The National Register. — London, England, 1816-04-28 00:00:00

Al`.,, "S. The article applicable to our country:non was No. 241, which prescribes impriso lit for a term not exceeding two 3 ears, nor less than three months, at the discretion of the judge: and Hesident, without hesitation, pronounced for the shortest allowable period', three months. Sin ROBERT and Mr. Httuce had both previously addressed the court in long speeches, explanatory of their motivus for a coadoct which they did not deny. Sir Rourwr of:sirs ed, that those who blamed what'e had done, would probably have cen sured I for iuimmanity, had he refused to assist in snatching a n lkw-creature irons destruction. Mr. !tncrt• (NOW e d him aelf a friend to liberty, and to the constitution of his country, at %et:led by the glorious revolution of 1684; but he declared his detestation of that fictitious revolutionary liberty which had de. s: lated Europe. Both these speeches were listened to with give attention by the court, which throughout the proceedings ,Lowed a market' degree of respect to our countrymen, as tar as their relative situation would permit. On a dispute which atone as to the official translation :done of Air ROBERT . . letters, the Ailvocate.Oeueral allowed the pßlOlterti the benefit of the interpretation which was most favourable to them. The cows was fuller on the third day than on the second, but less so thou at the opening of the trial. Madame Las ALETTE was among tile auditors. PUBLIC AMU SE AI ENTS Fon TILE ENRIANG .9eatre Nora!, 3.‘..rury done. On Monday, a New Melo-dramatic Play, in three acts. called The Prodigal, with My %pause and 1, sod Three Weeks acre Marriage, for the Benefit of Mr. Rae. On Tuesday, King Richard the Third—Richard, Mr. Kean, with What Next? on Wednesday will he revived General Burgnym's Comedy of the Heiress, with Pitcairn's Island. On 'Monday. A New Way to Pay Old Debts—. Sir Giles Over-reach, Alr. Kenn ; with Pitcrtirri's on Friday, arcvived Comedy, with Piteairn's IslartiL On Smunlay, the Duke of Milan—tiforza, Mr. Kean; with My spouse and 1. Zbtatre Nepal, (rOvent,Rutett. On Montlay. Shaksrare's Play of Coriolanus--Coriolanits. .tr. Keuible; with Garrick s Jubilee. On Tuesday, the Trag.: , ly of Venice Preserved—Belvidere, Miss O'Neill; Jaffier by Mr. (:. Kemble; Pierre by Mr. Ketnble. On Weshicatlay, (lith time) the Now Musical play of Guy Nlan seerill;!. I )n Thursday. the Comear of the School ibr Scandal. I In Friday. the ‘fheel of Fortune—Penruckloek by Mr. Kentble. On Saturaay. for the Benefit of Miss O'Neill. the Comedy of the Jealous Wife—Mrs. Oakley (for the first tianc)• by MisS NuilL After which the hwitatie Romance of 'y mon. THE INFANT PRODIGY'S NEW D.‘NCE. The most unartinsoto , and uiprecedented applause attending the per formane,a of Master Languemare on the Tight Rope, he will per form every evening the ensuing week, introducing a new dance a la Chinois. _ . Eatilerf' Vela MONDAY, April 29t1t, 18,16.—A new Dstnee,ealled rm.! N and RIBET ; after which a favorite song by Mr.erawley ; a new Musical Extravaganza, called The BOARDING SCHOOL MISS; the unparellekd Performance on the TIGI IT ROPE of the "INFANT PRODIGY, who concludes his elegant and unequaled I haring by mining up and down a Hope, from the back of the Stage in the back of the Gallery I ?ono-ming various equilibrium) with the litniost case and firmness. surrounded by Fireworks; Clown to tke Rope. Signor Patilo.—A New Pantomime, called 1.07411t0N and PARIS; Clown, Signor Paulo.—Hoices 4a. I'it ea. Gall. is. THE NATIONAL REGISTER. LONDON : SUNDAY, APRIL 28. WE this day lay before our Readers the three days' proveedingl in the trial of Sir Robert IVilson, sod Messrs. Hutchinson and Bruce, for aiding the escape of Lavalette. The trial concluded on the third day ( Wednesday last). The Jury pronounced a verdict of Guilty against them ; and the Judge Fussed the lightest sentence which the iaw allows in such eases—Three Monthss' Imprisonment. The severest sentence allowed by the law would have kin Two Years; to which the turnkey (Eberle) has been adjudged. The King of France has shown his attention to useful literature, by commanding the re-establishment of the oldest, and for a long time the most celebrated literary