Star. — London, England, 1806-05-21 00:00:00

h TO THE PUBLIC. AMEETING will be holden at the London Tavern. on THURSDAY NEXT, the sad of May initant, at Twelve o'Clock precifely, for the purpefe of further taking into eno6deration the Plan of , he Philanthropic Annuity Office, and of receiving Subferiptioas for the fame. WM. LUDLAM. No. Is, Welhech-Rrcet, Cavendiat fqnare, May t 6. STATE PAPERS. FROM THE LONDON GAZETTE, MAY so. The Ring has been pleated to cattle it to be lignified by the Right Honourable Charles James Fox, his Majefty's Principal Secretary of State (or Foreign Affairs, to the Minifters of Friend ly and Neutral Powers refiding at this Court, that his Majerly, taking into confidention the new and ettranedinary means re toned to by the enemy, for the purpofe of &leafing the commerce • of his fulled', has thought fit to diredt that the neceffary mea furca Mould be taken for the blockade of the coaft, rivers, and ports from the river Elk to the port of Brcß, both incluflve; and that the fald coaft, rivers, and ports are, and muff be contidered at blockaded : but tlitit his Malay is pleated to declare, that Ruch blockade hall not extend to prevent neutral hips and yeah laden with goods, not bring the property of his Majerty's ene mies, and not being cvntrabard of war, from approaching the • faid emits, and cote' ing into and failing from the Paid rivers and ports (lave and except the coat, rivers, and ports from Oftend to the river Seine, already In a Rate of Itridt and rigorous blockade, and which are to be confldered as fo continued t) Provided the • (aid (hips and weirdo fo approaching and entering (eacept u afore (aid) Buil not have been laden at any port belonging to or In the poffeffion of any of his Mayfly's enemies, and thut the raid hips :tr.tcs of tt.c C. lc, tr. tLc Lift rag.; ] At the Court at the Q2een's Palace, the 14th of ' May, 18c6, prefent, the King's Molt Excellent Ma jefty in Council, His Majefty having taken into confideradon the prefent Rate of Hamburgh and Oldenburgh, and the circomftances under which feveral veffels belonging to Bremen and Paprnhurgb, have arrived Jn the porta of the United Kingdom, is pleated, by and with the advice of his Privy Council, to order, and it is hereby ordered, that the Embargo now fuhfifting upon all (hips and veffels belong ing to Hamburgh and Oldenburgb, he taken off: And it is hereby further ordered, that the Embargo be alto taken off thofe veffels belonging to the towns of Bremen and Papenburgh, which had cleared out for ports of the United Kingdom previous to the Prof. flan notification, dated twenty-eighth of March laft, whereby Bri dal Mips were excluded from the ports of the Pruffian dominions, and from certain other ports in the North of Europe ; and that the kid (hips and week, with their cargoes, not being Pruffian, or eactnies' property, be permitted to fail to any port not blockaded: Aid the Right Honourable the Lords Commiffioners of kis Ma jefty's Treafiary, the Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty, the Lord Warden of the Cinque Parts, and the Judge of the High Corot of Admiralty, are to give the neceffary diredtions herein as may to them refpedtively appertain. w. sAwcassit. At the Court at the Qlreen's Palace, the 14th of May, 1806, prefent, the King's Mott Excellent Ma jelly in Council. Whereas during the interval which has clapfed flare his Majefty found hlmfelf compelled, by the hoftik meafures of his Majefty the King of Pruffia, to lay an embargo on the (hip and goods be longing to his fubjeds, and to places under his controls', firth ba tik meafures lave not been difeontinued: And whereas the town of Papenburgh cannot but be confidered as dependent on, and gorier the abfolute controul of Pruffia; his Majefty therefore is pleated, by and with the advice of his Privy Council, to order, and it is thereby ordered, that general reprifals be granted againft the Alps, goods, and fubjedts of the King of Pruffia, and of the town of Papenburgh, (rave and except any Chips to which his MaJefty'. Ileum has been granted, or which have been direEted to be re• Leafed from the embargo), fo that as well his Majefty's fleet. and (hips, as alto other Clips and Tetras that (hall be commiffiouated by letters of marque er general reprifak, or otherwife, by his Ma • Commilfioners for executing the Office of Lord High Ad• mint of Great Britain, theft and may lawfully (else all (hips, vef fels, and goods belonging to the King of Prefix, or his fubjeas, or others inhabiting within the territories of the King of Pruffia, or belonging to the town of Papenburgh, (except as