Yours, &c. AN OLD CORRESPONDENT. Reasons for Catholic Emanci pation. March 9, 1812. ers, one of them spoke in glowing obtain absolution on easier terms language of the defeat of the noble than the Catholic, who must part Lord's attempt against religious with his money to obtain it. If liberty, which was equally impoli- the Catholic ought not to be fully tic, unjust and unprovoked. On this tolerated, ought such persons as subject we perfectly agreed; but these to enjoy full toleration ?" I something being said about the found I had not missed the mark; Catholics, my fellow traveller in- my opponent made no reply, but sisted that they ought not to enjoy evidently felt the stroke aimed full toleration, and that to grant at his theological creed. it them would be dangerous to the I am, Sir, state. Of course I enquired on what grounds he could support such an assertion. He repeated the old tale of the power of the pope and his agents to free the members of their church from the obligation of any oath; that consequently Roman Catholics could 1. Justice demands it. The not be safely trusted, for no oaths Roman Catholic is a man, formcould bind them. From this ed like other men, and for the ground I fairly drove him by a same noble purposes, consequently reference to facts and the avowed he is entitled to the same natural opinion of the most respectable rights and liberties as other meu. Roman Catholic Universities. He To judge for himself, and act acthen insisted that all I had alleged cording to his own judgment, in was of no avail; for so long as all religious matters, is a natural and their priests were supposed to have inalienable right of man, and must the power of absolving them from belong to the Catholic as much as their sins they might commit any to the Protestant; but if so, the crime with impunity and ought exercise of this right ought to subnot to be trusted. I asked, " can ject the former to no civil disquathe Catholic obtain pardon of the lification any more than the latter: priest without paying for it?" He and a regard to justice should stianswered, "He cannot.” I re. mulate us to promote its impartial joined, Then, Sir, there are exercise towards all men. other professors of Christianity 2. It is a moral duty. It more dangerous to society than is an essential and fundamental the Catholics, taking the matter part of moral duty to do to others up on your own ground; I mean in all things as we would they those who maintain that whatever should do to us; but if British crimes they commit they have only Protestants lived in a Catholic to confess them, and to believe country, they would wish to enthat another person was punished joy there all their civil rights and in their stead, and by his righte- liberties, therefore it is their duty ousness they are made perfectly to promote the extension of those righteous, and are perfectly safe; rights and liberties to the cathoGod will behold no unrighte. lics, who live under the British These persons Protestant government: to oppose ousness in them. their being freed from civil disqualifications on account of religion, would be a breach of moral duty. prive them of any of their civil rights? You must grant them their full liberty before you can convince them your religious views and practices are better than their own. It 3. It will render the liberty of Protestants the more secure. Liberty never can be so secure as 5. It is sound policy. when it is extended equally to all will be the most effectual way to denominations and classes of men put an end to catholic disaffecin society: then, and not till then, tion to a Protestant government, every party will feel interested in to terminate unchristian feuds and its preservation. If we counte- animosities between Catholics and nance the proscription or disfran- Protestants, to bind the Catholics chisement of one denomination to- by interest and affection to the day, we may ourselves, with as British constitution and governmuch justice, be proscribed or ment, and to unite both Catholics disfranchised to-morrow; and and Protestants in the common what right shall we have to com- interest. plain, if the same measure be meted to us as we have meted to others? The extension of catholic liberty will not diminish the liberty of protestants, but further establish the foundation and cherish the spirit of all true liberty. A PROTESTANT. Case of Lastley and Stevens, executed at York, 1790, for High way Robbery. "On Saturday last were exe. 4. The promotion of truth cuted at York, pursuant to their requires it. Error and super. respective sentences, Thomas Liststition cannot be eradicated by ley, John Stevens, and Edward persecution in any form, not even Williams, for high-way robberies; the most terrific. In its softer James Hartley for hous-breakform of deprivation of civil rights ing; John Gills, alias Giles, alias and privileges it has done nothing, Best, for horse-stealing; and George and can do nothing, to diminish Moore for burglary. The beha their influence. Liberty, the pa. viour of these unhappy men since rent of free inquiry, is the har- their condemnation, manifested a binger of truth; liberty prepares hearty contrition for their crimes, the way for, and free inquiry in- and a becoming resignation to their troduces, the knowledge of truth. ignominious fate."