The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-08-14 00:00:00

Ilse letter to Lord Ltrearoot front Mr Gnat!
Non, will k read with luterest, even after that th•
Quiets, en account not only of the nature of the
letter. but of the character of the writer, who Is din-1
tingui.hed fin loyalty and ho our, and for his general
support of Ministerial measures.

However assured we say be of the ultimate triumph
of liberty in Europe, and we feel as assured of that as

of our existence, yet it becomes us to warn the peep,*
of this country carefully to preserve the institutions
which we have received from our ancestors, and which
have armed us with the strength we still possess of
preserving our rights, and of befriending die just po-
__ I litical claims of others. Among these honoured in-
:K. tituc

at .Itions is the Law which prottei• the righteolJaries.
No one of those important rights. as we observed on
Saturday, is more distinctly ncknowleged or more
fully expressed, by the Statute and Common Law of

the Land, than the proposition—Mat Juries ere

Jadges of the Ler, in all cares &roNght before t.esse,
as relies of the fart. Mr. Fox's Bill, we stain user?,

left no word thereafter to be said on that subject by

any idle Counsel, or weak or wicked Judge. And be

it remembered. by all who have to oppose any attempt

to raise doubts on the subject, that Mr. Fox's Bill
sru expressly and purposely denominate.! a DECLARA•

- - -
roar BILL• It wu not a 8111 to nuke anew law. It

was a Bill to declare what the law on the sithject was:
And the reason for bringing in the Bill, and the ne-

cessity for passing it, both of these prove that it was
not an innovation, but was merely a declaration by
the Legislature of what was law on the subject,
Judges had assumed the right of deciding on the Law,
Jellying to Juries to decide only if the farts which
they the Judges, by construction of Law, derided to
be an offence, were proved by the evidence or not.—
In this way, in bad times, they convicted men of of-
fences they never had committed, nor ever had in con-
templation to commit. They proved certain facts
against the accused, and then by their inferences and
conclusions, and by their mode of construing the Law,
made the commission of those deeds a crime. Now it
is plain, that such a power in the Judges would
virtually make them masters of the prisoner's fide;
for the facts might be committed and proved, and might
be free from offence against the laws, but the Judges
being (on that principle) rule Judges of the Law, that
is, whether the acts proved were an offence or not, or
such an offence as was laid in the indictment, were the
persons to determine whether the prisoner should be
set free, or hanged, or otherwise pnoished as the law
required, for the offence stated by the Judge to
be the result of the facts proved. The Ohl Law
of England, the wise, pod. and common *ruse
law of England, OMR Itor fIR ViIIVIV firleelear

as the reason of the case required, and as the old
practice had provided, that the J 1 was shoold be
JUDORI of the /eel, whether any criminal iererstiom
was in the man's mind or not, When he committed the
art imputed to him, and proved to have been com-
toiled by him. The reason of making Juntas the
Jaderes of tar as well asjort, is extremely obvious,
if we mean justice to be done in oar legal inquiries;
and our ancestors had a great deal of good sense, and
provided that *horrid be the Atlas Nothing could
be more consistent with justice, nothing more con-
sistent with the probability of a righeous judgment
than this. Twelve impartial men decided the whole
question. It was difficult to tamper with the whole of
twelve, and th y conid generally have no personal in-
terest in the decision. But a judge is only one to
be bought or intimidated; and, in many cases,
would have a plain and direct interest in leaning
against the accused. The whole matter was arranged
by our ancestors with that wisdom which marked
their proceedings, and we have to revere them for
their decision, and to be grateful to Providence for
guiding them in that just and holy course. Degene-
rate as we are, (or have been, for we mend daily) it is
easy to conceive that any one should be so ignorant
or daring as to attempt to alter this sacred law nor.
Times were, as we hate seen, when sorb attempts
were made t and that was the reason of bringingln Mr.,
Poles bill. Bat such times seemed to have gone past t
and infirm must that cause be which is so lame- as Os
lead even to a temptation to renew them. We accuse
no one of such wickedness. But our public duty de-
mands that we watch over the mistakes and the igno-
rance that may lead to such a mischievous result.

The French Funds have latterly experienced very
little fluctuation. Fire per Cents. are at 78f, 80e.
The venerable pile at Westminster. which had been
sacred to the labours of legislation, and the administers-
don of law, has now assumed the appearance of a pr-
risen. A military guard is mounted there. and seri-
duels are placed within as well as *Atheist the natl.
On the river a gun-brig (the vessel of the Thames
Police,) is stationed abreast of Cotton (bodes, and
-ponderous anthers are laid down for she snoring of
gun-beats, which are to be collected *rood het.
Mote precautions could not be taken were Westminsiee
declared to be in a state of siege.
A ridiculous apprehension it seems was ettertaised
by seem persons, that an attempt might be made to
carry off the Qrveen by water from Brandenburg
Heuer, to elude the inquiry--and this was meatiossed
to her Majesty with such apparent probabilky, that
though she treated it with loglifferenee, yet s numhee
of young men undertook to watch the house every
night. Nothing could be mere contemptible than
. such auspicksa. This is sot the cosstry for such,
exploits!