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

MARCH 14. ITALIAN BANDITTI. Copy of a letter from the Honourable Brownlow Colyear, to his father the Right Hon. Viscount Mil sintown, dated hotel do I'Europe, Rome, the Gth of January, 1819 ;-- "Me dear father,—l have taken the earliest oppor tunity of writing to you, to say that we have not been assassinated, as I was fearful the news might reach England before my letter. We have just escaped with rear lives, and only jitst. I will now tell you: 30 miles from here, between Rome and Naples, at half-past two, in the middle of vise of the finest days you ever beheld, the snit 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 past-boy fell off his horse; we immediately finding it quite impossible to resist, got on the ground as soon a , P ostot):c ; they began by nie : ha nohin in my pod:els but toy watch, which I saved d ; nvitt t attack g ed .141M9, tore his clothes all open, took all his money, watch, &c. ; then to Grieve and his servant, took both their watches, and stabbed Griete's servant in several places is tilt a stiletto. "They were mare capitally armed than any thing you ever saw ; they then began upon the carriage, got in, and turned every thing out ; the first ohject was my poor dressing case, with snuff-boxes, watches, all my fox hunting matters, brushes, combs, &c. took every one; next all our money, not one sixpence left either of ours or servants , then they knocked me ambit with the barrel of the gun, tore ma ring off my finger, which they were lust going to cot off, only my ring castle off; they then tore my shirt pin front 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 stiletto, if I inured, to murder nee; they then broke open the front trunk, and took every single shirt, neck cloth, and stockings, shoes of both servants, so that they hive neither money nor clothes; they took most of my clean things, hut would not take auy dirty. Grieve has last all his except his uniform; they packed them up in seven sacks, and each took his sack and walked quietly sway into the wood aga it. I cats assure you we were far 3 inintites, expecting to be shot or stuck, as they to'd us we should, if any one spoke; and threatened, if they did not find enough plunder, to send us up the mouatains, and would have 30U ducats ranson, for each; if nit given in so many days, we were to be tortured to death. They have got our all, value 4001., 301. or 40'. which is thought nothing of, having saved our Ives, which I assure you for half an hour I expected every moment to die; they were half an hour robbing us oil the 4th of February. Thank God for our safety, which was many degrees against us. 1 have now not a shilling in the world, nor a thing left except life; I am pretty well, considering nearly frightened to death: I ant a little bruised by the barbarians, but shall be well again its a week. Don't believe any other stories that you hear, as every body is writing to England about it. This is true. The 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 than I wish, but hope not above a fort night. Brudenell has been good enough to scud me clothes to wear. 1 shall draw upon Stirman for money; tell him so. 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 Na pies are all Irightenedto death. Naples was beyond any thing delightful, the est place by far, except Paris, upon the Comment. Grieve is quite well; the weather i, delightful, quite stimmeer only a great deal of rain. Half an hour atter our robbary our carriage broke down ; we were in' the middle of a stage, no money to mend is, and nothing to eat, and raining dreadfully. We think of returning to England by the last week in March, by Leghorn, Genoa, Turin, and Paris. There are a great many English here. The Carnival I have ..een part of at Naples, been at two masked balls, and it begins herein three days. 1 shall stay to see the horse races in the course, a little Carnival at Florence, and shall let to Paris for the last week there. I remain, " Your affectionate son, BROWNLOW COLYEAR. " We have no money left ; hut the banker here has been very civil. Our poor servants have lot every in the world. They got from us what we think was meant for some great Prince who was travelling. Adieu have not seen tee this year; we are all sluing with the windows open." It appears by letters from Monte Video of the 24th and 25th of November, that the inhabitants of that place did not 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 Buenos Ayres. We have also perused a long biter of the Bth of December, which adds some further details to the particulars already communicated.—Great exertions had been made by the Government of Buenos Ayres, not only to strengthen the army in Chili, but also to diminish the power of General Artigas, against whom several fresh expeditions had been sent but it seems that by avoiding any general engagement, with either the Portuguese or the troops from Buenos Ayres, he was enabled to keep together a considerable number cf mop. THE NATIONAL REGISTER. WAHABEES. The modern sect of Wahabees was founded near a century ago, by an Arab of the name of Shaikh Mahomed, the son of Abdool Wahab, whose name they have taken. Shaikk Mahomed connected him- self, in the attempt to reform the religion of the country, with Ebn Saoud, the Prince of Dereah, the capital of the province of Nujuddee. Through the efforts of the Saint, and the aid of the temporal power of Ebn Saoud, and his son and successor Abanol Azeez, the religion of the Wahabees 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 Mahomed 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 Imaums, or any Saints, can have any superintend •ance over the affairs 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 the 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 Mahomedans 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 Mahound, are alone lawful ; that swearing by Muhomed or Ali, or any person, should be prohibited; since an oath is cal ling a witness to our secret thoughts, 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 itself; 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 vich ornaments to worldly purposes, for which they were designed. They say that it is wicked to mourn fur the dead; for, if they were good Mahomedans, 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 Mahomed, 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 there more as matters of practice and usage than of faith. The leading principle of this sect is their right to destroy and plunder all who difTer from them ; and those Mahomedans who do not adept their creed are represented as far less entitled to