The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-11-20 00:00:00

• THE STATESMAN.

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some succeeding Legislature, will annul every sta-
tute still in force against the Corn-dealer, and
put his trade upon the same footing as every other,
allowing it perfect freedom. In the name of com-
mon sense; let me ask, wherein consists the policy or
justice of restricting the trade in this article of food,
and leaving the trade in every other kind of food,
as well as clothing, tic. unrestricted ?
I recommend you, Sir, to be cautions in giving
publicity to sentiments, which may serve to inflame
the minds of the populace, and to lead them to vent
their rage upon the property, and even lives of the
innocent Corn-dealers ; who, I hope, I have proved,
are best consulting the interest of the public, when
they are only studying their own. Again, therefore,
let me advise you to employ the columns of your
valuable paper, in disseminating the true principles
of political economy. Let the opprobrium which
now so unjustly falls upon the Corn-dealer be re-
moved to those who are the real cause of all that we
suffer and deplore—the authors and supporters of this
ruinous War, which, notwithstanding PcaucoLA'S
assertion to the contrary, I contend are the cause of
Ithe present high price of Corn.

1 our's, &C.
Birmingham, Nov. IS. 1812.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

COVIII OF KING'S 11ENC11, Nov. 19.
TIM EINCV.V. DANItr, LOVELL.
The SOLICITOR-t; ENEMA I. nosed for the sentence
of the Court on Daniel Lovell, fur printing and pub-
lishing
a libel of a malicious, inflammatory, and flan-
gem, natere, against the Commissioners of the
Transport Board and Board for F•ick and Wounded
Seamen ; calculated also to excite discontent among
the French prisoners detained in this country, and
likewise to render more uncomfortable the situation
of our subjects who were detained as prisoners of
war in Fiance: The libel in question was contained
in a letter under the signature of " llonesTus,".
which appeared in THE STaiessivr Evening News.
paper, of the 19th of March last. Of this article,
we think it necessary now only generally to
stat', that it ch7,rged the Transport Board with
making profit, in esery possible way, of the prison-
' era under their management, p!acing then), as often as
they could, by way of punishment, on half rations;
keeping back from them the suits of clothes allowed
'them every 18 months by Government, and appropri-
lating the fund thence arising to their own private emo-
lument, the whole of which savings, to the amount
iof about three millions a year, they employed in
1
speculations in the funds for their own profit and ad-
vantage. The Lords of the Admiralty were not said
to be sharers in this nefarious traffic, but it was in-
ferred,
from the anxiety evinced to have a large
number of prisoners in this country ; from our even
detaining prisoners who had surrendered at Aux
Cayes and the Isle de Francois, under condition of I
being.seitt home ; that they at least connived at the
practices of their inferiors. These practices, it was
inferred, could not fail to produce retaliatory mea-
sures en the part of our enemy ; and thus must their
miseries be increased, while the war was protracted,
for the purpose of securing these emoluments to the
dependents of Ministers.
For the Defendant there was filed a long affidavit
by himself, in which he denied all knowledge of the
• .
publication in question having appeared in his paper
till the 14th April following its insertion, when he
was also informed that an answer had been trans-
mitted to it from Oakhampton, of date 23th March,
1811, when he immediately expressed his sorrow and
indignation at the idea of the former article under
the title of " IloNtsTos," having been inserted,
and ordered that the contradictory statement, under
the title of '4 A FRIEND TO Taurn," should
make its immediate appearance. lie had also used
every exertion from that time to discover the au-
thor of the article in question ; had offered a reward
for that purpose ; and had made every atonement
which it was in his power to make, to the Board
whom he had thus unintentionally been made the in-
stramettt of traducing. There were also affidavits by
Mr. George Houston, the then Editor, and by Mr.
Swan, Jun. the Printer of the Defendant's paper,
acknowledging, that to the best of their belief, Mr.
Lovell did not li:;ow of the existence of the article in
question, or of its publication, till long after it had
appeared ; that he was then highly indignant at the
insertion of the letter, and insisted on the immediate
insertion of the answer to it, charging the Editor
and Printer with haring entered into a conspiracy to
ruin him ; but Mr. Swan threw the blame of the
present libel on the Editor, he never having time to
read the articles. The affidavit of Mr. Anderson,
Surgeon, Fleet-street, bore that the Defendant was in
a bad state of health, and afflicted with a spitting of
blood.

These affidavits being rend,
Mr. BROW:MARI—My Lords, from the publica- 1
tion and the affidavits now read to the Court, you
will perceive that this Defendant, upon his plea be-
ing withdrawn and a judgment by default, is brought
up to receive your Lordships' judgment for having
been, unknown to himself, the Editor of a publica-
tion which, from what has been read of it, you will
agree with me in thinking is one of the most foolish,
palpably foolish, ridiculous, silly, and nonsensical
attacks that ever was made on any public Board or
body of men.
Lord ELLENROROVOII-•-I am sorry to hear it cha-
racterized in such terms.
Mr. Beouctism—l certainly characterise it as
one of the most foolish, palpably foolish, Adieu-
lout, silly, mid nonsensical productions, that ever
'appeared through the medium of the press ; and in
proportion to its folly and insignificance, it is harm-
less and unworthy of attention. I submit that the
substance of the attack on the Transport Board,
with respect to which, I do not mean to offer a single
further remark, is, that the Commissioners for the
Exchange of Prisoners, have put a stop to every mea-
sare intended to effect their enlargement; and that the
Government of the country have even caused the ,
war in Spain to he continued, for the base purpose
of putting three millions of pounds into the hands of
the Commissioners, and two or three hundred thou-
sand ponuds into the hands of another of the Public
Coards. I ask, whether a statement so outrageous
as this is, the l).fentlatit having his eyes open, can
be supposed wilfully to have publisned. I state
this not as an after-thought that has occurred to
the Defendant, or me; but I state the impro-
bability of his having wilfully inserted it in his
Newspaper, on the ground of those other extracts
which he has submitted to the Transport Bawd, with
every one of which this publication is distinctly and
diametrically at variance. These former extracts,
`which have been read to the Court, it nil! be taken,
were inserted not only before the present proceedings
were commenced, but long before the Libel appeared ;
in the Defendant's Paper, nt least a year and a half
before the Letter, signed Ilosesrus, was published.
' I therefore argue from thence, independent. of the •
distinct swearing upon the subject, that' the Defend-
, ant knew nothing of the contents of that Letter ; and !
that long before the publication of that Letter, !.ettti7
meats appeared in e regular course of discussion dia-
metrically opposite to the tenor of the Libel. I infer,
' that at least therein a priavt lacieimpFosll.A:ity is the
statement, if it is intended to be made, t hat the I):fend- :
ant knew the had been insetted in his Joe rtial.—
Now this is further distitictly sworn, not only in the
affidavit of the Defendant himself, but in the affidavit
of the Editor of his Newspaper, Mr. Houston, who
distinctly states how and why the I:Mendota .vas
ignorant of what I must still describe as a foolish
and ridiculous publication. The other person, Mr.
Swan, juo. the chief printer, swears, that the Defeat.

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AP, • 7."

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