The National Register. — London, England, 1819-03-14 00:00:00

4A/cA?"7:44,4—;,76,ii-i,.,,k/ totOttr+ Our Must ConiStinition anti gated• No. 580.—VoL. XII.] THE NEW PROPRIETOR TO THE ,*EADERS of the NATIONAL REGISTER. WITH a mingled sensation of Fear and Hope, the new Proprietor of this Journal addresses him self, fur the first time, to his Readers. When he considers the unfortunate situation of the late Pro prietor, he cannot contemplate, without some de gree of apprehension, the consequences which must inevitably have resulted from that temporary inat tentian to the interests of the Journal, which such a situation naturally produced; but when, on the other hand, he remembers that, at no distant rcrio4, the extensive circulation of the National itegiA:r might fairly challenge a competition with t!:at of the most favoured of its weekly competitors, Le feels himself justified in expecting that, by re curring 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 th; a ',coin to conciliate favour by liberal promises, v..hich have not in all cases been faithfully per- Camel, that the new Proprietor would hesitate to pledge himself for any thing more than a diligent attention to the conduct of the Paper, and an un. wearied assiduity in supplying, from every authentic source, those articles of general information, which the public have a right to expect in a Weekly Journal; but, nevertheless, be cannot forbear to exprass a hope, that the faithful discharge of these duties, aided by the impartial discussion of all po litical subjects, and a careful inyestiglition of every o.nurrence which is likely to interest the public mind or to engage its attention, will quickly re s xem the errors which have ensued from the unplea saot circumstances bef-'re alluded to, and restore this Journal to its original reputation. To sustain and to increase that reputation, the most strenuous efforts of the new Proprietor will constantly be directed; and if, fur this his first attempt, it shall be thought that an apology is necessary, the candour or his Readers will induce them to consider his in fancy as his best excuse, and to grant some indul gence to a Proprietor only three days old. If, by that indulgence, he shall be nurtured to strength, .nd reared to maturity, he ventures to hope, that his ripened exertions may, in some degree, corn. pensate the weakness of his adolescence; and that the fruit which will have been produced by the liberality of his Friends, will not be entirely un worthy of the generous care which they may bestow on the germination of the seed, and on the expansion s of the blossom. In our paper of last week we were able simply 111 announce the fact of the great contest for West minster having just closed, by the return of Mr Lamb to Parliament by a majority of 604. We may now observe that the late struggle has been Iliadic(' by precisely the saute features of popular turbulence and excitement which took place in the same city but one year ago, and which, input opiu- SUNDAY, MARCH 14, 1819. ion, furnishes a plain, practical lesson on the sub jectof Annual Parliaments, andenables 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 resulted to Sir Francis Burdett, at finding his influence in West minster was not without its limits, or to Mr. Hobhouse from the sad experience that the sentiments he 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 and 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 must still defer his legislative services, at least to a future period. The man who has chalked oat for him self the line of public policy which was trodden by Sir Samuel Romilly, and can muster in the train of his • trittaaph such men Ls Lords J. and W. Russel, Lord Sefton, Lord Nugent, Sir R.Fergusson, and Mr. Latubton, can be no enemy to the liberties of man kind, and the real interest of his country. We can assure our renders 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, arc matters of high and indispensable con cern, it will not be without sincere reluctance that we shall suffer any of them to pass unnoticed. The debate which took place on the 2tl instant, on the motion of Sir J. Macintosh, for an enquiry into the state of our Penal Code as it relates to the punishment of death, must have been hoard 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 and of the good hadiicng called for, which reason, humanity, and !Odic policy were all pledged to sanction, and which we should indeed have grieved to see baffled anti paral)sed by the unmeaning tissue of Lord Castlereagh's so phistry upon statesman-like v i e n a an d e xtended principles. The measure is DOW, by a majority of 19 against Ministers, placed in time hands of those from tvhose zeal, industry, taleat, and experience, every thing may be expected that can tend to the amelioration of a system which tin good man could calmly contemplate; for no good man, we again repeat, could sec without pain and regret the gla ring defects of our sanguine enactments, and the effects which flowed from them; could see our judges, our juries, our prosecutors driven to dis obey or to evade the very laws they were appointed to enforce and to ailminister, front a conflict of feeling aucl ot duty, such its no well-regulated in stltutiius shook' ever occasion, anti which can [PRICE ,4d. only result in accumulated crimes and the progress 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 unnaturpl 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 ktutp-, themselves to have committed a greater, either, } -- themselves horror-struck with the encreasing fre quency 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 for 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 hove gradually dwindled from 109 to a minority of 19. The Op position is headed by such a leader, and has embodied in its 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 et he seen, we trust, lifting up her head above the waves and storms which have so long assailed and almost overwhelmed her fortunes. r 41. ACE CO T, FRIDAY, NIARetil.M. APPOINTICINT OF a NEW ATTORNEY. Mr. John Ferdinand Lumsden appeared in his place for the purpose of being admitted anti sworn au:Attorney of this Court, in the room of Mr. Robert Coombs, decea el. The appointment signed by Lord Cholmondcley, as Lord Chamberlain of his Majesty's Household, and Sir James Bland Burgess, Bart. Marshall of the Marshalsea, was put in and read by Mr. Howler, the Prothonotary. The Learned Judge (Burton Morice, Esq.) in ad dressing Mr. Lumsden, said he was very hippy to see so respectable a Gentleman appointed Attorney Of the Court, and he begged to know what might be the consideration he gave for the situation ? Mr. Lumsden, after a suggestion as to the pro. priety or necessity of his mentioning the sum, said he gave two thousand pounds for the situation ! The Judge observed that be bad not made the en quiry out of curifrity, but it might occur (he would not say it would in Mr. Lumsden's case) that when an Attorney gave so large a sum for his situation, he might consider himself justified in advancing his fees, but those could neither be diminished nor in creased—diminished indeed they may be, if t'te At torney thought proper, but they could not be in. creased, because there were established rules by which the proceedings of the Attorneys and the Court were governed. Mr. Lumsden said, he was perfectly aware of the jnstice of the remarks made by his Lordship. ' Ho then took the usual affidavits, and was afterwards pronounced by the Judge to be an Attorney of the Court. Dover, ?March o.—The Marquis D'Oamond,lste Ambassador from the French Court, is still remain ing here, on account of the severe illness of his hut,, the Ma. chioness, but who, it is hoped, is now on re. covcry. The new Ambassador from France is ex. pectcd over in a few days. t) • ) 4. Wei r. of *zo lf .l l 11 t