The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-06-06 00:00:00

tyre EDITOR of the STATIESMAN.

Ste,- 1 was one of those who saw Mr. Eaton
stand in the pillory, fur what his hoea called an at-
teeipt :11 Utierturn the religion of the country. The
runner in which the spectators behaved during the
execution of thi, severe+ punishment, was In my
epinion, hiels's• eitelitable to the liberality of the
anal venture to say, there was hardly
NO individual present who did not sympathize with
the unfortunate man ; he was cheered by numbers
Haring the whole time of his punishment; and many
eff.ets wore fruitlessly made from time to time to con-
ierieus kinds of refroshusents to him. As one
of hose who is ish well to the interests of the Chris-
tian Religion, I own I was shocl;ed upon this occa-
siott. I have always conceited this religion to be
perfectly independent of the arra of authority for its
support, and to require only to be beard and ex-
amined to bear down every species of opposition. I
cannot but consider that it has made its way against
power, learning, and philosophy, united to destroy
it ; nor can I refuse to draw from this the deduction
that it will equall s. withstand 'all.the efforts of abuse,
sophistry, and calumny. When I see any set of men
resort to pinsislunent, instead of argument in its de-
fence, I can N ith difficulty conceive they arts serious
in the belieLof'its doctrines ; for the smallest reflec-
tion might cons ince them, that such a course is the
most etiectual method they could take to lower its
estimation, and to cover it with discredit. It be-
trays that diffidence and fear for the result, which a
man thoroughly impressed with the truth of the
Christian doctrines, would surety not be ' the most
likely to entertain. I cannot bring myself, there-
fore, to believe, that those who manifest a zeal to
crush the enemies of Christianity by the arm of the
law, ate themselves acquainted with that religion. I
imagine thrm, on the contrary, to be men u hose time
and attention Ease been completely engrossed by
seeular aflairs, and who believe the Christian Reli-
gion jest as they would believe the Mahomedan,
.merely because their fathers believed it before them.
Let those misguided men reflect for a moment on
the iejery they are thus doing to the very cause they
pretend to support. It them consider that Religion
can only be def,mded by argument or force, and that
it cannot be defended by the union of both ; for it is
v4sto say, it may be c'efentied by argument when the
seasonings on one side only can be heard aloud; and
the arguments on the other draw clown on (he head
of the user of them, pillory and imprisonment. It
is certainly a very unequal conflict, when one of
combatants may make use of au argument or a hal-
ter at his discretion ; it is like a battle between a pu-
gilist and onearmetl with a stiletto, which, though he
may hot use at first, he knows ho can use if hard
pushed. Let these men reflect that the means they
.are resorting to, are those which so successfully
promoted the cause of infidelity in France. Had the
same pains been bestowed in reflecting, Rousseau,
riderot, and Voltaire, which were employed in
burnirg their books, and punishing the authors,
France, and the whole of Europe at this day, might
have exhibited a very different spectacle. Persecu-
tion may destroy, but never will support any religion.
'lime is a very large body of men in this country at
present, certainly among the most valuable and best
inform 1 of our citizens, exposed to the severest
reneltles, at the mercy of any bigoted Attorney-
eneral or Judge ; I mean the Unitarians. From
the sample of the pablic mind lately exhibited, how-
ever, it is probable no person u ill dare to punish
aey of those persons for their opinions. The pro-
gress of libesul opinion has been very rapid, in-
deed, of late years; and though Judges and Attor-
ney-Generals, ss Lose daily pursuits, certainly high-
ly unfavoutaisle to liberal and comprehensive rea-.
sonines, are generally among The last persons to
shake off ancient prejudices, yet they too, however
slowly, must at lest he bornedown ny the vote of pub-
lic
°phases.

A TRUE CURISTIAN.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
COVRT.OF EXCHEQUER CHAMBERS,

SALES BY. SAMPLE.
SILL V. SSITH, IN ERROR.

.This was an action of tit.spass brought by the
Plaintiff against the Defendant, by which the Plain.
*tiff songkt to recover datnam from the Defendant
for taking i..quantify of corn belonging to the
-Plaintiff,•as for tolt for corte.saiti.to hare been sold
by snmpte in the Markel at Wnrcester.
. ' Judgment
had been entered for the Defendant, and the Plain-
tiff hod removed it by &ear into this Cotirt. • .
Sir .Al.lo' 31*.NSFIEILD.thilday" pronounced the
judgment of the Court. From•a review of 'the law
Of Akio case, from the earilevt authorities down to the
.present period; the Court was of opinion that a sale'
by sample was hat a legal contract for the sale of.
Any thing whateier ; and that the lord, or superior
of an open or .public market; was not entitled to
toll, or dety;' on any. commodities not brought in
i•ttlk into the-market, and there disposed' of in open
ran rk e . Supposing a person.•to have 1000 bushels
of wheat which he iintents. for sale„ but only 'so'
bushels of which be bringi into the market and sells,
that could newer be coasts-ord to amount to a sale ift
open market of the 1061.0 1000 bgslies, but of the
450 bushels only. A sale by sample,-it had been held;
by LOrd Coked .ankby other great law authorities, I
oas illegal'; such. a. sale was directly against the i
a regime( priuciple sad object for which a market was'
stwintevi. It was directly against the whole spirit
if. the law relating to the origin of markets. It was
theretsie ordered, that tbe*erdict for the Defendant
be, reversed, and that- it boitint bank .to the Court
below to order an enquiry Into the amount of *Da-
eines to which the Plaintiff was entitled for the
trespass committed against him in taking of his
•esti:n. •

A punster having heard a Gentleman remark, that-
ibe cunt capes of our beaus had Of late been cnnsi-
deralkly increased in dimensions, observed, " Yes,
they are'all traretters noic." The' Gentleman hav-
ing expressed himself at a loss as to the application'
thi..term " travellet," was at once satisfied by the
r J^it Wei' of the tithee,,lt4io, WO much self.approba-
tiow, " They have all doubled the Copc, you