raised by the opinions which were entertained by them. He first belonged to the establishment; then he adopted the Calvinistic opinions, and afterwards fell into the Unitarian persuasion. He inquired into the subject, and found that by the laws of the country he could be licensed as an Unitarian preacher. When he obtained that licence he certainly had no suspicion of being called to account for what he was now charged with. As he was but an indifferent reader, he begged that the court would allow a written defence to be read by some other person who was better qualified than himself. He then gave in a written paper, which was read by Mr. Abbott, the clerk of Nisi Prius. The solicitor-general replied, and the lord chief justice briefly summed up the evidence. The jury retired for about three quarters of an hour; and on their return they stated, through their foreman, Mr. Alderman C. Smith, that they had found the defendant guilty of the charge brought against him, but that they recommended him to mercy in consequence of his not having had the benefit of parental care. 29. It is with very great regret that we learn the melancholy death of Joseph Ritchie, esq. at Mourzuk, in Africa, about 400 miles south of Tripoli. He was a native of Otley, and was a young man of great abilities and enterprise; he was employed under the auspices of government, to make discoveries in the interior of Africa, and particularly to endeavour to penetrate through the great desert to Tombuctoo. Great additions to geographical science were expected from his labours; but the hopes which were so justly founded have been, as in many former cases in that pernicious climate, blasted by his early death. [Vide Appendix.]. From the London Gazette, Tuesday, Feb. 29, 1820. BY THE KING-A PROCLAMATION, for dissolving the present Parliament, and declaring the calling of another. GEORGE R. Whereas we have thought fit, by and with the advice of our privy council, to dissolve this present parliament, which stands prorogued to Monday, the 13th day of March next: we do, for that end, publish this our royal proclamation, and do hereby dissolve the said parliament accordingly; and the Lords spiritual and temporal, and the knights, citizens, and burgesses, and the commissioners for shires and burghs, of the House of Commons, are discharged from their meeting and attendance on the said Monday, the 13th day of March next. And we being desirous and resolved, as soon as may be, to meet our people, and to have their advice in parliament, do hereby make known to all our loving subjects our royal will and pleasure to call a new parliament; and do hereby further declare, that, with the advice of our privy council, we have given order that our chancellor of that part of our United Kingdom called Great Britain, and our chancellor of Ireland, do respectively, upon notice thereof, forthwith issue writs in due form, and according to law, for calling a new parliament. And we do hereby also, by this our royal proclamation under our great seal of our United Kingdom, require writs forthwith to be issued accordingly by our said chancellors respectively, for causing the Lords spiritual and temporal, and Commons, who are to serve in the said parliament, to be duly returned to, and give their attendance in, our said parliament; which writs are to be returnable on Friday, the twenty-first day of April next. Given at our Court at Carltonhouse, this twenty-ninth day of February, one thousand eight hundred and twenty, in the first year of our reign. GOD SAVE THE KING. A similar proclamation was issued for the Scotch Peers to meet at Holyrood-house, Edinburgh, on Tuesday the 11th day of April, for the election of 16 Peers of Scotland, to sit in the House of Peers in the new parliament. MARCH. 1. CUMBERLAND ASSIZES.The judge of assize (Park) charged the grand jury in a very impressive speech. Alluding to the late expressions of popular discontent, his lordship said, that he was happy to learn, that so far as the disturbances existed in this county, the exertions for their suppression had been effectual; and he hoped and prayed they may so continue. In all conditions of society the peaceable must be protected from the lawless. One object which his lordship had in view in dwelling on this subject was, to convey to those who heard him, that it was not because the evil-doers were unknown to the magistrates and the government that they escaped, but to lenity; and his lordship hoped and trusted, that this lenity and forbearance will convince those that have been led astray, that the magistrates are their friends. His lordship concluded with remarking on the blasphemous and seditious publications which have lately issued from the press, to the destruction of youth. On this subject his lordship professed his inability to which, on the same topic, he had descant in the eloquent language just heard in the cathedral, from the sheriff's