The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-08-19 00:00:00

GLOCESTEIt ASSIZES, MONDAY, AUG. 15

CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. JUSTICE ERSKINE.)

A man of the name of Adams was _placed at the bar,
charged With having sold an infamous publication, contain-
ing a blasphemous libel against the Christian religion. The
words in which it was couched will not admit of our repeat-
ing it.
Mr. Alexander conducted the prosecution on the part of
the crown, and Mr. Thomson defended the prisoner.
Mr. Justice ERSKINE, in summing up, directed the jury
to inquire whether they were satisfied that the words, as al-
leged in the indictment, and as proved to have been con-
tained in the publication sold
-by the prisoner, were intended
to bear the meaning and construction implied in the inuen-
does, and were intended to bring into contempt the Christian
religion, the Holy Scriptures, and our blessed Saviour.
" The law considers" (continued the learned judge) " every
man accountable for the contents of every work which he pub-
lishes, of every printed paper which he may vend, unless he
shows satisfactorily that he is ignorant of its purport, or of
what it treats. It is not, however, necessary to show, on the
part of the prosecutor, that he has ever actually read it, or else
no one could be convicted of the offence ; consequently, if a
man under any circumstances, be shown to have &Walt printed
paper, he must be taken to be cognizant of its purport. It
is for the jury to consider whether the words set out contain
a blasphemous charge against our Saviour and his holy re-
ligion. Were this a libel against a private individual, it would
be necessary to call a witness to show the purport and in-
tent of the alleged libel; but as the Christian religion is a
part of the law of this land, you are at liberty to-take cog-
nizance of any libel against that, and to say whether you are
satisfied that the individual alluded to in the paper which
has been read was our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. If
you are of that opinion, then it is my duty to inform you,
that although the law will freely tolerate any opinions that a
man conscientiously entertains for himself, yet it will not
allow the publication of opinions such as these in an irreve-
rent and indecent manner ; indeed, if a man disbelieves the
truths of the Holy Scriptures, the law will permit him to
reason and to argue upon his unbelief, provided he do so so-
berly, seriously, and decently. No one, indeed, can be con-
scientiously considered guilty of blasphemy, if he argue
decently and temperately for conscience sake ; but if a man
think proper to revile what the mass of the people of this
land, and the law itself also, deem most sacred, he must
abide by the consequences of his own act. The Christian
religion is the foundation of our law, and no functionary is
admitted to any office connected with its administration
without being first required to take an oath, which oath de-
rives all its efficacy from that veneration which is due from
us all to our holy religion. It is for you, therefore, to
say whether you consider the words you have heard
to contain a sober argument on religious topics, or a
blasphemous reviling in order to bring it into contempt.
Witnesses have been called to character, and they have
spoken to the defendant's honesty and morality, but
those qualities are not in question. If a naan be charged
with stealing, we readily inquire into his character for
for honesty, or if he be charged with murder, we naturally
seek to know whether he has generally borne the character of
a quiet, peaceable, and inoffensive man, because those
characters are wholly inconsistent with the respective eharges
alluded to ; but when an indictment for libel is preferred
against a man, witnesses, if any be called, should be ques-
tioned as to whether he have always borne the character of a
sober and sincere christian, because such a character would
he inconsistent with the charge. It is quite possible, how-
ever, that a man may be a hard working, industrious, moral
man, and yet, entertaining opinions adverse to Christianity,
may think that he is advancing the cause of those who think
with him by giving publicity to his doctrines." The learned
Judge concluded his observations by directing the attention
of the jury to the evidence they had heard, and, without a
moment's hesitation they returned a verdict of Guilty
through their foreman, who expressed his own and their
abhorrence of the details that had been necessarily elicited.
The next case called on was that of the Socialist Holyoak,
who stood charged with having uttered certain blasphemous
expressions at a meeting held at the Mechanics' Institute, at
Cheltenham, on the 2 lth of last May.
The case was conducted on the part of the Crown by Mr.
Alexander, who fully proved the commission of the offence
by the evidence of a single witness, whom the prisoner under-
took to cross-examine himself, and in so doing added weight
to the testimony which had already been elicited; he then
commenced in a shrill discordant voice, a prosy, incoherent,
and absurd harangue, during which he treated upon an end-
less variety of topics, the majority of which had no reference
whatever to the subject before the Court.

