Star.
London, England, 1810-06-16 00:00:00

the proper objects of Criminal Infisrmation, intend the lashing the hacks of his Ontit coatrymen ?
such
misdemeanors as endanger or disturb tlt had been asserted that the German troops had be-
the are
Government, all other offences ought to go hayed bravely at Talavera—that he knew to be the
before that twofold shield of freedom, a Grand Jury; contrary of the fact ;he had a letter from an officer of
Pro
misdemeanor of this nature too, says., he, ought horse artillery, Lieutenant Frederick Reed, man Of&
to
seemed immediately. Yet this staid a cer high in Government, in the Office of Ordnance,
be
tir
hole twelvemonth before it was brought before in which it was asserted, that from the cowardice of
a
Court of Justice. • There was nothing in the pa- the German Legion, some English regiments would
per to affront the King. Ifthe information had said, have been cut off if the twenty-ninth had not come
he had intended so attack. Lord Castlereagh, he to their assistance. This vi as confirmed to him by
should admit the fact. The Attorney-General had several officers who had slept at his house at Botley,
fosener occasian, that he did not meddle after their arrival in England. A German officer, of
'll ten a
tet-s for attacking Ministers—this was a mere the name of Landreth, had indeed seized a standard,
attack s and every body knew it. The and endeavoured to rally his countrymen, but it was
forced construction on his words was obvious, he was found impossible. With respect to their conduct in
teliculing the measure, and in saying, 66 flog them," quarters, he was himself aisle to form some estimate,
he meant nothing more than an-idicule of Lord Cas- az he lived in the neighbourhood where they were
nereagh's measure. The use made of Bonaparte's quartered. But he would first read a document,
his soldiers, was to make the treatment which would shew what had been their conduct
r2etment of the Local Militia, a warning to Ministers to desist even in Germany. (Mr. Cobbett then read a letter
from that measure. Were we never;to complain of from the Archduke Charles, to the Duke of Bruns-
addiers being ill-treated ? If vie were to see a soldier wick Ocls, reprobating the excesses committed by his
flogged to death, was no tongue, no pen, to move ' corps in Saxony.)—These were the very men now in
in ills defence ?
,The object was to cause the folly of our pay. On their landing in England they were
the measure to be done away. A young fellow with ' quartered in the Isle of Wight, where they committed
a smock frock sentenced to five hundred lashes for every species of brutal excess—from whence they
mutiny ; but this was not a mutiny; a squabble about were sent to Ireland, on account of their enormities.
a torching guinea : he had told Lind Castlereagh They had even been accused of committing murders.
that by that measure he had just made these men sol- A landlord, who refused them liquor, had been at-
tiers eaough to dislike labour, and yet not soldiers tacked by them with swords, in his own bar, in the
enough to cease. to be labourers. He would read most ferocious manner. And the terror of the inha-
what Lord Grenville had said. bitants of Newport exceeded any thing that had
Lord ELLENBORQUON interfered, he thought the i been seen in this country. The Attorney-General
reference to Parliament improper. had, therefore, been grossly misinformed on the sub
Mr. Cobbett continued—lt was said by Mr. Whit- ject of their bravery and good conduct. Among
bead that the treatment of soldiers in the Duke of those men there might be good men, but they could
Cumberland's regiment, was as severe as ever, and not have the feelings of Englishmen. There could be
even picketting in that regiment, although the prat- no doubt that they would love their own country
Lice had been discontinued in every other. But did best, for if a man be born even in Lapland, he would,
Mr. Whitbread mean by that to bring his Majesty prefer it, and would they not prefer Germany ? If
;ad his Government into contempt ? Bonaparte were to land, he should fear they would
[The ATTORNEY-GENERAL here interfered, and not be likely to be a strong defence for England
Lord Erzientonotien said, that the allusion to what They might become the advanced guard of Bonaparte
bad passed in Parliament had no proper reference to —the Trojan Horse, with his belly filled with Hano.i
the Defendant's defence.] verians instead of Greeks. At Guadaloupe the 60th
Mr. CORIIZTT resumed—The man who meant to regiment, we were told, had run away. The depot
eecite disaffection in the army would not have taken of that regimgnt was at Lymington, and was filled up
such open measures as had been imputed—he would principally with Foreignersand vagabonds taken from
have proceeded more secretly and insidiously. He our jails, whence they were shipped off to the 60th
would, however, suppose a case, in which a man regiment in the West Indies, where they had an op-
should be so wicked, or so imprudent, as to pub- portunity of shewing their braveq—by running away.
