The National Register. — London, England, 1817-09-22 00:00:00

StPT. pt. ensued. I had myself two clerks who betrayed their trust, after serving me faithfully for a long time ; one of them ac. quired the habit of drinking, and then corrupted the ether : they then wanted more money than their maim ws would sup ply, and agreed with each other to resort to fraud of all kindi. I was repeatedly afterwards applied to by the wife of one or them, who was an honest and industrious milliner, and who Rave me the most distressing account of her hushaud's con duct, he received money which was due to her for her own exertions in her business, but spent his own gains on his vices, and he suffered executions to be levied on furniture and goods, which, not his money, but her's, had purchased. The other clerk, who was younger and unmarried, and per. fectly competent to his situation, brought disgrace on very respectable friends in humble life (who had always till then maintained their credit) by forfeiting his own character and losing the means of subsistence. I had another clerk who, after a long continued habit of di inking spirits, took laudanum while in my service, but Dr. Cluttcrbuck , whom I sent to hint was aide to save his life: he then confessed that lie was only induced to take such astep because lie could not bear to see the misery which his own habits had brought upon him self, his wife, and his children : he was not however reclaim ed by this circumstance, but went on in the same course; and 1 afterwards found his wife, by mere accident (under a public advertisement for relief ), in a miserable lodging an the neighbourhood of Brunswick-square, without a bed to lie on, and with IlVe young children to support. He had then deserted his family, leaving a letter behind him in which he deplored, in the strongest terms, his own guilt and folly, and stated it was his determination to destroy himself. It these are strong cases of their class, I am persuaded that most men in my own profession can nt least confirm this fact, that drink ing is the bane of multitudes in it, who would otherwise be valuable in their particular departments, and useful members of society. 'flie la w• w riters, especially,ai e almost universally addieied to drinking, as every law-stationer can testify; and a peison who makes it his business to provide situations for law-clerks, and who has had great experience among all classes of them, assured roc that cases of violated trust, aris ing front their habit of drinkine; were constantly occurring, and that it was impossible to bummer:de the instances of for feited character and of individual suff-ring which this source of expense and crime had brought under their own observa tion. In other professions and trades, many examples of vio lated trust from this cause must be familiar to every one; mercantile clerks, apprentices and shopmen, in-order to sup ply their desire for this pernicious ingredient, have in re peated instances become criminals for life. Servants, both male and female, have first robbed their masters and mistress- , es, in order that they might procure liquor ; their characters then gone, they have fallen from bad to worse. The woman who was last executed in London, for robbing her master's house, in conjunction with her own paramour, acknowledged herself to have been a drinker of spirits ; this leads me to ob serve that with regard to the extensive mischief of drinking among females, there is little doubt that to this source must be ascribed most of the evils of prostitution. To the effect of liquor, multitudes of that sex must refer both their first de viation from virtue, and their subsequent continuative in vice; moat of the unhappy woincit who lead a life of continued pro fligacy, live more or less under the constant inlinenee of spi rituous liquor; perhaps it would be impossible for them with out that ail to continue suele a life, or to endure the scenes which they are called to witness. " I would further observe, wilt regard to the influence of drinking upon crime in general, that, from my own experience at the Old Bailey, I have no doubt it is capable of ablitidaet proof, that n very con-iderable(suil perhaps by far the larger) proportion of offences which have brought criminals to that Mar, !nay lie referred to this source. In many cases, where a prisoner was not wider the influence of liquor at the moment of committing the CI i , ne, idyll as forgery for instance, I have been able to trace with previous habits of drinking, as left no doubt ou my mind that this was the master vice which, while it was expensive in itself, involved him also in various other expent'l.4 whiell were unitedly beyond Isis means of support. iag an I induced hint to have recouree to the crime of forgery for their supply. " I wouid further notice dlie striking difference between spirits and beer, in the mode of their operation ; beer makes perso. , s first h..avy, then stupid, and then senseless ; the beer drinker becomes more drunkeu than the drinker of spirit., and shows his 'condition more, het he is in that very propor tion, more harmless to such ly ; his very helplessutss and in activity give Aug . : . of pledge fir the security of others. In the case of dram-drinking, however, the effects are not besotting sr stiipilying; spirits are less narcotic, but wore exciting than beer; so fat from incapacitating for avtion, they stimulate to it ; they increase and irritate the passion.. ; they heat the brain by hid mining the iptality and quickening of the circulation of the blood ; but they are so far from disqualifying the man from executing the designs which he may mediate under such a morbid excitement, that they quiekeir him to every kind of exertion whit+ is neces is ry to his purpose: a man can in the course of the day, drink, and multitudes do drink, twenty or more glasses of spirits, without tieing visibly affected by them white the drinker of porter or ale would tie seen reeling amen the street : the elf..cts prodneed iu these eases being so dal,- rent, there is less disgust excited in spectators for the drinker of spit its, and consequently he is less likely to be shamed out of the habit ; the very little time too whirls is reqnisite for drinking chains, and the , facilities for obtaining them which every while H1)01111(1, are still farthur favoiwaitic to that sys tem; I apprehend therefore that a broad thismi ittinn is to h e taken het ween drinkiiig and drunkenness, or between the use of spirits •liid of beer. Beer, in order to produce polpa hle insuau anuu, must be drank in iarge quantities, while (-lough of spires can lie obtarned fur producing the greatest moral nil-duet, without the effects upon it drinker toeing so ap pat mit. lam the mine desirous of adverting to this distiar. lion, beeanse it has been said there is less drunkenness than Viere e as. This may be readily admitted ; but the concession does not prose that there is less drinking, or less crime-- There is perhaps less of gross drunkenness twonght betUre the pildic eye than when beer was the nap ionii liquor; bust ilicru• is probably 011 that very account, so much more drinking, and so much inure clime. (To be Continued.) Mat ANEHOLT IRST t ACE OF SUDDEN DEATH. Mr. Ed wart! Hudson it re , ,peei:tule wtaster printer, residing at No. 17, Pierpoini-row, tsliinvon, aticr going to church still; ho. 0.1 Sunday morning re.:llrllrd knile 811(1 ditirti, lie ei appealing in oyster health mid spirits in his life. After din rer lie bad .1 ;Liss of Wand, and water, :Ind then calked out %% jib his cii,idreit in Ow g.trilen. On his return, lie was taken with a suildrn pain in his chest; wino Mr. Onion, surg,on, .45 sent for, hut !mime his a:IIVA Mr. H. expired. Au in. e. iest wits held on the body at the sign of the thin, l'irrpoint /late, Islington. Verdict —Died by the Yisitmiou of tiud. Trig NATIONAL REGISTER CROSBY, MILES AND CRATER. How vain are all our boastings about the indepen dence of the Press, when, of all the Newspapers pub lished in the Metropolis, only three of the daily, and one Weekly, had independence enough to publish the proceedings in the case of the above named persons.— The British Press, the Globe, the Near Times, and the National Register, gave publicity to them from a wish to expose a series of dishonest practices, and to put the community upon their guard against men whose means of doing mischief are the greater, as their station in life are respectable. With this feeling, we rejoice to find that the whole proceedings have been published in a pamphlet, from the introduction to which, we ex tract the following:— " Had not nearly the whole of the diurnal prints most strangely neglected to insert even a notice of these most re. markahle cases, this mode of publication would not hive been adopted ; hut, to the surpsise of every one, notwithstanding the great dearth of matter experienced by the daily papers, and the avidity with which, in all other instances, they seise upon every circumstance at all intereatinz, in this particular instance they have passed over these important and singular details in utter &Hence, Sonic very weighty reasons, indeed, must have produced this unusual forbearance. With regard to "THE Times," our surprise ceases, when we recollect that the Cerberns of that proud journal is closely allied to some of the parties in question ; we hope we shall hear no more, therefore, of the boasted independence and inflexible sense of duty of this paper. For the silence of the others, we con only account, by supposing the' Auri sacrafamer to have exerted its usual powerful operation, as some of the parties displayed so much of this too prevalent passion in the trans actions in question, and involved themselves in suck odium in consequence, it was not to be