Star.
London, England, 1819-01-23 00:00:00

PUBLICATION OF THE SCRIPTURES.

•
A numerous Meeting of the Publishers, Booksel-
lers, Stationers, and all others interested in the sale
of the Hdly Scriptures, was held yesterday evening
at the Globe Tavern, Peet-street, to take into con-
siderntion
the recent attack made on the trade, with
respect to the sale of Bibles and Prayer-books. Mr.
LEIGIT, Bookseller, was called to the Chair.—As
t'ele nature of Lige attack may not be known to the,
generality of our Readers, we shall endeavour to ex-
plain it by giving, in a fey: words, a short abstract of
a Report mule by a Committee, appointed on Thurs-
' day evening to investigate into its extent. It appeared
from that Report, that for two or three years past
bills in Chancery had been filed, and silently ope-
rating under the instruction of a patentee, against
persons selling Edinburgh Bibles or Common Prayer-
Books. These bills have been compounded privately,
to the no small gain of the Attorney employed, and
vexation of the party attacked. During the last term
a hundred injunctions were. obtained against different
Booksellers in London and the suburbs ; and ninety
are entered for the present Term. The Clerk of the
solicitors, Messrs. Foss and Co. is generally the in-
former. • At first the injunctions were only levelled
against Bibles printed at Edinburgh, but lately they
have been extended against Bibles, Testaments, and
Common Prayer-Becks, printed in England, with
Commentaries and Notes. This proceeding has spread
terror and dismay through the writ:re 'Booksellers
both in town and country; especially as they have.
been likewise infoenied, that " they cannot, under the
" existingdaw, sell any Bible in the English tongue,
" or in any other tongue whatsoever, of any transla-
tion, with Note or without Note," which is not
printed at the Press of the King's printer, or at the
Press of the two Universities. The sufferers by these
prosecutions have been chiefly among the petty retail
dealers, who, it was §npposea, would willingly enter
into any terms of compromise offered by the Attor-
ney conducting these processes, rather than incur all
the risk and expence of a Chancery suit. The whole-
tale dealers have in general escaped free from at-
tack, though latterly some of them (Mr. Wood, in j
the Strand ; Mr. Wilson, at the Exchange ; and
Messrs. Arch, of Cornhill) have been visited by the
same annoyanee as their less wealthy brethren. As
this system was rapidly spreading in every direction,
the trade took it up, and assembled yesterday even-
ing to discuss the propriety of resisting it with all
the energy which such an invasion of what they
deemed their long-established right demanded. The
impropriety, if not the illegality, of these vexatious
measures on the part of the Patentees, was strongly in-
sisted on ;and the judgment of Lord CLARE in the case
of Grierson, the King's printer at Dublin, v. Jackson,
(Ridgeway's Reports, 301), was stated to be decisive
of *the Matter. In the course of that case, which origi-
nated upoe an application for an injunction to pre-
vent the defendant from printing an edition of the
Bible in numbers, with prints and notes, Lord CLAIM
asked if the validity of such n patent as the King's
printer enjoyed, had ever been established at law :
a id said, that he did not know that the Crown had a
right to grant a' monopoly of that kind. He further
aided, " I can conceive the King, as head of the
Church, may say, that there shall be but one man
who shall print Bibles and Books of Common Prayer
for the use of Churches, and for particular purposes ;
but I cannot conceive that the King has any prey°.
Ls-36re to grant a monopoly as to Bibles for the in-
traction of mankind in revealed religion. If ever
there was a time which called :loud for the dissemi-
nation of religious knowledge, it is this—and there-
five I should with great reluctance decide in favour
of such a Monopoly as this which most necessarily
confine the circulation of the book. As to very par-
ticular purposes, I have no doubt that the patentee
hi; an exclusive right to print Bibles and Prayer-
books---bet unless I am bound very strictly, I will •
not determine upon motion that no man but the King's
printer has a right to print such works as these." It
was mainteined that such testimony as this was enti-
tied to high consideraeon, as it proceeded from .a
NAlern an who was much attached to the prerogative
of the Crown. Great stress was also placed upon a
document which had been eetorted by the Patentees .
or their Attorney, from a poor individual, by which
he bound himself, under a penalty of £2OOO, never
te sell a copy of the Bible, Testament, or Common
Prayer, which did not come frc-m the King's Printing
Office, or that of the two Universities,-and by which.
ha also bound himself never to take any steps to dis-
solve the injunction obtained against him.
The Report being read, it was moved and seconded
that it should be adopted, on which
Mr. Saciertswone, of the King's Printing-Office,
said, he conceived that the Report was, in some
respects exaggerated. Ile did not mean any disre-
spect to the Committee in saying so, but he cer-
teinlycould not but state, that there was no design as
was alleged, to suppress the circulation of the Scrip-
tures, or deprive the public of the benefit of those
Commentaries which were made on them. Such
never had been, and such, he was confident, would
never be the design or intention of either of the two
Universities, or his Majesty's printers ; for, on the!
contrary, they were actuated by more liberal and en-
lihtened motives. He was convinced the course the
Lniversities and King's printer had adopted was dic-
tated by humanity—(a taugli.l He was sorry to see
there was not that calm, dispassionate attention to dui
cpcstion which its importance deserved ; but he had
stated facts.