In appearance he-is a thin miserable-looking lad, and al-
though, he asserted the contrary, he does not seem, either
from his demeanour, his language, or his articulation, to have
ever had the benefit of the most ordinary education, He
took the opportunity afforded him of making his defence, to
dilate at great length in praise of Socialism, and to express
his conviction in the non-existence of a Deity.

It is worthy of remark, that while there are this year
seven or eight iron steam-boats building at Glasgow, three of
them of large sea-going dimensions, (400 or 500 tons mea-
surement,) there are no wooden steamers whatever.
The following circular, from Lord Francis Egerton's head
steward, has been sent, says the Manchester Times, to the
tenants on the Bridgewater estate :—" Worsley, July 30,
1842. The evils which an over-crowded population entails
upon the poorer classes of society make it necessary to con-
sider in what manner this may, with the most ease, and with
the least interference with their comforts, be diminished
gradually, and finally removed altogether. There can be no
doubt that early and ill-considered marriages between very
young persons is one great cause of these evils. Marriages
contracted without forethought, and without any considera-
tion as to the means of future support And maintenance of
children. Such marriages should be discouraged for the
sake of the individuals themselves, as well as for that of their
parents and neighbours. Such marriages receive great en-
couragement upon the Bridgewater estate, from th parties
being permitted to reside in their parents' dwellings after
marriage, thereby producing other serious evils and inconve-
nience. It is, therefore, hereby intimated, that after the Ist
day of October next no cottage tenant shall permit any newly-
married son or daughter to take up their residence in their
house, without leave in writing from Mr. Fereday Smith
or Mr. Robert Lansdale, as the case may be, or the tenant
himself will be put under notice. Mr. Lansdale will fill up
any cottage now vacant from those cottages which contain
more than one family, taking great care that the vacancy
thus made shall not be tilled up by an extra family or lodger.
—JAMES Loch."—[This is a most extraordinary proceed-
ing. We cannot suppose Lord F. Egerton is acquainted
with such a Malthusian scheme being put in operation.—
Ed. L. S.]

DEATH IN A VAPOUR BATH.--The proprietors of the
,T
in having
correctionallbibetayurpar onp,ul
appeared
cetbecaotaratueuoktds
7eanodntghsytapwbetraeuorr
pods teneohrafet
atipcighrheeeua:fra6wgautenaht
soi
elderly
ndofhsenoidmlouyu inpecwetir
edue
dae:
French baths at Antwerp recently appeared before the tri-
bunal
e nnre ctdse bath,.
bbyuniaml
porfu
wvmeiandntu
ri an,c ctuhi
ademei
to the Joins Francais, in the Rue de Temple, by a country-
man of hers, a German, for the purpose of having a vapour
bath. He gave strict injunctions to the attendant to take
great care of her, on account of her great age, and the fact of
her being ignorant of the French language. The old lady
was placed upon a sort of camp bedstead, which is found in
all vapour baths, and left there by the attendant, after being
informed by her as to the mode of admitting and turning off
the steam. When the attendant returned, however, after
the usual period of absence, she found the old lady stretched
motionless upon the bedstead. She was, in fact, dead.
Medical aid was immediately called, and the surgeons said
that death had been caused by pulmonary and celebral con-
gestion, produced by the admission of an excessive quantity
of steam, which the deceased, in her ignorance of the ma-
nagement of the bath, had not been able to shut off. The
whole of her left side was scalded and burnt by the steam,
and on the left cheek also was a severe contusion, which she
had received in falling, when, as it is supposed, she at-
tempted to rise from the bedstead to open the bath door.
These facts having been deposed to, the court fined each of
the two proprietors of the baths in a penalty of 500 f., be-
sides ordering them to pay the costs of the suit.—.Tournal
D' Anvers.
BELFAST ELECTION.—At the close of the poll on Tues-
day evening, the numbers stood as follow :
Mr. Ross (R)
Mr. E. Tennant (C) .
Lord H. Chichester (C) .... 184
As the facts connected with this election are rather unprece-
dented, we give a detail of them, in order to account for the
position of Lord Chichester on the poll :—Before the election
of 1841, the conservative leaders—aware of the uncertain
state of the constituency, owing to the frightful disorganiza-
tion of the register, arising out of the unamended system—
made up their minds to avoid a contest, by proposing to re-
turn a member on each side. This the radicals refused,
from a knowledge of the facilities which the present state of
the law offered for fraud, and a contest ensued, which issued
in the return of two conservatives. But it was carried by
means of most unjustifiable practices, such as no party
wishes to see reverted to. A petition to the House of Com-
mons against the return of Mr. Emerson Tennent and Mr.
Johnson followed ; and this was withdrawn on the under-
standing that both parties would use their best efforts to
avoid a renewal of hostilities by carrying out the new arrange-
ment proposed last year of returning a member for each side.
In this arrangement it appears all the respectable inhabitants,
of both parties, concurred : but the Marquis of Donegall, im-
patient to have his own son returned, insisted on bringing him
forward in the conservative interest. This the leaders of the
party, being bound in honour to carry out the compromise,
declined of course to accede to. Lord Donegall was entreated
by successive deputations io withdraw Lord Hamilton, his
son, for the present, and to wait till a new registration law
should have been passed, and enabled the conservatives to
take the field with two members, when Lord Hamilton would
have been one. But his lordship rslused, and the election
will evidently end in the return of Mr. Tennant and Mr.
Ross the liberal candidate.

