The Statesman. — London, England, 1815-01-09 00:00:00

single point from expressing my surprise; that, as a condition, preliminary even to a •stlspen. slots of hostilities, the .covernsnetil of the United States should have thoeght fit to demand, that the Bridals Government should desist from its ancient. and accustomed practice of impressing British seamen from the. merchant ships of a foreign State, simply, on the assurance that a . law shall hereafter be passed, to prohibit the employment of (Wish seamen in the public or commercial service of that State. The British. Government now, as heretofore, is ready to receive .. from the Government of the United States, and ami cably to discuss, any proposition which professes tn. have in yiew.either to check abuse in exercise of the practice ofimpressment, or to accomplish, by means less liable to vexation, the object for which impress ment hers hitherto been found necessary; but they contiot consent to, suspend the exercise of a right ' upon which the naval strength of the empire mainly • depends, emit they ire fully convinced that mein' can be devised, and wilt be adopted, by which the Object, to be obtained by the exercise of that right, can be efecteellY secured . I have the honour to be, Sir. your most obedient humble servant." . Thisseffer, you will perceive came from the Pre sident; How false then, to tMcharge, that he went to war to assist Napoleon I.4(fliat had been true, he, of course, would ,have propoatnt no armistice. lie would have been tuitions to avoid all means of re conciliation. But, on the contrary, he is. the first to make an effort to put an end to the war ; and, eve'. in the case of impressment, to tender volunta rily a measure calculated' (o remove our apprehen sions on the score of our seamen. Ido not know how an English Secretary of State may have been able to look a Republican Ministerin the face, while . the former was asserting, that the strength of Eng land mainly depended on the exercise of the right of • impressing its own subjects ; but, be that as it may, the President here tendered a measure to render that impressment unnecessary, unless it was still meant to impress the Repablicans. The Republic having failed in this endeavour to restore peace, she made another attempt, the suc ceeding month, as will be seen by the letter of Mr. Monroe to Sir John B. Warren, and which letter it is of great importance to peruse with attention. Af ter the opening of his letter, he proceeds thus :- 46 I am instructed to inform you, that it will be very satisfactory to the President to meet the Bt itish Go vernment in such arrangements as may terminate, without delay, the hostilities which now exist be tween the United States and Great Britain, on con ditions honourable to both uations.—To accomplish this great object, it is necessary that the interest of imPressrnent be satisfactorily arranged. He is willing that Great Britain should be secured against the evils of which she complains. He seeks, on the other hand, that the citizens of the United States should, be protected against a practice, which, while it degrades the nation, deprives . them of their right RS freemen, takes them by force frihn their families and their country, into a foreign set vice, to fight the battles of a Foreign Power,, perhaps against their own kindred and country.-1 abstain from entering in this communication into other grounds of Oilier. Cores. The Orders in Council haiiiig been repealed (Kith a reservation ant. impairing a corresponding right on the part of the United States), and no blockades tevived or instituted in their stead, and an understanding being obtained on the subject,of linpresament, iu the mode herein proposed, the Pre sident Is willing to agree to a cessation of hostilities, with a view to arrange, by treaty, iu a more distinct and ample manner, and to the satisfaction of both pieties, every other subject of controversy.—l will only add, that if there be no objertion to an accom- ; nitglation of the difference relating to impressment, in'the mode proposed, other than the suspension of the British claims to impressment during the armis- , lice, there can be none to proceeding, without the ar thistice, to an immediate discussion and arrangement of an article on that subject. This great question being . satisfactorilyntijusted, the way will be oven either for an armistice, or ant other course leading most'converilenlly cad expeditiously to a general pa cilication."