Champion (Newspaper) - March 23, 1817, London, Middlesex LET NOT HER NATIONS TO No. 220. SUN MA R til 1817. JPrice AGAINST THE CRIMINAL JUSTICK OF IN TUB TENTH REPORT OF THE AFRICAN The U an accurate and impartial charge from Justice in the Case of the King It is with the clearness aud the precision for which the learned Judge in so and some of the material points in our law of libel U be found expounded The prosecution uas against John publisher of the 10th Report of the Directors of the African Institution It was for a false and malicious libel against the Grand Juries of as they did not duly administer on behalf of the the criminal justice of that It exhibited in the annual under the sanction of lire African A amongst whoso members uill be found the distinguished names Esq. in Chancery of the highest in of fact of the to be drawn from their to our West India But present discuss this an we shall leave the we have inserted to who are the best acquainted with the local and with the peculiar character of a West India to appreciate the propriety and utility of it. In an early we shall make the public acquainted with sorne connected with the appointments the Colonial The following charge speak for the KING V. MR CE ABBOT fS CHARGE IV THE attended to her and her vith tome money without another ob- I for and note to her We shall for the Gentlemen of the This is an indictment At Tor the publication of a supposed by the frame of the two distinct c characters arc given to this that it haffe and is calculated to defame tbe persons who filled the situation of to Sir James hiking Att Excellency's interference in good the gentleman gave the unfortunate woman on additional number qf and dispatched a note to Sir who in consequence ordered Secretary to ike that Sir had no further occasion for hts On the receipt qf this the gentleman up one negro in own and mounting upon an dispatched with an insolent note to the So far you the matter relates to one of the Camp of Sir James Now comes the other the person whp is to haw conducted was indicted for ally at the express order of the but the Grand fury refused to find the Now this is put forth to the world as information given to the Directors of the African It is to be lamented that be lore M. James Esq. Names so often repeated as and uuu - they or any other body publish they as the organ of their 14 application 4iere is a sweeping as well on the criminal justice of one of his Majesty's as on eight different characters in general description of The facts stated in were found to lye false and not even a Tumour by which it could be attached to any of those It is unnecessary to say a word on Ahi mischievous tendency of such given under the sanction of high On this a most excellent lesson has been read to their authors by Mr. Justice and tie hope they will profit from it- We recommend it to calm attention of the Royal who is to preside at their next and that he will first before h henceforward to be suspected was it impressed upon these Directors by the learned it was to be thai before they or any 14 other body qf put forth information to the they do not take ihc pains to inquire whether it be 11 correct or and particularly when received from channels of private and 44 with great they to It is indeed that these Directors of the African should first ascertain the truth of the statements given to the public on the faith of these hired from whom they arc before they allow themselves to calumniate the constituted authorities in the Colonies for what purpose i to overthrow those valuable and to sacrifice the lives of its white population without one or considerate reflect ton on the direful effects their proceedings may be expected to when misrepresentations are given on these masked by either Master or Mr. no t all of justice or of common candour can extort the or tion of one of It is besides melancholy lo observe the influence exercised at the Colonial by such under the pretensions It appeared io us that occasion is the proper one for insertion of an address of a public officer to the Planters and m the discharge of his official duties in the Colonies of Demerara and It was given to the community at a period immediately tho insurrections aud as it was obvious to ray that an insurrectionary spirit had been infused W the public magistrate found it to caiT * * he feedings of the and to protect the society st the questionable was an offence not 2" 1 9c�J8�of.#lia4 he to his profession should become of hu by from no wish and necessity should U it has take as of tw III Won of hu by w abandon t so & a tu and to louk io experience on the application of w exposed to mid Sli the los of individual objects the of the Colonj lime to by what what a Secretary of 9udl mi 01 wiU to his of a for the in which the properties ot his .ie were qot to be pet formed on fixed hut on private awl t ln tl of previa that it has a it is published therefore with the intention of tlm criminal justice of the Island of by that criminal justice duly there on of the two characters you sec arc perfectly and I shall by and by request the your opinion on each of tin m. The indictment further charges he a on eight separate hut it has turned on the to be impossible to apply it to any one of those because the does not designate any oue of further than by 1m situation of and the tact mentioned in the is wholly false aud if there hud any rumour or colour tor it in or a particular it might be said the publication applied but there is nothing of the it appears to that the the libel are proved by Mr. lo lie false and I will make one or two remarks some topics that have been introduced