TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL.

SIR, Dorchester Gaol, Sept. 25, 1823. IN the year, 1819, you prosecuted me on an information filed against me by Sir Samuel Shepherd, and on my receiving a sentence of a fine of one thousand pounds on that Information, and five hundred pounds on an Indictment, both for the heinous crime of selling books, in addition to a sentence of three years imprisonment, you moved for a writ of Levari Facias to attach my property.

The writ was obtained and instantly put into execution: the whole of my property was seized and my business stopped. The property was removed to an Auction Mart: where, after a lapse of more than three years, a small portion of it was sold: and the bulk now remains unsold.

I have now been a prisoner one year, come November, in addition to the sentence of three years: and I begin to think, that my tribute and expiation has been more than proportionate to my offence upon the established institution: at least, many clergymen have told me so: and I presume, as the cause is partly theirs, they must be good and impartial judges in this matter.

I am at this time full five hundred pounds in debt, and cannot employ an Attorney to bring the affair of the seized and unsold property to an issue, as I have not been able to pay his extra costs for an action brought against the Sheriff last year.

The property seized was worth to me at the time of the seizure full the amount of both the fines: notwithstanding this, a second seizure took place in 1822, of all that I had further accumulated: and if no seizure had taken place, my fines would have been paid last November, and instead of being so heavy a debtor, I should now have been a rich

man.

I must therefore ask the favour of your moving the Court of King's Bench, in the ensuing term, for a writ of Habeas Corpus, that I may be brought up to prosecute my own case in person, and not remain a prisoner for life.

I am, Sir, your obedient Servant,

RICHARD CARLILE.

To Sir Robert Gifford, Knt., His Majesty's Attorney General.

AFFIDAVIT SENT TO THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE COURT OF KING'S BENCH, BY MR. CARLILE.

IN THE KING'S BENCH.

The King against Richard Carlile..

Richard Carlile, of London, Bookseller, now a Prisoner in Dorchester Goal, maketh oath and saith:

That deponent, in the year 1819, was prosecuted in this Court for the publication of two books called blasphemous libels, and received the sentence of this Court, on the 16th day of November, to the amount of three years imprisonment and fifteen hundred pounds fines. That, at this time, deponent was carrying on amost profitable business, as a publisher and bookseller, which was destroyed by the seizure of his whole stock in trade upon the issuing of a writ of Levari Facias from this Court to attach his property, for the fine of one thousand pounds. That after the Sheriff had kept this deponent's shop shut up near six weeks, the whole of his stock in trade was removed to an auction mart in Chancery Lane, on the pretence of sale; but that no sale was made, beyond that of the beds and a few articles of furniture back to this deponent's wife for herself and infant children, to the amount of £54. That though every day tended to lessen the value of this deponent's stock in trade, no attempt was made to sell, and this deponent had to bring an action against the Sheriff, for neglecting to sell, upon which he, this deponent, as plaintiff, obtained a verdict. That, in consequence of this action, the Sheriff did advertise a portion of the stock for sale in January last, and a quantity of which deponent could, four years ago, when first seized have sold for five hundred pounds in his shop, did not, he has been informed, at the sale, fetch more than £35. That the major part of the stock still remains unsold, and this deponent knows not how to bring this affair to an issue, unless he can be brought to London by writ of Habeas Corpus, and cause the necessary motion to be made in this Court for that purpose.

That, in the year 1822, deponent is informed, that a writ was issued from the Court of Exchequer to attach such property as his family had accumulated for him by that time, on account of his other fine of five hundred pounds. That a profitable business, was again destroyed, and this depo

nent's assistants ejected from a house, of which he held a lease that the house has been let by the Sheriff to some other tenant, by which deponent was deprived of another stock in trade, all the fixtures of the house and the remaining part of his lease: and that though, he has now been a prisoner four years, and one year on account of those fines, and though he has been deprived of property far ex ceeding to him the value of those fines, he does not know that he is to receive any abatement of those fines, in consequence of those seizures; and unless, he can be brought into Court, by writ of Habeas Corpus, to make some motions in his own behalf, he sees no termination to his imprisonment. And this deponent further saith, that in this Gaol of Dorchester he has received very improper and unlawful treatment, and such as is preying upon his health, in consequence of the Visiting Magistrates refusing to give him such proper admission to the open air in the day time as is allowed to every other prisoner.

For these, and sundry other reasons, this deponent asketh of this court, that it will, be pleased to issue a writ of Habeas Corpus to bring him before the Court, or to order some final disposition of such property as the Sheriffs have taken from him, on account of the fines imposed upon him by this Court.

