The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-11-25 00:00:00

Tut STATESMAN

ter, ;gas employed for the Mendota; and very ingeniously
railed the attensbin cif the Court to the permission of the
Unitarians, by law, to deny the divinity of the founder of
the Christian faith; while other parties for denying that
Divinity, were siljeilged to be " seditious, malicious, and
blasphemous," and with but little ceremony consigned to
dungrons, and to prison fare. TheConrt.did net seem to
like this mode of putting, the proposition; and the Chief
Justice exel timed. " t 1 hat Ihsve tee to do with the Unita-
rians nowt" Certainly nothing ; but thst forms the very
gist of the argument. There teas a time when the Court
was empowered, if not called upon, to treat Unitarians
at It now treats Dzists.l There was a time when the
Court of King's 'knelt sent Protestants to the stake,
for not being Catholics; as the ('curt now im-
prisons and fines Deists for not being Protestants.
The practice is changed only as to the parties :—and as the
Unitarians 'rive been the last formally exempted front the
pen J operation of the law, it became an important refer-
ance to native their case ; the more particularly as the Act
of Parliament which wells ',sixes the denial of the divinity
of Christ, is an opposition to the dictum of the Judges,
that " Christianity as by Itw established, is part and
parcel of the law of the land;"—or else there are two, or
more sorts of Christianity as by law established. Mr.
Justice Beileyfilt himself a little pored at this species of
defence, and said—" Your argument is this, if punishment
betaken off for questioning one point of religion, punish-
ment is taken off for questioning all points." This is a
droll judicial evasion of a right conclusion, to form a
nrong one. The argentent would be that if a licence was
given to ons man, to deny cer:ain tenets, the same licence
should be extended to all others, in a free state. Now the
Unitarian is licensed by Act of Parliament to deny the
Divinity of Christ. The Catholic is licensed to denounce
the Protestant as a heretic, and the reverse. A bcndred
different Sects are expressly licence(' to believe as
many contrary tenets ; and th e Jews are licensed
to believe Christianity altogether unfounded :
and yet in c.rtAn ocher cases, a difference of opinion on this
matter is made the subject of penal visitation.--Mr. French
very acutely noticed the alreement of the bishops in the enact.
ment of the hill authorising the denial of the divinity of
Christ. This was a home thrust, m kith the Bench very feebly
parried by asi.ing how the counsel knew that they were unani-
mous in favour of the bill. Tais was not the point. They
made no opposition to the bill, in their places, as legislators ;
and their silence is f..irly construed into support ; and Mr.
French was justified in his conclusions. We do not join with
him, in laying down the Unitarian doctrines as blasphemy ;
Wit his argument on the case is irresistible, that one man ought
sotto be punished for an opinion which another has re-
ceived a licence to avow. The Chief Justice made a singular
remark on the complaint of the defendant that he had not been
permitted to read the publication in his defence. The Judge
said—" I permitted yon to rend any thing in explanation, but
not in justification of the libel." This is saying the defendant
might be permitted to explain, but not to defend himself. We
do not understand this law ; but as the Judges seemed tired of
such prosecutions, and are not disposed to pass heavy sea•
fences, we will hope this is the last we shall hear of.

The King of Portugal has issued another proof of the
imbecility of his character, and the tyranny of his
government, by interdicting► the introduction of any work
printed in the Portuguese language, in foreign states, un•
less it shall have his special license for the importation.—
Any violation of this order, is to subject a foreigner to
banishment, and a native to six months imprisonment. with
considerable fines in addition. These are indications of the
mortality of the Portuguese tyranny, which we bail with
great pleasure. There must be a spirit of enquiring discon-
tent at home, or such regulations would be unnecessary ;
and common sense, when stimulated by a feeling of common
injury, will not long need a foreign stimulus to action.

The Greeks are wearing unt the Turkish resources
rather than conquering them. If the Russians do not in-
terfere, the final triumph of the Greeks seems cer-
tain ; but they] will be Tung) annoyed with Turkish
pretensions, and the consequent predatory incursions.

Col. Light, who went out to Spain as a volunteer with
Sir Robert Wilson arrived at Plymouth on Thursday
last. He desctibes the situation of affairs at Corneae, as
they might have been expected to torn out after the triumph
of the Royal party ! The Clergy are crying out for "blood!"
Nothing but" blood" will content them. The prisons are
filled with victims ; and the Royalists have hit upon an
ingenious mothod of converting• imprisonment into torture
and death. "One of the dungeons at Corunns, which
contains some hundreds of peor unfortunates, has three
feet of water on the floor at high tide ; and many in
consequence perish daily." This is a severe retribution for
not having died bravely fighting in the field, or perishing
on the falling ramparts, in bold resistance to an infamous.
faction, composed of native traitors, and of fo reign banditti.
The Colonel explains the charge made against General
Vigo of the murder of the Priests, of whirl. he
has been occasioned. The Priests had previously
murdered the father of Vigo, by fastening him alive to
four horses, sad drawing him is quarters! If this
be true, the destruction of the barbarians by any
means, will be considered but a venial offence on the part
of a son. Letters of the same date announce the arrival of
Mina, at Plymouth, on board a French armed vessel. The
last act of this Chieftain has materially diminished his
claim to the esteem of the world. It is difficult to imagine
why, with such means of resistance at his disposal, be
should not have made the release of Riego, an indispen-
sable condition of his surrender of Barcelona. By this
means he might have compelled the French to have in-
terested themselves on the behalf of the first of Spanish
patriots, to avoid the expense of the delay of obtaining
possession of Catalonia. There is a black story circulating
in whispers, that the removal of Riego from Cadiz was

essentiahto the infamous success of the French; and that
the step taken by the gallant victim was equally the result
of the views of treacherous friends and open enemies.