chaplain; but, as it was a subject which belonged to the bench as well as the pulpit, he felt that it became him to make a few observations. The authors of these publications have not only attacked the administration of justice, which, said his lordship, "I declare to God, so far as I know, is pure," but have dared to attack the author of their being. No case of this sort had to come before the grand jury; but his lordship hoped they would, for God's sake, be vigilant in watching the work of sedition and blasphemy, which had been overspreading the land; and this vigilance, his lordship was confident, they would exercise, knowing that they were men, that they were Englishmen, that they were Christians. INSURRECTION IN SPAIN.Letters received yesterday from Gibraltar of the 7th, and from Cadiz of the 8th ult., supply some additional intelligence of the progress and designs of the constitutional army: and, in proportion as the cause gains strength, the accounts appear to improve in authenticity. Quiroga still held possession of the Isla de Saint Leon, where no attempts had been made to molest him. It is stated, that a free pardon for him and for his troops has been offered by the king, but not an individual could be found who was willing to accept it. A small party of royalist troops, to the number of about 50 men, were stationed on a spot called Green Island, strongly fortified, and within musket shot of Algesiras, where they were suffered to remain in quiet; neither did they attempt to assail the national troops. A few English officers, on the evening of the 6th ult., went over from the garrison of Gibraltar to Algesiras, where they remained all night with the constitutionalists, whom they found in high spirits and discipline. They assured our countrymen, that they were so well informed of the state of public feeling, and the disposition of the king's troops in their favour, that they feared little interruption to their designs, which then were, to proceed in succession to the principal towns, where, if favourably received, as they anticipated, they would establish the constitution, and afterwards direct upon the capital. march MELANCHOLY ACCIDENT. On Saturday se'nnight, as the pupils of the Rev. J. Warnford, of Mickleham, near Dorking, Surrey, were amusing themselves with the various sports of the play-ground, an arrow, neither bolted nor barbed, was playfully aimed at a lad, named Mosely (only son of a gentleman of that name, residing at Leatherhead), and struck him below the knee; he was observed to look extremely ill, and was carried into the house, when it appeared that a nerve had been injured, by which lock-jaw was almost instantly produced, and, notwithstanding the most eminent medical assistance, he expired in less than 24 hours. The funeral of the late Richard Smithers, the Bow-street officer, who was murdered by Arthur Thistlewood, took place this day: he was to be buried at the expense of government, and his remains were followed to the grave by his brother officers. A hun dred a year has been settled on his widow, and a public subscription has been entered into for the purpose of rewarding the officers and patroles, who exerted themselves in the apprehension of the criminals. Yesterday an application was made at the Police-office, Bowstreet, by one of Preston's daughters, to be allowed to see her father, and to deliver him some clean linen: she was referred by the magistrate to lord Sidmouth; she accordingly wrote the following letter to his lordship, which she carried to the office of the Home Department, and delivered it to one of the messengers, whilst she waited in the hall for an an swer: My lord,-I entreat your lordship to allow an agonized daughter to have an interview with her father, who was dragged from home and his family, consisting of three daughters, besides myself, totally unprotected, on a charge of which he is completely innocent, and of which he had no knowledge whatever. My father's house was searched four times successively, on four different days, and nothing was found that could at all criminate him in the late dreadful proceedings. "I have called at Bow-street for the purpose of giving my father some linen, and also to know if he could be held to bail, and have been referred to your lordship. I am now waiting in the lobby of the Home Department office, with the linen to give to my father, and I hope your lordship will grant me an interview with him. "I am, my lord, humble servant, "ANN_PRESTON. "17, Prince's-street, Drurylane, Feb. 29. "To lord viscount Sidmouth, &c. &c." After being absent some time, the messenger who carried the letter to his lordship, returned and told her she must call again to-morrow (this day) for an answer; she then inquired where her father was, and was informed that he had been examined that day before the privy council and had been committed. She then left the office in tears. 