The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1808-01-21 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMAPCOUNC/L, JAIt. After the disposal of a variety of previous mat. ter, this Court proceeded to consider the report or. the Committee, appointed to investie the pro-. priety and policy of assimilatim; the Militia Act a the city of London, to tNg provisions of an Act last Sesiion, for allbiving militiamen to vo , Ft: r into the limo and for suppling the vacan cies by bollot. BALLOT IN THE CITY OF LONDON. Sir Joßw RIVER presented the report. lie felt it his duty to sign it, from the eirciunstaner of his, =the Chairman of the Committee at their list g ; although jie war, in his own nuud, fully csonvineed, that it recommended a sneosure not mil (sedated to render any effectnal benefit to the rema ke service., whilst it directly operated to render the militia of the metropolis useless. It would be itn- A poissfhle to fill up the ravasicies created, for a length of time, as, by the returns of the last year, the in uhifity to procnre reeruits for the Loath regiments was perfectly risible. 'Lim result of the present measure would reduce them to skeletons, under peculiar circumstances of difficulty in recruiting, them. llowever, it was his duty to present the te port Sarah. consideration of the Corporation. The report was then read. It upprored of the lunteering for' Kt of a I Wine. . , . measure of volunteering for the line, but recom- s mended the adoption of a rate, in place of the oh- s jectioaanle mode of ballot. s ' Mr. Bennet. Amami observed, that the worthy .dissent bed certainly disanpointeel himself in con- e chants; se abruptly; He wits at first inclined to I fro a little deeper, fur, if report was tree, the worthy Alder-man had marching farther Coating in his t .mad. ae hactheard °f .'s recommendation of the Vellot for the City of London. in order to supply I the chasms occasioned by the that part of the re- t aolation. Slneerely inclined to the measure of toliiti- I leeeille• Ire was still too lunch attached to the Kiri- t l i eges of the city of Loadoch to allow of such a 1 enemas innovation upon them as the ballot must I occasion. He was aware, that a number of peo- • ple had changed their residences into .she city, 1 with a view of evading the operatiou of that system I in other places—still he could not consider such t effects as sufficient inducements for the citizen' of i London ias forego their privileges. That they t ought to join with the country at large in every c loyal etideavour to meet the exigencies of the I mate arid support the Government, he was con- t Ideal was the feeling of hie fellow-eitiseas at large, I and, therefore, he ho?ed, the principle would be t &cussed in that Council, without any reference to party views or feeliugs. He first conceived, that I the rennet of the Committee recommended the 1 mode of ballot, and, therefore, he had determined to oppose that part of it. As he was now con- 'rimed that it had recommended the preferable 1 mode of a rate, the report of the Committee had 4 his decided suppert. I Mr. KNIHHT SPENCER said, that he was a Mem- I her of the Committee, and could hear witness to I the divt.sity of opinion which prevailed amongst I them. Each succeeding meeting rescinded the I decision of the weeding; and as for the last one, I when the present report was signed, he could not, I *filen the mestere and secrecy observed, both as to I the time and manner of culbug it, consider it as a I fair esgaroof the Committee's opinion, or designate I the present report in any other terms than a , - emit 'geed one. • Mr. HAInEY COMBe declared himself much I Anatided that some member of that Committee 1 lel effered his opiniou irevions to the observations ' which he had felt it his duty to make. From all I he bad heard of the proceedings of that Committee, I • he was the more strongly convinced of the neces- sity of receiving, with enation and distrust, aey al- 1 legied report from it. If his information was cor- 1 rect, it first came to a decision to recommend die cpply of the vacancies occasioned by the drafts s tAW line, by a ballot of the non-freemen alone, i within the city of London ; a measure, certainly i enjustin its untrue, end iseest difficult in its opera- 1 time In the interval of h short peri o d, a second c 1 me...tiug was held. and it was then determined, by t this same Committee, to extend the monstrous 1 IWIHNH of ballot to all the residents of the city of s London, whether livery-men, freemen, or non- t freemen. Whet. he v. euld ask, would the citizens s of London think of a measure, trenching upon s their iaost earned esieileges, subverting the proud f burrierse.f their chartered rights, and tutroducing s one of the most serious inroads upon the aeknow- in 'edged distinctions of the citizens of London, that ( huusau iugeuuity could devise ? For his pert, f ' , uniformly and undeviatingly, he world pursue, ( with undaunted