Mr. Hoyt felt the meeting were obliged :to the
last speaker, 'for explaining i hat had occurred On at
Inmer'ocCasieni, when he (Ir. 1-Tonc) was nOt present
ters;
1.1:e meeting. now could .avail itself iof .the oppiiitti.:
tity to . inquire how the prosecutions Origihatted;:a.
perhaps the- might have &pie so :Om more quarters!
thin one. Ile had'net consulted with the Cpnbnlitileiv
but the claim of the Universities and Kiig'sPrio.
stood on different grounds, and. were nut the Sable it
all in the eye of the law: - He therefore would ask,
whether the prosecutions hid commenced with 0-
_

}Zing's prime-is?
Mr. lirorriswoDs declined answering the question,
and could wily rats to the proceedings m the Cotat.
of quintal.
M r:Hos z repeated his question as a matter of course.
The CH A tam A rt—Are you authorizedto answer such.
a question by those with whom yolk are in company?'
• Nlr. :WatoratAN (agent 'to the tYpiversty of Catfi-
hiiJgc, for the sale of IliEdes) spoke to order. Thai

pemitpdy
proved
.1411

obj*.ect of the I.lTeeting Wad certainly, to pet rid of the'
prosecutions; and, on tte part
.of the Lniversity of
Cambridge he could say, the prose endow had been
carried to a length which they never anticipated. Let
them be unanimous, and the cause would he trium-
phant—for, to waste their time on questions of this
kind would.be useless.in the entente.

A GENTLEMAN said he could easily answer the
question.put to• Mr. Spottiswode, as he had seen a
letter sent to Mr. Bigg, of Parliament-street, from
Messrs,Toss and Son, stating that by order of Mr.
Strahan they expected him to call on them next
morning, Stith an account of the profits of what
Bibles, &c. he had sold.
Another GENTLEMAN, who is a Pawnbroker, said
he knew above G'.; injunctions had been served on
Pawnbrokers, and he trusted they would of course
be included among Booksellers, &c.
Mr. BALDWIN—of course that is done.

Mr. Mawmlair stated he had requested the Syndi-
cate of the University of Cambridge to meet on the
subject, and he could assure the Meeting that the
proceedings at law would be finally dropt against
those who were not violently determined to persist
in breaking the law.
The motion for agreeing to the Rep9rt was then
put, and unanimously adopted.
Mr. OFFOR stated the second Resolution, which
was, that these disgraceful proceedings were tot
known to, nor sanctioned by the two Universities.

This being seconded, Mr. HONE rose. The Reso-
lutions, he considered, were not meant to take the
Meeting by surprize. He dissented totally from the
one now read, for he was persuaded the proceedings
were known to both Universities. It seemed to him
most extraordinary that the Universities and the King's
Printer should have instituted proceedings against
poor men, solely because they were poor. The claims
of the Universities were totally destructive of the
circulation of the Scriptures. The publication .of
the Bible by Numbers had induced many to read it,
who perhaps would never have had such an opportu=
nity to know its sacred contents.
Mr. MAWDIAN explained, and stated that the pri-
vilege of the King's Printer was confined to England,
as Scotland and Ireland had King's Printers of the
same description ; but the two Universities could is-
sue Bibles and Prayer Books in every part of the
United Kingdom. He believed the prosecutions would
not be cmtinued.