• ' This offer, too, was rejectetc! What more was i the President to do unless he, at once, allowed, that we had a eight to impress on. board American ships.. iWas this offer to be attributed to a wish to aid Na poleon ? How execrable, then, has been the con duct of those who have Been labouring to make the people of England believe, that "Mr. Madison went to war to aid Napoleon ! What'wretches must those be, who have called him the tool of the fallen 6 6 despot ?" What impudent men, those who have accused him of attackitig ut in the dark, like an as sassin? The man, who, the oilier day, uttered that expression, ought to have had his lips smashed upon. his teeth. Every effort,. short of opening the Re-,, publican ships to English press-gangs, was, it appears to me, made by the President to prevent the war, and to put an end to the war after it was begun. It is asserted most roundly, Lord Castlereagh's letter to Mr. Russell, that " to impress British sea men from the merchant ships of a foreign State is the ancient and accustomed practice of the British Go vernment." It has often been thus said, but never has been attempted' to be proved. I have never read of any such practice ; I have never heard of ,any such practice ; and; I defy any one, to cite in any book on the law of nations any record of such a practice, or any maxim or principle to warrant it. I have thrown down this challenge 50 times, and 1 it has never been taken tip. But, we did pot stop w ith this practice. We impressed native Republicans. Mr. Madison says• that we impressed thousands of them. The President tenders us a law, to be agreed on by us as well as him, to prevent our seamen from serving on board of the Republican shi ps; and this, even this, does not satisfy us.—He wishes to 'put,..an I end to the war in this way, even at a time when he is accused of having declared it for the 'purpose of ' aiding Napoleon ; and still the hirelings of the Lon don press call him " the tool of Napoleon ;" while other miscreants accuse him of having attacked us *ln the dark, like an assassin. Seeend, the causes of the continuance of tfie War. —But, how came the war not to cease when the war In Europe ceased ? This is the most interesting part of the subject. The professed object of the war, on tlarpart, was to make the Americans submit to our practice of impressment, alleging that thatjarac lice was ueceuary to the preset:saga of our mari. ..~-~. . I - 10 'IP • tilt":gtA.'lINMAN.: ,time.p9ver,. on.whiavour existence depended. . Mr. Madison tendered us. the means of preventing our seamen. from avoiding our service by, serving on, board • of American ships ; but, laying that aside, why did we not make peace as soon as we had made peace, with France! We were 110 longer in danger. There existed tin -longer any reason to fear, that err . men would take refuge on board of American ships. The European peace had taken away all 'growl of quarrel. The Republic was always ready todinitet. Ilex Minister,. or Commissioners, were in London soliciting audiences. And yet the war continued, and, .on our part, with more fury than ever. All danger to us was at an end. The French King was restored; the Pope was re-established in his Chair of St. Peter; regular Government and the Incibisition were happily restored in Spain ; and, in short, " so cial order and our holy religion," as John Bowles used to call them, were every where become again in vogue. . . we most not omit to bear in mind the.aiticle 4 t which' appeared In 49 etir London Prints, some weeks af... ter the Pellet! 'Of Paris, stating, that there was a secretarticlein that Treaty, pledging the ,Continental Powers not to interfere in the war, or the_ disputei between England and America. This wa,l something, very remarkable ; for the article was given as an el-I tract from the Vienna Gazelle. Bow could it , get into that Gazette, which, all the world knows, con tains nothing disapproved of by the Government ? How could the article get these?—lt related to a matter of very great importance. . Uncommonly im portant it was. The Editor, the mere Editor of a Paper at Vienna was not likely to think much, or care much, about America, or her dispute. Why should he invent the storj of sucll a secret article ? Be the cause of this article what it might, the effect certainly was very great. The fact,. which was taken far granted by the enemies of liberty here, en , coup aged them to proceed in urging the continuance ....