The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-10-05 00:00:00

'. .

THE BRATiSii PRESS.

LON DON,
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1840.

Mr. BROUGHAM yesterday concluded his able
and ingenious comment upon the evidence adduced
at the bar of the House of Lords, to support the
allegations contained in the preamble of the Bill of
Prins and Penalties, and was followed by Mr.
WILLIAMS, who undertook to pursue the course
over which Mr. Baoua R•M had passed with such
distisigui•lied success. Mr. Wfwasts had not
concluded his address when the hour arrived for the
adjournment of the House, so that the Learned
Counsel will have to resume his observations this
morning.
Mr. BROUGHAM, it will be observed, has con.
fined himself exclusively to commenting upon the
mariner in which the present prosecution has beep
prepared, upon the character of the witnesses, the
nature of their testimony, the interiml traces of
perjury it exhibited, its contrarieties, and the utter
impossibility of the charges urged against the
QUEEN having- been founded in truth. Tbe so-
lemn stillness that reigned in the House of Lords
during the long period of Mr. BROUGHAM'S ad.
dress, the anxious attention with which it was re.
ceived, indicated the powerful impression it made
upon the minds of the Noble and Learned Judges.
On the literary excellence of the speech we shall
offer no remark, for this was no occasion for an idle
display of rhetorical skill, in which the interests of
the party and of justice were to be esteemed u
secondary to the ambition or vanity of the speaker.
Mr. BaOUGHAM treated the subject with equal
prudence and uhility ; and while his speech gave
evidence, in every sentence, of a d richly stored
with classic treasures. modern and ancient, he
placed the assunince of his Illustrious Client's in-
nocence upon a basis so strictly intellectual, that it
would argue a deficiency in the reasoning powers
of the individual who could question the correct.
ness of his conclusion. The contrarieties which he
has sheen, in the several statements of the most ill)*
portunt witnesses, upon points too of primary mo-
ment, are of themselves sufficient to brand them
with perjury in these particular instances; and it
is a rule adopted in our Courts, drawn from the
eassision sense of mankind, that if the falsehood
of a witness be made apparent in any one instance,
SD reliance eau be reposed on his depositions in
any other. Thus he she's MAJOCCIII false, DE-
taortT false, DIROLLO filar, and Ssccut false;
and as with these witnesses the prosecution has
risen, so it must perish iu their disgrace. But toot
even to these internal evidences of the perjury of
the;e witnesses clues Mr. BROUGHAM confide for
overthrowing the prosecution ; he has apprised the
House of Lords that bewail prove the perjury alleged
by such witnesses as must command the confidence
of their Lordships, and lie has held out a threat with
respect to one of the witnesses fur the Bill, the
cook Diaou.o, which we hope sincerely he will
carry into effect. This fellow he bus threatened to
prosecute for lie gross perjury, and it would seem
that others of the Italian gentry who have figured
at the bar of the House of Lords. have been
saved front exchanging this scene of their appear.
at for one kss dignified at the bar of the Old
Bailey, solely by their wore judicious exercise of
their surprising faculty of forgetting.
We cannot believe that them is is England a

atm whose mid NboplAtifilieffpri to ►seeise the
'truth, who, however h• eult`she bee• previews',
. _
impressed with a notion tbi* fibs `witnesses whist
the Qualm were deserving of credence. does not
Dow, after having read MG Piot/totals'? speech.
feel that the charge/ tired anis* her MaJesnr
have boos very considerably shaken. We kus*
how tenacious is prejudice when once l how.
seised •post the mind, sad wu what obstinacy
a principle of robe pet*/ will induce many per.
sons to cling to Su °pinkie •raze el/premed, con.
Irony even to the evidence of the senses. Foe
this reason we do not expect that the Ministerial
Paperandl have candour 'slough to admit the over•
throw of the pro...coition ; but if Mr. Baouonates
witt►etsss shall prove •hat he Ism promised, we
shall claim it from her Maierre's enemies as a
matter of right that they do not suffer themselves
by any mranr, direct or Implied. to cast • centers
upon her MAJESTY, or appear to attach cred►t to
calumnies which had rested solely upon the evidence
of persous publicly and solemnly *hewn to have been
usiwosthy of belief. Let it be ever remembered that
her MAJESTY is the accused party, and that if her
enemies do not prove their charges, she must, in law,
in reason, and in common justice. be considered as
innocent. Their failure places the accused in the
same situation as if the charge had never been
brought, and how can a charge be •►ore effectually
and satisfactorily repelled than by proving pe►jury
in the witnesses who have been brought forward to
support it ?
Mr. BROUGRAN, at the close of his •perch,
took occasion to remove the erroneous impression
that too generally prevailed in this couu•ry respect.
iug the law birth and mean fortunes of BERGANt,
and the infereoce thence derived that hi. elegance*
was to be attributed to the criminal attachment of
the QUEEN. HEIMAN' is, it seem., a Gentleman
by birth. His father was possessed of landed pro-
perty, which conferred upon time holder a title of
nobility, but having by his extravagance involved
his property is embarrassment., his son BEE-
OASII sold the remains of if, for the pious purpose
of paying his father's debts. While in General
Places service, BERCIAMI dined habitually at the
table of the General, who was at the time the
Commander-in-Chief of a district ; and when he
entered into the service of the Mincers of '''ALES,
it was with the usiderstiosiling that he was to be
promoted to • situation of rank m►d confidence
upon the first opportunity. This stotemeut re-
quires no comment.

The PitrirPapers of Sunday last mit principally occupied
with altmtatious draws from official sources respectiag the
birth of Ilia young Priam, and with recounting the eimgro.
Watkins received from various quarters by lIMI Royal Fa.
wily upon this happy event. The bulletins of the medical
attendants represent the Duchess of Bastaw sod her infant
as haus in a very favourable state. The KING, to testify
his joy at the birth of a Prince, has distributed amatrona
decorations and orders of knighthood.

A proposition bar been presented to the Cortes of Spain
which is likely to receive their approbation. It decla►es
that Spain shall be an inviolable asylum fur all Greigners
.ho shall, on conforming to the laws, enjoy all the 'Jean.
tages possessed by Spaniards. A second proposition grant.
to all Spaniards the right of speaking and writing upon pub-
lic affairs, but public meetings shall nut be held without the
authority of she local magistrates.