The National Register. — London, England, 1816-10-21 00:00:00

PRICK OF STOCKS THIS DAY. S per Cent. Consols Sr per Cent. Reduced 6l •per Cent. 3 per Cent. Navy THE NATIONAL REGISTER. LosnoN MONDAY, OCTOBER el. THE French Papers of the past week contain no- Cling material but the accounts of the Elections, which are proceeding according to the preponderance of opposite politics in the different Departments. Upon the whole, there is little doubt that a large proportion of the Members of the old Chamber will be excluded, by the various methods which, according to the French system of Elections, the Government possesses of ex erting its influence. They were, of course, well satis fied of the extent to which this could be carried, when they telopted the expedient of the dissolution. It is not likely they should - have taken such a step without pretty gootl assurance of its being to some purpose. Humours and speculations of various sorts reach us as to the meeting and the intended occupation of the Diet, to which Germany is looking for the restoration of something like laws and a constitution. We do not augur very great things from this assembly. What is to be expected from an exclusive Congress of Ministers of Despotic Powers, met together to deliberate on popular rights. Arc they likely to curtail the pre rogatives of their masters.? and without doing this we do not see very well where popular privileges are to come from ? All Delegates immediately or mediately from the people are to be excluded from these diploma tic orgies, and we therefore easily imagine the spirit that will predominate at them. Spain and the Dutch Government seem to recog nise the old Latin proverb-- " Scra tivaluam est ad banns mores ia." They follow up the victory of Algiers with a very solemn treaty, engaging between themselves to do that for Europe which Lord Exmouth and the English have just done. We do not see the efficacy of this exactly ; and we wish, if there is any more work of the sort to be done, that in spite of this Treaty Lord Ex mouth and the English may not have to do it again. With the exception of the neighbourhood of Notting ham, where the late ferment appears to be hardly sub sided, we have reason to hope tranquillity is pretty general. It is not that distress is not severely and widely felt, but that the people have discovered from experience, that tumultuous conduct defeats its own end. Meetings have taken place in various parts of the country for considering the means of immediate relief to the popular burdens. We give an account of two of the most considerable of them—at Norwich and in the Borough. We are sorry observe at the latter a disposition to foment the discontents of' the lower or ders by exaggerated statements, and vague charges, against individuals in power ; and these, too, from some persons whose rank and education ought to point out to them the folly and danger of such attempts at popularity. What can equal the inconsiderate absur dity of one of the Southwark Members suggesting an amendment to a grave Resolution, stating that the late contest against Buonaparte was in opposition to the wishes of " ALL the people of Great Britain." lie must have himself known the inaccuracy of such a state ment. when lie proposed it. It is by such means as these that the ignorant part of the public (who are no small portion of them) arc deluded and excited by those popular leaders on whom they pin their faith ; and who are, in Fact, much more than the miserable agents them selves, accountable for many of the disturbances which have of late to shockingly agitated the country. It' they had any pretensions to the patriotism they pro fess, these men would endeavour to throw oil on the waters instead of increasing their agitation. A paper of Saturday asserts, with reference to the late outragrs at Nottingham, that no precaution has been omitted on the part of Government, and no aid withheld. This negative statement we have not the means of controverting ; but it would certainly be more satisfactory to state what has been done in the way of precaution. It is stated to us in letters from that part of the country, that the Magistrates are now active in attempting to put down the desperadoes, and to break their confedcraties! but if there had been always an equal activity, it is not probable that sUch confederacies ME NATIONAL REGISTER. aMld have been carried to the pitch of audacity which they have attained; and if the Magistrates were not always as active as they ought to have been, when, where, and how did the Government exert itself to stimulate them to the discharge of their duty ? Paris letters of Wednesday mention the exchange on London to have advanced to 25f. 75c. the highest rate since the Peace of Amiens. Letters from Hamburgh of the 11th state, "that the negociation with the French Government, relative to the restitution of the property of the Bank, has been brought to a close. The amount of the money and bul lion seized by Davoust was 16,000,000 t The French Government would not consent to refund more than 10,000,000 f. This offer has been accepted, and the deputies, Senators Sillem and Pehmaller, were expected to return immediately from -Paris. Mr. Chapeuurouoe was to remain there, to urge the claims of his fellow citizens fin. payment of the requisitions made upon them by the French".