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pering for poor Mr Wright) and said, "Look at that man, my dear! Those drops of sweat are the effect of detected dishonesty! Think of that, my dear child, and you will always be an honest man!" Mr Peter Walker and Mr Swann were present at this scene, which took place in my room in Newgate, in 1811."

"Oh! Oh! Now we have it out! Now we have before us the third accomplice in this vile transaction. That Wright was their accomplice is all I wanted to see proved, and now it is proved."

"Surely the immaculate being, preceded by the milk-white charger, will not attempt to maintain that the no less immaculate person who rode that charger had a moral right to use against Mr Hunt and a lady, and in favour of Sir F. Burdett, a letterand such a letter gotten from a man who stood charged with defrauding the pretended author of the letter, and who stood so charged upon the oath of Sir F. Burdett himself."

The learned counsel then went on to read other parts of the libel, which charged Mr Wright with borrowing money in the name of the author, without his authority, &c.

Mr Hunt, who came into Court when the trial was called on, rose at this time with considerable warmth, and expressed a hope that the learned Judge would not allow him to be libelled by falsehood. The learned counsel had stated that he (Mr Hunt) had declared at a public meeting that the letter attributed to Mr Cobbett was a forgery.

The Lord Chief-Justice said, he had not heard the learned counsel make any such observation; he had merely read the libellous publication, as he had a right to do, and if it libelled any other person than the plaintiff, he was very sorry for it.

Mr Scarlett resumed, and com

mented upon the atrocious character of the libel; and in alluding to Mr Cobbett's abuse of the powers with which by nature he had been endowed, said it was true that he might have the intellects of an angel, but they were those of a fallen angel. He then dwelt upon the question of damages, and contended that this was the only tribunal to which the plaintiff could apply for redress: which, if he could not find at their hands, it were better to blot the power of writing out of the catalogue of human talents. No doubt could exist of the responsibility of Mr Clement for the consequence of this publication, because he was the agent of a person who, from a distant clime, sent forth to the world an attack characterized by so much ma. lignity.

J. Stennor proved that he purchased the Register, containing the libel, at Mr Clement's shop.

George Granger gave like evidence with respect to the Register, containing the second libel, on the 6th of March 1819.

Mr Thomas Hansard, the printer, being shown the letter read by Mr Cleary at the Westminster election, swore positively that it was of the handwriting of Mr Cobbett.

Mr John Paul, an accountant employed to arrange accounts between Mr Wright and Mr Cobbett, also proved the same fact. Other witnesses deposed to the same effect.

Mr Adolphus then addressed the jury on behalf of the defendant. In reply to the topics addressed by the plaintiff's counsel to the jury, he said, that they were in no respect applicable to the present question, inasmuch as they were merely strictures upon the political character and conduct of Mr Cobbett, with which the defendant had nothing to do, he being a mere vender of the first libel. With respect to the second, he pro

posed to offer evidence to show that the defendant had, long prior to that publication, directed his servants to discontinue the sale of Cobbett's Register, and that if any sale had taken place, it was in direct opposition to his order. With respect to the question of damages, the usual foundation in such cases had not been laid, the jury having been left wholly in ignorance as to who Mr Wright was, what good fame he had lost, or how, in any degree, he had been injured by the publication. It was impossible, he said, for Mr Clement to justify the libel, nor did he affect to rest his defence upon any such ground; because he rested his innocence solely upon the fact of his not having published the libel. But the jury would judge of Mr Wright's candour on this occasion, and of his title to damages, when it would be proved, that in two other actions against other publishers of the same libel, who had pleaded justifications, he had withdrawn his records, and put them into his pocket, without having courage to face an issue for trying the truth of those libels.

Mr John Sudbury, Mr Charles Clement, (brother of the defendant,) and Richard Mainwaring, were then called, and they proved that the defendant had positively interdicted them from selling Cobbett's Register at his shop several weeks prior to the 6th of March.

