Star.
London, England, 1819-12-23 00:00:00

felt for them as individuals—not from them was it

I

I

that these prophecies came, for they had at that pe-
riod seceded from their duty; but they came from
a Right Hon. Gentleman who had not been in the
habit of voting with them. It was provided by the
Bill, then most strenuously opposed, that " no printer
should print any thing withodt putting his name to
it, and without keeping a copy by him." The law
then Introduced was made permanent; and this, it
was contended, would have the effect of imposing an
iinprimatur on the Tress, and all freedom of discus-
sion would be for ever closed. In spite of these pre-
dictions, the Bill had passed; and he would appeal
to the experience of all who heard him, if it had
narrowed the freedom of discussion, or if they had
to lament that the Li!ierty of the Press had been ex-
tinguished in this country from the year 1799..
He had not the least doubt, that,when the Bill, now
on the table, should have passed, notwithstanding the
feelings excited—notwithstanding the impending dan-
ger to the Liberty of the Piess, which some Gentli-
men apprehended, they would not, at that 'time.
twelvemonths, have any occasion to regret the want
of strictures on the conduct of the. Government and
of Parliameat ; and if these should be made more
respectable by being rid of that extraneous matter
which now encumbered or polluted them, the power
of the Press, for all honest purposes, would be a
gainer by the change. His lion. and Learned Friend
seemed to think that the object cf this measure was
to punish the author, whom he 'had supposed to be
a young man, whose lot it was, " as-it was that of
my honourable and Learned Friend," said Mr. Can .
ning, " and AS it %% as mine," to have nothing to depend
upon but his own exertions!—(Hear, hear, hear).—
He had supposed such an individual, fondly looking'
forward to a career of literary glory, suddenly stop-
ped by this Bill, and all his hopes of rising to eminence
closed for ever. But looking at the history of literary
men, such a result was not to be expected. They
were seen sometimes repining, struggling, and estuat-
ing against the hard dominion established over them
by printers and publishers, but in no case had their
minds been held in lasting thraldom by any legisla-
tive measure of restriction! Supposing an author to
be young, intrepid, and generous, decked out with
all those bright qualities for which the Honourable
and Learned Gentleman wits disposed to give him
credit, he could not bat believe his prudence might
so chastise his genius, that he would find some friend
to offer the security he wanted. He did not say that
no obstacle would be thrown in the way of the young
author; but he would contend, that it was unfair in
his Honourable and Learned Friend, on a pecuniary
subject of debate, to endeavour to enlist the feelings
of the House—not on the side of the trade, but in
favour •of some imaginary being, whom he had
thought proper to pourtray in all the colours of the
rainbosv—generous, intrepid, and exemplary—free
from all sordid motives, forgetting,,that if an indivi-
dual were really such as he had supposed, in his way
the law would not stand. But, speaking of the senti-
ments sometimes felt by a young author towards his
u'llisher, he begged that he might not be understood
to speak against the booksellers of the present day.
Ile believed that a more respectable body of men
were not to be found in the world. Whatever the
case might be formerly, he was satisfied that book-
sellers and literary men were now more closely united'
than ever, and that the former were never disposed
to deal so generously, so nobly, and so liberally by
authors, as they did at present. In deference to so
respectable a body of men, he had been anxious that
any change that they desired should be made in the
Bill, so its efficiency and power were not materially,
impaired. For what remained, they must take their
share of the inconvenience which was occasioned

by the present state of the times--(Hear, hear).—
The Press, he was satisfied, would still continue to
berictit the country and the worlds and, therefore, he
tnisted the House would not be prevailed upon, even
by • the eloquence of his Honourable and Learned
Friend, to make the Bill temporary, and thus pave
the way for the renewal of the very evil which it was
crush. The tone of the Honourable
Gentleman, and of those who acted
posing this Bill, had been materially
he knew, was in consequence of the

