The Sun.
London, England, 1820-11-10 00:00:00

GENERAL RIGHT.

MR. tiDlTOß—Being a staunch Friend to the
Constitutional Rights of Englishmen, as I trust
and believe all your Correspondents are, I have
often been astonished to reflect, that there is one
of their most cherished privileges, and, in fact,
the most frequently exerted, which never yet, to
my recollection, has been publicly avowed or men-
tioned. It has indeed, in all times, been exercised ;
but tacitly, and without any direct assertion of the
Right. This reserve has arisen, I suspect, from
a species of false modesty, by which Englishmen
obscure their own glory, and decline giving-the
proper name to their most remarkable exertions.
In vindication of this unnoticed right, I there-
fore think it proper to send a few lines, well
knowing that your patriotism will readily give
admission to any thing whiclr tends to vindicate
a single legal claim of your beloved Countrymen.

It is not, however, through any fear that the
right in question should at present be relinquish-
ed-or -neglected, that lam tempted to addreSs
you; because, on the contrary, I never 'knew- it
so =vigorously exerted as it has been lately ; but
because I feel it expedient that such a privilege
should not be enjoyed as under connivance, but
should be openly and distinctly asserted ; lest at
any future time, very different from the present,
it might be denied to us, tinder the pretence that
it had never been acknowledged by the laws, nor
distinctly claimed by the subject.
The right then, Sir, which 1 here step forward
to claim for my Countrymen, and which, though
used perhaps more frequently than any other, has
never yet, to my knowledge, been publicly avowed
or asserted) is the right of playing the Fool! On
the Very mention of this right, it will immediately
occur to your recollection how extensively this
applies to the practices, though never mentioned
among the pretensions of Englishmen ! I speak
not now of private foolery, for that is a privilege
allowed and enjoyed in the most despotic Coun-
tries, but of the right of playing the fool publicly
and politically. You cannot fail to remember,
for I believe you are old enough to trace back the
whole record in your own observations, how in,
variably the Livery and Common Council of a
certain great City have acted upon this right, ever
since they listened to the delusions of a certain
oblique-eyed wit, who boasted openly that he
could carry any question, by taking the nonsense
of the City, while others took the' sense of it
against him.

This right, Sir, has constantly been annexed,
though still tacitly, to the Constitutional right of
addressing and petitioning, either the Crown, or
the Houses of Parliament ; and has shone forth,
though with clouded lustre, as unavowed, in ad-
dresses grounded upon error, or upon subjects of
which the addressers understood not a word ; in
petitions against grievances which never existed,
or were likely to exist ; and in bold declarations
of opinions, founded upon nothing but prejudice
and passion, not only without proof to support
them, but in the very face of positive evidence.
It is not long ago since this kind of diversion
took a serious turn ; and, from being mere foolery,
was in imminent danger of degenerating into
villainy and treason. But a prudent interposition
of the Legislature gave a timely check to this
extravagance ; and instructed multitudes, that,
though they. .might with impunity play the fool,
as of ancient practice and custom, yet if they
ventured to play the madmen, they might like
madmen be shut up till they were cured.
But as a torrent stopped at one channel is apt
to force an issue at another, so has the right of
fool-playing, since that period, been more vio-
lently exerted than ever. Thousands have been
tempted to go in public procession in exercise of
this unowned privilege. They have gone for
miles with banners and with music, to give opi-
nions upon questions which they have never exa-
mined, and were previously determined not to
examine. They have been led by a Wooden
idol to commit more extravagaucies than were
ever seen in the orgies of the heathen Bacchus, or
the celebration of a Catholic Feast of Fools.
Why then,Sir, should all this be dotw, without a
fair avowal of the right on which kis clearly fodnd-
ed ? For though it may be thought that so glo-
rious an assertion of the fact could never be for-
gotten, yet history is not always faithful ; law-
yers are cunning and disputatious ; and should
.this right, by any unforeseen, and I confess im-
probable, c-wain of circumstances, long remain
unexerted, it might speciously, at least,be contend-
ed that no such right had ever been admitted ;
and thus should we be in danger of losing, if not
the noblest, yet surely the most delightful and
comfortable privilege that has descended to us
from our ancestors ; that of playing the fool in
public.

