The Statesman. — London, England, 1818-03-26 00:00:00

• 1. I - • ------ uranammem Diumy44NE , IIEATRE. • . -1 : I The Dew drama whkh has been in preparltioNfre BOW tie* at this theatre, entitled Rob Roy, was pro. armed lasi night ; and if it did not delight, certainly net tl little surprised the audience. The Author of this piece (Mr. Soma, from whom we have had the more s accessf el perk, ma nee of The Falls of the Clyde), in a preface which he has given to the few songs inter vened through it, aura—" Scarcely one fester, of the romance remains in any or the first personages ; Diana Firwon, Rob Roy,Dougal, drc. are essentially distinct from the argil's's, bearing the same names." This was indeed the fact, and an onfortosteone it was for the Proprietors of the Thestre,who, we hear, have expended above 2,0001. on the getting op of this piece. Ix speaking, therefore, of this Drama, it would not be just to compare either its locidents or its charac. ten with those which are developed in the novel. The nether disclaims having borrowed any thing very nuterial from that work, escept the 'tames ; and why be shoeld have borrowed even the names under such circumstances will be matter of surprise, escept from the paltry motive of availing himself of their celebrity. It was the Wrenn of bad taste, to summon a crowd swf spectators to see certain persons, with whom we had already formed some intimacy, and then to tell es, just hero& the curtain was raised, that those whom we cat to visit as acqwaintancos, were per fect strangers; that they bore, indeed, the Highland name, and that the mountain plume waved in their bonnets; hat that, in no other circumstance did they resemble the images we had received in our minds. But the misfortune for the author is, that their feces were not only al! new, but inditirlually the reverse, in every feature, of those which the novelist had painted. For the truly entertaining picture of a Scottish Nlvgistrate of the old srhortl, delineated in the character of Rollie Nicol Jarrie, made so much of by Laseott, at the other house, we have in this piece, that of A Hard or Seer, with his harp, uttering the unfortunate esciamation, " I am tired of the world, and the world is tired of me," which the wearied audience confirmed by expressing bow mach they were really tired of such rhapsodies; and for Delen Alapgregor, the wifeof Rob Hoy, the pride and the pillar of her clan, and still an en• thusiast in all the gentler affections of our nature, we have a female asmstrin, defying the Omnipotent arm of Heaven. spurning every tender and generous feel. ing, and who is actually made the mother of the horn of the tale. Diana Vernon suffers also, in this general revolution. In the drapery of the Novelist, she don not altogether appear to great advantage.— She is self.dependent, self-taught, and yields to the role of another, with manifest reluctance. Bet in the Drama, this contrast of character is lost. She is quite a common hoarding•schonl girl—yielding to passion thoughtlessly—confessing it unblushingly.— The incidents of this Drama are briefly these : Diana Vernon (Miss Surrnson) is betrothed by a !amity compact to Rashleigh Osbaldislon (Mr. RAE).—It is the wish of her father, General Vernon, that this compact should be strictly adhered to ; but she revolts at it.—She be. tomes attach ed to no less a personage than Rob Noy hiere44(; And just at the moment that her forced mairiagiiiith R osbleigh is about to be cele. bruited in the chant,. Rob rushes oat from behind a monument, attended by a bode of his clan,interrupts the priest, and compels him to join together in wedlock the ready bride and himself. Helen. oho is here the mother of Rob, becomes enraged at his union with a southeron ;" she eventually curses her son, gives a draught,* hich she supposes to be poison, toDiana, but which turns out to be only a soporific potion ; and at length, drives' by her remorse into open hostility with Heaven and Earth, she wanders out among the mountains, and is killed by lightning. The other main incidents are the rencontre of the clan with the English army—the capture of General Vernon, the capture and ultimate escape of Macgregor. The story, such as it is in the Drama, wants correc tion and probability—the scene where Diana is shown her grave is shocking. Miss Surrnsom gave to Diana every attraction of which such a character was