The Statesman. — London, England, 1818-09-10 00:00:00

ir-4 1 • THE QUEEN. -op- • Der Majesty continued, throughout yesterday, free from pain, and, on the whole, something better than .on Tuesday. At six o'clock she dined in her cham ber, and ate rather heartily, at the same time con versing with the Princesses much more freely than on an y day during the last fortnight ;: and up to eight o'clock, she remained in the same favourable state. The Duke of York arrived at Kew, about one o'clock, from 04tlands, and soon afterwards went on to London. The Prince Regent arrived from the Stud•house, soon after six o'clock, and passed nearly an hour with her Majesty. his Royal Highness then dined with the Princesses, and after dinner again repaired to her Majesty's chamber. It was expected, that as her Majesty was in so composed a state, his Royal Highness would retire to the Stud !louse much sootier than usual. --- To rEE EDITOR OF THS SIR,—In my last letter, I asserted that Parliament took up the subject of Private Mad-houses at the latter end ; they begat; upon the necessity of secur ing persons confined therein from ill.treatntent when there, whereas they ought to have began by snaking provision that no person shbold be improperly sent there. 'lwo cases have come to my knowledge—one of a verdict of damages for false imprisonment--the other of the Mad-house-keeper buying his peace with the injured party, by a compensation in money. Nothing is mote easy than to deprive a British sub. ject of his liberty, while these places exist in their present state—one single Physician or Surgeon's certificate is sufficient for the purpose ; and if there is a considerable property to be got at by the con. finetwent of such a person, a bribe can be afforded ; so that while the British Nation have been expestding their talents, blood, and treasure to secure their li berties, they suffered to be established twenty Bullies in and shout the county of Middlesex, under the name of Private Mad-houses, into which a British subject may be thrown by a conspiracy of two or three per sons, without any sort of investigation, by the bare . signature of one individual, and there held for years. It is of no use to argue upon the scarcity of such in. stances, or the improbability of their recurrence, they have happened, sod are now existing—they are a dreadful evil that calls aloud for the interference of every individual to exert their strength to insist oil Jaws which shall guarantee them against the possi bility of false imprisonment. Many persons have been confined for years without a Statute of Lunacy, or any satisfactory examination into their case ; so that it may be safely asserted, that there is no suffi cient check to prevent persons from being sent to, end held in, those places on improper grounds ; so neither is there any to prevent those that are afflicted from being held therein for years after their re covery. A man may be afflicted with • fever which produces a delirium—the relatives or persons about him, unaccustomed to the vagaries of persons labouring under mental derangement, become frightened ■nd send him to a Died-house. It is the Master's interest to keep him as long as he can, and know they do it. The man soon gets well, be trays much uneasiness at being kept from his busi ness, and perhaps frets himself mad ; fur it is a practice in these places not to show the patient with out it is required. The relative or other visitor is shown into r parlour, where the Master makes his appearance and tells his story. The College of Phy sicians have the inspection of these places and a con. ' troul over them, but I could never hear of any pa. tient being liberated by them / they leave it to the friends or relatives, and the Mid-house-keeper. I . cannot but consider them as a set of persons who have had confided to them the care and 'interests of thousands of their fellow-subjects to whom they never paid the least attention. The fact is, that the present system of Private Mad-houses is a chaos of crimes and miseries, more of which shall be deve loped in my neat Letter. am your obedient servant, S. CALVERT. Loi.doc, Sept. 7. FROM A CORHESPONDENT.—In addition to the no internee frauds practised upon the Public and the Revenue, by the dealers in tea, coffee, &c. may be added one of greater magnitude, which, it is said, Government have suffered to pass with impunity, although apprised of it several years since, viz. that of subs'ituting sail :eater for salt in the manufacture of bread and biscuit for the public service. COVENT.GARHEN THEATRE.