The National Register.
London, England, 1817-12-22 00:00:00

FRIDAY.-THE MHO V. HONE.

Mr Shepherd opened the proceedings. Ile stated that this was an
informatiou tiled by the Attorney-General against Cie defendant,
fur a profane and seditious libel ea second count chareeed it as a
libel sport the Prince Regent, the House of Lords, and the Hon* of
Commons.
The Attorney-General then addressed the jury.—llly speech em-
braced precisely the seine arguments di that deli% creel in the pre-
cediog day. He then proceeded to real the Wed nub was a parody
of tie Litany or general supplication to Goa, the Redeemer, and the
Holy Ghost. lie as. interrupted u, his reiding by an milecorinie
lati;ebter of a part of the auditory, ea she., Lunt Ellennonnigh
insisted that the Sheiffe should net: » to preserve order. 'lac At-
tornty-Generel appealed to the jury whether the indecent conduct of
the persons proem was not a complete proof of the tendency of such
writings to urine sacred and serious subjects into contempt. The
defendant might probably ettempt to vindicate himself by referring
to parts of works that it would have been tar better to have allowed
to rot upon the shelves ; the answer was obvious ; for an offender to
slime that otters had offended before him, could edited neither satis-
faction nor excuse. None of those to wiiich he would probably refer
were, like this, intended to be widely and industriuuely cireuleted ;
amp, set all events, this reiteration of a crime, which might not before
• nave Alien under toe reprdbation of the law, rendered- it absolutely
necessary that the .defendant should be brought before the Court;
unites, milted, not only an established Church, but Christianity
i.eelf were to be resigned. It was true, the .lury were not called
upon in teas case to decide merely the dry fact—they were the
judges of the intention of the party, and whether the publication
were a libel : but it was their duty no less to decide according to law;
and as juries might be mistaken, and that their verdicts might not ii
sometimes he governed ar dictated by by caprice, it was also the 'M-
ein:se of tee presiding judge to deliver to them the directjoa in poi»t
of law, and his opinion whether or not the production were libellous.
It' me pamphlet of the defenctuit were not determined to be a pro-
fane libel, there was no insult of the kind that might not be offered
to she established religion and to the sacred writings with impunity.
With regent to intention, it was not necessary to soy mote, than that
where certain effects had Howie:lllcm a certain act in itself criminal,
the law presumed that the party was guilty of the ptirpoee to pro•
duce those edicts, even though be might not immediately contemplate
the cousequeoces.
Witnesses were shout to be eall.el to prove the publication, &C.
when the defendant agreed to admit all the facts necessary for the
prnsecution.
'1 he libel was then read by Mr. Law, it was entitled " The Po-
litical Litany."
Mr. Sheriff Desanges entered the Court while the libel was reading.
Lord Ellerborough addressed himself to him, observing, that most
unreasonable disturbances had taken place in the Court yesterday,
and he was anxious that thy should not be repeated to-day ;it was
the duty of the eberiff to keep order, and lie was responsible for any
breach of it; his lordship conseqeently expected that he would at-
tend personally to see that his officers dad their duty:
The SheriWrenlied, that his lordship might rely upon his utmost
exertions.
The case on the part of the Crown being closed.
Mr. Hone rose and entered upon Isis defence, which was precisely
the same as that offered yesterday, and in the course of which he was
iepeatedly interrupted by Lord Ellenbierough, who etrora;ly objected
to the reading of such offensive matter as the eetracts generally Were
which Mr. Hone orodueed in justification of his mode of writing by
parody. He concluded a speech of great length by calling upon the
jury for justice—not mercy. He wanted no mercy, liecalise he Mt
lie was innocent. He now placed his cause in their hands, and he
hail no doubt they would send him home to his family, instead of
sending him to the King's Bench prison. The defendant then celled
witnesses to prove that he stela the publication of the parodies as
soon as he heard they were disapproved of.
After the Attorney General had briefly replied, Lord Ellenhorough
preceded to charge the jury. Ile had no doubt of the seditious and
libellous tendency ofthe Publication in question, and believing and
hoping the jury were Chrietians, he had no doubt they would be of
the same opinion. The jury retired at a quarter past 6 and at 8 they
returned a verdict of Nut Guilty.