RICHARD CARLILE.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

THE period of the imprisonment of Humphrey Boyle expires on the 27th inst. He wants bail to the amount of two twenty pounds only, and we want volunteers to bail him. There will be neither danger nor trouble attending the step, to whomsoever will be so good to come forward. We resort to this method of invitation, in preference to individual and personal applications: and we add that a more deserving man cannot be assisted. Mr. Carlile will hold himself responsible to the bailing parties for all consequences, as Mr. Boyle will not quit his employ: nor is it intended that he shall sell in the shop. The sum is £20. each for two persous. Common Sergeant Denman ought to find them, if he had any sense of shame.

Printed and Published by R. CARLILE, 84, Fleet Street.-All Correspondences for "The Republican" to be left at the place of publication.

No. 20, VOL. 8.] LONDON, Friday, Nov. 21, 1823. [PRICE 6d.

TO THE REVEREND ROBERT HINDMARSH, PRIEST OF THE SECT OF SWEDENBORGIANS, OFFICIATING AT THE NEW JERUSALEM TEMPLE, SALFORD, MANCHESTER.

Dorchester Gaol, Nov. 14, Year 1823: and the era of the decline of the spiritual trade.

SPIRITUAL MAN! MATERIALITY, infinite and eternal, against Spirituality, for whatever stakes you will deposit!

I have just finished reading some of Emanuel Swedenborg's volumes and Mr. Clowes' Pamphlet "On the Two Worlds, the visible and invisible," and I feel additional astonishment at the foul credulity of mankind! I had thought, that the Christian Apocalypse was an experiment upon that credulity; but had the writer of that work been living, I should have thought that Swedenborg had made an experiment upon his credulity, a sort of Munchausen burlesque upon the spiritual rhodomontade of the Evangelist! Swedenborg and Munchausen were countrymen; and Germany seems to be the soil qualified for the growth of metaphysics, spiritual romance, and diseased imaginations.

From what I have read, I gather the doctrine of Swedenborg to be, that which Mr. Clowes, the late Rector of St. John's Church, Manchester, has put forth in his pamphlet, entitled "On the Two Worlds the visible and invisible:" though I shall be glad to be informed where he gets his information about that which is invisible. The answer will be: "The Bible and Swedenborg:" to which I reply, that they are both bad authorities. Swedenborg carries his spiritual visits much farther than any other spiritualist: he has out done Moses, St. John, and Mahomet! There is not a nook in heaven or hell but he has visited, and no spirit so foul but with whom he has conversed! In comparison with Sweden

Printed and Published by R. Carlile, 84, Fleet Street.

borg, Johanna Southcote was a rational woman; and of all the Christian sects, whose tenets have come under my view, those of Swedenborg are the most preposterous. He had just cunning enough to add imposture to insanity. My conclusion of him is, that he first deceived himself with spiritual reveries, and then finding that he could deceive others by the same means, he proceded to add imposture to his own delusions. In giving reasons for this conclusion, I shall first introduce the heads of Mr. Clowes' pamphlet, and then enlarge upon them by introducing the heads of a volume by Swedenborg, entitied "A Treatise concerning Heaven and Hell, and of the wonderful things therein."

Mr. Clowes thus introduces his subject: "All Christians are taught to believe in the existence of two worlds, which they are accustomed to distinguish by the names of the visible world and the invisible world. Thus they call the earth, with its inhabitants, its elements, its various productions, &c. &c. the visible world; whilst on the other hand they call heaven and hell with their inhabitants, their elements, productions, &c. &c. the invisible world. All Christians likewise are taught to believe further, at least, to make profession of a belief, that when they die, and are removed out of the visible world, they enter immediately into the invisible world, where they take up their eternal abodes either in the regions of bliss or of misery, according to the tenour of their past lives."

After a little skirmishing with some of the Christians, who do not believe exactly all that Swedenborg has said, Mr. Clowes goes on to say: "To guard the Christian Reader against the delusion of the above faith, and at the same time so to direct his understanding that he may acquire just and adequate ideas of the invisible world, its sure existence, its nearness, its close connection with the visible world, its great realities and the harmony subsisting between them and the shadows of things here below, is the principal design of the following treatise, in which it is proposed to shew: first, What is to be understood by the terms visible and invisible, when applied to worlds, and hence to demonstrate the following propositions?"

"Ist. That all visible things derive their existence and thus proceed from things invisible, consequently the visible world derives it existence and proceeds from the invisible world.

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2ndly. That visible things imply the existence of things