The National Register. — London, England, 1817-11-03 00:00:00

Ofationalf POLITICAL DISQUISITION. ON THE CHARACTER OF THE MAHRATTAS. IT has for a long time been so much the fashion to charge all manner of crimes upon this Country, in its relations with India, that it has become a sort of hetero doxy to entertain a different opinion. Unjustifiable acts of oppression against the native powers, ruthless butcheries, and uncompunctious spoliation make up the fearful catalogue of crime for Ivhich we are told, we shall one day have to auswer. The splendid talents of Burke, Sheridan, and their coadjutors, first ;rave this pernicious turn to public opinion ; in the gratification of party feeling., they lost sight of individual integrity, and were content to sacrifice their character fin. truth, to the empty vanity of making fine speeches ; and by harassing un upright and honest man with charges of the blackest hue, maintained in long protracted proceedings, to stab, through him, the reputation of their Country• Their attempts to vilify the national character, al though the result was such as to overwhelm them with shame, yet had the effect of laying the foundation of prejudices in the breasts of the ignorant, which the " ministry of angels" would scarcely serve to eradi cate. The broad and first principle neon which the impugn ers of our system in India, rest their arguments, is that we have no right there, that our first landing in the peninsiCa of India, was an invasion of an unoffend ing territory, and that every accession to our unkritly acquired dominion, is an aggravation of our first of fence. But these reasoner; should remember, that it was against European, ana net Oriental enemies in Hin dustan, that the sword of England was first drawn— that her first settlement was by consent of the Sove reigns then on the throne of the Mogul, anti that her immediate accession of power, was the consequence of her triumph over the narrow minded and perfidious Dutch, and the still more despicable and sanguinary Portuguese. At a subsequent period, when the mili tary, rather than the commercial genius of the French nation, had overcome every obstacle, and established them in great force and splendour at Pondicherry, the English came in ininiciitite contact with the new settlers, not from any selfish motive of jealousy at their rising power, bat in defeace of their own just rights against acts of the basest perfidy sal unjustifiable aggresion, as well against us -as against the native pow ers with whom we were in alliance. The siiiiguinary warfare which the native princes waged with each other, also contribatel in no slight degree to ativanee the interests and power of England in the vast conti nent of India. France had hardly established herself in a fortress upon the coast era she began to mingle in the quarrels of the natives, and.to suppoit one party against another, a proceeding which could not fail to bring us iipeelily into the contest, and that success which has ever been the reward of our patient perse veranee and valour, from time to time extended the cir cle of our. influence. The effects of our energies exerted against the sa vage intrepidity of Hyder, and the less skilful, though no less daring enterprises of his son, have been such as to place India wholly within our gra3p. Nor ought this to be attributed to a spirit of conquest on our part A certain degree of power is absolutely necessary to protect commerce in arbitrary eastern countrk , ," and if the defence of that power lead to the destruction of the assailant, who shall dispute the right of the conqueror ? The war in which we are now engaged, has been by many attributed to a desire of farther conquest. To those who never think, and yet will write upon the subject, a war in India is unly another mine fur a ge. No. 508.—VoL. X. PRICE 94d. IA tOiOttV+ Our Ulna, Conlititution anb t ato4. MONDAY, NOVEMBER' $, 1817. neral robbery of the native powers, and this character they assign to this war as well as to the rest. To de termine, however, how little is to be got except indc;:d it be " bloo:ly noses, and cracked crown;," we have only to consider what sort of enemies we have to contend with in the present instance, and their character, as drawn by an elegant historian of our own time, will teach us what sort of fbrbeanince is due to them, when violating the faith which they had solemnly pledged. " The Mahrattas, whether considered as a nation or as individuals, constitute a peculiar pheenomenon in the history of human society. Superstitiously addicted to the mild rites of the Brahmin religion ; never eating of any thing that has life, and by their belief in the metempsychosis, restrained front milling even the most noxious reptile