Star. — London, England, 1811-02-07 00:00:00

THE ARMY. Taesday morning, the fleet under the command of Sir Jowl:Yolks got under weigh from Torbay, and passed Plymouth the same evening. Saturday, the Renfrewshire Militia marched from Musselburgh for Pennycuick, to do duty over the Flinch prisoners in that neighbourhood. The following came passengers in the Prince of Wales packet, which arrived at Plymouth on Mon day, from Lisbon :—Majors MURRAY and KELLY; MOWS. LANGTON, ORMEROD, SCOTT, COLLINGS, and HOEFOUT.—His Majesty's ship Amelia, of 38 guns, Hon. F. P. Irtsy, sailed from thu Tagus for England two days before the packet, with Generals COTTON, HILL ) LEITH, and CAMPIELL.—.Sir THOMAS WIL LIAMS, with a squadron, sailed from the Tagil: the day before the Amelia, on a cruize.—His Majesty's ship Gorgon, of 44 guns, Capt. Wass, with a fleet of light transports, for Portsmouth, sailed from the Ta gus three days before the packet. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. The Disp,tch, PIKE, reported yesterday to be taken by the Freneh, has arrived safe at Pool. TORBAY, FEBRUARY 5. This morning, the wind getting round between the south and east, his Majesty's ships with the troops bound to Lisbon got under way and proceeded down Channel, but the wind being now so far to the south ward, they were obliged to return again.— Remain his Majesty's ship HussAa with the India ships ; also his Majesty's ship FRANCHISE, with part of her fleet bound to the Mediterranean. PLYMOUTtI, FEBRUARY & The Nancissus frigate, Hon. Captain AYLMER, which sailed from hence about a month ago, for Ma deira and Teneriffe, has captured, on her passage out, a very valuable French ship, homeward-bound from the Mauritius) she fell in with her off Cape Finis terre. There are no arrivals this day. The Duke of Montrose packet arrived late last night with mails and dispatches from Cadiz ; she has had a very long and stormy passage, consequently brings no news of a recent date. The wind having cemeround to 6.E. the fleet for the East Indies and the Mediterranean, and that for Lisbon, under Sir J. S. YORKE, have passed by from Torbay, and stood down Channel with a fine breeze. The remainder of these fleets, about 100 sail, that put into Catwater (Plymouth) will sail as soon as the wind will permit their working out, under con. voy of the FISGARD, RIFLEMAN, &c. The brig Swal low of Poole, arrived off Plymouth yesterday from Alicant and Gibraltar, in ballast ; sailed from the latter place the 20th January, in company with a feet, under convoy of the UNDAUNTS3 frigate, and parted company the following day. A fleet for Africa, and another for Lisbon, sailed from Gibral tar on the 20th ult. PORTSMOUTH, FEBRUARY I. Arrived theWOOLVERINIE sloop of war from Lisbon. Mary Ann, PEACOCK, from Buenos Ayres—left there the 11th November. The blockade which had been laid on by Monte Video on Buenos Ayres, and sane• tioned by Captain actorr, was raised by Admiral De COURCY on the Ist November, who insisted of the British shipping being allowed to go to their respec tive ports without interruption. The Government of Monte Video had protested against him, stating, that they should hold him answerable to the British Go vernment and to the Regency of Spain, for so doing. Captain RAuszv, of his Majesty's ship MISSELTOE, had entirely gained the esteem of the Government and Merchants of Buenos Ayres, whose intentions were to raise a fund to purchase a piece of plate for him, for his exertions for the commercial interests. DEAL, FEERUARY 6. Put back the RERPOLB and her convoy. Sailed his Mijesty's ships ROYALIST, SKYLARK, and CORDELIA, on a cruize. The Taunton Castle, and Union East- Indiamen, are working through the Gulls from the River. Wind S. W. SHEERNESS, FEB. O. Arrived the LYNX from the assistance of the CIA°, who, we are happy to say, is got safely off the Maplin Sand ; also the TICKLER from the Downs ; and the PROMETHEUS, from the Westward.—Sailed the ER NOT out of harbour. MARGATE, FEB. 6. The James and John, WILLIAMS, from London for Lisbon, was chased and fired at off the North Fore land, on Wednesday morning, by a French !liver , privateer, and the pilot ran her on shore on the Main, when the crew took to their boat : as soon as the ene my perceived this he stood away, when the Captain and crew returned, got the ship off, and safe into Ramsgate harbour. The J Lisbon, land, or privateer when dm mT perco and crev Ramsgai Arrivt this mor 11AS LIM foy pack Anholt•- Arrived Remain in the RI The S rinnah, from Dei (A•) GA iT,tu Kin! The Lilt Te7POOl, treS.. is put baq 11 YARMOUTH, FEBRUARY 6. Arrived yesterday a convoy from Heligoland ; and this morning the Lady Nepean packet, Captain Tno- NtAs LINING, with mails and passengers, and the Beau foy packet, Captain NORRIS, with mails, both from Anholt•—Sailed the ACUTE gun-brig on a cruize.