, and that
their characters would not stand the test of inquiry,
could have urged Ministers to the desperate act of
refusing Lord Erskine's constitutional and just
demand—that the Queen be allowed to know who
arc the witnesses against her.
The base conduct of the ministerial press was never
more fully developed than on this occasion. The
Italian gang call forth their loudest expressions of
commiseration—any attempt to question the purity
of their motives or the correctness of their testimony
strikes them with horror.—" Why," exclaims
the Courier, " does the law sleep? Why does
not the Attorney General prosecute the calumnia-
tors of these injured men? " But towards the
Queen they scruple not to use the must atrocious
language. The Morning Post calls her "an .11ien
" and unworthy 01#ect, a person nut of sufficient
importance to create division," and recommends " as
" she alone stands in the way of arrangement, that
" shu should yield to the universal good, whether
" as a Criminal or a Martyr." It is pretty well
known who and what arc the supporters of this
Paper, and the source whence this most unparal-
lelled and atrocious paragraph HMV have proceeded.
Now suppose any man had written such a paragraph
of the King—would he, we ask, have been out of
prison twenty-tinir hour:, after its publication? If
these words Lire any meaning, they compass and
imagine the Qacen's death. We theref4e, in our
turn, say " Why dues the law s!cev?" Why does
hut the Attorney General discharge his duty ? "Jt
is equally Treason" says Blackstone, by"the statute
25th ki,dward 111. to compass or imagine the
Queen's death, a.‘ tkat ty. the King himselj." Now

if any mau had asserted that the King was "an
unworthy object"—that he was " not essential to
our nationa: iiAcrest—that he stood in the I.vay of
our happMess, and iliac he ought to to the