aforefaid), and bring the tame to judgment in any of the Courts of Admiralty within his Majefty's dominions; and to that end, his Majefty's Advocate General, with the Advocate of the Admiralty, are forth' with to prepare the draft of a commiffion, and prefent the Came to his Majdty at this Board, authorifing the Commiffioners for exe siting the Office of Lord High Admiral, or any perfon or perfoos by them empowered and appointed, to iffue forth and grant letters of marque and reprifals to any of his Majefty's fubjefts, or others, whom the kid Coumnffieners Sidi deem fitly qualified in that be half, for the apprehending, (rising, and taking the (hip., velLls, and goods belonging to Pruffia, and the valtals and flatlets of the King of Protar, or any inhabiting within his countries, territorial, or dominions, or belonging to the town of Papenburgh, (except as aforefaid); and that fuch powers and chutes be infected in the raid commiffinn as have been ufual, and are according to former precedents; and his Majefly'a Advocate General, with the Advo cate of the Admiralty, are alto forthwith to prepare the draft of a eanottiffion, and preterit the fame to his Majefty at this Board, an thorifing the Paid Commiffioners for executing the Office bf Lord High Admiral, to will and require the High Court of Admiralty of Great Britain, and the Lieutenant and Judge of the Paid Court. his Surrogate or Surrogates, as alto the feveral Courts of Admiralty within his Majeftft dominions, to take cognizance of, and pro cud upon all and all manner of capturcs. leisure', prizes. and re Fifa .. of all lips and goods that are, or (hall be taken, and to ►ear and determine the fame, and according to the Court of Admiralty and the laws of nation, to adjudge and condemn all (mach Chips, vef fek, arid goods as &all belong to Pruffia, or the rads and Cutler:ls of the King of Pruffia, or to any others Inhabiting within any of his countries, territories, and dominions, or as Stall belong to the town of Papenburgh, (except as aforefaid); and that filch powers and claufts be infected in the faid commillion as have been ufual, and are according to former precedents ; and they are likewife to prepare and lay before his Majefty at Mk Board, a draft of fuch inftru Mons as may be proper to be rent to the Courts of Admiralty in his Majefty's foreign Government. end Plantations for their guidance herein : as alto another draft of in ftruetions for fuch (hips u (hall be commiffionated for the purports above-mentioned. trancre, nowicx, II PUTTY, ORrNrILL t. C ) rot, W. WINULIAII. MAT. BONO, DOWMING•STISIT, MAY r 6. and weird; fo falling from the fsld civets and ports (except as r sfureski) Inn not be deltined to any pat belonging to, or in V the pareflion of any of his Majefty's enemies, nor have previout. ly broken the blockade ; and that the laid coals, rivers, and ports nmft be conlidered as being in • (late of blockade;--and that from thi Clue all the meafures autborifed by the Law of Nations Treaties between his Majefty and the dill: rent 1 Powers, wi.l he sJ,pled and executed dfels which rosy attempt to violate the laid frnm thi Cute all the and ar t..t/ritlve Tr and neutral with repeet to an vcrl olockade. Lees s cyczla HAMBURG!! :min,. VISIIA, MAY 3. —Our Court Gazette of this day contains the following intelligence from Turkey : Pafrwan Oglu, againit whom the hatred of the Servians was principally direCted, drat, fince the af faffination of the Bifhop of Widdin, and the arreft of the molt diftinguiffied Rajahs. fent negociators to the principal chiefs of that nation to appeafe them, and terminate their quarrels in an amicable manner. —The Servians have demanded hollages as fecurity for the promifes ot Pafrwan Oglu. On the 3d and sth of April the infurgents gained new advantages over the troops of the Begletherg of Romelia, near Oftroniz La. The news of the taking of Shabatz was prema ture, but it is certain that the place is reduced to dif. reefs, and that the Chiefs of the Servians, Czerni Georges, and Glavarch, have twice been into the fortrefs to hear and difcufs the propofitions made them by the Turks. GENOA, Apart. lg.—There are at Porto Ferrajo, in the ifland of Elba, nine French (hips of war, which will fail immediately for Gaeta. That fortrefa (kill defends itfelf with great obltinacy. They write from Leghorn, that all Englifh met-' chandize is there feverely prohibited. The government of Etruria will not in future pay , the 60,0c0 livres it had engaged to advance per month for the maintenance of she French troops. COPINNAGEN, MAY 10.