The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-07-25 00:00:00

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LAW IhTighhIGENCE.
COURT OF KING'S BENCII, JIILT 2s.

THE RING Y. ORORGE RIVE alien BEM
This was an information filed by his Majesty's
Attorney-General against the defendant for publishing
a scandalous, malicious, defamatory and seditious libel
concerning the King, in a work called The Repot,limo,
to the tenor and effect following :—" There is not
one vice that the King can put his band to his heart
and say, 1 am innocent of. He has inherited the
gross obstinacy of his father, the avarice and mean-
ness of his mother, without any of their domestic
qualities, and to this he bad added all that vice has
taught or conjectured."
'f he SOLICITOR-GENERAL, Mr. MA RRYA TT. Mr.
GuRNET, and Mr. LITTLEDALE conducted the prose-
cution.
The defendant was an assistant in Mr. Carlile's
atop in Fleet-street, and it was proved that on the
46th of October last he sold the Number of Mr. Car-
lile's Repw&lican, containing the alleged libellous
matter set out in the information.
Mr. PRRNDERGAST shortly addressed the Jury on
behalf of the defendant, acknowledging his offence,
but pleaded his ignorance of the contents of the paper,
end that he was merely a vender of the work, without
having any controul over its sale.
One witness u•as called to prove that the defendant
was a person of loyal sentiments, and had often ex-
pressed himself with reverence towards the King,
but the Learned Judge thought such evidence inad-
missible.
Mr. Justice %sr charged the Jury, that a more
gross and scandalous libel hail never been published
concerning the King, or concerning their late Ma-

je-ties.
The Jury immediately found the defendant Guilty.
5.131 T V. SAME.
This was another information tiled by the Attorney-
General v:ainst the same defendant, for publishing
another scandalous libel concerning the King on the
'sth of November, in another number of Vie Repu!k-
ik 1:r, under the like circumstances.
'f he Sottcrroa-tirtsEnst. declined offering any evi-
' dr-re fo.• the prosecution, and
rhe Jury, antler the Learned Judge's directions,
found the defendant Not Guilty.
1111: RINI; V. MART ANNE ("MIME.
This was an indictment at the instance of the So-
ciety for the Suppression of Viee, against the defend.
ant, sister of Mr. Richard Carlile, for publishing a
bLiiphemous libel concerning the Holy Scriptures, in
the Appendix to Thotnas Paine's Age of Reason.
Mr. UURNLT and Mr. G. MARRTATT conducted the
prosecution. The defendant, who was accompanied
by a female friend, was without Counsel in this prose-
cution.
Before the Jury were sworn, she put in a written
re -nest, that the Jurors might be severally asked %the-
ater they were Members of the Society for the Sup-
prei.sion of Vice, or of the Constitutional Association.
Mr. Justice Bear said be saw no objection to the
first question, but he thought the defendant was not
at liberty to ask the second, as it was not suggested
th.tt this prosecution was instituted by the society last
mentioned.
Miss Carlile said, that as the principles of the
Constitutional Association were equally inimical to
her, and as they professed to prosecute blasphemous
as well as seditious libels, she had a strong objection
to art. of its Members being on the Jury.
air. Justice Ms.r said this question could not be
as'., u, but his Lordship put the first question to all
the J ur. , and they severally answered in the negative.
.t! iss Carlile named one of the Gentlemen of the
Jurv. n ho time understood belonged to the Society for
the litpliression of Vice, and she desired that he might
b.: asked the question.
The lie;itlentan was accordingly asked, but he de-
chred solemnly that he was not a Member of the
Society.
The trial then proceeded, and the ease fur the pea
seetiti in was proved by the usual evidence.
!'he Defendant then proceeded to read a written
defence, justificatory of the sentiments contained in
th:•.111eLell libel. Several of her remarks being of an
offensive mature,
r. Justice Besv interposed, and suggested to the
defendant, in concurrence with the Jury, that she had
beter wi:lidraw and expunge the offensive matter from
her defence, because the line of observation she had
adopted could do her no good. The Court and Jury
were most really to hear any thing that the defendant
might think would be of benefit to her, but she could
• not be suffered to utter the offensive matter which called
for the interposition of the Court.
The defendant then withdrew, and after a short ab-
sence returned, and stated, in writing, that as the
Court bed determined not to suffer her to make her
defence in her own way, she must submit to its deci-
sion, and wholly abstain from any farther remarks.
3lr. Justice BEST again told her that the Court was
most ready, and indeed anxious, to hear any thing
that ,could be available to her as a matter of defence,
and suggested that there were several Gentlemen at
the Bar present who would most readily look over her
papers, and expunge those matters which were likely to
be detrimental to her interests.
Tile defendant declined this suggestion, and pre-
ferred submitting to the decision of the Court, than to
abandoning the course marked out for her defence.
The case then went to the Jury under the Learned
Judge's direetione, -a. I they immediately found the
ilsfenaant—Guilty.
Iv
CONSTI IV! '.%•• ‘L ASSOCIATION.
MI KISS V. VARY ANN&
This was an indictment against the same defendant,
at the instance of the Constitutional Association, for
publishing a seditious libel in a pamphlet entitled,
V. Address to Mr Reformers, printed with her name
coot to it. The first cot set out the following alleged
libellous matter :—" To talk about the British Con-
of dishonesty.
we speak of the
'thing tangible ;
well as a sound,
tted but corruption
very laws are cor-
and in their ad-
as notorious as
, part of the system,
oil fur the wheels of
oil to the inter-
coant set forth the