The Statesman. — London, England, 1818-03-19 00:00:00

• I : . :•: i - .f_r POLITICAL SIGHTS IN SCOTLAND. The pions Archbishop of CAIIHRAY, author of Telemachus, lamenting the miseries which Kings have brneght upon mankind, without pointing out a remedy, has met with great applause, for advising Ms Royal Pupil to govern with lenity and mode ration.. Buctwrxx, who was likewise the tutor of a King, instructed the People how they could cons pel their Kings to govern with lenity and moderation. The Treatise of the former has gone through mane *editions, and been encouraged by Princes and States men. TheTreetiee of the latter has diet with a different fate. It has been banished from Courts, burnt at Universities, and the most faioured authors of the present age have exhausted their genius, and ransacked thousands of volumes with the view to re fute his doctrines, and throw obloquy on his me . 'story. As there has not been a translation of his political works published in England, sloes the ar rival of the House of Hanover, they are now confined to the libraries of the great. It is oow become very de sirable that he be brought forward to plead his own cease, in a new edition of his political works, whess .the Public will have an opportunity of de ciding beteeen him and his cslatussiators.=ft is not our intention to bold op the indent' polity of Scotland as an object of Imitatiow. j It had many radical faults, although it would not lose by a comparison with any of the contemporary GOvern• meats in Europe. As the world g rows older k ought to grow wiser. We are the seniors, and should , avoid the shoals on which our less experienced' fathers have been shipwrecked, otherwise we live to no purpose. Every age and country have a right to legislate for themselves; and the principal use of history is to pilot us, by taking warning of the good and bad fortune of others, through the stormy seas of life. , It has been said with a sort of triumph, that al though a Representative Government appears beauti ful in theory, it could not be reduced to practice; and that if the right of voting were extended to labourers and domestics, it would only increase the power of the masters, who would constantly influence their dependents. This is assertion without proof. Every theory founded in nature is certainly practicable. At present the masters have the sole power, and how dividing it with their servotts would increase that power is surely an absurdity. Besides, if the masters expect an in. crease of authority, why are they alarmed ? Yeßterday morning the Duke of YORK left town for Windsor. • The Prince of litsse•lioneunG visited the Duke and Duchess of Cusisent.sxu yesterday, and dined with Prince lENTERUARY, the Austrian Ambassador. Wrmnson, MARCH 18.—Yesterday her X 1 AJR4TIr, accompsnitd by the Princesses ASIGEsTA and Ei.ta*• SBETII, took an airing on the Maidenhearl-road, and returned to the Castle to dinner. This morning her MAJESTY and (he PRINCESSES went to FIROGRORE. Mr. Mount'Au left town this morning fur Mid. dieton Park, the seat of the Earl of JERSEY, on his way to the county of Westmorland, *lsere he is go. ing to prosecute his morass of that county in person during the recess. _ _ Rumour says that at the interview which the Duke of CLEnkscc had with Ministers on the subject of his usartiage with Miss WICKHAM, they slated the objection that there nes to the Royal Asient ; hut intimated that to a union with a It opal Priiicecs of a Foreign Prote:tarit 11‘iirie the ay.r.ot of his Royal /Ugliness the PHINCE REGF.NT in Council would be given. The 1) k of CLAACKCE consented to this arrangement, and an offer of an alliance sith a youth ful Princess of llEssk has been transmitted by a spetial Messenger. Yesterdav a Court of Directors was held at the East India.house, when the following Comm/tulle's took leave of the Court, previous In departing for their respective destinations, am.—Ceittain T. C. WARD, Fairlie ; 'and J. P. A NSTICE, henry Porcher, for Bengal and Bombay. According to the French Law on Recruiting, the lories cannot exceed 40,000 men in one year. so that, supposing this number is actually raised annually, the whole Peace Establishment cannot be completed before fife or six years. But instead of 40,000, no more than 15,000 will most likely he raised in 1818, owing to the present financial difficulties. As to the Army of Reserve, it will exist only on the books, as she soldiers who are to compose it are not to be call ed out except in cases of invasion. The Earl of FIFE has declared himself a Candidate to represent the County of Banff, in Parliament His Lordship being an Irish Peer, is eligible to sit in the House of Commons; and as Mr. K. ABER CRoSsY, the present Member, does nut again intend to Mier himself, Lord Firs will probably beelected without opposition. A ',rem contest took place on Wednesday in the election of Common Councilmen for Wymer Ward, Norwich, which terminated in favour of Messrs. 