—This is but a bad specimen of that in tegrity in pecuniary affitirs ofwhich the French financiers so frequently make their boast. The Hamburg Deputies, lmwever, have very prudently taken all they could get. The following is an account of the celebration of the anniversary of the death of the Queen of France:-- " Yesterday the funeral service to the memory of our un fortunate Queen, was celebrated with all due pomp in all the churches of Paris. All the theatres were closed, and the people participated with seriousness in this melancholy so lemnity. All the King's household were in mourning, but neither his Majesty nor the Prineca appeared in public. At eight o'clock in the morning the Duchess DAngonleme want to St. Denis, to put up prayers at the tomb of her august mother. " On this occasion, the room iu which the Queen was con fined in the Coneiergerie was solemnly consecrated sf a chapel to her memory. It was bung with black, and lighted with wax-tapers. On the left of the altar was u picture, re presenting the Queen standing near her bed of straw; her asplict noble arid majestic, and at the same time expressing resignation and piety. After the gospels, the Abbe Montes, Chaplain of the Coneieigerie, advanced to the nave, and read the letter of the Queen to her sister Madame Elizabeth, which was often interrupted by sobs, which the sacredness of the place could not restrain. After this, the Countess Angks, conducted by M. de Hangeranvire, made a collfc tinn, the produce of which was destined for the prisoners. Among others present weer the Dukes of Havre, Grammont, Oniche, Coigny, and other noblemen. Advices from Montreal, dated Sept. 7, say—" We were this morning inthrmed, by good authority, of the arrival last evening of a gent , man from the north-west, bringing the intelligence of tit William having fallen into the hands of Lord Selkirk's party. William M‘Gillivray, Esq. is said to be taken prisoner." The following communication from the Agent for Lloyd's at New Orleans confirms the accounts in the American papers of the occupation of a Spanish port in that quarter by an insurgent squadron : " New Orleans, Aug. 10. —A number of armed vessels, with transports and troops, watered at the month of the Missis sippi a few days ago, being part of the Republican squadron of Cartliagena, bound down the bay to a place called Mata gorda, which they have since taken possession of. Several armed vessels have sailed on the same expedition from this place, and others are now fitting out. They have not, as far as I have learnt, molested the vessels of any nation, except of Spain. How long they will respect or continue this neutrality to others, i know not ; but it appears that our cruisers wink at what is going on. There are several 20 gun ships now cruising on the coast belonging to the United States, and as tar down to the southward as Vera Cruz. The Republicans, as they call themselves, were very sanguine bf success." The Agent for Lloyd's in the Bahama Islands has transmitted the following information : " Nassau, Ang.l2.—The coast of Cuba is at present in fested with a number of very large privateers, fitted out by the insurgents of South America. Their crews eonsist of people of all nations ; and it is doubtful whether British pro perty falling into their hands would be safe." The latest accounts from Jamaica respecting Bolivar are of the 12c1 July, from Curacaa, and merely mention that he had made a second landing at Ocumares with 1,500 men; that Soublette, one of his Generals, was marching upon Cameras; and that a reinforcement of Spanish Patriots had sailed from Curacoa for the Main. The advices previously received from the Leeward IslaE•ls, and which were later by 25 days than the in telligence from Curacoa, represented the arms of Bolivar as having been again triumphant by sea and land. KINGSTON', (JANIAICA) AUG. 17.—1 n consequence of the great scarcity of rice and corn, a memorial from the merchants and other inhabitants of this city was presented, in the early port of this week, to his Grace the Governor, requesting that these articles might be permitted to be imported in British vessels from foreign ports, under the usual p.oclamation ; but his Grace was pleased to reply, that he was not able to comply with the prayer thereof, as it would interfere with the laws that regulate trade, and which cannot be dispensed with but in cursor urgent necessity. l)ied, in Hannah's town on Tuesday night, at a very advanced age, John Reeder, a well-known black man, as having been many years Captain of the Charles Town Maroons. He is the person who, in the year 1781, after a most severe personal conflict, killed the noted and des perate robber Three fisger'd Jack, who was supposed by the negroes to be possessed of supernatural powers, and deemed invulnerable from all attacks. In conse quence of the service Reeder received an annual stipend from the Government of this island. He did not know his exact age, but said, only a few days ago, that he was a stout boy, at the first peace with the Maroons in the yearl739. Jamaica Paper LOCUSTS AND WILD HONEY. " And his meat was Locusts and Wild Honey."—Matt. e. Ui.v.‘ 1 . 