that molests them, yet barbarously mu tilating., and in their sanguinary warfare, putting to death thousands of their fellow-creature, and that often with aggravated tortures, they oxhihit a contrast cf character unparalleled. The engine► of that torture, which they are said to carry with thein to force a eon kssion of concealed treasure, are of a terrible descrip tion. The iron chair, in which, heated red hot, the offender is placed, and the envelope of the same metal also heated red hot to encircle the head, are among a few of them. Their more lenient punishments arc slitting the nose, and cutting off the ears ; but Ber nier, who was an eye witness of their cruelties during the plunder of Surat, in I(hi 1, says, that to make the rich inhabitants discover their wealth, they were guilty of more horrid cruelties, cutting off th‘ : 'egs and arms of those who were suspected of secretia n . How asto nishing must this conduct appear to oery reflecting mind ! Scrupulously minute to obseve all the pre scribed duties of their cast, with respect to diet and ablutions, even amidst the tumult of war, and often to the obstruction of the business of a campaign, yet prac tising every specks of brutal inhumanity ; how strange the transition from the meekness of prayer to the rage of plunder, from ablution in the purifying ware that washes away sin, to bathe in torrents of human blood !" Against such an enemy, what should be the course but extirpation ! At least we hope t present contest will not end until their power is 1 so low that they will cease to be a scourge to those arm d them. FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. FRANCE. PARIS, OCT. —With the view of redneing the expellees of the Marine, the , King, by an Ordinance , has fixed the number of Offi cers as follows : Art. I. From the Ist of Noecinher next, the corps of Of!kers of our tl;irine shall be composed ill follows: Vier Admirals Hear Admirals l4 20 Captains de Vaisscan f t 0 4 f th tli e e Captains of frigates • bo having the rank of Chefs de Bat Lieutenants tie Vaisstau I tal ion ditto of Captain t-'6O rvio 441 Ensigns de Vnissesu The number of pupils of the Marine of the first and second class shall remain fixed at 300. NETHERLANDS. M. Von Wiehevoort Cromwell'', Deputy to the State , ' Ge neral from the province of Holland, has ohla.ued the honour of Presidency of the States General. kind of vexation those who arc establiahed on the lands of the no- .-- bility. 3 These contracts arc not to exceed the term of 20 years. They must clutrly specify the conditions to which the planters submit. as well as the annual rent, which they engage to pay the landlord in money or kind. 4. The reciprocal payments which at the term of the contract shall he exigible by the consent of the contracting parties, on the suppo sition that then the planter quits the land, or the proprietor refuses to retain him, shall be dctemiined with clearness and precision. 5.;0n the death of the proprietor his contracts shall be binding on his heirs, who shall not have the power of making changes. except with the consent of the planters and the permission of the anther b. The planters who may be established on the lands of the no bility shall enjoy during their residence in Russia a full :mil entire , liberty of conscience, and shall be exempt from all civil and military sellike, except by their own consent. UN [TED STATES OF AMERICA. A circular issued by the American treasury, explains the provisions of the new Navigation Act, passed by Congress on theist day of March last; and announces the Comm. nceinent of its operation on the Ist ofOrtober last. This measure was chiefly designed by . Congress to protect the carrying trade of America, as against tha•e nations who have heretofore adopt ed a similar expedient for the protection of their own. The principal clause is a transcript, almost verbatim, from the English Navigation Act passed during the Commonwealth hr 1612, and which was levelled against the carrying trade of the Dutch, prohibiting all cations trout importing into Eng land, in their bottoms, any commodity which was not the gi °wilt or manufacture of their own country. The At rican act contains a similar prohibition as to imports into the United States front foreign countries; no goods being suffered to en ter in any foreign bottom, except the productions or manu factures of the country to which the vessel shall belong : but with this proviso, that the act shall not in any manner operate against countries which have not passed, or shall pass a law of the sante nature, fur tli• regulation of their foreign com merce. England, and, we believe, Sweden, are the only Slates to which the laws,: re.trtctuun is at present applicable. RUSSIA. The following are the principal dispoaitions of the Imperial kale regarding eoloni , ts in Russia : I . Not only every noble proprietor, but every individual, who, ac cording to tile decree of the loth of Dtxwolloer. trail, ha. the power of acquiring land by purchase, or other title, may invite foreign mil d vatiim. 