The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-10-22 00:00:00

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nvec, they. felt as if they had just awaked from
-inns* ecstatirdceam, of which they were uuable to
secsl or connect the particulars. It was such a speech
as they believe had miter before fallen from the lips
of man ; and to tbis day, the old people of that county
canuot conceive that a higer compliment can be paid
to a speaker, than to say of him, in their even home-
ly phrase, " he is almost equal to Patrick, when he
ilaad against the parsons."
The only topic of this speech of which any au.
thetstic account remains, is the order of the King in
Council, whoriehy the Act of 1758 had been declared
void. This subject, had in truth been disposed of by
the demurrer; and, in strictness of proceeding, nei-
ther Mr. Henry nor the Jury had soy thing to do
• with it. The laxity of the County Court practice,
however, indulged him in the widest career be chose
to take, audits laid hold of this point, neither with a
feeble nor hesitating hand, but boldly and vigorously
pressed it upon the Jury, and that too, with very
powerful effect. lie insisted on the connection and
reciprocal duties between the King and his sub-
jects—maintaiued that Government was a condi-
tional compact, composed of mutual and dependent
covenants, of which a violation by one party dis-
charged the other; and intrepidly contended that the
disregard which had been shown in this particular, to
the pressing wants of the Colony, was an instance of
royal misrule, viiiich had thus far dissolved the poli-
tical compact, and left the People at liberty to con-
sult-their own safety ; that they bad consulted it by
the Act of 1768, which, therefore, notwithstanding
the dissent of the King and his Council, aught to
be considered as the law of the land, and the only
legitimate measure of the claims of the Clergy.
The natured this topic, and the earnest and un-
daunted manner in which Mr. Henry is said to have
pursued and maintained it, proves, that eveu at this
period, which has been marked as the era of our
greatest attachment and devotion to the Parent Coun-
try, her mind at least, was disposed to pry into the
coarse of the regal administration, and to speak forth
• his sentiments without any fear of the consequences.
'The reception which the people gave to the argument,
proves that they clio,had no superstitious repugnance
to the consideration of such topics, nor any very in-
superable horror at the idea of a separation. Not
that there I; ground to suspect that any one had at
• this time realized such an event, or even contem-
plated it as desirable, The suggestion, therefore,
which I have sometimes heard, that Mr. Henry was
already meditating the independence of the Colonies,
and sussing the seeds of those reflections which he
wished to ripen into revolt, is in my opinion, rather
curious than just. I believe that he thought of no.
• thing beyond success in his cone; and since the des-
perate posture in which he found it, demanded a dar-
ing and eccentric course, he adopted that which has
• been already stated. The character of hie argument,
proves indeed, that he was naturally a bold and iu•
trepid enquirer, who was not to be overawed from
his purpose by the name even of Sovereignty itself;'
• and of coarse that he was made of good revolution-
• cry materials. But an adequate provocation had not,
at this time, been given; mod it would he imputing to
Mr. Henry a criminal ambition, of which there is no
• proof, Is suppose that ba was meditating she emitter.
*ion of a Government against which the voice of
• serious complaint bad nottet been heard. Besides, Mr.
Henry's standing in society was at this period so
humble, as to have rendered the meditation of such a
purpose, on his part, preempt eous in the extreme,
end equally inconsistent both with his unassuming
modesty, and that natural good sense and accurate
judgment, which are on ail hands assigned to him.
immediately on the decision of this cause, he was
retained in all the cases, within the range of his prac-
tice, which depended on the same question. But no
other case was ever brought to trial. They were all,
throughout the Colony, dismissed by the plantilfs ;
nor was any appeal ever prosecuted in the case of
Mr. Maury. The reason assigned for this by Mr.
Casnm, is, that the Legislature had voted money
to support the appeal on the part of the defendants,
and that the Clergy were not rich enough to contend
against the whole wealth and stieugth of the Colony.
'the Clergy took their revenge in an angry pamphlet
from the pen of Mr. Camm, in which a very con-
temptuous account is given both of the Advocate
and the Court. Mr. Henry was stigmatized in it as
an obscure Attorney; and the epithet was true enough
as to the time past, but it was now true no longer.
His son had risen with a splendour which had never
before been witnessed in this colony; and never af-
terward, did it disgrace this glorious rising.
- It is almost unnecessary to.state, that the display
which Mr. Henry had made in "the Parsons' cause,"
ske it was popularly called, placed him at once at the
'Mead of his profession, in that quarter of the Colony
in which he practised. lie became the theme of every
tongue. He had exhibited a degree of eloquence,
*which the People had never before witnessed i • a
species of eloquence too, entirely new at the Bar,
and altogether his own. lie had formed it on no
living model, for there was none such in the country.
lie had not copied it from books, fOr they had de-
scribed nothing of the kind ; or, if they had, he was
a stranger to their contents. Nor bad he formed it
himielf, by solitary study and exercise; for he was
far too indolent for any such process. It was so
unexampled, so unexpected, so instantaneous, and
so transcendent in its character, that it had, to the
People, very much the appearance of supernatural
inspiration. lie was styled, " the Orator of Na-
ture :" and was on that account; much more revered
,'by the People than if he had been formed by the se-
• Arerest discipline of' the achooils ; for they considered
bias as bringing his credentials directly from Heaven,
and owing do part of his greatness to beaten insti.
,tiros.
There were other, considerations also, which drew
•biou stilt more closely to the bosom of the People.—
"the society of Virginia, was at that time pretty
strongty discriminatedf A Gentleman who lived in
those daft, and who ad the best opportunities of
• judging On the 'subject, Ates furnished the following
interesting picture of it.
44 Ti, state the differences between the classes of
the society and the lines of demarcation which
separated them, would be difficult. The law, you
know, admiited none, except as to the twelve
Counsellors. Yet in a country insulated from the
European world, insulated from its sister Colonies,
with whom there was scarcely any intercourse, little
plaited by foreigners, and having little matter tout

