Star.
London, England, 1822-01-19 00:00:00

Chambers.—" When infidelity and bad Etith," says
M. CITIFFLET, " are united in these Reports, it
is nece-sary that they should be punished ; it too often
happens, that when the public papers indulge in
severe animadversion, they are actuated by party
spirit, or by the hope of obtaining readers. The re=
lapse will be punished by imprisonment added to
fine. These fines will he augmented in case of of-
fence in the Report,, against the Chambers or Tri- '
bands, againq any of their Members, or against
a Juryman or a witness. These provisions are in
the spitit of the analogous Articles of the Law.
In t!ese two eases of relapse or offence, the Journalist
no longer desertes the confidence which he has abused.
He may be prohibited from reporting these debates.
The Committee considers the expression
.br the fu-
ture. to be of too general a nature; these offences are
net a:I of the same extent: it proposes to substitute
for t.is expression, the words " prohibited for a
period, or for ever." But the violation of this
prohibition is a new offence, aggravited by the con-
tempt of the prohibition, and by the quality of the
Judges; it shall be visited with two-fold punishment.
The punishment proposed is a fine of from 1000 to
6000 francs, and imprisonment of from une Month
to three years."

Articles 9, 10, and 11, propose to increase the
plulitlirneat of the following offences:

6. I. Sclitious cries, publicly uttered.

•.:. The removal or degradation of the public signs of the
jto; al authotity, done in hatred or contempt of that authority.
4 3. The publicly beating of external rallying signs, not au-

" 4.:; ..as to these offences—the erpositioo in public places,
tie tii.tribution and sale of those signs destined to propagate the
spirit of rebellion and to disturb the public peace."
The imprisonment for these offences varies from
Eye days to two years, and the flue from sixteen to
4,000 francs.

The 12th Article relates to engraved or litho-
graphed designs, published without the authority of
the Government. The penalties for which shall not
exceed an imprisonment of six months, and a fine of
zao francs.

Artic.es 13 and 11• preserve the power established
Ly the ,aw of the 19th June, of doubling the fines
upon the Journalists, and, in case of relapse, of ren-
crring those fi:;es fourfold.

Tile 15:11 Article relates also to offences commit-
ted by Journalists; and contends for the necessity of
ijving to the Judges the power of suppressing any
Journal. The defence made by the Committee for
such pos.ver is as curious as it is fallacious, as will be
seen from the following extract:

" It will be said, that by this means you are really establish-
ing a confiscation—it is violating property. In the first place,'
the confiscat on which the Charter has suppressed, was that of
the generality of the property of the condemned person; the
ri.easure at present under consideration has reference to a par-
ticular object. Sentence of confiscation was pronounced for the
benefit of the Exchequer ; but in the present case the State takes
po;itession of nothing. But would you not annihilate the poison
of hich a criminal may have made an improper use, and which
be might :lain improperly apply ? Would you leave in the hands
of a madman the weapon with which he has struck a deadly
blow, and which will enable him to continue his crimes?
" Is the poison frequently scattered through a Journal less
subtile—are its weapons less fatal? Are not our neighbours
under the daily necessity of destroying infected objects? The
proprietor must make the sac, iliee ; and yet he is in no manner
I:tameable for the virus which has tainted them.

" Hut it is said, this would be depriving whole families of
their property. And if these families entrust their prOperty to
thwe who abuse it, are they not blameable for placing their
tun& in such hand.?

" It ie not correct to say that by this, private individuals are
deprived of their property ; they are nut deprived of their pro.
perty, but only of the illicit use that they would make of it ;
th:y preserve their stock ; they may make a better use of their
presses; they can only blame themselves for the loss of a greater
Lenefit."

'lie second part of this new Law relates to the
anode of prosecution.

Article 16 gives to each of the two Chambers the,
ptosecution of the offences directed against itself ;
ritlicr by affixing the punishment, or referring the
idence to the Tribunals.

