The National Register. — London, England, 1809-03-12 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. sources of this contagion in society. We perceive effects, but we do not explore cruces. We punish the sinner, without taking any trouble to remove the sin. Does it never occur to our reasoners on adultery, or have they omitted to observe it, that, in nine cases of ten, as the discussion respects fashionable society, adultery is the consequence of improper marriages ? Nature is not to be counteracted. Emotions native to the human feelings, born of the heart, may be stifled, for some time, but they mill, if their causes recur, eventually set all dicipline at defiance. It is vain, perhaps the worst of folly, to oppose artificial distinctions to natural sensations. The question of adultery, with reference to society generally, is not very difficult. (t reat people can act; middling people would act ; lower people do not act. Look at facts, The higher or ders are often married by compulsion, the middling orders often marry from what is called prudence ' but the lower or ders marry themselves. Man t a lk s o f the girl of the heart, but forgets that woman has also the man of the t. If, nevertheless, we must persevere in the old way, if we must punish instead of prevent offences, might it not he eligible to make adultery liable to the exhibition of the pillory 3 I can conceive no spectacle so really amusing, pelting forbid, as would be two dears, coupled in board as in bed, with their joint heads popping up through the in• terstices of such an instrument !—llow truly affecting would be the gazings of the fond pair; now obli►luely ;Lino- TOUS towards each other, and now languishingly directing their contemplatio:►s on the surrounding multitude ! ! 1 fi gure them to my self; I am delighted by anticipation. March 10, 1809. HOMO, IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS. Tuesday, .Ifurch 7. Th►' Irish Distilleries, the Spirit Import Prohibition, and the Irish Bank Note Bills. were read a third titne.—Adjourned. Monday, March 6. The Bill I'm-sit:pending the Act respecting the Irish Distilleries, Rld the Bin Cor more rare; v preventing I..'orgeries on the Rink of' England, pa,sed through the Conunittee.—Adjourned. Thursday, March 8. The Earl of Montt observed, that amongst the Papers on the table respecting Spain, there was a dispatch from Lord Castle reagh to Sir Arthur Wellesley, dated the 15th of, u:y, referring SA) another dispatch from the Secretary of State to Sir Hew Dal rymple, which it appeared from the allusion made to it, stated that a request had been made by the Council of Seville for the aid of British troops, and that an authority had been given to Sir Hew Dalrymple, then Governor of Gibraltar, to give a pledge that 10,000 British troop, should be sent to their assist ance. This dispatch to Sir hew Dalrymple did not appear on the table, and he wished to know, if it was amongst the Papers still remaining to be presented, or if any objection existed to produce it ? The Earl of Ltv nit POOL observed, that the dispatch rererred to transactions antecedent to the events in Spain, Ivh:ch had be col.h! matter of notoriety, and that way probably the reason it was mit produced; he would, however, look into it, and lay it upon the table, or at least so much of it as could he made public, if there wa.s . any part of it that required secrecy.—Adjourned. LOUSE OF COMMONS. Monday, March 6. CONCILIATION WITH AMERICA. Mr. Wismar:an now rose to make the Motion of which he had given such frequent previous not"••e. He spoke in sub stance as follows :—Whilst I am plea, ►og the cause of right, and therefore the cause, the concerns of all nations, let me not be accused with wanting a due feeling for my own country, with pleading the cause of the stranger or the enemy against oarselves. Truth, honesty, and fair dealing, are the common cause of all nations; and when I plead that my country should act rightly, and that it should act honestly, I neces sarily plead, at the same time, its true and genuine in terests. Never can 1 take the part even of my Country against what is right, because never can I coercive the true interests of my country advanced, by departing from such line' of rectitude. The result of the whole system has verified my pre diction, but I owe it to my Honourable Friends to mention, by the way, that in the Order of the 7th of January they had on idea of the extent which a subsequent Ministry would give to. this act—they had no possible idea, that what was meant as an experiment would be adopted