The National Register. — London, England, 1816-08-11 00:00:00

br la No. 444.—V0L. IX. POLITICAL DISQUISITION. ON THE PRESENT PUBLIC DISTRESS. Benevolence the greatest luxury ; and the:unlit man, after is the genuine epicure." Bishop HORNS. WE have not hitherto been over anxious to advert to the distressed situation of the coun:ry, in the hope that, 'ere this time, we should have realized that opinion which affirmed that the distress was temporary ; and that our sufferings would now be mentioned only as a talc of past times ; but we find ourselves, after a year's tranquillity, still embarrassed, and suffering in a mea elr ! exceeding the fears of our warmest friends, and the hopes of the bitterest of our enemies. That after a war of protracted duration, in which our armaments and exertions have been unexampled, we should at first find it difficult to recover ourselves, is not sur prizing ; but no one could have foreseen that our corn taerce would have been envied, and our ntanufactures excluded, by our Allies. We were told, that Russia had en'-rcti into the war against the late 1 7 surper of France, because she was disgusted at his enmity to our trade, in what was termed the continental system ; because she woul.l not consent to so hostile a measure, even though A' •rar with us: but the Oppressor has disappeared, and his c , roinental system is no longer heard of ; anti yet the policye it's adored spontaneously by Russia ; and the system is revived under another name, by an Emperor whom nr,- retarded as the calm: of its ruin. We are in formed, that by the late Tariff our trade with Russia is almost annihilated. The American tra.le ton, fa- some reason, perhaps dis similar in its nature, but equally operative, is almost ru ined. Ships are continually sailing to the United States from our ports ; but they carry nothing hence but our emigrating countrymen. Repeated failures have now damped the ardour of spe celation, and utterly extinguished the daring spirit of commercial enterprise which employed the wealth of the rich, and the labour of the poor. By the filling-off of our trade with the Continent, our Sheffield manufacturers no longer require the usual quantity of Trop, or the ac customed supply of cc als. To this we trace the suspen sion of the iron--.yrrls at Bilston, &c. and the severe dis tresses of our colliers. There is no one branch of trade which has not, either in a lesser or greater degree, par taken of the general suffering. Such, then, being the state of our trade, our labourers are without employment, and consequently without means of support. By those heart-rending. but by no means exaggerated accounts which we published in our last, it appears, that the humane and just provision of the English laws, by which the indigent are to he relieved in their necessities from the estates of the rich, is'finind in many places inefficient ; it appears, that the distress is so general, and so severe, that it is impossible to carry into effect measures which (whatever may be said of their policy) have been always sufficient to supply the poor with bread. In the accounts to which we have alluded, it is said, the parishes can neither find employment nor food for their poor. This state of tliing:s certainly calls loudly upon the Le gislature for some permanent redress, and upon the pub lic individually for some present relief. The Legislature will enter iato some regulations, beyond all doubt, by which the expenditure may be retrenched, and the taxes materially lessened; by the slowly-working effects of these the distress may be gradually alleviated. But the benevolence of individuals is calculated, on many ac counts, to give a more speedy relief than any enactments of the Legislature can possibly afford. It is this, there fore, to which, as an inexhaustible fund, the poor look up, claiming for Englishmen that liberality whose benefac tions have gladdened at different periods above half the nations of Europe. The only purpose to which the pro ceeds of private munificence should be applied, is imme diate relief. There was never any time, perhaps, when this and was so easily attainable as it is at the present.—. aitionat Lt 'WOW+ Our fling, tontititution anti Raiwl. SUNDAY, AUGUST 11, 181 G. There is now, by the almost universal extension,of Bible- Associations, a regular and organized sye.tem of benevo lence established throughout the Empire. In imitation of these, then, let Benevolent Associations in all parts be founded on a similar principle. On the formation of one of these in a particular district, let every house in it be visited for the double purposes of collecting money, and finding fit objects of relief ; and a part of the money suf ficient to relieve the poor of that district being retained, let the residue be sent to the general Committee, to be applied to the relief of those districts where more money is required than can be collected. Such is, in our opi nions, the most practicable and effectual mode that can be adopted ; it would tend to equalize the burthens of the public ; which, as the poor laws now stand, arc ex ceedingly unequal. If, however, a better can be pro duced, we shall be glad to communicate it to the public. There is only one caution which we would wish to give those persons who conduct meetings called for this benevolent purpose ; it is, that they would carefully ab stain from speaking of the cause of these distresses, and from every subject different from the immediate relief of the poor by collections. Should any other subject be in troduced, there