— Arrived the BREVDAGERIN gun-brig from the Downs. Remain the Roebuck, Horatio, and Desiree frigates In the Roads ; in the Harbour as per last return. GREENOCK, FEB. 4. • Eight o'Clock, P. M. The Spanish ship El Ydro, SIENA, from the Ha vtnnah, and a ship (said to be the Ives, M'DoNALD, from Demerara) are just beating up. The brig Ann, !A.) GARY, from Virginia, bound to Clyde, was put r , tc., Kinsale the 24th ultimo, by con•rary , Scorr, from St. Andrew's, N. E. to Li verpool, with timber, put in here on Saturday, in dis tr"si The President Dunn, STawnnT, for Trinidad, is put back to Gourock Day • with the loss of anchors. COMMON COUNCIL. A Common Council was held yesterday at Guild hall, pursuant to an adjournment of the debate on the report of the Committee relative to the London Militia. Some routine business being gone through,— Alderman WOOD rose to call the attention of the Court to the subject of the adjourned discussion, which was to be resumed in that Court. He felt that he could add but little to what had already been said in recommending to the notice of the Court the im portant report of its Committee relative to the two regiments of London Militia. The adjournment of the discussion on a former day had been agreed to,' ke believed, in order to give the persons interested in the statements contained in the report, time to come forward there, er elsewhere, with some answer to those parts of the report which they represented or considered incorrect. A letter had even been writ ten by the Committee to Mr. Grose Smith, inviting him, if he had any thing to urge is answer to the matters contained in the report, to come forward and produce it : bat this Gentleman replied, that he had nothing to state, and the Colonel most particularly interested had neglected to attend the Committee, or give any explanation whatever upon the subject. The Committee was therefore now prepared to prove all the allegations contained in the report. What, how ever, had been the conduct of the persons interested, in the charges contained in the report? He had heard of, nay, he had seen, canvassing going on amongst the Members of that Court—he had heard of invitations to dinner, in another part of the town, being given to Members of that Court, whose talents he in common with every Member of the Court could not fail to admire. He did not mean to disparage the Corporation of London, which he was persuaded was not now as corrupt as in former instances. He was convinced there was much more integrity in that Court, than at the time when a Member for Berks demanded of the Minister 200 Lottery tickets of RIO each, which were all, except 25, distributed amongst 'the Members of the Common Council of London.— He trusted, therefore, that they should all come to the decision of this question without bias or partiality. 'another expedient had also been resorted to in order to influence the opinions of the Members of that Court. ,A pamphlet had been published oo the subject by one Captain Kirkman, who had also attended in certain debating societies, where this question had been dis cussed, and who had also on a former occasion ac cused Sir John Earner of a perversion of justice. This %pouting pamphleteer had in his pamphlet, which was circulated amongst the Members of that Court, presumed to call the Committee who framed the re port a cabal. (Alderman Wood was here proceed ing to read a passage from the report, when called to order by Mr. S. Dixon, upon which rather a tumul tuous and desultory altercation took place, marked with some strong expressions of personal feeling and peremptory assertion, which was at length put a stop to by the Lord Mayor's interposition, who declared his intention to maintain the order of the Court, and recommended to the Members to abstain from all per sonalities in the discussion.) Mr. Alderman WOOD then proceeded and said that he despised such insinuations as this pamphlet con tained, and defied all the world to produce any thing to affect his character. But what could that Court think of a production, that imputed to its Committee tkat it was a cabal, an intriguing set, actuated by low cunning, vulgar prejudices, factious principles, and by paltry interested motives ? Could any man justly impute such motives to the Committee ? He had himself served as a Field Officer of Militia without pay, and if ever he should serve again it should be without pay. It had been asked, whether, if the two regiments should be given up, the City would offer to his • Majesty 4000 men with Gomel Waithinan at their head ? But there had been tiass when the City of _London had raised 10,000 men foi the support of the Government. The pamphleteei had stated, that the City regiments were raised for the ,protection of the rights of the City, and had been oal a late occasion called out for that purpose. This hi denied, because they had been locked up in the Ar• tillery•Ground when Sir F. Burdett was carried to the Tower, and had not been called upon until the evening, when he thought a party of them had been injudiciously ordered to blewgate—a measure which, if consulted, he should have resisted. The civil power was amply sufficient for the protection of the City ; as was proved by what had happened in the reign of George the Second, when Sheriff' Jackson, in conducting 16 mutineers to execution, on his arrival at Holborn Bars, dismissed the military, declaring the civil power sufficient; and