The National Register. — London, England, 1818-09-20 00:00:00

y No. 554.—V0t.. XI. SUNDA?, SErTEWINtIr 20. 1818 Patcz 90. POLITICAL DISQUISITION. and in point of fact r some of them are so. To them imprisonment is a• cruel hardship• in itself, and one which ought never to be increased by any unnecessary acts of severity.- Conviets, again, are either to undergo capital punishment, or they are at some time or other to be liberated: As. to the former, the. punishment of death must proceed do the suppirition ;that the habits contracted by them are so inveterate that time cannot metkethem, and so dangerous to society that they cannot is 'aired to live. We cannot enter at present into a discussion on the policy of restirting to capital punish. manta in any case ; but it is Certainly a horrible and unnatural cruelty, to• deny to those who are about to suffer death an opportunity of reflecting on their awful situation, and of making peace with min and the Author of their own bei n gs. But, •penitent, or impenitent, separation is necessary either Ibr their own sake or the sake of others. Ar to those, again, who are at some time or other to be let loose on society, it is clear that amendment ought to be sought by all possible means, if not on their own account, on amount of the misdate which they might otherwise do to the community. snit OF THE FRENCH ARMY, FROM' THE REIGN OF HENRY V. TO THE PEACE ON OP AMIENS THE infliction of punishment, it should be remem. &red, ii in itself an evil. The moral effect has always been bad on the agent by whom it is inflicted;. and Unless it lead to amendment in the - object, or date others by way of example, it ought never to be re sorted to. Punishment, boomer, When it etceeds that of necessary restraint, and restraint which can be understood by the Buffeter, is suit to harden the ob, ject of it; and itreffects, as an example to others, are rot nearly ea great as those of the saildele.tasetleent, which enforces constant labour and regular habits, by sts Affect seclusion from every *tat of human con verse and society. It it thus an impolitic law rthieh culcates severity. lint the truth is, that the gteat evils and miseries of our gaols are those which are merely tolerated practice, and which proceed from niggard liness on the part of our gentry, and' negligence on the part of those employed under them. The law, when it orders imprisonment, never adds that it shall be ac companied with filth, disease, want of food, and seve rity of treatment. There are even express enactments in favour of cleanliness and health; but which, in most cases, are totally neglected in practice. The law, it is true, and we are sorry far it, allows a creditor to throw his debtor into gabl, Without compelling an immediate inquiry whether the non-payment of the debt arises from unwillingness, from previous culpable extrava gance, or from innocent misfortune. If it allowed im prisonment, as in other crimes (for we conceive wilful extravagance to be criminal; as well as fraudulent con tealesent) for the sake of safe custody only till the guilt or innocence of the party should be ascertained; we should think it wise; but faulty as the law of debtor and creator is, it allows only of imprisonment. It does not condemn the debtor either to nloral or bodily Obn. tacks, to cold or hunger, to dampness, close air, or insufferable effluvia; Ind yet in how few gaols is it in his power to separate himself from vice,and profligacy —.-to avoid disease of body and contamination of mind ? la how few gaols is there any classification of prisoners•; and_yet can a heavier punishment be inflicted dpon an innocent man, who, from unforeseen circumstances, or In 1600, when Henry IV. of France prepared to .attack the Duke of Savoy, his disposable army amounted to only 7,000 infantry, 1,500 cavalry, and *ix pieces of cannon. From 1600 to i 609, Henry IV. maintained a sten& ing army of 4,100 foot, and 2,637 horse, which he afterwards augmented to 10,000 men, besides 4,000 in garrisons. But when he determined on the league against the House of Ansagiv a , he had rib IRislne mks* for ineissaing leis invOiety ter *SO Myr 1 - 0.000 . 