journal in Europe, the Journal des Sam's, which was continued from 16(i5 to 1795 under the special patro nage of the Kings of France. Pivparations are making for the French Court to visit Fontainebleau tad) , in the summer : it is said, that M. at. Talleyrand titres not accetmpany them, but goes to his at at Valenray, so long the residence, or rather prison, of Ferdinand N"11. _ _ A 'Mail from Holland communicates the arrival of the Duke of Wellington at the Hague, where he was received with the most enthusiastic marks of public esteem and gratitude. The pntjed of Sir Sidney Smith frr the repression of the Barbary pirates, and the rescuing of Christians from -slavery, appears to attract considerable attoition at Paris. A meeting of chevaliers, and other zealous promoters of this laudable undertaking, was lately held in Paris, of whom Sir Sidney was president ; and at which were pre sent Viscount 1 Chateaubriand, Peer of France., Vis count Tilin de Bourdon, member of the Chamber of De puties, Viscount Mathieu De Montmorency, who claims descent firm the first Christian Baron, together with se veral other eminent persons. It is attributed to the exertions of our brave countryman, that the grand Seignor has lately sent an envoy, named Achmed N;11, to the Dey of Algiers, to demand the Marx r.reek,, TI NATIONAL RlEGlwrim._ and 3 Austrians; with which demand the Dey thought it prudent to comply. The report of additional Austrian troops having been marched iuto*Alsace, and of conflicts between them and the French peasants in the mountains of the Vosges, have been formally and officially contradicted in the journal of Colmar. Another descent was made by the Barbary pirates in • Sardinia on the 6th instant, where they committed the most horrible atrocities, and carried off 88 individuals, men and women.—A Treaty of Peace has since been concluded between the King of Sardinia and the Dey of Algiers, through the interference of Great Britain. It seems not a little humiliating, to hear of the great Powers of Europe attemptin g t o n egot i a t e w ith theßar bary States, to induce them to respect the flags of those Powers. It scam's like a negotiation opened by our Police to oblige footpads to respect the pockets of passengers on the highway. Surely it is in the power of the smallest navy in Europe to annihilate the mischief at once. The New York Paper of the 16th ult. mentions a re port, to which it attaches credit, of Lavalette having ar rived in the Eugene, from Havre, on Tuesday evening, the 1 4th ult. Congress has been chiefly employed upon the question 'of establishing a National Bank. The necessity of one has been acknowledged; and New York has been fixed upon as the spot. An attempt has been made to excite an insurrection among the Negroes in part of the United States. Se veral Negroes have been executed. The adoption of the Budget has improved the French funds. It appears from the Budget, as passed by the Chamber, that the ordinary expenses of the Government arc estimated at 348,252,5201:; and the ordinary re ceipts at 3 7 0 , 434 ,940 f.; leaving a balance of more than 22 millions. The extraordinary expenses, arising from war contributions, and the maintaining of 13,0,000 fo reign troops, &c. are rated at 290,80t),000 E; and axe extraordinary receipts, derived from new taxes, at 291,243,141 f., leaving a balance of more than half a million. The whole of the expenditure, theretbre, amounts to 8N9,032,520 or about 36 millions sterling, • and the receipts to about 37 English money. Our Readers are aware that this heavy system of taxation is to continue only five years—the period of occupation by the foreign armies; at the end of which, France will be relieved from a yearly burthen of 12 millions sterling; leaving a sure of 24 millions sterling to be provided for annually by a country so populous, and so richly flavoured in respect to soil and climate, as France is known to be. A French Paper, published at Brussels, contains an article from Toulouse, dated the 7th instant, stating that M. Boyer Fontrida, an inhabitant of the city hot 12 years, who first established the canon-manufacture-there, brother of the Girondist of that name, was :arrested and thrown into prison, on the second return of the Bourbons;. and, notwithstanding tfiree different orders of the Minis ters of Police to release him, he was unable to obtain his liberty; the answer uniformly being, that the prisoner was detained by the Agents of the Princes. At length, on the 7th of this month, he was released, on condition of quitting his country, and retiring to a foreign land. A New Journal has been rublished at Ghent, which treats with some humour the present political situ:it-Inn of France. The hollowing may serve as a specinien " l's nos, APRIL 9.