The National Register. — London, England, 1812-05-03 00:00:00

k THE NATIONAL REGISTER. 276 glorious occasion. .The CiusoELt.o.u_ of the. EXCHEQUER could not help taking notice, he said, of one circumstance which had taken place, as well at the taking of Ciudad Rodrio, as on the late occasion, and that was the small number of killed and wounded of the enemy, and the great number of prisoners. He confessed it did appear to him a distinguished circumstance, that after so bloody and obstinate a resistance, so small a number of the enemy should he killed, while upwards of 4000 prisoners were taken. He zherefore should move the Thanks of the House to the Non-commissioned Officers and Soldiers of the Army under Lord NEI.I.iNGTON, for the zeal, bravery, and HUMANITY displayed by them. This is a Vote that does as much honour to the Mover, as to the Soldieis themselves, and the Country that has produced both. Humanity is the brigh:est gem of a brave and Chriqian soldier ; and the Motion, as well as the conduct that gave it birth, are pledges of the supt 9 iority of the faith which we possess over that of other nations. MAY PATRIOTIC DECLAMATIONS. Vlte wish that an Hon. Baronet, who on Friday night filled the whole HOUSE of Commoris with disgust at his declamatory defence of the incendiaries who now destroy the property of the people, and his violent abuse of the soldiers called to repress the outrages committed on the goods and lives of their fellow-citizens, could have pe rused the letter fi om Rochdale, which we this day pub lish on the subject of the disturbances, before he opened his lips on the subject. He would then have known that the words he uttered, like the Dragon's teeth in the fable, would most probably produce crowds of additional rioters and incendiaries. In charity, we therefore sup poie, he would have checked the expressions of sentiments productive of .sedition and disorder.—We shall merely quote, as an antidote to such poison, the fair and manly rebuke which the CHANCELLOR of the FACHEQUER gave both the Hon. Baronet and his declamations. " He believed that it would be almost universally felt, that the steps which Government, or which the Magistrates thought proper to pursue, were not for the purpose of crushing the liberties of the country, nor to make war with the people, and subdue them; but fcr the purpose of protecting the valuable lives and properties of his MAJESTY's subjects from rioters and incendiaries.(Lond cries of Hear, hear ! ) These were the people whem the Honourable Baronet appeared to have now taken under his protection—(Hear !)—and this mob of rioters and in cendiaries were tailed by him the people; and Governmeut was charged with making war upon the liberties of the people, because they would not allow a turbulent populace to destroy all the valuable accumulations of property, or of machinery, that are to he found in the country. To preserve the peace of the districts so disturbed, Government bad been • obliged to draw troops from different parts of the kingdom • and this was what the Honouralle Baronet called making war upon the people, and subverting their liberties. The Honourable Baronet had,no doubt, strongly in his recollection the steps which Government had been obliged to take to repel the tmuultuary aid which had been offered to him in resisting the laws of the country.- Loud cries of Hear, hear!) He might now confidently say, resisting the laws of the country; fur the law had since been recognized and settled in the most formal manner in all the tribunals to which he chose to appeal, as well as by that to which he wished m o st to a p pea l, trial by Jury.—(Hear, hear!) At that time numbers of people had been inflamed to seditious distur bances very little short of rebellion, in the very heart of the metropolis. There was nothing which Ministers could do that would go more im mediately to destroying the Constitution and the liberties of the country, than by permitting those tumiultuary proceedings to go un checked." DISTURBANCES :N FETE COUNTRY. We have received the following communication from a quarter entitled to our most unbounded confidence. It points out some of the call;CS (.f the continttailce of the 'tots, if not of their origin ; and if it answers .no better effect, will, we trust, put our mock-fn patriits on their guard, not to use lanBuage which becomes the watch word of sedition. Rochdale, :Nrril 34, 1812. " Your anxiety would be a !ilk excited by the accom;t I I.;tely gave of a di-position in the people of these parts to iecc me tumultuous. We lave been threatened wi h another repetitio9 of this kind to •day ; but. by proper vigilance, it has bet.n e arc too marry sufitTers,G d knows, from the sctirc;ty or wiTh i.nd the dc..rni:, , r, of pre visioni; and both these circumitances, I trurt, v. ill Anon 1-; removed.