lisp an account which might have a tendency to Under these impressions he had written the article in
o • duce incalculable mischief. If, for instanin, when question, and lie trusted the Jury would see that it
our shores were threatened with the immediate pre- could arise from no evil intention, but from the irri-
.nee of the enemy, and our fleet were going off to Cation of his feelings alone. Every advantage he
sleet them, a man should say, in any public news- possessed was prospective--all his prospects, his pro-
laper, that there was a great deficiency, not only of petty, his publication, even the very trees he planted,
comforts, but even necessaries, for the use of our all depended on the continuance of his Majesty's Go-
fleet; at it was deficient of every article that was vernment ; and that, therefore, it was impossible that
requisite. Such a publication might be presumed to any man could impute to him an intention so stupid,
have been published with an evil intention, although, so absurd, so senseless, as to wish for the overthrow
in fact, no such intention might exist. Such a pub- of that Government under which he lived.
Nation be would read—[Here Mr. Cobbett read a The ATTORNEY-GENERAL thought Mr. Cobbett
paragraph from a Newspaper.] For this paragraph would have better consulted his interest, if instead of
the late Attorney-General (Sir A. Pigott) had insti- the defence hehad made, he had admitted, as the other
tuted a prosecution, which, however, the present Defendants had, that he had published a libel (by
Attorney-General had abandoned. For this, he did letting judgment go by default), instead of adding to
net mean to cast any reflection on the Attorney-Ge- it by the scandal he had uttered in his defence. He
neral, who, he was convinced, had dropped the pro- would tell the Jury why the Defendant had not been
secution from a persuasion that there was no evil brought to trial sooner. It had been industriously
intention in the mind of the writer. In a late prose- circulated that he, the.Attorney-General, had given
cution in that Court (against the Morning Chronicle) up the trial, when he had no such intention. It was
the Attorney-General had said, that it was not his well known to every professional man, that the de-
practice to prosecute men for warmth of discussion fendant, living at 40 miles distance from London, had
or animadversion on the measures of Government, it in his power to protract the trial, which he certainly
where it only proceeded from indiscretion or inadver- had done. He had availed himself of his right of de-
tency. It had once been observed by Lord Erskine ferring the putting in of his plea,
. until after three
in that Court, on a similar occasion, that there were rules to plead had been given ; he had remained at
many cases in which expressions, in themselves °fen- Botley, which, from the distance from London, re-
sive and dangerous, might be used without having quired that lie should have 14 days notice of trial ;
any evil intention. If, for instance, in coming down this, together with an imparlanee, was the sole cause
to that Hall, which was then occupied by the accom- that the trial had not sooner come on. The Defen-
modations for the trial of Mr. Hastings, he had ex- dant had stated, that he was first called up to Lon-
pressed his dissatisfaction at being stuffed into this don to be tried, and then told to go back again. That
6 hole in the wall," (speaking of the Court of Corn- was a mere dry, cold, invention of the Defendant.—
mon Pleas)—if he had said, 61 Is there never to be an Mr. Cobbett had urged as a reason why he should not
end of this Hastings's trial ? I wish the roof might be prosecuted, that others had published worse libels
fall in and crush them all together, and so put an end than his, for which they had not been prosecuted.
to it." This, in itself, would be very offensive, and Fecerunt am et multi et perjures.