2. The king of Sardinia has by an edict rigorously prohibited all games of chance within his dominions. A request has been addressed to the foreign ministers accredited to his majesty, that they should not suffer such games within their respective households. The duchess de Berri came to the Tuilleries on the 23rd ult., where apartments have been prepared for her accommodation. Soon after her arrival, her royal highness sent, by the hands of the duchess de Reggio, the sum of one thousand francs to Paulmier, who first stopped the assassin; and to Desbies, the soldier of the Royal Guard who took him, she caused to be presented a gold watch of considerable value, on which is engraved, by order of the princess, "Charles Ferdinand Duc de Berri." These individuals have each received a pension from the king, and recompences have been given to all those belonging to the Opera establishment who lent their assistance on that melancholy occasion. SHERIFF PARKINS.-This gentleman has published a letter in the newspapers, from which the following is a curious extract : "Allow me now, Sir, to allude to some circumstances that preceded and took place when the deputation from the city attended to present the addresses to his majesty. "After the 31st of January, when these addresses had been voted, and during the regretted indisposition of the king, I made a point of once, and sometimes twice a day, inquiring personally at the palace respecting his majesty's health, until Saturday night, 26th of February, when his pleasure was officially made known to me as one of the sheriffs, to attend his majesty at three o'clock on Sunday last, on which day I went to Carlton-palace in due form, and was, some time afterwards, followed by my colleague, where we had the honour of an audience of three or four minutes. The king received us alone, standing; during which my colleague read, rather indistinctly, from a card, that the sheriffs had waited upon his majesty to know his pleasure when he would receive the addresses from the city of London, to which his majesty, with that polite manner for which he is so justly celebrated, graciously answered, that he would receive the addresses on the morrow (Monday), at four o'clock, by deputation. My colleague, who seemed not fully to understand his majesty, though he clearly expressed himself, was about to ask another question respecting the addresses, when his majesty repeated that he would receive them both by deputation on the morrow, at four o'clock, and immediately turned to a gentleman who had entered the room with us, and shook him cordially by the hand. We then retired. 66 During this short interview I stood within two yards in front of his majesty, and viewed him with particular attention; and it was with infinite satisfaction I perceived him to look uncommonly well, considering the unparalleled trials he has been recently doomed to endure, in both body and mind. His majesty carried himself with great firmness and dignity; his clothes fitted him better than is usual on leaving a sick room; his limbs retained their usual fine proportion; and his eye retained all its wonted vivacity: so that, with due respect to his majesty's physicians, I beg leave to differ from them in respect to his majesty's health and constitution, and repeat the opinion to the world which I gave to the citizens assembled in the council-room, that I think his majesty is one of the most robust looking men of his age in the kingdom; and I hope, for its benefit, that God will long preserve his life, and confound his enemies, if he has any, either private or public; and that the friends of our free constitution and of good order will, during a popular reign, reap the advan "Palace of Government, Angostura, Dec. 14, 1819. "Simon Bolivar, president of the state, captain-general, &c., to the brave soldiers of the Irish Legion. "Irishmen !-Having left your own country, in order to follow the generous sentiments which have always distinguished you among the illustrious of Europe, I have the glory now to number you among the adopted children of Venezuela, and to esteem you as the defenders of the liberty of Columbia. "Irishmen !-Your sacrifices exceed all praise, and scarcely has Venezuela sufficient means to reward you according to your merits; but whatever Venezuela possesses, and can dispose of, shall with pleasure be consecrated to the use of distinguished foreigners, who come to offer their lives and services as a tribute to our infant republic. The promises which the virtuous and brave gen. D'Evereux has made you, as the ground-work of your incorpora tion with the liberating army, shall be religiously fulfilled on the part of the government and people of Venezuela. Be assured, that we will prefer the privation of all our property, rather than divest you of any of your most sacred rights. "Irishmen !-Your most just and sublime recompense is preparing for you in the page of |