— Yet, tht.• appeal (Areal zref;t, and the ore easily di;tinguidiable. Never did 1 rem burst of disrt gar(' to a!I order and decorum, nor such r.n h.stance of sav:n;e ferocity to sp - zeatl s 9 instatitan ottsly. In some detrJee, h )wever, this may be ac countedik.r in the following manner. I c he grocater part of the concouse were vtraugers in the neighbourhood, who were instructed in every art ful plan toinvel re the p,aceable inhabitants in their vortex of mischief; but, I am happy to observe, that their insttations h.:LI not the desired effect . ; and, in several instances, where tl f•se marauders have gone to l'actice their work of dcstrution in win. r aciiiiinhig districts, they mgt with resistat:ce and comiamy. Tiiis has not faiied to appall them, and they ;:otv say, that the orch•rs cf (ctzcr::l I.n.cld :.re not to at lade any more tacto:;es opt rely, ;:or to Ct. troy them secretly by fire, en.d to assassii - at,' th2ir owners. .1 . lt:s1!, n:‘,:c threat than reality, but it skew= tire diabolical nature of tht i: motives. kvery precautian is adoptt,i to r:_et the case in proper way : The most judicious arrangemenr of that part of tic.! military „hick can be trarst.relled upon, is not-nci;l..ct. ;—the and W;:rd Acts are go frig to he enforced in lare ttrct:t:d us—and nothing is omitted which ought t) he done by the !.q,istratt.s and Depti!y I.ientenant4.— #,3pcn acts of violence, we may then will be prev: reed ; but •e cret lurking evil must not be .:vcrl.,oked. \l. - e must not think twit tec,:use we have stopped the prcgria-s f incd:s, the 'hitt irt. id :tumour i; entirely done away.. Tll r; :s still a zank... - -worm of disall'ection in the sri -Is, of many—and this mu-t u. carrfutiy ' , Nat ur the disorder will break out with more violuv:e th•ni t ver. Nothing, I think, can he more unfortunate, at this time, than the vio lence of party-spirit in the higher ranks of men, ~ vhich is so son- corn siunicated to the lowest. The late procet dings of the Common Coun cil mndon, have contributed in no small , '..Tree, to e.taspet ate the spirit of discontent. amongst us. Th., most important parts of Waith anan's• speeche, have been printed here, and eircuiati d amongst the tower classes of the conuntinyv with the wmost diligence and care; the party language and upn,ar i.: the of Commons, only a few nighr werc eLlioel, with the gre:itrst avi , lity, by the promoters of our Ure disturbances. Surely the inc i;:b.•rs of that great assembly can have r :dea of what is g Ang for.vard in th,_! country, otherwise they would be mare moderate and ttuarcled in what they say. What enc:iuragement do ti.ev not unc.on,citatc;y for riot. The meoings. of the Com m.n: Counci; of atm :.othb g hut a scen•_ efliksing, shouting, and abus - 2; ctrl the still higher assenth:y of nation is disgraced with every exi't•C3SiOn and iicsture, which can prod kce violence :.td influence the of the people at large.—lt is a wise maxim that, " of two evils ,hoold choose the least;" and though public abuses should be check et-L, ar. much ;urpos-ible, yet th , .-.; - e is a certain wise delicacy in the man ntr tamch:ti:r them, e pecially in a free state like ours, in which liber ty : . ;1 I .p.s! iv tntC, lici.l4l.JUsilesz. CITY ADDRESS. This chfprceuvre of civic patriotism was presented last Tuesday to the PRINCE REGENT at the Levee. The Citizens have, indeed, obtained an answer ; but we are mistaken or they will feel but little exultation at the suc• cess of their importunities ; for the reply betrays no hesi tation or embarrassment on the part of the PRINCE. It contains a plain and manly avowal of his sentiments, a direct refusal to pay attention to unfounded complaints, and an intimation that. zeal and loyalty, on the part of the people, can alone extricate us from our difficulties. ROMAN CATHOLICS. It is said that a determination has, been formed by Mi nisters to offer to the Catholic body the three following important concessions : Ist. The removal of every existing impediment to their promotion to the highest ranks in the army. 2d. A similar extension of the opportunity of acquiring promotion with respect to the navy. 3d. The same advantages in the.profession of the law. We give no credit to this rurnotir, as it would involve the removal of the Test Oath, and occasion a material change in our Con3ti ution, without•satisfying the ravings of Catholic ambition. • Earl - WELLINGTON and PHILIPPON, late Governor of Badajoz, are :said to have been educated at the same school, near Paris. •• • • .4 Poi' = INII