The Sun.
London, England, 1805-11-25 00:00:00

ME. tHEATE

.• • • -,
The Comedy of the Countrg• Girl :(in Ga ;Vt.?!
Itiatarday
last introduced Miss Monti to the tondon:Audience
in the part ofMisi Peggy. • This little candidate for
*lie favour had raised •herael' into..,se .much .dis-
tiknotr ~,,..r.L.P.t.atincial-Theatres, that tin: Pro=
pnetors of this house liatiftrittrevnl•otuded. that She,
ont' be au obje6l of great curiosity and iitriiettor "tr
in London. The appearance .cf the Theatre, how-
!vet, goon convinced them of their rnistak. e; for
Initeacl of a vast throng struggling for admissiott, as
confidently
.expeaed, the •Titeatre .'exhibited
a ggarly account' 'of
seinpty 'boxes."--- Tije
]'Dung. Lady Made her aPpearance in the- second
l and Though she was received with hearty
i'dl3Pl3use, yet leer baby aapeEt,, and the great
f4eportion between her and the rest of the:Per:
'Pners, excited ludicrous feeling; which strongly
lituleled with the general expression of Welcoe.--
11} same accouots'she is said to be•only.seven, years
I 'ge very
, and by others eleven or twelve: It is
I;id)able that her age ekceeds • the first 'statement.
theChi)d possesses an aptitude and power of
. wnich May beconsidered- as very pre-
, 1"Ig signs of faure ability'; it wOuld be absurd ,to,
r, and if she had,perforMed with a set of "chi!.
ay
reut her own age, hersuperiority in all likeli-
:ueonld have been very conticuotts. Her a6tion
.dl'etn was suitable to the charatier;. and the
vi
,;Leor her utteran:e proved, -that very *at. pains.
It ea
crop; to prepare het for public exhibition.
-.'„"Never, impossible to overcome the ludi-
twe,ottils which arose from a compariSen be-
utter net age, and the sentiments which'she was to
o,h '.„4t as between her size and that of the
kierrerreifortners. Unluckily there were many pas-.
the Play which coincided with the sportive
14;„:7g' of the Audience, and prodUced repeated
of laughter. But another feeling also arose
littiu'rathli.e rabid, Which.was not favourable 'to the
`he
e6n Candidate ; for the Audience, seemed to ,look.
d
Ih„ ern upon the rest of, the Performers, as if
6,07 we're brought to a kind of degradation in being
the•ged to exhibit thernsolves for public' sport with
(;',rtirtY as3ociate. At 'length' a strong 'murmur of
verTrob4tion arose, and " -Illenager-7Kime LE".
o::::rtDeatedly' and loudly uttered in several parts
l'heitre.—=-The party .in favour' of Miss 1
4r,:ilto'vever, was equally stron'ig, and in the ge-
contliet nothing could be. heard: The little
tha:.°l„") nevertheless, ContA inur to .0' on with her
it:Lfi.tster ; but finding' 'the s.torrn Was'not to
*'l,:de, she carne to the front of th6:Stage, and,
I the utmost firmness, cleliiitied- the 'fontSing:
the, •tdies. and C4ralente.n —1 have donC'tibihitig ' rOnd
kts,,ns whe come hero to hiss. my • beg y e will turn
ern outi,,°
114 SP.et
end ' eir il%reve the Wholebense in, a flame,.
f„,,.. e number of her adversaries Vvit3: increased ten-
)ollQ.,, Ile. call for Mr. Kirssiteg, that beeanle .snore
yeltement and general. At Ifist he came•On, •
v 'tad a manly
and modest Cot-Tie:Ore a'ilid'ressed
4 Allflience in the f 1;1 r ier • • Off)itiem ° "111/6 . •
re, (inferring, noLadies..
tae; og9cern in such riotous. proceedings)
1111tre..41,atimP‘Itation and applause
iuced -c--e"Lte4-44 various Country Theatres in-
*tea, f t irtends'to hope that she might: be, equally
thi,„s Id it tbe Metropolis, andAe Prpprietore-of
Ini4ttiAnneaLtre thaeght they were Warranted in .sub-
,l,olo g tier talents to the decisive jedgtnetit of a
eann Q 2) Audienc'e. They do not, 'howeveri and.
that °tit wish to press any entehainment upon you
"
°ls tint receive your entire..appro!yatiOd.
the Drama's Laws, the Diama's Patrons give ;"
at
entreat that you will permit the Play to
14171 •to its Conclusion, and then you'' , sentence
qqaof course, be decibive,"
SPcech, which *as uttered with promptness
111,4 tesPetlfill modesty, ins frequently interrupted,
toat length it seemed to be the generakde terin inai ion
p lequiesce in the request'. 'But the moment the
trorreers. again appeared, and particularly when
all its tuna came on, the clamour NV reneveki..ita
lit its fury), and' noticing -could be l'e3r_d ,fr„.(?T
elag'e''' At the close of the fourth ACE M. DRAY
thlettlne forward to addreis'the lie told
eW that if they would have the got Mess to Wait a
rat
ittinutes, miss Sumita, with their pernusli.on,
bb la go'through the character. ill thq. fifth A6L7
islarisdeclaration increitsea.the' , tumult, and iu
pu, °Pinion it was very injudicious.l'lLE had
)114: the Wait. on a proper iSSIIe; left ,to
tirLaritY tO determine Nvhettici Miss Mona .si ould
Ceid.or not. The .Play should biv,OLgotw °l.l to
end with her, but by excluding -her, the two
toluitik were convekted inip three, namely' , those
_
ki-'were Mitis:,MlMlE..,..these who. :were. I
tn"
tle."Eittlee„ and these whe from a spirit of c; fn-
letlranti pity tot the child, Lhought she ought to
uve 'a
full trial through the rtrt. Miss' Semi ee op-
Veilred tit the fifth A6t, but not a'syllable could be
fioni her, end hardly. from, any ether 'i)er-
'"er till the I of the ciataiti.•
as We (1/21(u)PsIt)iffi,‘ejfor -the poor little and.
titer,„rlett(rs, after till' her' provincial celebrity and
411'8' We cannot but experience-seine satisfaction
ti,"e result of this trial; ASH it will 'tend to gut tti
tvi,lilct,°. that silly rage., tor, ::.infantile. performances,
to tt Is absolutely degrading- to' taste,and
rcll
Ptesion which has, been considertxl as. the
(4)1, °I Manners and morality.

