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

risking your Lordships for judgment; whatever might
be my inclination. But not only is the Transport
Board traduced and libelled. This calumniator is
not certain but the Board of Admiralty also, and
the lii4her Officers of the Crown may receive mirth.
loges from the-e., corrupt practices. and that for this'
rei,orable pelf, prisoners are retained, and the. war
coutininal. Decs this libeller helix re, that if there
Nis. and- gromol for such accusations there is not
singe PO ()Ll^ in the country to correct the. veil
Does he think that my predecessor, or some Member
of the House of Commons, would not have stood
forward? If such were the abject and profligate
state of the country, it would not be worth defending.
it had been pleaded in defence, that the publication
vas not known to the D fondant till the 1 Ith of
April, neatly a month after its insertion, and that
the blame was to be imputed to the Editor. Ido re-
collect Houston's affidavit stating, that, on delibera-
tion. bethought the Defendant did not know of the
insertion of this letter. Was it to be helieved, that a
person in Newgate should not see his own Paper,
when that Paper was not only publishes! in London,
but it:inept-street, close by the prison of Newgate?
Would not- such aft assertion "astonish a foreigner ?
but how much atorwsurprised would he be to hear it
produced as evidence in this Court? Thr circum-
stances of the Defendant were likewise to be con-
sidered. Ile is the Proprieter 'of this Paper, and has
feticide° Ms exp.‘rience, that a Newspaper ha danger-
els machine. Ile has already -bad severs l.exploSions ;
has' employerfanother ; and he has caused ano-
ther explosion. Fi:ul out Hem:sees, says he; tam
itosecent. I only, gave him my machine.—Atid is. a
puitlic libeller, now in Newgate, to use such an ar-
vitiate ? I may address myself to the Honourable
and Learned Counsel for the Defendant, and ask
hen, if he would have ventured to sendabroad .such
an article, without knowing on whht foundation it
'toed, hid he had no criminni motives. Ile might
hart soil, as We s. metimes see done iu Newspepers,
when it quits thole purpose, that the article of "
LiTU‘" wus of too serious a nature to admit of in.
se f.. 1 without closer examination, and that " Ho.
r ,;." Acauld do well to send the ch .rge to the Se-
or*S:at.•'s Office; but the-timely . and patrio-
tic. ...es.of fttESTsvcsmee will not admit it without
coasideration. Tee reading of the paragraphs, ho
contended, was irrelevant, and he trusted that pric,
tie* would, soon be checked. What would Newspa-
pers say, if; in charging them with a specific libel,
we should run over their tile, to select all the excep-
tionable paragraphs as proofs of the charge ?..11ow
much mischief, he asked, was such a libel calculated
to produce? How many aching and bleeding hearts
you'd there he among our countrymen confined in
'France, at the recital of this charge of " Hoe csecs ?"
There is eo doubt the French press would soon cop/
it, aid circulate it with avidity among the British
prisoners thero, as an excuse for all their severities.
it was, besides, cafe dated to create discontent in
this country, and hring public men into contempt.
He had no doubt, however, that their Lordships
world give such judgment as would be tempered with
metes.
Le ;have said, the Defendant at the
bar was brouget up to receive judgment, after having
admitted his guilt, for a publication,. which, in the
presence of all who had !wend it read, he should coo-
tent himself with stating to be a libel ; leaving it to
every one to denominate- it silly, foolish, and ab-
serd, or along with these terms to comprehend the
additional chancieristies of wicked and mischievous
in the highest degree, just as they should chuse.—
Having pointed not the mischievous and inftamma-
tory tendency of the publication, and dwelt. upon
the additional obli.;ation on the D...fendant;' after the
warnings he had already received, to be on his guard
how he allowed any publication to which he lent the
sanction of his name, to contain offensive matter
similar to the publication in question, he de-
clerod the seetenee of the Court for the libel in ques-
tion to be—That rho Defendant do pay to the King
a fine of 5001. ; that he be imprisoned in the Gaol of
Netvglie for one year and a half, to commence at
the expiry of his present imprisonment ; that he do
at the expiry of the imprisonment now awarded en-
ter into recognizance! to keep the peace for three
years from that period ; himself in 10(Y)!. and two
sureties in 5001. each; and that he be thereafter im-
prisoned till such fine be paid and such sureties be
found.