The National Register. — London, England, 1816-08-19 00:00:00

MO ON THE PRESENT NATIONAL DISTRESS. Cr, a WF. cannot but again recur to the subject of our Dis quisition last week ; not be!nuse it is a pleasing one, bltt on account of its increasing interest. AVe can assure our readers, that we have no love for such a doleful vmploy meat IN that of detailing the distresAes of our fellow-men ; and, only the hope of becoming instrumental in miti l;;~tingthose distres , ;2s, could support u:-, in it. We hope this will be a sufficient apology to them fir the varia timt from our usual practice, if indeed any apology be need -1.:1 on such a subject. But we are persuaded, that the ~,:titiment of a noble Roman pervades every breast— Homo gum : lannsui MU ame alimium puto. Every day brings fresh rumours of new distresses, and of the increase of the calamity where it has been felt be time. We understand, that in the sister kingdom, even in its capital, hundreds of ftiailies arc perishing for want; and that above eight thousand arc daily supplied with soup gratis, at the houses opened by some benevolent in dividuals for that pug rose. We arc fully persuaded, that at no period in the history of this country has so general a distress as the present been known to prevail. In for mer times, (the years I79(;-7-8-9,) when provisions were scarce and dear, those who suffered by this circum stance were few, comparatively speaking, and their suf ferings of short duration : besides, labour was then abun dant, and idleness a matter of choice, and not necessity ; nor were the middle and upper orders of society at all prevented from supplying the wants of the lower. The evils of 1813, which resulted frtan the war with Ame rica, and the decrees of Buonaparte were confined in the extent of their influence, and were imme diately relieved by the wise revocation of the orders in Council, and the destruction of the Continental System. But our circumstances are now widely dith!rent from those of any former period. The distresses of the pre sent period are felt universally ; and, though they are less poignant in the metropolis, yet we are by no means freed from the general evil. We call the evil a general one, because it extends to our manufacturers as well as to the owner and occupier of hind ; and to the home trader us well as to the merchant. The return of peace, to which we all lookedforward with so much pleasure as the consum mation of our wishes, has operated no relief to our burdens, but has rather increased their weight, and confirmed our ruin. The county of Cambridge has suffered more by the general distress than any other place. In one parish, all the inhabitants, save only one individual, have been ^omplotely ruined. The whole income of that one gen t:eman was absorbed by the poor-rates. In some of the Western counties of England, particu %lay in Devonshire, whole districts are in a total state starvation ; and in Ireland, to the case of which we have bef;ire alluded, the distre s s exceeds even the worst :Isom known in England. To discover the cause of these evils is, we think, by deli one corvette. live ongs, one Kammer, anti tnree trans- , • • ro means an main:portant investigution. This is a deli-- . tram the day that sheAmned to inhabit his palace. lions, commanded by the Admiral Loral Exmouth and Late subject we well know, and difference of opinion will by the Rear Admir.:l l'er.rose. The Princess ifested On the itith, the Atlmind wcnt to see the •,13ushaw, •,., I.revail. Put we think that nothi n g c m be more foolish that she had nett ;11,4 to do with poliCteal aflitirs, and that Imving already at this time ivritten a.letter to the French Consul, informing him dna he . wished him not to con- • :;.an to ascribe oar diitres.ses to the change effected by the . she wi..hed to attend the invitation of the liashaw, which tonne his negoviation for. the ransom of the Neapolitan was done, and to her grist satisfaction she WitS received ~..ace. The weight of our taxes is, we think, principallyslaves. In short, after the most serious amid warm tlis- ' awl entertained with the higlie::t marks of consideration :he cause of our sufferings. If this burden were re- cussions, Lord Exmouth obtained the liberty, without ::y :and rt...spect by all the sons of the Bashaw, and the whole moved, our trade would increase, and we should have C o u r t o f Bardo, dre:t:ied greatest reatest splendour and auy ratt§om, of the Sardinian captives, and, under the promise of a present, the Neapolitan