step, the proud duty of opposing, v with vigilance and energy, every encroachment on p the liberties and privileges of his constituents, from ti whatever source proceeding, or however decked p out with the glare of loyalty, and the insidious re- e . commendations of a temporary policy. He con- p eluded with a wish, that the report should b e re - 1 ferred to the re-consideration of the Committee. li Mr. Alderman SHAW expressed an anxiety to lay c 1 before the Common Council a clear and perspicu- si sins statement of his conduct, as contiectedwith the b proceedings of the Committee. In the regulation h ' - of that condnrt, he had endeavoured to comport el himself with reference to his duty wheat its Chair- 0 nem, without at all attempting to deliver his own ft • individual opinion. Ile had selected such a w mode of procedure, because, tot one of the oi ~• Representatives of the Cite of London, he at i • felt it his duty to follow, and not to influence re ' the voice and decision of his Constituents, or of as their Corporate Representeives. Upon the Bret az decision, viz. to limit the ballot to the non-free- ca men, he had considered it proper to hold a eon- di feretree with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for di : - the purpose of ascertaining the opinion of Ilia lia- ill jesty'm Ministers upon that subject, and to learn th from them, whether, if the City of London should di deem it prudent to prefer a Bill to the Legislature, su with that object, it could be manin of the support th a Ilia Majesty's Government? That Bight lion. of (ientlerrian (Hr. Perrevat) with his characteristic , sincerity, deprecated the measure as unjust; at th the mine t :: that his es t imated his coneictinse, .pr that tie City of London would not press ' a a s taffiasare - manifestly founded on injnetiee...— an Vter t ach a communication, the Committee had lii, ageolike ceti.4, consis ting of a iptst4 majority of fin is g , i_platt awn that occama pe ssis &tow cal mined to recommend the aparh• of 4 ishistsit wn . _ . :... . • distinction et limitation. It was his lot; es the se- ' nior Alderman present, to be placed in the chair t-, und he called upon any man, either in Of out of that Committee, to assert tha t he had either pub licly or privately recommended the ballot. But even arguing the merits or demerits of that Mea sure, he could feel no hesitation in delivering it as his opinion, that notwithstanding the honest pre judices entertained by 1 number of respectable men, the ballot was a wild measure, easy in its ope ration, and certain to be effectual in the object. What was it but a money measure ? Take a survey of the counties and places where it has been in force, and the Court would find that scarce once in one hundred times did the person actually drawn ever serve. It was almost universally conducted by substitution, and he did not see where the Citi sent of London could suffer by the adoption of a immure, which, though not nominally, was really upon a pecuniary principle. Where hardship • would ensue, he was prepared to rem it, by ro posing to that Cold the necessity ' Wg with substitirtes, ant Citisen of . n on, who should he drawn, whose income was at or under one guinea per week. A clamour was endeavoured to be raised against him, upon the ground that he was a friend to the ballot. Such an opinion lie bad never given, and if he had, he would never shrink front it. In support of the rights and pri vileges of his fellow-estizens, he would go as far as any man ; nor upon a review of his public life did lie fear a compentionwith any of his colleagues, either on that Bench, or in the [louse of Coin moos. Mr. Deputy GOODBEHERE thought it necessary to allude to the expression of a worthy Commoner r. Dixon,) who had deprecated ally party inter in this discussion. He did not understand the nature of that admonition. nor did he feel its application to himself, because Int knew that he drietwsed every public measure not upon party but independent principles; upon principles of mile pendenee, not alleged, but proved. But he would ask what feeling or view of independence must that man entertain, who, after having courted the sup port and suffrages of the livery of London, upon the grounds of public opinion and approval, thinks it necessary, upon a question materially involving their interests, and where he himself was unde cided, not to call for the opinion. or solicit the judgment, of his constituents, but to volunteer a conference with the King's Minister, and to ac itaawileiti himself a convert to whatever opinion that Minstar Mould think proper to give? The LORD Mxvoa called the gentleman to or der, and desired him to confine himself to the subject. Mr. GOODBEHERI resumed, and observed, that he was convinced he was in order, and that the ad- monition of his Lordship should not have the effect of disjointing his observations, in the way that a si milar interruption was supposed to have had on the