wju to and which do not appear to me lo have at all to I he matter you have to this or your have g at all to dig any ge- 1" or its relating to the or the mauner in which that i arc or to neral question at all is involved in y thcr is it of any importance to in has been instituted under the of the legislative body of the Island of Antigua or it is quite immaterial to a jury to a verdict of guilty or not guilty a whq or what his prosecutor may It has been that a great part of the object of this prosecution was not so much to punish Mr. this as by the medium of a prosecution to compel a disclosure of the original author of this with that yoa have as little to d as with the other There is no that by the law of this country and all civilized a or is answerable criminally as well as for the contents of the books be no less than the author of the law should be projection of which is and with great propriety they refuse to they do not lake the pains to whether tho information be correct or Sir James Leith is pointed at by and if any application bad been made him previously to the publication of this it as we must infer from the testimony we have vett Ibis have becu answered in such a Wny as to satisfy them the information was the publication in the first part imputes great aud conduct in the highest degree to an without naming of Sir James I need not repeat the is that there is no foundation for the story the witness called was oue of the and if what is stated had he could not but havo known sayg no one was filled the situation of Attorney-General of the and in that as in some other part of our here at Wales and no criminal prosecution is carried on without tho knowledge of the so that if had been any he must havo known it in his official for he was resident in the island at the It appears by his that at the time to which this publication there were eight several gentlemen who filled the situation of Aids-de-Camp to Sir James Leith i the publication does not name anyone of nor does it contain any matter by which any person acquainted with all bf might apply it to in preference to the is in these general A gentleman who held the situation of Aid-de-Camp to the did so aud so. Now were several persons who held that therefore it will be for you to say by your whether yon are of opinion this publication mosi manifestly und most reflecting upon some one of was calculated to bring all of by reason of the into public suspicion and It if persons reading this and knowing that such and such gentlemen filled that would be led to say it might be or it might be person may fix on One as tho object of the upon upon a and so on through the whole may be the aud yon if you tell me whether you are of opinion thai this ambiguous aa it is a one of the grenta st objects of the as well of naming and utterly false it and for perty and of it would be wholly two of application to any one of lor if they were not as Iho authors are unknown might be circulated to any or any possible means of little have you to do with the whether there been a second or nhat may be A person cm mot relieve himself from charge of a libel by publishing a contradiction on the that is matter for at another time but does not lend lo an acquittal of the original you know very that the injury that is done to the reputation of a particular hy a publication of cannot be remedied by a many of those who see the may never live or be in the way to sec the contradiction of and irreparable injury may he As little you have to do with the by whom this publication into the 1 mean the African because as these may vet if they put forth to the slanders upon an or upon any body of or upon the administration of in any particular are as much amenable to the for snch an uct as the meanest subject of the 1 will now proceed to state what the libel Ihc two questions that pear to passage two reasons Waivable of to any one of is a libel calculated to raise suspicion against and bring them are of opinion it has that you lay the defendant Is guilty the first i Tiie question applies to the last count of U it in these words He was me to arise contained in upon it. The js a a book purporting fo lie the Tenth Report of the Directors of the read at the Arm ml General held on 27th of 6 The Directors are also that about a year ago the 1 for on that you will judge wards indicted for cruelty at the express of hut the Jury refused to find the the allegation particular facta before and that it tu the last count of this to have published in order to cause it to believed 14 that Criminal Justice was not duly by the Grand Jurors there on behalf of if you think this publication has that and h j by the to a belief that Criminal Justice duly administered by the Grand Jurors on of it will be for you to say the defendant is guilty upon the last if 3 on think it has that it will be for you to acquit Now it is urged to you for the that the clause 14 that the Grand Jury refused to find the does not cast any imputation on the Grand they may refuse to find a for the most laudable and proper when evidence is not laid before to them in finding the It may justifiable and proper may mean m unlawful aud improper you lo judge upon the whole whether it haft one meaning or the But what are the facts that precede this the facts stated in an- circumstance plate in the island of - A 1 other part of this Yet these thirds re tho held the situation of to the as aud it is timber asserted as a I 11* it this Sir a woman of hh an she a * but wax ly the express order 0, the Governor prosecuted bij an indictment her complaint the wtw humanely but that Grand Jury refund to Jind a Uuu