RIDICULOUS, BUT TRUE.—HOW annoying to be travelling
in a country and ignorant of its language ; how amusing to
witness two beings, in other respects well-informed, well-
educated, making forced grimaces to understand each other,
without being able to guess at their mutual wants and wishes !
During a flying visit to Belgium, Mr. T— and his lovely
wife stopped a couple of days at Chaudfontaine, near Liege,
so pleasantly situated in the valley of the Vesdre, and re-
sembling in several of its most agreeable features our Mat-
lock, though upon a smaller scale. They took up their quar-
ters at the Hotel (I.s Bains. On retiring for the night, the
gentleman either fancying he was not at a sleeping pitch, or
else not feeling himself all right, resolved to line his night-
cap with a stiff glass of grog, and rang the bell for that pur-
pose ' • up came the attic nymph. " Que vent, Monsieur ?"
' Oh, ah ; why, bring me a glass of brandy and water."
" Qu'est ce que c'est, Monsieur? je ne pane pas Anglais."
am abzue amazement." e
wnht.u';
the'lA deucereli '
" Why, Frank," said his wife, laughing, " where is the use
of talking English to the girl ? she doesn't understand a
qworduotho f
theit ;
husband,Bheiss
tar, 1 believe
staring at you in
you
am Itodo ? What a bore, not to be Able to make one's self
understood ; I'm determined to learn French as soon at I
return home. Come, Bessy, my dear, you speak it better
than I do ; pray tell her what I want, and bid her look sharp."
" So I will, but cannot for the life of me call to mind what
is the word for brandy ; let me see : " Oh, rnamsell, portez
, one glass Weal'," (pointing to a glass and water on the dress-
ing-table.) " Oui, oui, Madame, un verre d'eau." " Yes,
t,'
oui ; et un petty poo de chose dans i
" Un verre d'eau
et quelque chose dedans," exclaimed the puzzled abigail, ap-
parently at her wit's end, when all at once a light seemed to
break in upon her—" Ah, " que je suis bete ! je comprends
a cetteer heure, c'est tine vielleuse qu'on vent : je vais la
cherch it ,
l'instant," and out of the room she darted.
" Now,
Frank, what do you think of that ?" said Mrs. T—,
quite delighted with her profound knowledge of the French,
daret you think I speak the language exceedingly well?"
..
love i I am astonished when and where
you Indeed you dJ, my
up." " Oh, don't be surprised at that
you picked it all ; I
have a natural talent for languages, and if I were to stay here
a month, I should parley as well as the natives ; but here
don 't let her
comes the girl with your grog;
" Accordingly it from her at the door. the husband did as.
sed the maid with an ap-
he was bid, took the glass, dismissed the .
his better half, who was just con-
proving nod, turned to
to sleep in such a narrow bed
sidering how two people were
" " Thank you, Frank;
—" Here is my love to you, Bessy.
" But oh, horrible!
but pray leave a drop at the bottom. . . _
a night light, for so the
instead of a stiff glass of grog, it
was
Frank
the he
nearly swal
d -
girl had understood the order. Poor
floatin wick
lowed the whole, when he was stopped by ,
g
and a most violent feeling of disgust. How
shall I describe
s of laughter,
his loathing and his rage, or his wife's scream
e ffort at her
which she could not repress, in spite of every t
husband's ridiculous blunder? • The poor fellow is now
reconciled to the nasty joke, which he says was the fruit of
his wife having a natural talent for learning languages.