The Statesman. — London, England, 1812-11-24 00:00:00

A...) • - Air -. t I' . f { t I 'IIIE STATESMAN. carry his orders into execution, under specious pre texts : the opportunity was lost, and Cadiz remained • besieged. The consequences of this want of obe dience we have thoroughly experienced; and thanks to him who has made them cease ! Government then found a reason, and afterwards many others, to proceed against this General ; but conceiving that the evils which his want of concur rence in the general operations would diminish, if they succeeded iu bringing him to a sense of his true obligations, and desirous, on the other hand, that the country might benefit from his valour and activi ty, continued him in his command. But posterior events have clearly demonstrated how useless it was to expect he should vary his conduct. The enemy abandened the Andalusias; Gen. Ballet teros marched to Granada, and having there collected the greater part of the disposable force of his army, openly opposed the repeated °Niers which were trans. !flitted him to march in a convenient direction, and occupy au important position. As if in a state of somnolency, from his entry into that city, not only has he not obeyed their orders, but he has neglected to pursue, or annoy the enemy in any manner; and if at any time he awoke from the lethargy lit which be appeared sub-merged, it was only more and more to contravene the intentions of Government, by col lecting there the dispersed, who ought to have pro. needed to another destination, as had been deter. reined, and frustrating, by all possible means, the best combined operations. Whom then will this General obey ? To what na= lion do the troops he commands' belong, if the Spa-. uish Government cannot depend on them ? The sol diers of the 4th army are soldiers' of the country ; they are not Ballasteros's soldiers. But what has exceeded all expectation is the last step Ile has just taken, of which neither the nation nor Government can for a moment feign themselves ignorant. The situation in which the Peninsula is at present placed, demands, that in order to reap the fruits of the late victories, ensure and extend their effects, and protect us against fresh irruptions from the troops of the Continental 'Tyrant, e powerful and uniform impulse should be given to our troops and those of the Allies who defend us, that they should be concentrated, and in one hand place the direc tion of the tsar. The General Cortes, convinced of this necessity, and satisfied, on the other hand— satisfied with the generous and glorious exploits which the immortal Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo has performed in our favour, to whom we are equally bound by love and gratitude, determined he should have the command of our troops—General Hallos tcros openly refused to obey this sovereign decree. • Thus, says Government, in an official dispatch, 1 addressed to the Minister at War, this seditious de nial it as printed and dispersed in ditferent.places. ; In it, under the apparent veil of patriotism and , honour, he provokes to rebellion, exciting by false reasoning the strongest paisions of the Spaniards, i and excites to political convulsions at the moment j when the utmost union is required to save the nation. ! It sass, he wishes to take the opinion of the nation; he then does not acknowledge its representatives— and in addition to disobeying the Government and Congress, he denies the latter to be the national re presentation. We ought not to conceal from this General, that in our history, we have repeatedly had foreign Ge nerals at the head of our armies, without, on this account, haling had the liberty and independence of the country compromised ; such for example were the Espinolas, Farneiscos, Piscarras, Vandamos, 4c.; neither should we hide the generosity with which Great Britain aids us, nor the necessity we stand in of these aids, nor of the interest that Power . takes in the liberty and independence of Spain, to palliate, under false principles of honour and ridi culous fears, so scandalous a proceeding. When we scarcely begin to breathe, at rising ! from the painful situation in which we were ; when the provinces begin to see the so-much-desird day • of their liberty dawn, and to taste the sweets of a paternal Government, and of lasts formed for their prosperity and happiness ; when now, that nothing 1 but the union and combination of our force, to drive the French from our soil, is wanting, now it is that a Spaniard, the most flattered, and the most reward- , ed hi the nation, will not acknowledge the national authority, and sets the scandalous example, in our glorious revolution, of a General at the head of his army refusing obedience. Yes, for the advantages be has obtained, in some actions of trifling considera tion, lie thinks he has a right to place himself above the laws.