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

MARCH ITAI , I.IN BANDITTI. Copy of a letter from the Honourable Brownlow Colycar, to his father the Right Hon. Viscount Niil sintown, dated hotel de I'Europe, Rowe, the 6th of January, 1819 : .. Nlv dear father,--T have taken the earliest oppor tunity of writing to yea, to say that we have nor been essaeSinated, is I was fearful the news might teach England before my letter. We have just escaped with our lives, and only just. I will now tell you: 30 wiles front here, between Rome and Naples, at half-past two, in the middle of one of the finest days you ever beheld, the sun shining beautifully, seven of the celebrated ban ditti rushed from out of the wood Grieve and myself were on the box ; each man levelled his gun at us; the post-boy fell off his horse; we immediately finding it suite itopossible to resist, got on the ground as soon a s possible; they began by me: I had nothing in ntv pockets hot my watch, which I saved ; next attacked Jabus, tore his clothes all open, took all his money. watch, &c.; then to Grieve and his servant, took both their watches, and stabbed Grieve's servant in several places with a stiletto. "They were more capitally armetl than any thing you ever saw ; they then began isxm the carriage, got in, and turned every thing out; the first object was any poor dressing case, with snuff-loxes, watches, all my fox- • hunting matters, brushes, combs, &c. took every one; next all our money, nut one sixpence left either of oars or servants, then they knocked me down with the barrel of the gun, tore my ring off my finger, which they were ;ust going to ent off, only my ring came off; they then tore my shirt pin from my neckcloth, kicked me under the horses, leaving one man standing over me with the muzzle of a loaded gun at one ear, and another with a stileto, if I moved, to murder me ; they then broke open the front trunk, and took every single shirt, neck cloth, and stockings, shoes of both servants, so that they h rye neither money nor clothes ; they took most of my clean thinge, but would not take any dirty. Grieve has lust all his except his uniform; they packed them up in seven sacks, and each took his sack and walked quietly away into the wood aga,n. I can assure you we were for , 23 'ninnies, expecting to be shot or stuck, as they told us we should, if atty one spoke; and threatened, if they did not find enough plunder, to send us up tae mou brains, and would have 300 ducats ranson, for each; if not given in so many days, we were to be tortured to death. They have got our all, value 4001., 301. or 401. which is thought nothing of, having s:.ved our lives, which I assure you for half an hour I rxpeeted every moment to die; they were half an hour robbing us the 4th of February. Thank God for our safety, which was many degrees against us. I have now not a shilling in the world, nor a thing left except life ; 1 air pretty well, considering nearly frightened to death: I amt a littlehruiscd by the barbarians, but shall be well again in a week. Don't believe any other stories that you hear, as every body is writing to England about it. This is tree. Tue Pope and all the secretaries we have been with this morning; they have sent into the mountains after them ; I hope they will find them ; this will delay me here longer Mani wish, but hope not above a fort night. Brutlenell has been good enough to send me clothes to near. I shall draw upon Seaman for money ; tell hint sn. I am not well enough to write to him at present, but will as soon as I can. I have written to you, for tear you should hear we were murdered, as every thing increases by telling. The people now going to Naples are all frightenedto death. Naples was beyond any thing delightful, the est place by far, except Paris, upon the Continent. Grieve is quite well ; the weather is delightful, quite sumnieer may a great deal of rain. I lalf an hour alter our robhary our carriage broke down; eve were in 4 the middle of a stage, no money to mend it, and nothing to co, and raining dreadfully. We toink of retierning to England by the last week in March, by Leghorn, Genoa, Turin, aid Paris. There are a great many English here. The Carnival I have seen part of at Naples, been at two masked halls, and it begins here in three days. I shall stay to see the horse races to the course, a little Carnival at Florence, and shall get to Paris for the last week there. I remain, Pour affectionate sum, BRUWNLOW COLYEAR. NVe have no money left ; but the hanker here has 1 . , e-n very civil. Our poor servants have loq every thing in the world. They got from us what we think seas meant for ensue great Prince who was travelling. Adieu I have not seen ice this year; we are all sitting with the windows open." It appears by letters from Monte Video of the 24th and :nth of November, that the inhabitants of that place did nut entertain the idea that the Spa nish expedition, preparing in Spain, would make a visit there, although it was conjectured that it would make an attack upon 111;enos Avres. We have also perused a long l , tter of the Bth of December, which adds some further details to the particulars already communicated.