SQUIB.

A. CHILD BURNED TO DEATH.—AbOnt eleven
o'clock on Sunday forenoon, Mrs. Wicks, who
keeps a green-grocer's shop in Brownlow-mews,
Benry-ftreet, Gray's-inn-lane. happened to go
'out on some trilling errand, leaving her two chil-
dren by themselves in the parlour : the eldest, a
girl about three years and a half old, set her
clothes' on fire by some means ; her screams
brought in a neighbour;, who, seeing her situation,
threw a pail of water over her, and extinguished
the flames ;. but she was so dreadfully burnt, that
she expired shortly after in great agony.

MELANCHOLY SUICIDE.—,On Wednesday even-
in; au Inquest was taken before .bitlN Watcti r UN WI N, Esq.
Cormier, at the house of \1 r. Clarke, sign of the Horns, op
posite tiborediteh Clittreh, on view 111 the both• of a fine
pained Elizabeth Sinclair, aged About 15, who threw hetseft
into a deep pit, full of water. It Ivan stated it) part of the
videdce, that the deceased had said she had been seduced.

Tile Jury c‘insidered for a few minutes, and returned a ver-
dict—“iliat the deceased drowned herself, being at the time
in a state of insanity."

A pauper of the parish of Longford, St. Mary,
near Gloucester, of the name of Mary Bennett,
died of Friday last at the extraord!nary age of
105 years, and retained all her faculties in a
wonderful manner until within the last two years
of her long life.

PATENT COFFINS.

CONSISTI:AY COURT, DOCTORS' COMMONS, SO

DEcistox.--This important and novel proero.
ing, which had been argued at great length °lf
former day, came on for judgment before Sir t..
SCOTT this morning. It was a suit brought 0:
.John Gilbert, parishioner of St. Andrew, 0,
born, against John Basward and Williaml3o9/4'
'
churchwardens,.for the offence of obstructingkft''
interment of his wife, Mary Gilbert.
stating in substance the criwinating articles,
the defensive allegation, the Learned Judge
•ceeded in a long and elaborate speech to debb
the opinion of the Court on the question of rig.
which had been submitted for its decision. h
William first took a view of the different nO'
of disposing of the remains of the dead, r,
corded in history, and then came to e°"'t.,l
der the argument relative to particular Co
fins. The argument that rests the right ,e 1
admission for particular coffins upon the talc
right of the parishioner to be, buried in his churcdt
yard, seemed, the Learned Judge obserce v
rather to stop short of what is requisite t° ,t
proved, the right of being buried in a large clet
or trunk of any material, metallic or other;
his executors think fit. With respect to the 'oj
ference in the duration of the coffins 01
and coffins of iron, it was, said the Learrl'if
Judge) the fault of the party complainant, it
being left by him to judge of this matter, with°;,,
sufficient information, I judge amiss in holdi'll-f"
that Coffins of iron are much more, perhaps do'll:t
more, durable than those of wood. He then ice.o,
On to shew that all contrivances that, whether J.O
tentionally or not, prolong the time of dissoint'l"e
beyond the period at *Melt common local us''',
had fixed it, is an act of injustice, unless conll'elc,
sated in one way or other: If, therefore, the'
iron coffins are to bring additional charges
parishes, they ought -to bring with the' t,
proportionate compensation ; upon all cou9f°4
principies of estimated value, one must pal
the longer lease which you usually take of "ft
ground. At the same time parishes are not lei;
to carve for themselves in imposing rates ;
are submitted to the examination of the FCC
siastical Magistrate, the Ordinary. " It To
mains only," added the Learned Jud,e, 64 "of
I should direct the parish to exhibit a table ;
burial fees for the consideration of the Ordiu3ri)io
, I would recommend, in the mean tithe, that tat
body-should be committed to the grave with°,lo
further obstruction, but without prejudice t 0 :.h,
present question, or to the rights of the par°4f
No prohibitory resolutions existed-at the time:
the death ; and I willingly lay hold of -that cto
cumstance to recommend a measure of. peso'de
the living anti-to the dead. I shall ad..nit at-U g
vits to be brought in on both sides, before t
tables of burial fees." •

