The National Register. — London, England, 1816-08-12 00:00:00

Vt No. 444.—V0L. IX. POLI'I7C,'AI, 1)ISQU1SITIO ON THE PRESENT PUBLIC DISTRESS. lt.neeolenee is the zrea test luxury ; and !he c-n.' man, after all, is the 4i•intine epicure.' L'i•hop Hun N r.. WE have not hitherto been over anxious to advert to the distressed situation of the country, in the hope that, 'ere this time, we should have realized that opinion which affirmed that the distress was temporary ; and that our sufferings would now be mentioned only as a tate of past times ; but we find ourselves, after a year's tranquillity, still emlrarrassed, and suth2ring in a mea sure exceeding the fears of our warmest friends, and the hopes of the bitterest of our enemies. That after a war of protracted duration, in which our armaments and exertions have been unexampled, we should at first find it difficult to twover ourselves, is not sur prizing ; but no one could have foreseen that our corn mere;., would have been envied, and our marmf:ictures excluded, by our Allies. We were told, that Russia had entered into the war against the late Usurper of France, because she was disgusted at his enmity to our trade, in what was termed the continental system ; because she wouhl not consent to sn hos•ile a measure, even thou.rli at wa: with us: but the Oppressor has disappeared, and his continental system is no lon g cr heard of; and' yet the polieyof it is adopted spontancously by Russia ; and the system is revived under another name, by an Emperor whom we regarded as the came of its ruin. NVe are in farmed, that by tho late Tara our trade with Russia is almost annihilated. The American trade too, for some reason, perhaps dig talnilar in its nature, but equally operative, is almost ru ined. Ships are continually sailing to the United States from our ports; but they carry wthing hence but our emigrating countrymen. Repeated failures have now clamped the ardour of spe culation, and utterly extinguished the daring spirit of commercial enterprise which employed the wealth of the rich, and the labour of the poor. By the finning-offing-of of car trade with the Cont inent, our Sheffield manufacturers no longer require the usual quantity of iron; or the ac cusamed supply of coals. To this we trace the suspen sion of the iron-works at Bilston, Re. and the severe dis tresses of our collie: s. There is no one branch of trade which has ma, either in a lesser or greater degree, par taken of the general suffering. Such, then, being the state of our trade, our labourers are without employment, aid eonscquently without means of support. By those heart-rending, but by no means exaggerated accounts which we published in our last, it appears, that the humane and just provision of the ' English laws, by which the indigent arc to be relieved in their necessities from the estates of the rich, is found in many places inefficient ; it appears, that the distress is so general, and so severe, that it is impossible to carry into effect measures which (whatever may be said of their ' policy) have been always sufficient to supply the poor with bread. In the accounts to which we have alluded, it is said, the parishes can neither find employment nor tood tbr their poor. _ _ This state of thinzs certainly calls loudly upon the Le gislature fur some permanent redress, and upon the pub lic individually for some present relief. The Legislature Will enter into some regulations, beyond all doubt, by which the expenditure may be retrenched, and the taxes materially lessened; by the slowly-working effects of these the distress may be gradually alleviated. But the benevolence of individuals is calculated, on many ac counts, to gibe a more speedy relief than any enactments of the Legislature can possibly all;nd. It is this, there fore, to which, as an inexhaustible fund, the poor look up, claiming for Englishmen that liberality whose benefite tions have gladdened at different periods above half the nations of Ennope. The only purpose to which the pro ceeds of private munificence should be applied, is inae (bate relief. There was never any time, perhaps, when this old was so easily attainable as it is at the pre mat, atio . nat U'S Lic itittr._ Our wing, Con6titution anti 3Lab3l. MONDAY, AUGUST 12, 1816. There is now, by the almost universal extension of Bible- Associations, a regular and organized system of benevo lence established throughont the Empim. In imitation of these, then, let Benevolent Associations in all parts be fininackl on a similar principle. On the formation of one of these in a particular district, let every house in it be visited fur the double purposes of collecting money, and finding fit objects of relief ; and a part of the money suf ficient to relieve the poor of that district being retained, let the residue be sent to the general Committee, to be applied to the relief of those districts where more money is required than can be collected. Such is, in our opi nions, the most practicable and effixtual mode that can be adopted ; it would tend . to equalize the burthens of the public ; which, as the poor laws now stand, are ex ceedingly unequal. It', however, a better can be pro duced, we shall be glad to communicate it to the public. There is only one caution which we would wish to give those persons who conduct meetings culled for this benevolent purpose ; it is, that they would carefully ab stain from sneaking of the cause of these distresses, and fr - un every subject different from the immediate relief of the poor by collections. Should any other subject be in troduced, there