-Sheffield ReIf the religious views and practices gister of Friday, April 23, 1790. of the catholics be erroneous and Thus were six persons, most of superstitious, the restrictions under whom, it is probable, were young which they are placed will only men, hurried out of the world at render them more tenacious of the the conclusion of one country as error which they think truth, and size. The particular features of of the superstition which they ima. the case of most of them are per gine to be true religion. How haps now forgotten; their offences can they bring themselves to think do not, however, appear to have truth is on the side of those who been of the highest enormity. would fasten their chains, or de. But the case of Lastly and Ste vens, the two first names in the it, and leaving the party in pos session of it, went home, threatening that " he would make them smart for what they had done.” With the same highly censurable imprudence and impropriety above list, excited a too general commiseration in the neighbour. hood in which they had resided, to be soon forgotten: it is still remembered and related. The writer is not unaware that caution with which they had first acted, is necessary in judging of facts they took the basket of provisions from floating reports and popular to a public house, and there reimpressions. He has taken some galed themselves upon its contents. pains to arrive at the truth, and Early in the next week, Wharbelieves that the following short ton with great reason made a statement contains the truth, the complaint to a neighbouring mawhole truth, and nothing but the gistrate. He issued his warrants truth; and it appears to him to for the apprehension of the whole shew the very sanguinary charac. party, and they were committed ter of the English criminal code in to the castle at York. On their a more striking light than any act trial Bingham was acquitted. which has hitherto been submitted Booth was found partially guilty, to the public. and sentenced to seven years' transportation. The fate of Stevens and Lastley has been already men. tioned. Thomas Lastley, John Stevens, John Booth, and Michael Bingham, were men employed in the Sheffield manufactures. On Sa Wharton had publicly declared turday evening, August 29, 1789, before the trial, that he would not after having received their week's appear against them; and such wages, as usual, they spent some was the general persuasion in the time together at a short distance town where they were known, from town. Returning very late that, if he did prosecute them to in the evening, they found the conviction, their lives could rot prosecutor, John Wharton, lying be placed in danger, there being extended upon one of the bridges, evidently more of frolic than of partly intoxicated, and either malignity in the transaction, that asleep, or pretending to be so. no person appeared upon their At the distance of a few yards trial to give them a character they from him stood a basket, which deserved, of being, on the whole, it appeared belonged to him, and steady, industrious, harmless men. contained several articles of pro- It was generally supposed that the vision he had just been purchasing. prosecutor was induced to follow Booth very foolishly took up the up his complaint to their convic basket, and removed with it to tion capitally by the lure of the some distance; the other three reward held out by the statutes roused Wharton, and some alter- 4 and 5 William and Mary, and cation ensued on his discovering 8 Geo. II. to persons prosecuting that the basket was gone. In the mean time Booth returned, bringing with him the basket and its contents. He presented it to Wharton, who refused to receive high-way robbers to conviction. With the money he received Wharton set up a small shop near Sheffield: here he was soon unhoused by an indignant mob. It was not, however, a feeling confined to the lower orders, and Wharton found it necessary to retire from the neighbourhood. Nor can lence, and feeble as my assistance It is material to observe that It has been justly remarked, the state of the country does not appear to have been such as to that the severity of the law which require, at that time, a peculiarly subject men to the forfeiture of awful display of the power of the life for minor offences affords prolaw. The question, then, upon tection to the criminal, who is althis case is, whether the wholesome lowed to escape punishinent altodiscipline of a few months' con- gether, rather than a conscientious finement would not have wrought and reflecting man wiil incur the such a change in the minds and awful responsibility of depriving a habits of these unfortunate men, fellow creature of existence; and as to have rendered society per- to shew that this is