—What could not the conqueror of Baylen ! eay ? What the heroic defenders of Saragossa, Ge rona, and (Wier places who have covered Spain with glory ?—And what the valiant Mina, Sanchez, and many other heroic Spaniards who have spilt, and , are spilling their blood in defence of their beloved i country ? No soldier can donated as the reward of his valour the slavery of his fellow-citizens. The national Cortes must not admit a bold soldier, under pretence of his honour, to transgress the sanctuary of the laws. " WHAT WE ARE. Ballasteros ! the celebrated Ballasteros has fallen ! At length have his rivals triumphed. What grief! In vain were all your exertions ; in ruin your intrigues and machinations against this Gene ral, till he himself gave the victory into your hands. You cannot glory in his fall ; nor can he charge you with it. He has precipitated himself ; and, per haps, he alone could have overthrown himself with a single blow. Gen. Ballasteros, blinded doubtless by military fanaticism, and fighting as in a piirenzy against a phantom, has plunged his dagger into the bo som of his country. Great, extremely great, is, in our conception;the evil he has been the cause of. In his misfortune he may boast that his extravagance does not present him in the light of an odious delinquent, but of an illustrious fanatic, deserving of compassion. 0 fanaticism, fanaticism, who can limit thy fury ? How many illustrious victims have been sacrificed on thy altars. Ballasteros resounded in the acclama tions of the troops—the name of -Ballasteros was beard Kith pleasure in the towns occupied by the enemy—the name of Ballasteros was heard and feared by the French 'legions—to be a soldier under Bollu‘terys. was a recommendation throughout the peninsula; and Mina himself, that celebrated parti san, saw with predilection tlio soldiers of Buliasiefof. Cadiz, that town which is not easily dazzled, saw Ballasteros within its walls ; and gave, such proofs of estimation, as, compared with the indifference It manifested with respect to the famous Blake, gave a new impulse to the blunted attacks of his enemies.— We then feared his ruin; but the Goverment con ferred upon him new honours and employments. In the mean time Ballasteros continued actively to labour, which is what is particularly required in this kind of warfare ; and whether his achievements were what he stated or not, it is certain his reputation continually increased, and nothing is of mare im portance than confidence in a General. In these circumstances, only envy, or the want of political judgment, could have asserted things which ought to be suppressed. But among mortals, he who has the fewest defects appears the best, as in every thing we judge by comparison. Lord Wellington arrived, and his fame increased with his victories. —What wise patriot does not consider Welling ton as a Spaniard, as the Tutelar Divinity of Spain. The National Congress itself has manifested its sen timents of him, by decorating him with titles and ho nours. At length it committed to him the Com mend-in-Chief of the Spanish Armies, with the ap probation of all those who prefer the liberties of their country to a Gothic and romantic honour. Ah! but General Ballasteros cannot condescend to sub mit to this determination : and can General teros refuse to obey the command of the covern merit, and of the nation, represented in Its Cortes ? Foolish vanity. What malignant genius has seduced thee, 0 truly-deserving Getteral, flattering thy pride and self-love to eclipse thy glory ? Hast thou not said a thousand times, that obedience is the founda tion of military discipline ? What greater honour can there be. than to do that which the country re quires of us, and which is the more valuable the more it is repugnant to our feelings, and the more it cost us. Be restored to yourself, that our enemies may no longer exult, and patriots mourn. He is a fool who is obstinate in error ; the wise and truly great man will acknowledge and endeavour to repair his fault." IRELAND. DUBLIN, Nov. Nov. 17. TUE KING, AT THE PROSECUTION Or THE POLICE MAGISTRATES, V. JOHN MAGEE. This was a motion brought on by Counsel, on the part of the Defendant, in arrest of judgment, and ably urged by Mr. Hamilton, on Friday last; when Mr. Swift, Counsel for the Prosecutors, begged the indulgence of the Court to reply to Defendant, till Tuesday.. In the interim, the Police Magistrates, by their Attorney, sent a message to Mr. Swift, that they would dispense with his services as Counsel; and that the other Gentlemen who were not then pre pared to argue