thoughaeate seamen, who wished to obtain the bodies of their comrades after execution, shewed some symptoms of murmuring, preserved the peace of the City effectu ally, by the civil power. The worthy Alderman then disclaiming any idea of throwing blame upon the two regiments as military bodies, concluded by moving, that the report be read. Mr. S. DixoN asked, whether the Committee had taken any proceedings since the adjournment of this discussion ? Mr. WAITHMAN replied, that the Committee had met for the purpose of receiving any explanation that the parties interested in their report might think it ne cessaiy to offer. Mr. Box, objecting to several parts of the report, would never consent to agree to it in gross. Mr. DORNFOILD proposed, that the persons below the bar should be prohibited from taking notes of the proceedings, but was instantaneously overruled. Mr. WAITHMAN then moved, that the report be now read. The report was in part read by the officer ; but, . upon Mr. MARItYATT'S observing, that as it had been in the possession of every Member of the Court, it WAS unnecessary to read it at length, the officer di:- continued the reading—after which a struggle for precedence in addressing the Committee, upon which several Members spoke, took place between Mr. Al derman Birch and Mr. Waithman : but the Lord Mayor declaring, that as the discussion was an ;d. journed one, the Member (Alderman Birch) who was in possession of the Court when the adjournment was proposed had the right of precedence. Mr. Alderman BIRCH entered into an ezamin4- tion of the subject, professing his determination tti give an unbiassed vote. The question was one which not only involved the honour and dignity of the CoupN poration, but also the character and interests of a body of mea entitled to every respect. With this . .. view he was reedy to agree with the Committee that abuse and calumny would not afford any ground of argument against facts, however subtle they might appear. He had read most attentively ;be Report, and declared himself incompetent to find upon what ground the removal of the Militia from their ordinary posts could be beneficial, either to the Government, the State, or to the City of London. Ile animad verted upon the different Clauses of the Report, which he considered as comprising a variety of mis statements, and as not satisfactory in order to induce the application for a Bill to Parliament. On these grounds lie suggested the necessity for dismissing the Report altogether. Mr. WAITHNAN said, that the Report was a simple statement of facts, and such a Report as was called for by the circumstances of the case. The Report, indeed, spoke for itself, and it was hardly necessary for him to enter into a refutation of all the slander which had been poured out against it. He was not so inexperienced as not to know that the more atro cious the nature of any abuses which are pointed out for public animadversion, the more odious are the epithets which are heaped by the culpable party on the head of the detectors. It gave him no surprise, therefore, that this Report had excited such a strong degree of irritability in a certain quarter ; but it would, indeed, have much surprised him, had it not excited that degree of 'irritability. He had heard the conduct of the Committee pointed out to the repro bation of every Member of the Court ; he bad heard the Report charged with substituting conjecture for fact, and insinuation for argument. These and a number of other epithets were thrown most undeser vedlyL on the Committee ; and though he was unwil ,lmg to attach epithet to the public conduct of indi viduals, when an individual came forward and vo lunteered himself in the cause of abuse, he could not but think him, in every point of view, a fair subject of animadversion. He was sorry to see the worthy • Alderman who opened this business take notice of the R author of a defamatory pamphlet which had lately been given to the public against the Committee. He should have let the pamphlet, and the author of the pamphlet, die of their own insignificancy. The pamphlet, such as it is, seems to be the same as the speech of the gallant Colonel, and something very like the speech of the worthy Alderman. The au thor quarrels strongly with the reference ; but on this _subject it is not necessary for the Committee to speak —the reference is the work of the Court, and with the reference the Members of the Committee have no business. The Report, as it branches itself into se veral heads, has been followed in their order by the worthy Alderman (Birch). The charge is the an nual expences.