The Statesman. — London, England, 1821-10-31 00:00:00

Pi i -I I 1 . ' 1 .1 I . 1 i i . nerall; Oct. 27,1921. Stn—The mantel sacrifice of human lives ma epi - rienite and pestilential diseases, 1 have estimated, upan probable data, at several millions annually. - Of. each million of persons, who thus perish, in Christian communities, where alone the belief in contagion, and the consequent restrictions of plague police, prevail, nine hundred and fifty thousand, may, upon an aver age, be regarded as victims of the consequences of those barbarous restrictions, and of that absurd belief. To explain fully the grounds of these conclusions would be here impossible. They are detailed at length in try several works upon this subject. The tragical consequences of the belief in the doctrine of conga gion, as they are now passing at Barcelona, are so ap paling, that I should think the most infatuated be liever cannot imagine any effect of such a power. iflt roally existed, could be more dreadful or destructive' to the inhabitants of th it city. if flying in despair , , from a contagion which has no existence, they escape the pestilent air, which is the real cause of the ma lady, it is only it seems to fall by the bayonets of the I , soldiers ; or, if they succed in breaking th rou g h the' holy cordon of troop', it is only to perish from hunger io the woods, or, when unable to defend themselves. to be I eaten by the wolves ; and if, half famished, they at tempt to escape death from etarvation, by deserting the woods, and dying again to human society, they are met a sreond time by the bayonets of the soldiers.l What kind of contagion—what possible virus, if it existed, and were left to produce its full effect, with out even the intervention of individual precautions, cauld be productive of such afflicting calamities? it i is entirely beyond the reach of my faculties to com prehend the existence of such a power, compatible with the duration of societies. Perhaps the partis ins df contagion u ill be pleased to demonstrate this com patibility. if, then, nothing short of the annihilation of . human societies could be worse than the consequences of the/mew:non:pursued, in times of pestilence, to avert that Mewl ty,u onld it not be a most reasonable thing th at some measures should be adopted to ascertain the neces sity,or utility, or innoxioasness of thew, previous to their application ? But these mortal precautions have, with constantly increasing improvement in absurdity and mischief, been practised by Christian Governments, for nearly three hundred years, without a single for mal enquiry having been instituted into the validity of the doctrine which is *opposed lo render them inilis pensible. It is called " ;rover .in_; " to give men the option of dying by foul air, iseyonets, or starvation. The first official enquiry ever instituted into the vali dity of this extraordinary doctrine, was rendered _null by the bad faith and tricks of the parties, and truth smothered by the extinguisher of authority. 'Thus, the mnrilerona precautions which are now pro ducing each havoc in various quarters of the globe, are still inhumanly persisted in, either because public authorities have too much pride to acknowledge error, or an interest in supportin4 delusion. And we con tinue to be very gravely informed, that in places where these maladies do nut appear, the contagion has been prevented from spreading only by quarantine, lace retto., and bayonets. Thus, the intendants of the public health at Marseilles oracularly assure the Bri 'tish Consul. that " the very prompt and energetic measures, which have been adopted at that place, have removed every reason for apprehension, at the rery instant when such apprehension might have been entertained." The French journals also tell us, that " the precautions adopted by the French authorities, continue to be rlgoronaly enforced, with salutary ef fects;" that is, it is most logic illy inferred. the ex istence of contagion, in epidemic diseases, being al ways taken for granted, that the contagion is only pre vented from ~reading universally, by the interruption which it experiences from the precautions of plague police ; and these precautions are, accordingly, now amongst Christians, almost every where enforced. Pied • mont adopts precautions against France; France against Spain; Leghorn against Batavia, in the East Indies; the Baltic against the Levant; Britain against Ame rica ; aad I will venture to predict that we shall have the fever of Spain, when we are favoured with the of ficial reports upon the subject, iaspartea from a greet variety of foreign places. as well as of local or domes tic origin ; and probably also, as the offapring of sponta- weeper generation, according to the views of the investi .gators respectively. The versions of the doctrine of con tagion, like all matter, of faith., are numerous or ra ther innumerable : they all, however, agree in one point, that the suspension of human, intercourse tan. not be too rigorously enforced., When the chief of the Holy Alliance shall becomelnaster ut that portion of the Ottoman empire, for which he has to long been yearniag. what additional happiness may we not anticipate for Turkey. in the enjoyment of qua reutine and lazarettos throoghout the towns of the Le vant ? And how strange will it then appear tie that the population of these towns shanld have her e fore survived so many peitlience.i. notwithstanding absence of these precantioua ? The Mahommedaa phi losophers have been too little • serial ever to have be. come contagionisto. I have. within these few days. received a pulidica-I tioo. which has been transmitted 4 me by the author,' from Bengal. in whiCh he treatsof the epidemic. which ravaged India in 1817 and Itild, under the title of Cholera Minims. In that Work it is stated. that is these years, two millions of persons most have fallen victims to that malady:. Yet it wea'Oot generally isn pelted to the contagion even by As faculty, nor were., any preeaatioas agaiait each a cans. 'resorted - to in any official form. Aa attempt. Indeed. was mask• to iatrodace that belief. with all its terrors. into the die. that, bad the Alia of, Ale poi introduced, wherever.the . Cholira Mob' jelled, for. sissy bunrise4l -theuesett. - time pew... , twenty hundred thousand would have died. And then, instead of attributing the pritkciel part of _this istribli Mort&Tifk to its propsr source, the many .pre- cautions adopted to preventit, it would have been con fidently asserted, that, but fur these precautions, the mortality would have been still greater—with such ease do the partisans of contagion accommodate their doctrine to every occurrence. CiWES NIACLEAI4. TO THE EDITOR OF THE STA'TESMAS. Sett—Tire commerce of Great Britain cannot be regu lated by a restrictive policy without effectually checking enterprise, and giving to ether nations tit/ increased means of forestalling us in some of the most important branches of our trade. Our knowledge, our enterprise, ' and our vast capital, put us in the possession of advan tages which, if directed upon a liberal and wise system, would secure to us the superiority in every part of the habitable globe. Misguided policy at home, the surly indifference, even insolence, which enterprise meets with at every step from the guardia'ns of oar Revenue ; the encouragement of unwise monopolies, the multiplied enactments adapted to a limited com merce in remote times, and now applied, wilt modern additions, to its present extended state, impose difficul ties which embarrass the shrewdest merchant, and render commercial pursuits subject to hazards and vicissitudes numerous beyond any former precedent. Nor is the scale of dirties applied to imports calculated to encourage or extend barter, the parent of legitimate commerce. — The interchange of the talents and industry of one country with another, ought nut to be fettered by any regulations in the present age, which had their origin in days of ignorance, or in times of hostility. Nor can it be expected that the bolstering system of patching up a Revenue, to make a quarterly !thew for the time being, is to last much longer; its ruinous effects become alarmingly apparent, and the continuance cannot fail to impart to our colonies and dependencies the same misery which exists at home. Viewing our commercial relation' with other nations, I can discover no branch of our trade that can be declared in a flourishing con dition; but on the contrary, perceive a tontinually in creasing diminution. The measures we unfortunately