—Great exertions had bt..eu made by the Government of Buenos Avres, not only to strengthen the army in Chili, but also to diminish the power of General rtigas, against whom several fresh expeditions had kett sent but it seems that by tvoiding any generuT engagement, with either the 1 ort'iguese or the troops from Buenos Ayres, he was enabled to keep together a considerable number of wen. f • TIM NATIONAL REGISTER. WA 1/I Li EL'S. -.1.-- The modern sect of Wahabees was fbunded near a century ago, by an Arab of the name of Shaikh Nlahomed, the son of Abdool Wallah, whose name they have taken. Shaikh klahomed connected Mm self, in the attempt to reform the religion of the country, with Ebn Saoud, the Prince of Dereah, the capital of the province of tinjudilee, • Through the efforts of the Saint, and the aid of the temporal power of Ebn Suomi, and his son and successor Abdoul Azeez, the religion of the Waliabees is now established all over the peninsula of Arabia. The tenets of this sect are peculiar, and merit notice.— They profess that there is one God, and Muliomed is his prophet; but, as the Supreme Being neither has, nor can have, any participator in his power, they say, that to profess that either Mahomed, the [mum*, or any Saints, can have any superintend ence over the atfairs of men, or render them any aid hereafter, is blasphemy. They deem Mahomedans, who deviate in any way from the plain literal mean ing of the Koran, infidels ; and maintain, that, to make war upon all such is tke imperious duty of every Wahabee. It is one of their tenets, that all titles meant to show respect and honour to men are odious to God, who alone is worthy of high name; and they assert, that, in conformity to what is re vealed in the Koran, true Madam:dans should wage continual war against unbelievers, till they are con verted, or agree to pay the tribute imposed on in fidels; and that, in the latter ease, they should be compelled to wear the coarsest garments, not to be allowed to ride on horses, nor to live in splendid dwellings. They maintain, that the taxes (including aukaat and khums) levied by Mahomed, are alone lawful; that swearing by Wannest or Ali, or any person, should be prohibited ; since an oath is cal ling a witness to our secret thoufhts, which no one can know but God. They deem it a species of ido latry to erect magnificent tombs, but to kiss relics, &c. is idolatry it - self; and, therefore, they affirm, that it is an action acceptable to God to destroy the tombs of MAhomedan saints in Arabia and Persia, and to appropriate their rich ornaments to worldly purposes, for which they were designed. They say that it i, wicked to mourn for the dead ; for, if they were good Iklahomedans, their souls are in Paradise, at which their friends should rejoice. The Wahabees reject the whole of the traditions, limiting their belief to the Koran, which was, they say, sent from Heaven to 41ahonaed, who was an excellent man, and much beloved of God. They continue to preserve the usages of circumcision, ablution, &c. which they found establised ; but consider them more as matters of practice and usage than of fitith. The leading principle of this sect is their right to destroy and plunder all who differ from them; and those Mahomedatis who do not adept their creed are represented as far less entitled to mercy than either Jews or Christians. Their progress was so great about ten years ag o, as to excite considerable alarm in the Turkish Govern. went. Among other places, they plundered the rich tombs of Ali and his sons, at Nujuff and Kerbelah. 'their inroads arc always dreadful, for they spare none who du not contium to their opinions; but they have lately met with some severe checks, and appear to be declining. Extract from Cobbett's American JournaL— " There is one thing in the Americans, which, though its proper place was farther back, I have reserved, or rather kept hack, to the last moment. It has presented itself several times ; but I have turned from the thought, as men e, from thinking of any mortal disease that is at work in their frames. It is not covetousness ; it is not niggardliness; it is not insincerity ; it is not enviousness ; it is not cower ' dice : above all things—it is drinking. Aye, and that too, amongst but too many men, who, cne would think, would loath it. You (An go into hardly any man's house, without being asked to drink wine or spirits, even in the morning. To sec this beastly vice in young men is shocking. At one of the taverns at Harrisburgh there were several fine young men—well dressed, nen educated, polite, and every thing but sober. What a squalid, tinning, sickly set they looked in the morning ! Even little boys at, or under, twelve years of age, go into stores, and tip off their dram However, I must not be understood as meaning that this tipling is universal amongst gentlemen ; and, God be thanked, the women of any figure in life do by no means give into this practice, but abhor it as much as well-bred women in Englund, who, in general, no more think of drinking strong liquors, than they do of drinking poison." I,aNt Friday wine villains broke i inn the premises of Xlc3srs Bunting and Francis, in Norwich, and mole thercout some remnants of bombazine. I ,••••• PUGILISM. Sparring before his Sertue Iligiams th e Archduke railian.