Mr Adolphus next proposed to prove the circumstance of the plaintiff having withdrawn his records in the actions against Dolby and Hay; but, although the fact seemed not to be disputed, yet he declined pursuing that course, upon a suggestion from Mr Scarlett, that a sufficient reason could be assigned for that step.

Mr Scarlett having replied at great length,

The Lord Chief-Justice stated the case to the jury, who retired for half an hour, and on entering the Court stated, that they found their verdict, on the first libel, for the defendant; and, on the 2d, for the plaintiff. Damages, L.500.

No. II.

PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES.

ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON.

In consequence of the death of her Majesty, the ordinary business of the society was suspended during two meetings. The sittings were, however, resumed on Thursday the 5th of November, when Sir Everard Home read the Croonian Lecture.

November 12. Dr Brewster communicated a paper on the absorption of polarised light by doubly refracting crystals.

The annual meeting for the election of officers for the ensuing year, took place on November 30, when the following noblemen and gentlemen were elected:

PRESIDENT,

William Hyde Wollaston, M. D.
Thomas Young, M. D.

There were elected into the new
council,

J. P. Auriol, Esq.
R. Bingley, Esq.

Sir T. G. Cullam, Bart.
John, Earl of Darnley,
S. Davis, Esq.

Sylvester, Lord Glenbervie,
Major General Sir. J. W. Gor-
don, K. C. B.

Sir A. Johnston, Knight,
Reverend R. Nares,
Sir J. T. Staunton, Bart.

At this meeting, the Copley medal was voted to Mr (now Sir Robert) Seppings, for his various improvements in the construction of ships,

Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks, Bart. communicated to the Royal Society, G. C. B. &c.

SECRETARIES, William Thomas Brande, Esq. and Taylor Combe, Esq.

TREASURER, Samuel Lysons, Esq. There remained of the old council, Right Hon. Sir J. Banks, Bart. William Thomas Brande, Esq. Lord Bishop of Carlile, Taylor Combe, Esq. Sir Humphry Davy, Bart. Sir Everard Home, Bart. Samuel Lysons, Esq. George, Earl of Morton, John Pond, Esq.

and published in their transactions.

December 10. and 17. Both these days were nearly occupied in reading a paper, by M. Theodore de Saussure, communicated by Dr Marcet, on the decomposition of starch by the action of air and water at common temperatures. A portion of starch simply boiled in water was exposed for two years under a glass jar in a temperature between 68° and 77°. At the end of that time about d of it was found converted into saccharine matter, similar in its properties to the sugar prepared from starch by the action of sulphuric

acid. On observing this fact, the author was induced to examine more attentively the nature of the changes produced. He found, that besides sugar a species of gum was formed, as also a peculiar intermediate sub. stance, which he denominated amidine, while a substance remained in soluble in water, which was probably starch somewhat altered in its properties; but the author was unable to determine whether the presence or absence of air affected the quantity of sugar obtained.

December 24. A paper by Capt. Duff, R. N. was read, on the antiseptic properties of peat-moss, as a preventive of the dry rot in timber. After stating the well-known effects of peat-moss in preserving wood unaltered for ages, the author suggests that a set of experiments should be made to ascertain the effects of impregnating timber with the water from peat-mosses.

January 14. 1819. Sir Everard Home read a paper on the Corpora Lutea. Before puberty the texture of the ovarium is loose and open, and contains globular cells: after puberty the corpora lutea are found in the substance of the ovarium. The ova are formed in the corpora lutea, and, according to Sir E., exist anterior to sexual intercourse: when the ova are formed, the corpora lutea are destroyed by absorption, whether the contained ova are impregnated or not. Sir E. thinks, that impregnation is necessary to the expulsion of the ova, and that the corpus luteum is burst by extravasated blood, its cavity, after the escape of the ovum, being found distended with coagulated blood. When impregnation does not take place, the ovum remains in the cavity of the corpus luteum; from which the author thinks that the ovum is impregnated in the ovarium itself.

