The National Register.
London, England, 1816-12-16 00:00:00

DECEMBER 16.

BETiIAUL-GREEN POOR.
TO THE EDITOR.
Sley—ln obedience to the injunction of your corre-
spondent, under the signature of " a Feicnd to Truth,"
(3 strange name by the way for a friend of Mr. Mer-
ceron to write under), I have forborne to notion his
eilision, in order that the public might more indiscii-
minutely susoend their opinion until after the issue of
the " criminal prosecution" then pending. This hav-
ing been gone through—the mountain bung delivered,
I may be permitted to eondo.e aide Ai.. Merrell/II on Ins suc-
cess. That a verdict of (lenity should be recorded against
the respectable and piebeir-spirited gentlemen who had Me-
wed various weighty ni!sdoings to Mr. Merceron, was a
miter of course. " The greater the truth the greater the
libel' is a well-known maxim of law. If I were to call Biil
Soaines a pickpocket, and Bill Sonnies were to indict me, I
must be found guilty; but it is clear that the public would
n it think Mr. Some& the less a pickpocket ou that account :
and it is equally so, I. presume, that no one think Mr. Met--
ceron less a nsisdoer on account of the verdict he has procured.
Curiosity led Inc to be piesent at this trial. I witnessed the
unusual shamefacedness with which Mu. Attornertieneral, as
counsel for Mr. Mercerois. unfolded his rase—the disap-
plowing look with which s.ord Elienieurough advised such a
prosecution not to bepurmel —the diffident grace with which
Mr. Attorney-Gener el pleaded ins client's object in prosecut-
ing to be the vinditatiu.t of his character. The indignant
observation of the Chief Justice, that such was nut the way
fur Mr. Mcrreron to s indicatii; his character. To shut out the
defendants front Cue ponmilety of proving the truth of their
assertions; the {Alit n challenge of the defendants' counsel for
an oppoithinty of justifying, I also heard. Having witnessed
all tiu.se Ihu."'., *IOW repeat my condolence to Mr. Mer-
Ccruim 011 SI:40& a sat CeSs.

Rcturniag now to the letter of this " Friend to Truth,"
which, in truth, I take to be no other than Mr. Merceron
hiniself, I (menet but admire the :Wawa with which he can-
ti,,ns sue nut to ilelteie the uninformed into a belief that all
the stathnents h. the Police Report arrfacts. Certainly Ido
not mean to attempt any such thing. Mr. Nlerecroifs own
eviti-nce makes tip no insiguificatit part of the report; and
that evidence says and unsays thiii,s so often, that a great
pat t u ust or ee”ati ily nut be facts that a person who basso
lalsuied his oats solcmis testimony, should not scruple
to 'env the truth of the statements of others, is only to be ex-
pected I Hs fie:iials are things of 1.011T3C. But hesays in a short
time " e y ditb.,"nt light" shall be thrown on the 920.
What mbraddlerent lights? If he goes on in this way, lie mwe
hituself eaditait it in the true light at last, for there will be sits
rah,. itgat aft. Away with hii "fib and sophistry !"—Of
the fluid raised for the pan:, tee 921 - at least stands naked
and exposed to the wto in as full a light as a meridian sun
can bestow. It nes laid out by him in the payment of his
lawyers bill, for ticruiding hint ugabolt crrblia vusecitburts that
need tint be reacated, lint the facts of which are on record!
In such a cause it is seen that the terrors of an iudictment.
vanish into a snore bugbear. It is thought an honour to be
indicted by Mr. Merceron for libelling him. vain will he
endu your to rally his coadjutors by the avipcat "that lie has
bees fait/Oil and rfiluable to th. as!" IL. must clear tip the
mystery which hangs uses the 9151. Vion4ing to the poor,
if he would avoid further Mitigate re darks. And he must
a better tale than the ureaking into his counting;
horse and stealing his recriets, if he Would satisfy his neigh-
bours of his having duly disposed of the, 12,0001.
Intechapel.•

A. B.

DISTRESSED CASE OF SMALL-PDX.

A poor sailor was lately teim,l in a street near Whitechapel.
very ill with the emillatait Small Pox. A centleman passing
bye put mini into a hackney coach, and paid his fare .o the
Small Pox Hospital at Pancras; the covliman drove into the
field at the front of the house, where he put down his fare
and left him. The resident surgeon went out to hhn, and
althinigh lie came uithent auy recommendation, yet his ease
was so severe that he received him into the hospital, where
lie was recovered of the sciall pox and also of a far inure den-
gerons mortification, and on the Tilt instant appeared to the
Committee to express his thanks: and being entirely di stt•
tote, a small subscription r. as raised for him, and the stew.
arda were ordered to supply him w,th some article,. of apparel.
He states t himself to have been paid off from the Berwiclt,7 I,
Capt. Brace, about three months since, caught the disorder
at Plymouth. where he spent all he had received, and tra-
vs ned oa foot during etzlit dams to London in a very dl state;
lodginft in the open tield.s and under hedges at night. The
poor 1111.111, after so loge a resideuce and recovery at the hos-
pital, could scarcely express.his gratitude befike he took his
departure.
We are sorry to find by the bills of mortality, that the
casual small pox is very general, notwithstanding all the pre-
cautions SO irepuntly recommended to house-keepers not to
receive ally person into their families until they Lave been
tither vaccinated, or recovered from the disease. .