The National Register.
London, England, 1820-03-12 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

neat ; he has apostatized frequently ; and in South-
wark apostacy is abhorred, not rewarded as it is
elsewhere. A strong contest will certainly take
place for the county of Middlesex ; it will be seen,
that a Whig Candidate has been started in the per-
son of the late Mr. Whitbread's second Son; and
we rejoice to state, that Sir Francis Burdett nomi-
nated, and will support him ; we rejoice at this for
two reasons ; that, because we heartily wish him
success, and know that Sir Francis is a tower of
strength, and secondly, because we hope we see in
the worthy Baronet's coming forward a pledge of
that re-union of parties that all good men must wish
—Travellers may proceed pleasantly and advanta-
geously tegether on a journey, though going difs
ferent distances, and there can be no reason why
the Whigs and the Ultra Rcfbrmers should not asso-
ciate their Aims till reform has been obtained, as
far as the more moderate reformers wish it, and
each can secede as soon as he thinks enough has
been done. The dissentious created by the ene-
mies to all tefbrm, between its friends in different
degrees, have done more injury than any thing
else to the God-like cause A Spanish proverb
says, that " The devil always serves his friends at
a last pinch ;" and ministers may well apply the
proverb to themselves, in the discovery of the Cato
Street Gang at the moment of dissolution ; although
no justification of their five infamous measures—al-
tho%h neither of those measures can be made of
utility fbr the punishment of the gang, nor was of
use in discovering it, yet the panders of ad-
ministration actually make it a grand stalking-
horse to prove the necessity of them, and aided by
the cry of danger and ramification, and half a dozen
other equally unfiamtled and (Oohs!' cries, many
weak-minded men will be induced to vote in their
favour, who would have opposed their minions but
fur this inter

A puerile attempt at opposition was made to the
late worthy Members fin. Norwich—how contemp-
tible it was, may be seen by the account we give of
it in another column.

" Tile peace of the County of Norfolk is not to be
disturbed," for such is the phrase of the day ;bu
the real meaning of this language is, that, by the
side oi the undaunted Champion of Freedom a
Gentleman is about to be returned to Pa. liament
without opposition, who will be found, in these
perilous times, pursuing Po equivocal line in the
train of despotism. Of his parliamentary career we
have lately given such a sketch, as to
,justify the
most melancholy forebodings of his future ootalect,
and to warrant the most gloomy anticipation tot* his
coming atchievements in the ministerial rauks. We
particularly recommend his friends to ruminate
deeply on one of his public acts, and then to feel
triumph, if they can, in sending such a represents.
Live into the senate —We allude to his vote in favour
of a grant o!' 10,0001. a year to the Doke of York ;
a grant which, unlike the dew of heaven,. neither
blesseth him that gives nor him that takes. That a
county member, and that member one of the repre-
sentatives of this great and opulent county, should
not have deemed it foul scorn to lend himself to
such an act, is astonishing to us, even in this very
degenerate age of selfism, and of compromising obse-
quionsness.—When we invite the attention, of his
friends to this act, we do not appeal to the jorOg-
meta of that boost of pay-masters, contracterso, and
big stamp distributors, who will revel in his train
on the day of election : such men will at once deny
the existence of all public virtue; and the most
charitable reply we can make to them is, in the
words of Dr. .111116S011, who, on beirg told that
Foote was an atheist. said, " So is my great dog.
fur he never thinks:"—with such men, therefore,
we can hold no wmmunion.

Speaking of such men, Johnson say.:, " At the
conclusion of a ttigny years war how ,arc we recom-
pensed fimr the death of multitudes, and the expence
of millions, but by contemplating the sudden gin
ries of contractors, agents and paymasters, whose
cquipt4,res shine like meteors, and whose palaces ris

-_ .4+o-

like exhalations; these are the men who, without
virtue, labour, or hazard, are growing rich as their
country is impoverished; they rejoice, when obsti-
nacy or ambition adds another year to slaughter and
devastation; and laugh from their desks at bravery
an4l science, while they arc adding figure to figure,
and cypher to cypher, hoping for a new contract
from a new armament, and computing the profits
of a siege, or a tempest." Such men are wholly
disqualified from sitting on a jury to decide any
great question of public principle, but we appeal to
the calm and unbiassed judgement of those honest
and retired country gentlemen and yeomen, who
support our adversary, to know what are their con-
scientious opinions of the grant of 10,0001. a-year
to the Duke of York for performing those instinctive
offices of filial duty, which derive all their grace
from being unbought ; are their minds quite at
ease in returning a representative, who has parti-
cipated in an act of so find a character ? Does not
the restless anxiety of an upright mind harass theut
when they consult their pillows upon this base pros-
titution of the public money ? To the country
gentlemen, and the yeomanry, we look for a plain
unsophisticated answer to these queries, us we be-
lieve that they are a set of men who still cherish•
th:ise old-fashioned and primitive notions of integri-,
ty and justice, which have fled from courts and
cabinets.

extrema per ilios,
Juetiiia eseelleffit *eras vestigii fecal.