~.

THE grf

upon within itself,certain families had riaeo to,sples.
dour by wealth, and by the preservation of it from
geniration to generation under the Isar of entails ;
some had produced a series of men talents ; families
in general had remained sialionary on the grouudsof
their forefathers, for there was no emigration to the
west ward in those days; the Irish, who had gotten
poseecsion of the valley between the Blue Ridge and
the North Mountain, formed a barrier over which
none ventured to leap ; and their manners premiss()
no attraction to the lowlanders to settle among them.
In such a state of things, scarcely admitting any
change of ststion,society would settle itself dowd into
several strata, separated by no marked lined, but
shading off imperceptibly from top to bottom, Ors-
thing disturbing the order of their repose. There
were, then, first aristocrats, composed of the great
landholders who had seated themselves below tide
water on the main rivers, and lived io a style of
luxury and extravagance, insupportable by the other
inhabitants, and which, indeed, ended, in several
iustances, iu the rein of their own fortunes. Neatto
these were what might be called half-breeds; the
descendants of the younger sons and daughters of the
aristocrats, who inherited the pride of their ancestors,
without their wealth. Then came the pretenders,
men who from vanity, or the impulse of growl.;
wealth, or from that enterprise which is nature te"
talents, sought to detach themselves from the plebistir
ranks, to which they properly belonged, and
toted, at some distance, the manners and habittef
the great. Nest to thase were a solid and indepow4
dent yeomanry, looking askance at those above. let
not venturing to jostle them. And last and lowist,
a feculuns of beings called overseers, the most abject,
degraded, unprincipled race; always cap in hand to
the dons who employed them, and furnishing ma.
terials for the exercise of their pride, insolence, and
spirit of domination."

