The National Register. — London, England, 1813-05-23 00:00:00

TUE NATIONAL REGISTER. 409 Y pose an unprincipled man should be a Member, whose ora tory has generally the effect on the House, produced by the eloquence of Mr. CREEVEY. When this Member rose, supposing eighty Members to be present, is it net reasonable to imagine fifty of them would think this a favourable oppor tunity fur getting dinner. Of the remaining thirty, it may fairly be concluded, that fifteen would soon be adeep. The fifteen left it can hardly be supposed, would all be attentive. If then we take the greater part of them, that is, if we take eight of the fifteen, to have so littleto occupy their thoughts, as to listen to the speaker, shall we not pay him as great a compliment as, without gross flattery, could he paid Com any quarter? But, if the sad Member should give notice of a motion most important to the privileges of the House, a tolerably full attendance, say two hunched, might Le expect ed, to bear what it was about. if it should then come out, that he bad been prosecuted for a libel, which be declared to have been uttered by him in hia , place, on the day when eight persons attended to bim, who is to contradict him or disprove the fact ? Those who listened to him, and who heard what lie really said, will admit that something might have fallen from him, which escaped them, and those who did not at tend him, will take it for granted, that his state ment is correct. It is hardly to be expected that the eight listeners will all pia! itively deny it, and if they should, their evidence will be lost, from the diffidence which the other twenty-two must have, while speaking on the subject. Here, . then, it is clear, that if the principle contended for by Mr. CREEVEY be admitted, a bad man will be able to grat;fy the malevolence of his disposition with impunity. We are very far from thinking Mr. CREEVEY would, for any earthly consideration act in the manner above described We have merely supposed a possible case. Having stated this, we think it unnecessary to say more. We therefore quit the subject; but may probably return to it, when we see what course is taken by the Honourable Gentleman. At present we know not what proposition he has it in contem plation to submit to the House, but, from the sound discre tion, wisdom and constitutional knowledge, which generally mark his conduct, we suppose he will move that the Jurors who tried, and that the Judges who presided at the trial, and who passed sentence on him, be all committed to New gate. We, however, beg to submit to him, whether it would not he better to move for leave to bring in a Bill, " to exempt from the punishment of the law, those who make laws which they expect others to obey." FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. HAMBURGH PAPERS. PARTICULARS OF THE BATTLE BEFORE HAMBURGH ON THE 9TH OF MAY. Marshal Davonst had, on the 9th of May, drawn a part of his troops, which had till then been statifaled along the Elbe, from Lune . burg to the month of that river, and concentrated about .5500 men on a line from Hamburg to the Custom Store house. With this f4ec. at one o'clock in the night of the 9th, he made an - attack on the is land of Willielmsbnrg, and on Oclisenwarder. He had left about 1500 men at litaburg. We had on our side 1100 men, infantry, at' Wilhelm , ,lat:g. and 600 at Och'euwarder. The Litt'My ) who took advantage of the ebb-title for landing, cross ed the river in mass at several points, under a smart fire from all bis batteries : he pushed our advanced posts, and caused them to fall back, and gradually gained sonic Oolitic!: ut nu sooner had the ad vanced posts and the smaller detlehments joined the reserves in their rear, than the enemy was attacked, and a brisk fire of musketry commenced 't all points. A battalion of Meckleriblirghers was now sent to -the support of Willielmsburg, and a regitnent of Hanoverians midi a battalion of Lubeekers, advanced from Ileigedore and the Custom Stores against Oehsenwarder, and the enema.'.. right flank. h iihiL The enemy could not long withstand this new and impetuous at- MA .Y 93. . • tdck hi grudiii iz i et e A.‘ „y eit . a3 _us retreat by burning some bowel: and Oi.r.l;•:iip piir‘uPii him elosely..ariti made sultry pri mier-. enemy then re.* moarke4l. under pro tection of his omicrons ( ) Arteries on die oleo shore. His loss amounts to about Son limn iu kiiieti. vonnoit mill prisoners; on our hide the lose iy idiom t5O 4110111 Ai I' I 1 dicers.. HALLE, MAI 4.