'WILLIAM FriliTEß, K. PURLANn, and C. BIGDIN, who were chosen Nominees. This triumph of the Blue and white over the 0,-ange and Purple (or Government interest) caused universal joy amongst the friends of the successful candidates, who were drawn in a coach round the Ward by torchlight, and preceded by a band of music. A blazing b inGre was kindled, the hells ram a merry peal, and at St. Giles's gates the populace were regaled with three barrels of beer. The whole went off in a peaceable manner. The still of Mr. BIRD, of Greenwich, was proved yesterday the amoeut of personal properly was sworn under 80001., the bulk of which i 4 settled on his son, and his son's children : there is no legacy to the unfortunate person %Ist, lived with hiin as house keeper. • . 'l l t4, EXPEDITIUNS To Tax NORTH!! IN • REGIONS. Tire French Papers ate beginhieg to netine Ger preparations for these expeditious. The Journal dee Debate says, " Several recent circumstances have led to the enterprise. The eastern coast of Green. land, a coast which probably has not been accessible for eight .1)1. nine ages, was visited, last year, by a ship of Bremen an.l by several fishing-berate from Iceland. This coast has been always visible, at a 'greatdistence, hut it we. bordered by a high and impenetrable barrier of ice. It was in the months of Aegust and September last, that this immense bank of ice broke into piece', and, on disappearing, left a free access to the coast opposite to Iceland. At the same time, the Norwegian vessels foetid, be. yond the 80th degree of latitude, an open sea, where till then nothing could be seen but enormous manes of Ice heaped up in mountains spun mountains from time immemorial. These facts indicate a great change, arising either from an alteration of tempera. tore, or from some cense not yet known. Seiresal English n l American vessels have seen vast masses of floating ice, as far south as within ten degrees of the Equator." Goteroment to _ pavement in °nth. but ♦olunteer! ) aerobic. . ~~ 4 14 KtiL INTELLIa • Dia., Maacu 18.—A r ivit441 end ailed far di Ricer, as Pacific, Ellis,„froelA Viraterford ; Blenheim, Soother, from Yarmouth Roads for Honduras, anti roomins.—Came down from the Riser the Prince Re gent, Harris, for Madras, and resting trills the that. . . ward bound as before. SOUTHASIMPTON, MARCH 18. — Arrived; Obit Towel', from Lisbon ; and Saber, La Prei s ' &es . • Oporto. .BEACHARIS. M A We 17.—The Sarah, Adams, front Liserpool to Cor•01211, with a cargo of tobacco, pet law this port yesterday. CIVICS, MARCH 18.—Arrived the brig Aortsep li Aghor, from the Hasannah, with sugar and co,, having been at sea ever 'ices Christmas. ratatouat, Maacn 16.—Arrived off tMs port tae' Mary, Andrews, from Naples, bound to Rot t4.m. 4 • Novrow, Al -vacs 16.—The brig Harvey, WI 4mailosto Youglall to Poole, with provision and jut entbsyed near this place ; has been boarded bisoine pilots, acd is now avanchor in a ray dan. garaus.siteation on this coast, tat if it moderata„ hopes'are entertained that she will be got-into Sissi-r quay-creek, or into this harbour: - • s GO tiyILND, M Anvil 18.—Artived the Flieit, Wrest, from Ostend; Diana, Roberts, from Mogi (lore; Royal Sovereign, Gibbs, from Rotterdam ; Adolphe, FreJerecks, Battelle, from Wolgest ; Sisters, Williams, at Stangste Creek ; and Johnson, Rost, from Rotterdam.—Sailed the Darlington, Brokonshaw, for St. Domingo; Star, Gardener, for St. Vincent's ; Mary, Puryieembe, for Dominica ; 1 Friends, Lawson, for Malta sod Smyrna; Riga, Foster, for Ilavennah ; Tolernechos, Topping, for Cork ; Christian, Fotheringham, for Antwerp ; Salo., Thompson, for Haniburgb; and Jane, Wood, far Rotterdam. The George, from Liverpool to 'Waterford, was lost on Wexford Banks on the 13th ult.—crew saved. BRITISH MERCHANT SEAMEN. A numerous and hiKhly respectable Meeting wee yesterday ftetd at the City of London Tavern, for the purpose of raring an goettlishment for the Exten sion of R•tigioua instruction. and affording the means of Divine Worship to Seamen in the Port of . . London. B. SnAw, Fol. M. P. who was called to the Chair, stated the object, of the Meeting. It. li. NlAntr,:s, Ell. two. to more the first Resin. lotion. Mach good, he asie h . beers dory by tha n Committee for the Relief of DisTPFsved Seamen, many of whose lives bad been saved. They' were met now, hossever, to save souls; and when he looked round the globe, and saw Briti.h benevolence everywhere disseminated, be could not for