Star.
London, England, 1830-06-07 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY DECLARATION OF HIS

MAJESTY'S ATTOR% EY-GENERAL.

In•n discussion which took place on Friday night in the
[louse of Commons, respecting the enormous expenses
incurred for the persecutions of the press, the most extra-
ordinary and unprecedented, if it be not also the most
unconstitutional and disloyal declaration, is attributed to
Sir James Scarlett, that we firmly believe ever emanated
from the lips of an attorney-general. With the subject-
matter then under the consideration of the committee,
the declaration to which we refer had nothing whatever
to do ; and we are utterly at a loss to conceive for what
good or rational purpose, even the most distant allusion
was made to so painfully delicate a topic as " the demise
of the Crown," unless indeed to divert the attention of
the house fro:n an object so obnoxious to censure as the
" prosecutions of the press ;" and the expence entailed
upon the country by these odious " persecutions." Be
it as it may, here is the declaration ascribed to Sir James
Scarlet t :
" As be was now on his legs, he would take this opportunity to
remove a mistake which had gone abroad on the occasion of a bill
lately passing through that House—he alluded to the notion which
appeared to have been taken up by the public, that the Attorney-
(ltneral would derive considerable emoluments from a demise
of the crown. He had taken some pains to ascertain the fees which
would in that case be received by him and by the Solicitor-General
..pon every patent which would then possibly be renewed. It was
only fair to assume, that not more than two thirds of them, that is
to say, about 200, would be renewed ; in that case, he hoped the
hon. member would just attend to the kind of work which the At-
torney-General had to do in each of those instances where patents
were renewed. The Attorney-General had to prepare the bill, co.
pies of the bill when prepared were sent round to the different offices,
ankl after the bill was approved of and signed by his Majesty, it was
carried round to the various offices; and for all that the Attorney
and Solicitor General, who prepared and arranged the bill, received
may a fee of 51. and the whole of the patent clerks' fees amounted
only to 31. Iss. He believed that the whole amount charged was
far less than would be charged by a solicitor for doing an equal
quantity of business for a private individual."
What think you, reader, of this honest declaration—and
of this constitutional law-officer of the crown, who sends a
poor printer to Newgato for daring to sympathize with his
Sovereign, and yet is said to have avowed having himself
coldly, calmly, and deliberately, sat down to calculate his
own probable profits consequent upon " the demise of the
crown"—that is—upon the death of that very so-
vereign ?—A pretty declaration truly ! Sir James Scar
lett must know that the time was, when all crown lawyers,
aye, and the Statute Laws of the Realm, held it to be
High Treason " to imagine the death of the king;" and
surely he could so far forget what was due to his
own station, and to his own personal character : he
could set such an example to all the rest of his Majesty's
devotedly faithful subjects, as thus indecorously to avow,
in the face of the Representatives of the People, that ho
bad not only imagined such an event, but had, as the re-
port sets forth, " taken pains to ascertain the fees which
would in that case be received by him !! !" Such a de-
claration demands his prompt and peremptory repu-
diation: and if we could believe it to have been actually
delivered by his Majesty's Attorney-General, we should
immediately call upon the House of Commons to visit
such conduct with its most severe reprehension.—
idged from a Sunday Paper.

Pat DE or DREss.—At a meeting-house near Exeter,
a short time since, the preacher astonished some of his
hearers by exclaiming, with his voice raised above the
c.oucert pitch—" I warn you against pride 1 you that
wear four yards in your gown sleeves, and bonnets like
rainbows; who take as much rigging out us one of his
Majesty's 64-gun frigates !! ! The hint had a very
powerful effect, if not the exact effect the orator intended,
as the blushing fair ones began to move—and presently
displayed to his view a large fleet of frigates, in full sail
tomb ards the door !—Devonport Paper.
A principal and talented performer at Drury-lane
Theatre has kindly consented to exert his talent under
the direction of the new management, merely making
the following trifling stipulations. Imprimis—Fifty
pounds per week for himself (and then like a provident
old cock who is determined to protect the whole of his
brood) he asks fifteen pounds per week for brother Percy
as acting manager, and brother George to be appointed
Solicitor to the theatre. Prudent Billy had got thus far
when Mr. Lee told him be need give himself no further
trouble on the subject, or Mrs. and Miss Faucit would
doubtless have been added to the list. Dowton is in
negociation with the new lessee, and will, in all proba-
bility, resume his former situation.
The gossips of the green-rooms at both theatres are
as actively engaged in speculating on the probable result
of the late fracas between a certain noble Lord and his
warbling lady, as the scandal-mongers out of doors.
Madame V— was heard the other evening to lament
to some of the actors of Drury the disgrace that these
matters (meaning the Lennox business) brought upon the
profession, and added, that she was surprised that the
Lady bad not acted more prudently. " She should,"
said Madame V—, " have arranged with, and got a
settlement from Lord L—, and then if she pleased she
might with propriety have placed herself under the pro-
tection of Mr. Wood."