—We have had it di eadfol day: on the tt6th of A. 61 it was repw t ta st a Frew e..t tiros .ipirctiele. ing our city, Mid thaeatentsd it with an attack. In the mean tine the i'russiee. General Von Kir ist arrived with the Russian and Prussiim troops under his coon', and ureon to make :he nect•sary preparatioe , fur decree: . The pastes of the Skittle ere oecupied, and, on the west side ot the loAn esp. cialiv utfore the Schifferthure, entrenchments. bre& t- eoev nix &e. :ere placed, and cannon planted. This work w.e , rot vow eiy completed. w!.en, ou the of April in the :kilt - - ll' on, il,e Fienelt :roops were ,eon rapidly ad.elneing. At flat e ilegnu .lie attack with 'm levees of canuoil on of e tem . : Mel/ e• then be only defrnded with live. At length, Iv.. eve , t . olu mot e were brought up but the French h:W still he a S et ..t svpilioriry of artillery, though the coolness NWl;11 %Weil Oileb was Wi Veil •by our brave di tender., dismounted and rr ntered ;ageless seveial of their pieces.. The French could penetrate at no point, but felt bet ,re :oar well-theeted tire in great numbers. The sharpshooter,. endea voured to gain the left bank o; tie Saute, and their at tiller) to dis mount cur pieces, but they could not succeed in either of these attempts. At le:10th, a vigorous attack was made with two Has- Sian and four Prie•si.in pieces of fhisig a:tinery, me the left flank of the eneiry, behind (Ilimmriss, greatly conduced to the -nceessful decision ot this contest. The battle lasted till rii.tht in the evening. The loss on our side was very smati, considering t i e itryorta ,t consequences; but teat of the enemy inn-t have been very cousideraule, since he was so long t sposen to out tire, artt at lengiltooligt ti to obandon the adv4otages he seemed to bay: eioned. On the t. 911, every thing was quiet here : the French retreated to tit it tio suer position. About tin ee in the morning of the Stith of April, we heard a great trampling ot horses and noise of carriages. and af:er‘v ards we loud that the Russian and Prussian troops had left the town had t a ken the road to Leipsic. It wa, now reported. that the French were :As:sump to corer the town on the west side. 'this accordingly took 'niter ; and about eight o'clock they came over the long bridge of fie Soak., gut over the paliiiades, and entered the town. At this time. it was said, that mote divi-ions were coming, and that, probaoly, toe Emperor Napoleon himself wound arrive ia the evening. Howevero. more troops ; those who were here remain(' quiet, observed good discipline, and Saturday (the Ist of May) passed vt ithout any disturbance ; only a heavy and incessan caution:ole w.;, heard, during the whole afternoon, from the swath, in the vicinity of Durenberg. The night preceding Sunday (the 2.1 of May) aho passed quiet ly, and in the anorniul it was said that the troops would tiepa.t in the afternoon, am! march for Lettish: In the mean time entrench ments were thrown up, mid planted on the noith-side of the town, the gates were shut, and every preparation male for de ► fence. About eight o'clock some num( melds wt re observed among the French troops, and the thunder alt C[lll.lllll MO. ancouneed the 'be glutting of a battle. His Ewefleecy Geretai lialow ary..ett un expectedly in the town with his co, v., ald te French were stir ot•ibed, though not wittily imexpecteally, as it appeated, yet notch boolier than they thought they should sit. A satigninary batt!e now bugan ; first in front of the gates, called the Galgthor, the Steitith .a, the•Newntarklior, etc. lit foie the Galgtlior was a French half battery of three pieces of cannon and a howitzer. The battle had scaicely lasted half an hour, when he saw one of these cautious cotiveyed from the Galg thor, through the town to the market-place, and spoil atter under , stood, that the two other pieces of Ciiillolll. anti the howitzer had • been taken by the Prussians. Tile Fri .c:, before the Gulgthor retreated into the town, and through toe street cl.iled Ga!gstiasse to the Markt t-place. Tile Prussian cktvr.iry and sino'p-siteeters rushed in after them, under a constant e, throng!: the streets. The contest thus continued to the gre.ii blanket-place. anti *in•tigh the French several times endeavoured to make a stand, they were evei . y where driven back. In ail the streets of this quarter of the town, and particulaily in the great Marketplace, the tiriug was incessant. A like sanguinary contest took place at the gates calied tie Steinthor, the Newmarkthor, and the Geistho..• The PruSsions rushed in every where ; climbed over walls, leaped ditches, made