Star. — London, England, 1812-04-09 00:00:00

' N s ee to be blamed —the Coverniftent or the People ? W e s ay that both are highly blameable in this matter. A r ge i, all feel, all deplore the condition to which oar manufacturers, merchants, and colonists are re dlicec!--all vent their indignation against, and pour f or th their curses upon our Enemy, as the great pro curer of these evils ; but no proper effort is made to counteract the mischief. If exertion of any kind is called for, how d.ies it shew itself ? In turning over the leavus of Statutes now nugatory, or hunting for precedents! --What? Hunt for precedents applicable to a state of things altogether unprecedented ! Does not such conduct savour not a little of insanity ? Away with such folly. If the mountain will not go to Mahomet, let Mahomet go to the mountain. In a former paper we endeavoured to point out the impolicy of allowing our cotton yarns to be exported to the Continent, to be there manufactured into piece goods, while our own weavers are out of employ ment. It is self-evident that if cur enemies could not procure these yarns from us, they would be ob liged to take our calicoes and muslins ; for even the power of Napoleon cannot compel the inhabitants of the continent to go naked ; nor would he risk the ex periment. This is proved by his winking at the im portation of British cotton yarns. But our present object is to point out the necessity of a radical change in our COLONIAL POLICY. Is it not strange, possessing, as this country does, almost exclusively, all the East and West India pro ductions which minister to the luxury, the interest, or the convenience of the European nations, that our own merchants and colonists should be undersold by American traders, not only in every foreign market, tut even in our own possessions ? ' Whenever the traders of any nation attain pre enninency in a foreign market, it is either owing to some superiority of quality in their articles, or to a seperiority of privilege, or to their ability in supply g the same kind cf articles at a cheaper rate than other mi rchants. It is to the latter of these causes tllat the exclusive pre-eminence which the Americans have attuned in the Mediterranean, must be ascribed. They load sugars and coffee in Cuba and St. Do mingo, end proceed directly into that sea. The ex fences cf the voyage are not greater than those on a voyage from the West Indies to the United King dom. If the invoice price of their cargoes be the same as the shipping value of out West India pro. duce, they can afford to sell, in Malta, for example, at the same price that our planters can afford to sell in England. By our colonial system, our own ship owners, or colonial proprietors, cannot carry colonial produce direct to Malta—though Americans may 1 It must be first brought to the United Kingdom, there landed, them warehoused, and there shipped again for Malta; and the expense of the voyage from Eng land to that island, independent of the landing, ware housing, and shipping charges, is as great as that of a voyage from Cuba, or from St. Domingo, to Malta ; namely, the ordinary voyage of the Ameri cans with colonial produce. If this expense be twenty-five per cent. it ii, therefore, clear that our colonial system has the effect of giving twenty five per cent. of advantage to the Americans over our met chants on all colonial produce that is sold in Malte. For the Americans to reach tl.e same destination, perform only one voyage ; while we are, by law, obliged to perform two.— If it be convenient to the great political concerns of the Empire, that the colonies of the enemy should be conquered, as our original plantations must suffer by the effects of this policy, it is but jest that we should endeavour to lessen their sufferings. It may be ex pedient to reduce the foreign possessions of the enemy in order to procure certain equivalents when we shall came to negoc'ate fur peace ; but it is not judicious that we should entail upon those possessions, which 'ye do not mean to surrender, hardships, that will, in the end, affect our own vital interests more than the temporary injury wl.ich we inflict on the enemy. It it be intended to retain the new acquisitions to the u:most, and to r,g,tri them as integral parts of the empire, then the obligation of considering the state of the consumption of colonial produce, within the Mediterranean, in addition to the different other plans proposed tar the relict a the planters, is indispensiblc. he creamy, aware of our btlligarcrit colonial system, has, by most nnpreccdeated regulations, which have ;roved lamentably successini, endeavoured to lessen the consumption of colonial produce on the Continent. ru has direiaished the loss to hint of the