The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-11-27 00:00:00

815411 V.

DECREE OF
BERTY THE COOF RTES RESPECTING THE LI-
THE PRESS.

The General andinuraordinary Cortes, consider.
leg that the individual right of citizens to publish
their thoughts and political ideas is not only a bar-
rier to the arbitrary power of those who govern,
but also the means of enlightening the nation in ge-
neral, end the only way of arriving at the know.•
ledge of what is truly the public opinion, have de.
creed as follows :
I. All public bodies and private individuals, of
whatever condition and estate they may be, have
the liberty of writing, priming, and publishing their
political ideas, without the neeessitysof any licence,
revision, or approbation, previous to publication,
under the restrictions and responsibility which are
laid down in the present Decree.
11. Fur these reasons all the existing tribunals
of the press, and the censorship of political works
previous to their being printed, are from this time
forth abolished.
111. Authors and printers shall be respectively
responsible for the abuse of this liberty.
IV. Defamatory libels, calumnious writings,
those subversive of the fundamental laws of the mo-
narchy, those that are licentious and contrary to
public decorum and morals, shall be penished by
points of law which shall be prescribed for that
. •

purpose.
V. The Judges and respective Tribunals it the
investigation, proof, and punishment of offences
committed by an abuse of the Liberty of the Press,
shall take cue to conduct themselves 'by whit ,Is
laid down in the laws and in this regulation.
VI. All writings on matters of religion remain
subject to the previous censorship of the Ecclesias...
tics, Ordinaries, according to what is laid down by.
the C.,uncil of Trent. •
VII. Authors, under which appellation are EOM.
prelteuded the Editor, or he who lias corrected the
original manuscript, are not obliged to put their
names to the writings which they publish, though
they do not cease on this account to remain subject
to the same responsibility. It ought, therefore,
to be known to the printer, who is
.the author or
editor of the work, otherwise he shall safer the
punishment which would attach to the author or
editor, if mado known.
VIII. Printers shall be obliged to pat their names and qua-
lities, and the place and year of impression on every thiug they
print, whatever may be its size, it being understood that a
falsehood in any of these particulars shall be punished us well
Y their positive omission.
IX. Ambers a editors, who, abusing the Liberty of the
Press. costravetie tke laws, .hail not only sutler the punishment
there laid downi according to the magnitude of the offence,
but both that and the punishment inflicted on them shall be
published with their names an the Government Gazette.
X. The Printers of works, or writings, which are declared
ltmocent, or not injurious, shalt be punished with a fine of SO
ducats. in case they
.omit their muses, or any other requisites
"'Mated out in the dth article.
XI. The printers of writings prohibited in Article IV. who
shall have omitted their names, or any other of the dram-
ataiwesalveatly specified, shall salli.r Mier and above the due oa
teat account, the stunt punishmeuts as the authors.
Xli. The printers of writings on matters of reliion, with-
out time previous licence of the Ordinaries,`sliall be lusbk to the
Site imposed uptiothem, without prejudice to these psoalties
Which are already laid down against any execs: is this re-
ape Xd. •
111. To secure the Liberty of tie Press, nod at lira same
time to restrain its abuse., the Cosies shall appoint a Supreme
Junta of Censorship, which must reside with the Govenenent,
seemPased Of time and upod their props:U.l%4'a M-
idler Salta shell be established in the espied of every pro.
galore. to 4c amid of five members.
' XIV. Three of the elite members of this Supreme Junta of
Cemorship shall be ecclesiastics, as also two eel of the live of
she provincial Juntas, and the others Shall be steak" all well-
instructed persons, possessed of probity. and virtue, and the ne.
*ovary tat-eels for discharging the serious duty entrusted to
' them.
XV. It shall be their duty to examine the works which the
executive piwer or separate tribunals may have denounced;
waif the .Censorial Junta of the province think fit that they
aPould be prohibited, the judges shall do so, stud sball culled
the c opies that have been sold.
XVI. The author or printer may demand a copy of the cen.
sure, and reply-to it. If the Junta cadres its first censure. the
interested person shall have a right to demand that the *flair
be transmitted to the Supreme Junta.
' XVII. The author or printer may solicit the Supreme Junta
to revise the affair a first mid even a ,second time, in order that
they may ascertain his misuses. If the last opinion of the Su-
preme Junta be against the work, it shall be prohibited with-
out further examination; but if in approbastuo, the work
may be put iu circulation.
XVIII. When the Censorial Junta of a province, in purse.,
once of the lsw, declare that the work only toot:silts personal
injuries, item!' be prohibited, and the grieved' penis may
hate recourse to a competent tribunal for aggrieved'
ow the save
according to the laws.
XIX. Though books on religion comet be printed without
a liceece from the Ordinal.), the latter moot reale this
without previous examination, and hear* the person late-
rested.
XX.. If the Ordinary, however, should persevere in refus-
ing a licence, the interested person may meek), to the Supreme
Junta, who shall examine the work; and 'tit he fit fur pp.
proved, shall transmit their opinion to the Ordinary, In order
that, being mo. e enlightened on the subject, he may grant a
licence if he thinks fit, for the purpose of avoidlug forther ap-
plication:
r=mereeeeegfeffs •

•
The Rev. Dr. Enna oto Chaplain to
Ms ley Louts X Yttl. adsbrated &
Dirge on the occasion of the death of her M A.l 'laic,.
in his chapel, dedicated to. St. Louis, at East-lasil/4
Bermondsey, on the .td instant. •
'Saturday morning, about ten o'clock, the re:
mains of the late Earl of DARTIIIOOI4, were re.
Mired from 'Berkeley:ware to* • Itrisiq chapel,
where they Were deposited.
ELEGANT brUIXION.—The following is a literal
copy of a hand-bill, actually -irculated by a French
Emigrant, not long since, its Philadelphia:
I'J. Jean de Merton, beim troy ttecemite oblige to teach la
Wipe Francais In de peuple, I be glad you send your childs a
Je demure toiler hid Stead-street. All my leisure hour
I make mirage a vend. 0 ! i forget to tell bow much I ave
for teach de school,-4 dollars aquarter for teach de plus pulite
league d'Earope."
It is said by BEN JONSON, that Princes learn
no art truly but the art of horsemanship. The
reason is, the brave beast is no flatterer--he will
throw s Prince as soon as his groom.

NO. 1457% ' 3E1,080
1,195 , 500
3,077
The above Prises weresuld in T'wetity.fiveSharas,
in the Lottery just finished, at Err ON'S Lucky
Othee, No. 2, Cornhill, near the Mausluft-huuse ;
and in the last Grand City Lottery,

No. 15,820 413/001,
17,551 -,P41000 1
c 8,173 • . 3)000
, )
amounting to £13,0001 were, also suldle 'twenty-
ieo Shares. TICKETS and SUA RES are on Sale for
the ensuing City 110113 C Lottery) which draws the
.4th Of litit Month. '