I think the main difference between this and Napoleon's system was that, (apart from the suspension of Habeas Corpus cases) there was a jury trial, on-one could give a direct order to suppress a work or imprison the author.

Curiously, when the Bourbon government introduced a law of limited censorship in 1814 the Times supported it strongly and ridiculed attempts to oppose it in the Chambers. Liberty of the press was something the French liberals felt more strongly about than the English did, probably because of bad experiences in the past.

regards,

Susan