susceptible. In the marriage scene she dis• played great force and feeling, and met very lively applause. WALLACIL performed l)ougal. As often as he was upon the stage, the piece was supported by the audience; as soon as he was uff, n poen' weari ness was felt. Mrs Giovsa sustained the part of Helen. Mrs. BLAND, Miss CuBIT?, and Mrs. BELL CHAMBERS, COMO upon the stage, but they had little to do or to say. Mrs. BLAND introduced a pretty little Scotch air. KNIGHT was everywhere as the substitute for Andrew Fairrerrice. The Piece met with strong opposition at the close, hut it may per. haps be rendered less objectionable, by a free aturtail• meat. LADY MO RG AN'S FRANCS. This work seems to engross more than ever the Public attention. Its the third edition, which lately appeared, are some curious observations respecting certain Revipweri, which we particularly recommend to the notice of oar Readers ; they have been sub joined, says the Author, in sport or in indignation, according as a sense of the vileness of the attack, or of the mischief of its intention, happened to be pre valent at the moment of composition. The sale of the work, however, has kept pace with the perse vering malignity of its assailants ; and a very marked expression of Public feeling has condemned the on dignified and captions censures of its professed de tractors. That political reflections should be mixed with a work like France was inevitable. A pro. found sense of the fatal consequences attendant upon the prevalence of certain opinions influenced the Author in its composition, and she has given to it the colouring Which proceeded from conviction. She has described what she saw—she has spoken as she felt ; and if her opinions are erroneous, they are unbought and independent. She has been repro sented as anti-national : she wished only to give a more social, a more European turn, to the habitual feelings of her countrymen. She has beets accused of impiety : she bore witness only against an hypo- critical seal and the perversion of religion. To the enemies of religious freedom end a constitutional Government alone, she has given designed offense; and to them she is not disposed to make apology or jostificatiou. THE $'J BERRY BROUGHAM, En. • On Mr. Broogham's passing- through PrOiteit,' in his way to Kendal, he was waked upon by a Depute. lion of the inhabitants, who presented to him an Ad- ' I dress, of which a Correspondent has transmitted to ell a copy. " TO H. BROUGHAM, ESQ. " Preston. March 21, IBM " We, the undersigned inhabitants of the town of Preston, beg leave most respectfully to convey 'to ybu this small tribute of our esteem, and to comma nicate to you oar most grateful acknowledgments for the valuable and important services you have render. ed your country, as a Member of lb* House of Clsmoons. 'We thank yen for the very able man. ner in which you have so constantly and disinterest edly advocated the great cause of civil and religious liberty, wherever and by whomsoever attacked.— We hate long and justly considered you the earnest and indefatigable friend of the oppressed, and the steady defender of our legitimate rights and pri vileges. Your whole Parliamentary career has been devoted to the promotion of justice against the assts. ciation of clamour, tyranny, and oppression, and your heart and mind vigilantly dedicated to the ame. Horatian of the whole human race; to the mainte nance of those pore awl equitable laws so wisely framed, and transmitted down to os by oar ancestors, bat which bete se icifeenously been *rested from ea by the present imbecile and corrupt Administration. 66 Your constant and invariable opposition to the increase of the already immense load of ovation de serves our warmest praise; and your noble and pa. triotic resistance to the suspension of our constite. Hopei liberties entitles you to the gratitude of every , real Englishman. " That your desire of obtaining the high honour of representing your native County in Parliament may tie I roetieti wi!ts tho SOCCISS your virtues, pa. idolises, and talents so eminently entitle you, is the siucere wish of your admiring countrymen." Ilrle follow She i.ignateres.) To this Address Mr. Brougham returned au elo. quent and appropriate answer. COURTS or JUSTICE 1N -SCOTLAND. The Commissioners appointed to enquire into the Duties, Salaries, and Emoluments, of the several Officers of the Courts in