—The musical drama of Guy Mannering was performed last night. There were several appearances in new cite racier's. Mr.PYNE, late of !Nor'-lane Theatre, performed the part of Belfry Bertram,Mrs. YATES, the Lady who made her &hut in Lady Macbeth, sustained that of Meg filer rilies, and Miss MATHEWS was the Lacy Bertram. Mr. PYNE was very well received, and executed the part with considerable success, hut the want of Stu ctsta was sensibly felt. Mr. PYttic is in this part but a very indifferent substitute for SINCLAIR, whose best introductions he could not venture upon. Mrs. YATES was very successful in the masculine and pro phetic gipsy, but it was rather • disadvantage for her So come after Mrs. EcanTom„ upon whose acting the Public have formed their notions of this character. — Miss MaTnEws most agreeably disappointed us in the musical part of Lucy Bertram. She gave more spirit to the songs than Miss STEPHENS, and what is on small compliment, sung some of them nearly as sweetly, and was encored. Miss FooTz played Julia Mannering in a very pleasing manner, and larrost was as amusing as ever in the unfortunate Dominic. The affair at the Mansion•house between the show. man, the sailor, the monkey, and the MAYOR, has given rise to two titles perfectly new; one in the East, the other in the West. The judgment of the MAYOR, partaking of the famous scriptural judg ment in the case of the two women and child, has, In the City, conferred on his Lordship the title of Solomon: and the Beau-Monkey, with his ear. rings, Bc. who so adroitly t►seaked the Showman's nose, has been admitted an honorary member of a very prevailing Society, under the denomination (borrowed from StIAJLEteDADJCS Lear) of the " Bandy DANDY." Ti :• Arethusa, Hatt', for as, fur the South Seas. ie River, the Generoos and Lowelles, Willis, _ ego. I‘.. Porn Noun', SEPT. 9.—Arrived the Ann and Hope, Kelly, from Amsterdam for China.—Sailed the Regulus transport, for Gibraltar ' Susses, —, for the Bay e 4 l' Fundy ; Rebecca, Pintler, for Trini. dad ; Globe, Blythe, (or Nev South Wales; Con. cord, Norte, for Gibraltar ; Atigerstein, Purchase, for Barbadoes •' Sarah, Peters, for Alicant ; Thalia, Coulson, for Bahia ; Thomas and Elizabeth, link hint, for Havre; Prince of Waterloo, 51 4 1.ausen, for Halifax ; sod Sussex, Beaver, for South America. Parmovrit, SEPT. 7.—Arrived the Lord Sidmouth packet, withiMails, from Milts : sailed I.2th August, and from Gibraltar 26th August.—Sailed the Lady Mary Pelham packet, with Mails, for Halifax and New York. LIVERPOOL, SEPt. B.—Arrived the Kingston, ' Leishman, from Tortola, sailed 22d July : on sth inst., off Cape Clear, spoke the D un l o p, f rom Greenock for Sr. Vincent's. Also arrived the Clarendon, Corkhill, from Jamaica ; sailed 10th July in company with the Friends, fur London, pert.' ed from her on 25th July, off the Matanzas: on 17th August spoke the Isabella, —, from Liverpool to I Philadelphia, in lat. 39. '23. less. 52.: on 21st July, in the Guilf,spoke the Rigail,from Jamaica for Lou don. 11ARWICII, SEPT. O.—Arrived the Etoily packet, with a Mail, &c. from Cuthaven. GRAVE4ENTP, SEPT• 9 —Sailed, the Skylark, Pooley, for St. Mary's and Sierra Leone; Harriet, ,roues, for New South Wales; and Marquis of An. glesea, Foster, for o,tertd. The Hodekinson, Weldey, has arrived at Fal. mouth from Cuba, in .10 days, for Antwerp.—The brig Ariadne, was to sail from llavannah, on the 17th August, fur Falmouth. CORRESPONDENCE JurrrEErr LORD SHD•' MOUTH AND MR. BUNT. 'Whitehall, Sept. 8. Sta.—Lord Sidmouth has directed roe to inform you; that a_ the Paper contain , ng the Declaration aid Remonstrance. ad dressed to the Prince Potent, which you put into his Lordship's hands yesterday, purports by the description therein K iveu of it; to contain the Declaration and Remonstrance of the Inhabit ants of the Cities of London and Vt estminster, and parts adja cent. nod as this description is evidently and notoriously untrue, his Lordship dors not flunk himself at liberty to lay the same before his Royal Ilighness. I am, Sir, your obedient Servant, HENRY CLIME. H. Hunt, Esq. 8, Norfolk-street, Strand. ' * AL INTE L I —.....;-- A I . r MAL, 8 .