colonies we have taken, and reduced the value of pro to us, in there which we previously pos:arssed. Wile the actual condition of the colonies collectively tie same as at the commencement of the war, such has been the diminution in the consumption of colo nial produce on the continent, that the general value of plantation property is now materially impaired. T he 1 1 % 11 464in. of Sicily is commonly reckoned at a.milbon and a half. The quantity of sugar used' in that island con sumption of is, ' Pe l ily:ps, equal to the whole Sc and the quantity of coffee is, undoub tedly, mud' greater. Would not the exclu sive privilege of sueplying the Sicilians with colonial produce be regariled as a boon by our planters ? ' Mght not this privilege be obtained, under the pre sent circumstances of our cennectien with Sicily ? If w e Samson the fortresses, and continue the subsidy of the Court, by. which the people are exempted from a large Portion of the exp guns war, surely we ►could and ought to stipulate for some favour in re• turn ; and the privilege of selling colonial produce Ito the Sicilians might be a part of that favour. But, in the existing state of our colonial system, the Court of Palermo might object to concede this privilege, I because it would, in fact, be obliging its subjects to pay 25 per cent. more to the Biitish, fur the same , kind of goods, which they •btain, at present, from the Americans. Were we to obtain from Sicily the exclusive privi lege of bringing colonial produce to her ports, and yet continue those existing restrictions, which oblige the planters to send their articles first to the United Kingdom, we should, in fact, levy a tax of 25 per cant. on the sugar and coffee consumed by the Sici \lians. We do not say this ought not to be done ; but, were the point agitated in negotiation, Sicily has I certainly a very solid ground of objection. Were we to grant our planters the fieedom of direct intercourse with Malta, our own territory, and, it is to be hoped, an adopted and unalienable integral part of our Em pire, the objection of the Sicilian government would be obviated ; because, by the vicinity of that island to Sicily, we could then afford to furnish the Sici lians with colonial produce, on terms, at least equal to those of the Americans, even if we did not take any steps to exclude the Americans from the Medi terranean. By extending to thp colonies the right of direct in tercourse with Malta, we should secure a monopoly of the supply of Turkey with coffee and sugar—of the former, the Turks, in proportion to their num ber, consume more than any other people, and are daily becoming greater consumers of the latter. A late traveller (Mr. GALT, from whose work we have drawn many of the preceding remarks) states, that the coffee with which he was served in Turkey, had either been brought from Malta or Smyrna. • The colonial produce sold at Smyrna, had either come from Malta, to which it had been brought by Ame ricans, or been imported by the Americans them selves. It is mly in the houses of the great, that the Mocha coffee is to be met with ; and at present, not often there, owing to the Wechabi, the reformers of the Mahomedan faith, having interrupted the regular supplies. RELIGOLIND MAIL. A Heligoland Mail arrived this morning, bringing I a confirmation of the intelligence of approaching hos. tilities in the North—indeed sor:e accounts from the coast of France state, that the Russians have actually commenced, by forcibly entering Memel on the 23d ult. where they seized the magazines, and took the garrison prisoners, by surprize. The following is the only article of intelligence from Heligoland with which we can supply our Readers at preient : ', HELIGOLAND, APRIL 5. " Since last mail there have been several arrivals from the opposite coast, and some passengers who have fled from Hamburgh to avoid being drawn in ! Bonapartes new general Conscription. By these we learn that Napoleon is every day ex pected to take the command of the French army in the interior of Poland in person; that great exertions have been lately made to pave and repair the roads through which he is expected to pass, and that he is to hold a conference with the Emperor of Austria at Freves, on the Rhine, at which place it has been ar ranged the two Emperors are to meet. It is also stated that the greatest discontent prevails all over the Continent, in consequence of the late extended con scription" By the Spanish Papers we have received the fol lowing intelligence relating to South America : " HAVANNAH, JAN. 17. " At length Canhagena has proclaimed Itself independent, in openly throwing off the mask of FERZIN AND, with which the insurgents in that quarter had covered themselves. On the II th of December