a moment doubt, that the object of the present Meeting would succeed : that object was to afford to Seamen entering the Thames the easy means of religious worship and de votion. It was proposed to fit out a large vessel (to he celled " The English Ark,") capable of contain. log 7 or 800 persons, who might assemble to bear preaching and prayer. This vessel was to he kept afloat upon the River ; so that she might be removed for congregational purposes; and there was no dis tinction of religions opinion to be maintained. The Rev. Dr. Rterom seconded the motion. J. Cowell, Esq. the Rev. Mr. Ilohey, S. Jennings, Esq. the Rev. T. Ilarper, the Re.. Dr.Collyer, Rev. G. smith, Rev. Mr. Shenstene, D. Rothsntan, Esq. and the Rev. Mr. Bowles, of Plymouth, all addressed the Assembly in favour of the motion, which was unanimously agre ed to. Thanks were unanimously voted to the Chairman, and to It. 11. Marten, Esq. the Treasurer, and the Meeting adjourned. Jews' Haserrm. —The Anniversary Festival of the Jews' Hospital was held yesterday at the City of Loudon Tavern, Bishopagate.street. At gig o'clock about SOO friends and supporters of the Charity sat down to a sumptonus entertainment, his Royal Highness the Doke of Sus•ex in the Chair, supported by Mr. SAMUEL JOSEPH on the right, and the Earl of Pommel. on the left. After dinner the children were introduced by the S'esards, and conducted round the room, each cart ) ing come specimen of his a hen an nil., wrote for the occasion, was re• cited by one of the girls. The subscription *as very liberal.. Captain DOEREE, who lost his life en the 9 1 11 in staot, in..the humane attempt to rescue from destrec lion the crew of a wreck off the coast of Guernsey, formerly commanded his Majesty'y chip Zrnobia..-- He accompauied BONAPARTE to the islirtid of St• Helms, was considered a zealous and exc►llent Officer, and was universally esteemed by those who knew him. A Freemasons' Hall is about to be erected in Dub lin, by subscription, to which his Gear; the Doke of Let asTv.a, the Grand Master of Ireland, has put doe n ttis name for 5001., and several of the other Lodges for 1001. It has been Foppnle , l by some that the Notice of the link respecting the issue of the Silve• Coin which is offered to the Bankers, has a prospective view to the resumption of cash payments. We do not perceive in it any such symptom. It seems to be meant rather as a means of supplying the deficiency of silver specie in circulation, that may be expected to arise from the calling in of Dollars and Bank Tokens. Artificers of . r . " y '. • EISt INDIA-110(1SE; kints 18. . . this Jay the tiiirterly General Coin et the teat India Directors and Proprietors wait belt/ at the task India-house eft/else o'cllsck. . ' Mr. Hunt, with regard to the Act/tants ind Itel I strilatiotis from India which had been hit br•fore the Court, wished to know salreth.i. it Aas Oro.* thak - therstscliold be then reCeiving rarity the Amounts of 1' 181 . 4, and part tif 1815, in the year PRlfte There might bate Well trhettbitted all thic Accounts for '815; aH for 1816, and op to Actual, 1817. . The Cloture* pendsced 'a "Report from Fort George on the tendoet of Mr. Cooke, in ijacirr ' who had beets suspended; In ceisieqoence of -rortain .saPposed improper condoet connected 'nit}, the grain department. The Report stated, that 'the •Comnsittee, which had eransined the cotidati of Mr. 'Cooke, was perfectly satisfied with bit*, 'and that his 'bad been reinstated in his . Office. Mr. D. Kiwnevaa-wisited •to knew if there ire* any reason to be stated, why the Accounts mod HO. gulatlisatthat had beets mentioned Isere not miner L before the Ceur:? ‘ The CHAIRMAN statedi that they had not been prepastdliti expect any -Sack question s$ the How. . Member bad put td them: but before nett Coed . sky 51.1 had' no deobt they would be able ill gild Mesereatisfactory ireformationon the subject: Mr. D. KIKIMAIRD made some obseriatinits, in which he censured itir delay N the decision ou the cue of. Col. Ilerr los. . . Tie eft . 