IefftWA.M.MILIM3I:I,MI
•
WARW/CKSIII HE E o Birtll;Mg I
Warwick, and Coventry, there have been .15
very-disagreeable scenes, resulting Crom attal
by the mob on the friends of Mr. Lawley ; bar;
pily the Magistrates have been able hitherto to
restrain the fury of the populace vi ithout
aid of the military. Some of Mr. Lawley
while proceeding to Warwick on Thursday, wei‘.r,
seriously hurt, in consequence of stones and br'e t.
bats being thrown at them; sonic! of' the assain:
are in custody; a horse patrol was afterwards est 3,,
lished to convoy Mr. L's voters in at out of tl-1,
town !—The question as to the right of persons j
vote for the county, whose freeholds are situatej
within the city and county of Coventry, was argue,;,
by Counsel before the Sheriff and his Assessorl*ct
G. Clarke, Esq. on Wednesday evening. Again:a
the right it was argued that Coventry was erectere
into a County by King Henry VA. and theref°it
separated from the County of Warwick ; that
was not shewn that the freeholders of Coyentr'e
had ever voted in the election of Knights for tb,
Shire of Warwick ; that since the charter in goe,
tion was granted to Coventry, the freeholtier
had not discharged any of the duties of free;
hoklers in the County of Warwick, °°
were the Land Tax Assessments returned ~
the Clerk of the Peace for the County of War't•
wick. For the right, Mr. Taunton argued, tli'lr;
before the charter was granted, these freeholde
always voted for the county of Warwick ; m
therefore maintained that the charter could °°t
deprive them of this right ; that in point of
these freeholders could not vote for CoventrP
the right of voting there being confined to Per'
sons who had served apprenticeships in the citli
and therefore that the charter would, if construe
to deprive the freeholders of their previous rightl
be a charter of disfranchisement, and not 47t
grant. The Assessor gave it as his opinion tits
the acceptance of the charter had precluded the
Coventry freeholders from voting, but that tbeit
had of course a right to tender their votes. h,
was then decided that such votes should be re
y
ceived at Coventry, and that on the list so ° j
tained, the right might afterwards be determine
ia
by petition to the House of Commons, shon'e
either of the- parties think proper to move th
question there. The votes were accordingly tete
tiered at Coventry on Friday and Saturday lasi'

•
Mr. TtititY has renewed his engagement Wlto §
Mr. Mounts for three years. Miss CAREW ha
e
also signed articles to give her vocal aid to t"
success of the Haymarket Theatre.

BIRTH.
On the sth instant, at. Plas-Power, Denbighshire, the I'
of Thomas Fitzhugh, Esq. of a son.

NIARRIED.
On the nth inctant,i'at the Nviv Church, Nfarytebonef of
Rev. C. V. Rawlyl4, ;on of Sir C. W. Banitykle, Bartlv,
1-lardinorm Park, Sonwrset, to AM', eille:t dAughter of
late James Row, Fsq. of Nriicastie,npon-Tyne.

DIED.
Esq.
On 'the Bth in...twit. after a short illness, J. J. Appacll
of Clayton-terrace, aged 77.
On Monday. the rtlt. instant, at his house at MilbroAe'of
Soulhampton, Ca, the wife of Henry Bartow, Esq.
the Croa'n Office, Kine'slienelt.

LONDON: Printed h', J. B. ctutsTAIRS, of No. 29,
Ormood-street, Qugen-situtre; and ,published by w!,O
SCRIPPS, of No. 7, South Mutton-street, at I'HE
Office, No. 112, Strand ; where Adrettisementa,
Letters, &c. (post-paid) must be addressed.

h
r,

Los

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