The Sun.
London, England, 1819-12-16 00:00:00

NEW LMV OF LIBEL

RESOLUTIONS OF THE BOOKSELLERS AND
PRINTERS RESIDENT IN THE METROPOLIS.
At a Meeting of Booksellers and Printers resident in the City
of London and the neighbourhood thereof, held at the
London Coffee-house, Ludgate-hill, on the 15th of Decem-
ber. 1819, to consider the Provisions of a Bill now before
Parliament, for the more effectual prevention and punish-
ment of Blasphemous and Seditious Libels ;
JOSEXII BUTTULWOItTU, Esq. in the Chair;
It was Unanimously Resolved,
1. That we have observed with concern the increased and
extensive circulation of certain Seditious and Blasphemes
Libels which have of lath been printed and published, and
are anxious that such remedy may be provided as to the Wis-
dom of Parliament shall seem fit; but that we nevertheless
view with great apprehension and alarm the Provisions of a
Bill now under the consideration of the House of Commons,
entitled " An Act fin-the more effectual Prevention and Pu-
oishment of Blasphemous and Seditious Libels," so far as it
is proposed that. it shuttle! be thereby enacted, that if any per-
son shall, after the passing of that Act, be legally convicted
of having eimarposed, printed, or published any Blasphemous
Libel, or :toy such Seditious Libel as therein mentioned, and
shall, after being so convicted, offend a second time, and be
thereof legally convicted, such person [nay, on a second con-
viction, be adjudged, at the discretion of the Court, either to
suffer such punishment as may now by law he inflicted in cases
of high misdemeanours,or to be banished from the United King-
dom and all other parts of his Majesty's dominions, for such
term as the Court in which such conviction shall take place
shall order, of to be transported to such place as shall be ap-
pointed by his Majesty for the transportation of offenders for
any term not exceeding years ; and that it shouldbe further
enacted, that if any offender who shall he so ordered by any
such Court as aforesaid, to be banished or transported in
manner aforesaid, shall he afterwards at large within any part
of the United Kingdom, or any other part of his Majesty's
dominions, without some lawful cause, before the expiration
of the term fur which such offender shall have been so or-
dered to he banished or transported as aforesaid, every such
offender tieing so at large as aforesaid, being thereof lawfully
convicted, shall suffer death as in cases of felony without be-
nefit of Clergy.
2. That the punishment of transportation and of death are
pnnishments applicable only to felonies, and offences so spe-.
cific and certain in their nature, as to exclude the commission
thereof through ignorance and inadvertence, and necessarily
to include the evil intent in the felonious or illegal act. hut
that the offence of libel is not specific and certain, and is in-
capable of being rendered previously certain by any specific
definition; anti that libels may be, and frequently are, pub-
lished by persons having no com.imunity of intention with the
authors or composers thereof; and being, from the nature of
their business, necessarily unacquainted with the contents or
probable effect of the same.
3. That questions of libel, both in law and fact, are deter-
miner' by a jury on the prosecution thereof, and that the ver-
dict of the jury upon a trial. is the sole criterion of judgment,
rr.s to the legal or illegal oat ore and effect of a publicatinoi,
and that such verdicts, depending upon individual opinion,
are always uncertain and frequently contradictory, in so far,
that the authors, and composers, and first publishers of poli-
tical and other publications have, in some instances, beers
acquitted upon prosecutions for libel : and subsequent vend-
ers,• no way concerned in the printing or first publishing
thereof, have been convicted by different juries for the pub-
lication of the same libels, and punished upon such convic-
tion by fine and imprisonment.
4. That a tetdiet of acquittal, On a prosecution for libel,
whereby the publication complained of is declared in the opi-
nion of the jury b., he innoxirmus, does not legitimate the con-
tinual sale thereof, but that the same defendant is subject to
prosecution for each sobsequent act of publication of the
same work, and in doubtful cases is liable to-probable even
foal conviction nod punishment ; and that. a prosecution for
libel, even in cases of 'acquittal, does therefore generally ope-
rate to restrain the continued circulation of the offensive
work; and in some cases to suppress the same altogether.
5. That as e•eneral Booksellers and Publishers, we are more
especially affected by the proposed act, and that the more
