The National Register.
London, England, 1822-12-15 00:00:00

LONDON, SUNDAY', DECEMBER 13.

The affairs of Spain, and the line of conduct her
Government will adopt, on the receipt of the im-
pudent demands of the Cabinet of Saint-Cloud, are '
the topics that may be fairly said, at the present
moment, entirely to engross the political anxiety of
Europe—fears, that disgrace past experience of the
Spaniards, are entertained by many of those who
wish well to the cause of Liberty—what ! can it be
feared that a people, who, when their country was
invaded, behaved so heroically in defence of a sys-
tem they had every reason b abhor and detest,
n•ill tamely submit to a subversion of a Govern-
ment, which has been sealed by the blood of so
I many Patriots—will those wl.o fought so valiantly
for their native land, in lopes of " Something
better which was promised," basely desert their
mutiny when that " something better" is fully en-
joyed.—Certainly not—the Spniurds have now a
country worth defending, because it has a Const du-
lion, and they will prefer den!' to that indelible
disgrace that must attend even hesitation in such a
case—the French Government will find its legiti-
mate army, with its legitimate commander, are not
the same as the HEROES who fought under the
greatest Genius that history records—and they will
find that what was bravery, on the part of the
Spaniards, in the last war between that country and
France, will partake of a sort of desperation, when
an annihilation of their recently acquired freedom
is attempted—it appears doubtful whether Ferdi-
nand or his Generals can be relied upon us firmly
attached to the Constitution—we hope such (kakis
will not be permitted to interfere with the question
of Spanish Freedom—for we hold the sacrifice of a

dozen such Kings, and a hundred such Generals
but pigmy considerations, when placed in the oppA
site scale to the happiness of a nation—" a ta
/anterne" (we would exclaim, in case of an invasion
of .Spain,) with every one whose verity shall be
even doubtful.

The following are said to be the demands of
France from Spain:—
I. The restoration of the King his personal freedom, with.
out delay; for it is now distinctly understood, that lie is in a
state tit confinement in tile induce of the RAW.).
2. The restoration of the King to his sovereign rights.
3. Such a change in the Constitution of Spain as shall give to
the Nobles is great !share of the power they possessed under the
old regime.
4. The exclusion of the present Ministers from office, or, at
least, most of the heads of die different lb:panto:tits.
5. A n amnesty for all persons, of whatever rank, engaged in
the cause of the Regency.
6. A more strict regulation of the laws relating to the Press.
7. he possession or certain strong places on the frontiers of
France, us a guarantee for the per6irmance of uny undertaking
into which the Spanish Government may enter.

Letters from Dunkirk say, that orders have been
given to loud artillery and ammunition, and wr
like stores of every description, on board sever)
vessels in that port, the whole is destined fur Buy.
mine.

Extract of a letter, dated Madrid, Dec 2:—
" Our lute Political Chief; Sun Martin, is to be set
at liberty this day, and the process against him
be curried on before the Supreme liihunal. Thvt
against the officers accused of having participated in
the affair of the 7th of July, has been intrusted to
the superintendence of an officer of the regiment of
Guilds!awe, who has already, it is said, discovered
great irregularities in the proceedings, as fur as they
had gone, of Paredes, his predecessor. The obnoxiot ,
numWrs of the Zurriaga have been burnt in sever
places by different companies of the militia, who ap-
pear generally to be animated by the best spiri•.
Political doctrines of a violent nature can never
take deep root in Spain, however for a short period
harm may arise from their circulation among the
lower orders, but at the present moment they arc
peculiarly to be deprecated. Madrid is perfectly
tranquil, and our internal affairs wear every day a
better aspect; even in Catalonia and the frontier
provinces, the state of the public mind has undergone
a very sensible amelioration.'

Extract from the Sierra Leone Gazette of the 2d
June, 1822:—" By his Britannic Majesty's ship
Myrmidon, on Monday List, we received the dis-
tressing information of the loss of one of the Spa-
nish prizes, the I canon, of Hacannah, taken in
the Bonny, on hoard of which, melancholy to relatt,
nearly fi,ur hundred slaves, and sixteen seamen of
the Iphigenia, perished ! The ofileers in charge.
Messrs. Betty and Doughty, tire unhappily among
the number of the suarers. At the time this
dreadful catastrophe occurred, the Yeomen was in
sight of the Myrmidon—and from the violence of
the tornado in which she was upset, any assistance
was totally impossible; indeed, we understand the
first intimation Captain Leeke, had of the Cid, was
front the boat of the Yeoman, which he picked up
four days afterwards at sea, with seven smiler
who had miraculously saved themselves from the
wreck. When the examination which is now being
taken by the Commodore, is completed, we shall
have the painful duty of publishing further particu-
lars respecting this truly heart-rending event."
The I'rince Regent, of 120 guns, building at
Chatham, is ordered to be launched and got ready
with all possible despatch, in order to her being
fitted forthe flag of the Port Admiral there, Sir B.
Hallowell. In the space of about eight or ten
weeks, the hull of the ship will be completed, when
she will immediately be put off the stocks.
A plan is said to be in preparation to light all the
public clocks in London with gas by night.
A Herefard Paper of NVeduesday says—" Our
worthy High Sheriff has refused to comply with the
requisition for the purpose of calling a County Meet-
ing on the state of Agricultural Distress."
FALMOUTI PAIIKETS.—We are at length able to
state us far as the decision of his Majesty's ministers
may be so considered, the question so long agitated
respecting the direction of the Falmouth Packets,
is at length finally settled. The following commu-
ni..ation has has been received at Falmouth from the
highest official authority ;—" The Lords Commis-
sioners of his Majesty' Treasury have determined
on the expediency of transferring the superintend-
ence of the Fahnouth Post-ollice packets to the
Board of Admiralty," bat "that no alteration will
be made in regard to the station from which those
packets now sail ; that the ordinary refitting of the
packets of Falmouth will continue as heretofore ;
and that the Navy Board will adopt all the present
contracts, and will continue the persons now en.-
ployed. It is understood that the first building of
the packets has not heretofore been wholly confined
to Falmouth, anti in future it will probably tape
place (at least in time of peace) is the King s
Dock Yards.'

