CHRONICLE. 



259 



hand-bill is meant to deter him 

 from selling 'An Englishman's Let- 

 ter to his Majesty, and Traits of all 

 the Royal Dukes,' in which the mo- 

 rals of the Duke of Sussex are ex- 

 plained, yet new editions are now 

 selling of that work. Also Mr. 

 Hague's Letter to the Duke of 

 York, upon the appointment of sir 

 Hugh Dalrymple." 



The above being read, and Mr. 

 Horseman proved to be the pub- 

 lisher, residing at No. 8, Hanway- 

 street, 



Mr. Adolphus made an ingenious 

 defence. He admitted Mr. Hague's 

 insolence and impudence in the 

 fullest latitude, in thus placarding 

 his Royal Highness, but he insisted 

 that it would not bear out the 

 charge upon the record to the ex- 

 tent ; that it inferred that his Royal 

 Highness had been guilty of a cri- 

 minal offence, for which he was 

 liable lo be brought to public jus- 

 tice, and punished. The offence 

 imputed was, the publishing a hand- 

 bill without the printer's name, — 

 now the privity of his Royal High- 

 ness would not have subjected him 

 to punishment. 



Lord Ellenborough. — Admitting 

 yourargument, that the Duke could 

 not be brought to justice, yet, un- 

 der the copulative placed upon the 

 record, surely the past, if necessary, 

 may be dropt. Can you show that 

 the hand-bill was not calculated to 

 defame and vilify his Royal High- 

 ness, and to bring him into hatred 

 and contempt ? 



Mr. Adolphus said he certainly 

 should bow to the authority of the 

 Court, and then call the atten- 

 tion of the jury to the fact that 

 Hague was the author of the bill, 

 and that Horseman was tl;c mere 

 publisher; and concluded by pres- 



ing upon their consideration, that 

 to discuss the morals of an indi- 

 vidual, however elevated his con- 

 dition, was not criminal, provided it 

 was done with temperance and 

 truth. 



The attorney-general replied, 

 that it was impossible a jury could 

 wink so hard, as not to see the li- 

 bellous tendency of the hand-bill 

 in question, and the injury it was 

 calculated to do to his Royal High- 

 ness's character. He observed that 

 the gradationinsocietymustbekept 

 up, and that if one was attacked, 

 the whole were disturbed, and the 

 fabric endangered. 



Lord Ellenborough told the jury 

 to strike out the name of the duke 

 of Sussex from the hand-bill, and 

 substitute their own, and then ask 

 if they would not feel themselves 

 libelled, to be advertised, with 20 

 guineas reward, in the same way as 

 if they had been suspected of break- 

 ing open a house ? His lordship 

 then commented on theexpressions 

 in the hand-bill, and called upon 

 the jury to give the Duke the same 

 measure of justice they would ex- 

 pect for themselves under similar 

 circumstances. 



The jury instantly found the de- 

 fendant guilty. 



24. Drury-lane Theatre consum- 

 ed by Fire. — On Friday night this 

 superb edifice was burnt to the 

 ground. We learn that about five 

 minutes past 11 o'clock at night, 

 the flames burst out at the lobby 

 windows of the front in Brydges- 

 street, whilevolumes of smoke were 

 seen issuing from every part of the 

 theatre. In less than a quarter of 

 an hour it spread into one unbroken 

 flame over the whole of the immense 

 pile, extending from Brydges- street 

 to Drary-lane; so that the pillar of 



8 2 fire 