--111 C Engliffi armed (hips that have convoyed the merchant velrels into the Baltic, it is Paid, have received provifinnal orders not to commit any holliliries in that quarter. Seve ral circumflances teem to indicate that our troops in Holftein and Slefwick will flay these this year longer than ufual. STRALSUND, MAY 6.—His Majefly the King of Sweden has found it neceffary to publi(h a Royal Ordonnance, fignifying, that any perfons in Pome rania, who (hall be implicated in oppofing his or. dtrs, for enrolling for the defence of the country, (hall be fent out of it ; and if any perfons of this defcription (hall be aatially convieted of fuch a, breach of confidence, his Majelly will look upon the 101 l of fuch unworthy fubjeas as a real gain. HaMIURGH, MAY r4.—His Royal Highners the Hereditary Prince of Denmark, according to infor mation received at the Exchange of this City, is lhortly expelled at Altona ; as he intends to snake a journey of infpettion into Hollicin. All the Swedifh veffels at Dantzic and Koningffierg have been laid under an embargo. ASISTIRDAM. MAY 10.—A loan is let on foot here, for the benefit of his Majeftythe King of Wirtemberg, to the amount of one million of florins, ar five per cent. intereft, upon the fecurity of the revenues of the entire kingdom, and in particular the cities and ma nors of Heilbronn, Schoenthal and Rothenmunfter, which produce 126,800 Dutch florins yearly. HAG ua, MAY 10.—We teem very nearly approach ; ing the expelled change. Gen. Michaud, the Confuls ' Gobier and Maupertius, and (everal French Officers ; of the Staff,have arrived here from Amfierdam and • Rotterdam. Tomiorrow a principal Officer from ; Paris is expelled here. Among the Orange tumours circulated here, we , learn that a new kingdom is to be crated out of the • frontier provinces of France and Spain, which will be , given to the King or Queen of Etruria, who are to cede their part ot Italy to France. Spain is to be in , demnified out of Portugal, and Portugal is to receive : tome ifland:. Our public debt at prefent amounts to near one thoufand millions of florins, and the intereft to al. mutt as much as the whole of the revenue before the Revolution. PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS. HOUSE OF LORDS, TUESDAY, MAY so. The Scotch Judges Salary Bill was read a third time, and paged• Several alb, among them the frith Franking Bill, the frith De bentures Bill, were brought up from the Commons, and read a firft time. DEBBNCI BILL. Lord SPENCER moved the Order of the Day for the fecond reading of the Bill to repeal the Bill known by the name of the Additional Force Ml. His Lordlhip would not wafte the time of the Houle in a minute enumeration of all the reafons which concurred in recommending the repeal of that aft.— Neither did he think it necefrary to refer to any of the plans nr meafures which were fuppofed to be in contemplation as fuhlli.utes for that Bill. He fhould chiefly telt what he had to fa; upon the known ope ration of the bill for more than twenty two months, and on the complete failure which marked that ope ration. I: was upon the ground of that failure that he felt himfelf jullified iu preaing the prefent bill for irs repeal. From a fair and general view of the ope ration of the Detence Aft, it has appeared to be a bill not for railing men but money, and that that money had been railed .in the moil fevere manner. He might nest demonflrate the enormous deficiency in the number of men that were to be railed from the papers now before the Houfe, and alfo the utter improbability of its ever proving produdive. It would be hard indeed, if on account of the incapa city of the perfons employed in the different willies to raife men under this At, the pacifies fhauld be now obliged to make good the immenfe films in which they mull be fined unlefs the Defence AIE was repealed. His Lordfhip, after entering into a variety of flatements refpthing the progrels of the bill at different periods, flrenuoufly contended, that from no profpeit or calculation could any rational expee tation be derived that the operation of the bill could be amended, or any fuccefs whatever relish from it. In that convitlion, he fhould move that the Bill be now read a fecond time _ _ _ . _ Lord CAMDEN oppofed a long ilring of (tate ments in favour of the promifing fuccefs of the De fence Aft, in oppofition to thole that were advanced againft it by the Noble Earl who fpoke firft. Above all things. he mull deprecate the repeal of the aft, before fomething equally promifing and efficient was fabtlituted in its room. Lord ST. JOHN took a long furvey of the bill, and entered into an equal number of calculations