The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-12-10 00:00:00

THE BRITISH PRES'S.

LONDON,
THURSDAY, DECEMBER to, ISM

An Evening Paper, devoted to the. Treasury,
thinks itself compelled. for the fulfilment of it*
wade duties, to attack the Jury at the Old Bailey
who, on Saturday last, acquitted a man accused of
passing forged times, bivouac they did not conceive
the evidence of forgery sufficiently distinct. This
is not the first occasion on which the Ministerial
Papers have sallied faith to assail the institution of
the " Trial by Jury," via established iu this coun-
try ; whence it may with a proud satisfaction be
inferred, that at lesst this part of our system still
preserves its early purity, as it is one of the very
few points bearing the stamp of antiquity that are
honourably distinguished by the censure of the
Treasury writers. No sooner has a favourite ob-
ject of Minisiers been defeated by the virtue of
a Jury. than • cry of perjury is instantly raised,
and twelve men. no matter how respectable in
the private relations orlife, from which they are
by chance and with tremblitig reluctance drawn to
fulfil a public duty, are maliciously branded a*
having paltered will the sacred solemnity of 111/
0.1111, and sacrificed their peace of ionic' and self-
estremi without one apparent private inotivt that
could induce persons of their rank in hie to diespise
the importance of.a religions duty. In ease of
prosecutions by the Crown. the bitten 'o
pointed ambition, or vengeance, might Ire espiarted
to operate injuriously upon au &regulated ;Sind,
and induce it to denounce a power !folk* iplgraipt-
ed the promotion dr its isjShest. jal,4lloop.sit e
case of a prosecution for a fortgrirs 'Aire Oa tiro-
mention failed for wind Vt eridnice, we estl44ll
same angry feeling excited by the result, we `can-
not choose but attribute the expression of it to a
rooted hostility to au institution which ensures the
safety of whatever is valuable in the character and
circumstances of the country. The London Jury,
iu acquitting the prisoner on Saturday, acted under
an impression in which they were justified by the

We noticed in our last number
that a Bank Inspector was not •rn infallible judge
of a genuine or forged note. and if the llaw‘. act-
ing undoubtedly under the sanction of the lisacx.-
think fit to withhold the means of removing that
(perhaps false) impresvion, they must suffer the con-
sequences—shall we say of their own tenacity. or
of the incredulity of a Jury ?

We ere free to admit that in prosecuting persons
holding or uttering forged notes, the Bank Directors
act solely with • view to the public good, and in
this belief we are confirmed by the circumstance,
that the Rank of England has not hitherto sustained,
and cannot, learn its internal arrangement!, eueieiu
any loos from forgeries ; they have even incurred
a very heavy expense by each prosecutions. We
are willing too to give the Directors every credit fur
en anxious desire to deter all persons from daring to
imitate their notes ; but we fear they have been
deceived by persons possestut their confidence, and
have had their views of this important subject per-
verted from their proper object to others of miner
(*Deem. Plans have been submitted to them, to
which, if we are correctly informed, they did not
lend their own consideration, but, from too great a
diffidence in their judgment, contented themselves
with the report of other persona, who had no iote.
rest in terminating the present system. It is re.
ported a new note will he issued early in the next
year more difficult of imitation than that now current.
This rumour, we trust, will be found correct; some.
thing must be done, and quickly, for at present con-
fidence is shaken in the notes of the' Batik of Eng-
land, the forgeries being so admirably executed.
The evil is alarmingly great, and we should feel
happy, fur the honour of the Batik, if the remedy
were to proceed from that establishment.

We have received Paris Papers of Sunday lam.
The Ministers of l: ranee are repre►ented as being
earnestly and individually rugsged in waking pre-
purinions far the approaching Session of the Legi.la.

