The Sun.
London, England, 1817-12-30 00:00:00

SHIP NEWS:

PORTSMOUTH, DEC. 29,—Arrived the Franklin
American 7.4 from Cowes ; she has anchored at
Spithead, to wait a fair wind for the Me-diterra-
Dean ; also the Isabella, MANN, from Havannah
for Hambtirgh, and the Aaron, PHILIPS, from
Dublin, with loss of boom. Sailed the Cam-
bridge, EvANs, for Jamaica.
. ~LivenrooL, DEC. 28 —Arrived the Bridget,
MAY, from Bombay; she sailed the 17th August,
and from the Cape the 28th Oct. The Lonach,
Princess Charlotte, and William Pitt;had arrived
Bumbay.—The Alpha, Faosr, from this port
for Poole, with coals, was stranded last night at
South Port ; the Master, Mate, and two men
saved—two men drowned.
DOPER, DEC. 29. The John, Sftcocx, froM
Boston for Portsmouth, with wheati was towed
in here to-day by a fishing smack,fhaving.lost her'
sails and rigging, its consequence ,of her main
plates breaking.
HARWICH, Mac. 29.—Put in here the Louisa
Frederica, PYBErtq, from Stockholm for Bristol,
leaky, tosr her anchors and cables, and otherwise
Laving been run. foul cif at-
considerably aninagelt,
sea—she must discharge to repair.
YARMOUTH', DI3C• 29.—The Forsigtigheden,
NVE,DEN; of and from Stockholm for London, is
put in here with damage, and must discharge.
FALMOUTH, DEC. 27.—Arrived the Eliza and
Fox transports from Deptford for. Cork, and
Good Intent, HAS', from Plymouth for St. Mi-

sheet's.
Cowrs, Dr,a• 29.--Arrived the Olive Branch,
Ilays, from Demerara for London, with gre'at

PRINCE LEOPOLD.

We are concerned to state, that 'hiS Serene
Highnesi has experienced a renewal of those
rheumatic attacks which originated in his last
visit to this -country, aggravated by the misery
that he cherishes for the afflicting death. of his
!Consort, which circumstances have induced the
Prince LEOPOLD to retire to the village of Caine,
about five miles distant from Weymouth, for the
benefit of the air. Altfiongh much speculation
leas been in:lulged in, respecting the-Prince's visit
to his native land, we are authorised to assert,
that nothing has hitherto been determined on this.
subject. He himself has determined to retain all
those domestics who attended the Princess • and,
accordingly, Mrs. Lewis, who waited on her late
Royal Highness front her infant years, and in
whose arms the Princess died, is to be continued
in his Serene Highness's house. Nothing is al-
lowed 10 be even touched that belonged to the
wardrobe of the Princess. All is held sacred by
her Prince. liven the large black. bonnet, and
grey cloth coat, which she wore when taking an
airing in the Park the morning of the Monday on
the evening of which her Royal Highness was
taken ill, are still objects of her widowed bus-
b nod's long and last regard. He sent •on Flitlay
last for Mr. Dave, portrait painter to her late
Royal Highness, to examine the likenesses ,which
were taken of her. Claremont is also now under-
. going those improvements which were cunt'
ut-
plated by the_Pritteass. HarAlanberg, the,
seolptor, bf Mount-street, was also sent far on
Friday, by Prince Leopold, to make a bus; of the
Princess Charlotte, which he has been proceed-
' lug with under the direction of the Prince, and
Mr. Dawe, who was so well acquainteu with the
formation.of her features, she havina sat to bins
frequently for 'about. fifteen months. After the
host was finished, yesterday morning, Prince
Leopold, attended by Colonel Ad'lenhrok'e, left
Claremont, in a coach and four, Cot Windsor, on
a visit to the Queen and Princesses. The bust was
)roved of.

ENGLISH TRAVELLERS.