Mr. JOIIN Wires contended the Resolution ought
not to pass, as the evil was one of a peculiar magni-
tude. The evil affected not merely the wholesale
dealer, but the poor, and the widow, who became
the victims of spies and informers, hired for the pur-
pose by the Universities, for the very end of entrap-
ping them. It was their duty not to prostrate them-
selves before the two Universities, for these bodies
had sanctioned the proceedings, his Majesty's Solici-
tor General being employed in the Court .of Chan-
cery to obtain the injunctions in their name, as well
as that of the King's printer. He would recommend
an application to Parliament, and if the system were
to be continued, it would be infinitely better at once
to have the penalty prescribed, than to have the
pockets of Messrs. Foss and Son filled at the expense
of the poor, the widow, and the orphan. He trusted
the motion would be withdratvn, and a Committee
appointed with powers to act and report. He had
seen several pawnbrokers, and from them he under-
stood that a Committee of that body had been ap-
pointed, who would with pleasure correspond widi
any Committee of the London Booksellers,(Hear.)
The motion was then wldxlrawn.

Mr.Wttle then moved that * Committee of twelve
be appointed, with leave' eri 'tt4d.'to their nyinfieti,
and full powers to adopt all necessary mess tres to
terminate the proceedings.
Mr. TAYLOR, in seconding the motion, said the
patent right had begun in the reign Of Henry Vlrt.
when almost every thing was ialtject to patents.-
-This was abolished-in the reigti bf James L. tti they
became so totally Otipressive as to leave no longer
any doubt of their tyrannical tendency. Should the
pl-esent system succeed, then England would life soup
!placed in the same dismal state as Spain in respect
of ignorance.
Mr. HONE agreed cordially with the motion of Mr.
.Wilks, and suggested that it might perhaps have been.
proper to add, that a public meeting should be here-
after called to receive the Report of the Conimittee.
He merely threw out this observation, but did not in-
tend to make it the subject of any motion.
Mr. ALLEN, (a Sojicttor,) considered the Meeting
solelycOnvened 'for business, not for long speeches.
He attended on behalf of Mr. Blanchard, of the City-
road, who had been' served with au injunction, by
which he was prohibited from selling a Bildt with a
few notes and marginal comments. He approved of
the appointment of a Committee, and was conF.dent
such enlightened bodies as the two Universities woald
never consent to persecute the poor and the widow.
He recommended an application, therefore, to be
made to them,' and he was fhlly persuaded they I
would never consent to. harass persons in such distress,
as many of the pieserit sufferers were.
Mr. BAITER conceived the patents bad been much
mistinderstoct; fcir, on the contrary, nothing could be
More clear or decisive thin they were. The ion-
tents were not granted'till Edward 'VI: *Henry VIM
merely' give the
'permission to print, but gave no
exclusive right to anyone. The worthy Gedtleman
then.entered-into a inmate detail of the different edi-
tions which the Bible had gone through fiefbie,its
`translation into the English language,
measures which had since been adopted Ia
their ptesest rights to the two Universities nand'
K'ing's Printert—The rd on *as pat add. t
' A motion was also'agreed• t 4 for'i'snlikrytion ii
aid of the objectr of the aloeting ; and, -after thatihd
te.the Chairman, the Meeting adjourned at half-pist
o'clock. The room wns 'ctowded to eicess.
Bow-sewer.-hers l

LAW INTELLTGENCE.

COURT OF CHANCERY, JANUARY 21

The LORD CHANCELLOR this day came to Lin-
coln's Inn, at eleven o'clock. His Lordship sat in
piivate chamber, and proceeded with the Mo-,
aft4r which, the Lunatic Petitions which were
in the P;ver of Causes set down for hearing this day
Were severally disposed of. His Lordship then heard
some tankrupt Petitions. '
The ca'e of De Moro v. De La Torre was ordered
to stand till Tuesday.
His Lordship intimated in the course of the morn-
ing, th:.t as be would not have to attend the House
of Lords on Appeal Causes till Wednesday, on Mon-
day and Tuesday he should preside in the Court of
Chancery at NVestminster ; he would therefore, if
able, give judgment on Monday in several causes
which at present stand over for that purpose.

COURT OF KING'S BENCH, JANUARY 2!.
FLETCHiIt V. INGLIS.