811sxiwe moved this • morning, in tbe.Co.urt
kr. ',l,%'s Bench, for a Criminal Information-against
tft
4fters;LNT, tor posting' Colonel TB, n.II4ToN_, and
1101110 horse Whipping -I°3 in.
Cmrilletnh"beuf.
tv,cx 418Pute respeCting Abe, Celebratet c
CI Mr. FLINT and .MrS. TKORNTON,
lt,the very extensive list of Deaths, by-the Yel.
b'cver, which in the course,of the present year
lbe 3ve had the melancholy task:of announcing to
thohbublic. Perhaps few, if any, individual will. be
Ott t BeueriAlrlartielitect t
lu •the Naval Service, 0
e he had for. many yeats been an, hon Our, than
84 Holtz Esq - late- 'Secretary to Admiral
144%-t-ItA'") at- 13) arbidob- s. His manners were the
coneiliatipg, and
.his-principles the. ino4t firm
buneorrupted.3 bUt, however be may be mourn-
Melt his general ,acquaintance,. it is for the more
Preei Part of leis Friends and Family circle to ap-
the tthe whole of his merits. In their-.hearts
11‘liijlong, long remain enshrined; and we trust,
e‘43l,
t iirlit,keta augujah 4i such a.loss subsides,
er add 'a melancholy ple,asure, to their eciu his vu toes,
•

LAW RETORT,

.CMIRT off•. KViC's BENCH, ii.T.'23.

I'RI-AI. AT BAR.

- -
ltiNG TIE IttiIk:OtTRAELE RotEr.l. JOHNSON,
(AN IRISH JUDGE.),
AT ten o'clock the four Judges entered the Court,
and the SpeCial Jurors' liaille3, sunirntined to attend_
tIHD trial, being__called over, the follawing'Gentlili
nOR answered to their. tiacuei, and were sworn of
the Jury.:
_ _

Thomas Barnes, of the Road-side, Esq.
Robert Helm,
I ohn Chalice? of Vineyard-gardens, Esq.
Wm.. Robertson, of Ciirporation-ro*, Lsq.
Joseph Wilson, Esq. . .
Samuel PaAe, of King's-road; !sq.
Darin Baran, of. London-street, Esq.
Win. Finch, otGrafron-street, Esq.
Wotal, of Charlotte-weer, Esq.
101111 Wilder, of Weymouth-street, Et-.q.
tames Douglas, of Baker-Attect, Esq.
John Brown, of Clipstone.strcer, Laq.