captives were also ....) furtlitr cause of complaint. We alluded to this in our elegance. set at liberty; the Basliaw condescended finally to ud- , rticle of last week, and we wish to state it again as car On the Inth, in the morning., the Admiral, Lord Ex mot the mediation of England, in order to settle a &Il- i lin perLuasion, tin:t retrenchtneut of our national expert- mouth. went ashore, and proceeded imusediately, ..weom- num: peace between his Sicilian Majesty and his Sar- trinied by tile Enol'sli Girard, to the lignlo. He had an '{acre is the only rowdy for our distress ritely to be alai= Majesty with that Regency." a • t ' alience of the • liashaw, and during a ((inlet-cum of two ____ ..ss ~ uy availing. • hours he insisted an tit: ( Mowing pretenjous :--- V But the effect of this remedy, even if it el:onid be up- " i‘t. TM: lii,ertv of all stavei withinit cxee,4o n.--241. AuAUXHALL BRIDOX. — This bridge consists of nine Pla- :lied, win be slow. And, as tl:c evil is great, , lonet tly ing ' exeLaph.ry tioni,liment of tlw Tuni.ian Commander, who, with arches of equal spun, formed Of cast 1 1 10X1 ant raised u , 14 I r ...-,- ;s _ two corNiir!, colimi.l , 4 tiic ism iovu,ion On the i.liind of St, atom. piers. The span of each arch is 80 feet, .4 .. .-,- . ___ ..howa be done fiir its mitigation immediately • lin- this • %iitiev till r iiic Enoilbia f1:14, mats itlisiantling the promise width of each pier about 1 4 . The trite'has c. ''w • • tirpos.2 vr, k no w o f re method likely to succeed ~:o well r.--aid is likely to rtioninertite its ro. r .•,...... 1... out 11;hati made a few dais Wort In the Co iiiiii under of an appearance, .s 9 az the benevolence of individuals. This has in many inn , Eugtish veuct. that bc avoid Iva aticaTt a 'oelm?.. --;td. 'fiat better than must Tegulations pi .A: . • • .. ~ _., NPR 1:::,, , (;1 ~• 0 ,AN -,. ‘ . . . . . _ I 1, 4 ,“ r - ) No. 445.—V0r.. IX. POLITICAL DISCILV.SMON. ilifi4l nal( Ur A icittr.. Our Ilino, eattfitittlifOrt ant iLato.O. MONDAY, AVGUST 19, 1816 cases been applied, and we ccc happy to find the sum collected by the Society in London exceeds 34,0001. We heartily recommend this benevolent subscription to all who can spare any thing from the wants of their own families. Compassion is the nablcst virtue of man, and with reverence be it spoken, it is the most prominent fea ture in the character of our Saviour, who was touched by its influence, and wept with Mary and Martha at the tomb of their brother, and restored to the disconsolate widow her only son. These is something; powerfully attractive in this cause. This is not the com;laint of noisy discon tent, or willing indolence. We hear the sighs of honesty in indigence. We see the tears of ingenious industry in distress, crying for want of bread. Let these sighs and these tears prevail ; we arc sure they must with all those who have British hearts—hearts of flesh and blood ; and we entreat them to put on bowel!: of mercy and compas sion, and relieve the misery of their fellow-men. And, as for those who have hearts of stone, and can hear with indifference the cries of their suffering fellow -creatures, and can forget them in the glare of a drawing-room, or the splendour of a feast—let them remember, that a curse bath been pronounced by the pen of inspiration on him, who, having this world's goods, refuscth the partici/30km of them to his brother who bath need. PRINCESS OF IVALLVS VISIT TO TUNIS. We copy the following from one of the last Ankrican Papers received : Tusas, APRIL 1 7.—Her Royal Highness the Princess of NVal...s arrived at this port on the ;id inst. in an English merchant vessel. This Government immediately deter mined to receive her with the greatest possible honours. In consequence of this, as soon as she came on shore, the finis of Goleta gave a royal salute, and the Palace of the Bashaw in this City was destined for her residence, with a guard of Nlamelukes corresponding to her dignity. On the sth the French Consul began to negotiate a peace, and to treat for the ransom of the Neapolitan slaves, by order of his Government, and the authority of that of Naples. On the Bth her Royal Highness went to the Bardo to visit the Bashaw, the Prince his sons, and the Serag lio; and they exerted themselves so lunch in shewing her attention, that the Princess was greatly satisfied with her good reception, and very grateful fi,r the li berty that was given, from respect to her, to several slaves. On the 10th her Royal Highness went to see tae r'ins of