70 Letter on Affairs in general. [JAN, 



that his Lordship is reminded by the defendant's counsel that he is 

 entirely wrong as to all this wickedness he has been accusing the Times 

 of; and that the words " BARBAROUS OUTRAGE," as well as all those 

 in the body of the libellous paragraph, are not added, but copied from 

 the Birmingham Journal ! 



Then only suppose if such a thing may be supposed without irreve- 

 rence an action biought against the Chief Baron of the Exchequer for 

 this libel on the Times ; and me in the character of the Chief Justice of 

 any court we please " summing up " to the jury : 



" Gentlemen of the Jury ! This is an action, brought by the plaintiffs, 

 the proprietors of the Times newspaper, against Sir William Alexander, 

 Knight, Chief Baron of his Majesty's Court of Exchequer, for a LIBEL. 

 You have heard the offending matter read ; and I think you will agree with 

 me, that ' it is a libel of such atrocity, that its equal is not often seen.' It 

 is ' an offence against God and man,' for any person to sit upon a bench 

 and utter charges of this description, without being sure that they are 

 well-founded. It may be said here, that ' what the defendant did was 

 the effect of accident, and that you have no proof that he acted with 

 malice ;' but * it is my duty to tell you that the law implies malice from 

 a man's acts,' where they are such as are likely to produce mischief. The 

 defendant, no doubt, is a highly respectable and honourable person a 

 person whose learning and qualifications are undoubted, and whose con- 

 versation is * in general very free from libel.' But this very respectability 

 and high character of the defendant only increases the extent of the 

 evil ; for, if a gentleman be * highly respectable,' those who hear him 

 speak, only * give the more credit ' to ' any libel which may be found ' 

 in his discourse. Gentlemen ! * you may as well open your houses at 

 night to house-breakers, as not punish ' persons in high trust and office, 

 when they are guilty of uttering such * atrocious libels ' as this which has 

 been brought before you !" 



I won't say any more upon this point ; because the dwelling of com- 

 mon-sense is in towns and cities ; and a Westminster Jury, after his 

 Lordship's heavy charge, gave 5 damages, instead of 400 and wanted 

 to give A FARTHING! But will not the Chief Baron feel upon mature 

 reflection that the temper which he displayed upon this occasion, car- 

 ried generally into proceedings under the existing law of libel, must de- 

 feat its own purpose ? For that it would inevitably lead to a modification 

 of the libel law, as too absurd and too oppressive for the affairs of society 

 to go on under ? 



Speaking of libel, I see that Mrs. Rochfort " late' Wilson as they 

 write it in the play-bills at the theatres, when Miss Kickup, the Colum- 

 bine, has married Mr. Flipflap, the Clown, is going on regularly sending 

 her " threatening letters" round, menacing people with filthy accusations, 

 and so forth if they do not send her money 200, and so forth. This 

 Jezabel now is out of the jurisdiction of the English courts at present; 

 but she is a woman no one would prosecute her (criminally) if she were 

 within it. There are no such thick-and-thin protectors of petticoats as the 

 English ! I wish rather, however, we could get Mister Wilson napping ; 

 for there would be no scruples about giving him a little exercise in the 

 Tread-mill or a slight rustication Rus in urbe in Coldbath-fields ; 

 and it would be of incomparable service to him. 



A strange untoward accident has happened in Norfolk. Two gentle- 