is reason to fiasr, that a meeting called for the purpose of mitigating the miseries of mankind will terminate in a political squabble. Having said thus much, we beg leave to repeat, that any permanent benefit is not to be expected from private exertions of any kind. For this, some public law is re. quired ; not to relieve the poor only, but the country—by decreving the debt, and encouraging the manufatures of the kingdom. DISTRESSES in !ie COUNTRY. EXTRACT Or A LETTER FROM RILSTOX, DATED A UO. 4. " The distress, Sir, is beyond every thing that has been described. Imagination -steed not be called to our : plain cast-;,asessts Of feet, of tl , .ings as they really are, are beyond measure affecting. Having received .51. for distribution from a benevolent individual (whose name I should rejoice to publish, did I not fear incurring his dis pleasure), the whole of which I distributed in bread, I called at a cottage near me. and met the wife of the cot tager with a spade in her hand ; and I asked her what she was going to do with it e She replied,' to sell it, Sir ; it is one of the last things we could apace ; hut I cannot see my children perishing for want of bread while we have any thing that would purchase They shall not want ( 1 eagerly eselaimedl ; I have brought yen succour ;God has raised up friends for you ; we shall yet see better times:— I presented her with two loaves. Astonishment was fixed on her comiteuauce, and the tears of _latitude silently found their way down her cheeks. She could but feebly articulate her thanks. I then called at another cottage ; the father of the fa mily that itiliabited it had been dashed to pieces in one of the pits, a Neck or tar) before. I presented the widow with two loaves. oven (said she) has sent you here this morning ; we should to-day have wanted bread, had it nut been for your kind visit; our stock was all gone.' I called at a third; there were nine children ; the little habitation was divided into two rooms by a rue suspended in the middle; the afflicted father was on a rough eutteb tin one side.aed the mother nu the other. Famine and Sickness bad taken up their abode with them. It was a scene of such complicated wretche Ines as I had never hethre beheld. In ;twister to the inquiry, is your mother at home?' a hand scarcely any thing hut skin and bone was es ti tided, gently drew aside the rug, and in a very feeble voice whispered • yes.' I told her I was come to bring her starving family a little relief; the intelligence was too much for her fee ble frame; she fell almost lifeless on her pillow. Otte little ta ble, two chairs, and two miserable beds, witil the rug that di vided the cottage, was the whole of their furniture. 1 know, Sir, that other districts are iu distress ; but our sorrows are of an earlier date, and conseiptently of longer standing, than those of any other county. Before the peeve was concluded, oar staple manufacture —our iron-works began to fail ; and without help the pressure on our neighboarhood is insupportable. Stich, indeed, is the misery that prevails, that I am thoroughly per. snaded the district would be no longer habitable, were it not for the general attention that bras been paid by men (Mall deno minations, and people of all ranks, to the education of the poor. The little information that has been given has softened their manners, and awakened them to discern some of those great ties that hind society together, and which they know it mould be in famy to tear asunder. I know, sir, find many will say . , it is of no avail to afford temporary aid. What! is not holt a half bet ter time no bread? Is bread for to-day of no value • because we know not whence we may receive a supply to-morrow Is it then absolutely impossible, it you save your fellow•mcature to-day from perishing, that any event shall occur to-morrow for his permanent relief? For my (milpillt, from what I have seen and heard, distressed as our motility undoubtedly r, my expec tations rise high. An active Magistrate in our district lateh . suggested, that if a gtateral sanction w as g iven to the use ut gaslights, it would do much in aid of our iron-manufactories ; and that if our coals were allowed a free competition with the Newcastle coals in the Metropolis. multitudes would be perm:l ucidly ciorloyasi who are stow tit a starving condition." PRiez 9 'd. ST. DOMINGO, Olt HAYTI. The following particulars respecting this Nand, are taken from the letter of a traveller, dated the 16th of June, 1816: " When a vessel arrives in the harhonr of Capc Henr•, no person is permitted to land until the ship has heel' visit e d l a boat from the shore. Shortly after our corning to anchor, therefore, the visiting boat came off to us, with a military Offi cer, an interpreter, &c. Their appearance was by no mean* prepossessing ; their dress consisted pt' wide checked trowsers, with hoots above them. a long blue coat, faced with red, and out at elbows, while a huge cocked hat. bit. a red feather, at least two feet long, and a dragoon sabre by their side, ga ve t o their black faces a very formidab'e appearance. They were, however, very polite, inquired the news from Europe, swallowed cheese, ham, &c. by the lamp, washing all down with wine, air, and porter; they then conducted the Captain and all the par sengers to the Governor, the Duc tk Marmalade, a black nate, about GO years of age, a native of Africa, mild in his manners. and exceedingly well liked Loth by natives and foreigners. He merely inquired our names and business, took all our letters, papers, &c. in order to have them translated for his Nlsjrh•, and then ordered us to wait on Baron Dirpity, a man of colunr, about 30, Private Secretary to the King, and reckoned a seemws Talleyrand. Ile certainly looks a man of address. 