The National Register. — London, England, 1812-03-01 00:00:00

TIM NATIONAL REGISTER [ 1. By a Letter from our Correspondent at Windsor, re ceived last night, we are enabled to state that his 11L1,J LSTY is not worse than he was last week ; he has latterly enjoyed more rest than for some time past, which has made him more composed. The Queen's Council, consisting of the Archbishop of CANTERBURY, Earls W INCH LLSEA and A YLESFO Itn; assembled yesterday, and examined the Physicians; but the result bad not trans pired when our account left Windsor. 137 We lay before our readers the following letter, which has within 'these few days been received from an Ameri can Gentleman at Paris, by a Merchant of this city : " No condemnations of American vessels have, for some time past, taken place at the Court of Prizes, under the Berlin and Milan De crees. "This however requires some explanation. The Ftnperor has creat ed a new Ministry for the direction specially of commerce and manu factures. The Director General of the Customs has been appointed Mi nister, and his powers are very extensive. Affairs which formerly ap pertained to the Bureau of the Minister of the Interior, are now un der the direction of the Count de Sussy (this new Minister) and the Court of Prizes is reduced almost to a simple zero, it being little more than a mere Court Report to Lim. 4 4 He makes the Final Report, which is submitted to the Emperor in his Council of Commerce, and as that may be favourable or unfavour able, his Majesty generally decides. 64 You will at once perceive what a controuling power is thus vested in the Count de Sussy, and it nuty be imagined how 1. ach more facile it will be now for the Captors to negotiate, than with the whole Members of a Court. 46 When confiscation is ordered, it is in vain to attempt to learn the points under which it has taken vlace--the fact only is announced to the unfortunate sufferer. 44 Several vessels, taken in the Baltic, (part of them loaded with th e produce only of the soil of the Unite d States) were confiscated some months since—it was supposed under the allegation, that they could not enter the Baltic except under British convoy, so that they had, in some manner, relation with England. The Captains and Supercargoes were left, however, to guess at the cause of their confiscation. " For my own part, I consider it as founded on the decided determi nation of NA POLEON to prevent all kind of trade to and from Prussia and Russia. " Whence else can proceed the great movements that have taken place for sonic months past, and arc still going on, of French troops to wards the North of Europe, but to shut the Baltic ; and if th e Empe ro r ALEXANDER does not effectually adhere to the Continental System, NA rots° sr will of course declare war against him. 64 Do not consider this as the dream of a person dazzled with the military splendour which encircles this astonishing man. He never loses sight, for a moment, of his systematic plan to ruin your COLD mercial resources, and to attain this, he regards neither friend nor foe. ig Pray communicate these my impressions to our friends in New York, for their guidance in Spring adventures to Europe; many will be caught I doubt not." Dublin Papers reached us yesterday morning to the 27th inst. We extract the following article from the Herald of Wednesday last •—" The Board has been sit • ting for more than halt an hour. We left Counsellor O'CoNNEL ou his legs, submitting a draft of a Petition to Parliament—with the exception of a few verbal cor rections, the Meeting were unanimous in their approval. The Petition is short, mild, firm, and respectful. It prays Enquiry into the late Judicial Proceedings—it grounds their claims to Legislative relief on their LOY ALTY—their VALOWl—their WEALTH, and their Num- BEfts ; and prays that those concessions, which they would concede to all men, may, by the wisdom of Parliament, be conceded to themselves." A meeting took place on Thursday. between the Com mittee of Arn , Yrican Merchants and Earl BATHURST ) on the subject of Baltic produce waiehoused in America. It appears, that, for some time past. the Americans have gone to the Baltic, and carried great quantities of naval stores from the Russian ports to the United States, for which articles there is no present vend in America, not. withstanding the warlike tone of the Government of that country. The Committee wished to ascertain of his Lordship, whether these stores might be permitted to be imported into England in American bottoms, to which an answer was given, that such articles could only be imported into this country in British bottoms. Friday, about two o'cloA, Viscount CASTLEREAGH had an audience of the PRINCE REGENT, at Carlton Palau, when his Royal Highness was pleased to appoint his Lordship Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, aild de livered to him the Seal; of Office accordingly. LATE. DISCUSSIONS. The debate on the State of the Nation, which took place in the House of Commons on Thursday last ; and that on the Orders of Council, introduced on Friday in the House of Lords, by the Marquis of LANSDOWNE, have been very far from producing on the public mind that effect which the aristocratical junta too confidently expected from those hackneyed tricks. They had, no doubt, selected with great wisdom, subjects so extensive, and so difficult to be understood, that in the common course of debate any common-place politician might appear to as much advant age as the most profound Statesman. And so. sensible were they of this, that, in the House of Lords, neither Lord GREY nor Lord GRENVILLE ) MO great pillars of the State, took any share in a discussion so materially affect ing the vital interests of the empire; while, in the House of Commons, the task of introducing a motion was left to the officiousness of the ingenious Sir THOMAS TURTON. The debates have been read by the public with apathy, as provoked merelyby party spirit—non pugnant sed ri.rantuer, they quarrel for places, but do nor fight for the coun try," has been evident to the meanest understanding. Mr. PERCEVAL broadly hinted his opinion on the subject to Sir THOMAS TuturoN, whom he considered (good man!) as unconscious of the trick ; and the great majority of both Houses have done justice to those pseudo-patriots by re jecting their motions. LAST NIGH 1 'S MAIL. A mail arrived from Jamaica, and a bag of letters from Heligoland ; but neither bring intelligence of any mo ment. By the Vigilant, which left Malta on the 26th of January, we learn, that the appointment of the PRINCE ROYAL of SICILY, as Vicar-General of the k inglom, has g;ven general satisfaction to the people (the official do cument will found in another part of our paper.)—By the same conveyance, we have received a copy of the armis t,ce concluded between the Turks and the Russians, on the 2d of December last ; but its having been subsequent ly broken, renders it of little interest, and we have, be sides, received it too late for insertion. PORTUGAL. The last intelligence from our army in Portugal, is of the sth of February. Lord WEL! txorom's headquarters Were At Freneida. MARMONT had retired behind the Tor n:es• The country between that river and the Duoro was occupied only by light parties of the enemy ; even S•ila manca was evacuated, and it was supposed the enemy would fall further back on Valladolid, or even on Burgos, 60 great was their want of prdvisions of every kind. 41 M A R( I Y 1 ~~