The National Register. — London, England, 1819-03-15 00:00:00

Or JP__ No. 581.—VoL. XII.] ii 4'd', r THE NEW PROPRIETOR TO THE READERS of the NATIONAL REGISTER. WITH a mingled sensation of Fear and Hope, the new Proprietor of this Journal addresses him self, for the first time, to his Readers. When he considers the unfortunate situation of the late Pro prictor, he cannot contemplate, without some de gree of apprehension, the consequences which must inevitably have resulted from that temporary inat tention to the interests of the Journal, which such a situation naturally produced; but when, on the other hand, he remembers that, at no distant F riol, the extensive circulation of the National Register might fairly challenge a competition with that of the most favoured of its weekly competitors, fecls himself justified in expecting that, by re• curriag to the course which once secured general approbation, it will speedily recover that high de gree of public estimation, which recent misfortunes have, perhaps, partially suspended. In publications of this nature, it has been so much the custom to conciliate favour by liberal promises, ' which have not in all cases been faithfully per formed, that the new Proprietor would hesitate to pledge himself for any thing more than a dilivnt attention to the conduct of the Paper, and an un. weatied assiduity in supplying, from every authentic source, those articles of general information, which the public have a right to expert in a Weekly Journal ; but, nevertheless, he cannot forbear to express a hope, that the faithful discharge ef these ,;;,ties, aided by the impartial discussion of all po litical subjects, and a careful investigation of every occurrence which is likely to interest the public mind or to engage its attention, will quickly re deem the errors which have ensued from the unplea sant circumstances bef we alkali to, and restore this Journal to its original reputation. To sustain and to increase that reputation, the most strenuous ciligts of the new Proprietor will constantly be directed; and if, fire this his first attempt, it shall be thought that an apology is necessary, the candour of his Ilesders will induce them to consider his in foicy as his best excuse, and to grant some indul gence to a Proprietor only three days old. It; by that indulgence, he shall be nurturetT to strength, and reared to maturity, he ventures to hope, that hi.; ripened exertions may, is some degree, cont. ',ensue the weakness of his adolesceuve; and that the fruit which will have been produced by the liberality of his Friends, will nut be entirely un worthy of the generous care which they may bestow 011 the get initiation of the seed, and on the expaasion of the blossom. hi our paper or last week we were üb'e Ina ittintuee Ow fact of the great contest for %Vv. , - tainster hating just closed, by the return of Lauda to Paritaineut by a ntainifity of 0/ I. 11 e ty now obs.:ive that the late strugOe bias Levu L . :lrlstal by precisely the 811111 e features or ppti r turbulence atul excite:iient which tnol.s phut: in OA. 6:1111C ci.y but oue ye ...ago : aud a cb, ' t oar o,pit • ~~, ,p•-•••-,* ationalf 31P taitittr• ur thug, Conatitutfott anti it IMO. MONDAY, MARCH 15, 1819. ion, furnishes a plain, practical lesson on the sub ject of Annual Parliaments, and enables us to ar rive at the safe conclusion upon which we have so often insisted, namely, that " Annual Par liaments would be but annual confusion." — Whatever mortification may have result-d to Sir Francis Burdett, at finding his influence in West minster was not without its limits, or to Mr• llobhouse front the sad experience that the sentiments be chose to promulgate were not those of the majority of the Electors whose suffrages he thought he had secured, we doubt not but the country at large will be well satisfied with the mode in which this battle was decided. The sound awl constitutional friends of rational free dom, if we may judge of Mr. Lamb, from his talents, his declarations, and the high character of those who have espoused his cause, will have no reason to regret that his competititor ?mist still defer his legislative services, at least to a future period. The man who has chalked oat for him self the Fine of public policy which was trodden hv t . ' Sir Samuel Romilly, and can muster in the train o his triumph such men as Lords J. and WAtussel, Lord Sefton, Lord Nugent, Sir R.Fergussok, and Aft.. Lambton, can be no enemy to the • rties of man kind, and the real interest of his con try. We call asure our readers that we personally feel no small pleasure in being thus able to bid adieu to such a subject, and to turn to topics of more general and permanent importance. The march of public business in Parliament has lately been so rapid as-to allow to the weekly Jour nalist scarcely any chance of keeping pace with it and yet when we remember that in a free country, not only every act of the Legislature, but every vote given by those to whom our political Interests, our Rights, and our Liberties, are en trusted, are matters of high and indispensable con cern, it n ill not be witlitnit sincere reluctance that we shall suffer any of them to pass unnoticed. The debate which took place on the •2d instant, cot the motion of Sir J. Macintosh, for an enqui,y into the state of our Penal Code as it relates to the punishment of death, must have been heard or read