The National Register.
London, England, 1821-02-12 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER

doubt eniertained by any one upon that subject. He had
no means of objecting to the letter written' to the jury,
and which appeared on the day of the hon. defendant's
trial. When the lion. baronet w Ins passage through the
country heard of the bloody acts at Ailluiclivster, lie had
every oration to believe what WAS narrated in the news-
napes s, which remained tincoutradieted at the present
day. When a man, a representative in parliament heard
of such bloody deeds, was it lint his duty as a man and a
gentleman to express the sentiments be had written ? It
Was iueumbrnt on him to call our the gentlemen of the
county I. show that [Ley were lad insensible to the sill-
feints..., of their county. Was a man atitiva upon sorb
au occa to write coolly and with 1114111 C matieal preci-
stun ? Could an Englishman and afi tend to reform write
any oilier way ? The quotation Wool Shakespear, of
bloody Netts's, was forced, as it were, from him. 'l'he
tact was, that some were slaughtered. others wounded.—
'I be father found his on dead, the sister her brother, and
the mother her son, %dieting in his blood. Ali. Denman
cited the account which Nye:lied in the papers describ-
ing the awful scene. It %%rut on to impute to the refor-
mers euwardice, rather that' violestee on that occasion--
collid lie said of those oho could induce their :yoveiii
reign to return thanks? If the honourable barmiest hail
spoken of such transaciiiiii• with calm composure an-
impotent language, it would have 141VVII a sanction to the
act. When the thing somild occupy tile futtire con,lded
lit posterity (and it was said there was no rides.
voile mink by goyetlllllllll to 3111.11/41 the authots of hurl'
a calamity, and that punishment WAS imposed ou hull
whose objects were (audible) what would lie the emielsi-
stun ? Ile would nut sisppose the court could yield to
popular clamour ; but lie would a,ly, if this hail happened
a century ago, would they not censure the proceeding ?
This relict tom wottlil pet lisps induce them not to visit
with severity a noun whose MO IVO, were good, but whose
language had been %aim. Tiro offence was simple con-
fined to those expressions which he did not justtly. Ili
sound legal discretion they should sail have been allowed
to find the way in publication, but tile court would not
admit that the expression 11t too much feeling, iu calling
for justice, should be piiiiisheil so as to check the best
feeling of Ilse human Item t.
Mi. Phillips, Mr. Blackman, and Mr. Evans followed
on the sane side, and at glued in strong terms that the
sentence of the Court ought to be lenient. Judge Black
stone had 'clearly laid down the light of the people to
Hike( fur the purpose or petitioning, 411,1 whru that right
ails violated, the Innionrable bat onet addressed to iris
countsymen and constituents the language of an honest
111411.

'fife Attorney General stood there to ask their Lord-
ships'ititiginent, after a verdict of a Jury had I I the
deli:infant guilty of the wiener fur which be stood in that
The ipiestion iodine their lordships wa., whetttar
the. nlutive•ot the 110110111414 e deteml4lll WAS quill ur bail
lle had hoard the athdavits, and, giving credit to the de-
tend-int fur all he °titled, he was bound to tell him, that,
how e-Vrr Ili, Wilt his leo-bugs carte, he most take Cale how
he expressed those feelings. The tan ids of the hull.
baronet should have iiidtle turn 11101 e cautious It was in
consequence of his high raid, and iiditsence mat the nori
eras mule likely to ire inisehier nu*. 'late Court would
calmly and dispassionately cunsitici the whole case, and
%slide their sentence was tree front bindietive faelnig,
they should also take tale the public should be pro-
tected.

