27 APRIL 1839, Page 6

The Stafibrdshire E.?'untiner publishes the particulars of a case brought

before the Westbromwich Magistrates on Tuesday last, which, if correct, are highly discreditable to Lord Dartmouth. The circum- stances are thus summed up, in a leading article of the paper men- tioned— " It seems that a poor man was engaged by some parties concerned in the opposition to the election of Lord Dartmouth's nominee as Churchwardeu at estbronnvich, to publish a number of circulars containing the reprint, from the Leeds Mereury, of an apparently very flagrant case of oppression on the part of his Lordship towards a dissenting coiwregation in a Yorkshire parish. The appearance of this report must of coorse'have been very obnoxious to his Lordship. He went forth to the public as having been engaged in a_gross act of persecution, to which accusation no refutation had been opposed. Under these circumstances, what will the public suppose was the course pursued by the noble earl, or his agents, for whose conduct, of course, he must be taken to be responsible: Why, advantage has been taken of the statute of George the Third, which imposes a penalty on the dissemivation of printed papers not authenticated hv the printer's name, to convict the distributor in a mitigated (!) penalty of ten pounds for each paper so proved to be distributed, in the event of the non-payment of which penalty within a week lie will be in- carcerated for an indefinite period ! We do firmly believe, that a more flagrant eatie than this never yet met the eye of the public, Nothing libellous has been proved to have been published in the handbill ; and a perusal of it will show to our readers that it is by no means violent or rancorous in its expressions."

A subscription has been raised in Westbroutwich to pay the fine imposed upon defendant, and to present him also with some money ; so that the prosecutor's object will not be achieved.