not an imagi fectly secure from any repeated nary evil, I state the following fact injurious attack. we which came under my immediate wherein, indeed, I hesitate, on a review of the cir. observation, cumstances, to decide that it stood precisely in this situation, would. It might not, perhaps, and however it is to be regretted be unworthy the attention of those that the character I shall describe gentlemen who are so benevolent is again let loose on society, I ly engaged in endeavouring to in- have never yet repented having troduce a more lenient system of followed the dictates of humanity, punishments into our criminal where, as it appeared to me, the code, to consider also how far it punishment was not proportioned is desireable that the standing re- to the crime. The case I allude ward for the conviction of high- to was that of a bankrupt who had way robbers should continue; and embezzled the property of his crewhether the offering of this bounty ditors. upon conviction ought not to be reserved for the detection and bringing to punishment of the more atrocious and dangerous offenders only. April 7, 1812. X. Case of a fraudulent Banker. Hackney Feb. 17, 1812. I have real pleasure in noticing your laudable endeavours to call the public attention to the subject of capital punishments: the cause you have espoused demands support from every man who posesses the pure feelings of benevo VOL. VII. 2 # a It will be unnecessary to go into a history of the deliberate scheme of villainy which the investigation disclosed; the proofs were clear and decisive, and the man was committed to Newgate by the commissioners, with pressing injunction to the assignees to commence a prosecution, urging the difficulty attending the detec tion of fraud in cases of bank uptcy, and the opportunity which now offered of making a public example. The other assignee, my colleague, being a Quaker, was restricted by his profession from taking any part in a criminal prosecution, and it consequently devolved on, mc, either to call down Printed and Sold by B. Franklin, . "The Printer to the Reader. This version of Cicero's tract the extreme vengeance of the law, those who formed that collection. or to suffer an intamous and un- It is a preface to the translation of principled man to be at full liberty a well-known classic of which to pursue his former system of Franklin was at once the Edifraud and plunder. I have al tor and the Printer. As pro ready intimated that I chose the bably very few specimens of his latter. For many years no con press remain, I will give the title viction had taken place under the page and preface verbatim, from act which makes this offence a ca- a copy now before me. M. T. pital felony ; and the depredations Cicero's Cato Major, or His Discommitted on the trading part of course of Old Age. With Explathe community by fraudulent natory Notes. Philadelphia: bankrupts are too well known to most of your readers to need any observation here. In a word, I was fully aware of the propriety, not only of punishing the man, de Senectute, was made ten years with a view to his individual re- since, by the honourable and formation, but also of making a learned Mr. Logan, of this city; public example, to deter others undertaken partly for his own a from similar practices; and had musement, (being then in his 60th our criminal laws allowed a possi- year, which is said to be nearly bility of doing this by as severe a the age of the author when he punishment as they inflict short of wrote it,) but principally for the death, I should have felt it an entertainment of a neighbour then imperious duty to proceed in the in his grand climacteric; and the prosecution, and the ends of jus- notes were drawn up solely on that tice would not have been frus. neighbour's account, who was not trated: but such is the law and so well acquainted as himself with such are the consequences in the Roman History and language: numberless other cases, some of some other friends, however, (awhich will no doubt be commu- mong whom I had the honour to nicated by those of your corres. be ranked) obtained copies of it pondents who feel an interest in in MS. And, as I believed it to the success of your benevolent be in itself equal at least, if not undertaking. far preferable to any other translation of the same piece extant in our language, besides the advantage it has of so many valuable notes, which at the same time they clear SIR, April 5, 1812. up the text, are highly instructive In your first volume [pp. 137, 192, and entertaining; I resolved to 255.] you inserted some letters writ- give it an impression, being confi ten by Franklin, in his old age, and dent that the public would not which afterwards appeared in the unfavourably receive it. last collection of his works, in 3 A certain freedman of Cicero's vols. 8vo. I now offer you a is reported to have said of a medishort piece, comparatively juve. cinal well, discovered in his time, mile, which escaped the notice of wonderful for the virtue of its S. C. The Book-Worm. No. II. |