4itimAN stated, that eiery thing ha (teen 4...! i n n that case that could po ssibly tend to facilitate the decision on it, and that, he had no doubt, would very alsoltly be produced. Mr. II Cur said, that it Met an a,lei before any man could expect justice, according to the yysteoi at plea .sent pursued. ~ Mr. D. li. INNAIan Slid, that lihefeeer should he the decision, he might feel it his duty to bring for ward a motion connected with the subject. ;By such proceedings, the Government of Bombay wes . .abaken to its foundation. Here the Hon. Membor was Called to ord. , r, and after some further obsereatiops, he sat down. Mr. 114 e said, he should feel it his dsfy,..nrt some future day, to bring fore ard I motion on the commercial transactions of the Company. Their commerce was tattled on, he teas convinced, amiss .... the exception of a few articles, at a great loss. He held in his band an Account of the &pence, at Ma dras, and there they carried on at 25 per cent. be yond the price at which articles could be had glsrl• where; in some parts the per.centage was 37j, and in others 10, 15, and higher. The interest of balil4- lugs alone a mounted to 31 per cent. . The Ctiesustest hoped the Court would not be biassed by what they had heard, for it would be shown unquestionably that their trade was creditable to those behits.l the bar, and prokloble to themselves. Mr. [lrate, seeing an Honourable Es-Director (Mr. Iludleston) in his place, felt it necessary, re luctant as he was :to being individuals before that Court, to call for explanation on a 'object that nearly concerned the honour"of the Court of Direc 'tors. It wus known to many within, and without the bar, that a charge of a most serious nature bed been made against that Gentleman in a nook Weir published ((,'ol. If ilkeet History of Ike Atyror:e), and that charge had been noticed in the Quarterly Review. Mr. Hume was here called to order•by the Chair non; and utter some discussion, in which Mr. Dizon, Col. Aliso, and the Deputy Chairman took Par's Mr. Hunt.sirrnte retie, and declared on his homier as a Gentleman, that the charges made against him in the work alluded to were most unjust, most odious, and most unfounded. This he pledged Nowell' to prove, and, if necessary, he would verify the state• ment on oath; although, from the distance of time at which the events took place that were alluded to by Col. Wilkes (being not less thin 34 years b loco), ha should necessarily have to encounter some difficulty in forming his statement. lie declared, if the Pro prietors should return him at the ensuing Election, and that they should afterwards deem his explain.. skin ontatisTactory, he would that moment resign.— (hear, %ear !) Mr. II me conceived, that a week or ten days would be sualcient for the lion. Es-Director to draw up his statement. which ought to be submitted to the Proprietors before the Election. Mr. GIANT conceived it was most unfair to call on a Gentleman to answer, in the coqrse of a few dais, charges which related to matters that had takes place 34 years ago. There was no evidence to sup , port those charges, and they were met by the direct denial of the Hon. Ex•Dire.etor. a denial hocked by life of unsullied honors'. Under them cireoalt stances he hoped the lion. Es-Director would ap. pear before the Proprietors in that honourable light to which his services entitled him. A long riirrcossiOn then ensued as,rite subject, la the course of which some leitera-were read from Col. Wilkes. Several Gentlemen concurred in the pro priety of Mr. Hadleston's confirming his innocence, previoosly.to his becoming a candidate for a Mee. torship at the nest Election. a f Tile Court adjoorned at two o'clock. GiLVDRIDGE, MAttat 13. . . The following it a list of the Inceptors to lb. Do. gree of Master of Arta, on niftily last:— • George Waddhrgrtitn, James Clarke Franke * 'and Thomas Perri*, Fetlesw‘ of Trinity College; John Smith, noting - Watson, Charles Scott Lototore, and R.nnert IN) Pine, Fellows of St. John's College; Alditeirry Dicker, Fellow of St. Peter's College; . F.dwatif Tomion iti.lwell anti KO., bert Ridsdele, Fell nwi W Clare hall ; Froderick Colrert; Fellow of Jeettil Cntler ; John Holmes, Fellow of Corpus - Christi (outgo; Randall Procter Borrows anti George Arelniall, Fellows of Fenantiel College; Henry GetirgP Katie sod Henry Wyock, I I' f et 1 1611 UIC ‘111111 , 5 111 va .L1V160171 ma ...won yuinesc normwr, emu assKwy Fellows of Sidney Conroe. • of various descriptions are ordered by - tto be sent to Trincomalee from that de- The Office in the HaYniarket, beleareng to this Chatham Derck-yard; none are taken General Post-Office, for dispatching impresses, by Kra l and the offers of ',trice are Wes- been discontinued, and tie esiablisbasent ressotarto Iv Lorobard-street. DUTIES oar-SAL?,`•LVATIlirti'44 The sum raised by the Salt Duties "mouth to about 1,500.000 f. ; but although it had-pigmented to floe times that sum, abundant reason might be found for abolishing them els ogether. lint if Mitaisters ere determined on having a Salt Duty, let them consent to its reduction to Is. or a bushel ; and met are convinced, that, from the amazingly increased con sumption, it would then )ield nearly as muck; if not more, than at present when tatted to the eatent of 15s. Supposing, however, that it should not, what great inconvenience would be experienced ? Weald not the iessing