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forming to the genuine princip
England, they could not find a man ged!y 'who
had no inteutiors of (miming ing an offence. •I he
intention was tho gravamen ot 'the charge, and un-
less the intention was corrupt there could be no
guilt. The fact, however, was, that be never
knew a Lawyer able to form a common-sense idea
you the subject of the law of libel Unfortn-
lately there was no settled anti defined law opork
'be subject ; and, indeed, so uncertain was the
aw ot libel, that a man could hardly be able to
in nine instances out of ten, when be had or
had not written a libel. Nay, a man who set out
with an avowed intention of writing a libel night
fail of his object, though he meant to break the law.
There were cases in which a man would be
Ftstitiable in writing a libel ; for instance, where
the object wits to eseeke his coutstrymen to a
sense of some dangerous inroads upon their lie
berty. Stich a person wishing to become an ho-
nest libeller might_ htil of eccninplishing his tie-
sign, so imperfectly . was the law deC-ined. Libel
was, in truth, any thing which the Law Officers
of the Crown could persuade twelve men, picked
and chosen be the ntstee of the Clown Office, to
believe to be an tit:fence against his Majesty's Mi-
eistets. To Mr. Chitties Penrson's maely eXer+
I 101 l S however, was the -country •indebted for a
change in this system of picking and cuffing Jory-
men. Formerly no right of selection was claimed
by the Master of the Crown- Office. He was
very 661 when waited upon, and trite indifferent
,abouewhowere chosen, and we:i he might be, for
where all were under the influecee of the Crurns
-
-,as his friend Mr. H. Tooke had once 5:11,1, it was
like putting a dozen rotten oranges before a man,
and bidding him choose which pleased him best.
It seemed, however, that the Judges of the King's
Bench had laid it dwelt as a bread position, that
the Master of the Crown Office had a tight to no-
minate and choose the Jury from the Jury
This was a position which was without any legal
authority, and one which the common sense of
the people would not endure. It was impossible
to bear the people down with doctrines so diame-
trically opposite to the principles of common jus-
tice. Mr. hone, by his manly and courageous
exertions, had achieved a public good; and in that
sense must his recent painful trials be considered.
lie remembered a story of a man going about
with a lion, and putting his head in the lion's
mouth. This he did many -titnes without sustain-
ing any injury ; 'but one day the lion wagged his
tail while he was doing so, and the man lost his
head. Mr. Hone bad his head in the lion's mouth,
but, fortunately for hint, the lion had not wagged
his tail, or probably his fate would have beets the
same with that of the unfortunate showman,
But, because he had not suffered, it ought not to
he supposed that he had been in no -danger. The
probability was, ring had a Jury been induced to
give a verdict against him, he would have returned
to his family no more. lie had•displayed, in a
most perilous situation, talents which had done
honour to himself, and in his (Sir F. Burdett's)
mind, to his country, and his countrymen ought
now to do that for him which should benefit bias
for the rest of his life.—The lion. Baronet then
read the following Resolutions :-
1. That the Liberty of the Press is one of the dearest rights
and proudest distinctions of Englishmen ; and is inseparably
connected with, and wholly dependent on, the purity of the
Trial. by Jury.
2. Tam the inestimable importance of the sacred and COD•
StltUtional right of Trial by Jury has never been more de-
monstratively Proved than by that recent prosecutions arid ho-
noureble acquittals of Mr. William Hone.
3. That Parodies on Scripture having been written and
published-by Marlin Luther, the Father of the Reformation,
by Dignitaries of the Church; and by other eminent and
learned personages, down to the present time, we are per-
suaded that the exception taken to th°,Parodies of Mr. Bonet
by the present Ministers of the Crown was to answer political
purposes :teainst the Liberty of the Press.
4. T hit hypocritical prostitution of religion, and a pre-
teeded zeal for its defence, when used by corrupt Statesmen
as a mark for political persecution, must ever be held by
all
sincere Christians as the worst profanation of its sacred name.
6. That it is evident from the manner in which those pro.-
seentions were commenced and conducted, that the real ob-
ject of Ministers was not to protect religion; but to omit an
apparently defenceless individual who had exposed their pidi-
tieni ‘!elinquencies, to stifle public discussion, to destroy thu
Liberty of the Press, and to uphold existing abuse.
6. That the extensive knowledge, the varied talents, the
manly intrepidity, the 'energy of mind, and the unshaken per-
severence which enabled. Mr. William Hone so dauntlessly to
resist the reiterated assaults ot Ministerial persecution, ett-
, title hint to the gratitude and support of ever friend to con-
stitutional freedom.
7. That a subscription be now opened, and that the money
which may be stiliscrilred be placed in the hands of a Com-
mittee, to he used in such war as shall appear to them best
calculated to remote the permanent welfare of Mr. lions and
his family.
S. That the following Gentlemen he of the Committee :
Robt. Waithmae, Joseph unb, William Store!), Alder-
man 'Fborpe, Alderman Goodbchere, Samuel Brooks, William
Williams, William Teasdalte
9. 'That Robert Wait hman, Esq. he the Treasurer.
Mr. Alderman Tnonee congratulated the Meet-
ing on the result of the late trials, and on the
triumph of common sense over hypocrisy and so-
phistry. Ile Seconded the first Resolution.
The Resolutions were then put by the Chairman
seriatim., and carried unanimously.
Mr. W AIT H MAN now observed, that he should
have stated that there had already been subscrip-
tions to a very good extent received. lie was
called on to read the-naMes, and immediately pro-
ceeded to do so. The two subscriptions which
we have already mentioned were loudly applauded
oil their being announced from thechair. Among
the subscriptions read over, we noticed 101. from
himself, and smaller sums from others of his fa-
mily. The following signatures were also of the
number that attracted most attention, and called
for the most fervent acclamations.
A Lady, 501.—N0 Yuliticiaty 51.—N0 Parodist, but an ene-
my to persecution, 2th--Mr. 101.—Mr. Sturch,
101.—Pro Bono Public°, el. 25.—Aldermen Goodb,bere and
Thorpe, ltd. each.—An Englishman, 101.—datues Perry, Esq,
(Morning Chronicle), 2U1.-3ir Richard Phillips, al.—Jones
Burdett, Esq. 51.
Mr. Penne said, a part of the prOceedings of
the day devolved upon him, which he should with
great pleasure • endeavour to perform, and that
with a degree of sincerity and zeal, which he
trusted Isis st'hole life would piove, no description
could exaggerate. lie rose for the purpose of
moving a vote of thanks to the Hon. Baronet,
who for so many years [tad laboured to recover
those tights to which they were all entitled, and
for which their ancestors had fought, He felt
that it was not in his power to do justice to the
subject. He stood •in need of a portion of the
talent displayed by Mr. Hone on his trial, to en-
title hint to the approbation of the Meeting, and
still more did he feel a want of it to do justice to
the merits of the Honourable Baronet, since he