The National Register. — London, England, 1822-06-23 00:00:00

good sense—he was opposed by the late Speaker of the House of Commons (Lord Colchester) who is said to have returned from the Continent on purpose —the Lord Chancellor of course whined and whimpered on the subject, and in proof of his dot age asked, whether it were intended to make the Catholic Religion dominant—a question, for asking which a child of ten years old ought to have been whipped. However, the opposition to the measure of justice was successful, and the Bill was thrown out—let not the Catholics yet despair. In the very course of nature, Lord Eldon must retire soon—let them remember that lie was born in 1750—and rest assured that when he shall cease to sit in the House, a great share of the influence exerted against their claims will be nullified. The en largement of mind is making rapid progress, and if they do not receive what they ought to have this year, they may the next. The long-talked of measure of the Bank of Eng land discounting at 4 per Cent. has at last been car tied into effect, under, it is said, a threat from Go vernment, that their charter should not be renewed unless they did so.—This has been done just before the holders of the 5 per Cent. Navy Stock, who dissented from the transfer into the 4 per Cent. new Stock, are to be paid off—the effect has been to drive the funds up, and thereby add to the evil of the robbery committed upon them—this was no doubt intended by the Chancellor of the Exchequer with the view to punish them, for endeavouring to prevent being cheated of their property, by one of the most disgraceful chicanes, that ever indelibly degraded a financier. Letters from Paris received yesterday, continue to mention the marching of troops fur the Cordon Sanitaire. It is stated, that the assembling of this large body of troops on the Spanish frontiers is to prevent the revolutionary principle of the Spa niards from infusing itself into the south of France. REDCCTION or DISCOUNT.—The folloning is the form of the official notification fro:n the Bank:— .• .11,u3k . 0f . England, 20th June, 111122.. Resolved, That all the bills and notes approved of in the usual manner. and not having inure than 94 days to run, be discounted at tine rate of 4 per Ceut. per anima, on and after the 21st of lace, 11321." AFFAIR OF TILE SWALLOW —A letter from Gib raltar of the 30th ult. states, that Mr. Douglas, the British Consul at Tangier, in consequence of in structions front Lord Bathurst, has applied to the Emperor of Morocco, to demand satisfaction tin the affair of the Swallow, but that the Emperor had evaded the demand by declaring that the rebellion which then existed in a great part of his dominions rendered inquiry impossible. It will be recollected, that the Swallow, a merchant vessel, sailed from Gibraltar Ihr Oran on the 2lst of June, 1821, and being becalmed near Melilla, was taken possession of Ly three Moorish armed boats, on August the Ist, and broken up. The master and two of the crew were made prisoners. The Aaron Mangy, IRON steam-boat, arrived at Paris, front London, on the 1 all inst. with a cargo of clover seed and cast iron. The voyage front London to Rouen was performed in 55 hours. She left the latter place on Thursday morning, and would have reached Paris on Saturday evening, if she had not taken the ground near St. Audeley's, in consequence of a rope breaking, and beiug hin dered lions proceeding by the crowds which came on board at (lillerent places to view her. This voyage will be for ever memorable in the history of navi gation, it being the first attempt to traverse the mean in a vessel composed of any material but wood. The enterprize has proved decidedly successful.— Thus we have a direct communication open between two great capitals of Europe, and which is perfiam cd in a shorter time than is taken by the stoutest merchantman to sail to Rouen only. Not the slightest accident occurred (luring the voyage, nor could the people on board discover any difference in the movement of the vessel from that of the strongest vessel that navigates the seas. On Friday last, the Winchester, a 60 dun ship, was launched at Woolwich. Lady Cockburn, sup ported on the arms of Sir James,. and Mr. Cunning ham, the Chief Commissioner, was conducted to the stern of the ship, supported by a number of ladies and gentlemen, where her Ladyship performed the office of christening. It is reported that a son of Mr. Plunkett has just received a place worth 1,2001. a year in Ireland. THE NATIONAL REGISTEn A geological curiosity that has astonished the cu rious, and hitherto puzzled the naturalist, is now in possession of Mr. Suggers, landlord of the City of Hereford Inn, Brighton. It is a piece of party coloured flint, about four inches in circumference and six inches in length, growing out of a rived cockle shell—a sufficient proof, we surmise, that the flinty substance first cemented within the shell or bowels of this insect, while in its entire state, and rived it asunder by its increase of size: but what is most astonishing, it was dug, by a well-digger, out of a stratum of chalk and flint hill flirty feet below the surface of the earth. The cockle-shell is .as per fect as one newly found on the sea shore, and as hard as the flint to which it adheres, and on which it forms the resemblance of a woman's bosom. • LONDON BRIDGE.