very wicked on the face of it, but without an evil That was his argument. The libel he had alluded
intention could be proved, would not any Member to, it was true, had been prosecuted by his Learned
have been laughed at, who should move for his ex- Predecessor ; and it was also true, that it had been
pulsion from the House of Commons ? Such was the suspended by himself, bdt not for the reason assigned
observation of that Learned Lord. If every passage by the defendant. The wickedness of him who corn-
that is written- was to admit of such forced con- poses, and of him who prints, a libel, certainly bore
structions as had been put upon his paper, the press no comparison—and except for deterring others, there
must be silent, or writers would have to confine their was no reason for prosecuting a printer, unless it were
columns to the praises of men in power. The employ. for the purpose of getting at the author. Although
went of the German troops was that circumstance , men who lend themselves to others were, in such
which had excited his indignation ; to see those fo. cases, guilty of a serious crime, there was, he re-
reigners brought to seperintend, or perhaps inflict peated, no comparison between the Printer and the
the punishment on the misled young men who had Author. Now the Author of the article in the paper
been concerned in the squabble at Ely, excited his alluded to had been ascertained, who, not being in the
indignation more than the punishment itself. Our kingdom, had not yet been prosecuted; but when that
ancestors had always disliked foreign troops ; almost person returned to England he would certainly be
every body disliked them, and surely that dislike prosecuted, and if found guilty, punished as he de-
could not be construed into any thing Jacobinical.— served. On that account the prosecution already
In 1623 the Commons had remonstrated with Charles instituted had been suspended—not dropped. Mr.
I. against the introduction of German horse—[Here Cobbett had given them a pretty long account of
Mr. Cobbett read the passage.] Those sentiments, himself and of his principles—and according to th.tt,
contained in that protest, were his (Mr. Cobbett's) no man had been so greatly, so cruelly calumniated
sentlfuents, and the•conduct of the German troops, as Mr. Cobhett. 3-le was not, however, sure, that
within his own observation, had strengthened that Mr. Cobbett had an accurate distinction between the
Opinion. [Mr. Cobbett then read another passage, active and ftassive voice. He was not a constant reader
from- a debate on the appointment of Foreign Officers, of Mr. Cobbett's Register; but it had not fallen in his
in the reign of William lll.]—There were no fewer way to see many publications which should lead him
than 4or 5 German Generals who commanded even to believe that Mr. Cobbett was a man more tinned
English Generals. Since the year 1786 this force against Man sinning —that he was, as he said, " the
had increased from 21. to 34,000 men. We had I most calumniated man in the country." He had, in
::,124 foreigners, 4 Generals, 4 Lieutenant. Gen- the course of his defence, bestowed no inconsiderable
Nl3, and 19 Colonels. There was also a Frenchman, share of praise on himself, of the full benefit of which
ni the name of Montalambert, on the Staff in Sussex, he would. not deprive him. One concession he was
aed 2 Frenchmen at a Dock-yard in Wales—that was ready to make to Mr. Cobbett, that at the early part
directly against law. Both the Acts of Parliament, !of his life he had pretensions to that loyalty which he
by which German troops are allowed to be in Eng. now so loudly professed ; but Mr. Cobbett turfing ap-
land, were in truth, merely Acts of Indemnity, for the 1 pealed to him. (the Attorney-General) as knowing
declaration of rights and other statutes had declared the loyalty of his principles, at this time be felt him-
the holding placeaof trust either civil or military ilk- self bound to say, that no means had been afforded
gal. There were no less than 773 German Officers in him of drawing any such conclusion. Mr. Cobbetts!
our service, and, including foreigners of other nations, in defending himself, had dispraised the taste and style
there were 1509 foreign officers in our pay. Of the of the alledged libel—but as to the evil intentions im-
number of foreign troops in oursery ice, not more than pined to hirrk,for.th4tr 11Fation. *mai that es a
4or 5000 men had been enlisted in this countr;yl • nseretritkr-es to anzwl. Beso.ofitol, that was,
many of the 34,000 had been'even enlisted fit'Speirt; oki sight:44nd cObieWread a pro.'
taken out of •prison there, having beeii iiitilpottes 'test *lasi the introaucticin of foreiintfoops, and
army ? Why then were these ;mu brought is superei 144 afterwards stated, that such protest was in con-