The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-06-06 00:00:00

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the members egestitetinglt sh ft be knewatolijoetaa,
at large to be • f retch j 'neinsittee, et had,
or which shall have any Pres! dent, Treasurer, Secretair,
Delegate, or other officer, sod hoses or appointed. that tfie
election or appointment of suck persons to such °Sere
shall not be known to the f society at largt. Or of which
the names of all the members of all the Committees
or Select Bodies shall net be entered in a book or books,
to be open to the insl.ection of all the Members of
such Society, and sever Society which shall be
composed of differe•Jt divisions or breeches, or of
nt parts 'titling in any manner separately.
fit distinct from er.ch other, or of which any part shall
111ne a distinct P resident, Secretary, Treasure, Delisßote, or other Vfficer elected or appointed by such other
part, to act as an officer for such other part, shall be
seemed and Vasco to be unlawful combinations zed cons
; f.nd every person or persons, who, from and
the passing of this Act, shall afterwards net as
members ereof, and eiery person, who from and after
the passing• of this Act shall directly or indirectly main.
tain correspondence or Intercourse with any such SO.
cietw, or with any division, branch, Cionalltet, of other
elect body, Presldent, ice. or who shall, byttontribetiaa
of money or otherwise, aid or abet or support such ea.
defy, shall be deemed guilty of an unlawful combination
and confederacy." The Act further goes on to authorial/
the Magistrate to proceed in &seminary manner maim
each member, and upon proof on oath. to convict %
her in the penalty 0f20f., and in defeeh of payment t, •
three months imprisonment in the common psi or
house of correction. The Learned Counsel submitted
that the Association in question was directly is hes sf
this statute. and indeed against the MUMS law. He
could offer much more, but he trusted that shit be had
already stated would be fully sufficient for their risen

purr{
The LORD 31ATOR put it, whether the Act cited ; .
was
not of a temporary nature against
,partintlar Societies
existing_at the time of the enactment.
Mr. TIIACILRAT submitted, that it was not by any
means ore temporary nature, and that the worilsof the
Act particularly directed it against each Associations as
that complained of, which, he contended, ender themask
and appearance of a Constitutional Society, was mere
dangerous to the wellbeing, and more likely mutually
to overturn the Constitution and the established liner,-
men?, than any whose avowed objects were directly
hostile to the tiovernment. Theesceptions oldie Art,
in favour of slid' Societies as were confined to "religiose
and charitable purposes only," confirmed the obvious
obstruction which he contended for.
The LORD MAYOR said, that as the matter was one in
which there was some nicety of legal consti action, and
one which was of the most serious importance, lie should
take care to deliberate and consult the Legal Authoti•
ties, before he decided upon any measures which might
affect the liberty of individuals.
The parties then left the office, on the nmierstandiag
that thee are to receive an answer on a future day.

CONSTITUTIONAL ASSOCIATION.

The following circnmstances are stated by Mr.
King, of Chancery Lane, in two of the papers of
this morning, in consequence of having read in them
that an indictment had been preferred againt bins be-
fore a Middlesex Brand Jury for the sale of the "
Dictionary."—" Without wishing to cast any
reflection on other renders of political writings, I may
be allowed to say, that during the last few years of un-
precedented political proseeitien, I have been ex.
tremely cautious what publications I retailed. My
principal business is that of wewsomedieg. Os*
16th of May last a respectable looking youth called in
at my shop in Chancery-lane, maigalandisse bra isey
of the Political Dictionary. I told him that I' had
not got it ; on which be particularly mooned
that I would procure one, and be would call 'pis for
it in the course of the day; which I connoted to do,
being at that time utterly igaerant of the existence of
such a work, excepting from the advertisement in the
public papers. He called a scrod time the same more-
ing, and I promised to get him a copy in the evening.
accordingly purchased a copy, and at five o'clock be
called a third time and paid fur it. My wife informed
me that on the following morning be repeated
his visit in my absence, and asked for a second copy,
which she told him she could not give bin, as she had
not one in the shop.
" On Sunday last I received the first intimation of
the indictment from the columns of the John Bide
newspaper, and that the Brand Jury had rejected it.—
I went irotnetliately on Monday to the Crown-office with
my solicitor, Mr. Hayward, of Tooke's-court, where on
inspecting the indictment, I discovered it was for the
sale of the " Political Dictionary," with the name of
Homan Orton endorsed on the back of the parchment
as the only witness. Being satisfied that this Horatio
Orton was the kind customer who purchased of me
the only copy of that work which I had sold, I yes-
terday went to the office of the " Constitutional So
ciety," in Bridge-street, accompanied by Mr. Hayward;
and identified a clerk in the office as the person who
had bought the work of me, and who admitted that
he did so, aml that he was Horatio Orton whose name
was endorsed on the back of the indictment. Mr. Hay-
ward asked Mr. Horatio Orton whether, as his sane
was the only one on the indictment, he was the pro'
tutor; to which he, answered, "Certainly not."
Hayward them inquired who was the prosecutor, glidt
he refuted to answer. " I shall offer no moment on Os
ransaction, 6t.c.

•LIMJIN
The Lords ConinsiOeners Ilia Majesty's Trete.
slaty have been
ba, their warrant, to extend
the provisions of tie Act of 43 Oeo. 111. esp. in, for
warehousing and bonding wines, spirits, naval stores,
Sac. &c. to the port of Bideford ; many of the respec-
table merchants are therefore busily emplord I°6l'
ing up capacious cellars and warehouses. in order to
avail themselves of the benefit of this privilege.
Four men are in custody fur a burglary committed
in Dr. Plgott's house, at blereworth, in Keet, on the
15th of last month. It appears they went armed with
a brace of pistols loaded with ball, and that use of
them waited without, %Odle the others entered the
house, from which they took a quantity of gold sad
slyer coins, several shirts and silk handkerchiefs, two
pair of brass barrelled pistols, two watches, awl ether
articles. After the rubbery, when they arrived at
Oravesend, they quarrelled respecting which road they
should take, and separated. On their arrival in
don, they sold the coins and watches to a Jew for s
mu between 501. and W.; the coats and shirts they
laid up in a wood near the Vigo pablic-house, is the
neighbourhood of itieopliam. , Their resent for these
articles led to their detection. Sonic
in of the
ropbbery'
arties
are suspected to have been concerned ithe
of Dr. Willis's home at Wateringbery. the gri
of last year. and of a watchtnakers house at Vag
in Essex, daring last winter.