to prove the accuracy oldie Ratements advanced by his Noble Friend (Lord Spencer), which, in his mind, had by no means been adequately anfwered. As to a fubßitute for the Defence AA. be contended, that in the firft intlance die chief fobtlitute for it mac be its repea). Lord WESTMORLAND argued at great length agalna the bill for t' e repeal. Every thing he had oblerved and learned upon the fubjed, tended to convince him that the operation of the Defence At was every day becoming more efficacious,and that no thing Runt of infaniry could prompt the repeal of it, at a moment when the afpat of affairs both at home and abroad, made it fo urgently neceffary to en courage our military force by every pollible means. Nor did the imprudence of the propofed repeal flop there. What was to follow ? Could it be believed, that in the midfk of the molt arduous war, the prin. cipal fuldlitute propofed for the Defence Al, would be come wild innovation of recruiting for limited ter. , vice. With what rnirchiels fuch a change at fuch a moment might he pregnant, he (hould leave to the cool confideration of their Lord(hips—but even at the prefent moment, he could not but exprefs his ut. moll furprife and chlTatisfaftion, at the ftrange fyi tern which Minilters teemed difpofed to introduce in the place of what had been fandioned by fuch long experience. The Noble Earl was proceeding to dif cufs and deprecate what was rumoured to be the in tended fubliitutes for the Defence Ad, when he was called to order by Lord SPENCER, who reminded the Houle that the only queftion before them was the merits and de merits of the Defence ASR, and that to them in open ing the bufinefs of the Houle, he had molt pointedly called the attention of their Lordfhips. Lord ELDON and Lord HOLLAND made tome obfervations upon the point of order, after which Lord WESTMORLAND perfilled in difTuading the Houfe from agreeing fuddenly to the repeal of a Bill, from which fo much now might be expeded, efpecially before any meafure was propofed that was likely to be more efficient. He fhoold therefore move that the fecond reading of the Bill be deferred till this day Fortnight. Lord SIDMOUTH raid, that, for reafons which tome of their Lordfhips would think fufficient, he was difpored to have been fluent on the prefent quef. tion, but the Noble Lord who had jolt fat down had left him no alternative ; he had adverted to him in a way that it was impoffible not to notice, and he hoped he fliould reply in a manner continent with the refped due to their Lordthips. He was defirous not only to reply to what had been faid on the merits of the queftion, but alto to what more immedi ately and perfonally affected himfelf. The Noble Lord alerted, that the country, at the commence ment of the wan, was in an unprovided Rate, and he rather more than infinuated, that the culpability for its weaknefs was attributable to him (Lord Sid. mouth). It was true, that, at the beginning of holti lities, the militia had been difbanded ; but their Lord (Nips would recoiled, that this was not in confequence of any aa of his Majelly's Minifters, but by the oper ation of law. He raid, by operation of law, not he caufe there was any pofitive regulation on the fub jed; but the men were releafed from their regiments becaufe the natute was fo Imlay worded, that, con (trued is the popular fenfe, it was fo undertlood. In fuch a cafe, the Government did what he hoped every future Adminiflration would do—intlead of availing themfelves of the Mel letter of the law, they admit ted the more liberal conflrudion to prevail. It was alto true, there was tome redudion of the army on the edition of the war ; but on this fubjed there was but one opinion, fo that it was with Come furprife he heard an ohjedion, at this time, urged to that di minution of the force, and efpecially from his Noble Friend. But to what extent was it carried ? No part of the infantry was withdrawn, excepting from the Guards, to produce a nee pproach in the height of that regiment. A full and complete anfwer to every charge of want of precaution in the Admi ninration referred to was this : that, at the time of the renewal of the war, there was double the number of men on the eftablirament than at any former period of tranquillity. He might be permitted to go one Rep further. By the papers on the table their Lord (hips had Peen, that, in Odor, the numbers were 77 , 574 before fix months were expired, they u•cre increafed to 88,765, (hewing an augmentation of more than t 1,000 men, in that (bort interval. Could the refiedion be juftly applied to the Adminiltratirn of that day under