Our contemporaries, and ourselves more especially, must be cautious in
future in reviewing Conatiat books, or discussing scientific speculations, for it appears to be a libel to call any one an Atheist. Mr. James Grant, in a book on " The Religious Ten- dencies of the Times," a lament over the decline of orthodoxy, particularly in the matter of eternal punishment, described Miss Emily Faithfull as an atheist, a statement entirely without foundation. He offered to insert a letter regretting the state- ment in every copy of his book to be hereafter sold ; but this was declined, and on trial Mr. Grant was compelled to accept a verdict for lOs., and, of course, pay coats. Mr. Grant was in the wrong in attempting to justify, after Miss Faithfull's distinct denial ; but it is rather hard that an erroneous deduction as to any one's tenets, made in all honesty,—for Miss Faithfull's name had been added without authority to a " secular " advertisement, —should be a legal offence. Suppose we said that Mr. Grant, believing in everlasting punishment, must be a demon-worshipper,
for only a demon could inflict so unjust a punishment, would that be actionable?
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