—Who pays the ,50,000? says the worthy Alderman. Is it the City of London ? No it is Government ; anel you have no right to interfere .with it. Well ! and although Government pay this sum, is this a plea to be set up in an inquiry of this nature ? He had a property in the country, however small that property might be, and he had a right to in quire into the disposal and appropriation of the public money. Wherever the scene of the peculation might lie, were it in Cumberland or Westmoreland, still he had a right to interfere with it. Against such narrow arguments he would always give his strong protest. —But if gentlemen begin to abuse the Committee for . their conduct, and say that they substitute for argu ments, insinuations and gross deceptions (here he was I interrupted by Alderman Birch, who disclaimed the using deceptions). A gentleman last said, that he would prove a gross deception ; but unluckily before he sat down, he forgot his proof. He would tell those who abused the Committee, that it was composed of as good materials as were to be found in the Council. It might be possible indeed, to find twenty.six men of greater wealth in the Council, but sure he was, , not of greater worth or integrity. The abusive epi. thets, therefore, poured out on the Committee, de. feated themselves. They were charged with taking ex park evidence. They took the best evidence which I could be got ;—whose fault was it that they had not better evidence ? When questions were put to the Officers, they said they held their Commissions under the Court of Lieutenancy, and were only accounta. ble to them, and not bound to answer the Committee. This was a very curious way of shewing respect to the Common Council and the City of London. He could tell, however, the worthy Alderman, that if he had not been an Alderman, he would never have held a Commission in the regiment. The worthy Alderman talks of his constituents—why he may put all his Constituents in a hackney coach-4fteen is the highest amount of them. With respect t' the cloth. ing of the regiments. a Motion was made by Mr. Randle Jackson, that an application should be made to Government to pay the clothing, and Government was applied to on that subject, and agreed to pay it ; and yet we see a sum of no less than £l9OO paid to the partner of one of the Colonels. A Gentleman who gives his service as a Magistrate ought not to be called on to spend any part of his own money in the service of the public ; but it was disgraceful in any Magistrate, and more particularly disgraceful in a Magistrate of the City of London, to put a shilling of the public money into his own pocket. With re. spect to the stock purse—it has been said that it is no stock purse—that this is a misnomer—so says the Speech of the worthy Colonel and the Pamphlet, which is the same thing. Why t because you ought to pay ten guineas, and you only pay seven. It is a regimental stock purse, and they ought to. have ap. plied it for regimental purposes, and not put,their hands into the pockets of the City of London. When the commutation of seven guineas was agreed on, it was admitted by the Commissioners of Lieutenancy, that if men milli be got for less, the rest was not to be put into the pockets of the OfEccri. A different doctrine is maintained by the worthy Alderman, the Pamphlet, and the sublime columns of that sublime production the Post. (Here MI. Waithman entered into a variety of details on the subject of the Report, in answer to the objections which bad been thrown out, which we are reluctantly compelled to omit, fs,r ' want of room.) Before concluding, he would advert to an objection which had been made to the Report It had been said that it was the intention of the Com mittee to traduce the whole Magistracy - of the City of London. Certainly the Court of Lieutenancy, which it is hardly possible to make a Court,. from want of Member s , cannot be said to be the .Magi;. tracy of London. But Gon forbid that they should , ,he deterred from the discharge of their duty, it all the !Iraq' of tAke. Gisr , ,oi LtondOn ippllcated: The came, hqwrier r .wit "fry ddrernis t . ; g oar could $ Magistracy of the Mastraey be implicated, when Sir Charles Prim and the Recorder refused to pass the Accounts ?—• He would ask the Magistrates who crowded around them, if they would have passed the Accounts ? But if so much stress is laid on character, why is the Committee ,to be vilified ? Why had Members of that Committee been vilified I,r a period of more than ten years Groundless calumnies he had ever despi, 4 ; they flew harmless by as the idle winds. But he would tell Gentlemen that they had their character ia E,._ tr own keeping. Were the Committee to sit still and look on these enormities without endeavouring to er_ pose them ? With respect to the utility of the regi. ments, that was a subject deserving cif deep reflecti, )11; and, perhaps, required the consideration of men of more skill in military affairs than the Committee ; but whatever be the duty, they world not shrii,ic Worn it. He meant, therefore, to move— " That the Court should agree to the Report, except that p.m which recommends snapplcation to Parliament to repeal the Militia Acts." And nein— " That it should be recommended to the Committee to viva der of the possibility of the adoption of measures fur the altera tion and improvement of the state of the Militia, and the moasurel • that should be falleb oo to procure the enforcement of any A.ts that Infest be passed on the subject." Mr. JACKS could not agree to the Report. He con. tended, that it did not follow that the Colonel was implicated in abuse, because he refused to answer the .Committee. He had