The National Register. — London, England, 1822-06-24 00:00:00

good sense —he was opposed by the late Speaker of the House of Commons (Lord Colchester) who is said to have returned from the Continent on purpose —the Lord Chancellor of course whined and whimpered on the subject, and in proof of his dot age asked, whether it were intended to make the Catholic Religion dominant—a question, for asking which a child of ten years old ought to have been whipped. However, the opposition to the measure of justice was successful, and the Bill was ,lirown out—let not the Catholics yet despair. In the very course of nature, Lord Eldon must retire soon—let them remember that he was born in 1750—and rest assured that when he shall cease to sit in the House, a great share of the influence exerted against their claims will be nullified. The en largement of mind is making rapid progress, and if they do not receive what they ought to have this year, they may the next. The long-talked of measure of the Bank of Eng land discounting at 4 per Cent. has at last been car tied into effect, under, it is said, a threat from Go vernment, that their charter should not be renewed unless they diJ so.—This has been done just before the holders of the 5 per Cent. Navy Stock, who dissented from the transfer into the 4 per Cent. new Stock, arc to be paid off—the effect has been to drive the funds up, and thereby add to the evil of the robbery committed upon them—this was no doubt intended by the Chancellor of the Exchequer with the view to punish them, for endeavouring to prevent being cheated of their property, by one of the most disgraceful chicanes, that ever indelibly degraded a financier. Letters from Paris received yesterday, continue to mention the marching of troops for the Cordon Sanitaire. It is stated, that the assembling of this large body of troops on the Spanish frontiers is to prevent the revolutionary principle of the Spa niards from infusing itself into the south of France. REDUCTION OF DISCOUNT.—The folio% ing is the form of the official notification fro:n the Bank:— ,• " Bank of EN;lantl, 2014 June, 1822. Resolved, That all the bills and notes approved of in the plaid manner, and not having more than 95 days to pin, be discounted at the rate of 4 per Cent. per annum, on and after the 11st of Jane, 1821." AFFAIR OF THE SWALLOW .-•A letter from Gib raltar of the SOth ult. states, that Mr. Douglas, the British Consul at Tangi‘.ir, in consequence of in structions from Lord Bathurst, has applied to the Emperor of Morocco, to demand satisfaction for the afiltir of the Swallow, Lut that the Emperor had evaded the demand by declaring that the rebellion which then existed in a great part of his dominions rendered inquiry impossible. It will be recollected, that the Stvallow, a merchant vessel, sailed from Gibraltar fur Oran on the .21st of June, 1321, and being becalmed near Melilla, was taken possession of by three Moorish arineJ boats, on August the Ist, and broken up. The master and two of the crew were made prisoners. - The Amon Manby, IRON steam-boat, arrived at Paris, from London, on the 1 idi inst. with a cargo of clover seed and cast iron. The voyage from London to Rouen was perfimmed in 55 hours. She left the latter place on Thursday morning, and would have reached Paris on Saturday evening, if she had not taken the ground near St. Audeley's, in consequence of a rope breaking, and being hin dered fit= proceeding by the crowds which came on board at different places to view her. This voyage will be for ever =morale in the history of navi gation, it being the first attempt to traverse the ocean in a vessel composed of any material but wood. The enterprise has proved decidedly successful • Thus we have a direct communication open between two great capitals of Europe, and which is perform ed in a shorter time than is taken by the stoutest merchantman to sail to Rouen only. Not the slightest accident occurred during the voyage, nor could the people on Imard discover any difference in the movement of the vessel from that of the strongest vessel that navigates the seas. Ott Friday last, the Winckster, a 0-gun ship, was launched at Woolwich. Lady Cockburn, sup parted on the arms of Sir James, and Mr. Cunning brim, the Chief Commissioner, was conducted to the stern of the ship, supported by a numbrr of ladies and gentlemen, where her Ladyship performed the office of christening. It is reported that a in of Mr. Plunkett has just received a place worth I,ooi. a year in Ireland. THE NATIONAL REGISTER A geological curiosity that has astonished the cu rious, and hitherto puzzled the naturalist, is now in possession of Mr. Suggers, landlord of the City of Hereford Inn, Brighton. It is a piece of party coloured flint, about four inches in circumference and six inches in length, growing out of a rived cockle shell—a sufficient proof, we surmise, that the flinty substance first cemented within the shell or bowels of this insect, while in its entire state, and rived it asunder by its increase of size: but what is most astonishing, it was dug, by a well-digger, out of a stratum of chalk and flint full forty feet below the surface of the earth. The cockle-shell is as per fect as one newly found on the sea shore, and us hard as the flint to which it adheres, and on which it forms the resembl .nce of a woman's bosom. LONDON BRIDOE.