adopt seem calculated to banish trade from the kingdom rapidly. Why, I may ask, do we persevere in destroy ing our warehousing system, and look tamely upon the indefatigable efforts of our continental neighbours to build so tine a structure as this at our expense? The oppressive laws enacted fur the protection of our Reve nue, and perpetually enforced in a spirit beyond even their strict intentirpa, check the ardour of the merchant, who never call consider himself disengsfed from the penalty of his bonds. The immense charm for landing and warehousing, encouraged by Doak atisiofolins. dello' , away from us this one of the most Wise branches of our commerce. The proprietors of cargoes brought for British as well as foreign account to * port in the Chan nel, for orders to proceed to a market, are sent, almost invariably, to the continent, where they can be dis charged free from penal liabilities ; free also from the indiscreet acts of a corrupt band of Revenue Officers, (who here would seize a straw, and be sure to be award ed a handsome satisfaction for their vigilance,) and are then housed at ar: trivial expense. Thus are we de prived of a vast.transit trade . By giving the utmost latitude and encouragement to our import trade, excit ing a free competition amongst our backs and Ware houses, and adopting a milder and more respectful sys tem of treating our occasional visitors, we . might expect to regain a very large proportion of our warehousing, and, consequently, transient trade. Lint we may look for this in vain ; nothing is attended to, but what is re commended by Officers of the Revenue. To alter and amend the beautiful practice now adopted in our ware housing or bonding system, would lint a check to their rapacity. Like rats, they must be fed, and finding this numerous family of independent spirits affected let rob. bing or ruining the fair trader or merchant, err Ors of every description are regarded as frauds. So vigilantly le they pursued that the practice of the Solicitits to tle Revise is said to exceed 50,000/. annually. The complete developement of the practices resoited to in this . branch is practicable, and when enforced lilt convey the perfect meaning of what the laws of thelgaisury term their " hearty commendation.," and skew that many thousands are annually wrung from the trading commu nity, upon the most frivolous pretexts, for the avowed purpose of protecting the revenue, but the real one of en riching a sordid mass of imps of patronage. The *buil dsw of all fines to siezinf officers would relieve the mer cantile community from runt% devolution, 1106- bum• merable impediments; while the revedne'wonid derive an increase mitred of a diminution, and oni country be relieved from the baneful effects of' such disgusting practieea. Oct. 29. IS2I • Alw. RODEur COPT. . Delnmere House. orthwi Oct..2lth. 11321. the 25th instant, I am convinced. that ime may be laid to the charge of Sir Robert Wilson, the siontlnct of his Majesty's Government haw been unjust and arbitrary in the extreme, in inillicting so severe a punishment without allowing him the means of exculpation. I conceive it to be the duty of every Eng.' Tishman who values his civil rights, and especially of every officer, whose Commission is purchased under the sanction of the Commander.in-Chief, and who ought not to hold his means of subsistence by so precarious a tenure as is implied by the late violent measui4, to protest against it as a most dangerous exercise of the King', prerogative. I inclose a Bank-note of 201. which I beg ' you will have the goodness to add to the Subscription. My motive in sending this trifle, is not so much with the view of indemnifying the (Janata General for the pecu niary loss he has sustained, as to join with others in expressing my decided indignation at the iniquitous pit o ceedings of the Government. I have the honour to be, Sir, your most bumble obedient Servant, GEORGE WII.RRAHAM. Robt. Hall, Esq. Secretary, Re.. Three Tuns, Southwark .eittai OF STOCIiS TH steak Stock • I per Cent. Red 791 k $ per Cent. Con. 77ifi Sk per Cent. 9711 k I per Cents. Qiik 31 5 per Ct. Navy 3 per Cent. Long Ann 19 7-10 k hap 3 per Cent. Web 6 per Cent. DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK. bulut Stool Date ,ads —I —4. --s. pas South-St Stack South Sea Old Ann. Ex WU+ int. 1000 1 ..0s 45.69. p. --31301. Oa. 44. Os. pm. -Small is. ba. pm. India for ditto Con. for Aret 771111 Lett. 