The National Register. — London, England, 1808-02-15 00:00:00

FEB. 15. atout 8,000 men, is to be joined by the 08th regi ment from Bei-mm . l3, the 99th, 101st, and 10th Ve teran Battalion, at Halifax. Besides these reiNforce meats, we hind, by the lwit accounts from Halifax, that the most actiie preparations %ere making for arming the mi litia, and piacins the frontiers in a proper state of defence. We are still without any intelligence respecting the Rocafort gquadron. The last time the enemy were seen, ac.orting to the accounts which have reached the :Willi rally, was, soon after they sailed, on the pith ultimo, when they wcee observed by the Eurydice. Sir J. T. De ciovonTu is understood to have gone in quest of this squadron to the West lathes. Sir RICHARD STRACTIAN was to proceed to the Straits of Gibraltar, in order to ascertain whether the enemy had gone up the Mediterranean. In case he should rind that they had taken another course, he would then hasten to Madeira, in the hope of obtaining some informa tion respecting them at that Island. Letters which have been received from Heligoland, speak much of the activity with which BONAPARTE is proceeding in his Northern ports in equipping a marine; and his exertions are probably not conliaed to that guar- ' ter. These letters state, that there are now lying at Flush ing eleven sale of the line, of which nine were recently built at Antwerp. At Rotterdam there are five, also new. At Helvoetsluys, there arc three actually afloat. At Antwerp, five are on the stocks ; they will be ready for iwrvice in May. These vessels are built of Cermet) oak. At Antwerp, where such facilities are afforded forship biiililing, as many vessels can be equipped in the course of a twelvemonth, as there are slips in the capacious docks, provided only three months notice be given for seasoning the wood. On Monday another interesting debate took place in the House of Lords, on the motion of the Duke of NORFOLK for certain papers illustrative of the expedition to Copen hagen. There were two rimel features in the discussion of that night. Marquis WELLESLEY, for the first time since his return from India, took a share in the debate, and in an elaborate speech defended the conduct of Ministers on the attack on the Danish capital. As his arguments, however, presented merely the defence which has been so often repeated, it is unnecessary for us to load the subject with superfluous commentary. The other extraordinary circumstance in the debate, was one of flinch more im portance; the statement of the sentiments of Lord DuT iilNsoN, whose late situation rendered him master of know ledge so peculiarly interesting for the decision of this mo- Lientons question. As the narrative which he delivered of the instructive conferences which he held with the EMPR. non of Ittisslc, the one subsequent to the treaty of Tilsit, the other to the arrival of intelligence respecting the bom bardment of Copenhar„ - ,en, forms the subject of the poli tical disquisition in the first columns of this Paper, we ;lave no occasion here lo extend our remarks. The property which accrues to His 3IAJESTT from cer hill captures made at sea, has come under the discussion of Parliament, as this property has hitherto been exempt from the controul of Parliament ; as it appears, that in a pro tracted and complicated war like that in which we have been so long involved, this property may rise to a very great amount; and alit is a vital principle of the Constitution, that no cousidc rable sums should remain at the disposal of the Ex ecutive Power, exempt from the controul of Parliament, all parties seem to have joined in approving of the inquiry into the amoun t an d app li ca ti on o f thi s mone y, th oug h some difference existed as to the mode in which it should take place. Accounts have been received of the capture of the Danish %Vest-India Islands. This, however, is not a subject of 'peculiar triumph. They offered no resistance ; and though they may be of some weight in the scale of compensation THE NATIONAL REGISTER. 107 in the event of a negotiation for peace; they are, in the mean time, of injury to us rather than advantage. The present disastrous circumstances in which our own West- India Islands arc placed, arises from the great accessions to our West-India cultivation, which have, during late years. been made in consequence of the possession of the ceded Islands. More produce has by this means been raised than could well be disposed of; and the price, by consequence, has sunk so low, that the planter is not indemnified for his expeuce, and has suffered so deeply, that he already totters on the brink of ruin. From the Danish Islands an addi tional supply will be poured into the market, and will ag gravate all the existing evils. TIIE LATE SEVERE WEATHER. The intelligence we have already received from the ports. give us reason to apprehend that the damage on the coa,t has been very consitlerable. Three vessels are sunk, and four ate on share off R ye. There were hat.) sail in Deal loads on Friday morning, all of which were obliged to cut their cables in copse (pence of the gale. A gun-brig and some other vessels are ashore at Margate. Fears are entertained that some of the outward-bound ships from the Downs have been driven over to the French coast. In the interior of the country the severity of the weather has been productive of great cala►nity. The fall o f snow on the North Road has been particularly heavy', and in many places it is said to have been forty feet deep. In the vicinity of Biggleswade the Newcastle and other mails we►o stopped, and so completely involved in snow, that it was found necessary to extricate them by the assistance of a great number of hands. Saturday's mails from Holyhead, Leeds, %V kbeitch e and Manchester, did not arrive till yesterday, and several are still missing. The Portsmonth coach lost its way and was nearly overturned on Saturday.—Two female pa►=rcngers frozen to death on the outside, and we fear vv e shall have to record a numerous list of afflicting events in consequence of the extreme violence of the storm. The Exeter mail coach wits unable to proceed beyond Overton, where the passengers stopped. The guard with great di ilicalty came forward a ith the Ira over fields, &c. The Gloucester and Worcester mail coaches were stopped two miles beyond Benson. The Guards brought forward the mails on horseback. The Bristol mail was to ice dug out of the snow. 'l•he Liverpool guard reached town tna Saturday Hight about five o'clock, with the letter hags on horse-, back ; the coach being unable to come on at Chalk-hill, as the road was impassable by a carriage. The heavy Liverpool coach, which left London early on Friday morning, did not, reach Oxford till eleven at night. Ministers have settled a new plan for the issuing of Ex chequer Bills, by which the commissiop will be saved, as. well as an easy accommodation given to the public. Their arc to be issued at an office in the Bank, to bear 4 per cent. while out; bat to be paid or exchanged at one day's no tice at the office. The Legislature of Jamaica have resolved, that the Commissioners of Correspondence he directed to instruct their Agent to apply to his Britannic Majesty's Minis:en, in the event of a war between Great-Britain and the United States of America, that such measures may be taken as will enable the Governor and Lieutenant-Governor of that Island to grant licences to vessels of the United states, trading with the articles they are now permitted to b r i ng to, and take from Jamaica, in a matmer similar to the ex isting licensed trade between his Majesty's West India do minions and the enemies' colonies, under the provisions of the present Free Port Law. By advices from Boston, dated the 13th ult. we cannot find that Mr. Rose had yet landed ; but it states that " some blunders at Norfolk had prevented him land ing-, till he had assurances of being received wiih hospita tality. These assurances have been sent from Washinp,ton,. where Mr. Rose was expected about the Bth or 9th ult. - - It should seem as if some difficulties had been purposely thrown in the way of his landing.—Mr. Randolph directed the attention of the {louse of Representatives, on the 4th ult. to hia impeachment of General Wilkinson, which had been fixed for that day.—A debate of six hours ensued - WY -.,--