It is the misfortune of the nation, and of our times,
that the Sovereign and the Court are, or have hitherto
been, as much secluded from all points of contact with
the different ranks of society, as though they formed a
Dart of the most despotic country in Europe : they are
taught to distrust the people ; and this is a situation in-
compatible with the existence of tho reverence or the
respect of the nation. From the first moment of the ac-
cession of the present King to the Throne, some invisible
and unseen chain of influence was drawn around him :
all his former principles and predilections were foregone,
on his very approach to the threshhold of the vacated seat
of Royalty : as though there were " a mystery in Mo-
narchy which none but Monarchs may know." The
same scene is again being performed before us, as the
process of Royal initiation. If we could draw aside this
curtain, what a valuable lesson might we not receive !
and how suddenly may not all our cold suspicions be
.;onverted into gratitude and admiration, could we hear
and see what takes place in the penetralia of the Royal
Bousehold,—as a dying Sovereign gives to his successor
the master-key of his Royal policy, on the verge of the
grave !—lt way be a counterpart of the mystic ceremony
of making a freemason : the grand arcana of rule is un-
folded to the Prince in his novitiate, with the solemnity
of an immortal being, having his last foot in this world,
and speakintr fron► the suburb of eternity to mortal ears.
Certain it is, that the great secret never appears to tran-
spire : the MIIIO.IIIII sanetorum of the order is guarded by
an out-door tyler (as well as an indoor warden), whose
rely iplOTallee is made to be a matter of superior great-
ness, because it is permitted to exist so near to know-
ledge.—No third per son, whether Prince or subject, may
be present at this transfer of the Crown and its political
adjuncts, from the dead to the living; and to exclaim
with the more ad ventrous

Into your heaven of heavens I have presumed,
An earthly guest, and drawn Empyreal air." News.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
COURT OF KING'S BENCH, Juwz 5.
SCOTT AND WIFE V. WELI.F.SLEY.

This case was set down for trial on Saturday morning,
and the Court was crowded to excess; but on the Lord
Chief Justice taking his seat on the bench, Mr. Denman
stated that lie was unprepared on the part of the plain-
tiffs, who had made an affidavit stating the reasons on
which they applied to have the record withdrawn.
The COURT having acceded to the application, the re-
cord was accordingly withdrawn.
The action was for false imprisonment, the Hon. Mr.
Wellesley having indicted Mrs. Scott on a charge of per-
jury, arising out of the evidence given by her in the trial
for libel, Scott v. Clement, which took place in the Com-
mon Pleas about three years ago.
Mr. H.l Lcom a, of Windsor notoriety (after the trial
of a cause in which he had been engaged as counsel),
rose and said that he wished to make some observations
relative to himself, as this was the first opportunity be
had had the honour to appear among his learned friends
since --

Lord TENTERDEN—I really cannot listen to any ob-
servations of that description.
Mr. HALcomli—But, my lord, they are both of a pub-
lic and private nature ; and I only wished to advert to
them in a public manner.

Lord TENTERDEN— I cannot listen to you in Court.
I am most happy to hear private communications from
any gentleman at the bar but I must treat them in pub-
lic as I do other persons.
Mr. li.A I,CO NI n still pressed to be heard ; but his lord-
ship refused to allow him to go on; and Mr. Ilalcomb
was compelled to sit down.