Star.
London, England, 1814-08-15 00:00:00

LONDON.

•
MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 1814.
}'RICE ciF STOCKS THIS DAY AT TWELVE O'CLOCK.
Induced 671i—Cons.6711—for account 6711
4 per Ct. s 4 I—S per Cc. Navy 96:.—Onm. 41 pre.
Bank Long Amis. 164 I 5-1 Stht—Bon.l,, 17a. tno.pr.
Exchequer Bills 24. st. pre.

We have received Paris Papers of Thursday and
• Friday. The grand question respecting the Liberty
o 4 the Press has been decided : of 217 who voted by
ballot, 137 were for the project of the law, and SO
against it. .The Court, or Ministerial party, have of
course triumphed. The speakers on Friday, previous
to the question being called for, were Abbe Moxte.s-
uutou, the Minister for the Home Department, who,
oil the part of the K:so, eonsented to a few slight
amendments ; and M. RAYNOUARD, who replied or
summed up on the part of the Committee, whose re.
poet had advised the rejection of the 14*. We shall
endeAvOur to give a sketch of these proceedings :
Abbe MourzEgutou began by eulogizing the mo.
deration and good temper in which the discussion had
been carried on. He expressed his conviction, that
whatever difference might prevail ineiriiiwu, the ren-
tiernu of all were in unison, and that the welfare of
their common country was the unanimous object.
-dearest to every heart.

Some of you have expresied your fears lest the
project of the law should tend to check the progress of
thowledge : but is not leirning the glory of the.
Trench nation ? Other nations are jealous of us in
this respect, but they will never equal us. •We have
essentially the empire of letters—the glory which cur
celebrated writers have spread over France will always
remain our magnificent patrimony. Our Monarchs
have preserved and cherished it ; and one of them, in
particular, Louis XIV. has deserved the title•of the '
father of letters, because, by protecting them, he,
threw a lustre round his reign, and gave his name
to the au in which he lived. Lay aside, Gentlemen,
I beseech you, all ideas which have no foundation.
The project of the law has been dictated with a view
to serve good authors, and such writers as are worthy
of the• noble professi,)n which they have adopted.
I shalt add, that the oensureship which has inspired
so much alarm, becomes advantageous to real learn-
ing : do you not remember that at Rome, when the
Censors ceased to exist, good manners also disap-
peared ? •
-44: 'Me peocantiotis announced 4y tileCoistititiOnal
'Charter hive twee.objeets h Tiro:. anchors and the
puhlie at large. Do you think Id caniiate :he abuses
of the Press by means of repressive laws ?—this is a
great. error.. 'What could do if a libeller should
iy ro'yott, ' Prove that I have committed a crime;
'there is the law which I have broken ?' Now the
':hole of our legal Code does not contain a descrip-
z in of the various circumstances which the abilses of
'he Press may produce ; and if we cannot define the
trime, how are we to apportion the punishment r.
Here M. MONTISQUIOU put the case of a calumni-

ator being brcught before the tribunals, where he
adds to the outride he has committed by his defence,
• and his advocate lends him all his Waits to traduce
still more the victims of the original calumny.—
Alludiag to the claim set tip of a right to give utter-
' am= to out thoughts—' What,' said the Speaker,

is a tight ? It is that which does not injure an-
tabkr.. Bat [bete are uo rights in a state of nature—
' dse7 are the fruits of our social laws. Before the

emi4e etc of these laws; • man is in a state of constant
irrarfare, and the right of the strongest is the law.
The. Liberty of the Press has bees. said to be the