The National Register.
London, England, 1821-12-31 00:00:00

London :

MONDAY, DECEMBER M.

GENERAL WARRANTS.

We had always supposed that these Wens on the
British Constitution had been for ever dune away
with, and the memory of Wilks has been consecrated
to futurity on account of the active share he had in
their destruction—but we think they are now vir-
tually revived—Warrants have been recently granted
tier the arrest of persons demribed as those " whose
names are unknown," and parties have been arrested
and ordered to find bail under such warrants. Now
we know very well, that when Sir Rubel t Wilson
was easheired, nut only without trial, Lut without
even the crime he WAS charged with hieing made
known to him, it was implied that the cruel, harsh,
unjust, and unconstitutional measure had originated
in depositions sworn against him—that he denied
their truth—that he proved their falsehood, and yet,
that on his application to Lord Sidmouth for copies
of those depositions, for the purpose of indicting the
the parties for perjury, his Lordship coolly replied
..--that he did not consider it his duty to comply
with Sir Robert Wilson's demand.—Now to sup-
pos,2 a case—to lut the thing (as Lord Liverpool
once said in the House of Lords, before he drew
a demoniacal female character, and afterwards ap-
plied it to one, who is, no doubt, in Heaven,
and perhaps interceding for her cold-blooded perse-
cutors in this world), to put it hypothetically, let
us suppose that instead of the present administra-
tion, a future period should see us cursed with 0n.2,

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THE NATIONAL REGISTER

whose members would sacrifice every thing to their
inclination to rule Despotically—and instead of our
present beneficent Monarch, let us suppoke their
Master to be a man who preferred ruling by fear
rather than love—who would rather applaud the
bloody butchery of his subjects, than the concilia-
tion of his people—and to carry on our hypothesis,
lettlte frank and amiable Lord Sidmonth be suc-
ceeded by a Man of little mind—one, who tho' fold
of employing Spies, should be always a dupe to their
artful and interested misrepresentations—one who
would submit to be the abject tool of some tyrannical
blood-thirsty Irishman, who, after having irretriev-
ably injured his own country, should come to a
seat in the Cabinet to render ours a similar service—
if we say, and we have high authority for putting it
hypothetically, such total changes should take place,
might not, according to the newly introduced system,
some patriot opposer of power and violence be incar-
cerated us" a person unknown," and might nut jus.
tice hereafter be denied against the tools of a bad
Government, by the then Secretary of State for the
Home Department, declaring that he did not " con-
sider it his duty to deliver up the depositions" by
which his myrmidons might be brought to condign
punishment. These are points worthy of medita-
tion—it is much easier to correct an innovation
when it first is introduced, than to effectually com-
bat when-precedent may be pleaded in support of

THE MOST Nade THE MARQUIS or QUEENS-
BERRY V. THE CARLISLE JOURNAL.—It Will be re-
collected by our readers that, in Nlarch last, the
proprietors of the above journal were triad and con-
victed for a libel upon the character of this noble-
man. Three months' imprisonment in a gaol 300
miles front their tumults, city, and business, marked
the sents of the Court upon the impropriety of
their behaviour ; and considerable injury to their
property, as well as the temporary loud of anxiety
during their absence, were, of course, the conse-
quences. It appears, however, that there arc souse
who think this punishment for stating things they
were not permitted to prove was not sufficiently
severe, but that a Cotilititieti attack should be made
on their business and means of subsistence by
threats of vengeance to all who took in their paper.
The following letter will explain what we mean.
We copy it without a rem. rk :
" ANNAI4, Dec. 1821.
" Gentleinen,—Enclosed yon will receive which
I thi. flay Itcrived titian Mt.— sit via i ailll ritelttr 111
of —, in pa) iteat of that genii. istan's
net omit to you. Mr. toil me lie was sorry, as well
as to rise tip the paper, by laming that the
Mat toils it Queemtherty came to one slay, and
s.uelog the Garlialc Journal, 11141111 ed if bury took it ill; un
being 4116% tied in the affirmative, he gut into a violent
passion, 4111.1 d—d either to give it op us lie insist
on hi- giusioit. This ht Mg, yr. eeee laud, lie
.4i,1 he a-saild sei,tl him a Lou:11011 paper, altlell ever) per-
Nllll ought to reap; and %A hat son. Mill better, withoist
ti-
ps flee. This he ha- ',rift/11111'd, it) wending tlitisi 4 weekly
pap. r, callt.ti the Juhn Unit, evei v.iiee; and Mr.
41•,,tre.1 site that he to ite•ett Slit ie aas a titacia of them
i) tog at —, al lon "'rot pent d
" I 21111, geitileint it, 'omit truly,
" JAS. MILLIAMNON.
" Mesartt. lorietteta, . . .

Extract of a letter from a gentleman in the South
of Ireland, dated Dec. 22, distur-
ounces in this country seem to be subsiding very
much, and no doubt they will thr the present yield
to force A special commission is no., sitting at
Limerick, and eight criminais are under sentence of
death, and tour have undergone that punishment,
making 12 in all. This commission is adjourned to
the 6th January, and it is thought there will then
be, at leen, thirty more capitally convicted in Lime-
rick. They will inlet wards sit in Twice, Ennis, and
Cork, so that you will perceive the vengeance of thy•
law will be promptly visited upon those wretches
who were administering a summary law of their
own to those whom they narked tad fur vengeance.
In the meantime the house of every gentleman in
the country, who retains his arms, is converted into
a garrison—upn the upper window-stones of each
house are placed heavy I cis to let fall upon the
nightly assailants-.-the trout and back windups of
the ground fluor are also planked with heavy timber,
and secured with iron-work. A man bethre he is
let into a gentlen►an's house experiences the cau-
tious delays that are wont to prevail in gaols, while
musketry, pistols, and ammunition are at hand to
repel any attack. Every little village in this coun-
try has a party of soldiers, and, in addition, we have
the Peelers. The roads at night are patrolled by
these bodies, and many men have thus been ar-
rested. I think Government bas dune every thing
to repress these di,turbances (except the assembling
of Parliament), and they are certainly subsiding.