mercy than either Jews or Christians. Their proven was so great about ten years ago, as to excite considerable alarm in the Turkish Govern ment. Among other places, they plundered the rich tombs of Ali and his KIM, at Nujuff and Kerbelah. Their inroads are always dreadful, for they spare none who do not conform to their opinionu; 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 Americanb, which, though its proper place was farther back, I have reserved, or rather kept back, to the last moment. It has presented itself several times ; but I have turned from the thought, as men Jo 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 cowar dice : above all things—it is drinking. Aye, and that too, amongst but too many men, who, one would think, would loath it. You cm go into hardly any man's house, without being asked to think wine or spirits, even in the morning. To see this beastly vice in young men is shocking. At one of the taverns at Ilarrisburgh there Isere several tine young men—well dressed, well educated, polite, end every thing Lut sober. What a squalid, drooping, sickly set they looked in the morning I Even little boys at, or under, twelve years of age, go into store', and tip oil' their drams. However, I must not be understood as meaning that this titling is universal amongst gentlemen ; and, God be thanked, the wo►ucu of any figure in life do by no means give into this practice, but abhor it as much as well-bred women in England, who, in general, no more think of drinking strong liquors, than they do of drinking poison." Last Friday some villains broke i nto the premises of 'Altsbrs Bunting and Francis, tu Norssich e silt(' 31.04: thoceout some tramanis of PUGILISM. Sparring before his Serowe Ilig,lore-s the .4reluluke Mar,- miliais.—H is Serene Highness has ilia expressed a wish (like his Royal Relatives when on a sisat to this coun try) to witness one of the national and manly sports so peculiar to the character of Englishmen, a distinguished nobleman, high in the Fancy, in the neighbourhood cf Grosvenor Square, requested of the first-rate "o attend at his mansion on Wednesday, and Mr. Jac... son superintended the order of the combats. Crib and Oliver first made their bows, and this set-to was much admired for its spirit and science. Out Crib's being its trcxlcced to his Royal highness as the Champion of England, he appeared much 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 . F.-ales. Notwithstanding the superior tactics of the latter, Tur ner has made such rapid improsement from Isis late practice, that he appeared to stand upon equal terms with his opponent, and once, or to ice, like the acknow ledgment of Laertes to Hamlet, •• palpable hits" were admitted. It was pronounced by all present as an ad • mirable display of the art of se ll-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 mulling, much to the approbation of the amateurs. His Highness was struck with the decided tousle of hitting pourirayed by Randal, and who expressed himself of the advantages that must result towards victory in actual combat, front its velocity. His Highness was much pleased with the politeness and attention sisewn to him; and be retired with giving praise to the manliness of the British cha racter. Randal and 3fartin.—The hopes of the amateurs of boxing were realized on Titesday night, the whole of the stake-money, 150 guineas to 1110, having been made good, after a dinner, at Mr. Franklin's, in tower Gros venor Street, contrary to expectations of many. Several Amateurs of note were present, and betting was 6 to 4 on Randal. This battle, which excites a very lively interest amongst the admirers of scientific pugilism, as well as regards betting, will take place on the 4th of May, in a 24 feet ring. Both men will go directly into training; Randal over the Hampstead and litgliate Hills, and Martin to the neighbouthood of Dorking, at. ter eking a little of the Brighton air. Crawley and Hickman tight on 'Tuesday next, i 6 miles from London, and betting was 1t to on Hick. man. Among the peculiarities of the late Dr. Burney, were two of a very innocent kind ; the first Awas, the possession of the best wine, of the best vintage ; the next, a dread of a fresh current of air. Shut the door ! was the first salutation uttered by him to any one who entered his apartment, and but few of his associates ever neglected this rule. This cus. tom, it seems, did not abandon him even on the most critical and trying occasions ; for it is said, that having been rubbed while returning ho ':e one even ing in his own carriage, along the Greenwich-roaJ, by a couple of footpads, who were more eager in obtaining his money than contributing to his accom modation, 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 r A voice accustomed to command, produced the de,. sired effect, and was instantly obeyed. 'I he fleport of the Commissioners far the Herring Fishery, of their proceedings tar 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 cba. ratter of the British Fishery is rising both at home and abroad; for while the quantity of herrings cured gutted is annually increas:ng, the quantity cured ungutted is every year diminishing, and that the demand has kept pace with the quantity they gut. They have also to mention, that while the exports• tion to the Continent of Europe has nearly equalled that of the preceding year, and the exportation to Ireland and the West Indies has increased, a new market has opened in the East Indies, to which different shipments of herrings have been made both from Greenock and London ; from the fi,riner with great success, but the result of the Later is not yet known, and they trust that India will soon become a permanent and valuable market for the consume. tion of British herrings." dre (»4 Hill Iriilt Bee .se';ool.—A numerous and re-. mwciable meeting was held on Th.trsday last, at the King's lleadTavern, Ponlv.v, in aid of the above Insti tution. Mr. Alderman Wood, !MI. P. was to have pre. sided, but was prevented by his parliamentary duties. Soon after one o'clock Sir Thomas 11,11 was called to he chair, and the cause of the poor Dish, who reside in the neighbourhood of Sahron-hill, was most ably and eloquently advocated by a cumber of speakers. It appeared f t h e R e po r t, that the neighbourhood of of Saffron hill is crowded with distressed Irish fatni:ies. whose children have no prospect of obtaining a virtuous education but by 111C4nb of these &brads. The Com mune setni to 'lnv spared no pains to immure the Lets( 1r the children; and tile Lollies' Committer, which has the manavnient of the Girl's School, halo must wontlet fully iiiirruved their appal/44Tc,