. . . .
• Mr. ABBOTT, as'jdnior Counsel for the Crown,
' openedlhe prosecutien by. reading the Indiatment,
which charged the ilefehdant, 'one of - the 'Justices
of the Court of CoMmon Pleas in Ireland; with the
publication oftwo Letters signed luvelija, in a Paper
Lllll Cebbetei Political liegWei-; about the - latter'
end of Noyernber, 1803, ,containing a libel against
ii Miljesty'S Government in Wet part of the United'
E.ingdous called' Irelande', The IndiEttnerit Went on
~
to state, that the Defendant, intending to excite the
hatred of His: Majeityls; Government, had endear
vcured to move and raise. thu discontent of. the peo-
ple, by making them believe that they were Op-
pressed and aggrieVed; and with that wicked intent,
had defamed, and tried to bring into contempt. and
. disrepute, the charaeler of -the Lord Lieutenant of
•Irel. and, the representative of His ?Majesty ; also the
charaaler of Lord liedetdale, the Lord. Chancellor of
Ireland ; as well as the Hon. Justice Osborne, and
Alexander Marsden,' Esq. Under _Secretary of,State,
whom the libel repreSented to'be Corrupt,oppressive,
_and unfit fiSr the offices Width they; held. When
. the tkvo letters; the first dated the 2eth of atiober;
.and thesecond the 28th of NoV. 1803, containing:
the libel,' were also read, .
' The ATTORNETrcENERAL said, it was with real
pain and extreme sorrow he rose-to address the Jury.
on a caseso important '6-tid extraordinary as the pre;
1 stint--,a,case.Whieh Obliged him, from his official ca.,
pacity, to prosecute one Of the Judges at the land for
a ' most 'foul and sl,:nderouS offence—an offence the
' most mischievous and, iniquitous which could be
,committed, nantely, a libel against the Government
and . King. It wets one which, from its nature, -a -
man of feeling or honour would , spurn, witli,idigna-
' tion, ' and 'a liberal 'mind could never peipetrate.
Who' could ' suppose that the Learned-Judge' would
' be gUilty of .'a libel, 'which a sense of duty,,of alle-
&nee,. and every consideration that Can .inftuence a
gded Citizen, should restrain hint from publishing ?:
Yet, strange as. ,it might appear,. he should. by
.and by prove 'that 'the" Defendant was 'the au-
thor 'and' pubhSher, 'of this atrocious libel; fr,
such .„as, it was, with all, its. iniquity, . he would
.bring it, before the Uentleinen ,of the. Jury; whose,
. attention to the 'reading ' of ' 'the' libel le rejeiced
tialob'serve, :not on aceountolthe Oppcirturiity 'which
' it afforded hi m of narrowing the. Tange of :wpm nt ,
and pressing the. essential points with greater advan-,
tage, but because, the Jury intet.t bealready impress,.
-ed NO th the Malignity and seditious tendency of the
'publication.—`l' He Who runs may read."--4r was
in its nature. so poiSotious and wicked, that itA
maxi'
jea could not possibly escape' the not i,e, cif any- an
the moment be beard it wad. 'nu mind 'vhielt
was not depraved like that of the Author and Pub-
lisher, must be satisfied that this Libel .was themost ~
subversive of the Constitution, algid destrut'„tiVe to
Society, which the malignity of man could invent
and circulate. It was the most foul and slander-,
OW in personalities which could, be directed against
-some of the most exalted Men in the Country—men
who were deservedly esteemed for purity of clime-
ter; and, eminent on account of, the high.efficial'si-
tuations in which their Sovereign had been graciously
, pleased to appoint them. Made,. however, 0 the
• Defendant had indulged himself' in the foulness of .
personality, and gratified his tnidignity with the bitter- '1
ness of invective agann:t the nnotiending objats of '
his calumny and revenge, yet his main design W.it, to
.
, revile and degrade the whale system of His 'Majesty's
Government, and to excite the discontent of the Irish
people, by making them believe that the. Ad.lators, minisiaa-
tion was corriposed oppressors, pecu of and
bloodsuckers. Snell was the repre,en tat ion ' brw bleb
the Learned Judge'hoped to moi e the. people to'dis-
content, sedition, and perhaps. ultimately to the des-
perate resohltion of avenging their supposed wrongs
by it surreCtion and treason, Whatan abuse of intelleo
stud perversion' of unden:hiading, What a prostitution
of those factiities'whiCh dignity the hum3ll mind, and
confer.ascendancy on inch; have We seen developed
in the wicked contrivance-of this abominable plan fOr
4reducing persons, wheseonlieritne, in the eyes of the
'Defendant, could be' the 'favour of their Sovereign !
'Elio It was, that,they had been raised by. the Royal
benefficence to offices of the highest trust imdrespon-
sibility. , But surely the appointment of the King to
such situations was the .best proof that they merited
tilt:confidence of H iv:Majesty, and were fully adequate
to discharge t he duties they had assumed. .Experience,
however, proved, that such were the meanness and
inveterate malice of some men; that they never could
contemplate rewardeitmerit, exalted. rank, or the Sue-
cess' of taleots, Without being corroded by envy • and _
agonized by feeling spite and jealousy. This was a
. tribute due from all great wen tolow, cunning, milli-
clans and grovelling.miods. It could' not be expeiSted„
therefore, that those objefts of Royal condescension
and preference should escape unnoticed by Ju v,ernti i
no; theircharader was too conspicaous and a ttraCti ve,
their merit was too' well known and generally ' ac-,
knowledged, for him to miss the opportunity of
blasting their fair fame, and publishing a libel--
4
Anst whom.? against the Lerd Eieuteleint (it Ire-
,
land, who represented the awilil chiral er of Ma-
jesty, 'and discharged the duties. of that high situation.
It was a libel .aggiust Lord Hardwicke, the y'ery null,
tion of whosOname made it unnecesary to eulogize
either his character or his administration. It Was
enough .for. him- therefore to say, that he was a in in
wha,notwithstanding the divisions zitid dv:tca6tions
‘vnich
.prevailed-fin,' the Country' he governed, . In ,Td
illy peculizir merit and good fortune' to. unite -the
opinions, and ;sentiments of all parties.in respea and
attachment ter his person.--The next person '...-
tacked was tite- Lord • Chanoellor, who'pomged •.;.

