The National Register. — London, England, 1818-05-17 00:00:00

/[/'A 'J ZiDt XI. POLITICAL DISQUISITION. ON THE ErnicvnoN OF THE POOR,—EMPLOY NENT OF CHILDREN IN c(rrrom FACPORIE SUPPRESSION OP FORGERY, &c. TILE sehjects above mentioned have of late deserv edly occupied the public attention, and we think it right, as far u lies in our power to keep alive that attention ; eenvinced that the most important step towards 1111_ provement is the well-grounded conviction of its neees ity. This necessity is indeed so obvious, that, on wbatevvcr other points the various parties of our legis lature may differ, they seem one and all to be agreed on this ; and the only motive of variance in their senti ments is the mode of eifeiaing the desired improve ments. It is unquestionably the most amiable trait in the national character, that the higher and middling c.aeses of a e.iety, are ever on the alert to ameliorate the c . ..ndition or the lower. No nation in existence, nor of which history records the manners, is to be compared to Tar's for the virtues of Charity and Benevo!enee.— 'Virtues mere eminently rare and ineomparably more amiable than any that can po'sibly adorn either a na tion or an individual. Where azniiist the records of history do we find the patrician equally sensible of that equality established by nature between himself and the plebian ? Equally anxious to lighten the pressure cf grinding penury ? H (pally willing to lay open to the poor man, the road to all those advantages he himself enjoys, either in his property, or in the improved state of the intellectual powers:, by which, more than by any other advantaae, he stands distinguished from him? We ropey.: it—the comparison is no where to be found in arc:xi-A or modern timec. if there be one fault in oar I'ocr Laws more generally canraleuous than ano ther, it is that they embrace toe, miteir benevolence ; but independent of the provision thus wade for the pauper, what sums are not volitiitarZ.'y appropriated to his com fort and his improvement i Let not any one here object that there are abeeer. We speak more only of the benevolent spirit of the lews, not of their corrupt or injudicious adminiatrat;en of there. We only pay the just tribute of admiration to the virteeue feelieat of a benevolent natien, we de net wean Cleny that Its most praiaeworthy objects ate often defeated by petty intrigue, by avarice end hard-heerecdness in those. en trusted to carry them into execution for all this, the fact of good intent, of gel - a:row; dhdriterested tender, feeling, stands established,a—aed - ,se congratulate our countrymen that it does so. Among the many proofs of this we will particularly notice those charitable iastitutions fin- the education of youth, the abuse& in which formed the subject of the very eloquent speech lately made by Mr. ilroughara in the House of Com mons. We conceive the country in general greatly indebted to this gentleman for his conduct., and sin cerely hope he will have the eetisfaction of seeing his well owlet exertien crowned with sweets, But in mgratul a ting our countrymen on the tress cif gener ves feeling which exists among there, as evinced in the extent airi magnitude of the inititutiohs before nientioaiel, ye: cannot refrain fro: 1 expressing our regret, that the thv urmraty should be stained with the rt:;):.1 such a motion as it has bean found nceustere to male; in Parliament, for the prolecion of you h o • rather, we 5h.) , 1:1 say, ilfcht:9, against the unfeeling exactions cf a fie.v avaricious individuals, whose conduct classes theca more with the unfeeling herd of Egyptian taskmasters, then with any other .I:::;criptiott of human beings that we. hare lnown, heard, or read of'. What will he thought of our humanity by other civilised nations, when they licar that chil dren, infants, are subject to 15 hours labour out of the confinal within the Contaminated atino.phere of a manufactory ? What opinion must th, , y form of taedical profewLion atnoug:•t us, wLen Wei hear /,; t- _onali Ittaii_!ittr+ Om Ling, eottOitution anti MIA. SUNDAY, MAY 17, 1818. that individuals of it are ready to wine forward and declare, that such a practice is compatible with health and longevity ! The part wllirli the House has taken on this subject, does honour to it feelinoi. The cause of reason and hantanity tnu•t AID ub t Itss, prevail, and we should really blush f • those Members who have been left in the minorito m the Bill in question, if they should persist in wiling to ex:snse more than they have done, the want of feeling in themselves the absence of common ureretnorling i 9 tinr.viduaie, whose protssiea requires more than an ordinary degree in all who are allowed to rractice it. Allowing for an instant, that it were possible to 16n17 lnward such medical evidence, as hcrc allteled to, is it reasonable to