The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-01-05 00:00:00

WESTMINSTER SESSIONS.

Yesterday the Sessions of the Peace for the City
and Lihert 7 of Westminster commenced at the Wild-
ball, before Mr. CONST, the Chairman, and a full
bench of Magistrates.
Hanby Price was indicted for publishing a wicked,
seditious and inflammatory libel. of and concerning
his Royal Highness the Duke of York. The libel con-
rested in a hand-bill, copies of which were plentifully
circulated by the defendant amongst the crowds in and
*boot St. James's-square, during the residence of her
Majesty there. It was to this effect:—
" Why, except for hire, is the Duke of York loomed ?
Is it for his military exploits at the Helder :—ls it be-
!louse he pocketed 10,01)01. a year of the public money
for visiting an aged parent, who had been so peculiarly
kind to him ?—is it because he has Toted for the infa-
mous Dill of Pains and Penalties against the Queen, in
all its stages?"
There were other questions of the like nature and ten-
deuce, and the bill concluded with, " Let the buzzaers
answer these queries, or hold their tongues."
Mr. RRYNOLDS, in his address to the Jury for the
Crown, observed, that it was for them to declare whe-
ther the paper before them IV•13 suds as any En glish-
Man, in the exercise of his most undoubted right of
discussing public matters, would be justified in send-
ing forth to the world, or whetherlit was not of such a
nature. as not only to exceed the limits of fair discus-
sion, hot to excite disaffection in the minds of Isis Ma-
jesty's subjects. The defendant, who is a hill-sticker,
was seen with a bag round his neck, distributing co-
pies of the hand-bill in large numbers, anti here he
(Mr. R.) would observe, that persons of his class en-
tertained a notion that they, not being the authors or
printers of the libel, were not liable to the cons.-
srences of the law, but this was entirely a mistake, for
they were the publishers of the libel, and were equally
open to punishment with those who employed them.—
The Learned Counsel then read the libel, commenting
in forcible terms upon its several passages, and point-
ing oat the evil tendency that such a publication was
likely to have. The applause with whirls the Royal
Duke was greeted en his passage to *nth from the
House of Loris during the momentous trial of her Ma-
j....toy, did not proceed from the months of hived pet•
sons, but was the spontaneous ebullition of generous
feeling with which Englishmen, when left usibias e I
and unperverted by designing men, alw lye greeted
persons of distinouished merit like Isis Royal I I sgiosess.
They knew the services he had rendered his country :
they knew that it was his admirable manaeentent of
the-
army which had advanced its character above every
ether in the civilised world, and had enabled it to I
achieve those glorious victories which had led to the
release of all Europe from a state of oppression and
slayery. The people knew also the attention which
his Royal Highness had devoted to the comforts and in
tcrnts of the wives and families of the soldiers, and in'
cheering him wherever he appeared they were actuated
only by sentiments of admiration and of loyalty. He
-hoped it would not, even at this time of day, he thought
wafashionable to speak of loyalty, fur those were egre-
giously mistaken, who fancied that notions of English
freedom were net perfectly reconcilable with the !
strongest, the most vivid feelings of loyalty and attach-
ment
to the constituted authorities of the country.—
After
some further observations, she Learned Counsel
called Fursman the officer, and two others, who proved •
the distribution of the bills by the defendant.
The libel was then pat in aid read.
Thr defendant read a written defence, and set nut
by stating that he was totally unused to public speak-
ing, and unacquainted even with the forms of Courts
of Jr.stice. Having been a long time cant of employ-
ment, he applied to Mr. Benison, of the Strand,
printer, who employed him to stick up placards. The
first was one quoting a paragraph from a Morning
Paper respecting the Queen, in which it was said she
ought to be sacrificed, " we care not whether as a
martyr or a criminal ;" a second giving Lard Nelson's
opinion of Italian witnesses, and several others, all
upon the subject of the Queen's trial. lie read these
bill', and souse of theses were of the most inflammation-
kind. They all bore the name of Mr Benbow as the
printer, in conspicuous characters. For publishing
tl,e last of them before the one now the subject of
claarge, he was apprehended and taken before Mr.
Mineloull, the Magistrate, who did not hold him to
'441, nor even warn him that he was doing wrong.
Thus lulled into security, he went on, unconscious
that he was commit,ing any offence, until he was
again apprehended. The name of Mr. Benbow was
recta this and all the ether bills, but in no one in-
stance had he (Mr. B.) been prosecuted. lie then
read the libel, and defended the several passages, de-
eying coat there was any thing in it calculated to de- ,
fame the public character of the Duke of York, or
that could be called " wicked, seditious or inflamma-
tory." lie trusted the Jury would place themss Ives
as a shield b..tween him and the wily sophistry anal ;
legal ingenuity that had been exerted against him by
tee coansel, wlso, like the rest of the profession, was
employed to make right wrong and wrong right.
This prosecution, he averred, was instituted by per- I
sons who appeared to be endeavouring, on every oc-
casion, to drag the weaknesses and vices of Royalty'.
before the public, and who were the worst en-tnies of
Royalty. tie contended, that the bill contained no
Libel on the Duke of York, but merely asked a few
plain questions, which might have been fairly replied
tb. lie would leave his case in the hands of the
Jury, with the firmest confidence that the verdict
would be—Not Guilty.
Mr. itarrsoLus was about to reply, when
The defendant submitted, that the Learned Counsel
had no right again to address the Jury, os he (defen-
dant) had called no witnesses.
The Costar decided., that he had the right of reply,
and Mr. KIiTSOLDI addressed the Jury at considerable
length.
The Jury retired-for a short time, and returned a
verdict

alra in If. JA es's-sQsaar..
Henry Rid, a pining man of decent appearance,
was indicted on a. ..charge of being concerned in a
riotoua mob on the 31st of August last, and with
violently assaulting a police Officer in the execution
. •
et his duty.
Mr. ItabiroLos (the Oblef C•inasissioner of the In-
solvent Debtors' Court) appeared as Coattail on the
part of the prosecution. ether stating the particulars