The Sun.
London, England, 1819-09-07 00:00:00

FOR iniiii', sbii-o

AtPORX.

Mr. EDITOiI—At a moment when " Reform"
s the watch word of Treason, and "Reformist"
.he specious Synonym with Rebel, 'an Advocate
'or Reform feels how circumspectly he must ad-
tress one, whose Constant boast and glory has
been the defence of our unrivalled Constitution
in religion and politics, and tivhOise strenuous and
unabating endeavours in this glOrious cause have,
in so numerous instances, been eminently success-

ful in preserving his fellow-countrymen, good
Christians and faithful citizens, amidst the wildest
tempests of blasphemy and rebellion. Yes, Sir ;
though such assurances cannot be new to you, 1
must not refuse myself the gratification of assur-
ing you, that it has been my good fortune to have
witnessed several instances, where a ray from the
" SUN" has driven to their native Tartarean dark-
ness the insinuations of a ‘VoOLER, a CORBETT,
or a SHERWIN ; triumphs, which the influence
rather than the ability of such antagonists ren-
ders important, and for which you deserve the
thanks of your Country, or, at least, of every
man who has his country's interest next his heart.
It is under these impressions that I venture to
offer you some remlrks on a subject, not (I think)
sufficiently considered, and in which I confess
myself an " Advocate for Reform." Yes, though
this word, the boast of a few centuries since, has
been so grievously misused of late, had a "
cal Reform" in one point of English law, bten
timely instituted, there would have been reason
to hope, that we should never have heard of Sedi-
tion under this or any other name. 1 mean the
Law of Libel. Many excellent Lawyers had long
been of opinion, that this Law was inadequate to
the end proposed ; but if any thing had been
non' wanting to convince the community at large
of this truth; it would be fully removed by those
coarse and shameless libels which are weekly, nay,
daily, emanatiug from the metropolitan press,
from which the wretched cause of the Radical
Desperadoes is deriving continual strength, and
t without which its " bad eminence" would be per-
fectly untenable, but which are at the same time
totally out of the reach of this and every other
law of the land.
It were useless to enlarge on the national im-
portance of the Press, especially in a countty
where every corner has been pervaded by educa-
tion ; all ate sensible of the circulation, all are
sensible of the influence of cheap seditious tracts,
accommodated to the ideas and capacities of.the
vulgar. Why should order and religion, their
defenders and ministers, be abused and insulted
with impunity ? Such '' Liberty of the Press"
differs not greatly from the " Political Liberty"
with which our friends the " Radicals" would
tt eat us. WhV shall some notorious villain take
shelter beneath a law which forbids an honest
man to expose him, while every name, nay every
institnt ion, that is great, respectable, venerable, es-
timable, shall he unprotected from the harpy pollu-
tions of CoBsETT, WC:OM-ER, or any other pestife-
rous Reptile ? Shall the venom of The Morning
Chronicle tall daily nut egarded on the palladium of
the State, or the more daring Examiner, with em-
poisoned fang, weekly profane the ark itself of
the covenant ?

The Law of Libel as it at present stands, has al-
ways been sufficently evaded by a few straggling
letters, interspersed with dashes, which, being
substituted for the name of a person to be libelled,
could only be fitted up at the peril (if indeed there
were any) of such as undertook to do so. They
were, however, generally as efficient as though
the whole name had been written. This safe and
efficacious method, our bolder libellers, for what
reason I know not, have, in great measure, aban-
doned, and they have no scruples in exhibiting at
WI length the most respectable names amid the
vilest scurrility.-1 do not think their present sys-
tem !gore culpable any farther than it is more im-
pudent than the former. Both are equally injuri-
ous ; and prove that innocence, nay merit, may
be vilified with impunity in this land of justice,
while moral deformity is allowed to exult at it
withers the generous hand which unveils it.
The manifest importance of the subject has de-
tained me longer than I at first intended. To
conclude, I could wish that evert, indiVidual should
be punished who should aver or publish any false-
hood tending to affect the reputation of an-
other ; that truth should he allowed its due
course ; and that where mysterious dashes
are int roluced, every person whose name
can correspond should be allowed to prose-
cute, thus rendering this evasion still !mire
to be avoided. We should then see and hear no
more against our Regent and his Ministers, no
more against our Church, Louis., Or Commons.
The rabble Demagogues would tall into their pris-
tine oblivion!, and amuse themselves with shoot-
ing at MIDDLETON and SMEDLaY, rather than in
the streets of Manchester or Stockport.

Your Constant Reader,
Stockport; Sept. 3. ANANIORPHON.

WINDSOR, SHPT. Fr►day his Royal
Highness iI:P Duke of Yoa& arrived at the Castle.
On Saturday he held a Council, which was at-
tended by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord
Arden, and Lord Henry : after the Council, his
Royal Highness went to Oatlands, ►►►id the Ai eh-
bishop of Canterbury and Lord Henley to Lou-
don. Lord Arden remains in waiting on his Ma-
jesty in the room of Lord Henley. On Satur-
day the Royal Horse Guards, Blues, were in-
spected in the Barrack-square, by Lord Edward
Somerset.

The ship Drie Vrienden, Captain Thol, from
Pernambuco to Africa, was taken possession of on
the 9th of May, at D'Elrnira, by three of the
crew, who, after murdering the Captain, his son,
and a seaman, carried the vessel out to sea and
blew her up.
We have been enabled by good authority to
state that Sir GEORGE NUGENT has been appoint-
ed to succeed Sir GEORGE BECKWITH as Com-
mander of the Forces in Ireland. The latter will
leave Dublin for England in the course of next
month.—(Cork Advertiser.)
The gallant ilst Regiment has subscribed one
day's pay towards the erection of the National
Monument in Scotland,