- _ This change took place in the months of April and ; of the war ; they told the people, that there was no May last ; and just as I was hugging. myself in the danger now • that all the Powers of Europe were of ,prospect of a speedy peace with America, out came a o ne m i n d • now; there was no fear, it the present very extraordinary paper from the Admiralty. It ‘ state of France, oP her lending the Americans any was an address to the fleets. It set out with ex- assistauce ; that all the maritime'. powers, .were ee ' Press'ing thanks to the sailors .for • their services in heusted by the war ; that they stood in need of long the glorious cause, which had just been crowned with ,repose, to recover themselves ; that, in fact, their such signal success ; it then stated to them, that their fleet and••seamen .were nearly all gone; that now ! services would be wanting a little longer, in order to now! now or never ! was the motto; that, by a .carry on the war against America, which had been good hearty exertion, • this Republic, this dangerous guilty of an unprovoked act of aggression egaitf§t example to the 'world, might be, for ever got lid of. our maritime rights; and it concluded by observing, 'There were many amongst these publishers and their that. with the aid of the navy, there was uo doubt patrons, who hoped for, who expected, and who but such a peace would be procured as would tend to encouraged the notion of, a re-colonization of the the " lasting tranquillity of the civilized world."— 'Republican States. They openly proclaimed this ; There was a great deal of meaning in these conclud- and, indeed, I very believe, that, about four months ing words. Suppose the war to have gained us an ago, a great part of the nation had been persuaded, acknowledgment of our right to send press-gangs in- - that the project would be accomplished very speedily. to American merchant ships on the high seas, what Thus was the war rendered 'popular ; and so popu had that to do with " the lasting tranquillity of the tar, that, even in the city of London, and at a Corn civilized world ?" And why the word civilized ? mon Hall, a motion for a Petition against the colitis In short, this nosel instrument was, in America, nuance of the American war, though coupled with looked upon as a new declaration of war against a call for the - discontinuance of fhe Income Tax, them : a declaration of war upon a new giound. s -- which that war rendered indispensable, could not Jonathan, who heard so much about our care for the obtain a moment's . hearieg. The people were Worked "civilized w•irld," when we began our war against bp to a senseless spirit of resentment,. while those the Freach Republic., did not fail to interpret these who had so worked them up, had in. view the utter significant words according to John Bowles's Dic- subversion of the American Republic, and with her, tionary. Accordingly we find Mr. Monroe, in his the last remains of political liberty. instructions to the Commissioners at Ghent, written Here, then, we have the real objects of the friends iii July and August, telling them, that it appears to of tyranny ; the sons and ,daughterspf corruption; the President, that the war, on our part, has a new the race who never can be at heart's ease while the object. sun shines upon one free country ; upon one nation Mr. C. next alludes to the report of SI!. J. Yorke's happy in the enjoyment of liberty, These people 1 speech in the House of Commons on the Ist of Janet had seen liberty, and the`yery hope of liberty, de- 1 recommending the measure 'of keeping up a strong stvoyea id France; their long existing hopes.of seeing. naval force on the American station, with the view of t h at Object accomplished had beezi,ji'st fully.gratifiedt, elfectiog the deposition of Mr. Madisois, which Sir but they, Who are as cunning as they are. asielsed, J. Y. is reported to have said, was as necessary to clearly saw, that nothing, and, perhaps, worse an. our interest as that of Bonaparte. Mr, C. then prd- nothing, was done, unless the free ceostitutiodi;af ceeds thus :—No wonder, then, that Mr. Madison the American Republic Could' be destroyed:.. The thought, that we had found out a new object for the sobs and daughters of corruptien 'foresaw, that, war. It was high time for him to make this dia. while this Republic existed,. liathrrig was dime; 'that covert', when he read in Ilse English )ilewspapers a re- the " example,"'to use the .wnrds of. the nmes, port of the speech of a Lord of the Admiralty, stet- cc of Mc existence of such a Government," .would nig, in an ofli ial wsy, teat a strong