The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-03-27 00:00:00

INSOLVENT DEBTORS' ACT.

The LORD MAYOR presented a petition signed by
above 1600 most respectable Merchants, Bankers, and
Traders of the City of London, praying for some altera-
, tions in the Insolvent Debtors' Act. He presented this
petition with pleasure, not merely as Chief Magistrate
and Chairman of the Meeting at the Mansion House, but
also as a Member of Parliament, being perfectly con-
vinced that this Act, originating in benevolent and pure
motives, had given rise to more fraud and robbery than
it was possible fur him to describe. This feeling *was
now universal, and all parts of the country were as desi-
rous as the metropolis to procure some change in its pro-
visions. It was unnecessary for him to go at much
length into a subject so much discussed, but he would
beg to suggest these alterations in particular, viz.—that
the first step in taking the benefit of this Act should he
an Act ofi Bankruptcy, thus leaving the creditor the op-
tion of availing himself of that mode of proceeding ; that
the consent of a part, at least, of the creditors should be
necessary to the discharge of the debtor ; and that the
detaining creditor should no longer be at liberty, at his
own pleasure, to relieve the insolvent. As this Act was
confessedly only a measure of experiment, which had
been found to fail, he sincerely hoped that it would be
speedily and effectually amended.
Alderman THOMPSON spoke to the respectability of
the petitioners, and expressed his concurrence in the ge
neral object of the petition.
Mr. Alderman WOOD said, that the petitioners
sought for no measures of severity ; they only looked
for justice.
Mr: T. WILSON was of opinion that justice should
be done to the creditor without adopting any blush mea-
sure towards the dehtor.—Orderetl to be printed.
Mr. G. BENNET presented a petition from the town
; :and borough of Sligo, complaining of abases
_in the tuode

MARY ANNE CARLTLE.
Mr. HUME said that he was requested to present a
petition from an individual, named Mary Anne Carlae,
and in doing so, he felt it necessary to state, what was
already well known, that a great prejudice existed against
that name, but he hoped the House would, in the pre-
sent case, divest itself of all prejudice against her on
account of her brother, and view toe facts independently
of any extraneous matter. He conceived that an im-
portant principle was involved in the call of this indivi-
dual. She was prosecuted not by the Limit's Attorney
or Solicitor General, who were, to his opinion, the
great preservers of the morals of the country, but by
the Society for the Suppression of Vice, and a Society -
s'iling itself the Constitutional Association -a Society
which arrogated to itself a right which properly belong-
ed to the law officers of the Crown. In fact, she WWI
prosecuted by a number of individuals, who entered into
a conspiracy to oppress those whom they intended to
snake the victims of their malevolence. And for this
purpose they hail a joint purse, which, along with the,
influence they possessed in forming a Jury to suit their
views, rendered it perfectly useless for any individual to
attempt a resistance. However, be would at present con- •
fine himself to the case of *he petitioner, as there would
be other opportunities of going more at large into the
conduct of these Societies. The petition hail been in his
possession one month, being unwilling lo present it,
till he bad ascertained the names of the prosecutors in
which be found great difficulty. She was tried on one
day, at the prosecution of the Constitutional Societe, for
a blasphemous libel, of which she was acquitted, and on
the saute day she was again tried on a similar charge, at
the prosecution of the Society for the Suppression of
Vice, of which she was fount guilty. He hail been
nearly ten or fourteen days before he could find out of
whom this Society of Vice was composel.—(Laughter.)
Yes, it was a Society of Vice, and he shoUld prove no-
thing, if he did not prove that this was a Society foi
promoting. instead of suppressing vice. He lead made
every inquiry, in order to find out where he could obtain
a list of the Members of the Society or what were their
objects; of which, after all his inquiry, he could find
no p iblication later than Itto7. This led him to the ex-
traordinary conclusion that the Society was composed of
infidels, and persons hostile to the Christian religios,
who had secretly leagued together for the purpose of
disseminating those Anti-Christian works, which they
only feigned an ansiety to suppress. At last he wrote
to the Secretary of the Society for the Suppression of
Vice, and he was bound to declare the willingness of
that gentleman to afford him every information. Pe
was shown a list of about t 1.7,0 subscribers, amongst whom
were sotne of his most intimate friends, unit
others who were excelled by none in worth. There
were also some Members of that and the other House
amongst the number. In fact, he was bound to admit
that this association consisted of men of the most re-
spectable class in society, and of the most honourable
' and unblemished characters.He believed that the Society
acted from disinterested motives, but so far were they
froin•seleasiog the object iu view; that they gave eaten:
sive circulation to works which otherwise would have
1 been lint little knows. It wit in that sense that be cute
sidereil them as promotirs of vice. He had read the par ie
phlet for which tile petitioner had been prosecuted, and
he was free to confess, in his judgment. it did not.rontain
a single word either intemperate in language, or impro-
per to be used by any Person who professed the opinion*
of the writer. (Jr therefore considered the:proiecutiort
to be directly opposed to that spirit of free inquiry
' which some of the most orthodox men that this country
had ever produced had shown themselves 'nations to up-
hold. He had also read over that part of the defence
which the prisoner was allowed to tnike, as well as that
part which she was prevented from making by order o(
the Court. It appeared to him most repithensible that
the petitioner, while making her defence, should be put
1 down by the strong hand of power, as was done by :Oro
Justice Best. This was contrary to the spirit of the law
of &gland, which gave dery person the right of erg-
o ing whatever arguments he thought most ad, antagesei e
to his case, while on his trial. It was only of late that
!this pernicious practice had crept in, and it was founded
on the doctrine held by the Bench, that religion teal
part and parcel of the law ofEngland. and as such not to
be reviled. He had consulted manly Deistical book*, arid
he was sure that nothing could he tumid in the aamplsfet
in question, equal to the the language they contained:—
language which had long been published, and was mire
matter of history. He thought ;hat the Judges in this,
case acted with a severity which the principles of British
justice did not warrant, and a parallel for it could only
be fours I. in those ages when individuals were brought
to the stake fur the free expression of their opinions. It
was in vain that he hoped they would have been hi:Nester:l
by a more Christian feeling. Ile could cut help thinking
that there was a mistaken zeal shown iii pro...cations
of this nature, with a view to pot down o'fflosiout
works. It certainly was very proper that those who!
made laws shonld make them so as to be motet-too 1,
in order that juries might nut be iMsled. By the Lev
of the land, juries were sworn. (.1 dec;ije epee the
matter of fact brought bi•fare them ; bat in the in-
stance in question, no waver of fact Lad been brau,:ht
j
before thr ury, They.suight it was tryr have had the
fact, that tile petitioner had published the theologiral
works of l'hossias Paine ; b it then islet's the main noint
they 'sac called upon to tape the op7rjoa of the Judge