The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-11-15 00:00:00

STAniVAR

ordered- the public-to witbdtia st twelve se4lkiki.
gotta acing wii eOhtlini:ll until tiiiee. i•
• OCTOBER 10.
A-Deputy for La Malachi took the oaths in the .
usual form.
• - -

Panaz.on CASTIO. made mention of a plan both
defei. ;sive and -oftensive for this Isle, presented by
General Gallatin; and of another with regard -tiO
the cavalry, by the Miliqlll4 del Palacio : brith were.
gent to the Commission of War to be examined.--.
That) was also read a circular letter from Senor
[Aureate, Inspector Geneal of the Public Health,
with regard to its present state. It declared that,
the number of sick persons was very smaw; and
in order to calm the fears to which several in.
founded reports hall•given*rke, it added, the onto.
her of infectious disorders was unusually small.

• • OCTOBER 13.
VP LI VllllOll one of the -most zealous members of
the august Congress, and Deputy for Extremadura,
read a memorial, in which be painted, in the must
lively colours; the disorders in which rho French
leave those disiricis which they abandon, the num.
berless evils which their commissaries have caNsed by
their requisitions of •toeu and provisions, the was+e
of all resources, and the miseries, in particular, of
the cultivators of the ground, by having to support
the enemy's armies and their uwn ; the decline of
the. manufactures of common cloths, in conse-
quenee of the manufactories being stripped of them
without
.paymput, in ostler to clothe the different
armies.;--thu consequence of all .which would be
poverty, nakedness, .and a general famine, if pro-
per measures were uskadopted. He then proposed
such measures as appeared to him to be peeper, for
the purpose of being transmitted to the respective
Cummi.ssiuners of War, Finance, Ste. 4 concluding
with proposing the appointment of a commission
fur reguletiug and organizing the,provinees, which
fright guard against evils such jis those which they
had already sufreree, and repair them in the best
possible manner. Considering these. matter,' as uri.
gent, ami calling for precedency before others—.the
Coates passed a decree to this effect.

. .9.CTOI3EIt 11. • •
Inl=ns former Sitting AWISLIAII had produced the
plan of a law ou the libeeif of the press, which
Comprised, first„ the limits of that liberty, and the
penalties for•teausgressers.; and secondly, the ap.
poiutment of a Junta of learned men, Kith the
title of .:Suiiremc.Couneil Protector of the Liberta
of Me Press,. in order to protect it Irons ministerial
despotism, and from tyranny.
It was agreed that this plan should he printed,
end copies distributed among all the Deputies, in
order that they might consider the subject maturely,
and he prepared to discuss it.
This • day, the plan being again read, TEN.
;11E1 RO opposed it, alleging, that it was not right to
discuss such an important topic without the con.
.currulace Of the Deputies who were still wanting.
What! (replied another Member) without their
presence the Cortes were installed ; without their
presence, the Spanish people recovered their sove-
reignty, an event which will form an era in our
annals; and is it possible, that fur an affair not of
such importance, we are to wait fur a few Depu-
ties ,66 Butthe discussiom of it was not fixed for
to.day:"—" It was," replied various individuals.
This was confirmed by the President. " We do
not come prepared," replied another; upon which
Liman ascended the tribune, and the plan was read.
• Teo este° rose again: he declaimed against the
liberty of the press, and represented it as the ori.•
gin of the ruin of empires. (Ile would nut, how.'
ever, permit biassel( to see that this liberty sup. I
porta BMWs. Empire.) Some disapprobation '
was expressed, but.Teinceiro continued to go on,
till at last the disapprobation became more mat k,ed.
A Ile u er.tes then ascended the tribune. Ile she wed
that the want of a free communication of ideas had
eiven.arms to the Tyrant for our destruction ; that
e'the English, aware of the cunning arts of those I
who meant to oppress them, gave freedom to the
pen and liberty to the press; they disentangled and
established their principles ; they unveiled the plots
of their enemies, and refuted their sophisms; the 1
people were instructed, and not left exposed to
illusion : by such means they were all united, and
iendered themselves invincible. The reverse had.
been the fate of the Spaniards ; deprived of its free
iourse, knowledge became stagnant, the learned re.
/mined dumb, the ignorant were imposed upon ;
hence divisions, 'disunion/ the ruin of the nation,
and exaltation of the enemy. •
Mena. succeeded, and with exquisite erudpion
and animated eloquence proved, that the sacred
writings, our venerable religion, history, and reason'
favoured the liberty of the press.
It was resolved that the discussion should be con.
tinned on the following day.
To.day, at 10 in the merging, the troops took the ,
oath to the Cortes in the field at Torrealto, in pre-
seam of General Lspena. The concoivse of pro.
ple, was innumerable, the spectacle very fine, and
the enthusiasm of all, both soldiers and peasants,'
was
ocroßrrt 16.
There w* read a Decree of the Cartes passed
yesterdiyip on she claims of the Americans ; in
which it was declared, That the Spanish dominions
irtboth hemispheres form one 'sole monarchy, one
mile tuition, one' sole family ; and that the native-
- born subjects of the European and Ultramarine do.
minions are equal ie rights to those of this Perin.
sula ; leavin:; it as the province of the Cortes to
discuss all measures retatieg.to the. prosperity of
.those beyond sea, as well as of the forth of the na.
thinel representation and number of its members in
both hemispheres ; declaring also that, in all those
transatlantic provinces where any cominotions have
taken place, there shill bus general - act of oblivion
with regard to them, from 'the moment when theta.
vereign authority which residesin the mother coda.
try is acknowledged. 7•• • • ...) •
I • • •QCTOIIEtt
A letter was read,,io. "high. the Junta of Estre.
medulla felicitaled that:tortes/ •&c.
Various projectsasod memorial; were transmitted
to the respeetivecommissitoesi• • -,
The discussiou.uposs, thu liberty-of the Pressfol.
towed. . •
Senor riARcIA HERRERO!). was for liberty of the
incise withuut :any censorship, in it:dial:on of the
SupremeTribe:tali
.whielt never took upon hien to
censure any buuk befoa,it was plated.