naval force was keep bribery and corruption in constant dread and will tiecessary with a view to Lite deposing of Mr. constant danger; that the example of a people living Madiseti. This speech, as I h a r e oft en said, fluor under a Government such as that of Ameiica,.wif it have been a fahrication ; but the pubiicasion of it out-tumults, without commotions , won fi l alwa% s be ' I tie'er was complained oin the House; the report a handle for the friends of 'reform to lay hold of; was never contradicted in the Newspapers ; and, at and, therefore, they anxiously wished for the over alls' rate, when coupled with the Proclamation of the throw of that Government; therefore they. wished Admiralty. Mr. Madison could n o t help looking to see Mr. Madison deposed; therefore they wished upon it as very nearly proof positive of our Govern- •to see an aristocratical faction raised up against the meat's determination to depose him; that is to say, • Republican Government; they thought, that ,tsar, to destroy the Constitution of the Republic. I necessarily producing to s heavier than the Repub . Besides, these documents went•to America accent- lieans had ever been us ' would furnish the panied with the menacing language of our press ; or, aristocratical faction with plausible ground of com et least, all that part of the press which was most in plaint ; they were in hopes of thus producing, first, vo g ue, which was most cherished by the ri c h, a n d ' violent opposition to the war ; next, somethin g_ like which was looked upon as speaking the voice of pe r . 1 I open rebellion ; next, a derisi o n of the Sta.'s ; and [ . ; sons having great influence. The prints of this de- last, the conquest or overthrow of the whole. This scription, the moment Napoleon was down, changed, , was the main ground of holm with these malignant' all at once, their tone with regard to America. They ' publishers; these enemies of real freedom ; theie . had before talked of our maritime rights; they had . sous and daughters of bribery and corrupting, whose apologized for the war; they had called it a war of I 'omits overflowed with gall,, whose eye-balls were necessity ; they had affected to lament that necessity ; seared by the sight of n people, who choie.tbeir Re they had been expressing their hopes of the return of presentatives every twenty-four inotiths, in the. peace with our misled brethren in America. But no choosing of whom every man paying taxes had a sooner was Napoleon put down, than these same voice, whose Chief Magistrate even was chosen from prints proclaimed the necessity of continuing the war amongst his fellow-citizens every four years , without for the purpose of subduing the Republi c; o f bring- ',any pecuniary or religio us quali fi cation ; and whose ing her to subjection ; of putting down her Govern- whole Government, civil, judicial, military, and ment ; of bringing to an union with us a part, at , naval, did not costatbove a tenth part as much as least, of the States ; of rooting out her democratical the amount of the Civil List alone in Entine!, though principles. They declared, that no peace was to be : the population of the country was nearly equal to made with James Madison, whom they Called a . that of England. This Wls An Object that blasted traitor and a rebel. But observe well, that the main their sight. They could not' enduee it. They were object constantly kept in view by these prints was. mad at the thought of its bein m g - left : lit existence. the necessity of delivering the world of the exam Th ple ey saw that, while this apectecle'viii'in the . wiarld, of the existence of a Government founded on demo- they were never safe. it was' useless in their view erotic rebellion. To toote all, or a hundredth port, of the matter, to have restored, the B our b ons , th e of the instances that I am he r e 'spe a ki ng o f, wou ld pope, the Dominicans, ' and the Inquisition, while fill a lar g e volume. I will, therefore, content my- ,America remained an exampl e mid an asylum for the self with a few passages from the Ti mes Newspaper' oppressed'of all nations. of the last two weeks of the month o f Ap r il, 1814. ' Hence these malignant Writers left nothi ng un d one • " It is understood that part o f our army i n France urge t he nation on to t continuation of war. will be immediately transf e rred t o A mer i ca , t o finish to Every Mr. Madison was heist up as " The Ameri lasting."