WESTMINSTER GENERAL DISPENSARY.—The elec-
tion of a Physician Accoucheur to this Charity took
place on Wednesday, and so severe a contest was never
known.—Even the venerable Sir Joseph Banks came
in his carriage to vote for Dr. Granville, the candidate
who was ultimately successfUl. The numbers were

For Dr. Granville .. 112 •
Lry
Dr. Granville, the successful candidate, is known to
the public, not only by his professional attainments,
but also by his profound researches in chemistry- ; and,
as a literary man, by king the biographer and eulo-
gist of Guyton de Morveau, the Regicide.
At Brest a dreadful storm has been felt for two days
and two nights. An English transport from London
was lost with 240 passengers near Pontusval.
In the Island of Ceylon, which has of late years
' very much advanced in the progress of civilization and
Christianity, the number of inhabitants who have been
vaccinated during the year 1816, amounted to 19,530.
A iron proof among many others that the communi-
ion and in ercourse among all nations has greatly
incr, aseti, s tending to tile grand epoch of the gt.
coral, smelioratiou of meakiado

POLICE.
AIANSION-IMUSE.

TIM It

Monday C. W. Whididd, n confidential clerk in the born*
of Curls and Co. bankers, iu Imph:lld-street, was charged
eith embezzling the sum of SUOI. the property of the firm.—
Mu. Pall4ICI, fur the prosecutioy, stated; that there were nu.
morons clukges of this natuteagainst the prisoner; and he woo
as yet ptepartd with evidence upon one only. Mr. Curtis do-
posed, that it was the duly of the prisoner to send in bills or
drafts upon-the Bank of England, and to receive the amount..
On the tali inst. the prisoner had a 'Treasury bill fur 5001. on
acronnt of the Leeds Bank. There were other drafts, ttsc.
amounting in the whole to about 0:101. As it sometimes ire-
tmed that payment was refused at the Bank, on account of
some informality in the drafts or bills, it was the prisoner's
duty, in such cases, to entrastlitsimme in a book,
runs assigned. On examining the book on the 6th. ipst. the
bill for 5001. was entered as unpaid. In order to satisfy the
Bank of the gennineness 'Hite instrnment, it was memorial-
ized by one of the partners,mill again presented ; when they
were informed that it was paid with the other hills on the first
presentment. The prisoner was in consequence taken into
enstody. This being proved, he was remanded.
A pretty looking g,irLabinit 14, was charged by Mr Mlntoe.
landlord of the Three lierring% public-house, In Crec Church-
lane, Aldgate, with sit olio, :t di.k et, confaiiiing necklaces.
ear-rings, and other trinkets of considerable valve, the pro-
perty Olds daughter. The complainant was formerlyair Of.
licer in the army, aid the articles in question were presented
to him while on service in India. for the use of his daughter., '
They were on that account much prircd.by the latter, and
ways kept locked in her apartment. A short time ago the
prisoner came to the boost, and stated hersdtfi.to be wholly::
destitute, that she bad an aged father in great distress, and..,.
requested to be employed. Mr. M. with no other recom-
mendation than her own story and appearance, took her into
his service. She had been ban a few weeks in his house when .
she was observed to be repeatedly intoxicated. This led to
inquiries; the casket was missed, and the coutents traced to
her possession. Mr. M. had no wish to prosecute the girl 1 but .
hoped that. something might he done to save her from destruct.
don. The Lord Mayor ordered her to be remanded, and he
would endeavor-1r to provide for her.

BOW-STREET.
Saturday se'nnight Bishop the officer arrived in town with
Henry Peisse, lute a principal clerk in the Navy Pay Office
at Poi tsmouth, charged with having absconded from the of=
lire about two months since, with .12,01. in his possession.—••
Bishop, who was cmploye•d to pursue him, traced him to Lon-
don, m here he took his place in the name of Parsons, by a
Dover coach to Dover, from there to Calais, and on to Paris.
Tile officer obtained the interference of Lord Castlereagh
atm 10 Charles Stuart, our Ambassador at Pails, and his
lacclh icy applied to the F reach Police. It being a Govern-
ment Jobbers, they sanctioned the execution of the Euglish -
warrant granted uy Mr. limn, , in France. The French
Potter Office's, however, insisted upon accompany iii Mtn till
he was out of France. The partienlars of the (mat ce were
not gone into on that day bid on the application ol• the So-
licitors to Or Navy Pay Office, the prisoner VI .1,4 of tiered to
be conveyed to Portsmouth, wnere the witnesses to support
the charge reside, and the otiotee having been committed iss
Ilampshire, he will tre tried at W int litster at the ensuing
A!.suzes.