2. That these colonists. who are ignorant ofeur laws and language. rn.iy out I r the danger nt• contracting too oneloo, engageo ents, and that, on the mita hand, the proprieto::, may not be capirt d to the exaggerated i.rctentimis of the tortuer, we othun that all contracts made between them, and founded on the print iele, alr:ady tAirting and authorised, shall, after being mumdm:ft by the compet e nt au. tbority, be submitted to the r.vi-ion of the Mit:i,a.:l of the In ter:or. who is charged with tlic duty o!• w.:tct:in • ; 1 6 e (011.1 ists in 6-encial, and Lis required in particular teproutt agAiLLA every SOUTH q ERIC A. The American papers have furnished a mass of Intelli gence relative to the state of affairs in South America, anGregor has tied from the Amelia Islands, apparently appointed in his hope of reinrweements. Commodore Amy lead asmeneel the command of both the canny and navy ; and .a Mr. Hubbard, an enthusiast trout the United States, and late Sheriff el New York, was, :item some altercations with Coninmilore Aury, appointed civil Governor. These self-eleeted functionaries on the 2.01 i of September published a prod:law iI.II under joint signatures, elinneencing that the Me‘ican Ilag would be hoisted in the island un the day follewieg, • and so•iciting the inhabitants to return to their respeetiv e homes, where they would tied their property held sacred by the patriots. Le a narrative: of the linefeeds. ings of the United states frigate Congress, just returned from a cruise along that Spanish Main, some curious sea many painful particulars arc given relative to the war which so cruelly desolates that tine and interesting region. Mtn. rillo appears to have withdrawn the remnant of his force from Marguerite, more with a view to oppose the progress Of 114.111V41', and the other independent °Ricers in Guayana, than to escape the sword of the Marge' etta Patriots, under the command of Gomez. The Spanish Geneial was col. heeling troops to resist the advance of the independent army against the province of Caraccas. His disposable force was estimated to amount to something near 4,000 men, good eel. dims, and ably officered, besides 2,000 Creole and Indian auxiliaries. The Patriot army was variously estimated front 4 to 8,1)00 !TWO, but interior in skill, discipline, and equip ment, to the Royalists under the order of Morillo. It Was not thought probable that tlee Patriots would be forward to a hi; a general action ; although the superiority to the Span iards is evident emongli, velien employed as partisans ortiner- Was. 'flee war Is carried on in the most ferocious and sea. gainary spirit. Little mercy is shuwu on either side. AVo awn and helpless children are butchered to atone for the crimes of their military relatives. The population of the towns has grievously diminished: Barcelona and Caimans have lost three lona-the of their inhabitants; famine and beg gary have be set the remainder; and the mass of wretched. ness resulting from this inhuman conflict is such as it would require nothing less than an age of nation,' freedom to re pay, and of legislative wisdom to *Literate. It k alleged in a New York article, that tire French frigate Eurydice., lately supplied with necessaries in the harbour of New York, in cruise off the }levities, for the purpose of aiding the Wyatt cause of Spain. TWO is exclaimed against by the American writer, as involsing a breach of the neutrality to which the United States are pledged between the belligerents. It is insinuated pi city broadly, thatif the privilege be granted to the Spaniards of fitting out, or of refreshinr, in the United States, to "act against the Patriots, the recrietion must be taken mf by winch American eitizetis are debarred awn (quipping vessels or raising troops for their support. Wednesday the Lord Mayor Elect. with the usual cavalcade, proceeded to the house of the Lord Chan cAlor, to announce, according to annual custom, his new appointment, and to invite his Lor,lsliip to dinner on the civic anniveriary. The Shcriiii aft2rwards waited upon the Ambassadors, Cabinet Ministers, .Tudges, and other persons of distinctioa, with similar invitations. 1 Ile colossial statute of Bunnaparte, by Canova, nnw in the iws,ession of the Duke of Wellington, hl•en erroneously said to have been presAited to the Duke Lir the Prince Regent. It was iireseatol to his Gr..ze ay the King of France. sit"' •• 4.41 '.: ~~