extensive -and eeSpectahle the trade carried on is, the more
probable it becomes that we may. innocently and with good
intention's, fall under the censure and puoishment of the pro-
posed law.
G. That instances are not wantioss in which Booksellers
have been convicted, and have suffered ptinishment, fur the
sale of libellous works, by servantswitheut their privity, and,
it may be, even contrary to their command ; and that, as 1.10
circumspection can guard against the malice of an offended,
or the negligence of a careless servant, we shall he liable to
incur the ultimate penalty .of the proposed law for acts of
which we have no cognizance, and against which prudence
would he unavailing.
7. That from the nature of our trade, we are daily eta-
played to execute orders from customers as intermediate
hands, in the distribution of new worlls, of the contents and
nature whereof we are unavoidably ignorant, and that for
each copy. of such works so distributed by us, we are now re-
sponsible upon an indictment or information, and are liable,
notwithstanding the perfect integrity of our intentions, to
punishment, as in case of a misdemeanour; and that if the
proposed Bill should pass into aslaw, we may inssuch cases
become liable to transportation for seven years, and to the
punishment of death in case of return from transportation.
8. That a very great • number of historisasl, political, and
religions works, are written, and composed, and published,in
London at stated periods, and that most of such works are of
temporary and immediate public interest, and that such
works issue from the press, and pass through the hands of
several different Booksellers, and many thousands thereof are
delivered to the Public within a very few hours after
their first publieation;.aod that a previous perusal or consi-
deration of such works, by such venders of the same as are
not the original or first publishers of the same, is impracti-
cable.
ft.• That many standard works upon historical, philosophi-
cal, and political subjects, which have now obtained a classical
reputations and are daily sold by respectable Booksellers,
under the license of a loug prescription, may be reasonably
considered to be liable to question as libellous by analogy to
more recent works which have been subjected to prosecution ;
and that such standard warts therefore, do out present any
criterion for judgment as to the effect of [sew publications ;
but limy themselves be the subjeceof toture prosecution, and
may subject the venders thereof to the punishments proposed
by the said Bill.
10: That the ignominy of a punishment which it is proposed
to m: he. common to authors, printers, booksellers, and felons,
while it operates to deter keened nod respectable writers of
the most virtuous principles, from treating on political or re-
ligious subjects at ail, will especially preveut them trout
en-
gagini; in the coniposition of Reviews, Magazines, and other
vehicles of periodical discussion, to the areal and peseta tient
detriment of !canting; and.will seriously injure the trade of
Booksellers and printers, in which they have large capitals
embarked ; especially in that extensive branch of it which
embraces the most respectable periodical works in the count
try, and will trod to throw them into the bands of reckless
and desperate men.
11. That, although we haul; the greatest confidence in the
wisdom and integrity of the present Judges of his Majesty's
Courts of Law; yet that the power to expatriate arid trans-
port for a crime not specific but indefinite iii its nature, which
exposes ignorance and inadvertence, equally • with intentional
guilt, is of too extensive and dangerous a nature to he con-
fided to tiny authority whatever, to be exercised at discretion;
and that, in !elation to a crime whose turpitude is heiklitened
or diminished by the political aspect of the tithes, such a
power, especially if rendered permanent, might become the
engine of great injustice and (Tin ession, against which, no
character, however perfect, would he a protect tots.
les That from the eircmnstances stated, our trade and
means of lining, if not totally destroyed by time intendNl Bill,
wouli,l be carried on under a state •f hazard arid insecurity,
productive of constant mental inquietude, ;sod destructive of
the comfort. of ourselves and our families.
!3. That a Petition be therefore presented to the House of
Commons, praying that the same Bill, so far as respects the
punishments of Tr:importation and Death for vending such
Blasphemous or Seditious Libels as in the said Bill are men-
fiance!, may not. pass into a UM.
14. Thikt, the Petition now read be adopted and signed.
.10S. BUTTERWORTH, Chairman.

