Star.
London, England, 1810-11-29 00:00:00

LAW

•.. .

COURT OF KING'S BENCH, NOV; !8.
JUDGMENTS.

This lay Drati-lel Lovell, the printer and pub-
lisher of the S ce,mantizmspaper, was brought up to
receive sentence. _ •

On his coming into Court he presented a memo-
riali which he wished to read. This was objected tn,
as not h:lving been broug',l- forward at the paper
time ; and it was proposed to him, that he should be
crmmit:ed, and allowed until uc.:.-t Term to fiante hid
afEJ•4.siit. _ _

- The defendant acquicsted in these conditions ; but
the Court af:orwards directed that Ile should read his
memorial, so that the grounds for his application
might be fully understood. •
Mr. A TTIDiN EY GENERAL had no objection to de-
laying the sentence for the libel on the Conimissicn-
ers of Taxes, as on that the prisoner might have been
hurried in preparing his arlidayits ; but the same
cause could not apply to that up)n the military.
The defendint.then handed up to the officer of the
Court a short representation, stating, that he had been
on Wednesday -afternoon served with a notice to ap-
pear.on Thursday ; that he passed Wednesday night
in a small room, with five persons ! that he spent a
sleepless night, and had no sufficient 'opportunity of
co”-oilting with his Solicitor on the subject of the affi-
s' .s which he 'wished to offer in extenuation.

With respect to the libel on the Commissinners, he
bad offered every possible apology, either as by a pa-
ragraph in the Statesman, or in any other sufficient
way. He had sent an agent to wait on Mr. Hulme,
one of the Commissioners ; and that Gentleman had
professed himself satisfied with the submission. The
same thing had been expressed by others, and it was
hoped that all would be satisfied. He had heard
that Cowdroy and Harrop, the Manchester printers,
were not prosecuted, and had hoped that his prosecu-
tion tvoilld have met the same fate with their's.

As to the libel on the military, it was written when
be v.as confined with severe illness, and could have
had no means of preventing or reading it. He had
had the misfortune to be troubled with an Editor,
11,110 left him in two days after the publication of the
libel. The Statesman was always friendly to the mi-
litary, :Ind he (Lovell) had the honour of being inti-
mate with several officers of distinction.

Lord ELLENBOROUOH--.-44 The Court find nothing
in that paper sufficient to delay the sentence."
Mr. Lovell—" My Lord, a paper has been given
to me in the Hall, whose value I know not, but which
I beg leave to read. It says that your Lordships
cannot proceed to pass sentence upon me, while the
prerogative of the Crown, to shew mercy, is suspended."
To thin no answer was made, and Mr. Justice
Gaosz pinceeded to pass sentence :
The libel for which the defendant was brought up
was one of a most atrocious nature. It tended to
misrepresent the conduct of the soldiery, in a season
of great public tumult, and When,their exertions were
necessary for the public peace. The conduct of the
soldiery had appeared on the minutest evidence to be
most exemplary. The defendant had given the Court
to understand, that the insertion of the libel was
merely in the way of business—but the Court would
tell printers and publishers, that it was their duty to
read what they inserted, or they must sustain the
consequences. As to the libel on the Commissioners,
it was pecessary that men should be protected from
defam cion .rho did a great public service without
any recompence. If the prisoner did not personally
kn•iw those gentlemen, his object was to sow public
disaffection. But is was not easy to free him from
charge of personal malice, when he accused them
of wishing to perpetrate abuses, from which they were
to derive profit. His apologies might or might not
be accepted by the Commissioners. It was the cause
of puhlie justice. Th? prosecution was not by them,
it was fOr the general good, and that men who did
general service should find pi•otection.
_ _ .

The Court then adjudged, •that for the first libel
t'ie defendant Lovell should be confined in Newgate
fir t wave calendar months. For the second, twelve
months also, beginning from the expiration of the
preceding ; and that he should find securities to keep
the peace for three years, himself in 4500, and two
sureties in 0250 each.

Messrs. Harvey and Fishe►, the former the printer,
the latter the publisher of The Day, were then brought
up fir a libel in that newspaper.
Mr. READER stated, that he had now an answer to
make to the question which had been put, whether
any apology had been made for the libel ? An apo-
logy, in the form of a letter, signed " A Loyalist,"
had been made in three days after.
Tile paper, N•as, however, not produced ; and the
Court, aster some obA,r\ ations similar to the preced-
ing, passed sentence, th:zt the prisoners should be con-
fined, each for twelve calendar months in Newgate,
and afterwards give securities for keeping the peace
for three years, themselves in £4OO, and two sureties
in 4100 each.

TILE IiOTTEVTOT VENUS..

Mr. GAMY showed cause ae•ai:ist the rule obt:ain-
ad in the case of this person. That rule was tor a
habas corpus, to deliver her out of the restraint in
which she was sonposed to be, and to allow certain
persons speaking her own .htnguage to examine her.
The Court would be informed that Cesar, the person
alluded to in Mr. Bullock's affidavit, had been remov-
ed some time since•from the care of the Hot;:ntot.—
If the Court should think that this woman was treat-
ed with apy thing like cruelty, his clients were willing
;I give her up at 0nv.... She was actually to receive
a share of the.exhibition money, and those who shew-
id her were perfectly wiliing that the African Insti-
tution should appoint any sufficient person as trustee
to take care of• the property which was to be raised
for her use. As to the indeeescy of her appearance,
the Court wouldlrar that she was clothed in a dress
of cloth as well as silk. Yesterday an examination
had taken pltace before an Attorney and Coroner of
the Court. This examination took up almost three
ho rs : the questions were put by persons who spoke.
Dutch, and no person ialmediately connected with
the exhibition was present. The Hottentot said, she
had left her own country when extremely young.--
She was brought down to the Cape by the Dutch
farmers, and served Peter Cern. She then agreed
with Hend-ick Cexisr, to come over to England for
six years. She appeared before the Governor ftt the
Cal •, and got his permission. Mr.Dunloil promised
to send her back rich. She was under no restraint.