This was an action on a policy of insurance on a
vessel called the Contest, of which the plaintiff was,
owner. In 1813, the vessel was taken up by Go.'
vernment for the transport service, and on the 17thl
of October in that year, the defendant, on the appli-
cation of the plaintiff, underwrit the present policy,
containing the usual risks, for a year, which period
would of course terminate on the 16th of October,
1814. The Contest continued in the employment of
Government; and in July, 1614, being at that time
lying in Bologna harbour, she, in the nitrlit between
the 4th and sth of that month. groundel false, as it
is termed—that is, on uneven ground ; and by this
accident some of her knees were broken. This, how-'
ever, did not operate so as to prevent her continuLig
to fulfil her contract with Government. She made
everal voyages afterwards between England and
France ; but in 1815 she was taken into dock for re-
pair ; and on her being surveyed, it was found that
part of her false keel was gone, her flooring da
maged, and several of her knees broken. She under-
went a thorough repair, and in August, 1,•::16, and
not before, the plaintiff gave notice of the damage'
he sustained in Bologna harbour, and the amount of
repairs; which, however, the defendant refused to
pay, on the ground—first, that, in consequence of
the plaintiff's delay, he had lost his claim, as lie
ought to have given immediate notice to the defen-
dant on the vessel receiving the injury in Bologna
harbour; and, secondly, that this could not be con-
sidered as a damage arising from the peril of the
seas, inasmuch as tt occurred whilst the vessel was
,lying in harbour.
Lord Chief Justice ABBOTT, however, held, that'
this was an injury arising from the peril of the'
sea. The only question which the Jury had to con•
sides was, whether the plaintiff ought not to have
given immediate notice of the injury she sustained
on the sth of July, 1814, and of the repair she was
undergoing afterwards, that the underwriter might
have superintended those repairs, if he thought pro-
per?—The Jury found a verdict for the plaintiff for '
the damages laid in the declaration.

ADMIRALTY COURT, DOCTORS' COMMONS.
THE SHIP HERCULES.

This was an appeal from sentence of condemns.
don passed upon this vessel by the Vice Admiralty
Court of Antigua, which was in these words—" For
a breach of one or other of the Navigation Laws."—
The Hercules armed vessel, it appeared, was fitted
out from this country, under the command of Brown,
the owner, a British subject, who, it appeared, hail
accepted a 'commission under the Spanish South-
American Ihdepencletits •to act as a privateer. He
had also chartered her to carry merchandize, the
propetty of individuals among the Spanish Patriot.,
.who vout part-owners with himself of the cargo on
board, and which consisted chiefly of goods which
had arisen from prizes of war.
- The circumstances under which• the seizure was
Made by his Majesty's ship Brazen, Captain Stirling;
mere shortly these:l--The- Hercules, after a long
voyage, being in want of refreshments, and also ii-
Turing repairs, Captain Brown stood ofr the port of
Barbadoes, where he wrote to Sir James Leigh-, the,
!Oowericcii, to permit him to come in fOr the aboe
iporposts. The application to come in was refused;
but he was 'alb:wed to water and provision, after
which he proceeded on in his course of destination.
Ile fall in soon after with the iltiFen, when he was
boarded by her, and his papers examined by Captain
Stirling. The lattei not venturing to Make a formal.
seizure, then proposed m refer the matter to his Ad-
ntiral ; and for that purpose requested Brown, the
owner, to consent to accompany him into Ilarbadoes.
This Brown consented to do, and they accordingly
proceeded thither. On a further inspection of the
papers, (a suspicion of the Hereitles having been en-
gaged in piracy, and the plunder of British vessels,
the original cause of suspicion on the part of Cap,
taro Stirling was so far removed,) it was alleged sW
. was permitted to proceed where she pleased; and ac-
cordingly was in the act of again pursuing her desti-
nation, when in her course she was again approachod,,
and taken formal posiession of by Captain Stirling,'
who thereupon broke open her hatches, seized her
papers, and removed the Captain and crew, proceed-
ing with her to Antigua, where, notwithstanding the
formal protest of Brown, the owner, she was con-
demned—not upon the original ground of detention,
namely, on suspicion of piracy, but for a breach of
one or other of the navigation Laws.
After hearir.g the argwveats of Counsel for the se-
veral parties claiming, viz. Blown, the principal
owner ; of the Spanish Independents; of the King of
Akin claiming thc property (ibis subjects ; and the,
reply of the King's Advocate and Dr. ADAMS in op.,'
port 'tit the seizure, the question was at le
Atcittglif to issue solely with respect to the juriat
don of-the Vice-Admiralty Court of Antigua.
-' - air WM. SCOTT, in passing sentence, observed, the
,s; whether the jurisdiction was pro-
Court below, in a case of pro.
, and on no other ground was this
against. by tho Vice-Admiralty Conti
' that Cotirt had no jurisdiction, then
either for the act of seizure
or for this appeal, and would
the orie and the other a mere
7ncige was clearly .of opinion
not 'take place at Antigua, and
pronounce that the whole pro.
IcatliclAtiaii and in consetpiencel
This cattael•theetfore, was to it.

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