'name 19s. 191. BIOS WATER AT LONDON-RRIDGE TO-MORROW. Morning 41 mia. after b.—Evening 12 min after O. 16. .9 . _. t . • i • ; • . THE ST tTE,... • . THE PI.AGUIi OF PESTILENCE, • F o rtojitibtpitAiVed. Net 'IIE LONDON COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS, AND .t t M e ns, asalbitillerto been •e t THE CITY OF BARCELONA.• . a r -.......__ 1 it his i Mtn alily ht rcatatad Day N eery moth exaggerated. But, whatever it was, fees TO TIIE EDITOR OF THE STATESMAN. ... perftitly confident, that, bad lie doettint of contagion ...a...irivla . • LETTER Iv. " lad this niiiir i arapliernalia o f; plague police , been ite - The lilies of _ -.. ....-,1 __II.. :—...—.lw—A ..1......w.ti55t Chalks fifotbns Ore- ivhsteeee erim r ~:; 111 AWERCATOIt. Exceirrina IN PASIA. , --PARIII, OCT. 25.—The Vll coon% de nottalt. the assassin of General Count Du geou, his relative. not having appealed against his s entence, was ordered for eaecuttoa,..oa Thursday. About 3 o'clock the crowd began- to assenthle at the kaace de there. The rain fell in torma ts , bat that not prevent at least 30.0 1 W persons fromWttend .lt wait with great difficulty the gendarmes ke p t apace enough fur she operation. At 4 o'clock the Pro ', carat r-du- Itoi,whoperforms the of of Sheriff. arrived. rand took his station at a window opposite the guillotine. sod at ten minutes pact 4 the falai cart came. with the culprit, a priest. and the executioner ; his hands being hodnd behind him. he Ins. assisted 4.* of the cart.' knelt. at the foot of the.seaffold.,peayed fervently about 4WO.MiDSIItIy acknowledged the justicoof his sentence. implanted the scaffold with s arm step and composed *saner. and is three aeco t ads more he was numbered .4glth the slend. At thosame.koar IIKA;o0t. of Assize condemned a backnerclacluntmjpr the aasiantinalico. of hid mistress. whS had borne bid ; eight chilaieo.— lieloara rinctence of death pruseooFed with perfect indifference. LONDON: WEDNESDAY 'YINING, OCTODER 31. 1821. STOCK EXCH./Milt TWELVE O'CLOCK. The market is not so good as yesterday, and the fluctuations are rather at a stand this morning. Con sols are 771 for the Account. Yesterday there were large purchases made by some eminent brokers. Extract of a letter from Boston, dated 25th Sept.— Owing to the piracies and robberies committed on our shipping, the steam ship Hobert Fulton, is preparing an armament, to consist of four 9, and two 6 pundera, with 24 muskets, for the protection of property belong ing to her passengers, and against the piratical villains that are infesting the neighbourhood of Cuba. This armament, together with the great advantage which this vessel possesses of throwing boiling water, must afford a pro:ectiun adequate to an attack from any of the picaroons lurking in those seas. Her engine is one of the most powerful, and is capable of throwing double the quantity of water (Wiling hot) %Lich an ordinary tire engine, now in ow in.the city, ean. It is certain she can discharge from her boiler 10 begs-` heads of 120 gallons each in a minute, and throws it nearly to the distance of point blank musket range.— Wise knows bet this method may yet be resorted to as a national defence, and as a new weapon to carry the war into an enemy's camp? Tits Fen Tnatte.—lt is stated in the Buffalo paper that two schooners had arrived there frotn Detroit, during the preceding week, with 600 packs of Far, value about 90,000 dollars. The disposition evinced by the French Government to increase their navy, or rather to man and fit out their fine ships of war, looks very like a determination to reclaim the ancient character of the French Marine. —Having no employment for their land forces, sailors can be had in abundance, and a litttle practice, joined to a more rigid discipline, may place thtir navy upon a very respectable footing. Bravery they never wanted ; and they owe their defeats at sea to the superior tactics and management of their opponents.