suppose that, with the exception of their employers, any Member cf either House could be :311 el so stupid as to allow it the sraallest influence on 4i.s decision ? Certainly not spite of all the ele-ta thnsc Slavery of this description, the stigma attaeried to the country from its prevalence is on the Joir.i. &sea peering. The h•arnanity of the le,gisi-seese is too inti mately concerned, the character of the coy sere,- too at stake, to admit a doubt that our expectlth:ne can be disappointed. But the regulation of public charity, and the protection of youth against cruelty end oepression do net constitute the onli subjects for approval : the pro ceedings of Pciliament during the last week .....en eni minals participate iii the reseit of these le eoge on which we pride ourselves. The punie:imen. dc'eth in ruses of forgery which the public has Ling r • eeoced out of proportion to the offence, has at ieogth copied the attention of Parliament, and we trust that te : 4 is fast approaching when our feelings vii!l ee.le to ba revolted by the many capital punishramk with which this crime is annually attended in thinTtsl.4,.-eliV• can scarcely, however, per eit otirselve • any change that can be made in the Bank Note will be sufficient to check the evil in question. The arts in this country have attained too great perfection to justify such a conclusion. Were it possible to f:ustrate ail attempts to fabricate Bank Notes, the Bank Direc tor would indeed be deserving of the severest censure for %eying so long postponed a meesure of such crying lreportanee—but the thing, we feel persuaded, is too difSee`t, it'not impossible. We rathser incline to think that, rehuitting the punishment to be nut of proportion to the crime, the remedy should be in the alteration of the law itself. We have now ample.proof that its cf feet is quite inadequate to the preventioa of crime, and an as.loris, we boldly venture to assert that when the effect of any law becomes as the one in question merely nittriictive it is time that it should be. erased from our Cede. Forgery is unquestionably a incest serious offence at ail times, hat eertaialy never can be more so, than at the present moment. Ceull the punishment c.f death, uniformly inflicted, tt ml to prevent the perpetration of it, we shoull not, much aY we deprecate the too un proportionate seve•:lty of the punishment to the offence, feel more than pitg for tl?e ofe.w,er 1 but convinced as we feel that the r cDcitaive effect etf' the existing law is inadequate to its object, we cannot but feel disgusted at ere taw Lre.?r: In all offences we abustld presume tlu offender to be influenced more by what may appear to him the probability of escape from detcciien aito gether, than by any reference to the rmnishment Iv hi :11 ' would attend the detection, and perhaps on this aseump t!on the punishment of forgery does not claim the a: terference of the legislature. We however, at what has been done already, and doubt not, that tire humane efforts of the Member who nude the tnotion, which hay led to the latter part.of this discussion, will nltimately he miser-tied with sjC^CS: Admiral Sir Josias Rowley is to prresed ilbribwith to Ireland, to assume the cowman : on is the . Cark station, in the place of Admiral Fla 'Avllu appanted.to r inumund the squadron ordered fur two inufaho' cruise in the Charnel. PRICE 90. C) 4 FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. rAOII, MAY IO.—A report in circulation, that the nnke de Leachtenberg (Pcittee Eugene) was to he appointed ot nei•slicsitno of the La% ariau army, is contradittid in an twi rl:: from Munich. A letter lion Madrid of the 97th of April contains some ictellicence respecting South America. A battle is art row. !edged to have been near Calobose, its the beginning of last February, in which fVtorril o v:as defeated by suprr;ot tty of tinothera; Wit on the of the same mon.l:, haiir g or ic:Lv:. ot.loutt he mot-i attacked t 4 .e 11 4 11 f • at.rt gained a i ri• W of c. yreoce, crew veil Marttlto, it,". , r " prey( ar ..t tido from tatting sit end to the contemptible Repriblie Vette:Lula." t lte Immo gents left 400 dead on the ti.,pl of bat. tie, bc.ttics a great number of 'minded and prisoners. and the la , sof al: tii. rr materi-?. The loss of the Spaniards was es tlinste.i at one chief, 13 oflickrs, and :53 killed; 4 Officers, GI priiites. weanded: and P 4 prisoners. A le ti et trent Albi speaks tiles of some of the persons who tisH.ed so much painful *trice there 'Aludatee 7.lan. *on is net a handsome woman, yet the is aereeaUle ; her e•: et :.re smalls bot lively ; her mouth large, anti her complexiet:. very : her figete small but wet formed, is assisted by a • et.; .a I rheas; die sound of ler voice is agreeable. Tl:^ w man Iltaicellidiano traits of min- in her reentent , nee . she is .mall, and may be about fro yeses of age. Ante Benett it it dif dealt to *peak of; a tare, hat hovers three-qt. triers of her fia urea ; she 'oder' no more that* a statue during the whole day. tever,esiogitt a sufficient siew of her to say Oars/lb otiert,el:: bare:rime, and may be about SS years of age.