The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-12-12 00:00:00

• ••••••r'

37.

p

to notice the power of truth and humanity to "drew
iron tears down PLUTO'S cheeks"), admits that ear
laws aught to he " purified from every remnant of
those semi-barbarous times in which many of thee
were enacted, and carefully assimilated with the M.
perior knowledge and consequent civilization of those
in which we live." The proceedings of the Coma"
Council in reference to this subject, reported is ear
Paper of yesterday, must mite a powerful sensation
throughout the country The time is at length corm
when the public mind is fully prepared to second with
its whole impulse, the change so ling sought and now
seen to htso urgently necessary. Tbat Perseverance
and discussion have realty tended to this effect iv
true bet the development of facts has been the
principal means of producing so rapidly a conceutrs.
lion of sentiment.

Amidst the vast variety of arguments that hate
bees adduced to prepare and to convince tke Pub..
lic mind upon this point, none have had so forcible an
effect epee ourselves as the reflection, that the very
sources of justice are stopped or diverted by the tarn
of thinking which the severity of oar laws has
originated and encouraged. Thus the judgonet to
disterbed and relaxed to a degree that contemn& the
exercise of mercy ; and this confusion is likely tabs
tarried even to a more hoofsl excess, olden the
law undergo the necessary alteration. The a y
culpable indiffereace with which the Bank
girded the prevention of Forgery, has Ter
conduced of late to the present situation of the pub.
lic miad—nor is the Administration exempt from bum
is the prosecutions instituted for Libel with such
extreme show of rigour. All these causes conjoined
have, it cannot be overlooked, operated a great and
sudden change in the decisions of the Courts.
The maxim which *e are disposed to isolate
as the basis of new enactments, is, that via.
dictivo feeling ought to have no place in polish.
merits, and that every species of iofli.tion ought
to hate (be ref lust of the °Hensler hone for its
ultimate object, none perhaps be carried to the
extinction of hope or lite. Um: Omnipotent Being,
1 to wholl! we all owe our existence, •' ciesirens not the
death of a sinner, but rather that ht. ateoy turn from
his wickedness and live." If the attributes of our
Creator be those we rake for our example, we bate
too longcontradicted our faith tu our practice. 13ut
we earnestly hope that the time is coating when the
spirit of Tittle IMAGNANIMIII and the true prin..
doe a Christianity will transfuse itself into our Q•ide„
and into the exercise of those functions with Erich the
law invests individuals.

Our hopes of improvement are not, however,
confined to the Penal System. The bulky &litotes
of the realm mug soon be re-modelled and sim-
plified. Professional practice makes theory a thing
of nought, and justice is now far oftener sought in
the Courts than found there, while parties serkiag
redress are often ruined, and the commonest (taus-
actions of life are poisoned by the perplexities of
the law, and the legalised rapine of too wry of its
practitioners. Every mati finds it to be so, and every
man ought to raise his yoke against the castings..
of such public evils.

Paris Papers to the 9th inst. have reached as.—
The French Fonds have fallen again. The 5 per
Cents. had ntoorrted en Saturday to 40c.; bet
on konday they opened at 68f. 75c., fell daring the
coarse of the day to 67f., and finally closed at
67f. 20c. Bank Stock has likewise eaperieaced a
decline. They had risen very rapidly on Saturday,
but on Monday they fell from 15761. to 15651. 50c.
A long article is inserted in the 2doniteur, the
object of which is to re.assere the public mind
with regard to the state of the French &minces.—
Whether it will have this effect we know not. hikes
not, in our opioioo, very satisfactorily account for
the late luctoations. On Wednesday, the eve of the
opening of the two Chambers, the King, accompanied
by the Princes sad Princesses of his (louse, ass to
repair to Notre-Dame, to hear High Mass. The
Peers of France and the Members of the Chamber of
Depoties were also to be present. The first labour'
with which the Chamber of Deputies will be occupied
after the Royal sitting, or opening of the Chamber
for the present Session, will be verifying the quali-
fications and returns of the new Members ; the forms.
Lion, by scrutiny, of a triple list, out of which his
Majesty will choose the President for the Session;
and the nomination of four Vice-Presidents, and
four Secretaries.--On Monday or Tuesday nest
the Chamber will go in a Secret Coommittee to
prepare an Address to the King in answer to his
Speech from the Throne at the opening of the Session.
The Speech from the Throne was looked for with
extraordinary interest. The Moniteur, in two Rnyal
Ordinances, officially announces the appointment of`
the Sieve ROY, Member of the Chamber of Deputies,
to be Minister Secretary of State for the Financial
Department; and that the King has accepted the re-
signation of Count Cottyarro from the same office,
which the state of his health obliged him to tender.
At the same time his Majesty, wishing to confer on
bim a mark of his satisfactioo and particular esteem,

.%••
-Jhr
-ILK:AAA i 7 "A.
. '''"
, . -Q.31 i . Sinkia%4 . 0
----
---
.. , .
---........
41
we laid down seat
4 griv . n lrhat
i . s tit yod ~ 4. .1414
common sense for the tote
- ' Itlgetieg
earnestly sl the wish a
the Courier comet get aer ' , 11, ,e, a
- Criminal ur .rodetie; of England
men by the *studs we all• • 1 ~-0 .1 be grit 1,-• . •
el and barbarous prodigslity of he.
respect,
!or thy prop of the Bank The be a *la. ' o% I a .ns, Ise ker
e beenligh t
se of
tongtr etb
Ipawicliduedde: rw7trbc'llachn edirrats
ad been said against the (nen blood. en the iron hearted Courier (we loos