--(.4snericanpaper.) By accounts received from Lisbon to the 21st inst. we learn that in the sitting of the Cortes of the 9th. a letter from the Prince was read, dated Rio JaneinPsi July 17th, and sent to ,the Congress by the King's orders, in which he states that the Province of Rio Janeiro is in a perfect state of tranquillity, notwith standing the deficiency of the Revenue to cover the expenses. He concludes by assuring his august fathet that he will do every thing for the welfare and glory of the nation, and requests him to lay his letter be fore the Cortes. The correspondence between the British Charge d'Affaires and - the Minister of tie Foreign Department relating to the rise of dpties : on woollens, had been laid before the Cortes, and referred. to a Committee. in order to examine the existing Treaties. A Decree of the Cortes. urging the Prince Regent to travel in some of the enlightened parts of 'Europe. had been issued, and the King transmitted to to the Cortes his acknowledgments for the mea sure, which his Majesty considers to be likely to produce great advantage from the practical knowledge of the effects of a constitutional sys. tem, which his Royal Highness cannot fail to rtc quire. His Royal Highness is to be accompanied by .persons of enlightened minds, and attached to the constitutional system, whom the King will be pleased to appoint. to the project mentioned In a preceding sitting by M. Ribeira Tenet. to encourage interval commerce, by laying heavy duties on •some forolgi goods, and wholly prohibiting other. Some alteration . bad boos wade, bet the principles were adopted. and it was resolved that a new tariff should be pub lished, see be in force in three months. For some dais past the prisons of the 11418441 r have been throws opeate the the pablic at-Evora snit Li ahem ; the of- _ i a 1 beers or (mkt* befog orrkered to exp. feral apartments, and of the inErnmaitts tale. Great numbers of persons kw Letters from Constantinople to the was tranquil in that capital, am details as proofs of that assertiol bow far " Appearances of discontent bad selves among the Janissaries, hut shewn unusual activity and energy ries had been executed at the Eur Bosphorus, the place where critni, generally put to death. These nonnced at night, by the firing . individual se executed. At nodal eight reports of cannon were heat unfortunately made its appearance Two servants had died in the Pe voy, and the Foreign Ministers in consequence." By letters and to the 16th ult. it appears that thi noes its ravages its Spain, and t 1 the chief teat of desolation. The peopled. Much alarm had heel , by a report that the fever had be The inhabitants immediately let they should find their retreat cut went of a cordon, if they waited haul given Earl proofs of its port, however, appears to liar and it was expected that a pug issued by the Board of Health, ' was no cause fur apprehension. places , danger wee real. Several instances of fever had, u vf stated yesterday, appeared at Valencia, Alic in Marcia, as well as in the Balearic islands. The letters from Cadiz even mention that very suspidea cases had fallen under the care of the Medical Deed at that place. It will be recollected that some that since, General Gritnarest and his companions had bet tried and condemned to death, for conspiring spits Ike existing Government. The Supreme Tribunal* Seville has annulled the sentence of death, and in also suspended the Judges (before whom they not tried) from the exercise of their functions. T sons, said to be the most distinguished patriots is Madrid (Nunes and Miershon), had been impritoui for being amongst the procession on the day whes Os, Riego's portrait had been carried about the streets.— By accounts from Paris, we are informed that the English Ambassador had received a courier despatch. ed by the Marquess of Londonderry, to announce W him that the King of England will not visit Puit The protracted state of the negociation betels Russia and the Porte, gives room enough for oppwie opinions to be circulated respecting its result. the usual anticipations of polidefalle ties, there are interested speculatioes of stoat of various kinds at work; and from the - the other we receive in succession accost, hostile or pacific according to the bias of which they have originated. A few da , intelligence received WAS all of a warlike at present, such as it is, the complexion is The recent letters from St. Petersburg