this infamy was announced through the medium of a Manifesto. With two or three thousand baycnets we shall reduce to reason the Viceroyalty of Santa Fe, where misery and discontent are becoming general." " CADIZ, MARCH 24. " We learn that the people of Buenos Ayresbave rot compiled, on their parts, so late as the 6th of December, with " the Treaty of Pacification," many articles of which they had grossly hill ingtd. " Much property belonging to true Spaniards was unjustly detained, and they declined sending Commissioners to the Cori vs ; and notwlthstandirg the perfidious AATIGAS became a party to the Pacification, he joined the Eastern insurgents, with a consi derable body of men. We are farther apprised, that the Portu guese troops had not retired to their own territories. The arrival of General GOTENZCIIII with troops from Peru, was shortly hoped for, and from which favourable results were expected• On the other hand, Senor ELI° had not failed in the performance of his duty In a single point." An important proportion of the produce of the co lonies which we have taken from the enemy, is coffee, and the cultivation of that article, in our old planta tions, is yearly increasing. To aspire to the mono poly of supplying Turkey se ith coffee, is impressed Yesterday his Royal Highness the PRINCE REGENT upon us by the state both Of our old and new colo- held a Privy Council at Carlton House, soon aftertwo o'clock. It was attended by, Ries. For excluding the Americans from Malta, even The Lord Privy Seal, the First Lord of the Treasury, the entirely, there can be no political complaint—far less Chancellor of the Exchequer, the First I.ord of the Admiralty, for denying to them, in future, the privilege of car. die three Secretaries of State, the President of the Board of rying colonial produce there. They are not permitted Controul, the I.ord Chamberlain, and the Earl of Harrowby. to bring it into the ports of the United Kingdom ; and Viscount SIDMOUTH attended, when the PRINCE was peased to lare CNRY ADDINGTO Viscoun all circumstances considered, it is, certainly, very like Si o SIO I UTH, to be dec Presid Fl ent of his Majesty's N, Most Ho t negligence, if it be policy, to permit them to have, in nourable Privy Council. His Lordship took his seat a very great degree, a monopoly of the sugar and at the Board accordingly. coffee trade, with the countries round the Mediterra- Earl TALBOT was introduced to the Council, and nean ; particularly to allow them to enter Malta on as sworn in Lord Lieutenant for the County of Stafford. free a footing as ourselves, and with those articles too, Viscount CHETWYND attended as Clerk ot the. of which their sales operate to the detriment and loss Council. of a numerous class of our own subjects. Whether our . The Earl of BUCKINGHAMSHIRE kissed hands on his being appointed President of the Board of Con situation with the Porte is such, that we might at- troul. The Noble Earl had a private audience of tempt to procure a monopoly of the coffee trade to the PRINCE. Turkey, by any public treaty, we know not. The Mr. PERCEVAL, Mr. RYDER, Lord Meeviete, Lord Turks, individually, esteem us more than they do any MULGRAVE, Lord CASTLEREAGH, and the Earl of b other people ; but our national influence is not so great VERPOOL, had audiences of his ROYAL HJGHNESS. with the Divan as that of the French. Were we to The Marquis of HEADFORT, and General &revises, attempt to obtain, by treaty, any particular commer- were the Lord and Groom in Waiting. cial privilege in Turkey, the Ftench would ammo- The Duke of YORK had a Levee on Tuesday at the Horse Guards, the first since this day fortnight, diately oppose us, and we have no doubt, success!ully. which was very numerously attended. Among those But, were we to relax our colonial system, and grant who paid their respects were, Generals PENN iKaroN, to our planters the right of direct intercourse with Earl of CALEDON, Earl of CRAVEN, Lord Miesiso- Malta, we should not require the dubious utility of TO N, General MAITLAND, General DUNNE, Colonel PAYNE, Colonel MOLINEUx, Colonel BROOKES, Major diplomatic endeavours. The enterprize of our mer- General Sir WM. Aeterr, Major-General Devil., chants, would enable them to discover ways and m a jor. General Miser, Major General Sir MARK means abundantly sufficient for securing the superio- WooD, Major-General MAITLAND, Hon. Colonel city and advantage which we ought to possess in the Possosnv, and Lieutenant-Colonel Fusee's. sale of colonial produce. In the House of Commons, last night, the Catholic Such a change in our Colonial system, as will in- Question was postponed to this day fortnight. crease the demand for the produce cf our own islands, The Bulletin yesterday respecting the