of a few mere Exchequer Bills, or a little additional ezertion on the pert of the Hank Paper-mill, easily compensate the difference ? These duties were originally imposed as a Teseo- FURY tax in the reign of William 111. and were at first very moderate. But it was soon found to be too lucrative a source of revenue to be given up, and in the early part of the reign of George 11. they were made perpetual. At the accession of his present Ma jesty they amounted to only ss. a bushel ; and con• tinued et that rate until 1798, when Mr. Pitt, " knowing to gag, and skilful how to tax," raised them to 10s. a bushel. In 1801, a Committee of the House of Commons, of which Mr. Vansittart was _Chairman, was appointed to enquire into the effects of the Salt Duties ; anti in their Report, drawn up bey Mr. Pansittart, they strongly and urgently re commended their modification, or rather total repeal, on the ground of their being `' hierty detrimental to the Public, in a degree far exceeding the payment of the tax itself." The " heat/el-born" Minister, however, not only &spiced the recommendation of the Committee, but, in 1805, added an additional third, or ss. 'bushel, to the already exorbitant duty ! However we may deplore that servility in our Par• !lament which could arm the servants of the Crown with power subversive of tllit'first prineiples of the Constitution, however we may deprecate their sanc tion of the unjustifiable hirliatities committed under the shelter of chat authority, we rejoice to see that the spirit of independence is not wholly estiact. On' the motion of Lord Alohorpe, leave has been granted to bring io a Bill for the repeel of the Leather Tax. While we rejoice that this Fax, which hes borne so heavily on a particular branch of the community, is on the road to abolition, few we are persuaded will not agree with os that the Duties upon Salt bear more oppressively upon almost all classes. The fanner, who rears his cattle for the market, is deprived of • rich source of commerce by the dearness of salt. Cheese, butter, bread, and all the products of his industry, are sulijict to the heavy penalties of this article—Salt. So in proportion to the espence of this commodity must be the prices of every necessary of life in which it is used. Salt is nut a luxury—it is become indis 'tensible to our subsistenre. The labourer, the me chanic, all feel the neelgqiity of Salt as an essential part of their fond. But when we consider the effects of the abolition of these heavy Duties—when we consider the acquisitions that could he made to our too Ion a :, too much neglected fisheries—when we consider the source of employment they might al. ford—uhen we consider how many idle seamen might in this vocation obtain an honourable subsist. tence—e hen all these things are considered, we are I astonished how such a , i impost, such a barrier to the I commerce arid industry of the People, should have; ! been suffered to continue so long. %%lien we behold the flourishing state of the Dutch fisheries on our very coaste, when we estimate the quantity of fish which is continually pouring into the markets of our Metropolis from Norway and other countries, whose easy access to this single commodity renders it a pro. Mollie traffic, we hete no reason to regret that great capitalists do not employ their money in the cultivation of waste commons—we need no longer Isment that our idle seamen sinslahnurers are not et:Titled in making new roads, railways, &c. The remedy lies within our grasp. Remove the Duties upon Salt, and we shell see our fisheries productive—remove the Duties upon Salt, and we shall see the wages adequate to the provisions of the labourer, because all the Ismael ployed hands in the kingdom will be ia immediate requisition for those fisheries, and, of course, the de mend for labour would find its level. When such • prospect presents itself, it is too mach to anticipate disappointment. It is a groveling policy, and ill be fits the character of a great nation to bear down the prosperity of the People from the temporary revenue to be derived from any necessary of life. The po verty and nnn-employment of the People can never enrich the treasury of the country. It is not the ne cessaries bat the superfluities of life which ought to be the objects of taxation. We trust if the cause of humanity has not sufficient inffoence, the policy of the measure will afford sufficient inducement fur its immediate repeal. At the late sitting of the Institute and Royal Aca demy ..f t;tietsce, the geld medal, tounded by the late M. DE LALOIDE, wet awarded to Mr. POND, the Astronomer Royal, at Greenwich, for his interesting researches relative to them:nal parallel of the flied stars. - I .r • .