punishment of transportation haviag been commuted
for banishment. Lie did not hesitate to say, that this
change had afforded him great gratification from
them pect *tick it marl for the wishes of the
'Booksellers. Since that alteration was ciaurnined
upon, they had made another representatioa against
the punishment of banishment. He hoped it would
not be mistaken for disrespect, if, in this instance,
their wishes could not be attended to, .as they had
been in the former. Tohim the punishment of buil
ment seemed the fittest to be adopted in casesof libel.
He was of opinion, that he is whom the lust for crime
was so deeply rooted, that, after eouviction, he re-
turned to the same offence, ought in fairness to be
compelled to abjure that realm whose peace and hap-.
piness he hid so perseveringly laboured to disturb.—
Feeling this, he considered that in such cases the"Pu•
nishment in question, if it were new (which he must
contend it was not), ought to be inflicted, though it
had never been heard of before. He was far fram
confounding the respectable part of the Press with-
that branch of it which was hostile, not to the pre-
sent Government, but to the existence el isni. com-
munity. Among a " herd of noble animals, there
could not fail to be some who disgraced its nature
and its name. But knowing there were exceptions
toeteerneral character of these whose case had been
Pr upon them, when they looked at flair state 01
the country, and heard the shouts of menaced rebel.
lien, it was the duty of Parliament unhesitatingly to
put down, and effectually too, those who bad encou-
raged it to declare itself. But they had been told last
night that they had alreadyslone enough, and thatthey
ought not to go:fu ruler lest they should drive th e people
to despair. Good GOD ! and were they to lje told that
the course the House was taking might be expected
to tirive the Country to despair ? Of all the vulgar-
isms against which that House ought to be en Its
guard, there was none that they ought more care-
fully to disclaim than the misuse commonly made of
the word, " People." By the " People," he under-
stood a society congregated together for mutual as-
sistance and support—to preserve order and those
admitted gradations of rank which were essential to
its well being, and on which, in fact,
.society itself
WAS founded. this was what he understood to be
the meaning of the word " People;" but was. this
the sense in which it was used by those who would
take from society, first legitimate Government—
next its Aristocracy--then its Clergy—its Magistracy
—its Landed Proprietors, and its Professors of Learn-
ing? They, taking all these away, might call what
remained the " People;" but he could no more see
in this remnant of society, the " People," than he could
see in the Bird of Diegenes the Man of Plato!—(Hear).
—Many of thope speeches which were now so fre-
quently made, if addressed to what he called the
" People," uniting those orders, which, if not the
frame, embodied the spirit of the Government, might
be true, but addressed to what they called the " Peo-
ple," who made such deductions from them in the
first instance, they were false, and, in many cases,
uttered with a view to excite the multitude to re-
bellion. The present measures, he would say, were
asked, to secure the interests and guard the happi-
ness of all—to arotect the meanest alike with the
greatest, and, more especially, to.protect the lowest
tier in the gradations of society. He, therefore, called
on the House to pass not a temporary measure, but
to visit thcise offences which it was desired to put
down, and to pour on them their lasting, their eternal
indignation, and thus extinguish that torch of dis-
cord, which had been so long blazing, or rather
smothering, amongst us. He conjured them not to
leave au idea that it might be revived, but now, that
their attention was called to the subject, to extinguish
the evil once and for ever, and crown the labours of
the present Session by taking care that the security
and happiness of the country, lately so fearfully
threatened, should be endangered no pore!—(The
Right Hon. Gentleman sat down amid muck cheering.)

Mr. DENMAN said, that it appeared to him that
if these measures pa.sed, the people of this country
would no longer be a free people. When he said that,
he alluded to all orders and degrees in the State.

Mr. BROUGHAM contended that it had not been
proved that the present laws were insufficient; and
therefore no ground had been laid for the enactment
of new ones. He complained that prosecutions kid
not been instituted against the treasonable and blas-
phemous Papers which had appeared (from some of
which he read extracts), and commented on some of
the arguments by which the ).resent measure had
,een supported, and in particular, on a statement
made on a former night, with regard to the circula-
tion of blasphemous books in schools, which had
been disproved.

I‘

Mr. PLUNKETT defended the arguments used
by him on a former night, and observed that the pre-
sent Bill did not affect the legitimate Press, or place
even these spurious and infamon4 publications on a
worse footing than the regular Newspapers were.
Mr. TIERNEY aenied that he had any objection to twopenny
Publications being made subject to the same duty as News-
papers. But his great objection was one, which his Right Hon.
Friend had not at all alluded to—namely, the obligation of par.
des to enter into recognizance', before they were allowed to
publish. This could be nothing else but a direct Infraction el-
tbe Liberty of the Press, for it could not be otherwise, when it
required Miro of a person in the country, aie £4OO of a person
in London.—The Right Hon. Gentleman, while proceeding lo
the sans* coarse of argument, was suddenly taken ill, which pro-
duced a general sensation in the Hew; and having sulliciently
recovered himself to enable bins tp make a few remarks, he con-
cluded them by *eying, that if the winds he now spoke were to
be his last, they should be railed whom the measure before the
Hatne•-.(Near,hear),—aqtlerbldi he =treated the Noble Lord
opposite not to perpetuate, kilt. Needy to try it mon experiment.
Mr. Truest then left the Moil is a state of great weak-
ness and debility.
The ATTORNZY-ORNIRAL colohnied the arguments of
Mr. Broughm,aokurged the kodepee of the existing law to
put down blasphemous aid seadeolilhole.
Mr. BROUGHAM roe Its aitglalm NM* loud cries of—
" Spoke, spoke I"—lie dadoftvl he wedil *we that the Home
do adjourn, if be were net heard.
Mr. MARTIN (of Galway) rose to order. Ile declared he
would not suffer the House to be wiretap' him t hear* of any
Membas--(Loud cries of Order, Order).
The MAKER said, that when say Homm)rible Meanieg
rose to explain, he ought to cease hiasaff to the matter ee
e"Lord HAMlLTON'streagly opposed the 11111.
The House then divided on the reseation for nada, Ile
-duration of the Elli to ass loar—Apos, 47—Noes, 1111.....
Ma , lie.
The ATTORNEY-GENERA', moved the introduction of
a Clause to except the re-publication of works which had been
in existence two yeas prior to the Act, and which had not he,
fore been published in panthers.
The au was tbm passed, and ordered to the Lords..
• Mr. WILLIAM SMITH wished to asb the Noble Lord,
whether In altering the Clause from transportation to banish

