778
HISTORY OF PRINTING.
was not the least, whose Hutory of England alone, proved a little fortune to the prinlcr, book^Iler, author, and stationer. The system of publishing Bibles, Travels, &c. was curried on by Mr. Hamilton, and his friends in the Row, to an extent of profit till then unknown. In 1736, with the assistance of Dr. Smollett,* and other literary friends, he commenced the Critical Review ; which he carried on with considerable success to the time of his death. Mr. Hamil- ton was also a partner with Mr. Jackson, of Ox- ford, in the university press ; but, at the same time, relieved himself from the more immediate labour of personal attendance in his printing- office, by purchasing a villa at Ash, in Hamp- shire, in the neighbourhood of Famham. He had also a town residence in Bedford-row, where he died, in his 74th year.f Mr. Hamilton was a man whose social qualities, well-iufurmed mind, and commimicative disposition had endeared him to a numerous circle of friends, and rendered his death a subject of unfeigned regret. He was a valuable contributor to the literary interests of his time. He left one daughter,^ and one son. Archibald Hamilton, who was also a printer, and had an office near St. John's-gate, Clerken- well, where among other works, he began the Town and Country Magazine, which had a pro- digious sale. He had also a printing-office between Highgate and Finchley, and afterwards at Goldcr's-grcen, Hendon, where he died, Oct. 6, 1793, leaving two sons, Archibald and Samuel, both printers, a third sun in the army, and several daughters.
1793, May 8. Mr. Symonds, bookseller, sen- tenced to pay a fine of jClOO for having pub- lished the Jockey Club, and to be imprisoned one year in Newgate, from the expiration of his former sentence of two years for the publication of the Rights of Man; and for publishing Paine's Address, he was sentenced to be further imprisoned one year, and to pay another fine of £100. After which he was to find security for
- Tobias SmoUett was bora on the banks of the Leveo,
In ScotlaDd, In I7il0, and died at Leghorn, Oct. ai, 1771.
t Mr. Farqohar corrector of the press in Mr. Hamilton's prindng-oflice, was the father of Mrs. Mary Anne Clarice, whose connexion with the duke of York, from 1803 to ISOfi. is notorious, from the parliamentary investigatioD. in 1809, which led to the temporary retirement of his royal hi^liness from the chief command of the army. After this iiivestisation Mrs, Clarke announced her intention of IfiTing: to the world a narrative of circumstances relating to that connexion, which was actually printed, but sup- pressed by the author, on consideration of her receiving j£'10,ooo in ready money, and an annuity of je^6oo, "Hie whole edition of 10,000 copies was accordingly com- mitted to the flames, with the exception of one copy, which was deposited in Drummond's banking house. Stie was the author of the Jiiiial Prince, or a faithful nar- rative of fact* retatiae to the acquaijitance of the author mtth Col. Wardle, Major Dodd, ic. % vols, royal limo. ISIS. A Letter to the Bight Hon. Win. FitageraU, Chan- eetlor of the Irish Etduquer, ic. 8vo. 1813.
t Mrs. Sarah Hamilton died, at ber house at Fnlham, Maich 3», 1819. She was a lady of a well-informed and cultivated mind ; and had associated much with Johnson, Smollett, Goldsmith, Oarrick, and many others of the literati of the last afte, whom she was accustomed to meet at her fktber's hoapttable table. Like him, too, she wa* wall acqoalntad with, and to the last retained a cor- rect remembnnce of the literary history of an exteusive period.
five years for his good behaviour, himself in £500 and two others in £250 each,
1793, May 8. Mr. Ridoeway, bookseller, sentenced to two years' imprisonment in New- gate, at the expiration of tnat time to be im- prisoned one year more, and to pay a fine of £100, and then another year's imprisonment, and a fine of £100, and to find sureties for his good behaviour for five years, himself in £500, and two others in £250 each, for publishing three libels, namely, the Jockey Club, Paine's Ad- dress, and the Rights of Man.*
1793, Mau. William Frend, M. A. who had passed through his academic education at Cambridge with considerable distinction, and become tutor and fellow of Jesus' college, was expelled the university upon this day for pub- Ushing a pamphlet, entitled Peace and Vnirm recommended to the associated bodies of Repub- licans, and Anti-repiJ>licans, 8vo. Against this sentence Mr. Frend appealed to the court of delegates, by whom, however, it was confirmed.
- The reason why so manjr printers and bookselleis
were prosecuted at this time, was throoch the medium of a royal prochunation against seditious writings, which had been laid before the house of commons for their ap- probation, on May 85, 17i;2. This motion was warmly opposed by Charles Grey, (now earl Grey,) and the procla- mation itself condemned iii severe terms, as an insiduoos and pemldooa measure. Orey declared " that he scarcdy knew how to express himself upon It ; because he hardly could distinguish whether the sentiments which gavebirtn to it were more Impotent or malicious. He mentioned the association of the Friends of the People, and complained ttiat the minister, apprehensive of its effects, had con- certed this measure, lirith an insidnous view of separating those who had been long connected.— No man was ever mote ddighted with those practices than the right honour- able gentleman— he. whose whole political life was a con- stant tissue of inconsistency, of assertion and retractation —he, who never proposed a measure without intending to delude his hearers ; who promised every thing and per- formed nothing ; who never kept his word with the pub- lic ; who studied all the parts of captivating popularity, wiUiout ever intendinf; to deserve it i and who, from the first step of his political life, was a complete public apos- tate. He remarked, as one of the objects of this procl». mation, "that the king's ofBcets, his commissioners of the peace, and his magistrates, were to make diligent inquiry in order to discover the authors and publishers csf wicked and seditious writings. In other words, a system of es- pionage was to take place by order of the crown. The very idea was surprising as well as odious, that a procla- mation should issue f^m the sovereif^n of a free people, commanding such a system to be supported by spies and informers." From the accession of George III. in the year 1760 to the year 1800, the number of infcsnnationa against printers and booksellers is Incredible. The like number of informations against the press, in the same period, is not to be found in the history of Great Britain,
The rights of Juries had long been iii an indefinite and Indeterminate state, paxtlcularTy in the case of libels; and disputes disgraceful in themselves, and injurious to the administration of Justice, had frequently arisen between the court and the Jury, between the Judges and the coun- sel. Fox, ever artive in the defence of popular rights, moved for a bill to ascertain the authority of Juries in the matter of libel. With respect to the pretcndexl dlstinctioD between law and fact. Fox observed, that when a man was accused of murder, a crime consisting of law and fact, the jury every day found a verdict of guilty : and this was also the case in felony and every other criminal indictment. Libels were the only exception, the single anomaly. He contended, that if the Jury had no Joria- diction over libels, the counsel who addressed them on either side, as to the criminality of the publlcatloD, were guilty of a gross and insolent sarcasm. Fox put this mat- ter in a strong point of view, by adverting to the law of treason. It was admitted on all bands, that a writing might be an overt act of treason. In this case. If the court of king's beach were to say to the Jury, ** consider
VjOOQ IC
