The National Register. — London, England, 1817-12-29 00:00:00

e • ' I . • • i k 1-itt Ap Ationali 33.', tLt itittr+ . .., , II Our ititta, tott64 anti a at 34. No. 516.—V0r.. X. MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1817. PRICE 90. RETROSPECTIVE VIEW OF THE YEAR. IN drawing towards a close of the year, it is natural that we should cast a retrospective glance upon the events, which have in any particular manner distin guished it. Although the year Eighteen hundred and Seventeen, has not been marked by any of those external oecurrcnccs which gave cause of triumph or dismay , chequcring our days through a quarter of a century, yet it has been full of matter of the most interesting kind—matter,which in the hands of the titture historian, trill tnark it among the most eventful periods recorded in our historical annals. . . A period of warfare is generally a period of privation. This is so well understood, that if the sword is drawn in justice, the hearts of the people fly out with it. Indi vidual suffering, indeed, will sometimes produce indA. dual complaint, and tainted members of the fo&c, will sometimes betray their predilection for the unwhole some herbage of the enemy : but the national feeling of • the mass of the people, high and low, is generally direc. ted aright, and while the choice is between honour and dishonour, (such is the national temperament,) the warmest patriot has rarely an occasion to complain. This endurance of privation is the effect of the national elasticity of spirit, and the unextinguishable love of borne ; ra.her we should perhaps say, all this has been. Whether our character has entirely passed from us, or is only suffering a temporary change, it is not flw us to say. It has hitherto been the peculiar cha racteristic of Eallishinen, never to ba depressed too low by misfortune, nor to be too much elevated by success, this is the golden mean which insures content — which has beam prized by the wisest all worthiest of mankind. This temper though little moved by any of the vicissitudes of a long and eventful war, has not been proof against the sufferings induced by a sudden and unexpected peace, for to deny, that the immediate cause of our recent and existing misery, is the unlocked for change, is to deny the evidence of our senses, let the sticklers for popularity say what they will to dm con- Crary. We think too highly of the fortitude and loyalty Of even the lowest members of the community, to believe that their sufferings, great as they have been, would have urged them tu•acts of violence, had not their worst passions been excited by men less virtuous than th,2m *elves ; and this is perhaps, the stongest argument, which can be offered in favour of thutlegislative measure which, for a time, suspended the most important part of our constitution. It was, in fact, a shield extended by the arm of Power over the weak, to defend them from the wicked, and however painful such a proceeding is to the feelings of the inflexible and virtuous patriot, he roust allow that a temporary suspension of a part of the law is better than putting to hazard the existence of the w hole. Viewing the prudent use which has been made of this great power by the executive, and the symptoms of amending times, we trust that the despondency xi:lkb has too long clouded the brow of industry, will be now dissipated, anti that the machinations of tho rtil doers will fail before the returning virtue of the • people. - - - - That the great bulk of the nation, Las remained untainted in spite of all the etlints which have been made to corrupt them—that they still turn with gra titude and love to the illustrious Mouse by whom their liberties were confirmed—their conduct on the gloomiest event that ever darkened our annals, is a satisfactory proof. They felt the loss, not as a public losses arc felt, but as when the hand of death is vi sible in our private chambers, when it sweeps away the nearest and dearest of our kindred, leoving us almost without hope—without consolation. Atgiist events so gloomy, where shall we turn Not certainly to re gard the wild and incoherent ravings of those, who are eager to build up their untried theories upon the wreck of the Constitution —Not from God, to listen to the licentious effusions of those who arrogantly style themselves the friends of the human race ; but steadily to keep in remembrance the power of an all bountiful God to succour us, and to aid, to the utmost of our power, in preserving order in society, and in rendering abortive the evil intentions of the disaf fected. Amongst those who have laboured to avert Ow storm, with which, during the last twevlve months, we have been more than once threatened, we trust the NA TIONAL ItErnsTrn has not been last. From principle we have uniformly acted, convinced that the safety of the state is paramount to all other considerations, and, that such anomalies as time and the change of events have produced, are not to be removed by the unskilful hands of State Etupirics. It is no slight consolation to us to find, that the sentiments which we have in variably expressed, should