thee circumaances ? There was another point to which he would folicit their Lord fhips' attention. It had been faid that the event of defertion was in proportion to the number of men railed for the fervice. This was not found to be prac tically correct. The number railed in the !aft year did not afcend to zo,ooo men, yet the defertions at home only amounted to 5954. In 1803, when the men raifed were greatly more numerous, the deferters were fewer by zOOO. The fad was, that the defection was not in proportion to the number railed, but to tile mode of acquiring men. It was inaccurately obferved, that no particular exertion was made in 1803 to en. hance the public force, but by referring to No. t, on the Table, their Lordfitips would fee 85,559 men were railed, and of the Army of Referve 40,000, forming a total of 125,5 to men. Lord CAMDEN explained the qualification with which he had made the remark. Lord SIDMOUTH T.:fumed, that when the Bill was under their dellheration.bcfm, he entertained the fame opinion of it he did at that moment : he knew that it mull be inefficient : laft year, from the conviaion that the experiment had totally failed, a motion was made for its repeal, and it was then juflly affirmed that it had been unfuccefsful in its primary ohjea, which was the railing of a given number of men for the fervice of the country. It had been faid that thofe who difapproved of one meafure fhould recommend what was preferable to it. Al ' though he was not always difpofed to protect himr if beneath any negative defence, yet this was not the time to confider the efficacy of other expedients; it I was enough to (hew that this had mifcarried, and he called upon the Nolle Lord not to defend a projed which was difcovered by experience to be wholly in adequate to the objet propofed. If he formerly fop ported it, confittency did net require that he fhould perfevere in the fame opinions when its futility was afccrtained ; at lean there was a continency of a higher kind affeaing his parliamentary charaaer, which his Lordthin knew well how to refped. In flitting his fentimcnts, he fhould not examine at all the arithmetical computations ; he would rather confider the general (cope and defign of the Bill.— The intention undoubtedly was, to add to the do mettie force, and to procure a fupply for the array without interfering with the recruiting fervice ; and in this it had not fucceeded. Before October t Bog, 41,455 mat were to have been obLair.ed, and of theft twenty thoufand were to be in the ranks of the regu. lars ; inftead of producing this *timber, it only relied 7540 ; and of thefe five thoufand only were procured under the provifions of the 8311. Their Lordffiips were aware, that he now alluded to the e ncouragement given to parochial officers to difre gard the eflabliffied law, in order to acquire the men —fo that he was entitled to fay the fuceefs was not real, but nominal, even to that limited extent. A Noble Lord wrote a letter on the t 6th Septembers' 18og, on the difeovery of the infufficiency of the Bin —yet, with all the united exertions of friends, and Lieutenants of the Counties, it was incompetent ; and another letter was written in the month of De cember following, to fubftitute Infpeding Officers for the regular legitimate conftitutional authority of the Lieutenants ; and thus the whole agency of the Bill was changed ; but, whatever alterations at un derwent, it Rill preferved the fame charader of inef ficiency. It, however, fucceeded much better when parilh officers had no concern in it ; and accordingly an augmentation was found on the :9th of April laft which was the Weft period of the returns. This circumftance led to a fuggeftion for the employment of agents in various pans of the kingdom, and the policy of this was recommended from the fuperior Weeds in Scotland and Ireland, where, there being no porn officers, perfons of another defcription per formed this duty. In Ireland, 1078 men were rwifed., and, by regimental officers, only 272. This variation in the plan was the true caufe of the improvement. The queflion then was not merely if the means em ployed were legitimate ; into that he would not en. quire ; but if, on the whole, taking the Bill in its general effect, it were operative to inmate confider ably the military force. On this part of the fubjed, the ftatement of his Noble Friend was incontroverti ble ; he had diflindly proved, that, in proportion as the effect of the Bill was augmented, the recruit ing of the army was diminifhed. Let them make a companion between any correfponding periods of fix or twelve months, and the preffure