Scotland, have made their Third Report. It relates solely to the constitution and practice of the Sheriffs end Commissary Courts, and to the fees and emoluments of the Judges and Officers belonging to those Courts, which are de. tailed under different heeds. The most, and indeed the only important alteration suggested by the Com missioners ill this Report, is the abolition of the whole of the inferior Commissary Courts, and plat. ing the sole jurisdiction in the Consistorial Court of Edinburgh, under one Chief Jude, to whorl they propose to allow a salary of train 12001. to 15001. per ann., so that he m gh► d , vote his whole time and at. tetition to •he duties of the office. This, they state, would afford a prospective saving to the Public, after the demise of the persons who now hold the inferior appointments. In the details of the fees and emoluments of the Sheriff-Clerks of the different Counties, en office of considerable trust sod responsibility, it appears that till within thyse few years this important appointment has been a matter of traffic, and that the office of Prin. child Sheriff-Clerk has uniformly been sold by his Majesty's Keeper of the Signet in Scotland, which, during the present reign, has almost been an here. dilary office in the family of Dundas. Several of the Sheriff-Clerks somewhat reluctantly state the sums they paid for their appointments, while others complain so much of the enormous prices demanded, that, after paying their Deputies, and the expence of insuring their lives, so as ultimately to secure to their families the consideration-money paid for the no• mina/ion, they were actually losers by the transac tion. It will scarcely be credited, that the present Lord Melville, during the period that he held the lucrative place of Keeper of the Signet, received up wards of TittutY Ttionsoto POUNDS for the sale of Sheriff-Clerkships only, independent of the salary and other emoluments of the office, amounting to up. wards of 3,0001. a year. The Commissioners, on this pert of their Report, add, " that on account of the manifold evils result. ing from the sale of these offices, which had come to be very generally felt, and were Publicly adverted to by the Supreme Court, the power of making these no minations was expressly excepted in the Commission granted to the present Keeper of the Signet, on the 13th of August, 1814, and reserved, as formerly, to his Majesty's PrinCipal Secretary of State."—Mr. %Vm. Dundas is now the Keeper of the Signet, and though the office is shorn of so large a part of its for mer perquisites as the nomination of the Sheriff-Clerk ships, his Noble Relation, on reigning it, stipu lated for, and actually receives, 10001. a year as a sleeping partner in the Sinecure! CORO.VER'S INQUEST. An Inquisition was taken no Wednesday, before T. %Yu ma, 1:p. at the Mason's Arms, Upper Berkeley -street, Port man-ignore. on the body of Mr. Robert Prover, of 17, Adam street. West. (lades Want visited the deceased on Sunday last ; they en. tared into conversation; the deceased was very unwell; be asked him what ailed bin ? he 'hook his bead and said, •- all was not right ;" he asked him what was the oceasino of his de jection, and be informed him that biepecuoiary affairs were der:lard, and he was almost mad ; he bunt into tears, and then raved very incoherently ; he was alarmed and left him. Mr. Z. Mettle belongs to the family of Lady Parker, No. 41. Upper Brook-sneet. On the night of Sunday last. be slept at the house of the deceased. and was alarmed about four o'clock on the following morning by the cries of Mrs. Prosser; he ran down stairs, and saw the deceased lying on the landing-place. at the top of the first stair-case; his bead was banging over the Main. Upbo lifting him up he fouod his throat shockingly cot ; he was conveyed into the back parlour, mat medicsl assistance sent for, bat before the &Reeve arrived Mr. P. was dead. CoeoNta.—What instrument did he cut his throat with ? Witness.—We looked about for the instrument, and so did others, but it could not be found any where. Foreman.-1 think the instrument ought to be tumid before we return any verdict. Several Juryman.—Certainly, it ought. Coassaca.—lt •is evident t►e deceased was insane, and so doubt hat be committed the act himself. Beadle.