speech of the worthy Al derman who introduced this discussion. With respect to the principle of the measure, it was positively subversive of' the chartered privileges of the city of London. The spirit and letter of that Charter were, that the city of London was adequate to its own protection, and thereforarelieved from the imposition of a military cess. It would seem, front the recommendation of this measure, to have been inferred, that the city of London had'done nothing towards the defence of the country. Let any man look to its military array, and SW opposite conclusion was the truth. It was degrading to destroy those proud barriers, obtained by their ancestors as the distinctions of the inetroplis, upon an uncalled-for and unneces sary occasion. Mr. hats defended the report of the Com mittee, and asserted, that the measure was called for by the necessities of the country. Mr. WAITHMAN declared, that silence would be almost criminal upon such a measure, connected as it was with the discussion of that day. lie was ap prehensive, that in his observations he would not be considered within the novel system of order laid down by his Lordship. and that he might provoke the irritability of the worthy Alderman (Shaw) who seemed to take a lead on the occasion. I fow veer, he would proceed in contradiction to the 1115. Ur, and number of the impediments. It was fre trendy the subject of regret, that in the discus sions of this Corporation there was too much of a s tel a, or of an undue influence; but it was re for that day to find such an influence not may insinuating itself, but absolutely swaying its Committees. Could not the worthy Alderman find, either amongst his colleagues, ottamongst the Corporate Body, any person to clear his doubts, without being under the extreme necessity of ap plying to the Chancellor of the Exchequer? But it was net only his doubts he was anxious to dissi pate by this Ministerial conference. No ! he was endeavouring to ascertain the siaLure of the sup port that Government would give to the measure. Where was the influence to be exerted ? Its Par liament. Really this was language the most un constitutional, and conduct the most reprehen sible. It was censurable in any private mem ber, but particularly so in • Gentleman filling his high public character. He could not ex cuse the worthy Alderman for suffering, on this occasion, his political prejudices to warp him from the adherence to his public duties The worthy Commoner took a very comprehensive view of the chartered privileges of the City of London, and impressively asked the Court, whether it was ready to encroach upon them for an unnecessary and contemptili!e measure? one uncalled (Ur by any convinced the present Administration, bad as he thought them, and no man had a worse opinion of them, were even too high-mintleil not to despise. 1-11 e concluded by moving an amendment, !‘ That he Report s h ou ld b e referred to the Committee, lirecting them to consider whether the adoption of such u measure was either necessary or agreeable to the ancient and acknowledged privileges of the City of London ?" Mr..l.olrs BREWER was as alive as any man to the duty of preserving tinunnuired the rights and priiileges of the Ci•y of Loudon. Ile valued them as a sacred legacy bequeathed to his fellow-freemen, tild was anxious to preserve them nriditninisheii fur in children. With thnt feeling. he gave his vote or the Report of the Committee, bemuse it was afgliflttd to meet the object of the resolution ie • nay was at all sibjectionable. ILE was roach sue. THE BRITISH PRESS. LONDON, THuitsDAY, J.u. 21. COUNT STAHREMBERp. His Excellency Count STAHROMBETIR., the .Aus trian Ambassador, left town last night it 7 o'clock; for Dever, on his way to Paris. Part of his ezse lettcy's establishment preceded him, having -left town at 4 o'clock. His departure was the Conse quence of peremptory orders brought by M. !PILE GLE, the Austrian Meshenget., who arrived in town on Monday, from France. This geatlenviin set out again on his return, after a stay of not many hours, and arrived on Tuesday, at t o'clock, at Dover, when he immediately embarked in a Flag of Truce, and sailed for Calais.—lt would appear from an Advertisement in the front of this paper, that Count STAHREMBF.RO did not expect to be called away so soon, as he has left his private affairs unsettled ; but his departure being deter mined upon, it was perhaps desirable on our part that he should not have the benefit of the information which the business of Parliament this day might afford. His Excellency has not given up his house in Portland-place, nor discharged his domestics ; and, it is raid, that at his departure he expressed a hope of his speedy return to this country. • His Excellency was expected at Dover since Tuesday morning, and will, no doubt, sail front that place in the course of this day. tl hatever may he his personal feelings, he certainly could not, under the present