The Sun.
London, England, 1822-06-26 00:00:00

ITE ONDON

SzirtoTs FROM Tll DIIY 10111SliNg' PAITRS,
_ , .

'June 26, '1822;

[MORNING POST:j.
discussion of considerable length took place
in the House of Commons last night on the mo•
tion of Mr. Abercrombie for a Committee to
inquire into the alleged connection of the Lord
Advocate with a part of the Press of Scotland.—
Some of the charges advanced against the Learned
Lord he solemnly denied, and the other circum-
stances imputed to him he explarned in such a
manner as to spew the rectitude of his intentions
where_ he was reallysoncerned, and his total un-
acquaintance with whatever might have occurred
of a censurable description. We have neither
space nor time to- recapitulate the facts:of this
case ; but the- speeches of Mr. 'Secretary. Peel and
3.erd Londonderry, to which we beg leave to
refer our readers, develope the whole in a very
satisfactory rminner. The state of, ome parts of
Scotland was at the timehighly alarming, which the
efforts of the seditious writers were every day ren-
dering more fearful. It was upon the painful
knowledge of these facts, and at the solicitation of
many Gentlemen of the highest respectability,
whose lives and property were inimediate.ly
menaced, that the Lord' Advocate lent .his sanction
to the Clydesdale foul-7yd. He did so, however,
under the sincerest conviction that the Paper
would be lig,itimately 'employed in defence of
the Laws and Constitution ; and on the whole
the motives of the Learned Lord in this respect
were not only above suspicion, but entitled to the
praise of every good and loyal man. It is by
the state of Scotland at the period in question,
that he ought to be judged, nor could he be im-
partially dealt with on any other grounds :-
44 When bad men conspire, good men must unite,"
for the common safety. Mr. Abercrombie's mo-
tion was lost by a majority of 120 to' 95.

[MORNING CIIRONICLE.]
The honour of the Lord-Advocate anti his
worthy Coadjutor have been gloriously esta-
blished by the vote of last night, and he may
return to Scotland when he pleased to enjoy his
laurels. In a House of Commons, the impar-
tiality of which in all cases between Ministry
and their opponents was so beautifully demon-
strated. on Monday evening- by Mr. Brougham,
he obtained a majority of
.no fewer than 25,
where 215 were present. One- hundred and
twenty Members. came: boldly forward to white-
wash the Learned Lord, without, of course, soil-
ing themselves by the operation. These 120 are
no doubt the flower of the Ministerial army—
placemen, and the most devoted of the expectant
phalanx. The latter have proved themselves
Steady fire-prOof combatants, men ,not easily to
be disconcerted, and who justly may be counted
on in the-hour of trouble. Their names must
not,be lost to the country. We had some mis-
givings as to the_ courage Ministers themselves
would display ip this emergency. We knew, in-
deed, that they had expressed no disapprobation
of the proceedings in Scotland, but a is one thing
to express disapprobation of proceedings, and
another to mix themselves up with them. Our
doubts, however, have been gloriously removed.
After this it will be understood, of course, that
there is nothing which may not be done, as far as
Lesponsibility :is
.concerned, by persons in office.
The question of how far they may go on any oc-
casion, must be entirely a matter of discretion
with themselves.

[NEW TIMES.]

It was a most unfortunate circumstance for Mr.
Abercromby's motion laSt night, that LOrd Archi-
bald Hamilton's action against the Editor of The
Beacon was decided time ,enough
.for the rePOrt
to appear in a London Paper of yesterday morn-•
ing. To be sure the worthy Editors of 7%e
Times and Chronicle slurred over the matter as
well as they could. They took care not to give
a report of the trial ; but their caution was de-
feated ; a full and fair report appeared in The
New Times, and the public learnt with sur-
prise that ..the. Noble Lord; who had laid
his damaffes at Five Thousand Pounds, had ob-
tained emir' an honest Jury—One Shilling!!
Here we havee-a fair test.of• the clamour that was
raised , against The Beacon.: The Times of yes-
terday talks of " that late infamous,Journal, The
Beacon"—of" its false and slanderous insinua-
tions against Lord
,Archibald's character "—of
" a series of attacks on his Lordship during
April, May, and June last year;" by all which
attacks, taken together, it now. appears that his
Lordship was damaged to the amount of twelve
pence, being perhaps at the Tate of about three-
farthings' per article !—The Times, modestly
sinking the _mention of the particular amount
of the verdict, calls it nominal damages,'
and says, that ".to his Lordship's honourable
mind, despising pecuniary compensation, these
were fully sufficient," We dare "say his Lordship
entirely despises pecuniary compensation ; but
that he thinks a shilling damages/sufficient, we
:•,ravely doubt : not only because he laid his ac-
tion at one' hundred thousand -times the sum he
obtained ; not only because . his Counsel argued
strenuously for high damages ; but because a
k-erdict,ora shilling proves the complaints ,against
The Beacon to be altogether exaggerated ; and
.:_!so proves his Lordship to be not quite so great
a friend to the Liberty of the Press as he had
perhaps taken_himself to be. ,

EVIIITISII PRESS.]
The conduct of the Lord Advocate, in his pa-
lionage of the incendiary Scotch Journals, was
Lrought before the House of CommoNs last night
Mr. Abercromby. It appears from the state-
.:!ent that the malevolence of parties is.no inac-
v:ve principle of conduct' among our neighbours,
ror does it seem to lag for.want either of the ways
lid-means, or the spur of official intimation. The
Lord Advocate is said to have about eighty ap-
rointments.in his patronage, which have to be di-
occasionally among something less than 200
yractitiOners. Scotland. does not overflow with
'riefs, and there is a proverbial sagacity of scent.
ti-s to emolument, which, could be trained to the