January 21. There was read a paper by Dr T. Young, entitled, “Remarks on the Advantage of Multiplied Observations in the Physical Sciences, and on the Density of the Earth." Having made some observations on the application of the doctrine of chances to the physical sciences, the author showed that the combination of many different causes of error, each liable to change, has a tendency to diminish the aggregate variation of their joint effect. From calculation he then inferred, that the original conditions of the probability of different errors do not considerably modify the conclusions respecting the accuracy of the mean result, because their effect is included in the magnitude of the mean error, from which these conclusions are deduced. He also showed, that the error of the mean arising from this limitation is never likely to be greater than sixsevenths of the mean of all the errors, divided by the square root of the number of observations. In speaking of the density of the earth, Dr Y.attempted to show, that the general law of compression is quite sufficient to explain the greater density of the interior of the earth, and that this law, which is true for small pressures, in all substances, and universally in elastic fluids, requires some modification for solids and liquids, the resistance of these increasing faster than the density; for no mineral substance, he observed, is sufficiently light and incompressible to afford a sphere as large as the earth, and of the same specific gravity, without such deviation from the general law. A sphere of water or of air would be still more dense; and the moon, if she contained such cavities, would soon have absorbed her atmosphere, had she ever possessed any. The paper concluded with some remarks on Euler's formula for the rolling pendulum, in

which the perfect accuracy of Laplace's theory for the length of the convertible pendulum rolling on equal cylinders was shown.

January 28. A paper by Captain W. J. Webbe was read, entitled, "Memoir of a Survey of the Province of Keemaon." Among a variety of other matter, this paper contained an account of the heights of many of the snowy peaks of the ridge from which the Dneiper, Don, and Volga, descend on the European side, and the Ganges and Indus on the Asiatic; and appended was an extensive catalogue of the latitudes, longitudes, and elevations of places and stations in the province of Keemaon.

At this meeting was also read a paper by Professor Aldini, entitled, An Experimental Inquiry upon Gas Light on the Continent, with some observations upon the present state of the Illumination of London." The author suggested, that where coals could not be obtained, turf might be substituted; also the refuse bark of tan-yards, pitch, tar, petroleum, and oil; and pointed out the possibility of employing hydrogen from the decomposition of water for augmenting the quantity of gas.

February 4. A paper by W. Bain, Esq. was read on the dangers to which navigation is exposed, by navigators neglecting to make the local attraction on shipboard, an element of calculation.

A paper was next read by W. Scoresby junior, Esq. on the anomaly of the magnetic needle, as observed on shipboard. Captain Flinders first pointed out the anomalous variation caused by the attraction of the iron of the ship. The author stated his observations on the same subject in the years 1815 and 1817, upon the coast of Spitzbergen, select tables of which observations were given. To

these were added, some general inferences upon the subject, deduced at the time of observation.

Two other communications were read; one on the genus Ocythoe; and the other on the extraction of roots. Neither appears to have been of much value.

February 11. Captain J. Ross, R. N. read a paper on the variation of the compass. This subject had particularly engaged his attention during his late voyage to the Arctic regions; and he detailed his experiments in the order in which they were made. From these, he concluded that every ship has a peculiar attraction affecting her compasses, the exact amount of which it is difficult to ascertain. This attraction is not progressive, but irregular.

February 25. Sir H. Davy read a paper on the formation of mists in particular situations. He observed that the force of temperature after sunset is greater on land than on water; and referred to the wellknown peculiarity in the expansibility of water at temperatures below 40°, as the cause by which both the water and the superincumbent air are preserved at a superior temperature. When therefore the cold and comparatively dry air mixes with the warmer and moister air resting on the water, the consequent diminution of the temperature of the latter has a tendency to separate a portion of its moisture in the form of mist.

At this meeting also, a paper was read by Captain Sabine, entitled, Observations on the Dip and Variation of the Magnetic Needle, and on the intensity of the Magnetic Force, made during the late voyage in search of a North-West Passage." The author stated, that the dipping needle employed in these observations was similar to that described by Mr Ca vendish, and made by the same artist.

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