are language of peace. The Emperor Abe' returned from viewing the troops, and tl rise in the Exchange indicate on the part dal men net the least apprehension of war effect to think the opinions that are ewertz land of a different kind are very ridiculous say they, acquainted with the condition of Treasury would he made to suppose that carry on a war without the assistance of Power, and any one conscious of the state of Europe, must well know that European Potentates are strongly averse sutler any circumstances, much less wont their assistance to Russia, to enable her against Turkey. True enough as the may be, the former we consider to be Galt It might be impracticable for Russia to Without pecuniary assistance. if she were againstany other power except that of Tao as her Treasury is,we know she can mars) , one end of her own dominions to another. the hostile opposition she might eacoaater way, we cannot see why she could not march the gatesof Constantinople. The roootrio which her armies bare to pass are' iairshltesi not much more accostomed to the circulating than many of their own; yet. io the interisto! though the townscasnot afford a supplrofoo l . ll ' are never deficient in rations for the troops extremely difficult to procure provisions is owe by the power of the sword, in countries where.is of peace, a sheep may be purchased fur . When once a formidable army is equipped *a motion. it can tolerably well provide for itself. French armies, from the begining of the.Frroci lotion, slimed bow completely th is could be' the Emperor ALexanDgn,either as an of the French most have learnt enough t to be able to copy them. The last °Needle ceive is lunch better founded. and more the first. It is probable tbat the AntOefei i• restrained by the jealoior of his Holy Arne. ' the consciossoess Ohio own weak/tarsier tb' his rival's power. The articiein the ' Berlin. is sufficieutt r ideece dr the and interests Si this cabals sod is i" . " nothing else. That elaborate and meat would serer have eppeeted. if . 'Molding Which it attempts triprove isted among tistparties• : 11111 d Pv 2 e141 7 a g be t i i h in v se e n titil: It e t . t h lao a:Isa hviltu e l f e r u h t wf , ". • dill the r e, th a t 7 . 1 , Niss on! The sink mews eowriethew. I°4l lad manifested th ew kn at the BoveranserstA i i orgy. Some dalif the uropean Castle •11 16 *FP sinals of that bodys ts M t punishments are of a cannon, for each 401 ,dnight, on the I% ~; card. The plague las WI once at Constantisoik by )alace of the Dutch I t . 46 felt great conoternati et " nd papers from Mal" the yellow fever erst: " 1 that Barcelona is stili Fhe town is almost el . reh excited at Malap r woken out at that plate, iai left it in crowds, I s t k rut off by the establig. ited till the contagi se existence. • The rs. bb have been unfunded, 11 101 public notice woeld h • h, to declare that then " on. in other places tie ances of fever had, &s ee P i t Valencia, Ahearn, ssi 1 , 1 e Balearic islands. tion that very stupid* re of the Medical Bail ecollected that sweeties his companions had lows I, for conspiring aglisd The Supreme Tribunal at ntence of death, and Is :before whom they set irk functions. Twe per distinguished patriots h on), had been imprisoned sion on the day wins Ott ...lA/1 nikftni th• etroala teistion betten ugh for oppen s cask. Bei& of 'Vim* pAc• of stoat *0 the one char recounts that m • of the milli r days snack charsda; on is changti- rg are all is tit A cEXANtiII Ind the foodsttl e port of cosi )1 war. nasal Pertained is F 4 :ulous. Abyss on of the Kai that she soli la ice of owe stir to pretest poli • that all the e& averse to s is would they le her to p e latter ill e only nu a to curios s he were OM )ITurkey ;WM arch Les trospth. ther e Bed esM al ! emotions le not atarehlhe i countries Ihnoll tattaldal by irculsdng tam r g • ipply (410,010 troops. tif ilse : lll _., *ions is dine 0 1• ' tries where'll+ ge id for qupped 50,1 Ft! i ride icor Volt ' ti ~f the. :out(' biel ecw ;ei an Al i t' SI LOS ogii Of ti , " l— Ohjetti". O. wi re formidasor. d ato erat is bliff - h Holy Allies, !I 19 ; ;Iteesivf the 1 . • the State fi e he tlsshisi is lama s ry e li t :/ I, oo or' ove Cht e ttattOmatt. "I 1111T1lf STAT6III I O4" is tneoluposierso WITII " Inn rrATVIIVAN:'