supposed but that they would resort to it to screen the exposure of that obloquy it had oc casioned." As farther proceedings are about to be instituted by the creditors of Crosby, for the recovery of the Bond and Bills so fraudulently disposed of, we shall not fail to make our readers acquainted with whatever transpires; fur, as the Press has been influenced, in the first in stance, we dare say the gentlemen who are so tender of their reputations, will not fail to have recourse to the same means to suppress any succeeding reports. THE QUEEN OF WESTPHALIA. The following letter, written after the battle of Waterloo, by the Queen of Westphalia, to her father the Kir.g of Wurtemberg, is extracted from Sir Robert Wilson's " Sketch of the Military and Political Strength of the Russian Empire: '— " SIRE AND FATHER,—Yooir Majesty requested me to de. scend into you' apartment. For the first time in my life I decliued the happiness of being in your presence; I knew the subject of the interview; and fearing that my mind might not be sufficiently collected, I hare dated to take the liberty of di- •cloping the motives of nay conduct, and making an ap peal to your paternal affections. " Your Majesty knows the whole tenth. Yes, Sire, the Prince Jerome, your eon-in-law, my husband awl the father °limy child, is with me! Yes, Sire! I have withdrawn an in stant from the palace of my King, to succour the husband to whom my life is attached. My thoughts have accompanied him to war—my care has preserved him ia a long and painful journey, where his existence was often menaeed. My arms have embraced him in his misfortune with more tenderness than even in the time *dour preeyerity! " The Prince Jerome is not the husband of my own choice. I received him fi nun your hand, when his I louse tide/led over great kingdoms—when his In-ad wore a crown. "Seem the sentiments of my heart cherished and confirmed the bonds hich your policy haul commanded. " Mai riage and nature impose duties which arc not subject to the vicissitmles of tortime; I know their extensive obliga tions, and I know also how to fulfil them. I was a Queen ; I am still a wife and a mother! The change of policy among Princes, in overthrowing the French empire, has also de stroyed the throne on which your goodne.s, and the Prince lav ousimud, had seated me. We were obliged to submit o tlie force of circumstances! The august Maria Louisa af forded me a great example of resignation; but our situation 18 C11881114113E. Public interests may command sactifiees of permanent duration, or a hich may cease when the interests tufa new policy render other changes inn itable. " Attliongui chance has elevated us above the generality of mankind, we ale nitwit more to he pitied. A %ariable will controls oar destiny; butt there its power ceases—it is impo. tent Against the obligations Providence imposes en mu. '• The husband whom God and yourself gave me—the child whom I have borne ia my bosom, comprise my existence. have shared a throne with this husband, I will partake with him exile and mistOrtinie : violence alone shall separate me from Min. Bat, omy King! 0 my father I I know your heart, your justice, and the excellence of your priuciples : I know what these principles have been at all times on the sub ject of those domestic duties which shuuld be respected Ly the princes of your house. " I do not eel. your Majesty, Trout affeetion for nie, to make any change in that system of contioct winch has been adopted is conformity with the determination of the most powerful pi niers uit Europe., butt I throw myself at your feet to implore permission that my husband and myself may re -111.1,11 eear your person: but, 0 my father! if that must not let us at least be restored to your I'AVDIII before we re move to s lot vigil soil. It is only After having received some proof of your patelll4l love that I can feel strenCilt to Appear before you. If we tgo this very evening, let its depart with the assurance of y our affection And plot. et ion in a hap pier time. Oar misfortunes must have a period, policy will not always command, in respect tons, that which is hu miliating, nor delight in the ruin and degradation Milo many princes, acknowledged ill fiiroter treaties, and who have heels shied to the most ancient and ills-trious 'louses of 1.11 rope. 18 not their blood mingled anti outs? Pardon me, ma Father and my Sovereign! for having tints espressed my self; but coudesceud, try a single word, to let ma know that it bag wet been tectived with di.qleseure.', BANK PROPRIETORS. A General Court of the Proprietors of Bank Stock was on held Thursday, for the purpose of declaring a dividend for the half-year ending the 10th of October next. next. The Chairman, (Jeremiah Harman, Esq.) having stated, that this was one of the quarterly Courts held according to Charter, and also a half-yearly Court, as sembled for the purpose of