NEW STREET ACT.
The investigation of the claims for damages end
compensation under this Act was continued yester-
day before the Deputy High Bailiff, at the Goildhall,
Westminster.
The first claimant was Samuel Fyler,, Esq., who
sought compensation for 28 houses, running in a
line with Swallow-street, and standing on a part of
the intended site of the New Street.
Mr. Serjeant Ben was about to open the case to
tile Jury, when it was understood in the Court that
an agreement had been entered into between the
claimant and the Commissioners, by which the further
was to receive the stun of 20,0001. for the whole of
his losses in the above premises.
The next case was that of Mr. Bather, proprietor
of an oyster and ginger beer shop, in Jermynest feet. 1
Serjeant OrtsLow stated his case. The profits of
the oyster department he estimated at 3001. a ,year.l
The profits of the ginger and spruce beer were also
estimated et 3001. to establish which several wit.
nesses had been called. These sums, with the valet
of the leasehold interest in the premises, and several
other items, enlarged the whole of the claim fur com-
pensation to about 1,2001. The claimant's Counsel
attempted to put forward another. ilemarndkepee the
ground of his having suffered considerably to his
trade for some time, in consequence of a sewer that
was dog near his premises, by order of the Com.
rnissioners‘
This claim was argued against by the ATTOUSY.
. .
_GENERAL, at great length.
The DEPUTY lIIGU BAILIVir, after hearing the
addresses on both sides, gave it es his opinion, that
the consideration of what the claimant might have
suffered by the obstructions to his trade by means of
the sewer, or pulling down of houses in his neigh-
bourhood, was not included among these in.
juries which had i right to be redressed according to
the Act of Parliament. Ile recapitulated the evi-
dence to the Jury, who found for the claimant 7001.
The. Court adjourned to Tuesday next, on which
day the affair of the Argyll Rooms wilt be investi-
gated.

Bovec.—A smart pugilistic combat leek place
yesterday on Clapham Common, between a cosier-
monger known by the appellation of Dandy Jack,
and Bright, a Guildford boatman. It was a hard-
fight of 57 minutes, for a stake of five shillings. Jerk
gave 16 pounds in weight, but he made up that defi-
ciency by going bang-up to his adversary's head, and
brought him down to his own powers, but not without
receiving in return. Bright fougbt manfully until the
thirty-sixth round, when he received a chattering left-
handed slap on the jaw, and be felt as if to try if his
head was on. All the fight was took out of himland
Jack won in 42 minutes.
Some days ago we stated that a daring end exten-
sive robbery had been committed on the premises of
Mr. Leftwick, at Rotherhithe. Yesterday Mr. L.
received an anonymous letter, informing him that
several of the larger notes which had been stolen
from him having become useless to the thieves, in
consequence of being stopped at the Bank, he would
find them either in the pound or under the bridge at
China.hall.fields, Rotherhithe. Mr. L. accompanied,
by some friends, went ,to the spot described, and in
the midst of some stinging nettles, he found a small
parcel, covered with canvas and tied with rope-yarn,
which contained 1001. in Bank-notes, and a watch,
of which he was also robbed the same night. The
letter further informed him, that the gang consisted
of six men, and it was their intention to have mur-
dered every person from whom they experienced re-
sistance.
Tuesday night, ate late hoerran Excise Officer,,
named Foster, was alarmed by the cry of "
on that part of the Thames, near the West Indhi
Docks ; on proceeding to the spot, he foetid it put.
ceeded from two men who were drowning. He
steady went for assistance, which with much dial•,
alley was procured. Several boats put Out, and
one of the men. named Orossley, was taken out of
the water; he proved to be one of the sentries who
was on guard that night at the docks ; he was in s
senseless condition, but the means recommended by
the Royal Humane Society being immediately resort.
ed to, be was soon recovered. It appeared they were
assisting each other in putting a puncheon in a barge.
and they both (Alin the water. Soon after the body
of John Davis was taken out, but all efforts to save
him proved useless he being quite dead. The body
was taken to the Black Horse, High-streets Poplar.
. . . •