The National Register.
London, England, 1819-12-27 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL ILEGISTIM

TO TIII rhEcrotts OF' WESTMINSTER.ASSFiI.
AT Tile CROWN AND ANCIIOii Dec. 16.

Seagate, Dee. 17.
Ge:itlesoen,--Arlte letter addressed to use by the
tors of %Veststiiiister assembled A the Crown anti
Ittichrir Tavern, and Inch Sr h. Bort'ett, with the
r your nieetiog, Ise done lutethe honour
to pit... Atilt to ote in Co is prisoo, w.ll snore 111,111 CORII,VII*
sa e for any inconvenience n inch I may eiwiain in enli-
st (pence of the late tole o:. the House of Cutout m.. its
times like the-e et ery !Wet is eallal upon feat testily to do
his duty to the ',oldie; and if soy conduct has met Lie
approbation 01 5./ CIIIIIII`Vt0:11 a b•tdy as the e!eetors of
Wiromiloaer, it is null to he W011411:11 :11, that I should
have wets...red Inc 411,10r.i..tac of the upitolsicrs of a trot•
ruin and 41.911011 C •yarns.
Vise same a •seatibly.that dooms all their fellow.coun-
trymeti to perpetual servitude can hare little compunction
in sentencing an individual so temporary iCilfilus; and
since those who have sent me to this place look for the
justification of their Met, nut its the old English
laws, tour in the principles of c nnn noun justice, but in
certau► extravagairt pretensions of Data predecessors,
which they are pleased to term precedents. I sisould per-
haps praise their forbearance, witless has contriasctl itself
witit simple intprisonmen►, instead of following the
more atria:irons ex•uuples that arc to be found in the re-
cords of Parliament.

In one respect, indeed, I am given lervantl, that
the honourable 'louse hats been pleased to dispylise anu
eel es its OWII USAF". 111 the last ease ut alleged libel—
that of slr. Josses, its 18 10—M r. Speak'? Abbott ask,
the accused, what he (sad us say in his behalf; and
1111011 hts reply, agaiis said, " Bare you any thing more
to say in your behalf ?"

In the Howie of L,rtiy which certainly must be al-
lowed to sit sutnetinler, h, a j•to,vl.l capacity, but whose
power to c • has hero repeated!) questioned, a hear.
ha!, 1 believe, been p. 141111.11, for in the
casco! Flower, in 1779, Lord and Justice Kenyon re.
fused the auplic Mon 1M a habeas corpus, partly on the
idea tilt flower was " heard in his defence, and had
the same opportunity of calling winiest•vs OW every
other defendant has to a Court of Justice."

The case most similar .n the present practice appears
to be that of S,r Joint Mortimer, iu the reign of lleury
VI. who being brought into tile Parliament, wed
arraignment or illlYwer, was adjorliterl " to be committed
to the Tower of laintloo, to he drawn tbroligis the city
to'l'vburn, and there lianged,drawn.amt q entered; his
head to be it upon bride, and his loin quit ers
ou the four gates of latridmi." Bat even here Sir Jelin
was " brought in;' and his judgment was pr oenced
by both Houses; yet Lord Coke, whose authority the
defenders of " poi, liege" are so eager to quote, declares
that "the proceeding was evil, for (lie adds) by the Sta-
tute of Magna Otani., cap. 21), anti 28 c.
ul man ought to condemned workout Iin.SLOCI." For the
accounts I beg to direct you to Cubbeti.'s State Trials,
vol. I. p. tG7 p and the 4ib Institute, 33.
What breach of privilege it, no man can tell ; and
even fur thus stating my opinion that the honourable
lieruse has overstepped its own precedents, it is possible
that I nosy be resomved Iroin this prison to the dungeon
" Little Ease" in tile Tower, as was the ease with the
Walden of the Fleet in the year 1606, for contumacy
after commi tttttttttt Same persons oltenuing the honour-
able House have been fined, others forced to kneel at
their bar. othc..s paraded on horseback with their face, to
the tail. But a debated precedent can never establish a
positive right ; and privilege of Parliament, in the sense
itti.v resorted 111, hit ()ern questioned trona time to time
by the hest and ablest of our ancestors, as well as by
contemporaries.
At hitrary proceedings may make martyrs, but cannot
make cornetts. If it was always toy tyucou that the
[lotto. of Commons has no right to ctrionit to prison tOr
coostruetwe libel, 1:1111 not likely loch: Hoge that ownii,i)
I will lint, however, toool4e lit any ituifottio
von p'aint, but eittleav(oor to conduct myself as let conies
the 111:111 who has been distinguished by your approba-
tion; and no act of urine, either on this or any oilier
occasion, shall tend to cominotoi•e the rights and fiber
ire, of my fellow-countrymeo.—Believe tile, gentlemen,
to be, with unfeigned gratittole, your obliged fellow-
citizen, JOHN ('A't Iloonouse.

FRAUD IN ALE BREWING.—WE are intimated
that an eminent Ale Brewer in the metropolis is
under judgment of the Commissioners of Excise
to an immense amount for making use of deleterious
drugs. It is said that he has memorialized the
Lords of the Treasury to remit the tine, but we have
too it'll reliance on their Lordships' anxiety for the
health of the working claws to suppose that they
will sflbrd impunity to the perpetrator of so vile an
act.
We were enabled to give, in a late paper Lord
Sidmouth s circular, for the suppression of seditious
meetings: the following has been addressed, by his
Lordship, to the Lords-Limenant of the northern
counties :
w hit hall, Der.
.113.

•' Nly Lord,—ln lißnsinitting to you landshop the act
of Pal liainent to authorize Justices of the Pt•act . w reunion
cousitivs, 11l seize and detain .rtes canceled um, kept for
purposes dan4ertous to the pub ic, n hit+ ret eked the itakill
asst•nt this Jar, I think it right to i.o.pre b upon your
Lind:4llp, and to request your Lordship to too prrsr u,o on the
Mattioitt Stitt acting toil lilt the cloolis nt -the es-
male inlpuuliit Itoat th., art should he ►ilnr'rd ith
vigilaore nod Itctivoi, out all it n • places heir the
practices against u hill, it no doectea ore Inu•ued.
I hat. far h.o.ont, ti tie tsie
as
11. %I. Lkutei..tio ut tin• ci.oot% of— • NI
Oil Staniar sc.n iight, or eilriy On NlOntiily noon hob
the Ally of tiro. Denny, 1111 Inner, LOWestun, Was bro-
ken iota, mid all the gouda carried away, except a few
vicco u 1•

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