The National Register.
London, England, 1820-07-10 00:00:00

[PRICE 94d•

the bye, when we remember that the Queen volun.
tarily gave 1.5,000 L a year out of the 50,0001.
not very probable), were part of the Green Bag.
But whatever the offence or offences be, they are
evidently beyond the reach of any ordinary provision
of law, and are to be taken up upon the general
ground of affecting the character of the Monarchy,
and thereby constituting an offence deserving of an
extraordinary and extrajudicial visitation from the
collective wisdom of the legislature of the country.
Now we will broadly and flatly say, that in a Go-
vernment of law, an extrajudicial proceeding of
this kind, upon the maturest consideration, is a pre.
cedent fur the most shameless despotism, though we
do not mean to say that it, in itself, is so intended,
because if the time is to arrive when any part of
conduct is to be construed into crime, and subjects
of civil Courts are to be mixed into criminal charges,
then whenever the administration can join the con.
fidence, by any means, of Parliament, so as to have
their word taken fur the propriety of their proceed.
inns, then no one is safe; but any one who, from
boldness, energy, and truth, may be obnoxious to a
Cabinet like that of the Cabal in the reign of
Charles 11. may easily be overwhelmed by the resist-
less might of legislative bodies, who, when once in
a train of error or corruption, are ten times more
terrible than a single despotic master,because shame,
which occasionally operates upon tyrants, has no
influence over bodies of men who individually
share so little disgrace, and are emboldened by
such numerous company, that no compunctious
visitings are likely to operate upon them. Dear
countrymen ! be your party what it may, we warn
you to beware. of such a tremendous calamity! No
horror of revolution can be so great, if ever such a
state of things as that of which we warn you should
arrive; and it would be better to risk almost any
thing than wilfully to withhold constitutional
effints, at least, against any thing which points this
way. It is better that a great sinner, if such there
be, should escape, than that an act of injustice
should be committed, which may form a precedent
the most abominable. I.et us suppose for a moment
such an extrajudicial inquiry to be established into
the conduct of every one of the royal family who
may be subjects, without going to the .Monareli
himself—would it be decent, or pleasant, or just ?
Or, let us suppose that all the nubility %vim have
been convicted in courts of law ot' adultery or oilier
misdemeanour, should be hauled over the coals, and
that a Bill of Pains and Penalties should be intro-
duced against them, upon the ground of their
having degraded the situation of life which they
hold as a trust for the good of the community ;—let
us suppose all the follies, and vi es, and duels,
toejambing,s and horse .whippings, which any
viduul may have dime or suffered, to be adduced as
matter fur a Green Bag, and solenmly laid hvfere
the Parliament of the country. Sty, we M !.1
with Mr. Ilobliouse, that if matters are to pro.l
in this way, that un Archbishop of Canterhory .••.1
a Lord Chancellor, having run away iih
wives, may be made matter hereafter fin. a Green
Bag: two events, tile recollection of which one day
made the late King laugh ready to split his saes.
—ln short, we assert, if the offences charged
against the Queen were statutably criminal, or
civilly amenable to a court of justice, that under all
existing circumstances, it would he Koter not to
have noticed them; but that to proceed in the pre-
s.:nt manner against offences nut the tisto.l
of a chinge, as crime or misdemeanour, aetwilii.g to
a mode adopted only in the worst of shears, is in.q•.
cent, unjustifiable, oppressive, and a in..st tr.:ricns
dons precedent agaiust general lili.:rty.