The Sun.
London, England, 1817-04-25 00:00:00

DAR. WItIGIIrt CASE:

• • [From " The Liverpool Couricr."l
We insert, front the following nar+
ratite of the eiebiiiitititoes lid to the ~,)-
ereilings instituted by tile Magistritei agni. at M
'.701.114 Witldn'T .

. In -the Joit!erpo9l .111ercur9, Of the I.eth Instant,
were published, under the bend " ExtraorUinary
Proceedings,".the p,,rticulati of what is t tateo to
have taken plae'e at the TOWn-ball, relative to 'err-
.sttio informations against ,Mr. John. Wright, for
preaching in the Long-room? in Marble-srreet,
without the same benigthily certified and reglitered
necohling to Act of Parlitidieht and alto, relative to
Mr.W. Ititring offended against .t law,in the tlop:.
Lion of certain language in itisdi;scusii.Ne..l4oll
first point, that of the room being duly cell iiied and
regi-nered, it is onl•y• net6sio y to state; that Mr.
Wright conceived
.that the room hail. beets ori-
ginally certified for: another congreg :Ilion, and
that such certificate .was in kW sufficient. Th•
MagiitrateS, biiwevet, in their construction of thc
Act*of Parllantent, • considered that the law had
not been complied with, and that it was, there-
fore, their duty to inflict sane penalty. As Mr:
Wright had not wilfully 'offend d, the smallest
amount adanirized by the Act (20 sbillings)•.was
imposed, and that upon one information only.
NVith respect to the other "chat ge against Mr.
. Wright, it May be proper to lay before the public
the plain and siniple facts they occurred. A
eontintthiCatimi was made to the Mayor by several
Gentlemen of the first respectability, that, in
thicintrse which Nlr. Wright hail delivered on' the
evening Of the Bth Of April,. he had made use of
expressions -a it very offensive nature againq the
religion of the country. The names of some pet..
Sons' who bad been present upon the occasion.; and
who had expressed thettelves'as baying been ett-
ceedingly shocked at what bad taken place, were
mentioned to the Mayor, and lie, in the discharge
of hiS public duty, sent for those persons, in order
to ascertain flow far the 'language used was" an
offence against the laW.upcin which it becatne hitti
to act. Finding, upon interrogation, that the ex-
preSsioni; Stated to have been used, amounted,
unequivocally; to a misdemeanour; the Mayor re-
quired Mr. James 'Scott; one of the persons whom
he had interrogated, anti wliti is a merchant of
great respectability in the towu, to give his iufor-
ovatiuo
itrwriting, upon oath with which request •
Mr. Scott, very pi operly conceiving he was b.innti
to do it, complied. The tOlbst Once of the (141"'biti(1.11
" that it perso'n,, whom the informant ander-
stood to be john i ht;:in 4 discoutse 00,kt:red
by hint, amongst othe'i matters, ex pres,:eil aud con-
veyed to his hearets the idc'a, that a belief in the
'doettine of the lioly Tt•init y was absurd and ri-
diculous;—that it wds folly t(i belicie in %Alia
was called the Atonement by the death of Je.iri
Christ, asii was inipimiar to suppose, that a gruid
Being would take nit innocent Victim to atone Inc
the tins of. the wicked ;---tltat as the itle.s of tire
son) surviving, the was an absurd and tidiest»
lons mental :!elusitm„ thit the idea of a `future state
was equally' so;" Upon this infornration, ttuly
so•Orn, as in all Other c;‘ses, the Mayor granted
It Warrant against Ml.Wiight, fur " having made
ust of eXpreritins tending to a denial of the truth
of the Holycriptlans, and to expose the moue
to contempt and. tidicttle." The offence I)eiutt
hail %hie, Mr. Wright • Was called upon to Anti
bail for his appeartince. at .the ASSitittS anrwer
an indictment to he prercrred against him for the
mistleineatiour. He procured
!he_ required,
anti so the matter ended. •

In the printed statement, some allusion litfg
been Made to the cougtegation having been dis-
turbed by Mr. Scott. No distorbanees.whatcver
was made by that Gentlentau ; it arose from the
ciretmistance of several persons present express-
ing 'to Mr. Wright, after the conclusion of the
sermon, their abhoratiee at the language and doc-
trines which had been held out by him.
tlir allusion has. been also made, not to very
becoming language, to Mr. Itecs Davies, who
.belongs to the Liverpool Gottrier-ollice. Ilis otsli
,letter in the Mercury points out the wiry in which
be happened to be iutiOduced. lie was one t)f
the persons sent for by the Mayor to give iofor-
Maitioll upon the subject of what he had heard,
awl, like Mr. Scott, was required to. attend as a
witness and give his evidence. , But he was Pa
the, informer upon the opcashm, nor will he de-
rive any benefit or emolument whatever in coose-
(plaice of what he did or said. lie was called
upon by the Chief Magistrate of Me town to at•
tend ova witness, and had he not done so, that
Magistrate, it may be presumed, would have
adopted measures to have compelled his att eitdanco.
TO Ti lE. EDITOR Ot.'"FFYIS LIVERPOOL COURIER.
Statement of the proceedings against
Mr. ;John Wright having'appeared in .a•Liverpool
paper, and in .several Losidtin papyri tit last Week,
tending, by the eip4ocal milliner in which my
name is introduced, 0) couutertance 4 surmise 'la-
justly circulated here, that I was sent, or that [
had gone, to Mr. Wright's School-rootri, on Ilse
evening of. Toestirty the •Bth instant, for the
purpose of watching: and informing against
him, do solemnly declare such insinuations
are emirely devoid of truth.. I had no too,
tive in attending the room' in Marble-streets ex.
ceiling • my own individual .curiosity;- and. I at.
tended at the Town-hall on the express. request at
the Mayor, who had, it appears, accidentally heard
I had been there. My evidence 'before the Ma,
gistrates was, 1 belieVe, supported by other wit-
oases ; and othhongh they have deemed it proper
to select it for the pprpo,o. of legal proceedings,
I have nothing to do therewith; but aS it Wit.
ness. The charge. of diiorderly cambia during
wortdiip, atteirrpretlA4v be made against me,
Is contrao, to the, direct evidence trfWitnessts,
and withmit foundation. t)t Mr. Wright I 'levee
had the' slightest previous kurfruieuge. Those
who know me, I sure, will not consider. toe
dispose& to Inc ettherft-pevsecator or no informer.
•No 010 a Call be so.• greater admirer •of that Wise
Ivy cm „t ~„110„"s: tideration which oar laws
a;low, .nor more liberal in Ilia Wag towards the
vat-lotto el,oses of retie iotii SOticlies, 11100 I MIL
My triendsi i ate convinced, will believe.nothing
in,i,lionoy or anollytnotosly itisionated to my pie..
jotliee. My conduct no this.occasion lota the ap-
probioton of my ()Wli conscience, trult,
that of every one whose approbation is desirable.
I remain, &o.
Liverpool, 19th April,

; AMU Scam