• *

__

- •
'Senor 'gala read an -edict! .frlank the reaee74;
Which illenfiOriaid,..” Oat llonaparto had decreed,
46 that there should be only olio newspapers of
•44 -which ihe Prefect was to be censor.' 0 lie added,
that thriCortes ought not to wish to resemble Bona:
Perk.
Senor AuoueLLAs pronounced an eulogium on.
the discourse of Munoz 'f orrero, in a former discus-
lion on this sibject, . and refuted that of Llaneras..
lie observed, that the best mode of correcting man
was the liberty, of the press ; and uuticed, that
during the ministry of Goduy, when there were
censors, altars were raised to lasciviousness, dm.
lie defied any one to say,that three age, of disorders
arising from the liberty of the press could produce
such great evils as those we have suffered (ruin Vie
want of it. i
14LANenas spoke against it, observing, that it was
not the only road by which a nation reached ins-
tinction, nor the only means of
.knowing the pub-
lic. opinion.
Cor.riN was fur the liberty of the press, because
he thoight it just, useful, and necessary. lfe corn.
bated the opinion of Lianeras, observing, that since
the art of printing more yebbeity had been given to
our religion.' •
'Another deputy also spoie in favour of it, ob.
•
serving,' that till were agrecd.in sUbstance.
V.ti.c.t nem, who ifici iiipPortad this liberty,
was for witting it to the vote; 6! whbthur the quo-
, Lion had been sufficiently dhicarsaed ?"
The discussion, however, . was continued; and
Cams recd a' plan, in, which he proposed that the
Cortes should permit political works to be printed
without a emsor ; and at auy rate, if there was a
et:mew, that submission to him should be voluntary
on the part of the author.
Tcvnrttio said, that it could not betlouhted that
this liberty produced illumine/4)n ;• but-that also
by means of it were introduced.; thousand efr6n.
ilvAu,nght that it would be prop'ir tosisenstilt thel
Universities,. the Bishops, and the Holy ifyiboesal,'
who so much abhorred the French: •Ttoist
• cia and Catalonia this liberty would nbt be well re.
ceived ; that of the 10 millions of inhabitants in
Spain, not more than 1011,000 were • for it ; and
that thus a bad opinion would be 'formed of the
Cortes. lie insisted that errors were introduced
like poison, and that the philosophers had filled the
world with darkness; that the truly wise were
few in number, and had been suffocated by the
former; that Spain had arrived at the height of its
glory without the liberty of the press ; and without
it, also, had raised its voice against the oppressor.
lie repeated what the clergy of France had • told
their King :--that this fatal liberty had introduced
into England an Wildly of sects, which filled the
island and the throne with horrors, and which
would one day destroy thvconstitution of which
, it boasted, as that of France was lust ; that it was
much better to be rude and goini, than knowing and
bad, like the French ; that the Executive Power
always had the greatest influence upon the press,
even though it was free, sn that the press and its li.
berty would be as the Government.