Article 17 gives the same power to the Chambers,
in regard to reports of their proceedings, which M
('iii FF I. ET contends ought not to be referred to Juries,
which, he says, afford no guarantee to society.
The 18th Article restores to the Royal Courts the
cognizance of offences of the Pies!. M. Chiffiet was
telex a: dent in extolling the superiority of tilese Tri-
bunals over Juries; and no wonder, as he is one of
ti Members of the 11.)ya1 Court himself.
Article 19 ordains that Journalists shall be tried
by the Court within the jurisdiction where the libel
has been published.
The 20th and last Article proposes that offences
against Diplomatic Agents accredited to the King
than be prosecuted ex ecio.
f;ucli are the blessings that an Ultra-Royalist Mi-

ristry propose to confer on the French people, to
whom they offer the pleasing prospect, first, of having
lui ies superseded by a set of paid Functionaries, under
t.i.e immediate influence of the Crown, in a class of
cases, the most important of all which cae affect the
sights and liberties of the subject ; and, secondly, of
having the property of individuals made liable to be
coy; at the will of the same arbitrary tribunal.
The grand attack upon the Charter itself, and on the
very foundation of those rights and free institutions
sylisch it recognizes, is in the clause of the Report
which propose,. to abolish absdulely Me Lial 40 Jury,
in idi questions relating to the Press !
Are the new Ministers mad enough to think that
ttt.Revolution has been so entirely abortive that they

can reduce Frenchmen for the state of vassalage in
which they were previous to that event? or that
laws so indefinite, except iri punishinent—in which
they are most monstrous and oppressive, will tamely
be submitted to ? It is impossible t • they may, per-
har, annihilate the Press, but, unless they can extin-
guish every particle of public feeling, they can never
prevent resistance to a tyranny so odious and so
daring. The right of suspending or suppressing Jour-
nals is to be given to party men, for party purposes;
and this, says the Ultra-Royalist Reporter, is not
equivalent to confiscation, because there is no forfei-
ture to the Crown. But what matter how we desig-1
nate an act of total destruction to the fortunes and
subsistence of families ? Is there any but a Jesuitical
distinction between plunder from a rapacious, and
ruin from a revengeful persecutor? The whole law
is of a piece. It appears to have been suggested only
by men whcifelt that they had to deal with a barba-
rous or hostile nation, who must be disciplined into
slaves, before they could be edu:ated into free citi-
zens, or cherished into loyal subjects.

The foreign intelligence in the French Journals of
Wednesday is not of much importance. The Austrian
Observer, of the 4th January, states that the Augs-
burg Gazette: still circulates false reports respecting
Constantinople, and the rejection of the Russian ulti:
matuns by the GRAND SEIGNIOR. An article in the
Gazette de France mentions a vessel having left Con-
stantinople on the 13th January, the Captain of which
said the city was then considered trahquil, although
some Greeks continued to be sacrificed.

The Nuremberg Correspondent repeats the report
that the Persians had gained an important victory
over the VACUA of BAGDAD.
The news from 'he Morea confirms the accounts
previously received of the success of the Greeks and
the retreat of the Turks into their fortresses, which
are vigorously besieged. Prince DEMETRIUS YPSI-
LANTI. bas been nominated Chief of the Greek States;
twenty-five Senators have been elected to represent
the principal towns. The seat of Government will,
be at Tripolizza.
Smyrna, which has been the theatre of such scenes
of blood, is now tranquil; and commerce has re-
sumed its activity.
A body of Greeks, amounting to 1500 or 2000,
are said to have embarked on board merchant ves-
sels at Samos with the intention of attacking Scio and
delivering it from the oppression of the Turks.
French Funds, Tuesday, 16th January, Five per
Cents. 87 1. 80 c.

At a late hour this forenoon we received Madrid
Papers to the 4th instant, from which we make the
following extracts:
SAN SEBASTIAN, DECEMBF.R t 7.
Our General, Lopez Banos, has just returned to this
city ; he returns on account of the total dispersion. of
the bodies of insurgents, the extermination of which
is to be completed by the troops retraining itr Na-
varre; but he will leave us again directly, having re-
ceived an express, with his Majesty's orders, giving
him the command of these troops ; General gen-
dizabal keeping that of Pampeluna.
Yesterday, the 26th, at eleven at night, there
was an encounter on the Plaza de Vera, between
the factious, commanded by Balda, and the mi-
litary ; it continued half an hour ; the first had three
killed and many wounded, and lost also seventeen
prisoners; the military had two killed and one
wounded. At nine this morning the factious left
Vera, pursued by the military, to the mountains of
Alcay aga, whence they proceeded to those of Artienea,
always with much loss.