For the independent and enlightened Electors of
Norfolk we entertain the highest respect; and
we are persuaded that this high-spirited body would
have exulted at the approaching election, in mark—
ing their indignation at, and abhorrence of, such
atrocious grants of the public money, by their
support of a second candidate, determined to resist
and expose corruption, and resolved to prove him-
self a watchful guardian of the public purse ; but,
aim! circumstances which no human foresight
could anticipate—no human prudence could con-
troul, have disappointed the public hope—have
baffled the most sanguine and well-grounded expec.
tations, and have buried, in one common grave, the
filir speculations of caution and wisdom, and the
brighter visions of enthusiastic patriotism: but
still, under all these discouragements, the spirit of
the county is not extinct ;—it is, we trust, 1111•
quenchably alive, and will yet break firth into
glorious flame; though clouds intervene to darken
the horizon, though the evil genius has become
The Lord of the Ascendant, yet we are confident
that the good principle will finally outweigh all
malignant influence, and restore to truth and vir-
tue those bright honors, which are at present
eclipsed by the mists of prejudice, and -by the ob. •
scurations of artifice and corruption,
. .

Fond impious man ! tinniest thou yon sanguine orh.
kats'il by thy brei•th, has yoeueh'd the orb of day ?
To-morrow he repairs the golden Mood.
Awl Wartllb the nations with redoubled ray.

CITY' EL ECTIoN.—S:ate Of the Pull yesterday at
the close —Wood, 2,99o—Wilson, 3400—Waith-
man, 2,2l3—Thorp, Is—Lord Mayor, t2,59fi
Curtis, '2,961.
WestnOthierEledion.—State of the Poll yastercay
at the close.—Burdett, 1026-11ehlwuse, 91
Lamb, 607.

We arc indebted to Gold and Nortbouse's Lintatai
agazitht for the following pot trait of a well
known Alderman.—
. • •
a
READER, I beg hie pinion. I forget
Sir •••••••••-• was a Baronet,
And one of I ,nnilon's glorious corporation.
Which is in size the wonder of the nation ;
And was, in i po.nt of pinguity and pelf,
A corporation centred in himself;
Fl,r fancy. if at lea 4 your genius can,
A face :44 ruddy as it warning pal.
tt ith snout well finalist to Land the battle's !,ra it, .
Stork like a gallnnt fuglemsn in front
And snortels fair and and wonilerfil to see,
Rising in order from the par. nt tree..
And slily seeming from the mot' to is..cps,
I a coy virgin squinting in fill. sleep;
Eyes that firth like.wis•ights from the sconce,
And archly stitil'il a thousaad ways at one,
And looked below with sympathetic teary
On a limte chin, consisting of three tier,i
And then the well-built care.ute (oh coitiOund it),
Wotild tire you, it' you walk'd but four times round it
For it was wide capacious. and immense.
Aid kept, as one nould think, at v. .at expense.--
,

~.

ad

21551)e Sntelltionce.

HOME CIRCUIT—ESSEX LENT ASSIZES.
.1411.4thliAY, MARCH 9.
CIVIL SI UE —Saute • Sprei‘l Jury.