lamented illness of' Sir SIDNEY Smelt was ~ He had a restless besides ameliorating the situation of our West-India night, and was worse to-day." Proprietors, would increase the demand for British Lord KEITH left town yesterday morning, for Ply manufactures in our own colonies ; for their constimp- mouth, to hoist his flag, as Commander-in-Chief, on tion must always be in a great measure regulated by board the SAN JOSLP. their means of payment. This is so evident that it Yesterday, a Ballot was taken at the East India House, ibr the Election of Six Directors for four need not be insisted on : but it furnishes another years, in the room of CHARLES Mises, Annelle', strong argument for a speedy and radical change. ROBARTS, RICHARD C. PLOWDEN, JOHN HUDDLESTON, In proposing to grant the freedom of direst inter- G. A. ROBINSON, J. A. BANNERMAN, Esers who go course between the colonies and cur Mediterranean out by rotation. At six o'clock the glasses were possessions, an objection might be made by those mer- closed and delivered over to the scrutineers, who re cantile houses at home, who hold mortgages onWest I po red aat the Election had fallen on W M . AS TELL , CHARLES GRANT. JOIIR JACKSON, CAMPBELL MAJORI- Indian property : but this objection could only be of BANKS, GEORGE SMITH, and SWENT TOONE, Esqrs. weight, against an argument for extending the flee-': Yesterday a Court of Directors was held at the dom of intercourse to countries independent of our East India House, when the under-mentioned Com own. Nor can it be urged by these merchants, that manders took leave previous to departing for their any mortgages are held by them, on property in the respective destinations, viz.— newly-acquired plantations ; and, therefore, if for no Captain John Craig, Princess Charlotte of Wales, Madeira, Ceylon, and Bengt,; Captain Thomas Price, Lord Duncan, other reason than for the interests of the planters in 111;detia and Bombay ; Captain Thomas Pitcher, Broxburne them, some alteration in our colonial regulations Bury, Bengal; Captain James Panan, Sir Godfrey Webster, Ben should be made. If there are objections of any va- gal; Captain Richard Rata, Juliana, Batavia. lidity, on the part of the mot tgagees, against allowing Twenty-one persons have fallen victims at Saint M a free intercourse between the old colonies and cur Mawe's, in Cornwall, to a di s o r der call e d th ere t h e Mediterranean possessions, there can be none why that Roo p ( inflammation of t he t h r oat ) . Eight persons, six men and two women, have been intercourse should not be granted to the new. Here committed to Stafford gaol, on charges cf labrica.tieg we have a clear view of the abairdity ot adhering, Bank-notes and counterfeit money. • under the altered circumstances of the world, to those On Satui day morning early, the premiseeof Mr. colonial regulations which were calculated for other Greaves, of Old. street. were broke open and robbed times. of plate, linen, apparel, &c. to the value of £4O. • THE ARMY. e•••••• • We are happy to announce, that the Court of Direc tors of the East India Company came yestei-day to resolution to restore the whole r.f the 4ifspettcled Ofh. ' cers of the Madras army, we believe, strithout a single exception. Leutenane-General Ctrame4c4E, Colonel of the 41st reginicnr, expects to be to add another bat• talion to the first, at presehtin by means of volunteers trom the militia. . All Officer% non-commissioned officers, and pri.. vates are, by the re 6 ulations, to be present with the regiments on the 10th of April, to every mkt., 0 which period the field exercises,, preparatory to the reviews, are directed to take plate. Theunder-mentionedOfficers belonging to the Eng. lish cavalry in Portugal, have been taken during the Ilast campaigns, and are prisoners of war in France: Captain Bitica, of the 3d Dragoon Guards; Captain Pnito. um oils Dragoons; Captain Lu Tr ca 11, and Lieutenants Woos. and Blamer, 11th Dragoons; Hos. Captain Paacr, 14th Dray goons; and Captain Bet.i.t, 16th Dragoons. At a Meeting of the Gentle - men Inhabitants of the Town and Neighbourhood of Loughrea; County of Galway, held at the Sessions* fibusei and convened by public notice on Saturday, the 14th Msttch, 181 THOMAS BURKE, sen. Esq. in the Chair, the followint Address was unanimously agreed to : TO MAJOR 1150, COMSIA!?DING THZ tOTAL weir a£GIKCN'r. " We, the Gentlemen Inhabitant of the Town and neighboeot hood of Loughrt a, take dt.. earliest opportunity of expressing oti4 regret at the departure of the Royal Wqa . Middlesex Regiment from this town. The gentl e manly dettleanour of yeerself.sn& your Officers, the peaceable. orderly and soldierlikeeendvek of your Non-commissioned Officers and Privates, during a amidst:we of five months, have merited our warmest approbatloa, and at the i same time that we offer to you, air , individualy, our most graw ful acknowledgements for your conciliatory and Officerlske coo. • duct whilst among us, we beg leave to misty, through you, ear sincere wishes for the welfare •end happiness of the Ittgal.Wellt MLldlcsex Reg.men:. . (Signed) ".IT. St XXX, Chairmen: l . ANSWER. . . t , Athlone, March H, 18111.. 