The report of a trial, posicecing great itilerest,
which occupied the Court of Kitner Bench, during
the whole of yesterday, will be found amongst our
Law Intelligence. It was an indictment against
Messrs. FRENt H (formerly of the opulent house
of FRENCH end Co.), BURKE, WELSH, usid others,
for a conspirucy. The offence was committed in the
year 18u—when the Defendants loaded colourable
sale of a ship, named the Tilt, belonging to Fes:Not
and Co. to a Spaniard, at Corutina, by winch means
they procured a Spanish letter-of.marque, Having
changed the name of the vessel Irons the Pitt to the
Sett Juan Baptista, and provided a Spanish crew
sod commander (the latter being only hired, the
better to effect their &siva), the ship proceeded to
cruise in the &Isbell Channel, under Spanish
colours, for the purpose of capturing ships, aud-
io.: from French pints; under British licenses ;
Bouts conceiving that a British license could give
no protection to the property of enemies of the
Spanish Crown, if sought ilfier by a Spanish force.
Minims was really the commander—and a Doltish
vessel, called the Corlatta, was captured. It was
clearly proved that the Defetidttots were deeply im•
*crested in this pretended Spanish vesssel, and they
were all found
the Duke or Yoga had a !Uagidler.
itEostsr, at Cartizitt ;
gave an au its

view *ll
him Ray

.r!
when

Di ?Orton' was
the under-then'

too;; Orman, 798 toosirand Lrerotr!..
Letters received from .0100.,..daterf
Octulwr, state that trio lititargerst pneatirers.* isrA*
brig void schooner. lout toilet, possession of 11'hnava,
opposite the town of Priucipr, and had convened
it iiitp a depot fur their prises. Six vessel hod
been carried in by the lii.orgent cruisers. •
The remainder of the 3d King's Own Dragooni
marched from Ciiitertiury, on Nlosiday. un their
route for Maidenhead. Decks. Their ultimate des-
tination is (retain!, where they are to be converted
into Light Dragoons. ±
A correspondent infoseens, Old nt the pre:rot
time spices are at such tl tedltcril price, that I!:ey
are being shipped back again to India, as api.ewri.
by the Cusio.ii.hoose limits of 1.0. t week. where
there was entered for Bombay upwards of i2,00n1i4
of nutmegs and cores only.

POST-OFFICE I STFI.I.IGENCE.--We were not
aware until receisily, and perhaps many of our
reaslris are still unariprisisitell with the fact, that
twelve Eist 11144 wickets have been
by Clover. meat within the lust year, which are
dispatched ftgularly every mouth, born Chatham,
Portsmouth, or this port. seven of them bring
employed bitwrru England, the Cane, and St.
Helena, sod the eemaitinig five between that
island and the various PreAdeficies, iiirlepeodent
of arrangement's in.fde for trofmnsfring letters
and sievrsielpers by private shops, almost daily;
Mailer certain legi.lauve ;egulat.ons. His Majesty's
Skip Iledtriorg, 1. r packet mints to St. UC1111.41, the
Cape of knead -nape, sod the (Unfunny,. wits the
'Cape, will take her departure in a few days. The
Prince negro, I,tvfeaD, for packet mails
to Bombay, Is intended to boil about the 10th
.instant.—(P/peromih Paper.)
It is well known to every classical scholar, that
the ancient Greeks gave to the Palsies the name of
Aumenides (ilia " good-natured, mild, or friendly
Goddesses"), frutu superstitious dread of their
malignity, and a wish to soothe and conciliate them
by that flistiateiwg- tole: and it is equally well
known that the ancient liraintiis, fur the same rea-
sou, thought it expedient to flatter the inhabitant*
of the other wo,t l by giving to the spirits of tiNe
dead the appellablonof Manes, i. r. " The Good
People," from the ancient wood maxis, goo4l.—At
the ',resent slay, and wider similar impressions, the
lower class of the Irish peasantry oh.elve the -awe
respectful caution in speaking of the Fuirir4 triton§
they generally consider US malignant, mischievous
brings, very ditrereut f those frolicsome good-
natured fives that perform so loony kiwi offices for
rustic tumble who happen to he in favour with them.
Such, then, being the disposition of the Irish
Fairies, it is thought prudent to keep on good
terms with them, and with a view to this, they are
usually designated by the flattering title of " The
rood People"—is title deemed so indispensable,
that, if a child should inadvertently mention them
by the simple Fairies," he would be AS
quickly roil atixfonsly rrpriiiiasidtd, 95 if speaking
Is CdSor) in tl:* heating of a alagibtfate.