The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-10-24 00:00:00

THE STATF.S'

Mt. .trxint AND rife *MIT VF • DE3-
. POTISM." d , •
•
• .
• Tlie mystery which attended the origin of the ex-
traordinary little work ratified " The Spirit of Des:
irotism," is not more remarkable than the manner in
which k happeked to lie hronght out at last before the
pulsate. Its reprint, by iltr. Hone, was owing, it ap-
' pears, to one oldie few ort‘lnal copies haring, acci-
dentally, fallen Int., the hands of Mr. John Towel
.Butt. Into the bands of few men could it have fallen,
pore able to apprecia'e its political value, or its li-
terary merit ; and Mr.
means
became, undesignedly,
but, as b
Ire says, by no unwillingly, the cause of
its re-publication. The way in which this was brought
about isithus stated by Mr. K.:—" In 1816, I observed
on a book-stall a volume, entitled The Spirit of Des-
potism, printed in the year 1793,' without a pub-
lisher. A very slight inspection satisfying me that it
was the production of no every-day writer, I secured
the hook; and, with the hope of ascert.tining the
author, communicated, under the signature of Setti-
lins, the extract and inquiries which appear in your
Vol. XII. 94. 1 afterwerds lent the book to a friend,
who, on my recommendation, inserted, in a periodical
work which he conducted, the 89th section, on.
'The Christian Religion favourable to Civil Liberty.'
While the volume remained in my friend's Library, it
was seen by Mr. 11., who,• being highly gratified by
some passages which he read, determined on the pub-
lication of the whole. Having procured a copy with
great difficulty, he pursued his intention, and made an
unavailing application to me for some knowledge of
the author. Just as his late edition was finished at the
press, a copy of the work, reprinted in America, was
brought to hint, with an assurance that it was there at-
tributed to Mr. Thomas Law, brother of the late Lord
Ellenborough, who emigrated soon after he had here
exposed the designs against of Mr. Reeve's Associ-
ation, the prototype of tbat which dates from Bridge-

" It now appears that Mr. Law was not the author,
but that he conveyed a copy of the treatise to America,
and there procured its reprint at Philadelphia. Mr.
Hone, by a train of circumstances, which, could 1 do
justice to them, it would scarcely heroute me to detail,
was led almost to conclude that Dr. Knox had written
The Spirit of Desputiew.'
"To Dr. Knox Mr. Hone introduced himself, and
MIS treated with the utmost courtesy and candour.
On pledging his word not to reveal the name of the
author during his life-tiute, a pledge which 1 ant per-
suaded he most sacredly observed, Mr. Hone was in-
formed by Dr. Ku x, that, in 1795, he forwarded the
manuscript to his usual publisher, the late Mr. Dilly,
who sent it, in the course of business, to the printing-
office of the late Mr. Straiten. That gentleman, just
as the work had gone through his press, became
alarmed at some free anti-courtly passiges which it con-
tained. With these alarms he infected Mr. Dilly.
The result was, that the author, unuilling that his
hook should steal into the world without the name of
a printer or publisher, determined to destroy the im-
pression. Of 1,008 copies, as Dr. Knoz assured, Mr.
Hone, only four were preserved; one, Mr. Law ear-
-1 vied to America ; another remained in the author's
Library ; from a third Mr. Hone printed his edition;
and the other, by the accident 1 have mentioned, is in
my possession."
" Such," adds Mr. Rutt," was the early fate of a work
which will now, probably, to very late times, contribute,
even more than any other of Dr. Knox's first excel-
lent writings, to preserve the remembrance of his well-
earned reputation."

PORTUGUESE PA PERS.

-b-

Tna conves.--usnox, ocTonER 5.
In the Sitting of the :nth September. the ortkir of
the day was the Decree respecting the duties to be im-
posed on the importation of brandy, which gave rise
to along and warm debate. The Deputies front the
Island of Madeira declared, tbtt it was necessary that
Portuguese brandy should be Allowed to be imported
into their Island without duty, and the duty on foreian
brandy diminialied,that propos..A being too heavy, be-
cause brandy is necessary to mix with the wine intend-
ed fur the Landon and American markets.
• Some Deputies, on the other hand, arm that for-,
merly brandy %tits not imported into the island of Ma-
deira to mix with the wines, which were then of excel-
lent quality, and celebrated all over the world ; that it
was only in the time of a certain Governor that it had
been allowed, but that it was an abuse. and contaary to
express laws. The debate on this subject was ad•

jotirned.
In the same Sitting the measures taken by the flo
vernment to repress the banditti who openly brave the
laws in various parts of the kin.:ilom, were motional-
cated to the Assembly. A very lung Circular of the •
6overnment has been published, inviting the Provin-
cial Authorities to use the utmost vigilance to examine
the passports of all persons %t his the greatest care; to
impress on the people the necessity of associating and
going in bodies in quest of robbers; to apprehend
them, and deliver them to the nearest Magistrate,
with the booty they have male, and with all the proofs
that can be collected of their crimes. The Magistrates
are to snake the people comprehend that, by thus act-
ing for their own defence and security, they will imi-
tate the most polished nations in Europe, who consider
it as one of their first duties not to permit such crimi-
nals to harbour atti.,ng them, hut to denounce them to
the Magistrates, and assist the latter, when necessary,
that the criminals may sutler the penalties of the law.
In the Sitting of the 2d Oct., M. Fernandez Thomas
made two proposals, which were approved :-
1. That the nation being very ill served by foreigners
acting as Consuls, they should be removed, and Portu-
guese appointed in their stead.
2. That it bring indubitable that there were Portu-
guese so degenerate that they sought by discourse sad
conversation, both public and private, to disturb the new
order of things, and to sow distrust among the people,
he proposed that the enintnittee should draw up and
lay before the Cortes a project of criminal law, to tannish
as traitors to the nation (keeping in view the is:Amager
of the kingdom on this subject.) all those who shall in:
this suatuser disturb public order and tranquillity.
The Decrees respecting the organization of the pro-1
vieces of Brazil are now published officially. as well as
that on the Constitution and powers of the (Atoci! of
State.
In the Sitting of the Cartes on the 3d, M. Monis Ile
yarns brought forward two motions, a Isieli were reserved
for a seeond.readimg-
-Ist. tin the large grants of land made of Bruit,
which were an ilury to the poor, and he wished to

.

the grant* grants teitiicted to what is suilialpt far a mau ;tad'
his tam*, Etc.
Tie 4d Mile in`favour of the 13Qh0p y Aho tgines of
who iinght to be treated with mildness, and pre-
served in the inviolable possession of all the land which
they stsamiava. as OM moodoet of 'William Penn towards
the Indians should be taken as a model.
- - - -

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TO CORRESPONDENTS.

PAWSIIIIOWERS.—We have received several letters from va-
rious Correspondents. complaining of the non-insertion
of their Communications, relative to the conduct of Pawn-
brokers. in reply to these, and also as a notice to others
who may be disposed to write similar letters on the sub-
ject, we beg leave to state, that the communications which
have appeared were inserted with a view to do a public
good. We question very much, however, how far such an
object may he attained by such means ; besides the co-
lumns of a Newspaper are not the fittest medium for the
purpose ; and we feel assured that every case of delin-
quency may be prosecuted in a Court of Justice. We
%hail, iherifore. without meaning to give offence to our
Correspondents. beg leave to decline, for the future, insert-
ing letters of the above description.