*--Saiteil the the !tite e riisd Zephyr, Stasei • Arriv t iid sailed for the Pleriter,Thorp,from Jamaica; from St. Domioge._for orders. MR. HUNT'S ANSWELL 8. Norfolk.streel. Strand. Sept. 9. M• LORD,—When I delivered to your Lordship the Remon strance unanimously agreed to at the Meeting held in Palace. yard. on 91maluy last, addressed to the Prince Regent, you promised me that you %V 011 Id read it over, and if it did not eon. lain any iniproper language, you would deliver it into the hands of his Royal Highness, and that you would give one an answer in the course of three days. Late last evening I received a letter, signed Henry Clive. which states, that your Lordship had instructed him to say, that • you did not think y onnielf at liberty to lay Alcmene before the Prince Regent, because it purported tn tie " the Declaration and Remorearance of the Inhabitants of the Cities of London and Westmiaster, and parts adjacent, which description was evidently and notoriously untrue." Now, my Lord, by what means your Lordship ascertained • the fact that the persons aho attended the Meeting in Palace. yard were not inhabitants of London and Westminster, and parts adjacent. 1 know nut ; but this l do know. that those persons who proposed and seconded "the Declaration of our manifoldGrievarires, and the Remonstrance against the cruel, and unconstitutional arts of the laming se** and **** that had been so long iaipased upon his Royal highness the Prince Regent by the great and overwhelming Borough Pro prietors of this Country, Itc. were inhabitants of the Cities of London and Westminster, and parts adjacent ; and l believe that almost the whole of the 5 or 6,000 persons at the Meeting, who unanimously sanctioned the same, were also inhabitants of London and Westminster, and parts adjacent. However, as your Lordship has declined to deliver the Declaration and Re --monstrance to his Ro,al Highness the Prince Regent, 1 will trouble your Lordship to return me the original document that I left with you, that I way, agreeable to the instruction of that Meeting, take some other mettiod of laying it before his Royal Highness the Prince Regent. I am. my Lord, • Your Lordship's most obedient • And most bumble Servant, • H. HUNT. • To Lo,rd Viscount Sidmooth. EAST INDIA SHIPPING. Yesterday a Court of Directors was held at the East India-house, When the following Captains were sworn into the command of their respective ships : Captain J. It. Francklin, new ship, building by Nlessrs. Clays ; Captain Alexander Lindsay, new ship, building at Northfieet. The following ships were thus timed, viz.:— Marquis Camden, Charles Grant, Lowther Castle, Inglis. and Essex, for Bombay and Chinn ; to he adoat 12th of November. tail to Gravesend 2811, November, May there thirty days, and be in the Downs 3d January, 1519. Bombay and General Harris, for St. Ilekna. Bombay. and China ; new ship. building by Messrs. Clays, and General Kyd, fur Madras and China ; A la. and Streatham. for Bengal and Chinn; to be afloat 12th December, sail to Gravesend 27th De cember. stay there thirty days, and be in the Downs 2d Fe bruary, 1819. Bose and Minerva, for Madras and Bengal ; to be afloat 25th January. 1819, sail In Gravesend 9th February, stay there thirty days, and be in the Downs 17th March. Carnatic, for Muskat and Bengal; to be afloat 23d February. sail to Gravesend 111 k March, stay there thirty days, and be ill the Downs 16th April. Princess Charlotte of Wales and Marquis of Wellington. for Bengal direct; to he afloat 25th March, sail to Gravesend lush April, stay there thirty days. and be in the Dawns 16th May. Waterloo ' for Bengal and China ; to be adoat 13 th Decem ber, tail to Gravesend 27th December, stay there thirty days, -and he in the Downs id February. Thomas Grenville, for Madras and Bengal ; to be afloat 23d February. sail to Gravesend Ilth March, stay there thirty days, and be in the pu% ns 16th April. DISCOVERIM—The scientific Journals of the Continent slate, that various Naturalists are at pre sent engaged in esploring the Southern regions of Africa. Some are examining the prodoctions of the vast British Empire in India; some have proceeded to South America ; some to the British Settlements in North America ; and others as far Si the confines of Russia and China. The indefatigable zeal and ac tivity displayed in their researches promise an abun dance of new facts sad observations on the meteoro logy, hydrography, zoology, botany, sod mineralogy, of 'those remote regions. Thirteen thousand firkins of Irish butter have been leaded at