—The new bridge is proposed to be erected as near as possible to, and nut exceed ing 170 feet from the west side of the present bridge , and to afford a clear water-way of not less than 690 ket. It is to be faced with granite, and to consist of five arches ; the centre arch to rise 23 feet above high water mark of an average spring tide, according to the Trinity House standard, which is shown on the face of the present bric:ge. Proper stairs of gra nite are to be provided. The acclivity of the road way, to and over the bridge is not to be steeper than one foot in 26 feet. In the instructions for the engineers, architects, and others, who propose to furnish the artmittee fur letting the bridge-house estates, with designs or models and estimates for the erection of the new bridge, a desire is expressed that the bridge should be worthy of the metropolis and the present cultivated state of science; due re gard being bad at the same time to economy, and to the convenience of the traffic over and under the bridge, during the progress and after the completion of the works. A desire is also expressed, that as little sacrifice be made of the property et both ends of the bridge, for the formaihm of the necessary approaches, as is consistent with the character of so important an entrance to the city or London. On Saturday, as ingenious labouring mechanic, named Henry Gecring, travelled from Newark to Stamford on an improved vcloc;pede, manufactured by himself at the expense of about IIL Ile calls it a " mechanical horse." It diErs from the fanciful things which excited so much notice a year or two ago, inasmuch as the rider on Geering's piece of mechanism dues not depend on his legs and feet for making way, but places the Litur in stirrups at the end of an axis provided for giving direction to two side wheels, which wheels support the carriage and keep it upright. A third wheel, towards the h►nder end of the frame of the carriage, is turned with leather straps on the principle of a la:he, and the power is communicated to those by a windlass placed conveniently in front of the rider, who turns it with both hands, and males progress in proportion to his activity and force in so turning. Geering himself travelled at an average rate of seven miles an hour; progress up hill is of course attended with more luouur. The only English ships cf war Buonaparte was ever on board of arc now lying in the river Medway, viz. the Undaunted, Bellerophon, and Northumber land. In the first he was conveyed to the Island of Elba, in April, 1815 : in July following he sur rendered, and was received on board the second at Rochefort, after the battle of Waterloo ; and in less than a month afterwards sailed in the third for St. Helena, where he died on the sth of May, 1821. rite.—The German Journals announce a bril liant musical discovery. A citizen of Courland, of the name of [Limn, has invented an instrument which he calls 011impicon, and which to a rare beauty joins the advantage of compassing all the tones of the violin, bass, violencello, and the hip centre (I 1 aute-contre.)—All who play tl.e piano can per form on the aympicon, and with it a sinple person may execute a concert. Vile following is an extract o a letter from Rio Janeiro, dated the beginning of April :—" The country is tranquil, and the Bank stands pretty well in the estimation of the merchants. Confidence is gradually becoming restored, and business has im proved. a little since the departure at' the troops.--.. Any serious misunderstanding with Portugal we do not apprehend ; and the eircamstanec of this country having an acknowledged heir to the throne at the head of the Government, gives us strong mill:teem of our future prosperity. Those elainges which have occurred in the Spanish revolutionized provinces are not likely to influence this country, as the Piince is always referred to in any proposed change of sys tem. Ile fornis a centre (if attraction, to wleeli things will ultimately graVitate, and preserves u consistency in the measures of Government which has been acknowledged in the province." Recorder's .