meet with the approbation of a numerous and highly respectable circle of readers. This feeling is independent of any selfish motive, but gratifying., as it serves, in some measure, to prove that religious and political integrity has yet numerous ad mirers. Grateful for favours already received, it is not our wish to boast of what our endeavours shall be for the future ; bi;t we may be allowed to assure our friends, that such arrangements have been made, as will mate rially contribute to render the NATION/AL REGISTIIIt still more worthy of their patronage, and, by enlarg ing the circle of its supporters, give encreased effect to those independent principles in polities, and sound doc trines in religion which it has been our constant endea vour to inculcate. A subscription list is rapidly filling for the purpose. of erecting a public monument to the memory of her Royal Highness the lute l'rincess Charlotte. The plan, by Mr. Matthew Wyatt, has received the appro bation of Her Royal Highness the Duchess of York. It will consist of a temple of the purest architecture, containing a statue of the late Princess, in I'arian Marble, with a surrounding monumental group, and will be erected in some public situativn, subject to the approbation of the Duchess of York. The lowest nominal coin is reecicci, and no sum above a guinea. The public mourning for the lamented Princess Charlotte terminated on Sunday last, conformably to the notification of the Lord Chamberlain, in the Ga zette of Na'. 16, 1816, that " all Court Mournings of u long duration, shall, after the first six weeks be worn only at Court, and on Sundays." We have thought it our duty to call the attention of the public to this cir cumstance, not only iu behalf of the manufacturer and shopkeeper, but of thousands of the labouring poor who are now out of employ in consequence of the general mourning. Government will no longer give encouragement to iterunts who wi4l to proceed as settlers to his Majesty's possessions in North America, except to half-pay offi cers, or persons under peculiar circumstances. This regulation has been adopted in consequence of a nuns ber of persons having gone there during the last two years, without being provided with sufficient money or property to enable them to cultivate the land allotted to them, and who are now in very great distress. A rumour was circulated iu the City, on Wednesday, of a change of Ministers, which, together with other reports, had their intended effect, that of lowering the price of the Funds. The depression was terieusly felt by large Fund-holders; and such was the eagerness to sell, that at a time when the Three per Cent Reduced was at 80i, an eminent broker offered them at 803. — They were afterwards offered to the Commissioners at 801. This is a fall of one per amt., front the price at which the market opened. The Reduced afterwards rose to 81, but towards the close of the Market fell to 801. The Consols for the opening left off at 811. The rioters from Derby, who pfended guilty, and were sentenced to transportation,have arrived at Sheer ness, and go on board the Tottenham transport, which is now at that place receiving convicts for New South WA*. The vessel is exiteetCd to sail immediately, FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. FRANCE. PARIS, DEC. 24.—Yeiterday, before mass, the Roman Of the Chamber of Deptitieit, with the Minister of the Interior at its head, presented to the King the project of law adopted on Saturday by the Chamber, relative to the journals. 'lbw Ket per of the Seals then had an audience of his Majesty. It is stated that the Minister of Finance receives daily new prepositions on the loan of the following year, and that a concurrence to take part in it favourable to its success is forming both among foreign capitalits, and houses of the first eminence in the interior ; but it appears to be ascertained that the Minister who has provided for the charges of that current service for the commencement of the year, will not enter into any negneiation on the subject of the loan, till after the passing of the law on the budget. The King, on the proposal of the Minister of War, has accepted the offer made by 401 half-pay officers, in the de partments of Oise, the Somme, the Maine, and Loire, to rea 110110CP a fifth part of half-pay, in arrear for the first quarter tie lsl4. His Majesty has seen with satisfaction their zeal in thus lending their aid for the relief of the State. An econo mical soup establishment, founded by the DoLe of Berry, commenced on Friday last its distrilmtion of soup to the poor, Another establishment of the same kind has been formed under the patronage of M. Benjamin Delessert, the banker, member of this Chamber of Deputies., A decree of the Royal Court of Montpellier indicting Ma dame Mattson for perjury, had ordered her to be tried for that crime before the Court of Assize at Rho dez. M. le Pro eureur-general havingiappealed agnitig this demand, has sent Madame Manson to be tried at Albi. CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES. LIBERIA OF THE PREiS. In the sitting of the