meM, the latter was to be for lir to be left at the discretion
of the Judged ?
imrd CASTLEREAGH replied, that it was to be left at the
disaredoe of the Judges.
Mr. WILLIAM SMITH gowned he was then to lender-
Mend, that the punishment might be for Me.
Lord CASTLEREAGH—AIuit Is to be left to the Judges.
SEDITIOUS MID BLASPHEMOUS LIBEL HILL.
'gm Order of the Day having been moved for the House re-
bself into a Committee on this JRU.
- Mr. Zion/mem, Mr. Brestor, and Mr. Catesar; strongly
Posed the discussion of so talpartaat a question at so late an
r (batf.past two).
The Committee was then adjourned till this day.
Adjoarsed at Three o'Clock this morning.

THE EVENING STAR.

LONDON.

.1••••

THURSDAY. DECEMBER 23, 1819.

THN FUND&
PRICE 0/ ATOOKS THIS DAT AT ONE O'CLOCK I
Bank Stock 2141 215
3 per Cent. lteduoed 661
3 per Cent. Consols shut
S} per Cent. 75

4 per Cent. 831 f e •
per Cent. Navy shit
Bank Long Annuities 171
India Bonds 2s. Ss. dis.
Exchequer Bills (4d.) 7s. 9s. Ss. dis.
Consols for Acct. 67} 681 671 68i 671.
Stocks opened very bziskly this morniags In con-
sequence of the declaration of the CUANCELLOR of
the ExcnzQuan, that he should have a surplus of five
millions in the Revenue, the. Brokers commenced
purchasing largely, the moment the House was
opened, and Consols looked brisk at 681 ; but after
the business had been maturely considered, a doubt
was entertained by many of the most respectable men
on 'Change, •whether the Minister would be able to
accomplish his promise, and several began to sell
largely, which brought Consols down, at one o'clock,
to 671., and the Market looked heavy.

{.,

The Stamp Duty Bill was passed last night, in the,
Commons.
Some interesting particulars, respecting the Fi-
noncial State of the Country, Were detailed by the
CHANCRI.Loit of the EXCIISQUES, in consequence of
some Motions, made by Mr. MASIRLY. From the
facts stated, it appears, that the Financial arrange-
ment of last year will not be affected, materially, by
any defakasion of Revenue, the consumptionof some
of the principal articles of Excise-having rather in-
creased during the current year—a proof that the
distress is not so general throughout the country as•
to affect the comfort of the People generally. Of the
new Taxes, only a small sum has yet reached the
Exchequer, via. about £lOOO on Wool, and £316,000
oa Exciseable commodities. N.Ctutticata.oa of
EXCIMZA lU. would not statelny thing respecting
the Bank, some negociaGons being' now pending,
which it would be improperto disclose. Mr. Ett.see
mentioned a report that £1,200,000 repaid to the
Bank, last month, was raised by pawning certain
French securities. The rumour, we believe, is, that
British property, in the French Stocks, not appli-
cable to the payment of British claimants, and which
the French Government had placed at the disposal
of Ministers, has been applied in the manner alluded
to, and we find that Mr. Hums has given notice of a
Motion for an account of all such British property in
the French Funds. The CHANCILLOR of the Ex-
CIiEQUEa also declared, that, according to the best
information he could obtain, the amount of British
property, recently vested in the French Funds, was in-
considerable. The Right lion. Gentleman seemed
to think that the laws of France, by not allowing a
foreigner the same dominion over his property
which he may enjoy in this country, would pre-
vent the transfer of British capital to the French
stocks. But we believe he will find he has mistaken
the fact. The drab climbable was repealed last year,
for the avowed purpose of attracting not only funded
but manufacturing capital from England.

At a late boar last night we received the Paris
Papers of Sunday. The most prominent part of their
contents relates to the Address presented to the Kum
on the preceding evening at eight o'clock. The De-
putation from the two Chambers was received in the
Hall of the Throne. M. 11avEz, the President of the
Chamber of Deputies, read

their object to ci
1 Learned and Leaed GI
1'
i with him in opp
lowered. This,
..1,
•