The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-11-30 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY IMPRISONMENT FOR
CONTI,..IIPT.


• -• .
An Inquisition was held Saturday, in the Picot 1
Prison, epon the body of Mr. William Smith, who
had been confined within its walls during the long
period of 17 rears. The classes of his death were
purely lateral, and would not have been submitted
to the slightest investigation, had not an Ordinance
of the Legislature enacted, that if any person die in
prison his body shall not be boiied, until the Coroner
shall have held an inquest upon it. It is not, there-
fore, to the circumstances of his death that we wish
to call the attention of our Readers, but to the long
imprisonment which the deceased endured previous
to it, in consequeoce of an evil which has long been
the subject of the loudest and justest reprobation.—
The individual in question was committed by the
High Court of Chencnry for a contempt of some pro.
cess issuing by its authority. His scanty means
made still scantier by the support of a numerous
family, and by the expenses of a tedious illness
arising from his imprisonment, rendered all his ef-
forts to ettricate himself from the unfortunate Situa-
tion in which he was placed nugatory end unavail-
ing. The property in litigation was, we believe, sif
inconsiderable value; but the costs to be paid pre-
vious to the contempt being purged were, to a man
in Mr. Smith's rank of life, quite enormous; though
to marry they will appear little more than the value
of an old song. They amounted to something
more than 1()101.; and the want of this insigititi-
cant sum consigned him to an unwholesome pri-
son. during a period extending to nearly one-
third part of whit the Psalmist has stated to be
the most protracted span of human raktencs.—;
Mr. Smith might have incurred, and might have been
arrested for debts a thousand times greater than the
sum for which he was actual!), though. not nomi-
nally detained; and by the leniency of the law might,
if so inclined, hive obtained liberty at the close of
four months. Mr. Smith might have committed ho-
micide, and have elpiated his guilt, even if that guilt
had been visited with the severest penalties, by a

!wave months' imprisonment. Mr. Smith might have

laid perjury on his soul, or might base libelled the
most correct end virtuous chsracters in the kingdom,
arid at the expiration atm° or three years might have
looked forward to freedom from his incarceration.

Mr. Smith might have embezzled the property of his
employers, or might have fraudulently obtained great
and ostensive credit, without any means of support-
ing it ; and yet be might have called upon the law to
shield him from the iron h.ngs of his creditors, awl to
burst the bars of his prison asunder. Nay, more,
Mr. Smith, if he had destroyel the happiness of fa-
milies, by corrupting the wife or sedating the
daughter of his dearest hien& and benefactors, might
have said triumphantly, " Let a Jury of my coun-
trymen award against me es heavy damages as they
can, let them visit me with as severe a visitation as
they can possibly inflict, still, if I endure the tor.
rocs of confinement far ten full years, the Legislature
will step forward to my relief, will release me from
Pall incumbranees, sod will declare roe entitled to my
discharge." But Mr. Smith, to whom we are utter
'diallers, and lin, as we are verily informed, was
oat incontheted with debt, was not guilty of homi.
ride—was not convicted of perjury—was not con•
desisted as a Wiener—was not the embezzler of the
property of his neighbours—was not the defreoder
of the tradesmen with whom he was connec •d.
not yet a distinguished hero in the attnais
of gallantry—Mr. SAN was consigned to an Im-
prisonment which was only In terminate with life,
becutse he had been, guilty of a contempt of
'Ciiasf of Chaneery;-"Wing to his ignorance; and had
been enable to purge that contempt, owing to his po.
veto, ! The Noble Lord who no w presides in the Court
of Dtancery, with so much honour to himself, and ad•
vatitv4e to the community, t,av himself almost de-
Oared t Ids to be the fact. He has alswaje remarked,
that he had not authority to allevia e the calamity,
of which the law, as it now stands, compels him to
become the author. On this he,d, as on every other,
he speaks with the utmost correctness : he has not
the power to mitigate the evil which he is obliged to
inflict ; but if he does not now poste's% it, there are
bodies in the State capable of giving him that lotto).
rat), of which he seems to regret so much the defi•
cieocy. It is to those bodies that we submit this
appeal ; mad though we are convinced that to inno-
vate is hot in general to reform, we Omit
that any innovation on the present practice of
the Court of Chancery in this respect will be
es a refrorm by every benevolent mind
in the wide-emended circle of the British Empire
We do not wish to deprive that Court of the power
of ileforgirrkoherAence to its edicts ; but we do wish
to tee it deprived of a Oloost unjust and inquiotorial
authority—an authority coittrary to the mild spirit
of the Common Law, and to the liberal genius of the
British Constitution—an authority to compel indivi-
duals, upon pain of perpetual imprisonment, to an-
swer such points and such interrogatories as may tend
to criminate themselves, or else to take their silence
upon them as a confession of their guilt. That some
punishment should be inflicted on contumacy is a
truth which all must allow ; but that such a twilit,.
ment shOuld amount to perpetual imprisonment, is a
position which all, except those who think by tradi-
tion, and reason by authority, must as streuuously
i• and as firmly deny.

CORY EXCRANGIC, Nov. 30. —There was a good supply of
Wheat this morroiig, fine i.atoples of thlch obtained 1,1.4 -4on-
day's prices ; Weenie dull sale at a reductii.a tit Y4.—Fine Bat.
Icy Is de..ter.—Oats Is. cheaper.—ln Pesti, Beaus, and taster
attacks no alteration.

Wheat (English) .... 10 84
New ditto
Ditto (Foreign) 74 88.,
Rye •54 56
Barley ....... 73
New.....
Malt 76 90
White Pews • 65 70
New ditto—. —
Ditto Boilers 76 80

per Peas 6•i 70
HM OS .. ... .. ...... 70 76

Old do. .
flek do '64 68
Oats ..... ......... 40 44
Fine do . -
Poland d 0..... .... 18 44
Feed do.
Fine Flour 6:, 0
Seconds......

afiIITRIPIELD MARKIKT, Nov. 30.
To wink the Offal, per stone of bins.
Beef ......1.. 8i u. b Ad. I Heed Apt Cattle this day 3.
Mutton ..4A. 61. a 6. 9‘l, Reasts
90
1/.11 ... 64 0.1. to 6. Bd. 86et1• and Lambs ..... 17,t.80
Perk ._ .4. bd. to 7s. 04. CateslBo
La1i1b......0/. 01. "I 13' 04. Pi4r.

HAY-MARKET.
Ha, bl. 04. Od. t.' Os. Od.
Clover 64. Os. ed. to 91. Is. Of.
I. 9i. 40. 40d.