considering a dividend, ob. served, that the Court of Directors had taken the state of the Bank a counts into consideration, and were of opinion, if the Proprietors thought fit, that a dividend should be made of five pounds per cent. interest and profit, for the half-year ending the 10th of October next. This proposition was seconded by the Deputy Chair. man. The Hon. Mr. Bouverie then rose and moved the following Amendment : " That, by the 12th By-Law of this Corporation, this', Court I n called on ,to consider the acute and condition ithereof, previou3 to a declaration of a dividend. _ _ _ • 6 That this Court has no means afforded them to pay obedience .o the enactment, although several demands have been continuaiN made, on similar occasions, without such necessary information. " That this Court is induced, solely by the reliance it has on tl.s full responsibility ofeach and every of the Directors, for any and' At withholding of the same, to order, as it does hereby order, that a divi dend be made of 5 per cent. interest and profits for the half-year rat:, ing the loth of October next." Sir Thomas Turton seconded the amendment, whirl:, on a shew of hands, was negatived by a great majority, and the original motion agreed to. INDIA Hooss.—Wednesday a very important Rowe lution of the Court of Directors of the East India Com pany, the effect of which is to reduce the interest ups their Bonds after the last day of March next, to 4 pee cent. was communicated upon the Stock Exchange by Mr. Cobb, of the India House, about three o'clock.— The 3 per cent. Consols immediately rose in conee quence about per cent. ; but the more visible effen of the measure was, of course, to be seen in the rapid depression of the India Bonds. It was first surroisst} about a week ago, that the East India Company in tended to reduce the interest on its Bonds by at lea* / per cent.; whereupon the premium upon the India House paper fell suddenly from about 110 s. to 353. As this rumour died away, however, the Bonds gra dually recovered their value ; so that when Mr. Cobb reached the Stock Exchange, on Wednesday the pre mium had again risen to 103 s. His communicaticht instantly sunk it to 50, and between 50 and 60 it left off. One cannot help remarking upon the peculiarity here stated, that the mere rumour of a reduction of r per cent. interest, lowered the premium upon the Bonds to 335. while the positive notice of the rcduo4ion did not sink it below 50. Such is the effect of a first impression. In the interval also, the holders have had the means, we suppose, to contemplate the difficulty a lodging their money to greater advantage elsewhere.— The Company, also, in allowing above six months be fore the reduction actually takes place, have wanted sufficient time to the holders. There is strong reason for believing, that it is in the contemplatiun of Govern ment to reduce the interest upon the next issue of Ex chequer Bills to 2d. per day ; and the merollants look with coatidence in the Bank's beginning to diseouut good bills at the rate of 4 per cent. A letter has been received within the last week from Mr. Bmwortlr, late master of the Boston Public School, who, it will be remembered, was sent by the British and Foreign School Society to the Island of St. Do wingo, for the purpose of establishing schools in that part of it under the Presidency of Petion. He arrived at Port au Prince on the 24th of June, afier a pisswge of 30 days from New York, where he had been in 4ectitv, the schools formed on the British system of education. On the 25th he was introduced to Petion, who appears to enter into the object of the mission with great spirit, declaring that Le will have schools erected in every place, for that it is his wish to have ail (-3 ,:ated in his dominions; and he will give every faciiity to forward the undertaking. By advises recently received from. Cintra, we !earl that the Portuguese, unlike Cie rest of the people in Europe, have such a dread of erni,grution, that an. order being lately issued by the Regency for the em barkation of 3000 traders for Rio Janeiro, a spirit if tlic utmost discont,ut was instantly manifested. Goo regiment fled into the interior, carrying with it its ha. gage, arms &c. and another is said to have declared to its officers on parade, that they would not betransported without having committed any offence. Marshall Beresford at length succeed in quieting the tumult, by pledging; his word, that all who embarked should be permitted to take their wives and children with them, and be at liberty to return in three years. The Pension recantation system in the Army end Navy reminds us of the following story :—As the Guards were .marching through London for the North, in the year 174% a citizen exclaimed—" There go the pillars of the State !"—" Aye," observed a soldier in the ranks, " and when we come back you will 'ay, the caterpillars."