JAMES BKEWSThK, WSQ. v. 81,WI'LL AND SMOOTHY.
This was an Setiiill DM a libel. The declaration elated,
that before the grirvaittes c ... initit I by the defendants
therein-titer mentioned, the plainttif had been 111/sUred
in the Essex and Sullialk Fire I tssur ince Society, for his
house and premises, and that a fire having happened
thereon, he hail received a compensation fur the bailie,
from the said Societe, and that the defendants contriving
and intending to itijore him, &c published a malicious
libel, of and coiseeninig Liu., impaling that he had
falsely stated his loss, and had received a greater tom-
pen stion than was fairly due to front the said
Society.
The defendants pleaded, first—Nut Guilty, and, set
coed—a justification, that ilia supposed libel was trut.
The plaintiff replies', that tile defendant% had pub-
lished the libel of their own wrong, on which issue was
joined. The slaineves were laid at a,OOOl
Tots case excited very general interest iii the county,
oil aCCOUIit of WC Illatlleilee and respectanility of both
parties. At the last Assizes the cast was tried before
the same Learned Judge, but the phi 'if was isonsuited
upsei a technical intim total's ratlepeniiiiitt of the uterus.
Tile Court of Kind's Bench having unlined a 'sew trial,
the ease now came on in be disposed lit upon the merits.
The cause was called tau yesterday aft: moots about one
o'clock, and after the Court had been Orellpied until 1,
near eight in the reciting, the further proceedtiLs were
adjaurned mud this morning, when the trial was re-
sumed, and it slid not cootie to a conelusion instil four
o'clock this afiertioott.—The uncommon length of the
proceedings retailers it itnpoatible to give ally tiling inure
that. a sketch of the case.
The pl..11:11ff was a respectable Magistrate, residing at
Halsted, in this county; the defesulauts were also men
M . a respectable station society, and were Directors of
site Essex and Suffolk Fire Insurance Company, the
official business of which was conducted at Colcnester.
bath defendants were neighbour, of the plaintiff. In the
mantel ter Seinember, 1813, a Are happened at the farm
of the plaintiff at Halsted durifig his dbartice, and consi-
derable iiiischief was done. Tue premises had been
insured in the E,st'x and Suffolk Fire Office to a certain
amount on each building, &c. but to an antlmuu much
less titan the injury sustained. Next day Butler,
toe Society's Azent, residing at Chelmsfied, went over
to the farm ftlrelle purpose of estimating the amount of
the loss, end upon his report the Society paid the plaintiff
the soul of 1.1071. 61. as a full compensation for the
injury he ita:l austairitti upon each of the building, and
the farming stack Aral utensils insured respectively. The
total amount of the planitifirs loss was staled to be rattle.
snore than 1,7001. At this time the defendants were
on she MOM literally nuns with the plaintiff, and Mr.
luau Sewell, the sou of the tleft.titlamt, Mr. Sewell, was
els": to the Belled 001agistrates at Ilalstcd, having been
appointed to Ilia bl:taili;011 by the plaintiff. Up to list au-
tumn of 1816, no doubt was entertained of the fairness
of the plaostiff's claim for tile loss he had sustained
but in the mouth of S plcinber in that year, Mr least
Sewell has tug niarried a daughter of Mr. Daniel, an
attorney at olciaester, with whom he was about to en-
ter into copartiiership in business, he teas desirous of
distposins: of his por'essional practice at Halsted, for
winch lie had agreed with a prole:otos:al bentleistati at
the price of 1,0001. upon condition that the latter should
succeed him in Isis office of clerk to the Bench of Ma-
gistrates. The plainiiff havine refused to nominate the
etentlentantoposecl us a successor to Mr. Isaac Sewell
an that office, the treaty was broken off, and conse-
quently the latter lost the douctur for %%fleet he had
cipulated. To this circumstance was ascribed the feel.
jraz of hostility on the earl of the deli [Main,
weieit 'antilop d the Irael ill question, for, subsequently
to this period, the delttelatits, and Mr. 1,,...14.: S;;Well,
who had also become a Director of the F.re-office,
caused au ins-1114y to be made into the eiretiontances of
the plaintiff's lire, which had happened its 1e1:3, and
alter various discussious tin the sal jest, the defendants
its the result sent a leuer to the platiltiff on the 2Stit of
January, 1819, signed lay both, calling upon bins to
answer certain accusations touching the claim /Of fuss,
which he had made, and will; strong terms of reproach,
accusing hint of dishonourable. unfair, and fraudulent
conduct towards she Society, in having received sums
of money for particular Dellis specified, to wince he was
not entitled. In a subsequent communication they sent
him in the particulars of the objections to those stunts,
skill their feitaoll.4 why they might not to have been
allowed, and reiptirma him u, sloreitil his conduct before
the Directors of the Society. The plaimitt aent an an-
swer of ni,inly the :MC14.164111 brought
against hrus, and reterring hi. conduct L 0 the must strict
scrutiny. It was stated as oueuf the reasons .iceotaning
for this extraordinary conduct of the defendants, that
they had derived their inioimatimi toticlitog the alleged
fraud of the plaintiff, limn a Otscarded bailiff ofhisounied
Vewniaft, who hail billr't become a servant to a lady to
erhoin the defend:us'. Mr. Smoothy, web trustee and bro-
ther in law, and wit s had repeatedly listed threats towards
his late master. 'fa shew site atiesitua with which the
Ityel in euesti ill w.ll Diab!iditti. it was I 'ed that Mr.
Sewell foal ptinliely &hewn or real' copses of the paper to
elif.erent componies rl peremis to whine the plaild tit was
known; bad sent copes of it so friends of the ',Limit',
and others, and had even ill a public ata,ae coach bionalli
eise ',Hold's supposed traudident conduct into cams
IStillatloll, ' lot ',coons stratigrr3 to hiss., and Ireton
whom hr accused lm 1
a 0.. naralnnetst and distiotiourable
conduct totvarils.the Firenaffice. Mr. Sewell was slated
to be a gen:knows cf considerable substance, aid all
he had brought sip a family of 12 children. This was
e outline of the plaintiff's ease.