. . .
pines; Ofeirti:ei, both tsCelie and private,, but
neebq t,k'raS"With th::4l' Noble and Leirrnell
• del iteiey pcv,-ented hi mfrale eniftlatine-Oe those
which "secured to Mal the warlit•estin ofhis
1-private friends, and entitled him to restied and vene,
ration in'his-putiec capacity ; yet it Weald be doilic-
injuisZiceto the charader of Abe nolil6 Lord,- if any
nearnas' olconnexion restrained from Meeting
the feelings of the
_aSpersions cast upon him. He
.I hoped; en this a62outnt, that he would be excused in
' stating, that the inteerity of Lord Redesdale was as
six above the reach of Slan4er as.h:s -honour Wtri
cure' iigainst :he wounds aimed by obloquy and‘rnis,
refiresentation. Havingexhaustecihis,virnienceapinst
those two exalted personages, then, Gentlemen of Ahe
Jury,', he cotrirnenced his 'attack on Mr: Justice Os-
borne, whoM he. reviled and tradocedllq the most
umvin-r.thitriti)e charge-of corrtiptiOn and peculation.-e.
The fourth and last pet named, in the indietment;
who became the objeft of his abuse; calemny,And
defamation; was , Mr. Marsden, Under Secretary of
State in the Civil .Department to his Excellency,
the Lord Lieutenant. This Gentleman was also:
at the head of the, Pollee, and entitled td, re-'
spent, not only from the important official situations
• which he filled with advantage to the Country, . but
likewise to 'esteem And respe& (in account of his
PVivate worth,and thegeheral ma. it ode. of his conduct.
Those Werethe Is-aroblerneti disci Gentlemen whom the
Defenant seleeled „for hismelignity,and charged with
iiteapitk to discharge their important duties. Those,
Gentlemen of the Jury, were the, high and important
persons whonf,he accused' of corruption, peculation,
and oppression, in their ditThrent departments. But,
in order to accomplish his 'wicked desien of exciting
the discontent Of the People;' it 'necceisery for
him; as already stated, to 'degrade the Government ;
and the 'Defendant knew that nothing could so ef-,
fet:tually advance, his objea,.end accelerate its execu-'
tion, as to. Make the People helieVe that the fountain'
of Justice B%'S polluted; th:it the laws which setur-;
I eel the person and property of the Subject could be
bop ht and sold and, iirtme, that the distributors of
.Justice were corrupt and venal in everydepartment—
'that the whole' System of GovernMent was condudted
and adMinistered by the most profligate and rapacious
persons'whO had ever disgraced any country. For
this purpose it was that Mr. Justice . Osborne 'had
been represented as tampered with by the Crown in a
criminal Arial, and Seleeled,' as it were; for that purpose!,
though a junior Judge. The Defendant also, in stating
this calumny, did not fail to exercise his" ingenuity
•against the Goveminent&in a fulsome compliment to
the- Judges, whom .he.supposed insulted by thistap-
pointment. a 'Appearing to enter into feelings which
were never experienced, he consoles them by Mating;
that the Learned Jtidges should not be hurt,:at the
preference given to the junior Judge ; .for that the
whole system of Govertnnent was .contrary, to the •
principles of general justice. The Lord Chancellor
was attacked . likewise ,on point. with .more
'than ordipary virulence,. and charged with abusing
the :Great Seal, by putting it to, such an unthir
and . corrupt appointment. But this was, not all.--
The Defendant had also the audacity to' charge
the Noble and Learned Lord with an attempt to un-