Portsmouth within the last month ; notnitintatidin& wbich the price is upwards of 138 s. per cwt► tUS RSriitCH at rnto a Pin &WC A. TIO '.ICSTA IS LIN 11 if lan% • The billowing are some further estrecte hobs Mr: Brougham's pamphlet, on this interessipg subject " As the Bill first stood the Crimestssioners were to be named in it. The Ministers proposed that the appointment should be vested in the Crown—that is, in themselves. To this important alteration. the Committee with extreme reluctance submitted rather thaa assented.; We were aiware that epee the fitness of the persons selected to carry on the enquiry MI success mainly depended. We had before tactile ei simples of the Commissions of Public Accounts, end of Nivel anti Military Enquiry, from which the country had derived the Most signal benefits, chiefly, as we conceived, because the Acts establishing these Boards had nominated the Members who were le form them., Nn private selection, of Commissioners, how conscientiously soever it might be performed, could give the game security against improper or inefficient appointments. Without accusing the Mi. mister to whose department it belonged, of so foul a crime as a wilful prostitution of patronage in this mnst delicate matter, we felt that all nten io high office are beset by applicants; that they must fre quently trust to others for their information as to individual merit ; and that private friendships often blind very respectable persons in the reports which they make or the suits which they prefer. We could not indeed believe that the Secretary of State was capable of rhnositig met, whom the piece might suit, rather than those suited to the place ; that he could shut his eyes to the claims of acknowledged merit, and prefer unknown persons backed by powerful supporters ; or that, instead of regarding their fit ness for the new office, he should bestow the salary as the wages of former service. Least of all did a suspicion ever enter our minds that care might know. ingly and wilfully be taken to avoid those men, whose zeal fur the cause, and whose habits of investigation, gave a certain pledge that all abuses would be sifted to the bottom, and that the in no sta. Lion belipared. Yet we were afraid that a certain degree of carelessness or easy gnod-nstare, the al most necessary attendant upon official habits, might he shown in the selection; and that he whom we were willing to believe incapable of voluntarily converting into a job the most sacred part of his patronage, or of taking poecaulons to screen the enormous delinquency of robbing the poor, might, from imperfect information, sod in the hurry of a 'busy department, choose Commissioners far less adapted to the objects of the Art than those upon whose fitness a public decision by the voice of Parliament should be pronounced. To assist the Legislature in making this selection, we had sp. plied ourselves with much attention in the Com. mittee, canvassing with perfect freedom the qualifi- cations of many Gentlemen who were at different times offered to our notice. And we were pre. pared to propose a list, in which was to be found the name of no one connected by ties, however remote, with any of ourselves. I may add, as far as regards myself, that all hut one were of political connections adverse to my own ; that I was upon a footing of in timacy with none of them ; and that one Gentle man, of undeniable qualifications, having been pro posed, I desired his name might be co more men tioned, as he happened to be a near relation of mine. Some persons, whose opinions I highly respect, deemed that we acted unwisely in abandoning this main point of the nomination. But we only gave it up when we found the Ministers determined to op. pose the Bill, unless they were allowed to name the Commissioners. We still trusted that the power would not be abused; and we looked to the whole.' some controol of Parliament and the Public for a se curity that the work would be done with diligence, upon whomsoever it might devolve." " Among the honorary Commissioners, we had. heen led to hope that the Marquis of Lansdowne and the Bishop of London would appear. It is not easy to find two individuals more admirably qualified for the office, by the union of flexible integrity with conciliatory temper, and of acute understanding, with' habits of application to affairs. But I own that, in my , eyes, those distingoished persons were still further recommended by