of the argu ment would be evident, and the redudion would be Peen to be fo great, as to produce annually a confi derable lois to the army. The companion to which he had referred, applied to thole who had volunteer ed and the number railed by recruiting, and in this view, he contended there was a detriment to the number of 3003 men. Betides all this, there was a monttrous injuflice in the effed ; whatever might be the benefit in other refpeas with which it might be attended. As it was, penalties would exceed 00,0001 even when the regular army was declining. When filch fads were Rated, and not difapproved, were thofe difcharging what they owed to their coun try, who endeavoured to uphold fuch a Bill in the teeth of all this evidence t It had been Paid, that if it fucceeded in one county it would in another. — This View was not coned, the population of the kingdom was irregular, according to the exuberance of the produce, and the Rate of the manufadurit, and this muff effentially vary the operation of fuch a bill. No leis than twenty-two counties were incapa ble of carrying it into execution, and they were to fubmit to the fpecies of legiflative extortion to which he had referred. It was a grofs violation of thole humane and equitable principles by which all laws ought to be adminiftered. In !bore, the objections to the Bill were fo numerous, that he fhould detain their Lordfhips much too long if he were to diced's them in detail. A Noble Friend of his had fpoken of the increafe of the public force fence July, 1804. He never would enter into any invidious companions —all he wiffied for was, that the refuurces cf the country fhould be advantageoufly employed, by whomfoever the government was adminillered, and ' he was happy to commend a meafure adopted laft year, for the incorporation of a confiderable portion of the Militia with the Regular Army. Whatever might be the fucceis of fome of his plans adopted, when he was formerly in the Councils of his Majefty, he took no credit to himfelf and his colleagues : they were encouraged and fupported by the fpirit of the country, withnut which the molt difcreet meafuree which political wifdom could have deviled would have been infufficient. He was 'anxious, at leaft, to ft end lo far well, as not to have it fuppofed that he had lhrunk from his duty, which would have been, indeed, molt criminal, at a time when the people were united in one great and common eaufe, and were ready to fubmit to any privations for the welfare of the State. Qn the grounds he had aced, he fhould oppofe the motion for tl3e amendment. Lord MULGRAVE declared, that if he had the leaß conception that any decent fuldliture was intend. ed to be brought forward in place of the Aet it was propofed to repeal, he would not oepole the meaftire. The Aft, he contended, was never generally under. Rood. In fume counties it was oppofed from political motives . ; merely beca,ufe tome of thofe whore duty it was to give it every facility, had oppofed it in other places. He difcuffed the whole of the military plan. and difclaiming any fettled determination of oppo ling Miniflers, laid that he muff fupport the motion for poll poning the fecund reading. The Earl of DERBY contended that the Ad was impracticable ; that it operated as a tax upon the dif ferent pardhes. He explained and jultified the con. duet of the Lieutenancy of the County of Lancafter, where every effort was made, but in vain, to give effect to it. The Earl of ROSSLYN, at confiderable length, argued againft the meafure, and maintained the ne ed:My of repealing the Al on account of its ineffici ency, even if nothing was brought forward in its place. It had, in his opinion, nothing of compul lion in it, but vexatious expellee and inconvenience. The Duke of MONTROSE wiffied that Minifters, inflead of afting upon the defenfive, had come boldly forward and fupported the whole of their intended plan ; but there teemed a reluctance in his Welty's Minißers in that Houfe to uphold the wild and vi unitary theories of his Majefly's Minillers out of the Houle. The confequence of the repeal of that dia would be that the Army of Referve A4l, a meafure he would acknowledge of much energy, and which did great honour to the talents of the Noble Vifcount who who was then at the head of his Majetty's Coml. cils, would be repealed alto. Lord SIDMOUTH obferved, that from a convic tion of the inadequacy of the Army of Referve Ads one of the kit meafures of that Adminiaratioo, of which he formed a part, was to bring in a bill for its fufpenfion. The Earl of WESTMORLAND and Lord'SlD, MOUTH bcth fpoke in expLuation.