dermine the. other 'Judges, and ,eonVert the. fees of
n law. offices to -his:own purposes.- - This .infa-;
me ms 1,4n4 further qatd; that if the errained'robe, of
justice could be put round Mr. Marsden, it
would not hidethe leulness of his deeds, notcouldhe
wash the blood' his'. hands .in the fountain of
justice. °' Gentlemen of the Jury, added- to these
base charges, which-cannot, for a mothent, Jeaye a
doubt of their dangerous and seditious tendeney, there .1
_exist circumstances of aggravation whieli:lnust strike 1
every frienl to order arid govt,rntilent With thegreatest
horror. ,Jury would -pltNise to reeell&St the dates,
:and then they i nuld perceive that tin public:nic) is-
'Sued from the proz.ls i a a Shori ti tiw:after
.the Late rebel-
lion, when die mind of the people 'required le-
nitives to assuage and .allay. the iiemer distreetions
which then existed, instead at peovocatives to dis-'
content and 'outrage.' At aoy time sueh 11' libel -
as t ho present must be at tOmled with consequences in-'
jurious to the State; but at the time it Mach- its ap-
pearanceit.was impossible to foresee the ell'eas which
it might have, produced in a Country scarcely recover-
'ed from Aloe aiartacif insUrreetion." When he said
that Learned Judge wets the euthol- and publisher of a
libel calculated. to such infinite mi4ehief, heiielt that
it was necessary for him to'inake some apolel,,,y for the
assertion, till he provel it, He sits oware, that the.
judgment ceat should apprwched. with the utmost
yen era t ion,an d that t sanelne ry of die la sholild be
regardedwith the most profound reveremu
by theieconsiderations,he could assure the Court and
the Jury, that he did -not makethe' charge, or com-
mence this Prokention, until he satisfied himself,
'however reluaantly, that the Learned JUdge was un=.
lueStionably the ainhor and publisher of tll is libel. He
shouldimmediately prove, from the testimony oftwo
witnesses, who 110 situations et the Board of Excise
and Pusteuas, to which the Learned Judge had been
:,,Counsel, that the libel was in his hand-writing. They
would prove this, not as if it
.were, a pieee of paper
with only one or two lines, but they could prove the
variety of shades even through all the sheets of which
these libels consisted. Their testimony would he also
confirmed by two other witnesses equally Well ac-,
qUainted with the Defendant and his hand-writing.
It was by these Means that the proof of
,the'leamed
Judge beingthe anther Was forecd upon hi inethd hence
arose thenece;sitycn his part of Preseeutingliim far the
'offence. Nluch he lamentt,td the situatioi iii Which the
learned Judge s t oc,d, yet he could note isriLtv.
duty with fidelity to Ins King, and Ceuntry., if hi did!
not do all in his poNVer to bring under the 'lash of the
lass s person Who was bound to support, expound,and
distribqte it, Instead, therefore, finding' any exte-
nuation for the enormity of the crime in the sacred-
ness of the. Defendant's charaeler, he discovered the
greatest cox -nition of theeffence; ibr others might
urge the into of youth, and its
ouir;eq« I”it, the It noe, jedge oft he learnediudge,
t heci, :I!_ents which Ile poisiessed, it'stiiso. of
the duty . •oweti to himself, and_his allegiance
to his 1-eign, the respea s was due to thc au-7
thorities bola he shiudeted,a wish fer,theyanquillity '
of the C., which Ii riiikt!,!, fear, of Her
1)0 i illerlaCed,
rr': ti; 1,0111
eel ; ,
,!i, Liie
7.
to de.
;:t he had