by the whole people of England with a deep and lively interest, It is a measure which the au thority of the wise atal of the good had li,ng calk fur, which reason, humanity. and piddle policy were all pledged to sanction, and which we should indeed have grieved to see by the unmeaning tissue of Lord Castlereagh's so phistry enrol statesman-like aims told evended principles. The measure is now, by a nta • jority of 19 against Ministers, placed in the hands of tho•:e trim whose zeal, industry, talent, and expel ieuce, oven thin May be expected teat eau tend to tile amelioration of a system widell no good man could calmly contemplate; frr m man, tae :Train red eat, could arc tvithuut pa'n and rut the da rot; defects of our s in. s niale enactments, and the Oleos which 'Lined from them ; could see our dis tolo.:e.s, our jariezz, our toro , eent 00, driven to or to evade the very kw)) then were atpointed too eill , )rue and to final it conflict of of wc ii_rc is .„l„led b lotould ever tn:e.)tiuti, to!)i o lindo can • vt 4-- -14 - . fruit. , _.. , uner' -2.... t. ti zed "N ii •;\ I. ,-V il - re ? •.3 0 , -;.... - ..... 6, trim- me .ti . l. ii; nt:e 'I. ° •;.- v ir,, eat. - '‘:1•- 4, it k ... 10 ‘ti Zt• 4ily l'is Iry • . ~ [PRICE Md. only result in accumulated crimes and the prog:ess of moral depravation. The Bank of England has long absolutely become a tribunal, arrogating to itself the highest prerogatives of the Crown, sitting by its legal authorities in judgment upon the life and-death of their fellow-creatures, hurling at one moment upon the wretched victims of an unnatural currency the full force of its sanguinary vengeance ; at others persuading the objects of their prosecution to plead guilty to a minor offence when they know themselves to have committed a greater, either themselves horror-struck with the encreasing fie queney of their executions, or dreading to try far ther the exhausted patience of a disgusted and sickened public. Now, in a state of things like this, what are we to think of a minister of this country, who can have the hardihood to attempt, or the folly to hope, that at his bidding a British House of Commons would permit these scenes to be continued, or hesitate to adopt the shortest . and most effectual mode for their removal. No, hap pily fur the country, the spirit of its Parliament is at length rising to a sense of its own dignity and of the high and sacred trusts with which it is vested. The ministerial majorities have gradually dwindled from 109 to a minority of 19. The Op. position is headed by such a leader, and has embodied in it., ranks so great a weight of talent, of integrity, of respectabilty, and of public virtue, as can never fail ultimately to triumph ; and under their mild and constitutional guidance Old England will vet be seen, we trust, lifting up her head above the waves and storms which have so long assailed and almost overwhe;u►ed her fortunes. There is an old Act of Parliament, passed during the Protectorate of Cromwell (1637), ruined, " An Act for punishing of such persons as lice at high rates, and hive no ci,iblc estate, profession, or calling, answeralde thereunto." The preamble recites, that " whereas di vers lewd and dissolute persons in this Commonwealth live at very high rates and great expenses, hat lug no rl - estate, &c. to imontaio themselves in their licen tious, loose, and toc.cutly Practices, but make it their trade and livelihood to cheat, deboyst, cozen, and d - ceive the you m' gentry, and the other good people of this Commonwealio, be it enacted, &c. - The authority g i% e n to NI E .; s.rates tinder this Act was curious. Eve r y Justice ni Race, •1.11,r, 0• other head cdlicer, might issue lits ‘varritit to luring such perilous before him, and r•mtire bail for his apraratiCe at the next Gent ral Ses sions, or in del oult of such hail, send him to prison till rot idet!. They were then to he indicted at the said Ses•ions, " for livinr. at litt , .h rates and great ex pulses, h..s - iiig nu ti;ible estate, prolessiOti, or calling. aliswcrlble thereunto;" and upon COOS tenon, they were to be sent to the !louse of Correction and kept to hard labour (or months. Upon a second COM iciiutt for the same offence, they were to I.e committed as afore.. and detained till dischare.ed 1w the Justices in open Sessions. if this were Inn in .oiee 1111tv, la y s a en . temporary) the diff, rent Houses of C.itruCtivti would be julat .ly Crowd:it, in5..,•:111 of thea:res at hallyrice,, cod ilide-paih on a Oo . Sontlav I.st, Airs. Lnittoolt, tt ite of Mr. Lein. w oo, WheelriAiii, of well: down to a c!ay. pi:, near the ltoue, to lezch swnc tt. ter, when she thitic timatelv fell and >nnk to Ise to ti.orti; the pile! insult; eglit feet deep r, ner lath-r, who Was ill the same field, Z!Ild not, SC:1114 her reitii n, com modore/1 a search, and snon found the deceased at the tpittom. Every effort to restore animation pitted 1- 1...55, the %nal spark Lin_ quite extinct. A Comm loupwit was held on the body, and the Jury rtturnt tcrdiet of—.Arcidema:l. - Drowned. The Varl of Fluntin?.,rtion, during the last wt has been enpaged in tai . :ing possession of his vat heritable property in this and the adjoining cotim His Lordship met his numerous tenantry in place with ,rent courtesy and condescension, was extremely liberal in the dist•ibution of si, and 4 1 . c itlatmg the inhabitantq.—Lricest...: ~=~k-+~.