—The premises of Mr. Prosier have been searched, and the instrument has not been discovered. Robert Goody, surgeon, stated the nature of the wound; be said the main artery of the neck and the wind-pipe were sever ed. Venlies—lnrinity. Upon funber enquiry it appears the deceased left his bed and went into the privy, where he committed the act; he took a dish with him to catch the blood ; and it is s• be threw the instrument dawn the privy. After be eat his throat *ran np stain, a ben be [ell, and was fogad by Mr. /deem. 'ATF.SMN. WWI EDITOR or rug Si'dritS JUN. • . gni; —At a time when the poblit . atteatinn Is so much oceepied . with the proceedlop is the these of Commons relative to the bad testily of the Porter brewed by the principal brewers In the Metropolis, it may not be considered irrelevant to Inform your readers oetclicemstance that occurred in this prison on Thirstier . lest. Mr. Lusuntavost, Master of the Crowit..olfico, who, onderstattd, is appointed to enquire into the abuses of Prisons in general, had been previously written to on the subject, and in January last was shown a sample of the Beer then drank by the prisoners, and pardoned inside the 'salts, also a sample which was obtained from without side, and brewed by the sante brewers, which bore not the slightest comparison; indeed, so bad was the Beer, that at least four-fifths of the prisoners wore disordered by drinking it. Finding no alteration, it was deetned necessary again to speak to him gm the subject, when Mr. LVIMINGTON was of opinion, that the Porter and" other matt liquor (the only beverage allowed) should at least be as good as that drank on the outside, " as it must tend more to the advantage of the Marshal," from his deriving a profit of thirty shillings on each butt consumed within the walls. Mr. Baoocnoorr then went to the brew-house, and returned with a Gentleman (oho, I understand, is s partner in the house) and the broad cooper, for the purpose of examining the Beer, when several butts were con. deeined as not sulkiently good to be drank. The general good arising from this examination [ bate nut et present arrived at, but doubt not the effects that may result from it. Your relation of the cir cumstances in your independent and widely circu lated Jouroal, will much oblige your very obedient servant, A CONSTANT READER. Kiag. Bench Primo. Match 24, 1818. PROPORTION or CHURCHES ro POPU- LATION. In the year 1810, the Secretary of Stale was com manded by his Majesty, in consequence of an Ad• dress from the House of Lords, to desire the Arch• bishops and Bishops to procure from the Clergy, Re turns of the Capacity of Places of Worship belong big to the Estab!haled Church in Parishes of ishich the population amounted to WOO persons and up wards. These Returns were laid before the Howie of Lords in 1811 and 1812, by command of the Prince Regent, is. consequence of an Address from that House. !'pon investigation, these Returns proving imper fect, the Archbishops and Bishops, in purseatsce of a Minute of Council, bearing date the 13th of Decem ber, 1814, sent out a list of Queries to every parish in their respective dioceses for the purpose of ascer taining the capacity of the Churches and Chapels, and the number and condition of the Glebe [looses, and the value of Livings not exceeding 1501. per annum. Answers to them. Queries were received ln 1815 and 1816, and in consequence of an Address is his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, 'stricts from them were laid before the House of lords in 1816, as far as they related to the Capacity of Churches and Chapels in Parishes coutaining more than a cer tain population. From the Abstract of these Returns which Mend to 214 large folio pages, we find the following to be the total results : Number°, Benefices . . . 10,421 Population • . 9.940.331 ('birches of the Establishment . 10.192 Chapels . . 1.551-11.749 Number of Persons tbey ran contain 4,1/0,F75 Glebe Houses At for residence . 5.417 Benefices which bare no Glebe nooses . : 2.626 Glebe Houses not At for re•idence , 2,183 Livings not exceeds.% £lO . . 1 . 2 _____ 20 . . 45 so . • 119 -- 40 216 50 • • 314 tie . . 214 70 . . 301 80 278 ' . . 251 . 59 250 , • 189 . 254 go _----. 100 .—.—.--_— Ito . l4O . ----. 191 . __.--- 14) 217 ---. 150 2,9 Total number of Benefices not exceeding £l5O . 3,503 Number & Liv jogs. tae valise, of whirls toe mt spe cified. bring reterneal a. Lopropri.dious, or Ap propriations . . Sinecures . . . Number of Livings not iaeleded in the preceding clus.e.. nod therefore pawned so escted the value of £l5O yearly . . . 