The National Register. — London, England, 1812-04-19 00:00:00

NI" r - _ ~ ~~ !CI some very clang commission and discount, to the place from whence it arose. When the poor rise to devroy the rich, they act as wisely for their own purposes as when they burn mills, and throw cot n into the river, to make bread • cheap.” • - The spirit of insubordination winch has now burst forth in various parts of the country, but which originally sprun , y„, we are convinced, from the secret delusions prac ti,,a on the ignorant and industrious classes by our de siring enemies, has displayed itself in a variety' of sh,rs and acts. It led the manufacturers of Notting bam to d stray those improved machines for producing h se, which, by their operation, produce a temporary and partial evil, but a national and a permanent good : in St , a•kport there have been similar demonstrations az.tinst the machines for weaving cloth by the steam-en : in Yorksh - re against improved methods in the dress ng of woollen cloth : in Manchester, it has been aim ohj c , to exclude women and girls from the factories, in all these places acts of violence have been com m -tied. In other places, Carlisle, Bristol, and in Corn y all. disturbances have been excited on account of the price of grain But what are the present sufferings of the people in comparison to what they would experience, if they were permitted to take the law into their own bands—They would empty the granaries, break open the mavazines—they would compel the farmer to bring his stock to market, and they would sell it at their own price—And what would follow, and follow soon ?---An absolute famine. A SINGULAR CIRCUMSTANCE• ft has been often remarked that the execution of an important enter prise is frequently -accelerated or retarded by apparently trifling circum- j stances which it is impossible to calculate neon or foresse ; and, per haps, this observation will apply more to military operations than any (Wier. The following fact, connected with the capture of the Redoubt of San Francisco on the night of the Bth of January (a few days pre vu-us to the fall of Cuidad Rodrigo). for the truth of which we can may not be uninteresting to our readers. 'Fite Redoubt in question, is of a triangular form, and the detach ment charg.d with the attack, was divided into three columns, destined to encompass the three sides, whilst the storming party mounted the work at the front angle. The gate, which was in the rear, was de feuded by a double row of ch,yaux de . freso, which our gallant fellows soon removed ; hut, in the hurry of the moment, the crow-bars were not at hand to force the gate, and our men being assailed from within by a shower Of grenades, were obliged to shelter themselves close under the wall—a tremendous explosion soon after took place, and a French man WAS observed to issue from the gate, he was instantly seized, and our men finding the barrier removed, rushed in at the moment when the storming party mounted the wall at the angle, and then prevented th pos:ibility of a retreat to the enemy. Our Officer who commanded at the gate, surpri , ed to find what he had ineffectually endeavoured to force, so.smidenly thrown open, inquired of the French Officer how it happet!«l ; when he was informed, that, upon the advance of the stormim! party, an artillery-man bad lighted a shell to throw upon the assaiiant , ;, but was at that moment shot, and that the shell dropping on the rlatform, the Officer gave it a kick. As fate would have it, it rolled under the gate where; .being stopt immediately, it exploded, and acridentlly effected, in favour of the besiegers, an unexpected service, which eventually preserved the lives of many of our brave men. Leiters from America of the Bth ult. mention the gene ral commercial distress which is experienced in that coun try. Merchants were so destitute of money, that they were absolutely compelled to pay for it at the rate of 4.. per cent. r er month. There was a report last Monday that the Scheldt fleet, consisting of 16 sail of the line, and some frigates, had znAde some movements which indicated an intention to put to sea, tind that Sir R !CHARD STRACIIAN, who has the command off that station, had collected his squadron in order to attack the enemy, in the expectation that they would venture far enough out to give him the opportunity of bringing them to action. THE NATIONAL BEG'STE'R. LORD GRENVIL,LE. APPIT, In the House of Commons, on Tuesday last, Mr. Fueeen, during the debate respecting Colonel M , MAHoN, stated, that he , g wondered to hear the family ef the GItENVILLE'S talking upon matters of this kind ; th-v formerly possessed pensions and places to the amount r:f 60001, per annum, which had now amounted to 30,0001. It would be more patriotic in them to give up this excess to the public, than to be suc king, like leeches, thy- blood of the country. We are extremely indebted to ~ honest JACK FULLER" for this disclosure respecting the patrieti,; Lord GRENVILLE, who h.is Vie modesty iu t only to take the trouble of accepting from his country the 'aforesaid trifle of money, but aims at the direction of our public councils, and fancies that lie alone is the Atlas qualified to sustain iur little world. Whatever may be our send. ments with regard to the policy of the present war, we belive we may state, without the dread of offending any party, that an appeal to arms ought on all occasions to be avoided, unless the honour and safety of the country is actually at stake by pursuing pacific measures, and that a nation like Great Britain, whose chief resourses depends upon its commerce, ought to have submitted to many sacrifices rather than endanger these by engaging in hostilities. These. in fact, are the sentiments of Lord Gitnevuxx at this present moment, if his Lordship's re peated declarations are to be held sincere. What then are we to think of this Nobleman's piinciples, when we call to our recollection the undeniable truth that it was he who actually plunged this nation into war at the be ginning of the French Revolution, by advising his MA• JESTY to include the•subjects of France in the Alien Bill. In proof of this, we refer to the correspondence of his Lordship with Mr. CIIAUVELIN in the years 1792 and 1793. Those papers will decide on the justice of his Lordship's pretensions, for as to the modesty of them, that is entirely out of the question. Mr. CHAUVELIN, who was resident in this country prior to the year 1804, was appointed by the French Government to supercede the Ambassador appointed by Louis to the Court of St. James's. At first, the Jacobin Club proposed to send a member of their Society to London, but it was stated by Monsieur TALLEYRAND, now Prince of Benevento, and then a member of the National Convention, that as the Court of England held itself high, and was one of the first Courts in Europe, it would carry the appearance of deliberate insult to send a person of that description, and that a gentleman should be selected for the mission, to whom no well founded objection could be made. In consequence of this prudent advice, Mr. CIIAUVELIN was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary, but bring little versed in public affairs, he was accompanied by TALLFYItAND. The first instruction Mr. C. received from his Govern. ment, was to inquire of Lord GRENVILLE if die subjects of France were included in the Alien Bill ; if they were, ,he was to say, that the Treaty of Commerce, which sub sisted between the two countries, was at an end. If the French were not included, he was to desire Lord GRES . - VILLE to fix a day for his, Mr. C's, being presented at Court, as the Minister of the French Republic. Mr' TiIAUVELIN'S application was returned by Lord Gltf..• V I LLE, with this laconic note, that it was " inadmissible, his character in this country being null"—CllAuvrin N co mmunicated this to his own govern ment, and, in mean while, being evidently desirous to maintain pea,ce with this country , he prop osed, in a letter to lir. the PITT, to lay aside his di p lomatic character, awl V mmigna