Star.
London, England, 1823-03-27 00:00:00

r:FF 1:;:e •
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1110y4,nove Mary Ann CABe clepoied on.
. • Mr. Moteon; Pitt% that she poseessettino
WlWOrtriecept her wearing apparel andirkw•liettlki
WO valve. This fine.of 5001. must therefore:opt.-
** as A sentence of perpetual imprisonment; and as
CO the fine, it should be recollected that no more than
1;0001, had been required by a Nlagistrate flur the ap-
-rieiranceof the Bishop of clogher. Mrs. Cariile had
now lain her twelve months, and since last Novem-
ber, in pi isofl ; she had petitioned the Lords of the
Treasury for a remission of the fine; but the answer
was, that their Lordships saw no reason for recom-
mending a remission of the fine. Hc could not hut
consider-this as e most severe sentence, and one in-
consistent with the true spirit of justice and the Chris-
tian religion. He therefore called on his Majesty's
Government to extend mercy to this unfortunate in-
dividual, and to recommend her to the Crown as one
to whom the Royal clemency ought to be extended.
• He concluded by moving that the Petition should be
brought up.—The Petition was brour‘ht up and read.
The ATTOHNST-GENERAL and Sir THOMAS Ac-
, LAKD rose together. The SIiEAKICH called upon the
former, but he gave way to the Hon. Baronet.
Sir THOMAS ACLAND said he knew no subject
more difficult to address an Assembly upon than to
-enforce

ce severity of punishment on any individual, es-
pecially if that individual was a 'woman ; hut he did
not now stand in that situation. He must first say,
that he was a Member-of the Society which had been
subject to the Hon. Gentleman's censures. He was,
therefore,one of Mrs. Carlile's prosecutors, and should
be most anxious to seize the first symptom of Teturr:-

- -
ing contrition to recommend her to mercy. lie did
not feel it necessary to answer the Hon. Mernber's
arguments respecting blasphemy, on this occasion,
because it was to be brought forward by the Hon.
Gentleman in a specific motion. Neither need he be
at the trouble of adverting to what had been said by
the Hon. Gentleman on the conduct of our Courts of
Law. He would only say, he did not believe the
Hon. Gentleman, in all his research, could discover
,any undue severity on the part of the Judge. As to
'the case of the Petitioner herself it was not a single
Isolated case, as the Hon. Gentleman had said ; the
House must allow him to state what had been the
systematic course of blasphemy, of which this indivi-
dual's act formed only a single link. An inundation
of horrid blasphemy had been poured on the land, at
which every well-constituted mind must shudder;
and at the head of which was to be found the name
of Richard Carlile. 34e must read some passages
from those publications; but he could assure Gentle.
men the passages he should read would be by no
means the worst, as he did not believe any man
could be found who would have courage to read them
in the face of any Assembly. R. Carlile was first
'prosecuted and convicted, and he must call the at-
tention of the House to an announcement of his, im-
-Mediately after his sentence, in which he gives notice,
that the business of the shop in Fleet-street will in
future. be carried on
*.under the superintendence of
11E217 Ass Carlile. She Address also declared, that
although the Society:for the Sisppression of Vice had
elikoroyed one-web, a veryohort -time would serve to
construct another and-at.better; and if the thieves-of,
the Law should again:invade thehouse in Fleer-street.
a shop would betaken in the-neighbourhood, in,which
the business would still be carried on ; and, in fact, it
had been carried on by his Agents up to the present
time: and he, the Arch Blasphemer, was in the habit
of sending out from his prison—from the place of his
punishment, as from his castle--additional blasphe-
Mies. His sentence, it wps true, had expired ; but he
felt no inclination to come out into the world ;
cause if hedicl, although he could safely blaspheme
from hieprison, the laws of his country, if he was at
,large, would soon send '14133A1-oath that soil of which
he had rendered himself unworthy. The- Hon. Mem-
ber then proceeded to read passages from the various
publications of Carlile, denying the truth of the Holy
Scriptures and the Christian Religion; and entreating
every one to cast the Bible fat from them, and never
to read a word of that Book teeming with lies, blas-
phemy, and fraud. After what he had stated, he
thought no one would charge the Society with pur-
suing these prosecutions with unnecessary severity..
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL; after the state-
went of his-Hon. Friend,• did not think it would be
necessary to say a single word in defence of this pro-
secution ; on the contrary, he was persuaded every
Hon. Member would feel that the country was obliged,
to the Society for their exertions to- put down vice.
and blasphemy such as that which had given rise col
the prosecution of Mary Ann Carlile ; but the con-
duct of the learned Judge had been censured becausel
he had stopt Mrs. Carlile not from making her de-
fence, but from repeating and reiterating all and :DM:
than the blasphemy contained in the original publi-:
cation. If such a course was to be allowed, then in-:
deed these prosecutions would be worse than useless,
they would be mischievous.—Next Mrs. Carlile corn-
plaineilthat a new trial had not been granted. her;
why, the ground on which she applied was, that she
had been stopt in reasliag what she called her clefehie,
but the whole Court were decidedly of 'opinion .that
,she bad been rieitly stopt. Next she complained of
the amount of it riquired-4hy the bail required
was only two house-keepers in 4;100 each, and he.
would ask if anything could- be more moderate ?. 'The
Hon. Gentleman had also advanced a doctrine the'
most dangerous which could be sustained, natnely,
that Juries, before they found a verdict of pithy;
should consider the punishment .which would follow.
If such a doctrine could be established-it would prove
destructive' of ell public justice..-.:,0n a full view of
the case, ere Was persuaded there was not a single
in-
dividual in the House *ha woul4 think thie karma
was one ottoOgreat severity.. •••
. ,
Mr. RICATWO agreed us the arguments of his
Hon. Friend the Member for Montrose, that these
prosecutions were mischievous instead of useful. He
was convinced they could-do no good, and-must do
harm. -He complained that blasphemy was an un-
defined offence.' -What was blasphemy in this country
was not blasphemy in another ; and, after the most
-Mature deliberation, he was of opinion there ought to
4e- rio pitosectitions for religious opinions. He had
looked at' the practice of the Courts of Law with great
dissatisfaction, as to the manner in which it treated
ieligtoos subjects. The very first question that was
gsked a witness wits,' whether he -believed in a future
,attoe., and if he Silt! no, be Was incapacitated from
;giving eaidenee, beeause.he was an honest
hcarl and tnnrmnrs). -The answer shelled
hint to be an hottest man, because he gave up his light