5,995 . PONTEFR4CT ELECTION'. 27 SS An triplicities it appears has been made to God frey Higgins, Esq. of Skeilow•Grange, by a number of the electors, to offer himself as a Candidate to re• present the l 3 'rough of Pontefract in Pdrliament, to which that Gentleman haw returned the followiug sensible and constitutional answer (COPY.) "SkeHow-Grange. Fcrr)bridge, March 11. 1111?. GINTLIllerf,-1 le►terday received your Letter.' The application to represent your Borough in Perlis. omit, with which your have hammered me, is not the first which I have received. I as not surprised that the force of corruption should hese strong as to pre. ✓ent many persons giving their names publicly to sap• port a mast of known independent principles, witkeut a considerable prospect of success. No perm's, like me, pow/ming only a moderate, though independent fortune, can Afford to spend his money in contested elections. A man involved in debt is too open to the lures of corruption to be prudently trusted in the management of public affairs; therefore if your object is to have one for your Represented,e who will stand forward firmly as the friend of freedom and the enemy of corruption, you will not espect him by involving himself in pecuniary difficulties to reader himself en. worthy of your conidence.—l shall not sake many professions, bet once for all fairly toil you, that if you do IN the honour to elect me, it is not my in teution to bribe or be bribed. Net intending to sell my vote, I will not buy my soot. If the freemen of Pontefract have public virtue enough to elect Bo- Prksektatitell in eTtSt respect es their .11-mbere are elected by the inhabitants of - Westminster, I shad' be proud to serve them, sod they . shall toll in me weal and.fidelity. Bat before I take any steps In en affair of this kind, I hope it will not hi thought en. reasonable to require that some probability of success should be shown oe the grounds I have Stated, which are the only grounds on which I shall ever consent to come forward. I beg leave to smite you, that I feel much gratified with the approbation which yea hare expressed of my conduct. " I have the honour to female, Gentlemen, 66 Your most °Wield hurnts..le . servent s •• GODFREY 111G0tt49. 4 This Is an example worthy of general imitation ; and the sentiments contained in Mr. Iliggins's'fotter cannot be too generally promulgated on the sire of a General Election. The electors of Pontefract, we know not how' truly, have been represented as notoriously chrrept i and the example of that Borough has been used by. one of oar County Members as an argument against an enlargement of the elective franchise. This slights' they have now an opportunity of 'removing, and If - they have the public virtue to return to Parliansent es• ' man of independent principles, silliest taxing ids puree, they will give a triumphant and illustrious re.' futation to the slanderous allegatioas brought against' thetn.—( Leeds Merertr.v.) , • :f ; • a.,f..... ME ARMY. /: .' ......Ito,f • • 1 ...c.;Vdse• (4tt`i ~., • ••••••••••••- It • ' liorbe.nuards, March t, 1818, 1 , At a General Court-Martial held at IVlttiehall, on the 12tb of January, 1818, and continued by ed.. josroments to the 15th of the same month, Brevet., Major William Bailie, of the 25th Begtment of Foot, was arraigned , upon the eeder•mentiottesi . charge, viz. : For Yawing. on or about the 2 dof Mirth. 1817, prolatred a encouraged, and pot himself as the head of a combinntio• of ' Olken of the 75th regiment, against Mujor James Peer. the Commanding Dicer, by 'colas together is oppiiiiiiina to his . orders, with the view of controlling the Cominand.ng (liter its the doe exercise of Ms proper authority, and thereby elfeetiag 'division la the regiment. notwitintandiug be was fretitteatly called aims by Major Peat, the Coinsaaneiag Oliver. for his support. as Second in Command, lo discolour/mincing and potties a stop to the Mid roothiaation, and for persiwieg its the tame in • subordinate and daileroas conduct. .frusta 'he otbuire•ti 'Witold • time, to the 17th of May following, i n di /mice of the ewes. disapprolia.ioo of Colonel Massa Cndd, ibe Dicer Command. ing the garrison at St. Aune's. Rat badoes s all such ronduel be ing highly injurious to the discipline of the te l iintene. aid pre judicial in good order. mod in direct violation of the Omani Orders aid Regulations of the Army. Upon which charge the Court came to the follow. int decision :---- The Court having maturely weighed and Considered the est deuce adduced an the part of the pi...sr-cotton. no sell as oboe has been oCered in defence. is of opinion, that therm-Moder William Bailie is Nut Guilty of the charge preferred wig* him, and does therefore fully acquit him. -,.. 