1 TO THOMAi 4171.1 M; SIN. EN. " Sia—As the Royol West-Middlesex was the first &VAS Regiment that baibeen quartered in lanughrta since the plan fel the interchange of the Militia pi thc IWO countries was a‘typtee t ti.e very honourable and fiaiteriug test:Amoy borne to the piped conduct of the Regiment by the unanimous declaration of the Gentlemen inhabitants of that town and neighbourhood, during a period of five months that the Reginteut has been quartirtti amongst them, will, I trust, be considered as railerting credit not merely on the immediate object of ,that,Resolution, but iiii pros phetic of the b;.neftcial erects width, ip course of time, may be expected from the adopt.on of that_ great phut, I have CORIAMOi. cated to the Regiment your very honourable testimonial of their goad conduct, and they request your acceptance of. their thanks for the favourable sentiments expressed towards them. Mt* mys,lf, I assume no merit, my sole object was w do my dtity.ms i to have done it to the satiefacdon of the Gentlemen inhabitants of the town and neighbeut hood of Loughrea, I shall at no future period cease to remember with pleasure. To you, Sir, my pans ucular thanks ate due for the liberal and gentlemanly manner in which you are pleased to comn.unicate the above Resolutions, and in the name at the Regiment, sincerel-/ wishing health and • happiness to the Gentlemen inhabitants of the town and nei.4b bout hood of Loughrea.-1 have the honour to be, your bitting and obedient servant, • (Signed) “ Was. BILD." NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. • FALMOUTH. APRIL IL Sailed the Sraattow gun-brig, for Coronna; ani the ACTIVZ cutter, on a cruise.—Wind S.F.A PLYMOUTH, APRIL 7. Put back the convoy that sailed yesterday for Jer sey.—Sailed the ORKSTF.S sloop of WAT, for Coninna. PORTSMOUTH, APRIL 8. Arrived the RAPID and GALLANT schooner, from the Mediterranean ; his Majesty's ships Hors and PICKLE, from a cruizc.—Sailed yesterday three run. n;ng ships.—His Majesty's ship l'ilase with the Quebec convoy are expected to sail in the morning a and the HOTSPUR, with the East-India convoy. Went out of harbour his Majesty's ships GostsAwie and ATTACK.—Arrived several transport‘ Item the Mediterranean.—Wind Easterly. I i , 1 DEAL, APRIL S. Sailed this morning the whole of the outward bound coasters and colliers, under convoy of the VI- Prn cutter.—Arrived the MARY cutter with dispatches and letters from off Flushing.—Wind The TRINCULO sloop of war sailed from Cork the 4th instant with a convoy for the West Indies. The East-Indiamen under convoy of the HOTSPUR, that sailed yesterday, are the City of London, Lord Keith, Ann, Indus, Sir William Beasley, Harriet, and the Sovereign. The Calista, Weatherhead, from Surinam to Lon don, was taken by the Junon Trench privateer, and carried into Brest on the 22d ult. The Mary Da Dea, DA Silva, fmm Pernambuco to St. Michael, was totally lost in the island of Fer nando de Norenha—part of the cargo saved. The Lee, Cassar, from Workington to North America, is stranded on the coast ci 'retina. The Pacohantes, —, from licuiogne, is totally lost near Calais. During the late storm, the Hibernia, bound from Belfast to Jamaica, was driven from her anchors in Belfast Lough, and drifting on a bank, had her side stove in. We learn from Dover, that a few nights ago, the SKYLARK brig of war, Lieutenant BOXER, lea in with a fleet of praams, which took shelter in a bay ; that he attacked them in the face of the batteries, and after a smart action, drove 15 of them on shore s The brig of w.ir had one man killed. The French squadron which has escaped from one of its ports to another, has had most extraordinary good tontine. At the time they got into Brest, Sir HARRY NEALE and Commodore Kist, were otf th?t port with six or seven sail of the'line ; but in the gales and hazy weather, about the last d.lys of March, the eicmy were lucky enough to have passed unper ceived. The Hannah of Kincardine, EDWARD PC /MOS& 'Maker, was totally lost the ISth ult. upon Sundcr find bar ; the Captain : andsrew were saved by two ;iiii4oats. She 'noise up. aarl.weut to pieces about -• thrrik.hours after site struck. In a few hours after- Wqrili, the Mary,Anr of e Suaderlsind, castle ashore at the sAnie spin, and the streak remAins immediately oi.a chat Or the Hannah.