Utica ; took refreshment, and spent the night in a handsome country seat that the son of the Bashaw, Sadi Nltitaph, has in that place; this Prince himself, comic seeuilil,g to the European usages, end:avoured to p;:y due honours to the Princess. On the I her Iloeal I liglui& was to go to a splendid banquet in Nlanuba Canien and Palace o r the Ihvbaw, when there appeare,l in the morning at anchor at the Bar of Goleta, an English fleet. corislqing of Fix ships of Ow line, one of theta athree-decker, two frigates, one corvette. live bri4.74, one stammer, and three trans- PRICE 94d. they should nrike no in‘re :da‘e.., and ouly prisoners of 'Mars and 4th That they should settle a ”cisee with If.s Sardinian 51ajesty, by the mediation of Lnalami." These conditions could nut fail of producing surprise and ill temper in the Bashaw ; therefore he instantly an swered, that he did not fear threats, and that he would endeavour to repel force by force ; but after a moment of reflection, he said, that he would refuse nothing to her Royal Highness the Prinem of Wales, and that he war disposed to grant to her the Sardinian slaves, if it should be agreeable to her to accept them. The Admiral insisted that they should be granted to him, and not to the Prin cess. The Bashaw likewise observed, that General Mait land, when he passed through this place, .hewed the powers he had of his Royal Highness the Prince Regent 'to treat upon political affairs with the States of Barbary, and that he himself positively declared, that the inten tions of the English Government were, not to internied dlein any affairs but those of its own nation ; conse quently he presumed that Lord Exmouth could only now be a negoriator as to- the States of the King of Naples and of that of Sardinia, and that he must have instruc tions posterior to those of the French Consul,, in order to cause him to suspend his negociutions. The Admiral cut short these reasonings, declaring, that if in 24 hours he did not grant him what he demanded, he 'would pur sue another method to obtain his purpose, and went away. Having arrived at Tunis, he proceeded to visit her Royal Ilightness, who intended to go the following day to an ancient temple, about It leagues distant from Tunis, at a place called Zagnan. In consequence of the conference that took place, her Royal Highness ordered immediately that her baggage and attendants should be embarked. The Ilasliato; being informed of so sudden a determination, sent word to her Royal Highness, that whateveranight be the result of the serious differences that he had with the Admiral of her nation, those would in no manner have any influence upon the attention due to her Royal Person, and that she might, without the least feu, continue to reside in that country', being asonrett of ever being trected with the utmost distinction and re spect. In the same afternoon, the Prineces being with , the Admiral, the orders and instructions of the French Consul, relative to the often-sof Naples, were exhibited to them. It seems that Lord Exmouth regre, tted mach tl:e like dispositions which thwarted his views. On the 14th, the end of the 24 hours, the Dashaw sent his answer to the Admiral, stativ, that he would br no means yield by force the Neapolitan slaves, because the court of 'Naples itself offered him a ransom through the medium of the French Consul. Measures were im mediately taken by the English Consul, to cause all cap tains, merchants, and other persons that resided there, to go on board their vessels, and the ships and frigates were placed in a-line of heath.. On the other side the Tu nisian guu-boats and the batteries of Golettswere4,, , etting ready. In this confusion the soldiery.began to give si g n: that, as soon us the first gun should be discharged, the situation of all the Christians would be very grievous, for they would be sacliliced. However, Lord Exmouth requested another audience of the Rashaw for the following day (April 15), at six a. ru. lie had fur an answer that that being an inetm vt 'tient hourhe could not receive him, and it was deferred till tight, and in the thean time the Ent:limb continued to prepare in order to depart. The Princess was also the text looming to go on board. Her Royal Highness regautlod,veiy much that these events should' obl i ge her to such-t orecipitate departure, without being , able dz e leave eif, and express her thanks to the BiZthaw, niat &frayed entirely the daily cxpenecs of the Prince. s, she,d&r:ed to inhabit his palace. Admird the'