—Tlie• French Academy will henceforth hold two sittioz. per week. This resolution bus been come to hi consequence of the necessity of correcting the Dictionary of Me Inctitutr, in which the words ',musty, -meaty, ('osroge, Honour, Property, Quark! lame, &c. are to receive new aceepta tiaras. M. M. Hyde de Neuvillei Castel de Bane, Mier? and Co. are to correct the prmsfs, The Grand Vresot, the Mar quis de Messes, has demanded of these Gentlemen a new word to substitute lior the word seditious; thinkitie tint according to his own observation the number of &ilitious in France may be considered as the majority." They are occupied at Paris with a Medallic I Tistory of the Reign of a great Sovereign. Our Zcphyr hies blown us the thllowing, specimens of this beautifill. work : 1. Medal—the bead of a Monarch ; a strong ri svnildanee. On the reverse a fuot .j a king, with these words—First Ar ►itu/. 4.:1 Galli, (a glove, also the City oiGheut), with them worth. —aperitarr.liw thy Chezartrl. . . 3. Cossack, carr, Mit behind him the God Sikhs's, w ith the words---Sneed Mtn ro. 4. A Ankher under arms, with the words—,trunosty—Pardus. 5. A Bottle and a Ham, Lit namenteil with laurels, with the words—l drank—l ete-1 euttptered. 6. A Pot on the Fire, with the word, —Sake* of the Derider* Apollo.—[Tire remainder by the first fair wind.] Lord Byron sailed tiom Dover, for Ostend, on Wed nesday evening. Thursday, a Court of Common Council was held at Favell moved an address to the Prince Regent, requesting his Royal Highness to become a party to the Holy Treaty (as it is called), concluded between Russia, Austria, and Prussia ; but the motion, being op posol, was in the end withdrawn.—The freedom of the City, in boxes of mk, value 100 gs. each, was voted to the Dukes of Kent and Sussex, in compliment to their bene volent exertions, in promoting the religious education, and relieving the wants of the poor. The books and pictures which the late Lord Fitz william left to the University of Cambridge have been strangely over-rated in the Papers. Instead of 24.0001. the books were valued only at 10,0001.; and the pictures are a very inisecliancous collection of good and (CAL !I S!'!7 9S 'ON. [••• Though the following was written before the termi nation of the trial of Sir ROBERT WILtON, &c. was known, we do not feel inclined to wiibliold from our readers an article which has a tendency, by the force of comparison, still more to endear our excellent Cuestitutiou to every subject • lk ing under its protection.] NO situation can be more interesting than that in which our three countrymen, implicated in the escape of' Lavalette, are placed. Never had criminality appeared in so noble a light. They are offenders, but their offence is a virtue ; and whatever punishment the law of France may dare to inflict upon them, they stand not only ac quitted in the eyes of the world, but loaded with its praises, and its blessings ; at once the heroes and the martyrs of humanity. Who is there, with hearts to feel and courage to execute, who would not have sheltered and saved a man, condemned, like Lavalette, to die fur a doubtful political offence ? Who would have closed the door of pity against him ; betrayed the sacred confidence due to mistbrtune, and restored the victim to the hands of his tormentors ? No Englishman would, be his rank or his politics what they might. No Englishman can cur template the feeling conduct of Sir Robert Wilson, Mr. Bruce, and Mr. liutehinson, in assisting Lavalette, and their firmness, candour and dignity on their trial, with out a sentiment of national pride and exultation. After having tried the strength of British valour, the French will at length learn to appreciate the manliness of