—H is Serene Highness having expressed a wish (like his Royal Relatiets when on a visit in this mum try) to witness one of the national and manly sports so peculiar to the character of Englishmen, a ilistiniArished nobleman, hi,o6 in the Fancy, in tile neighbourhood of Grosvenor Square, requested of the first-rate ; ugilists o attend at his mansion on Wednesday, and gr. Jack soli superintended the order of the combats. CIO) and Oliver first made their bows, and this set-to was much ad d for its spirit and science. Ott Crib's being in trodeced to his Royal Highness as the Champion t t f England, he appeared lunch pleased with the manly and fine athletic appearance of this pugilistic hero; also the muscular arms of Oliver claimed his peculiar attention. Turner, who is recently returned from a sparring tour in fine condition, had a turn with the scientific Elle% Notwithstanding the superior tactics of the latter, Tur ner has made such rapid improvement from his late practice, that he appeared to stand npon equal terms with his opoonent, and once, or twice, hike the acknow ledgment of Laertes to Hamlet, a palpable hits" were admitted. It was pronounced by all present as an ad mirable display of the art of self-defence; and thun ders of applause crowned their exertions. The finale was equally attractive. Richmond and the Fine Irish Lad displayed their various traits of milling, much to the approbation of the amateurs. His Highness was struck with the decided mode of hieing pourtrayed by Randal, and who expressed himself of the advantages that must result towards victory in actual combat, from its velocity. His Highness was much ptear.ed with the politeness and attention &hewn to him.; and he retired with giving praise to the manliness of the British cha racter. _ Randal and eflarini.—The hopes of the amateurs of boxing were realized on Tuesday night, the whole of the stake-money, 430 guineas to tem, hating beets made good, after a dinner, at Mr. Franklin's, in Lower Gros venor Street, contrary to exrtetations of many. Several Amateurs of note were present, and betting wasts to 4 on Randal. This battle, which excites a very lively interest artiom.tst d- admirers of scientific pw4ilism, as well as regards betting, will take place on the 4th of May, in a 24 feet Hog. Ruth men will go directly into If:MI.11g; Handal over the Hampstead and Highgate Hills, ant Martin to the neighbourhood ofDorking, af ' ter t skii.g a little of the Brighton air. Crawley and Hickman light on Tuesday next, itl miles from London, and betting was I l to it on Hick- Among the peculiarities of the late Dr. Burney, were two of a very innoeent ; the first was, the possession of the best wine, of the best vintage; the next, a dread of a fresh current of air. Shot the door ! was the first salutation uttered by him to any one who entered his apartment, and but few of his associates ever aegleenxi this ride. This cus. torn, it seems, did not abandon him even on the most critical and trying occasions ; for it is said, that having been robbed while returning home one even ing in his own carriage, along the Greenwick-road, by a couple of footpads, who were more eager is obtaining his money than contributing to his aecomst modution, he called them back in a peremptory tone, and while they were wondering at what he wanted with them, he exclaimed, in his usual manner, and with his own peculiar emphasis, " Shut the door !" A voice accustomed to command, produced the de-. sired effect, and was instantly obeyed. The Report of the Commissioners for the Herring Fishery, of their proceedings for the year ending the .sth April, 1818, has been printed by order of the House of Commons. it concludes with stating, " the Commissioners think it apparent that the chat. ratter of the British Fishery is rising both at home and abroad ; for while the quantity of herrings cured hutted is annually incroas ng, the quantity cured uagutted is every year diminishing. and that the demand has kept pace with the quantity they gut. They have also to mentitm, that while the exporta tion to the Continent of Europe has nearly equalled that of the preceding year, anti the expertation to Ireland anti the West Indies has increase!, a new market has openc.i in the East Indies, to which different shipments of herrings have been made both from Greenock anti London; from the former with great success, but the result of the latter is not yet known, anti they trust that India will soon become a permanent and valuable market for the consumpts tion of British herrings." Bill bids Free . St;l6ol.—A numerous and re spectable meeting was held 011 . I . ll l ll*Ml.ly last, at the King's Head Tavern, Pool.ry, in aid of the above Insti tution. Mr. Alderman Wood, NI. P. was to have pro sided, hut was prevented by his parliamentary duties. Soon after.tme o'clock Sir l'hottias Bell was called to the chair, and the cause of the poor Irish, who reside in rite neighbourhood of Saffron-Liu, was most ably and eloquently advocated be a num her of spe.ikers. It appeared hoot the Report, that the neiehliourhood of of Saff -hill is crowded with distressed Irish Imitates. whose children hare no prospect of obtaining a virtuous education but by means of these Schools. The Com mittee seem to have spared 110 pains 10 11111/V.VW the ( ha ratter of the children; the Lilies' Committee, otticli has the mallJgClill'lll of the 61(1 . 6 School, haft most woutlirtfully improved their appearathe.