1823.] 
Charles I. with all the. signatures. of 
the regicides, in a perfect state, is in 
possession of the Rev. D. Turner, of 
Norton-le-Moors, Staffordshire. 
Not less than. thirty small weekly 
miscellanies have been started within 
these few months, and some of them’ 
have attained an extraordinary extent 
of circulation, while they are the 
means of spreading much useful know- 
ledge among the middling classes of 
society. 'They are sold at the’ low 
price. of two-pence, and some even, so 
low as a penny. ‘Thirty years ago it 
was the fortune of the editor of.this 
Magazine to commence this species of 
low-priced miscellany, under the title 
of the Museum; and, about the same: 
period, a very amusing work appeared 
at Sherborne, under . the name..of 
Weekly Entertainer. Every house in 
the kingdom can aflord its two-penny 
worth of literature per week. We hope 
to: hear of such works in every county ; 
and, if executed with taste,.they can-. 
not fail to sacceed everywhere. Their 
success Is a regular consequence of 
Sunday and Lancasterian schools. 
Mr. €. M. Witticu has succeeded 
in obtaining a great reduction in the 
duty on German lithographic stones 
imported into this country, viz. from 
twenty shillings to three. shillings per 
ewt, ; 
- Many. years ago, when the mawkish: 
loyalty of a Chancellor led him to _re- 
fuse protection against piracy to a 
Poem of the late mimitable Dr. W olcot, 
we foresaw that the precedent would 
be quoted on future occasions. Power, 
in that instance, availed itself of the 
unpopularity of Dr. W. among certain 
classes; and it is by stretching the 
law, in particular cases, that authority, 
is enabled constantly to.cncroach on 
popular rights. We have always con= 
sidéred the. power of the Court of Chan- 
cery; toprotcet property, as, purely 
niinisterial; and. that it. was. bound 
merely. to: consider applications: as be- 
tween two parties, one of whom had 
a right, atid the other no right. If 
the nature of the property is to be 
made a question, then a thousand 
quibbles may arise, which enable one. 
who las no right, to contend with him 
who has. The intervention of an opi- 
nion of any chancellor, on such points, 
places all property in his discretion, 
and aman may. thus be robbed even 
under the sanction of law. The onus 
of proof, founded on a strict legal 
title, lies with the applicant, as well as 
Literary and Philosophical Intelligence. 
the proof of invasion; and, beyond 
questions on those points, no discre- 
tion ought to be allowed to @ chan-: . 
cellor... The moral or intrinsic worth: 
of the thing in question belongs to a- 
jury, before whom. the defendant: 
ought to be enabled to enforce a de- 
cision. ‘These abstract views apply to: 
all cases ; and:if, as in the instance of 
Lord Byron’s Don Juan, the work has 
no moral or intrinsic worth, the ul- 
terior proceedings before a jury would 
be its own punishment on the plaintiff. 
Perhaps no book of merit ever ap- 
peared from which passages might not 
be selected that opposed some old- 
fashioned. prejudices of a chancellor ; 
consequently, the trade of piracy may ~ 
flourish with impunity. When some 
knaves,' afew years since, sought fo 
avail themselves of our good name, 
by bringing out a work under our 
title, to which, as a catch to the un- 
wary, they affixed the word new; we 
applied to our estimable and able 
friend, the late Sir Samuel Romilly, 
for his opinion on a motion for injune- 
tion. He agreed with us in the un- 
principled character of the attempted 
robbery; but, said he, ‘‘your’s is a 
liberal work, open to free enquiry on 
all subjects; and the work against 
which we apply ‘professes superabun- 
dant devotion to ministers and. their 
policy. Will they not be able to en- 
list the prejudices of the chancellor 
on their side, by quoting some free opi- 
nions of your own, or of some of your 
correspondents, atid against these set 
off their own obsequiousness?” Hence, 
instead of a question of right, it became. 
one of calculation and expediency. 
However, Sir Samuel said he would 
turn it in his mind, and give. his 
opinion in writing. ~'That opinion 
arrived in a few days, and was in the 
following terms :—** Under all the cir- 
cumstances, the Chancellor may, or muy, 
not, grant an injunction.” Unwilling to 
be the means of advertising a knavish 
project, and at the same time to be 
foiled by the authority of prejudices in 
ermine, we considered it expedient to 
forbear, and leave the. question of an 
unfair rivalry to the moral feelings of 
the public. Of this result we have 
had no reason to complain; but it is 
evident. we, and all persons in our 
situation, must suffer wrong, while any 
feelings but those of pure law are allow- 
ed to be mixed up with such decisions, 
Dr, Grauam, of Carshalton, Surry, 
is preparing for the press, AnJIntro- 
duction 
