The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-06-19 00:00:00

ROUSE. OF COMMONS.
There being only thirty-sit Metiabais pieseat at
four o'clock, the Rouse wasp of c4tilep tdjourued
till this day. . . •

^

CASE OF NRWSP4PER PRORIETORS.
(MOM TIM KONTHLY SEAGA/ISM]
• '. !t..
• • .1118 po [TOL ' ,
gsitp—l have tmsubliod you with so many.otilariai
tions on the perversions of Tasman and justice, which
characterize the practices of several of our courts of
law, that I fear in extending them I shall be consi-
dered as obeying my prejudices, rather than She so-
ber dictates of my reason. I appeal, however, to the
experience and convictions of all your Readers, on
the same subjects, and to the facts and arguments
which have corroborated my conclusions, to justify
my reiterated abhorrence of the Sophistry and chi,
canery which so often distinguish the reasonings and
practices of lawyers.
Among the extraordinary doctrines which of late
years have been maintained by some of this profes-
sion, it has been gravely contended, that a man ought
to be made criminally answerable for 'the crime of
another—that a crime may be committed without a
criminal design—that a principal may be legally con.
victed and punished for the crime of his lawful agent
—and that criminality may be inferred from thP re-
gular pursuit of a lawful occupation • and I know
not what besides ! but all as absurd and as insulting
to reason and justice.
_ _

Many of your readers will rub their eyes on pe•
rusing the foregoing. paragraph, and conceive they
have misconceived its sense—Lawyers in general
will perhaps deny its truth—and indeed I am myself
convinced, that the doctrines which have prevailed
have not been intended in their full and received la.
titude-khat the practices founded on them have been
negligent or inadvertent—and that I have only to
explitin.and 'spoofs teem, and to chew their misapplh.
, cation and iniustieat aetithat we .aba4l tbea bear me
more of them.

The practices. atid'dOctrines to which I allude; aitil
the criminal prosecution of proprietors. of nevrspa-
pens, for acts of their agents or editors ; and of
booksellers for selling books in the ordinary course
of their lawful trade, which peradvinture may coury
fain libels; :'-,Such prosecutions may
.be maintained-
1Y poivervand their victims may be compelled to.
submit to them—but no eastern' despotism is more
cruel :ate unreasonable, and no injusticemore mon-1
strous eadriiitolerable! As contrary to reszon, such
practices art of course contrary to English law, and
that they should ever have obtained sanction in our'
courts, can be ascribed only to the baseness of sycop,
pliancy, to the tirde-serving policy of certain law,.
yeas,. and Ursa determination to destroy the press;
and free discussion, at all hazards ! I hope, however,
Ithat free discussion *Wait long enough to put to
I shame and to destroy such arbitrary doctrines ! •
Look to the mecha'nisin of Newspaper Property,
A good Newspaper nets, perhaps, from its sale and
advertisements,l3; 4, or 5,0001. per annum. The
Proprietor, for numerous reasons, is obliged to con;
sign its management to an Editor—and the Editor in-
serts
a libel without the knowledge or connivance of 1
I the Proprietor—yet the Lawyers say, that the Pro.
prietor alone is criminally answerable for this act of
l'the Editor ; and the courts have sometimes punished
the. Proprietor, though the Editor' tar Author of the
1
Libel, has gone forward and has paved the totd
ignorance of the Proprietor !
• That.thisperversion of the very basis of .crimibal
law and justice is directed at the Press is evident',
i hoot the opposite reatattiaga of the Lawyers, whost
applied to exactly similar relations in another depart-
mart of society. *.
. A:-stagecoach, a propetty like that of a newspa-
per, is generally driVett by a coachman for the pro-
I prietor, in like manner. that a newsparper is conduct;;
Led try an editor for its proprietor.—Yet, if a man is
`killed by the negligence of "the
,coachinin, did we
; ever hear of the proprietor being prosecuted for man-
slaughter? •
.Did weever hear any crime et the driver
of a coach charged on the proprietor? - Nothing
could be more unjust—yet such is the exact situation
of the proprietor of a newspaper, and exaOtlY "pit=
mita is the absurdity of Sec tireutiut *tit: fitt rthe•
crime of Wceditoi! • . . . • ,
The coachman and tbeaditor eve like tuattlidone
answerable. criminally for the crimes they commit f
40 the .proprietors is both.. Pisa are answerable oat?
as matter of propertyetykkiwAismagesi for Say ist.
juries siiitaluid.throogjk*lnitrstmentality of Alibi:
riSpeddiWpreperdes::.; j:-',.. !• ' • .•.. ,
CRP_ "Ikj-#o4d6Attit **teat or Thor. cepfilia
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PRICE OF STOCKS THIS
Bank
S per Cent. Coal.
S per. Cent. Red. ISK
4 per Cents. 721*
I per Cent. Navy
Long. Ann.