circumstances, have remained here a moment longer with a good grace, his Court having been forced to enter completely into the views of BONAPARTE, as appears in the following article, dated Trieste, Detem her 14, extracted from one of the numbers of the. Monet err, received on Tuesday : " Agreeably to the tenor ash, new orangetnents made by our Gorerionent with that of France, all commerce, direct and indirect, with Trieste and Fiume is prohibited to the English; and that we may not fear an expedition similar to that of Copenha gen, most vigorous measures of defence continue to be taken. An immense number of workmen have been pot in a state of requisition, to complete the works, and to erect batteries in the neighbourhood of our city. We are assured that a geuerakmbargo will soon be Lid upon all English merchandise, also upon the property of the English, Sicilians, and Maltese. "The English no lonzer respect the Austrian flag, since they learned the political system which our Court has adopted with regard to them. " We see continually arrive here numbers of English froM \ ienna, who embark for Malta or Siuly ; within a few weeks there will not be any English in the Austrian States." We yesterday announced the surrender of Me d ra to the British forces under Sir SADUSL HOOD and General Bs asseonn, in trust for the Qneen tf PoiILTUG•I---I.Tpoo the arrival of our Expedition off the blend, the Governor proposed tertns of Capitulation, wl.ich were acceded to, and the Island was immediately delivered up. By the terms of tl - e Capitulation, we understand that we are to retain possession until the restoration of Peace bet% ern F rance an d Portugal, and, of course, till the French evacuate the Portuguese territoric3, As soon as the Island had bee.t put in ouillOi. session, • detachment of 'iliumll troops, about 3000 men, proceeded with the Captain, Intrepid, and York, to the West Indies. The Princess Charlotte Packet is arrived with IWails from the Windward Islands, in 31 duyi from Tortola. She brings an accatiOt, that fill MAJESTY'S brig Le Heureux has had an engag..- meat off Barbadoes, with a French privateer of superior force, in which Le Hereux wet beaten off, after a sharp action, with a loss of 21 killed and wennded, including the Captain. Captain BAYNTUN, of the Africa, and Rear. Admiral MURRAY, with several other Officers st Portsmouth, are ordered up to town to give evi deuce on the trial of General Wit ITELOCILZ. Tlie trial is postponed until Thursday the 28th instant. On Tuesday, at one o'clock. all the Cabinet Ministers, except the Duke of PORTLAND, togs. ther with the blasesa of the Rotut, the JUDGE of the ADMIRALTY, the litse's ADI :KATIE, the ATTORNEY and Sorictroa GENERAL, and Sir WILLIAM WYNNE, met at the Cockpit, White.. ball. The business was said to be upon the im portant They respecting the prizes at Buenos Ayres. They continued *eir deliberations till two o'clock, when the Cabinet Ministers adjourned to the Foreign Office, a meetijig being appOinted for that time upon special national bushier.: Yesterday, a.Court of Directors was held at the East India [louse, when the following Celt manners took their final leave of the Court, pre /iglus to departing for their respective destinations, viz:—. r•spe. Homy Meriton, Exeter ; Capt. Jobe Locke, km. : ‘ Pterid Seen; Copt C. E. Prescott, Alowick Caxtle ; Capt. • It. H. Bromm, Lanetabire; ('.apt. Juba C. Lackner, Omuta ; Clat. William Danalbrd, Ceres% and Capt. Jean John Williamatt, Oceas ; for Medea and atlas • Capt. VI.„ ell, Odeon& • It. W. C. Hates, Ldiedxialena ; T W7lFaiefax,Allt ladle; and Cep.. H. ati/04; lot; ; for Madras Bez4ml. ^ • • • ' 4 1,„,„,,,• " e uudrithentinhed tuptahis were Vi*Otillato i: jibe command of their resrelive ships, iiin t .- • • AI ' Capt. Jam Daisy literalism ; tape. Geereitfouper, 'Sir William Whaley t sad .earl. Alexander Campbell, soy,. algal for Noah& :pa wive? c'4o.• )I•Ar e.S.w•rsa • tat* .illga of Goolooltor glee sod !ledger ' '- Court' adjoittiesk at.. sig o'etoek tale morrow. • - • 4 :: . • : _ . Yesterday tebellot Alit taken at the'East I n tu, to' 'denier/eel th: Resolution submitted to last General Chilitt . estiu;ttirig the owners and Oghtisander of the t..";uiges, freim all imputatibn it neglect or sniaeonduce in respect ,to. the loss )1 . 11litit ship.' At stz o'olock the- were dna/ idesed, and delivered to W. IL SUILOILIM wali . , 11 , laillITON, E4tITI, tiill,actutineers, who declared hat litiestion to hive beirarmnried in the affirmative. • 'General Lord Lima had an interview, yesterday, with the Board of Admiralty. ' • Older: were sent on Monday to Admiral Ntranr say. at Portsmouth, to strike his flag, as he will be a necessary Witness on the trial of General WAITELOCRE., at Chelsea. The gallant Admiral bad not arrived in town last evening. Dispatches were received,yesterday, at the Admi ralty, from the Downs, containing an account of s.