as an approved precedent, that an exception to their general policy would be pleaded as a rule, and that they would be thus interpreted into what they would never have intended. Had the Continent taken arms against Bonaparte ? Had the soldiers refused to march, because they wanted coffee and sugar for breakfast ? And as to Ame rica, how had America taken it ? Had she pocketed the af• front as predicted by the Right Honourable Gentleman ? No I for no sooner had intelligence of the Orders reached America, than the American Government expressed their opinion of them. From these considerations, Sir, I say that the Ministers would have done well had they paused to revise their own acts, had they acted under their experience, and become wise hy the effects of their errors. The point of truth is, that our Government had not the due spirit of conciliation. They had disavowed the act of Admiral Berkley, but they had not reprimanded him. He had, indeed, been recalled from that station ; but, as if to shew that he bad not lost the confidence of Ministers, and that they did not blame the spirit, though they could not justify the act, he was ostentatiously sent out on another service, as soon as he had returned from the American station. If the war goes on, can we expect to retain Canada, or even our insular possessions in the West Indies ? It would be a war ruinous on its result, and would he productive of the most calamitous consequences. The; hole world would he against us, and we should scarcely have :t resource to apply to. We should recollect the millions of debt which our merchants are unable to recoverirom America, and the incalculable losses they sustain from the suspension of their intercourse with that country. The Honourable Member concluded by moving, " That an humble Address be present ed to his Majesty, representing, that in consequence of the passing of a Decree at Berlin, and the alledged acquiescence of America in the said Decree, his Majesty has been pleased to issue his Order in Council, relative to the said Decree, and that the said Orders were followed up by certain acts (luring the en suing session of Parliament, in which a power was reserved to his Majesty of annulling the said Orders if it should be conceiv ed expedient. That in consequence of such Orders in Council, the Congress of America conceiving they interfered with their interests, anti exposed their system to such innovations as they did not think were consistent with their views, they parsed a law laying an embargo on all American ships in their own ports, at the same time offering, that if we would rescind our Orders in Counci!, that we should have the exclusive commerce of that country, by which means, our interests, in other respects, would he essentially improved ; that this offer, so just in principle, and in tendency so highly advantageous to Great Britain, we believe and hope k still open for hi: Majesty to receive. That the con tinuance of the Embargo, is manifestly injurious to this country and to our commercial interests ; most humbly praying that his Majesty will be graciously pleased to adopt such measures 113 may open a course, and by a temperate and judicious negociation lead to a decision, conducive to the interests and welfare of his Majssty's subjects. S':EPIIEN said the lion. Member had deprecated,. amongst (,ther things, the attributing to him a want of zeal towards the interests of his country, but he begged to assure him that instead of any such character or sentiment prevailing in his mind, he Lad the unfeigned homage of his heart ; he was per fectly as:tired of the manly and hnno►irable principles which actuated the Houourable ;Icanber, and he believed that there . :.• m-- fectly assured o f th e maul. and honoarithle principles which 4 / L '7 1 7 91 4. r• , N 4. actuated the Honourable 'lcinber, and he believed that there In a Comm; ' A L l 'h. , . ‘.., . 4,.4. , f. e Chancellor of the was not in the Howe, or the.: country, a heart composed of a more Excheq er f i k v . fl y * vr TaITIT ' ' 'lt:* Vl ‘ l. • ' Exchequer Bills he truly British texture tlicit that of the Ho:mumble Gentleman. p r r• - ' • 7 #* N . \‘'. ' 1 • ' ear ) gad on the le.= file lion. Gentleman had branched into various line= of argu- fouled ( the sN ' • . r''. 4 , ..,r e •1 i in i 4 iecifie ab . - ...t ~ 1 , . 0( 1 ~. c. . - Went ) but he bad not, ' in ' an one libiallee ) preserved that dir ect . 1 .; • - JO , \%.', ' .....- ...* • • 4. . - 1. , ... v.i. . -• . . • -.T.,- fr. 7. ... • C % : • • ~.,..-f . , .... P 661 ii- , - ••• • r 16t MARCH PR, L