The Solicitor General declined adding any observations
to those tii•Uc by the Atioruey General.
The Judges then tif liburated hear half an hour.
Mr. Justice Bayley then lout iiiiii ictO jwhun nt. II
Lindsay, addressing Sir F. 13u dell, sulJ it 'soli his painful
mid thinteasaut duty, tit Inc stioattaii be. nein, to pass MI him
the sentence, which, after a Col efill COasalelillloll of all the
cil cutustances, the tom t felt themselves called upon to pass.
It happened in the course of tile ploceedings I. variance.
of opinion had happened, which ditterruces had been alluded
to this day. It was, however, a dilference of u IA.01'114:4'1
description, namely, whether there was a proof of the
piiblicutimi in the County of Leicester 1 There cou.d, how-
ever, have beesi no &min, if the Court had granted it he w
trial, other esiddirr might have been found to she w it aus
circulated in the county, and that a mild in law have been a
publication, In Ine letter to Lord Solomon the defend:nit
admitted himself to be the author, and that thing the case,
it a as for the court to say a list was a proper punishment tor
a libel of this nature and character. It was impossible to
say a hat oh. the exact state of the public mud tit tlw time
the letter ails a riit, ii, Wilk ideation to the facts Oa
the libel aas found, d. It a;o, hot% ever, fnuntled on facts
of a Inch the writer ails ignorasit, but wt itten lcr great
excitements Coming, flit a a member of Parliament, a Mall
Ot rank and ellat.i. Ire, aa it dot, the letter must have ni-
-1 co-eat. 41 Unit est iteimni. I,Ut It au, that the letter tt its
written (us indeed from its style is appaietit ) in g. rat haste,
and under the 1.11 .ence cacti. a leelitt4s. file
Innicanahle deb-inlaid had just, :is he niniselt had sthted)
read is some neabillilWrs a bialealellt, Which represented
that men, women, and Clai.urell, peaceably usiclnblyd, had
been cut down by armed !once in cold blood. (hod forbid
that la this country any mail vu-oild read such, U statement
u. Illy without horroe amid iudignaliou. Rat the hoanurable
&reactant should have recollected, that lie had no right to
assume tile facts to have bee.' to front the statements in the
newspaper.—lie should also have. knots ii, that the crime
which escited his iiiilOiation was the highest known to Ike
laws, and the proof of amen would reach the life of the
party id parties conniitthg it. The him. Its 1 should,
theiefore have borne in mind, on so imp°, tatit and solemn
an occasion, that the law secured for every man, Whall!VVf
were his crime, a cool aid imp: i teal trial l and that to ex-
cite tne pulthe 'mud w hide yet Orr pail) 5541 Opel) to the
tribunals of the law, ass to dose minate a prejudwe from
hich it was the especial object of Cie law to protect every
indit idual. The I Baronet had also assumed, ait 'tout the
smallest proof, that the Goveniment Welk, a iilrraoulaattag
party to the oil rage all *lnch lie made SO bl MIRK a COMMCIa.
Taw Court tak log into crowd. raison all the circumstances
01 the tu.e, din hider and ailjutlAe—'Taut the defendant,
Sir Francis Burdett, for this idience, do pay a line of il/001.
and glint lie be inipris 1111 l .01 in the custody of the Alarshal Of
the SLirshalsea, Go the trim of Once calendar months, and
remain hum tamed till th. h.,e o paid.
The sentence a a- ie., ova (no doubt from its comparative
Mildness) with Mod oeministratiiiiis of app gut., Which
called forth the repreliensmo Cool t.
The Honourable Brionet was cotigralulated by his
friends alto *etc to Con: t, among about. in addition to
the Mimes al• hate b. hoe men, d, wet it Mr. Lellailloll,
Sir Robert Wilsaii, Ali. 11.-imett, and several other Aleut-
bets of Parliament. (Li a back scat, bclrlud the Counsel,
we ob d Ur. 11. Juiimei.

The sentence was received without the walls of the
Court by acclamations from an immense concourse of the
people, who were waiting in expectation of the appear-
WWl' ut 'ir Francis.

Soon after the sentence the Hon. Belt. drove Mr with
the tipstall and Mr. Holdionse, in a hackney-conch, over
Westinimter-hridge, to the King's Bench.

FRIDAY, FEB. 9.
FORGERY OF COUNSEL'S SIGNATURES.

Is THE sivrecit or •NTIIONY %ATM, GENT.
J...ssupp HU a former clay obtained a rule to show
ca.ise, wily this gentleman, an Amours, of the Court.
should not answer the matters of an affidavit, why he
aholifil not be struck oil Ole rolls, out the alleged ground
of his hating forged the name of counsel to pleas and
other proceedings requiring the signature of a gentleman
at the bar, and thereoy putting the fees dire thereon lino
his own pocket. The trained counsel now prayed that
the rule 'mot be made absolute, on an affilat it of ser-
vice, no cause being shots n.
Mr. Justice Holroyd (the only Judge in Court) said,
tl.at as the first part of the rule was of 4 C 1111111) il 'wore,
it was better to make that part of it absolute ? lot his
Lordship ordered that part which prayed that the party
might be struck off tile rolls, should be carried lino
dityCl ; and tile rule was alp.olute accordingly.
We iiiideri.tatid this species of fraud has been som-
milted mint extensit ely by some unworthy members of
the profession ; and in order to its detectitut and punish-
ment, it is intended to issue from the roll office, at the
end of each term, a printed last of pleas, purporting to be
signed by comisel, for the purpose of abet:it:lining the
genuine from the lOrged siBnattires.l

THE ICING V. HARPER, EDWARD., AND OTHERS.
THIS was a rule c.tllmg on the defeotiMils it, thew
cause why a criminal information sitotild not be filed
against them tar the writing and circulating certain
placards. in the town of S final', libelling the character
of NI r. 13rown, an attorney of that town.
The Court u3ketl if the defendants were willing to
pay the costs of this application.
Atter some discussion, the Court ordered the rule to
be enschar,4ed, on payment of costs, or nude absolute,
as the deleml hits pie.tsed.

LIBEL AGAINST THE QUEEN.
When the Court met this morning, Mr. Parke applied
to the Court to have the Hide enlarged which was ot.s•
tattled by Mr. Brotsgham, on Saturday last, against the
Hee. thascow, A. for a Sermon he prkached at
St. Mark's CiallrCll, I.l.erpool.
Mr...11136er. Bayley directed Mr. Parke to consult whit
Mr. Brougham, who was not in Court, and mention
Its application .1111.