1

now to infoeiatl e Dirty' that the case= was haftire
them, and that they were to decide on it rltly
tylher.of the -came v.,ithout respea to person
The question rinVv was, Wlwthf22l: he ,Was the Author
and I`U.bliqher,. atid.Avhether. what -Was published 'be
ptiblicati4.?
,He,-did Oct. suppoit; that after the
decision of a Jury respecting the. matter of those let
tern (on the trial, of Cobbett) the dcrfence would stand
this..clayon the graund.that. th Publication was not a
Libel. filet ti:el,eartire;i arid Right lion. Gen tletrian
rad the in,liCial-ient, vf,;liftll. 1 recited the two letter,s eon.»
ftainino. the Libel, but as tittYYNi,:c;re Verii long and very
gross, we 'eatii!ot do Mere than. give tire most proirii-
neat Tarts.] The first letter .began- with « Apo ne
.credi?e le'neri," and described the advice of L.acoont
to the Trojans respeeling the Ni•OOcien horse). whicit"
lie recorinne.nded to them not 16 admit, though in-
tended as an offering for the Goddess of Wisdom: It
*as represented. ai towering- over the houses, with
hollow sideS, Sic.. The Learned Defendant then pro-
ceeded.to ..observe, that he did not Mean to compare
'the wooden head of thisyherse to the head of Lord
Hardwicke, though he 'ewes - sore that it the Noble
head Were suhmitted to the analysis of a La
voisier, it would be fOund to contain ligneous particles
of a•nature somewhat to those of the wooden
head. ~He should warn the. peopie 'also; as LaCeon
had the Trojans, 'against the 'apparent. hollowness
of its side 4 for he was Stire. that its contentS
were inischteVeiis and destriqive. The 'libO pro-
deeded to say, that the author knew Lord fiardwicke.
to be a pod husband; a kind father, a morn rnati„:
and a Gentler:nen in. privzue life'n;'that he also undet-
stood he had 'a good library St. Jaines`.s7sqUare;
the Noble Earl was also an exr!llent breeder of .
sheep-as'any in Cambrik;esiiiie ; • hut notwith,Jand-
ing all those excellent qualities in private, yet lid
warned the people again: a. thinking that the ,GovPsyt-
rtient, of a ' harmless • man was a harmless Govern-
or' that they had to exped relief froin ther
oppressions and misery. Having 'repeated the charges
made against Mr. Justice Osborne and Mr. Secretary
Marsden, which we have already menti&ted,:. the
Art'ORNY GEZ4EII,4 IlViltiOnefif that these letters'
did not come into his hands-Jill-after the conylelion,
of. Cobbett, in the Trinity. Term last year, which
was the
,reason that this .pros&ution had not been
commenced sootier; but that it was begun ;IS soon
-as Cobbett delivered tip the original manuscripts; one
an understanding, hovreyer, that he should not, t)e-
redeetned,from the''donsegnetice§ of his cenviaidit
for %o doing ; thatCohbett made a voluntary offer
of the Manuscripts, stating, that he had reason to be
dissatisfied with the Parties. flaring made a 'few
observ;itions uilon the , point of law. likely te be ad-
vanced on the other side, namely, that the' l).4endant
ought to be tried in the. County ot4:, not
in thecCemity Of .Middlesex; the Learned Coniisel
cenchidedwith expressing fits confidence t hat .b!oh-
ternis would net be 'sutlered, by the united %yrs.
..dont of the King's 'Bench, to frnstrate the ends of
substantial justice.
Mr. White; Solicitor to the Treasury, prochicerl
. „
the original manuscripts, It nicn had re.-
t.clv i tl'ou irli. Cobbett.--Mr. (;obit(- .1t sau_ed that
J're received them from Budd, at whoiie 11;,use
in Pall'Mall all cOnaimuic3Cons io we're ad.
dressed ; they eatiie by the post, and hail the-post..
mark. of Ireland.- The -I.'overs-- were •
inclosed had been ilestroVel. —II, had previrmsly
re-
ceived,a'h-ter sanle
4f him' whether it would be ag;:coahtz; rcceivre
from, Ireland certain itsefuLan,l true ial'orm2rtitin. re-
speeiiing the suite of public ;n that ( Aniti7 ;
and he was desired to notice in his.,next h, shirr' fly
if tea York Correspondent, at what v,,)0,11
Ivish•te have such vommuniettiops
course, he did so; and 'desired ORM to
to Mr. Budd's : repeated that be 11,1 no doubt
the envelopes had been tin ov:a into the
Mr. Richard Waller, S:kicitor to the Commis,
,sioners of Customs in Ireland, said, he had tilled that
office upwards of years'. nem wlis tiiVNys two
Counsel to .assist the commissioners----the Def.md,.
ant .was one of such Counsel nearly ten 3-ears.
:During.that peried the WitueSs h.id very frequent-
ly personal Communication with, him, arid ire acne.
perteCtly, well aCltiaitite,d v.-ith
haying almost, daily occasionlo recev ,e
bons, and to peruse hii written' (pinions. ilo had
carefully examined the two letters of .the ._'9th
of Oaober and .17,Vh of Nt)vt:itilp'r
t heat. both'. to be the DeferLiani.'s
did not feel that he had a boon 'There
were some .woras here -and ti,e
but us to the -body of the 1%-; a a not
entertrtin,a doubt of its being the Deteudant's,
fits cross-exzyninatic.4 he admitted. that the ow-
nions of the Defendant Were not usually written so
small or so fair as the Libels in titteStiott. The lat-
ter appeared written ,as if it had been the obitiO
the Defendant,itO get a s much as possible into- 4 slicer
of paper. . , •
Mr. Charles Ormsby,- an Attninq in Wnd,
ep acquAinted wan the Defend-
stated, that he bad t?e
ant Upwards of twenty years, and had frbqueill op-
portunities of 'seeing hl in write; he had *eel) him
write franks as a Member of. the, Irish P m
arliaent
before the Uni‘..in, and alSo his opinions on pieA,Aings
amended by him. He believed both the manuscripts
to be Mr. Johnson's hand-v;ritiug.
Mr. Joshua Ntitin.,.'beleniii to the Iternern
hrtneer's Office of the Court k.rt ItActiequer in Ire-
Lula, and one of the ties said, he
.harl kuovm
judge Jelinson since year t 792, and had -fre-
()newly seen hini believol the laidy el die
manuscripts to have li. .1 written by the Dctenii.kot.
John Edwards, aw.t formerly. Cieric
'in the U, ire of the, tor ti..wr tike Inland Dep4r-
ment of the Ili:Newly, dci.Liocl precisely to 1.4 same

