The National Register. — London, England, 1811-12-01 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGIST tinder arrest, and sent him prisoner to France, where he re mained till about a year and an half since, when he arrived at Aux Cayes, and was receiNed with great acclamations by the people. Hr has a son, lam told, on the island. if the accounts of his death (kigaud's) be true, Christophe will have lost a for midable enemy ; as dreadtd his active, enterpriiing genius and courage, more than anv one in St. Domingo. If Uhristophe had received a lib. rat education, he would have been a second 13tionaparte, had fortune placed him in the same circumstances. You may recollect .the account of one of his Colonels at the Mole, who did not h,-have well in an action with the besieged. lie was sentenced to death ; and pardoned by the intercession of Madame Dessalities, and some other ladies at the Cape ; was reduced to the r. , r;l:•, and given an opportunity to retrieve his character. He beitavrd so well, that, on the capture of the Mole, he was reinstated in his former rank, and left in its com rnan('. " In an English Paper I saw, a short time since, a notice made in the House of Commons, to interdict ail communication with the Kta•es of Hayti. I was happy to see it, and sincerely wish to fin,l it take place. What can he the benefits arising to E!iglish merchants, to remain in a country under such a Govern ment, when tl,ere is rot a single market open for West India produce, wh:ch will cover its first expense ? The greatest mo tive for most of them remaining is, to collect what is due to thnn in the Hand, and which is most difficult. ‘ 4 Oc r. t J.—The accounts of General Rigaud's death are cor rect : a person who attended his funeral was in this island a sh,irt time since. " One of Petion's Gem rats (Delam) lately conspired against his life: he had concealed a dayger and a pair of pistols in the lining of hii coat, lie wynt to-the Palace twice, for the pur rose of putting the plan in execution. On going the third time, I'etion, having betii previously informed of his intentions, told him, that it was well known that he wished to take away his lire, and 0.. - dered him to prison. Instead of giving himself up a prisoner, In' rushed out of the Palace, mounted his horse, dis charged is pistols at the centre, a, he passed, and matt.. all speed fur the South, where Rigaud was. •1 he alarm guns being fired, all the passts were guarded, and he was obliged to come in and deliver himself tip; and was tried by a_ NH:it:try Court, and Would have been condemned to death, but the villain suppli cated in such a pit.fui manner, that they decreed him five years' solitary confinement, with legs and arms chained. " An insurrec:ioTl was lately discovered, and fortunately puf a stop to, in Guadaloupe, promoted by several of Christophe's Co.nmissaries—one of them a new made Count; who, when parsurd, fled to the sea side, where, finding it impossible to escare, he shot himself to prevent being taken alive." IRELAND. COURT OF KING'S BENCH, Nov. 21. This dry, at half-past ten o'clock, the Judges took their seats upon the Bench, and Dr. Sheridan, one of the alleged Catho►ic Delegates, was called upon his trial, and the following Jurymen, after s:tne objection by the King's Counsel, were swum. .Benjamin (;enie, William Sparrow, P. 1). Latouche, John Hutton, Leland Crostliwaite, Robert Armstrong, John Orr, Edward Clibborn, John Duncan, Charles Pentland, John Pepper, Jan Hamilton. The Clerk of the Crown stated, Dr. Sheridan has been in dicted for an offence, of which he has traversed. You are to try whether he is guilty or nut. 111 r. Keminis, the junior Counsel for the Crown, opened the pleadings. .4:ti-ney-General then addressed the Jury to the follow ing effcct :••••• "1 cengratulate you, Gentlemen of the Jury, that the long exp,•cted day of justice has at last arrived, and am . sanguine that the result of this d.,y's proocedings will frustrate the desi i . ns of treason, and give a check to the Oisguise of faction and folly. The c..se itself lies in a ntsrow compass, both with respect to the law and the fact ; it is, however, connected with such a variety of matter, that 1 must I repass uvon your patience much longer than I could wish. I hope the issue of it will restore our peace, allay the discontents, and abate the ft rment tvhich prevails in this country.