DAY AT DNB O'CLOCK.
India Baud* 7 9 dii.
Exchequer Bills 30. 3 4 d
Ditto Sid. 3 4 pr,
Dominus 211 p
Consols for Acct. S ,
Lottery Tickets ,

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which the Patriots captured a scitoouer, with*,
loss of Owe than killed, in an engagement what ii
said to.' have lasted more Mali three hours, when
the royal squadron gave up 'the tautest and took to
Sight.

wora.
A letter-bag for Great Britain, to go by the
Racoon alootsi of war, will be made up at the Gene-
ral
Post-Offico, on Thursday, the 7th inst. ai three
teelock.

t

• In the house of Lords, last night, a conversation
• ti!nis play* op the subject of the Orders in Council;
daring wide!: !:Beil .BATIIIIRAT stated, that it was the
intentioa.of. Mhiatera to revoke diem conditionally,
and that this revocation would tale place in about a
• month ierliz woks hence, that being the earliest
period when accounts could be received of the
tions of the Ainerictin Government. The conditions
• stipnlatokost 4'll'o of Ministers- are, Ist. France
to continue her repeal of the Berlin and Milan D.
crees; and, 2d. America to abrogate, her restrictive
measures on the ships and commerce of Great Bri-1
tain, With regard to Francelwe have uniformly %toted ,
that BeNAPARTE had long ago repealed the Berlin
and Milan D croes, in so far as they affected the
United States. On the other, hand, the Ministerial
Journal, as positively denied this. What srPtAkese
sapient writers now say to the tacit acknowledgment
of Earl BATUVASTI that they were gctuallrfelAled,
and that it is only,notv necessary *for BONAI'ARTE to
COnlinue matters in this state, to ensure a total re-
pent of our Orders in Council ?--With respect to
the hostile enactments of America, we do not under-
stand:why their existence should delay this for one
houie, because the moment an official intimation is
given to the Paestnewr of the Ueited States, that
our Orders in' Council have been recalled,• he is
bound, by the Act of Congress, that same moment,
to issue a Proclamation, declaring the Ports of Ame-
'rice open to this country as in the time of peace.

The debate which was expected in the House of
C 011121014 on the motion of Mr. CANNING, for an
Adi!re.ss to. th 4 Plumes REGENT respecting the Catho-
lic
Clei)ns; did not come on last night, on ing to the
number of Members assembled at fou4. o'clock, when
the SPEAKER took the Chair, not being sufficient to.
form a house. About half an hour after this there
were nearly SOO Members present, but the business
was necessarily postponed till this evening.

Private letteritteceirecl .by the Lisbon Mail which
arrived yesterday, and which are up to the 3d inst.
atite, that SLICKLY' was before Cadiz, and intend-
ed immediately to commence the bombardment of
that city with his new-ii.vented mortars. A report
prevailed at Lisbon, that the 6th division of our
army was expected•there, to be embarked foi the re-
lief of Cadiz. Earl WALLINGTON, it WAS also fn..
Inoured, is coming home to Oda country.

We believe It would be difficult, throughout the
whole range of English history, to fix on a period
more pregnant with alarm and danger than the pre-
sent. There have been times when the country was
hemmed round with more difficulties; when her I*.
sources were comparatively scanty; and when foreign
enemies threatened her with conquest, But there'
existed then an energetic vigilance on the part of the
Government, and an enthusiastic spirit on the part
of the people, which made the flame of hope barn
brighter in proportion as the darkness gathered round.
The dangers that now threaten us, arise, not from
any deficiency of means, for these want only to be
judiciously managed, in order to be abuntlaiit ; not
from any decay of military power, 'for our arms
were never more splendidly successful ; but from a
total inattention on the part of the Ruling Authori-
ties, to investigate the causes, with a view to the re-
moval of the evils, that press on us ; and from a sulks
and almost desperate listlessnetts on the part of the
people respecting the consequences of their preseat
situation. From every thing that is seen and heard
around us; from all the speeches uttered in public
assemblies; • and from all the long lists of grievances
&Id fortis inpublk.petitions, one would imagista that
Itabit is a tyrant so inveterate in its nature,fhat nobody
who has ever been for any time under its dominion
can s'..ake it otf. One *onld suppose that-the minds
and bodies of coat- 'en had been so wedded to

xftles"i

. .