is reason to fear, that a meeting railed flir the purpose of mitigating the miseries of mankiud will terminate in a political squabble. Having said thus much, we beg leave to repeat, that a ,y permanent benefit is not to be expected from private e _r•ions of any kind. For this, some public law is re. quired ; not to relieve the poor only, but the country—by decreasing the debt, and encouraging the manuf4tures of the kingdom. DISTRESSLS•in the COUNTRY. EXTRACT OF OF A LETTER FROM BILSTON, DATED AFC , . e. " The distress, Sir, is beyond every , thing that has been described. Imagination need not be called to our aid: plain statements of fact, of things as they really are, are beyond measure affecting, Having received 51. for distribution from a benevolent individual (whose name I should rejoice to publish, did I not fear incurring his dis pleasure), the whole of which - I distributed in bread, I called at a cottage near me, and met-the wife of the cot tagcr with a spade in her hand ; and - I asked her what she was going to do with it ? She replied, ' to sell it, Sir; it is one of the last things we could spare ; but I cannot sec my children perishing for want of bread while we have any thing that would pure ase it.'—` They shall not want (1 eagerly eseliiimed) ; I ha . brought you succour ;God ha s raised up friends for you ; w ball yet sec better tiiiies.'— I presented her with two loaves Astonishment was fixed on her countenance , and the tears ratitudc silently found their way down her cheeks.. She e d hut feebly articulate he r thanks. I then called at anoth 'cottage ; this father of the fa mily that inhabited it hat been Isbell to pieces in one of the pits, a week or two before. I presented the widow with two loaves. ' Heaven (said she) has sent yon he! e this morning ; we should to-day have wanted bread, had it net been for your kind visit; our stock was all gone.' I called at a third ; there were nine children ; the little habitation was divided into two rooms by a rug Amip..l)(lcd io the middle; the afflicted ;attic' was on a roue!, couch on one side,arid the mother on the other. Famine and sicknia. had taken up their abode with them. It ' was a scene °lsm+ complicated wretchedness as I had never befere be held. In answer to the inquiry, 'is your mother at home?' a hand scarcely any thing but skin and bone was ex tended, gently drew aside the rug, anti in a very feeble coke whispered' yes.' I told her I was come to bring her starving fainity a little relief ; the intelligence WWI too much for her fee ble triune ; slse fish almost lifeless on her pillow. One tittle ta ble, two chairs, and two miserable beds, with the rug that di vided the cotter., was the whole of their furniture. I know, Sir, that other districts are in disusess; but :''ii sorrows are of an earlier date, and consequently of longer. tanding, than those of any other comity. Detour the pc;:! , was concluded. our staple manufacture--our iron-works began to fad; and without help th e p re ssu r e on our neighbourhood is insupportable. Suds, indeed, is the misery that prevails, that I sin thoroughly per suaded the district would be ha 44112t.r habitable, were it not for the genei al attention that has been paid by men of all demo lineations, and people of all ranks, to the education of the poor. 'Flee little inturmation, that has been given has softened their manners, and awakened them to discern some of those great ties that bind society ton. her, and whiekthey know it would be in famy to tear Runnier. I know, Sir, that many will say, it is of no avail to afford temporary aid. What! is not half a luqf bet ter than no in cad? Is bread for to-day of no value, because we know not whence we may receive a supply to-morrow? Is it then absollitely inipossilite, it you save your fellow-eicature to-day from perishiug, that any event stall occur to-morrow for his permanent relief? For toy 'iwn part, from v. hat I l eaet ., go „, I and heard, distressed as our einiiitry nioloohteilly is, city expee -1 lations rise high. An active alagistiate in our distuct . s u gg ebtcd, that If a gencsal sanction was given to ~ 0,4. t . 114 ga s -fights. it mullet do much to aid or our iron-m4nuractories ; and that it our coals were ifflcesed a lice competition with the Newcastle Coals in the Metro 4 ✓ni4, multitudes would he perwa needy employed who are now is a starving condition.' ST: DOMINGO, OR 114 PRICE 9i4L The following particulars respecting this Island, are taken from the letter of a travellet, dated the 16th of• June, 1816: " When a vessel arrives in the harbour of Cape Henry,_ no person is permitted to land until the ship has i een visited by a boat from the shore. Shortly after our COIIIIII4 I'll anchor, therefore, the visiting boat came off to us, with a military Offi cer, all interpreter, dec. Their appearance was by no nicams prepossessing ; their dress consisted of wide checked trowsers, with bouts above them. a long blue coat, faced . witli red, and out at elbows, while a huge cocked hat, with a red feather, at least two feet long, and a dragoon sabre by their side, gave to their black faces a very formidable appearance. They were, however, very polite, inquired the news from Europe, swallowed • cheese, ham, etc. by the lump, washing all down with wine, gin, and porter; they then conducted the Captain and all the pas sengers to the Governor, the Doc de Marmalade, a black man, about 00 years ef age, a native of Africa, mild in his manners, and exceetlingly well liked both by natives and foreigners. He merely inquired oar names and business, took