—Trt ason and disaffection, Gentlemen of the Jury, have been but too ,uccessfully exert. d in influencing the minds of the Roman Catholics of Ireland, and the project of a Convtntion was eetailed in Resolutions of a certain klregate meeting assembled in this city, on the 9th of July last. - The aggregate meeting sprung fr ,, m a Resolution of a Committee, which, for eight months, had acted a t istir.oished part. under the name of the General committee of the t:atholics of Ireland. When I talk of treasonable views, bottomed in treason and rebellion, let me not be misunderstood—a great proportion of Roman Catholics are loyal and amenable to the laws, anti look with alarm and dismay at the unwarrantable and false proceedings which have taken place in the name of the Roman Catholics of Ireland. Ido de clare, that a great proportion of them are loyal, and take no part in their projects: some of them are misled, and are dupes, and made the instruments of designs which they would abominate if they were to know them. Young men, in particular, of ar dent. minds, have engaged in those political pursuits wiLli no cri minal object; they merely desire to raise theme( Ives to notice and to make speeches. Some of those speeches arc must dan gerous and unwarrantable, the work ot theted Irishmen, labour ing, for a separation of tins country front Eni ; land ; o th e r s are made merely for the gratification ot vanity; the authors not seeing that they are acting adverse to the public peace, and con trary to the success of that very Catholic Emancipation they pretend to he theadvorates of. I will now call y o u r a tt ent i on to the Resolutions of the aggregate meeting of the 9th of Here the Attorney-General read the Resolutions as follows: First—" That being impressed with the unalterable convic tion of the undoubted right of every man to worship his Cross tor according to the dictates of his own conscience, we deem it our duty thus publicly and solemnly to declare our decision, that no Government can inflict any pain, penalty, or priv.:tion, for obeying that form of Christian faith which in hi: conscience he believes to he right. Second—" That we again petition the Legislature for a re peal of the laws affecting the Catholics of Ireland. Third—" That in exercising our undoubted right to petition, we will adhere to the ancient forms ut the Constitution, Fourth—" That a Committee he appointed to inquire into the penal laws, and make a report of the same within one mohtlk—ail which were carried unanimoasV. " That the Committee to be apponned to prepare Petitions to Parliament flu consist Fir)t—" Of Catholic Peers, and eldest sons ut Peers and Ca tho:ic Baronets. Second—'• Catholic Prehtes. •Third—" Ten per,uni chosen from the counties, and the sorvivurs of the Deleg:aes of 1792, to fol 11l sit integral part of these ten. Fourth—" Four rersons from each courty in Ireland (which Reso:ution was likewise carried unaninvi4 , :y). "These Resolutions were merely to throw dust into the eyes of Loyal Catholics. Fully aware of the law they were about to offend, the) professed obedience to it while they were actually disobeving it. Observe, they appoint Managers to conduct Ca tholic affairs until a new Committee: is elected, an interim Go vertuneet was appointed, not confined to a Petition to Par!la ment, but to manage Catholic generally. By the Consti tution, the management of the public affairs is intrusted to the lawful Governmeot of the country._ hut this is a thsdain of all Government, and such proceedings are hos ile to Gavel oment. It is said, that an assembly so constituted wouifLt act contrary to the peace and tranquillity of the country ; but a few respect able loyal men, in such an assembiy, Louie be no guareotee for its conduct—.he intemperate men hi all such meetings, govern the rest. This Committee took its rise front the last ; look what their proceedings had been. .1 heir language had been eo sedi tiens, trea-amable, and indecent, that their press, wicked and daring as it had been, was alarmed, and would not venture to insert some parts of their speeches, but left chasms and blanks in their paper, for teat which they dared not tell.—Every Ca tholic of respectability felt himself scandalised by such wicked and dangerous proceedings. Every loyal man was calling out against such barefaced sedition. Government was blamed for not interfering. In February, however, they were abLut to ter minate their settings ; a circular letter was issued h urn the Coin. mittee, to call a renovation of itself; then, a:hl not helot e, Go vernment interposed, not by a measure against law, it merely signified to the Magistrates throughout Beeend, that the ietc.ed id elections were against Statute Law, and should be pre vete ed. This had the desired effect; tor a time it was aleindened. Se• venal respectable NLmbeis of the Committee who had left it, however, weet back to it, believing, perhaps, the existence of it was useful to the cause, their presence was a restraint up n the rest, and the Committee was not interfered with until the close of their sittings. The meeting of the Pas J uly was composed of some of th• members who had hien guilty of the g.eatast excesses. It is impossible not to conceive, however, that there was a portion of well meaning men amongst them. It was then held out to the loyal Catholics Of L clat.d, that their attention w..s merely cared to the petition, and for that purpose it was • necessary to elect a Cathouc Convention—but see what the sub stance of the petition is, which wan made a pretence of asseme Wing this Convention. In order to show what ht tie deliberation is necessary to frame a peetion, I will state to you, what the state of the Catholics was in the year 17713, and what it is now. itiere the Attorney-General went into a statement of what the penal ~.: - "} „ . ' :410111.00 f - • t. . -'"