!TIE BEACON NEWSPAPER,
toit, DEC. 9.—The long-expected trial
the Beacon newspaper on Mr. James
ritcr to the Signet Caine on this day.
I'ERStEIt,—DUNCAN sTESENSON, DEFENDER.
,ssucs in Cansa it was admitted that the
Attorney for the Bank of England,
,•ed us agent on the oial of Frances
took place before the High Court
try at Edinburgh, on the Ist day of Fe-
-1 819 ; and that in the months of Juna and
July, 1821, the defender was printer, publisher,
and proprietor of the Beacon newspaper. The first
issue was—whether, on the 23d of July 1821, the
defender, in said newspaper, (lid print and publish
a letter itddressed to the Editor, signed " X."
[The letter, which was set forth at length, con-
tained, amongst other observations on the trial of
F. Mackay, the following passage :—]
In this case, the agent of the Bank of England induced
a young woman, by a promise that else would be taken as a
witness against ohm rs, to make a declaration admitting her
guilt, and ~iviug full inhanistion as to the way in which the
t rime was committed; lie afterwards thought proper to hare
her tried, and by concealing from the Lord Advocate the way
in which her confession bail been obtained, induced him to
give his instance to an indictment against her. She was ac-
cordingly brought to trial, and, after the confession and infor-
mation which had been elicited (coin her, in her declaration,
she had but one course left—to plead guilty. She was found
guilty, in terms of her own confession. The Lord Advocate
moved fur sentence, which the Court were pronouncing,
when the S:lerili. (the present Lord Advocate) in whose pre-
sence the declarations had been emitted, happening to come
into Court, expressed to his predecessor his surprise that he
should hare brought to trial any person whose confession was
obtained in the way the painters had been. It was by this
time too late to prevent sentence from being passed ; but the
Court, on being informed of the circumstances of the case,
expressed their high disapprobation of what had taken place,
and the Lord Advocate immediately procured s free pardon fur
the prisoner. After this, I ask, whether the Whig or the Tory
mode of administering justice deserves the preference r
It appeared that Mr. Gibson having remonstrated,
the correspondence was continued by the following
letter :

" Edinburgh, July 2, 1821.
" am favoured with yonr letter of this date, and in
consequence of its unsatisfactory terms, beg leave to decline
your proposal of examining the author of any article in die
Beacon. I have, as yet, no reason to think that any pssange in
the Beacon concerning you ' is false, calumnious, and mali-
cious.' lam not aware of having asserted any right to dictate
to you against whom you should proceed.
" 1 am, Ito.
(Signed) " JOHN NIMMO."
" To James Gibson, Esq. W. S."
Frances Nlakay was examined at some length as
to the supposed promise of pardon if she contessed,
but which she positively denied.
Among other witnesses fur the prisoner, Lord
Pitmilly was sworn, anti examined on the Bunch.
For the defender, Lord Nleadon hank was sworn,
and examined on the Bench. Sir William ltae,
Lord Advocate, was also examined fir the defender.
The Lord Chief Commissioner, in summing up
for the Jury, said, that in every case, bearing the
aspect of the present, there were certain leading
principles which ought to be strongly hnprinteti on
the mind of every Juryman. These he would give
in the words of two of the ablest Judges that ever
sat in iVestininster Hall (alludin.,,, to Lord lans-
field and Lord Chief Justice lie Grey); who in the
memorable prosecution of Home Tooke, delivered
this opinion—", It is the duty of the Jury to con-
strue plain words anti clear allusions to 'natters 01
universal notoriety, according to their obvious mean-
ing ; and as every body else who reads must under-
stand thcm.".-Holt on libels, page 290. His lord-
ship then commented at some length on the evidence
and applied it with u skilful hand to the libellous
matter contained in the issues—and, after a lumin-
ous survey of the features of the case, gave it as the
decided opinion of the Court, that the paragraphs in
the newspaper libelled the conduct and character of
Mr. Gibson.
The Jury, after retiring about ten minute•, de-
livered their verdict by the mouth of Sir James G.
Baird, their Chancellor, unanimously finding for the
pursuer on all the issues.—llantrages 5001.
The trial lasted from ten o'clock in the planting
till ten at night.

_ . .
It is reported that Lord Chief Justice Dallas
(who has signified his wish to retire) is about to be
succeeded by the Attorney General, who again will
be succeeded by Sir John Copley. Mr. Shadwell is
named fur the Solicitor-Generalship.
On Thursday evening, at half-past six, twenty-
five convicts, sentenced to transportation tar life,
were removed from Netvgate, in a caravan, strongly
guarded, in order to be conveyed to their repective
destinations. On their quitting the Sessions-house-
yard, they gave three distinct liuzzas.
EnnymituAsE.-.—About three weeks since, a se-
vere shuck of an earthquake was felt at Ilißoden,
Bucks. It was precodcd by a loud rumbling noise,
and corntrotion of the earth, which shook several of
the houses so violently, that the inmates, who 1.. d
retired to rat, were awoke, and the children
screamed from terror. The church only suffered :
art of its battlements having been shaken down, as
p well as sustaining other dtunage.

:
10=93
EmtillUlto
fr libel by
GibAtm, Wri:
:ssi Eli GI USON
In the ism
pursuer, an,
was employe
Alackay, wit
of Justiciary
bruary, 18I;