HOW AT TUE ECCESTRIC SocseTv.—At a Society called
the Eecentite, held at Great liussel•sti ern, the' c uru^e uu the
uight of the 4th instant a dispute among some of the members,
when Lieut. Church was expel.ed the society. Ott the Sunday
night follow, mg Mr. Num, a gentleman of the lass, aho is a„
member of the Eccentric Society, was supping at the Shake.,
speare, when he was called out into the passage by Lieut. '
Church, who charged lulu with has iug used very coarse and.
opprobi ions epithets towards him, and Cave him a very violent
blow in his face, notssitlistandims Mr. Noel's positive denial
of having used suck language. Since that time Lieutenants
Church and Breery, and Mr. F. Clan ise(the two last still mem-
bers of the Eccentrics), having acted towards Mr. Noel and
Mr. liemilersou, a friend of his iii the law, with the 'mende'
of provoking a duel, warrants were issued against th.ms foe
a breach of the peace ; and OW their being brought before Mr..
Birnie liar examination, Lieut. Church wished to go into the
question upon which he svas expelled from the Eccentric So-
ciety ; but the Magistrate refused to hear it, obwreing, that
the laws and regulations of the Eccentric Society were not
before him; it trassuflicieut for him that a breach of flue peace
had been committed, and as had been clearly pros eit against
him by his assaulting Ms. N out.-- Lieutenant Church said be
was a stranger in London, and was nut prepared u ith bail,
our could he procure it fur a day or two ; lie was, therefore,
ordered into custody. Lieut. Breery, against whom it was
proved that lie had sent a challenge, pleaded a similar excuse
of being a stranger in London, and therefore nut being pre-
pared with bail ; a professional gentleman, however, an agent
of hisatteruey at Hull,agreeu to bail him. It not being proved
that Mr. Clarke knew the contents of the letter he delivered.
and that lie gave his name and address on his being asked to
do so, he was discharged.
Font: ERILS.—A man, mimed Thomas Fagan, was on Moa•
day brought to the Office, iu consequence of the vigilance of
Brown tilt Officer, who, having seen hint at a public-house
with some suspicious property, determined at once to have
him examiaed, as a probable thief'. He turned out to be a
snore mischievous character than Brown suspected ;and with
the improvidence which usually and most fortunately attends
roguery, himself gave the clue which led to his detection.ass
He said, lie belonged to the Co iiiii nasal iat Department. Ex
inky was made, and it was found that he had been discharged
limn that Otlice on suspicion of having comtnitted several
forgeries. On his being put to the bar, there appeared against
him a Cashier of the miles: of Mr. Campbell, the Army Agent,
who charged hint with having forged the name of Mr. John
Wyatt to several receipts for pi izesantmey, and having receiv-
ed the mouey in his personated character. A clerk from the
office of the Accouutanf-Geuvrahprctcrn Cuba similar complaint.
Ttie prisoner was remanded.
THAMES POLICE OFFICE.
RonnenY ox THE Tli AM LB.--.-A110111(.1' instance 4.f rob-
bery nu the river Thames has recently ueeureil. The offen-
ders ate two lightermen, iu the employ of air. Sage, and the
value of the goods stole,' to the amount of 2UOOI. 'the cit-
ruinstaiwe, under which the robbery was committed are
these:—Mr. Pope, of Manchester, having putt:int:ma sonic
goods of Mess's. Gilman and Co. of New gate street, erdercd
them to be packed and shipped on Wald the John Palmer.
lying oil Gravesend. The goods were accoidtattly packed
ove boxes and one trunk tinder the direction of 'ti. Cross,
belonging to Gilman's house : and after being duly examilted
at the Custom-house- were delivered at Galley Quay, Thames-
street, to W. U. &Wilton and J. itollinsoo, two lightertuelt