Chuxles Crow, '!. of St a's
Ireland, t z , ,!.d...nliolivd
dittulent t(i them,
and be ako pro vol ituteujos.
The C.oufti,--.:1 1.1, pr,..y)ld to read
tht.t mnd
they -hal linct it stiti`k.l, ,'L to Q.1:,.11.)1e
SO to do.

„
Mr. AnAm rulintqil -,1 .E; , :•srk.:o,l`ori were
nut entitled to t ! ' . a !,(.) IdUeh

h • i • Importance 4.,H- mid. ill kir
\%ii the, , D(:t'ei)d-,1 sure I re.ceive...

,the fitvooraWc 4ud .irt,-,:ntioft of

what be had to offer. I‘i trustea th:it ;
objc*.tiort he :was about. t. 9 inake

prejutiiceJepi!!'fildkitjt in tho minds of ti-;,e,
He then. advic.ll.4 to t 1 precedeut (rt 0.14 t as,l

rny- of tlett case he should .contend there had' been
te) inblic'ationeof the Libels in tile couuty of Mid-
die` yyethe Ddentient. In case of the Seven
Bis ;ps the tetestiou whether a written paper,
nareely, 0:e Petition of the Bialiop had been pub-
' 11shed by ' thein in the creamy of nadiesex. The
haod-writillv WilS proved by the ackneeledgment of
the ...Velibislinoof Canterbury, that the Petition Wai
written et his Palace at Lambeth, in Surrey, and the
Petition was afterwarda foundin the handsof the King
Sterames's ; but it was centeeded that the ackoow-
ledeenent ofthe writing inSurrcy was not proof of the
publication in 2aliddlesex,and theJudges.sodetermin-
ed; upon which it was found`' necessary to examine
Lord -Suuderland; who proved, that the Bishops came
to him at his house with the Petition, and he intro-
eleeed them into a mom in the Paiace Nvbere the King
was. -Upon the principle of this decision, he in-
si,ted that the proof of the hand-writing by. the De-
feedant, in Ireland (assuming, for the sake of the ar-
tument, that it ‘4%IS his writing), was no proof of
the publication in Middlesex : the Libels had been
• received by Mr. Cobbett from Mr. Budd, and the,
covers ender which they were said to haVes been
sent front Ireland were destroyed, and the faacould
not be ascertained by the post-mark.upon thenL
re Inch, had they been, produced, Ilould have been
propositiOn 'he argued atveey great
length, and with nitwit ingenuity.
Mr. PARKE, Mr...LOCI:HAAT, andMie
SONS 101i0Wed on the same
'The ATTORNEY-GENEitAt, the SOLICITOR-GENE-
, HAL, Mr. EBSKINE,"Mr. GAItROW, Mr. WOOD; and
Mr.. ABBOTT, were prepared to argue on the con-
trary side, but . • •
Lord ELLENBOROLTOII 'thought it unnecessary to
bear them. He considered that the decision in this
case would not violate the principle laid dowb in the
ease. of the seven Bishops. He observed, that the
acknowledgment ofthe Bishops was DO proof :of -it-
se:f of the subsequent publication, and it would have
been an. injustice to those reverend persons to have
deeided`otherwise e but here it was proved that the
Libels had been received -by Mr. Cobbett, under a
ecoeer hearing the Irish Post Mark, and the Papers
theroseiyezeproving to be the band-writing of the-De-.
feedant, 'eonteieed internal evidence to be left to the
Jury; that. the Defendant was the person who had.
Itraroalit+A them, for the ee:press purpose of pill:Ai-
. .eatiett in Middlesex. • .
Sir N'esit• Gblo"iF.,, Sir SOIILDENT I.4A,WItZNCE, Sir
• SnioN LE BLANC, and the. other Judges, delivered
.4eir opinions precisely to the saineetfeCt. .
C.obtx;tt was called tip,. ,and asked, whe-
,ther he had:lna:le any search at the Printer's for the
.e.inteloptts ?, Therepliecl• in the negative.
.
Mr,-AnAat 'desired that the point of no search
haviegb6en made et the' Printer's might be reserved
to biene e He then entered' Litton the general-defence
of his cliebt. He vyea'perfettly fissured, that nothing
-which had, passed in the course of the eirgurnents