44101 40 5,000 Hoes. • 57,000 with 74 *en eadiliff• tbe United Protihoes. and Mit of the Prime of the Empire, bad in to hand& 4 • The Duke of Savoy The Venetians The Pope 24,000 tlOOO it.noel 10.000 66,000 The Kinp of SligMS, Denma4c, arid Sweden, the House of Sal - . and mine other German States. fire to bring into the field •••••• .. toth eed!• UsUry's army and his Re V`' iuninbied i • r...• • • 17,000 A writer in an evening paper sugg . ests tits probabi. lity that Lod Cochrane may 51 gong out in his steam engine with a view to attempt the liberation of Buonaparte :—" The King's ships at St. Heim lie chiefly at or off James town, on the leeward side of the islatid, into which thrall is good &Mese by die usual! way. There is no other access into the israitif env( at the opposite, the windward side, where the entrance from the water by land is easy ; but hale there is no-anchor. age. Off thit plias two eintan usually 'raise. Sea faring malt of course speculate on the possibility of Buonaparte's escape ; and ' met diatom they think would be, ' • well appointed with ow- - beat Of the - L5OO SAO 163,1100 RIMS U. were destined to attack the Come at Ilatisid and Vienna. These intentions were frustrated by the ameatination of Henry on the 14th of May, 1610. From the year xO5; Louis XIII. ha& dye armies on foot, which amoutitod to 100,0061ssa, of whom 18,000 were hone. tinahlhhment of Limb XIV. doettrated frotti to 100,000 men : and the lirgest army - • ifid MOO land on every ing the Risme of parte. bung' any cotters; to windward, to convey away Beenaperte ___ power going against wind and tide would in limo teu be a great protection against the King's ship; and moving as it does Without sells. it woull not easily be dieft*dted at sea. Experienced neudad mar t Who have had an opportunity of 'lngesting Hie steam vessel of Lord Coahnnn, have been strut* with its remarkable adepts don formsvigating - opon each a coast as the rftadvisrd side of St. Helene is represented to be. With respat to warlike mean% the recent union of the Buonsparthis its the pYovince of Texas, on the Trinity River,- may probably . supply resources, long since cotheurplated ; and which could not have been so availalA, had these exiles remained contented with the greets of land made to them by Congress / hr the Alabama territory. 'All a naval officer, Lora Cothrium !level Showed' self deficient ib etherpthe; and to his natural ardour is -1 mew added the ezeitenstset of desperate attunes. gm 1 has been moth mistaken, or there are few thin, thug would gratify bins more than to become the liberator of %Olson. The bet attempt, indeed, would seal hie Adore that*. If he *weeded, his fate walla be linked irki that of Stsonaparte ; if he fanner, be might still become an **urgent admiral.— He has nothing to lose in England ; every thing to gain out of h. Just such a man—one so completely with the world before him—bwould be required for the hazardous and daring enterprize. But it is mid be is going tb Chili: Se it so. It will not be mutlr out of his way to call et St. Itelena."—Courier. The military (*bur:ewes in India are gradmily brought up by successive arrivals, or the more minute investigation of preceding accounts, but nunew events of importance present themselves. A troclonation from Ceylon, dated the 2d of last March, indicates the tumultuous and pa , plexed state of that island, and sets a price of a thousand dollars upon the head of a fugi tive chief. The British Museum has purchaaed the library of the late M. Ginguene at Paris, for 10001. sterling, The Republitrin anhy int gradually increased trove that number at high at 749,541 d, present under arms,- when the nominal * paper strength amounted to J,1159,144: This was the mazisetee of the military strength tithe Risiludit in the *tauten of 1794. It gradually declined after that period to 581,939 *ten preseneunder arms, which was the strength of the `army in the autumn of 1797.