The Petition presented to the House embodied
these Resolution 3, except the two last, and con-
chided as follows :
" Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray,
" That the said Ildi, so far as respects the pun?shments of
transportation and death for composingrprinting, or
fuck blasphemous or seditious libels as in the said
mentioned, may nut pass into a low. And that your Peti-
tiuners may be heard by their Counsel and Agents at the bar
°f-your Honimrable !louse against the same.
And your retitivners shall ever vray,"&c.

THEATRICAL REGISTER.
Perfornaed Last N;R•ht.
MEAIRE ROYAL, DRIIRY-LANE.—Macbeth : Macbeth, g Jr'
Kean; Lady Macbeth, Mrs. Glover. After which, Par
Ten &Clock aild a Rainy Night.
MEATRE RovAt„ COVENT-GA KDE.K.—The Comedy of Errors;
Monti° of Eptiesn':, Mr. W. Farren: Adriatia, Ste"
phens. After which, The Forty Thieves.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.
We have received the Second valuable Communication, signet
.1. M., and we repeat our wish to be favoured with, a
knowledge of the Author.

IV For PARLIAMENTARY PRocEEDINOs, see the Fourth rage

PRICE OF STOCKS
THIS I/AT AT TwEt.vr o'cLoctt.
Bank Stock.. • 214 9131 India Binds 2s. 4s. dit.
3 per Ceot. Red..... (;61 tisi Exch. Bills, 2tl.
34 per Cent • 7441 74 Ontnium 34 di`'
4 per Cents. 93,1,-ii Cons. for AcCount 674111
Banli Long Ann. 17 5-16ths -4
______

MAILS.
ARRIVED—I Dublin, I Waterford, I Guernsey and Jersey.
DUE—I GOllellbUrglio I France, 2 irawburgh.

HIGH WATER A'(' LONDON BRIDGE TO-MORROW.
Nlornirig, 20 minutes after 2. I Erening,4s minutes after I°

THE SUN.

SOLEM QUis DICERS FALsUM AUDEAT ?

LONDON,
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, )819.

The Paris Papers of Monday last, which veer.
due this morning, have not arrived.

'rug Ftmos.—To-morrow, the 7th payment
to be made upon Omnium, which is now at a Div
count of 34 per cent. There are between 3 a►nd
4 millions to pay up. The immense Sales of Stock
that have lately taken place have been principoilf
for Foreign Houses.—Consols for Opening,
671 a 67.

We have the pleasure to state, upon the indir
potable authority of accounts received this dal'
that, owing to the excellent precautions of the
Officers commanding in the respective•Distrletsi
and to the activity and vigilance of the Magi°
crates, no meetings or tumults have taken pia°
at Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, or Glai'
gong, or at any of the other places where the
dical Agitators had intended to assemble theig
insurgent brethren.

The conciliating spirit of Government is eci'
dent in their conformity to the• requisitions
the Opposition, in many parts of the legal mell‘
sures proposed for the protection of the country''
The Petition and Resolutions of the Booksellav
one of the most useful classes of the cornmuniqg
are recommended by good sense and sound reasolli
ing, as well as. urged with due respect, and liosl
made a strong impression upon Ministers. The ii33l
portant ad vantages Of literature, when under proper
limitations, consistently with the welfare of the
State, need no recommendation, as they caseation
contribute to the improvement of the human 01°
_iu every specks of knowledge, and form the
brightest ornaments of Society. The respectable
Booksellers and Printers who subscribed the re
lion, and particularly the estimable Character
presided as the Chairman of the Meeting
b
whom it was framed, it is needless to discrimio3l:
from those infamous wretches who disgrace Ili
profession of which they are unworthy member;'
and who are indeed only despicable Factors
Blasphemy and Sedition.