their avowed dispositlin in favour of the proposed enquiry; and I am therefore the more disheartened, when I find their places sup plied by two Right Rev. Prelates, one of whom dis. played his irreconcileable hostility to the Bill, by even voicing against its commitment; and the other, his disinclination towards it, by'retiririg before the division, in which the Bench of Bishops took so active a share. `These are the only Peers whose names I find in the list. Neither Lord Rosalyn, who brought forward the question with such 'Pipet ability, nor Lord Holland, nor Lord Common, I who powerfully supported him, are included. " But I feel myself compelled, however irksome the task, to take notice of another omission. No Members of the Education Committee are stationed at the Board, to superintend the execution of their own measure, to keep watch for the Public, stimu lating the doubtful zeal of some, and checking the declared hostility of others; in a word, to give the country a substantial security, that the abuses so loudly complained of shall in good earnest be inves tigated, and the the Commission shall trot be changed from an unsparing inquisition, into a thicker cloak than that under which the poor have already Deem, despoiled. It might have been expected that either Mr. Babington or myself, who had taken the princi pal part in the labours of the Committee, would have been placed upon the watch for these purposes. Of Mr. Babingten's claims to the office, everyone who knows him will admit that I need say nothing. Unfortunately he has lately by his retiremeut from public life, added one qualification, which all who have marked the hn. nesty and usefulness of his Parliamentary conduct will allow, that the country has cause to lament. After titles to notice, so much higher than any that I can bring forward, had been disregarded, I could hardly feel surprised at my own offer of service being re jected, with silent contempt, by the eminent head of the Home Department. I was induced to tender myself, by the strong representatioes of my fellow. labourers in the Committee. As the office conferred neither emolument, nor pateonage, nor power;- as it only gave the privilege of hard homer, of which the habits of my life and my zeal for the came made It very clear that I should cheerfully take edvantage; I imagined that the most implacable species of um. .- --•- • _...r—the'Spße of pettiTarriiYirembling for p est just - gains.z—coeld hardly impute any seltial. views In the application : I therefore Openly tested in my place that-I *as *Minus to be an honorary Member of the Commiasion. I added, that even if tny tem. parity tetireinent from Parfiliment were deemed art indispensable condition of theappointment, I atilt desired to have the option Upon those term*; being of opinion that I might render more *slush!! seriice to the cotiistry, by devoting to the proposed enquiry the whole time Which I Could spare hom professional avocations. But Ido not find that great leisure is thdeght necessary for the bataitagesi of the The Speaker is at the Read of it # and Sir W. Scott is itiother of its Members. Than the former nci man ten be a more fit President ; but I nth not quite disposed to look for very active iovestigation from the Right flonoerable Member for Word. Ile is entlerstood to lib decidedly hostile to the Bill. His 'constituents ate known to he, In general, the warmest enemies of the whole enquiry. That he and .Mr. Yorke are named instead of Mr. Bsbingtod sod myself, I trust I may be permitted to regret with the most perfect respt'ct for torn Gentlemen t.hose fair difference of opinion; widely as it separates us, I entirely honour. " That party considerations dictated this decision; feel unwilling to believe.' In the case of IVir. lia hlngton they could hate no wei,;ht. In my own, I will venture to say they would be exceedingly mis placed; for I appeal with confidence to every Mem. bey of the Committee, and to every person in Go: vernthent with whom I have had the honour of com municating, to defend me from the suspicion of having in any one instance shown myself influenced by poli tical feelings daring the course of the enquiry. Ski determined was I to avoid every thing which Might lead to such imputations, that I interfered at the Westmorland Eltictiou to Prevent any allusion from being made to the case of St. Bee's School, and uni formly reeled access to the evidence touching that estraortlinsty