the British character. They will see with their own eyes the etfeetof those principles of freedom imparted by our Constitt/tion, to all those who live beneath its influence. That' who, crouching beneath imperial or royal despotism, know only how to tremble aud to obey, will view, with astonishment and admiration, men, against whom the vengeance of the laws is let loose, meeting the storm nu ! appalled, and expressing themselves with all the fearless ness and majesty of freemen. That Sir llob..rt and his friends will he condemned, there is little doubt ; but their sentence, whatever it may be, will only prove a seal of honour set to their names for ever. And what a deplorable view do the whole proceedings of the trial present of French justice ! The only evidence against. each of the accused is himself ! In England, the ernfes sion of a criminal is of no avail against him, unless it be corroborated by disinterested witnesses. In France, not only is a confession admitted as a proof of guilt, but it is extorted in the most artful and unfair manner. Secret examinations artimultiplied before the trial, in order that, in the multitude of his answers, the accutaxl may crimi nate himself; and his private correspondence, and indi vidual politics, are dragged bufime a jury, however un connected they may be7withhis offence, to prejudice their minds against him. The charge of being parties to a plot against the tran quillity of Europe, and of the French Government, hav ing been abandoned al. totally untenable, why should the French Advocate (,eneral, in his exposition of the case, have renewed it in all its violence, as though it was upon it that the prosecution was founded ? Why should he have said, contrary to the declaration of the court of accusation,• who had dismissed the charge. " that by saving Lavalette our countrymen wished, ur at ktist appeared to have wished, to excite to sedition. or to revolt, and to excite any kind of tUsorder, provided only it was disorder?" Why did he attempt to persoade the Jury that " an appeal was to be made to the friends of liberty, who were to put themselves in motion; time were to be movements in the provinces ; and, above all, a good means of agitation would be the persecution of the Protestants, real or pretended! Oh ! excellent ! Th:A is an idea which (-niches like 'edit/ire, which spreads . 1 :;:e eonlmrion among the people in general, (and, mark this) which engenders a spirit of mortal hatred and contrail.' fin- the aeon dynast y." Why bring tinwurd the sentiments of Mr. Edward Wilson in England against his brother in France. and all this upon the charge which had been abandoned ? Why not abide by his own declaration, " that, instead of being accused of a system, our coun t rvinen are only accused, and have only to defend them selves, on a fact." Excellence is only known by cm.- tra ,,t. Happy those who, after having considered such h ickening examples of foreign justice, may turn to the British constitution and say, " this is the shield of my r ights, and the rock of my safety." By at .Tannaiett Mail we have received the following Admiral Douglas has given notice of a Proclamation pith fished at the Cameras, by the Captain-General of the Pro% inces, relative to the blockade of Nlaripirita, which titre:slew with death the crews of all vessels found conveying of any description to the patriots. '• The tour Spanish Patriots, who had been delivered up by the Governor of Gibraltar to the :agents of Ferdinand VII. 4101 subsequently confined at Ceuta, but who were liberated in De cember la , t, owing to the interposition of the itriti‘b Govern. merit. had arrived in Jamaica, on their way to the Sdartinh rad tk mews in America, of which they are natives. ' Thcv pro ,ac, a Jamaica Paper, • that their restitution to sock.% is the etteet of the excellence of the English Coseditntion, the integrity of his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, and the noble patrioti►m of the Parliatinnit of Great Britain.'= Their gratitude,' they may. • requires that the whole world should know the extent of their uhligations to the British Government and its NISIVII Charta. -These observations an• fulovved by comics of several du etuneuts relative to their libe ratinu."