—The new bridge is pmposed to be erected as near us possible to, and nut exceed ing 170 feet from the west side of the present bridge, and to afford a clear water-way of. nut less than 690 feet. It is to be faced with granite, and to consist of five arches ; the centre arch to rise '23 feet above high water mark of an average spring tide, according to the Trinity House standard, which is shown on the face of the present bridge. Proper stairs of gra nite are to be provided. The acclivity of the road way, to and over the bridge is not to be steeper than one foot in 26 feet. In the instructions for the engineers, architects, and others, who propose to furnish the committee for letting the bridge-house estates, with designs or models and estimates for the erection of the new bridge, a desire is expressed that the bridge should be worthy of the metropolis and the present cultivated state of science; due re gard being had at the same time to economy, and to the convenience of the traffic over and under the bridge, during the progress• and after the completion of the works. A desire is also expressed, that as little sacrifice be made of the property at both ends of the bridge, fur the formation of the necessary approaches, as is consistent with the character of so important an entrance to the city of London. On Saturday, as ingenious labouring mechanic, named Henry Geering, travelled from Newark to Stamford on an improved velocipede. manufactured ,by himself at the expense of about 1 11. He calls it a " mechanical horse." It differs from the fanciful ' things which excited so mu, h notice a year or two ago, inasmuch us the rider on Gecring's piece of mechanism does not depend on his legs and feet fur making way, but places the latter in stirrups at the ; end of an axis provided for giving direction to two side wheels, which wheels support the carriage and keep it upright. A third wheel, towards the hinder end of the frame of the carriage, is turned with leather straps on the principle of a lathe, and the power is communicated to those by a windlass placed conveniently in front of the rider, who turns it with both hands, and makes progress in proportion to his activity and force in so turtling. Geering himself travelled at an average rate of seven miles an hour; progress up hill is of course attended with more labour. The only English ships of war Buonaparte was ever on board of are now lying in the river Medway, viz. the Undaunted, Bellerophon, and Northumber land. In the first he was conveyed to the Island of Elha, in April, 1815 : in July following he sur rendered, and was received on board the second at Rochefort, after the battle of' Waterloo ; and in less than a month afterwards sailed in the third for St. Helena, where he died on the sth of May, 1821. Music.—The German Journals announce a bril liant musical discovery. A citizen of Courland, of the name of Hausen, has invented an instrument which he calls Olympias, and which to a rare beauty joins the advantage of compassing all the tones of the violin, bass, violeneello, and the !lige centre ( laute-contre.)—All who play the piano can per form on the Olympicon, and with it a siuplo person may execute a concert. The Gazelle of last night contains a notification from the Lord Mayor, stating, that front and after the Ist day of July next the wages of the coal meters' men shall be reduced trout 3s. (id. to 3s. per score of twenty chaldrons. INFORMATION TO MARINERS—In consequence of' a representation made to the committee for ma naging the affair of Lloyd's, that the crew ofa vessel which was wrecked last winter near Beachy Head, might have been saved had there been any place of retnge on the cliffs, they entered into a correspon dence with their agent at Newhaven on the subject, and having ascertained that caverns might be cut at a moderate expense, they submitted the subject to • the subscribers, and it having met with their appro bation, six caverns, with entrances three feet wide, and flights of steps '2O feet in height, terminating in an apartment eight feet square, have been cut in the cliffs between Cuckmore and Beachy Head, and a place called Derby's Cave repaired, by which means mariners and passengers who may be unfortunately wrecked on that part of the coast of Sussex will now find a sate place of refuge front the dangers of 6 the seas. ISLINGTON DJ On Wednesday last, in conformity to the roles of the Insti tution, a meeting of the Governors took place, to receive the Report of the Committee. After a general review of their proceedings, the Committee stated, in their Report, that siaca the day on which the Dispensary was opened (which was only in March last) the number of patients adoftted was 452, of . which -217 had been perfectly cored ; 31 had received partial relief; 8 bad died ; and 196 now remained on the hooks. In the annals of Institutions of this nature we remember no instaiice of a Report so gratifying—in the short space of three months from its being in action, 452 patients have been admit ted, of which nearly half have been discharged entirely cure-I. ' The Report appeared to be *ery satisfactory to the Goventors present—and alter Om Committee for the year emitting had been elected, ea adjournment to Ilighltury T took place, when about 130 gentlemen sat down to dinner at half past six o'clock. The utmost good humour and harmony pre vailed, the latter materially assisted by the voluntary and gra. tuitous assistance of Mr. Emery, of Covent GardenTheatre, and' the , company retired at a late boor ceder feelings of bight grati licati n at having originated an establishment so productive of - benefit to the distressed part of society. A number of new subse!riptions and donations was announced. amongst which we noticed several constituting the parties Lite Governors, being to the amount of ten guineas or upwards. DRURY LAN.' THEATRE. • • A meeting of the proprietors of this theatre took pluce yesterday at two o'clock, in the saloon —Mr. Calcraft having been called to the Chair the report of the Committee Was read; it stated that the _Lessee had paid the rent hitherto, and that the debt had been reduced from 92,4301. which was its amount when Mr. Peter Moore's committee went out of office, in 1819, to 33,9691.—that 75 per Cent. had been repaid on the recent voluntary loan, and that the re maining 25 per Cent. would be paid within a mont h of the commencement of the next season.,—The report concluded by stating, that the committee had every reason to anticipate the realization of all they had held out to the proprietors as probable. The Chairman then briefly addressed the meeting, in doing which, he said he confidently looked forward to the moment when Drury Lane should be as po pular as Covent Garden—we do nut know what ex tent of foresight Mr. Ca'craft may be gifted with, but from this assertion we presume he is eittraordi nariiy blessed in that way, for he confidently looks fur what no other man of common sense expects. The Auditor, Committee, and Sub-Committee • were then re-elected, and thanks voted to them— atier which Mr. GEORGE Rontsts said, be had for PO many years been accustomed to address them that it might be expected of him in the present instance—ut the time when they used to - meet in cabal, instead o: . under the pleasurable feeling of to-lay, he had told them that when the managing committee should give way to legitimate government, and not till then, the theatre would flourish—the event had jus tified his prediction, and now, instead of baying the house full of executions, they could not prevail upo•t• parsons to come and tame their moritts , - , ;•suett was the difference of the public confidence. Than:s • were then voted to the Chairman and the meeting adjourned. GREAT ThOTTING.The race between Captain Hansel's grey horse Marksman, and Mr. Marring ton's brown mare, took place on Thursday mornit:g, at Bushes., on Windsor Forest, round, a cireh; ci two miles, The match was to trot one hour for 500 guineas, and heavy sums were also pending. Tht: horses started at dit4reat (ids of the ground, and each carried eleven stone. Betting was 6 to; on the mare. The mare broke twice into a gaAop in the 15th mile, from distress; and having lost her speed, she was pulled up, and the horse was aria also,• and won the race, doing less than 17 miles ia.. We inserted some time ago an extract of a letter • from Bruges, -stating that the notorious Fletehet was living there with a Mr. Ellis, who held ati of£A2 of some consequence at the Cape, and who distil.- • guished himself in one of the late Westminstc: Elections as the friend of Capt. Sir Murray Maxwer. Doubts were expressed in The Courier respeatinc the above circumstance. We have just received a letter from Bruges, from a respectable source, in- • forming us that had been residing there for • • nearly two years, under the assumed name of Clair; that at first he lived very privately, but let terly he joined in house keeping with Mr. that Fletcher, having been timnd out, &camped is quick time; that his with and daughter, with Nlr. Ellis and his wile, followed in the latter end c.. 1 May: and that they gave out they were goring to Spa, but . this was of course doubted. The colliers in the neighbourhood of WOlin,r 7 hampton having returned peaceably to their work. again, the detachment of the Scuts Greys, un.i.-r - Lieut. Askew, left that town on Friday se'tinignt ; aid one of the companies of the Second or Quer:We Royal Regimeat of Foot, under the cominand Major Gordon, marched on Monday for Chester : and Captain hell's company of the same regimetit. (the only one now remaining), is expected to tr. a few days.