affair to persons who might use it for the purposes of the contest. It has been suggested that Ism omitted because the Ministers were appre. hensive of my rallying the enquiry further than they wished it to go. Certainly, I should have felt uu desire to push It beyond the just limits. I shoild have only taken cart that-every alth+e searched to the very bottom, whoever might be engaged in it. One step shoot of this I should not have consented td stop; further, there. wa4 do.occasion to go." The following note relefeseen amusing anecdrite " It is remarkable that the Police Committee ha•u complained in their Third Report, of the tame db. position in the Home Department to grasp at patron.' age not Tested in it by law. 4 This breach of art Act of Parliament,' says the Report, on the part of the Secretary of Sate, has produced the result which might have been anticiptted One of the per. sons so appointed by Lord Siderouth, was a worth. less abandoned character, a Jew bail, who was im• prisoned in the Ring's Bench, end not being able to perform his duty, was turned out of his situation; he is described by the Chief Clerk as a man who hired himself out as a fraudulent bail, and Was never known at the Office till he Game to be sworn Your Committee beg leave to observe, that this inter' Terence of the Secretary of State, is not warranted by the law which regulates the Police, and sal t no doubt,, if persevered in, be attended with the worst effects. Of the four persons nominated by Lord Sidmooth, one declined his appointment, another was turned out of the Office, and the remaining two were confirmed in their situations, in defiance of the proper remonstrance of the Magistrates upon the subject.. r' PATIENCE.. — WP have seldom seen a wife advertised in a more affectionate manner than the following. It is from a't American Piper 66 NOTlCE.—Fourteen years ago, I took to wife Patience, of the nibe of Dun ; as we both were of African origin, and of a deep jetty black, it never entered my head, that my wide would have Patience to listen to the persuasions of a swarthy Indian. Not long ago, however, the peace of my family Ilan to he disturbed by one Jun of that race, end at length Patience followed him, carrying with them the main part of my estate, viz. bed end bedding, great and little wheel, bed-cord, steel-yards, pot and spider —I have since been active in eirdeevouring to re gain her affections, together with my property.— bought a shawl of beautiful colours to tempt,her. —I have piped to her, but she would not dance; I have mourned with her, but she would not weep and finally am persuaded that she will never be re stored to me; and, therefore, to save the wreck of my estate, I hereby forbid all persons harbouring or trusting said Patience on my account, as I will pay no debts of her contracting after this date. " JOHN JACKSON. " Weatherstlel , (Coo.) May 25, 1818." A Correspondent, who is in the secret, assures us. that the notable placard stuck up in 'Westminster. of which we yesterday gave an extract, is a jeu d'esprit of the factious President of the Board of Controul ; and that it is extolled by his friend, the Doctor, as one of his happiest ironical effusion, on the proceed ings of the Reformers. It is to be published in the next edition of the Liverpool Speeches, with a word or two to the Sedition Spinners of Manchester. HORRID CATASTROPHE. — The ifaterican Beacon of the 20th of July. gives the following dreadful relation from the Ohio Monitor:—" On Siterrlay morning last, C. Read, of Madison township, Pirk. away county, in a sudden fit of insanity, seised a stool and struck his little son, about eight or nine years old, on the head. • His daughter, a young woman, wrest the boy is her arms. He repeated the blues, knocked the child out of, her arms, and fractured his skull, of which he died on the follow. ing Monday. He then struck iris wife on the head with air iron wedge. She was, however, rescued by the daughter. The *doctorate man afterwards cut his Own throgt, sled thus terminated his exist. ence." . MIRACULOUS Esc ter.—A (*Weights since a men who wu sleeniag in a garretr u stfthe Woolpacks, in Trowbridge, dreamed that he was about to be seized by the devil, when getting out of ttbd, he climbed up toe high window, at which he got ou t, and was im meniately precipitated upon the pavem.at in the street, and (wonderful deliverance for him) escaped with only a few slight bruises.