11 E meaning of the word Locust in this passage has puzzled many commentators. Dr. Clarke and other travellers have discovered that it is the fruit of the Lochs! Tree, which grows in many countries bordering on the Mediterranean, and has lately been discovered much finer and larger in the Eas. Indies. Importa tions have been made of it to Venice and Trieste, where it is intended to distill from it a liquor which it is sup posed will serve as an antidote to poison. In the stems of the Locust -tree, the Wild Bees deposit their honey. This is the explanation of St. John's diet in the wilderness, described in the passage above. The Journal des Debals lately denied the accession of Eng land to the Holy Alliance. The following letter, at least, was addressed by the Prince Regent to thi Emperor of Rus sia, the Emperor of Austria, and the King 01 Prussia.-- " Carlton•house, Oct, 6. 1815. "My dear Brother and Cousin,--1 leave had the honour to receive your (imperial) Majesty's letter, together with the copy of the treaty between your Majesty and your High Al. lies, signed at Paris on the 26111 of September. As the forms of the British Constitution, a hich 1 am called upon to main tain in the name and in the place of the King, my father, prevent me from acceding to the treaty in the form in which it is laid before me, I choose this way to convey to the august Sovereigns who have signed it, my entire concurrence in the principles which they have exp esse.l, and in the declaration which they have made, that tiny will take the Divine pre reins of the Christian religion as the unalterable rule of thci conduct, in all their social and political connexions, and cone firm the union which should always exist between all Chris tian nations. It will be ever my serious endeavour to guide my conduct, in the situation in which Divine Providence has placed me, according to these holy principles, and to co-ope rate with my high allies in all measures which are calculated to contribute to the peace and welfare of mankind. 1 re main, with the most unalterable feelings of friendship and re gard, my dear brother and consin, " Your (Imperial) Majesty's brother and cousin, (Signed). " GEORGE, P. li." The following curious paragraph is from a New York paper of Sept. 1 4 :—On Tuesday, as the British Consul was about to drive from his door in town to his country seat, a revenue officer stept up to his gig, and ordered him to stop, to open the box, and produce a certain bag that had just been put publicly into it; fiu he suspect ed it contained smuggled goods. This affair seems to have been conducted by the officer with peculiar and unprecedented delicacy. If any other individual had been suspected of smuggling in a similar manner, I presume the ordinary step would have been to have waited upon him in his office or counting-house, told him of the suspicion entertained, and, if circumstances demanded a search, to have made it before leaving th• room. But here was an opportunity toe good to be lost—a chance to detect the accredited agent of His Britannic Majesty in a dishonourable act—attempting to cheat the revenue—and it could not be too public. It was resolved, therefore, to detect him in the ope❑ street, and in presence of numerous witnesses : the Consul obeyed, opened the bag, and permitted the officer to search it : when, to his great disappointment and mortification, he discovered neither more nor less than a fine surloin of beef! The corps of the army of occupation rival each other in discipline. A Russian soldier, who lately committed a great crime against a French citizen, has been shot on the spot where the crime was perpetrate'. The Prefect of thy' Department of the North has been several times at Valenciennes, in order to concert mea sures with the British Commandant for preventing complaints which may arise from the difference of lan guage. Every thing is_done to lessen as much as pos sible the burthen of the inhabitants, who still consider the occupation of the country by foreign troops as a. humiliation. A letter from an Officer of his Majesty's ship In. constant (Commodore Sir James l'eo), dated Sierra Leone, July 20, says:— Since our arrival upon the coast, we have ran down as far as the Hight of Biatha, whence we are just :Twilled. Our cruise was not so successful as we expected, haviug only taken five Stave-traders, with about 260 slaves. We are now in the height of the rainy season, which falls almost without intermission the whole 24 bolus. Mr. Sterling, Midshipman (brother of Captain Sterling, of the fteracno and one man, are yet the only victims to the climate. We have heard no. thing of Captain Tuckey's expeditioh ; he did not call here ; and nothing has been heard of Captain Priddey's expedition since he w.mt up the Gambia. It is said to he the intention of Government to form a settlement at the mouth of the GaMbia, for the protection of the Gum Trade. We sail in a (lay or two for Cape Coast, whence we shall run down to the Bight of Benin, and thence to itirbadoes and England." It is said ..hat the son of Mungo Park, the tnivc , ller, who resides in the neighbourhooa of Edinburgh, a fine youth of about 14 years of age, is preparing (a second Talemachus !) to go abroad in search of his father, whoa► he still believes to be alive. A letter from Genoa, dated October 5, save,—" The Dey of Algiers has sent sn A gen t t o th e Emperor of Morocco. It appears that the letter has not adhered to the treaties which existed between them. lie accrues him of having favoured his enemies, and of having had an understanding with them. It app e ars that the Dey wishes to embroil the Etnperor with the English, which is the most certain means of obtaining vengeance, with out running any risk himself. The French are still well treated at Algiers."