— art was' made 'use of to encourage a n apples- the war there with the same glo r y a s i n E uro p e , and .' to place the peace on a foundatio n equa lly fi rm an d .sense in the basest of * men ; the project. as a traitor, who, at a mome n t . , when England was In great danger from the designs can Government Is, in point of fact, as much a ty- and , ~. , r, i , the power oi . :ai joieon, took advantage of our vanity (though we are far from saying it is so horrible and declared war with a design to a one) as was that of Bonaparte : and as we firmly . . embarrassment, . . assist him in totally ruining us. But this great in to the principle of no , peace with Bonaparte ;, so . ducement, the great ground of hope of f i nal success to e be consistent with ourselves . ;*we must in like man: Was, the expected division of the Stat es . It was ner maintain the doctrine of no peace trills. J ames well known that there was .an aristo cra ti ca l f ac ti on Madison Can we doubt , that a vigorous effort on o u r p ar t w ill ann ihil a t e t h e in the four States, called the New E ng l an d or E as t ern ' power of a faction, alike hostile to Britain, and States ' • that some very sretful me n , i n th a t part o f fatal to America? Is not the time p ro piti ous f or w i n . the thsion, had stirred up a sort o f re b e lli on . Th e ning at lead flee sounder and better p ar t o f th e A nte - in s ricans to an union of interests zcithth e coun t r y fro ted m was tteu of these men was magn if ie d ; an d a belief ' that a division wte i ld tak e pl ace . Thi s hope, however, has failed ;, an d y ou w ill h ave t h e whence they sprang?" Again, in the tame Paper of a d a t e a f ew mont h s pleasure to see, in a sho r t ti me , this faction plunged . .rretrievabled d isgrace and.ruin. later:—" ' The ill-organized ass oc i a ti on i s on the into t eve of dissolution i' and the world is speedily to be ' Having now endeavoured to place in a clear light, delivered of the mischievous example of theexistence the cause of the war, and the canns of its con .Cinaance alter Me European peac e , I 'shell, in of a Government founded on de mo cr a ti c re b e lli on ." I need insert no rnore 'This was the language Of another letter' state the causcs of the p e a ce , an d' i ts the favutired and . pettonlied part of the English • probable important consequences. Press. It is impossible to efface these passages.---1 In the meanwhile I remain, with the grea t es t re - They speak in language which can • trafithee be miseu.s'speet, and • most sincere attachment, your faithful derstood nor misrepresented, land obedient servant, In addition to these clear unequivocal indications ) , Boney, Jan. I, iSt:,. WM. COnBETT. *-4..-...........a•Mh...,.. "" • ': • •• •:;• ~ fy• : ;,-.! •1- : • . WESIIII,V.PER SESSIONS, JAN. 7, RIOT AND ASSAULT AT DRURY•LANETIMATRE. William Cutler was indicted for assaulting 5, 0 ,„. ! Dickons f a Bow-street officer, in the execution of his duty. The Prosecutor said he was called on as Constable of Drery-lane Rouse, to stop a violent dituswboo ee in the two; gallery, on the evening of the sth of January last ; that he found the. Prisoner there e r . tremeiy violent,.and using very bad langur, and desired him to quit the gallery, on which the Pa. r soner committed.the assault complained of. Toe Prisoner said he' had received a fracture oil his head, and was affected by liquor; that he did no more than endeavour to procure a seat; there au no row before the officer came. Mary Clegg, the young •womatt With him, corr.. borated the Prisoner's statement, and gelded, that be did not strike the officer. His father,' who kerpe the Black Horse ► at the top of the City Rond o also informed the Court of his son's malady. The Jury found the'Prisoner Guilty. The CHAIRMAN said, the Public were deeply in. terested in decency and good order being preserved at the Theatres; the Court, in consideration of his malady, retiteucedlim to be imprisoned ow month only. FOLIC& • MATlstosi.noust.—On Saturday James Walker, alias Sheridan, underwent final examination before the Loan M:tYort, charged with stealing a certaiis parcel from the Bristol and London mail, containing Banknotes and bills to a considerable amount. The Prisoner, on his former examination, was charged, gtinerally, with stealing several other parcels of a similar nature from the Bath, Bristol, and Western coaches ; but , being re:nauded to error,' time for cal• letting -a etoltiplicity of proof, which it itias stated would be brought against him, hi. Prosecutors in the mean time offered to witlitirsti the proceedings, and allow the Prisoner to enter soldier in the SOU Regiment.. Thii humane proposal tfie frisoniir as ; but he had not lung been. egrOlted in the corps alluded to. when he found , .ineanVto desert; and was again seen aria rge. The Ciicillhatente talk. lug to the knowledge of his Prosecutors, be ills again apprehended, and brought before the Lot 4 Mayor.