1 was at: terwards introduced to Prince John, the King's son, who is a good young man, but has no abilities. I was, however, much pleased with him, and received many kindnesses front him. " On one who has seen Negroes and coloured people only la the degraded situation in which they are in the Colonies, it has a singular effect when be goes among them where they only have command and control ; and, although from toy short rest. Bence in this quat ter vi the world, and tioin my general feel. ings towards them, as a people who are and have been cruelly and unjustifiably ill used, still I felt something like an ill na. timed contempt for their assuming an authority over me. The desolation which surrounds you in the town of Cape Hem y serves to keep alive this feeling, and is, on first lambus:, per haps, the most impressive scene leser IA ituessed. It fat merly contained GO or 70,000 inhabitants, built upon a plain, in the most regular order, all the streets intersecting each other at light angles, and miming in straight lines E. and W. and N. and S. The buildings have been uniformly elegant. Pictui e to yourself sach a place—the houses completely sacked, and only the outward walls and balconies remaining, —trees and shrubs growing wi .hin and upon the walls—and grass grossing upon the streets—and you have something almost as melancholy as the appearance of Cape Henry. "To eoinnletn the oieture_ however_ •eu must ronprivo blazing snit, and the lively verdure all around, and something SO impressively sad in the appeal ance of the partial occupation of the ruined houses, a hich hero and there contain a family - of lilac/ s or Mulattoes, that words cannot convey any adegnate description of the scene. You are coutinually reminded that others than those, you now see in a coiner of what ha • been princely mansion, raised it and dwelt in it ; and, tier Wight %nn can tell, the vets persons a ho now huddle up in one corner of it, may have cut the throats of the burner owners. The houses of the few English and Americans resident are exceptions to this, as are also the few occupied by the Nobility. These have been completely repaired. and just serve to skew how splendid a place it mast have been when all the others were in the same state. The sane description will apply to the country. I had an opportunity of travelling from Goodie° , acrms to the Cape, a distance of 60 or 7/1 miles. On every side I could ate the ruins of fine plantations : and from the appearance of the rains try, I have little doubt but the assertion of the French is cur. rect, ' that their possession in St. Domingo were once worth all the Colonies in the West Indies.' I had no opportunity of seeing Christopher, which I was sorry fur; but he kept himself so aloof from the Cape, that I might have continued there theee► months without his being once ill it. "'The following authentic particulars of his character t ty convey to yon a livelier idea of him than mere description o. person, which, by-the-bye. I have been told is the elegant it ',• del of an Hercules. In battle lie is brave to desperatimi : has courage rising with danger. Ile bus been seen in the heat ot an engagement, animated with the fury of a tiger, raging ami foaming through all his ranks. He is rev ettgeful beyend mea sure. Ha had a regiment commanded by a coloured man, which went over to Patton. The moment lie was apprised of the circumstance, he ordered a massacre of all the coloured wo men in his dominions • and not even to waste powder on them. I was shown several p laces where numbers of those unfortunate females were butchered ;many were hid there by the relative! till the Airy abated, and I have had the particulars of their es cape from the lips of two or three. They still live in great dread; and some who are even u ealthy would gladly abandon all and en any where to get out of his ppWer, ahem they hate, but never name. He is extravagant in Ins notions of gnu:deur. and proud as Lacit . er himself; severe as a tyrant towards those of his own colour, and who are his subjects, at the same time rigidly enforein4 the laws, and protecting Ate-augers who respect them. In no country in Elam), are duties and customs so zidlv e•acted, or illicit trade so completely presented. Add • to this that I travelled in the interior of the country, where nut a white face is to lie seen, with as much security as I coal done im any part of Great Britain. This is nut to / without a passport signed by hims-lf. No stranger is , to go a howbeit yards beyon-f the harriers of the Cape permission. Ido nut think, however, that his Clovernmem lie of long duration. He is so much the tyrant, that he have many enenues among his seeming friends ; besides, himself a usurper, and engrossing all the riches of the cos and applying them often foolishly. and without advice, n aurally inspire those about him with tuitions dangerous safety. His personal character is so well knew n, that a ill atteinpt any thing against him till they Joe vine to him. At all events, I conceive Petion must eventually aloe him. His character is an opposite to christophu's in at. ,bat is good, that his success Sill NM the country. 19 mid be done allowed without ; : . went will he lowa 1 . . 0, les, ['dog Al p t . I pip, cumitry, le%t %.111 - I to hie .11 that DOW. 1 , 1 lia% • Ily O% rt, • in AL