httixoz- TORnRO observed, that the Eoglish
held it as a fundamantal principle:and a declared right
of the nation, to witch over thements whom it ap.
pointed ; that this right was exercised through the
press, in such a way, that- %vitals dpnti in Parlia.
meat being published, the .most 'obscureindividual
mild speak what he thought, and 'enlightbried at
thirsama time the Parliament and the nation.Wouki
to .06.1' it had never been said from the pulpits,
:that the Deity had inspired Charles the IV. to
preen punter in the hands of Godoy, when he gave
him the Admiralty, ind' when the liberty 'tit the
pivot existed only for such assertions. lie did-not .
speak of learned men only,. but Of the whole nation,
who bad a right lii declare their opinions. This Was.
not a• theory without practice, • but what was al.
ready established by. the entistitetion of, England.
It was the grossest' error to say,, that the nation had
not the right to*declare its opinions,. and yet that
its deputies possesed that right; . that when Fetch.,
nand arrived; he would possess more force than the
Executive Power ; and then, if there was ho public
opinion cnortlie Means ef es tablishing it, he might dc.
stroy, when' he 'chose, the Cortes of the nat.
tion, as Godoy, had dune, because there Was
no public' opinion, nor the means of freely es-
tablishing it. lie she*ed, that the French Bishops
did nut perform their duties ; and among other
proofs, he mentioned that of seventy of them
being present at an entertainment given by the.
Conde de Aranda. The best and strongest.;
bulwark against vice was the moral and religious.
education of the citizens. Ile distinguished the
civil and religides toleration of the English, from
thai liberty of the iiress which be wished to establish.
' The wise alone did 'not go to form the public opi-
nion, but the whole of the citizens. These ideas
were general in Salamanca, Madrid, Badajuz, and
'ln numerous other places. Were Mentes observed,
that in Galicia the measure would be' received with
pleasure.) Torrero concluded, observing, that the
army were in favour of the liberty of Cie press ;
adding, that he had not &dined his opinions from
the rights of man, but from principles width he had
weighed.
ARe uELLES said, that even supposing the opinion
of Galicia was against the liberty of the press, and
' though the Cortes should be deceived in supposing
that the general copiniln was forit, yet it was ludis..
!reusable to allow tt ; for by itniotiescould the gene.
rah opinion be ascertained.
Welles obs":ved, that this was an affair of
conscience, and ought to he decided by theologians
and the holy fathers; that theQuiancii.of 'Trent, its
its 18th and 19!h sessions, pronounced against the
liberty of printing even books which treated of
politics and the fine arts ; that the Council of La-
teran prohibited every kind of books -*Ultima a
previo.ss revisal ; that thoGertes unlit nut:to is.
sue a (let:tar:l66n cuilltarylo so .inauY piouli regu.
Nam's,

MO/tALE3 replied; that thr•Bull quoted by Mor.
•tog ouly spukO of tbo books of heretics• kuuwn to
be ifich.

OLlvcaus 01)s:4-red, that the fathers In the brat
ages of the Ch.tirdi cried utlt ,fur the liberty ot
writing, for printing w4A then unknown.; ,tbr
greeliekt persecution of the 'Alien+ pal in tki) time,
cif 'Julio who -proitiltilit4 their