1 (11 i i i i i The Prince Regent hes been pleased, in the 0 and on the behalf of his Majesty, to approve Mir confirm the finding of the sentence of the Court. Although the charge against Brevet Major William . Bailie is not supported by evidence, yet it appeared to his Royal Highness from the proceedings that there was a disunion among the Officers, which some in. dividuals sere culpibly active In promoting, "thick tended to subvert the good order and discipline, and to cast discredit upon the character of so old and re. spectable a corps as the 45th regiment, and chick ' perhaps in this instance eould not have occurred flea' ' Major Peat exercised his command with that firmeeii ' or strand discretion which his responsible stithiss4 called upon him to exert"; for if there tested alit - good reason, founded upon military errengentene and distil:line, for fixing the time of messing at anjr 4 I particular hoar, he failed in tint baring issued eviti firmly enforced an order to that effect ; and whether such reason existed or not, he appears to have-144.f dicinesly exposed his authority, by a weak atter* . to enforce it through half measures. Though a more judicious exercise of Mhjor Peitfr i discretion, es a Commanding Officer, might ha • averted the circumstances which have given rise If / 11 this Court-Martial, yet the prince Regent has beetle' pleased to consider that the question involved in the' proceedings ought not to go forth to the Army elihoet., some reference to his Majesty's regulations, In "hick' the advantages of a well.regulated mess, upon OK*. ' ciples of subordination and gentlemanly deference 'pd' authority, are strongly inculcated, and in prOportiest as a respectable system of messing among the Mick,' forms a teiy material feature in the discipline of a corps, so is it essential that the Commanding Officer, who is responsible for its maintenance, should possess a proper authority, and have the power of regulating, among other things, the hoar of dining, with refer. ence to the other calls for the attendance of his OM. ' cers, and according to shot he considers doe to the support of good order and economy among them. ' It is presumed that every Officer holding a situa tion of such reppoosibility and importance as attach to the command of a regiment, will nerds. this so• thority with a discretion that seed not unnecessarily interfere with the convenience of individuals, and his Royal Highness has been pleased to command, that the attention of the Army shall be fully drew* to the observanCe of this principle, so essential to disci pline and good order. . The Commander-In-Chief directs that the fore. going charge preferred against Brevet-Major Were' Bailie, of the 25th R•glesent of Foot, together with the finding end sentence of the Cosa, and the Prince Regent's comers's& on this occasion, shall be entered in the General Order Book, and read at the bend of ' every Regiment in his Majesty's' service. By command of his Royal Highness the Como mender-10-Cblef, :, , ' ' ' , MARRY CALVERT. Adjetnnt-Cientral. ' ... :t Lt /a 5 f . Whilst the earrisiel were waiting for the company et Count Licrow's on Saturday night (Sr rather, three o'clOck on Sunday morning), the watchman found the door of the Prince of Ilessellosseusto's carriage wide ,epest. He instantly informed the coachman of t he circomstence. who was still sitting ou the box, The coachman directly got down, and, on rsaminatioN' kestsd that one of the cushions was . stolen; and, realm, around, he perceived a mica openingille s ifooi, ' the Marquis D'Ormottni. card age. lie' %est i yin towards him, and found hie. is the act 0 6 ins out the ceshious. On beie r g seized, he pleaded dostress, and said, he was a see. tint ant of place, but would not' acknowledge that he bad robbed the Prince of FfEssz-Hoisunao's ear * riages: be was, eventually,. given' le charge to this coustable of the Bight. ' .. % I e I WM . •