- meal captives; the particulars of which sill appear in The Gaulle of Saturday. Several of the papers of yesterday affected to give . the substiurce of' Ills Illiaarrire Speech to hw de livered thii day af .the opening of the Seminar of Parliament, in which they have very astutely stated, that the Speech totiche's upon the seizure of the Danish Fleet, the emigration of the ROYAL Falsity of PORTUGAL, and other leading political events since the last Session !!! Mr. Poisr4a air is expected ` to take his sell in the !Towle of Cornriiims, this day, for Tavistock. - Private letters from Flushing state, that the late storm, which did -so much dunnage on the Kentish coat, was atteaded with still more die- R. 4111114 CollieCilietWeill ad the opposite shore. At. Flushing, and the neigbbOuring ports of I lolland, the sea overflowed to a great.ea tent. spreading dew 'traction far and wide in its progress. Cattle. corn, and houses, were swept away. and many persons were drowned. The number of persons lost is supposed to be very considerable. There are some instances in which whole families perished in their houses. An Amenean vessel from Holland arrived on Monday at Dover, sod landed novae passengers._ The boatmen, who briught them ashore, declared them all Englishmen; but upon examination two of thein were discovered to be foreigners, in conse quence of which the boat was seised by the Custom houre Officers. A paper of yesterday states, that " Ministers have granted a pension of 2001. a year to Mrs. HILL, .wife of PRINCIPAL. HILL, of St. Mary's, St. An drews, with the reversion to her daughter." Hu Grace the ARCHDPIROP of DUBLIN has pletr.erl to appoint Malt Ilea`, al. L. L. U. Chief Seneschal of his thsce's Alston. of St. Se pulchre Dublin, in the isisee of. Dr. Mint:N.lh. who ha s resigned. At the close of the Scrutiny fo+ Cripplegate Without, the numbers stood thus : Dims. nbl Deers Loony a64 I Brown as Mr. H. Baoww ems, in coasequence, thrown out. A Vote of Thanks was moved by Mr. Caouc cc, slid seconded by Mr. BROGDGX. Letters to the 13th instant hare reached town from Holland. They here brought in an Ame rican ship, which is arrived in the Downs. If we may ._c-1:t the intelligence contained in so.ne of those letters, the Dutch Government has comidei ably relaxed from its severity in the execution n$ their late Decrees. It is stated. that colonial pro dnce is to be admi red into Dutch ports in future. on the cousignea's payirnz • duty of Is per cent. and these letters assert, abut lids al-eisdy been re- Trolled here, that vessel,: slid Larirwm cleutmed he giien up' to the cla:m•ate, ou the paymest 00 per cent. prised at the conduct of the worthy Commoner opposite (Mr. ll'aithinan), who, though the Cham pion of Lilsbrtv, was yet supporting a line of pro ceeding, which might introduce the oppressive system of ballot amongst his fellow-citizens. The City ought to.come forward at this moment, and the rate was the mode. Sir CHARLES Pima declared himself the decided enemy to the mode of ballot, at the sometime that he considered it the duty of the' ity of London, in an epoch of exigency and danger, to gibe the tone of loyalty and public spirit to the country at large.. Alderman Comae and ether Members severally explained. Mr. Quin declared it his opinion, that amidst the evident fluctuation of opinion upon the prin ciple of the measure, it was proper to send back the document, for report he could not call it, to the Committee. All sides had declared that it wu not the fair and correct opinion of the Com initteee, and surely the Court would not give to it that anthenticity, of which it was divest ed , by the evidence of every Gentleman who spoke, whether a ,Aember of that Committee or not. He was unwil- Rig to enter into the merits of the measure, but eiggresaed hiaseetermined intention to oppose, at alr times, and under every circumstance, any measure militating against the rights and privileges of the Freemen of London, whose Representative in that Assembly he felt he was. The city of Lon don, in the hour of exigerty or danger, he knew would not hesitate upon fractional applications of its , resources to meet the laird. No; its whole force would he found in dieall array, animated by an ardent spirit of patriotism, and directed by an union of energies. The question was loudly called for, when the ainendinent was negatived by a considerable majo rity, and the original motion, for receiving the Re port, was te•reed to on a division ; there tieing— For the Report, 3 Aldermen and 56 Commoners.. tit Against it, the Lord Mayor, 3 Aldermen, amid 24 cissulathers MAjority The Committee was directed to prepare a bill to be presented to the noose of Commons. Mr. Thomas Roberts, of Bridge Ward,- , was • elected a Governor of• Christ's Hospital. - • • •4* One hundred pounds per annum were added tt, the salary of the hull-keeper. e . • • • e/I it' I I el 01 1/1 • • 1 • 00 S et • fr I. • t. • I • 11 1 ir t • a • L A- li Ii s R et I. ti e • • e .1 n 10 r,f or o- et. . . r- of