- In 1799, when Bernedotte *as made Minister cf . War by the Directory ( he feund the nominal strength of the army rated at 49,844, of which, however, not mere than 293,46, ken effective, after deduct eleg the jeddarmorie and Garda national*, the sict-ind the army itr Egypt; and after allowing for the garrisons is Italy and the Rhine, not moue than tfib,ooo men dis., posable for operations in the field. however, by his-ex traordinary activity, the army was increased to 38 Z.(IC9 men, exclusive of the temps in Egypt, sick in hosiital,• and prisoners of war. Its August, 1799, the Coutteil of 500 issued *decree, fixing the land forces of the Republic at -4.44.345 Tafaattre i 6.640 Cavakg., 6.436 Etat Major; SO. even indiscretion, has exposed' hthiself to die suspicion of erinse—oa a person imprisoned for dn assault, for selling religions tracts - without a licensed, begging - to L I sustain life under some sudden casualty, or offending unconsciously perimprekainst some penalstatuto 6 -4han to be plated us a abeiety of experienced thieves, pick pockets, rabbets„ and murderers? Could' any youmg ;mon, "bleed to eensmii }fret and is mall o9Eirae, biplomilia a =ors dangerous seibbl of mil:badness ? fl, hat we be ascertained beyond' die: }Salability of doubt, *X may oi r site worst bus isles h&c been planned la Newgate and the other prisons of the me. aropolls ; and that eve am ofthent, as hitherto COD. COM& has been a sunery of crime 1 Juvenile Misr. quoits sialfOresly want out more depraved,- ini snore `ripened for' evil, their *hen' they crone' t and many of thein, from the information and hardihood acquifed in get, became leaders of gums; and committed the 'nom daring excesses. It is thus obvious, let men pre. tend or profile what they will, that those who do not provide gaols to admit of the classification and separit. Con of t wiseners, are accessories befordthe fact to dimes deb* worst description : theyconsent to the deterioration. of their fellow-mesttfres, and in iirectly Oat' in spread ing vice, disease, and crinie, through the whole com munity. The law may in some cases permit, but if does not commit the evil. :t orders imprisonment but it clod not ordain promiscuous intercourse, nor does it command the use of chains and fetters, which harden offenders in ibitpity, but never lead one to repentance. In the cye of the law the accrued mad' a 1 be innocent, 566,40 From Septetnber, lito6, to Septentibr, 1801, (year Franc '!Dept t the field 414,73 t men ; and after the Peace of Amiens, the artily mourned to 3R9,715 men, beide' 15,000 veterans. To-morrow being St. Matthew's day, according' to annual custom, the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, SbetitTs. and Governors of the several Royal Hop t&s will at.- tend divine service at Christ Church. After a sermon by the Rev. John Rogers A.M. they will pros reed to the great Hell in Christ's hosp:tal, where two orstions will be delivered in Latin, by Frederic 10% in English, by George Brooks; the asto maim gaolers of the grin:mar scitrol. pillimigek , - - -. " Jr C O 711 1 1 1) r triation„ I -.llt t o r v-A, o p t + --„,...„. .11 , .... • .1 .4 , Our ttingt ettiunitutioßantiliaing. g men of Coutes specolate on the possiiillty of The pence eitablisloont of Louie XIV. fluctuated isparte's escape ; and the most prettied elinue front 120',000 to 160,000 meet : and the lirgest army think would be, for a strong cutter or two,• well he eve had on hot, in the war from i(l9s to 1697, inted with own to alt the %windward aile, amounted to 890,80 men of whom- &WO were as- et? the clutters. tabs awl row away with Btiona- val . r, their riee• tat `tabs Wilstropintlo,y4uldaneil XV,.Segrhall sr. o, out armed art* 401,elliaan‘lia stir wkqmitlreell 1/0 *destitution. A stems eau 1 • is- • t ; and after the tawny of Ake-hothapells, hie on every side, its methane') teovement supply- peace establishment enlisted of 167,428 men. he Ones of east; tai efler tikkwg away Hash- In the year 11117 the Fres muoufted to 4 b e rg / large and h night Writ .1.11,111 wen, see is 1791 to 164,269 nide. In 1791 cutters. It might then wtitt up to Ow robbi M. Narbonne represented, that the effeetive strength rindward i to deliver its prite, or it might itself of the army did sot exceed 139,000 men, of which not ey away Beensparte wholly. The power of going more due 83,000 were disposable for field service. . rrw' to his 34,