examined his accounts, and -could declare upon his honour, that they were made op more like a tradesman or merchant's accounts • than any he had seen. The amount of she rock• purse was some hundreds less than £lOOO, and h td never been £2OOO, by some hundreds. It was nis then just nor fair to drag an individual before the 'public in the manner this Report had done. H. should, therefore, protest against adopting the first motion, because it would implicate the Court in the mis•statements, and errors, and libels by implication, contained in the Report. Mr. SAMUEL Dixon was glad that the Gentleman who brought forward the motion did not go the length of recommending what he set out with, to disband the two regiments ; that Gentleman now proposed to omit I that part of his motion, but to leave in the Report all the attacks it contained upon the characters of in. dividuals. He hoped, therefore, that the Court would I meet the whale of the report, with a view, if true, t sanction it, and if false to reject it. If that Gentle. man was actuated by a sincere wish to render the two regiments more effective, he should fairly Coda forward with a proposition to that effect. The Re port, he contended, was full of libels : it contained " envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness."—. It should never be said that the Court had given its sanction to such a proceeding. The Gentleman who made this motion had done justice to Mr. Smith; hut the Report contained charges against him, which the Court should not countenance. Mr. Dixon then contended that it would be much more candid in the Gentlemen on the other side to bring forwari I l the question as to the extension of the services of the iCity regiments upon its own grounds ; and concluded by saying, that the Court.should never, with his ap probation, give its sanction to such a Report. Mr. WHeeLe made some observations in favour of the Report, and stated that when the Militia Acts were passed, the City Members were asked in the Firm if they had been approved of, and they :di roundly 'asserted that they had. 'rhie(said Mr. Whe ble) in the language of Shakespeare, I deny ; its as " A lie—an odious, damn'd lie." These worthy Aldermen, however, did not Ile for nothing ; they all came to be Col , .nels of thee.erniitia regirdents in their turns. The worthy Commoner made some further remarks on the inutility of these regiments generally. • Mr. Alderman C. Swim opposed the report in a few words. Mr. Qum, in a speech of considerable length, ad. vanced many powerful and ingenious arguments its support of the report. Sir W. Curds acknowledged that there had been some improper things in those regiments, but he thought the Committee was by nn means warranted in bringing forward a Report so violent and so rash. By the Report, any one would' be led to suppose that Sir John Earner had retained several thousands of pounds belonging to the stock.purse.in his own pri. vote coffers. Now, he would take upon himself, as a man of business, and a person conversant with ac counts, to say, that the balance, as against Sir John Earner, never amounted to ,5100 , which was not a sum of that consequence to justify the Committee in attacking his reputation with such severity. I Mr. MAWSIAN spoke against the report. Alderman GOODISEHERIC defended the report. He thought that those Gentlemen who entered so warmly rinto the feelings and reputation of an individual, should have also considered the honour and feeling; of the City of London, who had to support these re• giments. A lore s and desultory conversation then took place, Mr. WAITIIMAN then shortly replied to the olmer. ' rations which had been made, and defended the ac. curacy of the Report. He thought that it was der,- gators' to the honour of the City, and most unsatif.• .. factory to every person who wished to maintain its ' interests, to find that even up to this day they were unable to procure the proper accounts of the expendi ture of the Trophy-tax, which was so considerable a burden on the Citizens of London. Mr. Oleos: said, that he was astonished at the Gentleman (Mr. Waithmsn) persevering in his cllt fence of the Report, after the many errors that hat been detected in it. As to many of the points which he had brought forward, he must know, in his con. science, and did know, that they were not proper to be brought forward th ere.; Mr. WAITISMAWVOSe with some warmth, and won dered thlitnny Man should dare impute it to him, that his conduct eras at all different from that, w..ich his couscien:e recommended. The question was then loudly celled for, and the Amendment " excepting such parts of the Report us went to recommend the, discontinuance of the Lon. don regiments, " was carried without a division. The Court hen divided on the original question so amended : For agreeing to the Report, Aldermen .Aralest It, Ald,rmen 8 Commas 58 Commons 41 • . Tellers 2-69 Tenors 2-51 • . Iv:slot : kg for agreeing to the report 19.. It was then referred to the same committee to con sider and report what should be subsituted in the pleat of the recommendation • for the immediate diseout nuance of the regiments. •