—ieveral witnesses Were pfodneed to' ptove :the fact 6T the parcel in questio•i being forwarded by The Bristol mall on the:4th of D'c. 14. • The fact of its contents was also proved by iivcror threeodihr witnesses. The guard of tit* Bristol•mail deposed, that he saw the parcel in•the locker under the seat,. and that tlits Prisoner only was then in the coach. . J. Painter; at theiwan viiihiNvo - Aeeks, deposed, that on the arrival of tile coach at their office, he found the parcel regularlq‘vnterad in the way-bill, but which, after a algal* seitrch; was missing from the coach. . " , . . I ' A respectable linen-draper ititted, that the Pd. goner came to his shop, to pnrchase some goods, 1 when, upon tenderiog a 101. note in payment, he ex i pressed some suspicion ,of its' genuineness. The Prisoner immediately iWoduceci six others of the same value; and upon being asked hew he came by so many new notes, he replied, that he had but just arrived in town from SalisbarY,where he had taken them in change of a 1001. note. This account, coupled with the appearance of the Prisoner, induced the witness to give information; and be was takers i into custody.—Committed for trial. •• i .Gumnii : At.t..—An investigation of a complicated i nature .took place before the Sitting Alderman on Saturday, respecting a parcel transmitted by the # coach from Birmingham to' London, by a Mr. Solo , m.,ns. This,pareel was reguiarly.ensered in the way , bill in,4OWII, and had actually been received at the .ceach.ollice. it bad nut, however, been delivered; and on.enquiry it was ascertaiited, that an Otos, poi - - i ter was employed on the day of immune', who was suspected of haring purloined it.. - - His lodgings were .• searched, nude vast, number of gold seals, &c. were , found, but none of the notes .which formed the con ' tents of the parcel stolen. Its islowever, detained till further enquiries shall be made. Mr,Waterkouse, the proprietor ,of the coach, hae - utolertakow to pay half the value of the parcel,, although..it was net booked as above the value of 51. • • ~ • . BOW-STREET.—Mary Brown; t Stiteritde-looking woman,' was charged with steSting a .dish itrd four plates, the property of JernathaniGardner, Who keeps tke•Black Horse, in Tottenham-couri.Void: A sot.. dier who is quartered in-the house:proved, that Ins' apprehended the Prisoner yesterday murning coming out of the kitchen,aith the property under her Cloak. —Committed. The driver of the coach No. 192, was fi#VS• costs I Is. for taki;.g more thati his fare, on the 25th of December last ; and the driver of the coach Np. 458, was• fined Ws. costs 7s. for being absent from his conch at Covent-garden Theatre, ou the night of the . 22t1 ult. PICK POCK ETS. Joe Rowley, a notorious pickpocket for a num, of year, and belonged' to Bill Soothes's, ifla Woodford's, Conk v beau's, Ned Ellis's, Joe Hone and other gangs, underwent an examination, ha , been apprehended by Humphreys and DiCkons, company with another well-known fellow na! Moses Clarke, in the act of attempting to rot least six gentlemen coming out of Covent-garden Drury-lane theatres. On searching them, they fo , on them a 101. and a 11. Hank-note, and a pal broker's duplicate for a watch, No. 338, by nod, pledged at Robertson's, London-road, for 15i Moses Clarke's name. When .they were elaml the pawnbroker attended. The Prisoners not gi‘ a satisfactory account of themselves, or the propel found on them, were committed for re-examinatir George Tim burr was brought from the Stral charged tfy Mr. JGsepli Coppock, Clifford's who stated that as he %las passing along he felt so thing at his coat-porket; several persons pointed tiro Prisoner as having robbed bitn.—Cbmmitted trial. _ . ION DON • Printed and Pibrisbed by D. 6livitt.L. tM ST♦TPSNI N ()elm s. 87, Fleet-wret. r,/.~.aM,:c~c~ !• ;lit of • t Ito the Mbfr the fi tarry stro jeu to s aving is, in Dii amed 150 A . ob at N and not to. 'Mind aw fi. *le g dsoll, t4r we is. in ined, tar fur iving 44 party fi ti ion. Ae pi" rand, the letslnn, e • rim Gm- to [1 out Poi I for ' wh i s or y I t i it 1 , 4 : 1 / 4 1 1 .4 T 1 Si TM 1/ 1 .s di , fin . Pia IYC tou pc, A