all our letters, papers, sec. in order to have them translated for his Majesty, and then ordered us to wait on Baron Dainty, a man of colour, about 50, Private Secretary to the King, and reckoned a second Talleyrand. He certainly looks a man of address. I was af terwards introdnced to Prince John, the King's son, who is a good young man, but has no abilities. I was, however, much pleased with him, and received nosy kindnesses front hitn. "On one who has seen Negroes an coloured people only to the degraded situation in which they-ate in the Colonies, it has - a singular effect when he goes ainonststhem where they only have command and cornet ; and, altho,tgk troll ally short resi dence in :his quarter of the world, and from my general•feel logs towards them, as a people who are and have been (weeny amid unjustifiably ill used, still I felt something like at ill na tured contempt for their assenting an authority over me. The els-sedation which surrounds you in the town of Cape Henry serves to keep alive this feeling, and is, on first landing, per• Laps the most impressive scene I ever witnessed. It formeri• continued GO or 70,900 inlisidtants, built upon a plain, in the most regular order, all the streets intersecting:each other at right angles, and mulling in straight lines E. and W. and N. and S. The huildius base heel; uniformly elegant. Picture to yosrself such a place—the houses completely sacked, and . only t h e outward walls and balconies remaining —trees and shrubs growing within and upon the walls—and grass growing upon the streets —miasma hate something almost as melancholy as the appearance of Cape Henry. " complete the picture, bon ever, you most conceive a climate iiniforinly serene, a kind of splendour in Me bright blazing -um and the lit ely t erditre all around, end something so impressively sad in the appearance of tles partial occupation of the rained houses, which here and there coutaia a family of BlacS s or hlulattoss s that K ord. cannot convey any adequate description of the scene. You arc eontinually.reminded that others than those, yO3 , now see in at corner of what has been a princely mansion, raised it and dwelt in it; and, for aught you cars tell, the very persons who now huddle up in ants earner of it, may have cut the throats of the former °trams. The house. of the few English and Americans resident are exceptions to this, as are also the few occupied by the Nobility. These have been completely repaired. and just serve to skew how splendid a place it lutist hate been when all the others were in the same state. The same description will apply to the country. I had an opportunity of travelling from Gonaives across to the Cape, a distance of ASO or 70 miles. On every side I could see-the ruins Wane plantations : and from the appearance of the roan- - try, I have little doubt but the assertion of the Fiend] is cor rect, ' that their possessions in St. Domingo were once worth all the Colonies in the West Indies.' I had no opportunity of seeing Olvistopke, w lllell ' was soles. for ; hilt he kept himself so aloof fr4in the Cape, that I might has e continued there three months without his being once in it. " The following authentic particulars of his chatacter may convey to you a livelier idea (Whim than mere description ofhis person, ss hich, by-the-bye, I have beta told is tits elegant mo del of an Hercules. In battle lie is bras r to desperation ; his - courage rising with danger. He has been seen in the heat of an engattement, animated with the fury of a tiger, raging:mid foaming through all his ranks. He is ref engetul heyond mea sure. Ha had a regiment commanded by a coloured man, . wllich sent over to Petion. The mienwit he was apprised of the circumstance, he ordeied a massaese of all the coksined wo men in his dominions ; and not evemlo waste powder on theta. I was sheash several places where numbers of thosennti itunatc females were butchered ; many were hid there by the relative* till the fury abated, and 1 have had the particulars of tht it es- • cape ti be lips of two or three. They still live in greet • dread sad sonic who are es cu wealthy would gladly abandon all and go any scheme to get oat of his power, whom they hate, but never name. lie is extravagant in his notions of grandeur, and aloud as Lucifer himself; severe as a tyrant tura:nate those of his own colour, and who are his subjects, at tar same time rigidly criforein; the lases.and protecting strangeres silty respect them. In no country in Europe are duties and customs so ri gidly exaetetl, or illicit unite so completely prevented. Add - to this that I travelled in she interior of the a: try, where not . a white face is to be seen, with as much security :is 1 could have done in any part of Groat Britain. This. is not to be done - without a passport signed by himself. -No stranger is allowed to go a I dred yards beyond the harriers of the Cape without permission Ido not think, however, that his Government will he of long duration. He is so mock the tyrant, that he must have many enemies among his staining friends ; besides, being himself a usurper, and engrossing all the riches of the country. and ;o l ds ing them otien foolishly, and without advice, will na -walls inspire those about him with mamas dangerous to his Wets , . His personal character is so well know'', that none will attempt any thing against him till they are sure to have hint. At all events, I conceive Petion .mitst eveuttially over t•ome him. Has character is PO opposite to ta i ris to pnc s in a ll that is good, that his success sill .Alibi", 1