- Neal Is the unto-inn BastiO4 Grammont. This is a man of large site, a neat Colosees; vet he has in his features and in the habits of his person every thing to announce a profound villain. He txpress , s himself with cousidetable facility, mingling with every thing he ta.i. 11111Cil irony and still more audacity. I saw hin tly into a p;INSiOD twice in the sitting of the 24th, and ant convinced that, it he had not been held by t•io gendarmes, he would easily have escaped. Colard seems like one ready fur ady crime that might be suggested to Lim. After Colard is JAlls..loll. He is the only one of the accused who has tile appearance of having been well e l t iated; hut his features ioli:ate insiccerity. 'Yet I must ti;: al-1 :he justice to say, that when the your), Firaliles spoke in the sitting of the t:".' , .! . .liossion -daoe showed our sensibility. He .r r . 1 / 4 .1 meow.; tit 4 1 ..10E10 !macs, aegnir-1 by me:.^ .; • the delicate ; by V..i‘t fortune he an al:lance with the :.ectly of Bastide l'Aanimant, one of the most ii;.,t t;flisiatted in the department of L'Aveyrnii. The little i‘ertsovl la on &Aim:sling audit for faculties and for ott.ii• • .1 Pi ini:ers. Snob ;Plktrt!%l fill for her :.y ratrett;r: of per mis of eonaision. who htf:. , , visit: J hor at th r hospital, that their riedeve.leace has placed ker above want for the remainder of her days." COURT OF ASSIZE or ALB!: OF THi MURDERER! OF I;;ALCES. srq-rtNo or MA j. Young Fualdes aldressed the Court In an energetic and affecting manner, expresaing his gratitude for their effort? to bring to justi•ze the ussassins of his 4nl'appy filler. The ac cused were asked by tse President, if they 44.1 any thing to offer in their defence ; toe only reply was, a ve:ieniont rect . !. Ill:11460a betwe•ni Aline Benoit and tild woman Baucal. SlTTits s's; GP THE Sj. OF 311,..t. The examinations anti dereuce of tlio aecnced having heels concluded in the itch shrill:, the Prtsinent this day euterti upon the recapitulation of all the proceedings relative to this horrid affair. At two o'clock +he jars" retired to deliberate. An express order was given ;,v tins President, rigorously to prevent all communication with them. The SICCUSt .1 were not re-conducted to St. Cecile, to wait wail their Judges detei mine their fate. They were taken in a room adjoining tire Assizescourt ; a strong ward xi9l3 placed civet - thou. 'f he deliberations of the jury lasted fe.,:r hours and a halt. Miring this time ttle spectators which thins! the Court did not quit their places. At I o'i lock the jury returned; a profound silence reigned in the auditoty, each waited ss ith racer anxiety a vcrtliet which would acquit or eoraleinn. l'iic foreman of the jury. with his hand upon his heart,tind with evident emotion, read answers to the questiAl3 which had been submitted to them. 'They were all mireed noon unanimously. The as limas) lianeal, Baritte, Joussion, Colin', and faith were found guilty of oeing accomplices its the minder, with prenteiiitatioo. Anne Benoit, guilty as an accompilee without premeditation. Dastide, :mission, leach, anti Colaid, guilty of throwing the body into the river; the former guilty of the burglarions robbery. Itlossinuier not guilty of being concerned in the murder, but an accosl• Oct; its the throwing of the body int.) the riser. 3latiaine Jlaitsou was unanimously declared not guilty. Afire pronouncing the verdict of the Court, It.e foreman of the jut.} signed it ; aid ;he Pi ticdeut oidered the accused to he brought lirfsre them. Jaino-ion was so weak, that the gilidarmcs iv:A e &Aged to support him. He appeared to know already the fate wide(' Awaited him. Mande. alwo)s tirm, had ail air of confidence wi.irli distil°, ed a striking coa:ItICI Will' the tivit thian al Ka Oralllet.latsiitW. COW d. willow audacity, o l ive:vett cater, and itsiguirl. Acne. Benoit's countenance expressed the deepest g: It f t Alithalle Mile/3011 Wag rilittained, by pity f or the a vih4l , o objects eh') stirronsideit bee., fr ~,, de v l ay i lig ow jo, she isaaNt ha Vt. telt at the preyed tot being immediately set at tilii.rty. The Court re tired to Jelihei ate upon the sentences „r r „. ni,,,nia„t It was , 1 „,•„ that Janissiou gave visit to his grief.-- Ills expses•ions were liars he rent. •• Alrl grinse iiie is," he ea. claimed, ...lint it mart not tit•r tile Ullth. i ail, iiirineent.— Von sliiiiiiil ask M. Frialdes who were his en,-our.. When 1 ;" i is vti hese, the lit,,enretii.Grtiti at swore he world ruin in" Oa the scAold I will speak as at Use present monieut. God