—On Saturday last .the Re corder made his report of the prisoners in Newgate, convicted of capital offences at the May Sessions, when John Lomas, Robert Crawley, and John Neumhier, were ordered for execution on Wednes day next. The re:e were respited dwing his Ma yeov pleasure. aSt ~ ,~ On Wednesday last, in conformity to the roles of the heti totion, a meeting of the Governors took place, to receive the Report of the Committee. After • general review of their proceedings, the Committee stated, in their Report, that since the day on which the Dispensary was opened (which win only in March last) the number of patient' admitted wen OM of which— _ _ 217 had been perfectly eared ; 31 bad received partial relief; 8 bad died ; and 19G now remained on the hooka. In the annals of institutions of this nature we rewelab SO instance of a Report so gratifying—in the short spa, e three months from its being in action, .Id 2 patients have been adinit ted, of which nearly half have been discharged entirely eared. The Report appeared to be very satisfactory to the Governors present—anti after the Committee for the year castling lead been elected, an adjournment to Highhary-Barn Tavern took place, when shout 133 gentlemen sat down to dinner at halt past six o'clock. The utmost good humour and harmony pre vailed, the latter materially assisted by the voluntary and gra tnitons assistance of Mr. Emery, of Covent GardenTheatre, and the company retired at a late bow ander feelings of high genii- Gail") at having originated an establishment so productive of benefit to the distressed part of society. A number of new subscriptions and donations was announced. amongst which we noticed several constituting the parties Lifts Governors, being to the amount of ten gnineas or upwards. IST DRURY LANE THEATRE. A meeting of the proprietors of this theatre took place on Saturday at 2 o'clock, in the saloon —Mr. Ca'craft having been called to the Chair the report' of the Committee was read ; it stated that the Lessee had paid the rent hitherto, and that the debt had been • reduced from 92,4301, which was its amount when Mr. Peter Moore's committee went out of office, in 1819, to 33,9691.—that 75 per Cent. had beet repaid on the recent voluntary loan, and that the re maining 25 per Cent. would be paid within a month of the commencement of the neat season.—The report concluded by stating, that the committee had every reason to anticipate the realization of all they had held out to the proprietors as probable. The' Chairman then briefly addressed the meeting, in doing which, he said he cot fidently looked forward to the moment when Drury Lane should be as po i pular as Covent Garden--.we ill not know what ex ' tent of foresight Mr. Calcraft may be gifted with, but from this assertion we presume he is extraordi narily blessed in that way, for he confi lently looks fur what no other man of common sense expects.' The Auditor, Committee, and Sub-Committee were then re-elected, and thanks voted to them— after which Mr. GEORGE Rosnes said, he had for so many years been accustomed to address them that it might be expected of him in the present instance—•at the time when they used to meet • in cabal, instead of under the pleasurable feeling of to-day, he had told them that when the managing committee should give way to legitimate government, and not till then, the theatre would flourish--the event had jus tified his prediction, and now, instead of having the house full of executions, they could not prevail upon persons to come and take their money—such was the difference of the public confidence. Thanks were then voted to the Chairman and the meeting adjourned. . - GREAT TROTIINGR—The race between Captat t Hansel's grey horse Markt:mot; and Mr. Marring ton's brown mare, took place on Thursday morning, at Bushey, on Windsor Forest, round a circle of two miles, The match was to trot one hour for 5101 guineas, and heavy sums were also pending. The horses started at different ends of the ground, and each carried eleven stone. Betting was 6to 4 on the mare. The mare broke twice into a gallop in the 15th mile, trout distress; and having lint her speed, she was pulled up, and the horse was tired also, and won the race, doing less than 17 miles in the hour. We inserted some time ago an extract of a letter from Bruges, statin. , that the notorious Fletcher was living there wid e :a Mr. Ellis, who held an office of sonic consequence at the Capc, and who distin guished himself in one of the late Westminster Elections as the friend of Capt. Sir Murray Maxwell.. Doubts were expressed in Th. , Courier respecting the above circumstance. We have just received a letter from Bruges, from a respectable source, forming us that Fletcher had been residing there , nearly two years, under the assumed name of • Clair; that at first he lived very privately, but terly he joined in house keeping wits Mr. r that Fletcher, having been found out, decant" • Itt quick time; that his wife and daughter, wild Mr' Ellis and his wife, followed in the latterendlf and that they gave out they were going to Spa, Lt.. this was of course doubted. Pew. rJid Erects vf the Electric Fluid.—Yec— t_Tday morning a plum -tree, upwards of eigl.t ilches in diameter, belonging to Mr. Stephea lips, of Nettlebkd, was struck by the electric fluid ; the concussion wt's so vehement, that the tree was %lammed, and literally shattered to picoes: so•cral of the tieginents were thrown. to the distance of 40 yards.—At Swincomb, one mile from Nettlebed, cow, the prop. rty of Nit% Cuttrel, whilst irazing„, • was struck dead by the electric th... 1, , __•.,..g ~Jl..mr.