avottld prejudice the Jury 'against a Gentleman hold-
ins situatidn Detndant'in the ad-
rtnnie retion'Of justice. He should, in the outset of
=413 observati*is; adopt that course which' the At-
Aerney-General had anticipated ; it was not his in-
tontian'tci contend that the. publications in question
were not libellous : 'far belt from- him to sully the
'Ertnine of Erineby using, in his defence of a Judge
'of that Cdentrye- that the two Letteri contained in
the lediOrnent were not :gross and scabdalous Li-
beis ; his Defence was, that 'Judge Johnson had
not written'them. He appeared for a person now
:near:Sixty
,:vears of age, *boiled borne, througberit
'hisiifee an unblemished charritge:'e-ewho had'repre-
stinted higcountt-imen. its Perliartient near twenty
years—Who had discharged his Various 'public duties
with fidelity, integrity, attachment tohis King
'and the 'CollStittltitill, and who bad been the con-
stant
,supporter of the Government of Ireland; one
who, uponahe accomplishment of the Union; had
been deemed a fit person to dispense- justice: -e-'
Pleading the Cause of such a man, he could not
help feeling for his situation.' • ' The 'Learned Coini-
sel then, after a most eloquentexordium, proceeded
to comment on the testimony 'of the Witnesses
for the, Crown, and contrast it 'With the evi-
dence he intended to offer on the part of the
Defehdant. ,He remarked,' • that- the • Witnesses
'for the, Prosecution were all persons who had "not
:been acquainted with the Defendant's hatid-
-writing for the last five years. ,Those he should
produce were his particular friends,' who had been
in habits of-intimacy With, him up to the present
moment. It would, therefore, become a- question
which' of the two classes of Witnesses were, most
entitled to credit. He entertained no doubt that
the Jury would decide with the same justice and
impai tialityas if the Defendant was one of the Twelve
Judge. of 'England. -
Mr. Richard Jebh, a Medical Gentleman, said he
'had known the Defendant about :30 years intithattAy,
and was well acquainted with his hand-writing. He
stated, that the Defendant had been affll6.lodevittra.
paralytic niliaCtion, but,jt, had not altered 'his style of
writing. tie leoked'at'the two Libels, and de.clated
thee hid lacy Sitllitinide to the diameter of the
fendant's writing.' Upon being eroas-exarnitied, he
admitted that -the Defendaht and several other per-
sons had been at -his' hnuse- in` Stephen's-Green,
when it was stated that 'a Mr. Card vets the- real
Author of the Libels, but could not avow himself,
because his father 'held a plate under Government;
that he and the rest of the coMpeny if a' blank
paper, and left it in the room with de Defendant,
and that soon after the same paper 'Was' 'brotight its
with writing on it exaftly resembling 'that- of the
Defendant ; the inference was, 'that some person
knew
.perfeetly well how to imitate the Defeedaiit'S
hand-writinge•-eDr. Hodgkinson, a. Fellow of the
University of Dublin, expressed hiniself decidedly
of opinion that neither of the Libels:were Written.
by the Defendant.—Mr. Gifford deposed" cagily to
the same effeft. This Witness stated that he was for-r,
trierly /filar in the Department of the Revenue;
bat bad been dismissed by LOrd Hardwickti for no
other rcascn than that he was a Protestant,' and had
signed a- Poition 'to the 'King, entreating hun to
preserve and maintain the true Constitution of the
Country. Mr. Arehdale gave evidence equally confi-
dent that the hand-writing of the' Libels was bet
like the Defendant'.3.
Mr: David Cassedy stated that he had been edue
cated with the Defendant, knew his hand-writing