Ifith NI. de Cans combated an ohserta• tiro made by a preceding speaker, that " public opinion is the regulator of Goer' neaent and woe to those that do not tulloµ• it." - - " I do not think so, (said the Minister.) This opinion, this Queen of the world, as same think proper to call her, has too often usurped her throne to be allowed to keep undisputed possession of it. tha statesman ought to be more occupied with the opinion of to-morrow than of yesterday or of todlay. Rarely deem she ratify her first ho mage ; the idol to whom she offered incense yesterday, she the next day breaks in pieces, and from the altar to the watleld, from the l'an theon to the Jakes, there is often but one step. Hietory alone judges the acts of Govenitect t impartially. Certainly Government ought not to despise present opinion ; they ought to study it in order to in. street themselves by it; they ought to go along with it, but always at its head, and not in its rear. I know well that it will be said, that in marching at its head, one .night, in order not to be overturn ed by it, to keep pace with the rapidity of its march. But do thir.k that, by blindly following it, yon will be able to stop when you choose, or when you ought ? Will you, if you once suffer yourselves to be dragged along, be able to halt when you come to the precipice? must you not ineviubly tumble down it? What then ! shall we vo luntarily go to the edge of the abyss, into which so many have alrea dy been precipitated ? Is experience thrown away upon us ? Ass the tittles so distant when theories of this sort plun g ed us kilo over. whelming misery ; and are not the effeets of it still before oureyes ? Our scars yet unclosed, our wounds still bleeding, the blood of our relatives, the blood of our kings—do they not still cry out :dont!? and will you shut . your ears against them? In cntenng upon n dis cussion of the projected law, I must protest against those pleasant ries (which however, I shall pass over) so singularly misplaced, in a discussion of so grave a nature, and so inconsistent in the mouths of those who pretend to consider that liberty is endangered by the pro posed measure. 'fhere ore two kinds of opposition to this iaw. lees class, if I rightly paned ate their meaning, find the law too liberal ; it favours too m utt the liberty of the press, a liberty which they t'eiele always dangerous and inoperable from licentiouriess. Others, tot the contrary, think the law not liberal enough ; art' that while it aims at repressing lieentiousnees, it in fact puts chains on liberty itself. And yet of this law en spurned nt by both parties, 1 will yen. ture to say, that there is rat a single rigulation that is not in favour of the genuine liberty w the press." He concluded a speech of two home (which was delivered extempore, and winch front time to time was received with marked approbation,) with the following deeloratien We liztee no need ofjuetifying our intentions; we have mther eo guard against a just pride which so much injuetice on the pipit of out tahmeniaters is calculated to inspire." M. Leine, the Miuiater ot the Interior, followed in the same wain, and compared the sun*, ring!: and magnaniniit of ['ranee to the picture of a great ill4ll struggling with adver. s ic', a areentele, gays Seneca, worthy ot Or ends. In the sitting of the 17th, M. fl in addressed the Chatnb'P, and made some itdicietta and tenmerate observairms. fie was stromtly in favour of referring ...uses cothiected with the almses of the inept 19 a jury; and coin:hided by moving the following amendment " The present law shall be In Twee only till the Ist of Ja.ins7. ' •of a la , shall ' •it, •4. ant,. abuse sent _ sion the t. tiptr been insc7 _ . .. . ten; is tare that periol a project of a law shall he submitted, car 7, stlittriring the application of a jury to (ranee:: r. , sulting from AR >wie of the ' , MK. All the legislative enactments anterior to the pro. nt law are abrogated." l i , Thus amended, he said he should vote for the project. The President.—.. M. Latitte has the right next to deliver kb tyli." (Mangy vet cc, Close the discussion ! Cliwc the &seas- on 31. Illanquart-Railleul (in his place.)--" Mr. President, I claire e c . , 0 i execution of the regulation; you do not call upon the speakers al. . tv• • rnately for and against the la w." , The Pre •ident.- 6 ' I beg the Chamber to observe, that I did not - r • ' • .. I. ;psi this appeal. I call upon the speakers tait , tittlly. according to - ' 4 1 . '. mender in which their nausea are erdezed ; but it does not depend pon me to dictate what side they shall take." t 4 NI. iilanquart Ilailleul (from the tnbune).—`. You must have . :ell much strpri...ai, Gentlemen, that many of those or4tors, who . . scribed their mums hi favour of the law. have, in c ilia. ~,,,e , ,,,d . te.tl aft,:n at all ',MIA:. [A general laugh.l The defenders of V." .. ~.. pro. t e ct arc rely great orators ; tont if they Were lilleyerz, I w oul.l . . ; t(I a A them with a cause of mine. [Renewed and 1-ttal h m i g iu . - C 1 1 Giluaid Bay t• atena, if we had to ruins* Att tbstaks for ibilk ' . •