it, would be ready on the next law day, and insinuated to Mr. Swift, that he got his brief merely as a compliment. To this extraordinary and unprofessional intima tion, Mr. Swift very properly said, " that he would take no brief as a compliment, and that he OF a s re solved to explain the transaction to the Judges of the Court of Ling's Bench, lest they might accuse him with having trifled with them. Mr. Swirl- accordingly, at the sitting of the Court yesterday, appeared before their Lordships, to re deem his pledge. He stated, that in the case of the King v. Magee, he was ready to reply to Mr. Ha milton, and mentioned the treatment he had received from the Police Magistrates. _ _ _ The CHIEF JUSTICE, and the other three JUDGES, expressed great indignation, and declared it as their opinion, that Mr. Swift was extremely ill-treated.— They also observed, that it appeared to them extra ordinary, " that Counsel, who were appointed to argue the case by the Magistrates, did not attend ; and that the Gentleman, who had taken the trouble of preparing himself, would not be suffered to go on." Mr. Swirr threw up his brief, and the case stands for judgment._ The Police Magistrates having thus abandoned their cause, no doubt can be entertained of the judgment's being arrested ; and thus has the Proprietor of an Independent Print been relieved from an oppressive and vexatious prosecution.—( Dublin Evening Putt.) 111 R. BROUGHAM. [FROM THE DUBLIN EAININD HERALD.] We have given insertion to Mr. BROUGHAM'S ad mirable Address to the Electors of Liverpool—a pretliiction which does equal honour to his head awl to his heart, and which we wish to put upon record, As a document that draws the great and decisive line between freedom and factiousness, between the ge nuine principles of the Constitution and tlae,glosses that have been put upon it by party. We recommend it to the serious perusal of our Readers, and trust that its principles and its feelings will sink into their hearts, and work there that Reform of their preju {bees and their predilections, which must precede all Other Reforms. It is in vain for a man to prate of Li berty till he has learned the true value of his suffrage, •and has determined not to sell it. It is absurd to talk of the corruption of others till we have rescued our own minds from the contagion. That being alone, who is impregnable to the temptations of a Court, and prefers the cheering approbation of his own mind before Place and Pension, unfairly earned, can pre sume to class himself amongst those intrepid assertors of Public Liberty, who, like BaouotiAm, can make their Electiou sure, to their own conscience and to their Country's Ccup, and give the history of their political life as the test of their adherence and con sisteuey.—Surely ouch a man will not be lost to the representation :—The miserable pqrporation of Li verpool may have been influenced to exclude him, but if there is not spirit in the Empire to place him in Parliament, the Empire deseryes to sink into the arms of the weak and wicked crew whose miserable shiftings gull expedieuts are brining it to inevitable ruin. During the uncommonly dull and dense fog on the morning of Sunday settnight William Page, con fined in Lingo i lli Castle Qt► the charge df bigamy, con trived to make his escape, and has not been since heard of. The' name of the keeper of the Castle is Merryaccaiher—a circumstance whitli renders this escape the more uffseosonabie. JOHN B. TROTTER, Ese. PRIVATE SECRETARY Tv the late Right Hon. GUAR LES LIMES FOX. • . TO THE EDITOR OF THE WEXFORD JOIJaNA.E. ' SIR,—I feel impelled to lay the following short , I statement before the public to prevent exaggeration, 1 ;or correct misapprehension. An assault, with intent 1 i to seize me for debt, having been unsuccessfully made [ ! on the morning of the 29th ult., some persons in the : neighbourhood of my residence, near L o ft us -h a ll, • were alarmed, and came to me to desire to know l I whether this proceeding was for any thing important, 1 las they had heard that I was accused of attending • 'Secret Meetiligs. In a little time after, Mr. Tier ' • TENHAM'S coachman placed himself as a guard on my ' ! house, and, armed with a gun and bayonet, used the ' i most violent and alarming expressions : among others, : ! that 44 the house should be burned down;" that i 64 I should be picked out for my Loyalty;" and that . : Mr. WMANus, a CATIIOLIC young man residing • : with me, and A PARTICULAR OBJECT OF HIS INSULT, 64 should be transported." It was equally necessary for me to restrain the impulse of the young man's wounded feelings, and to protect myself and family . from the insults o f this armed Servant who declared . 1I ' ! that he acted by ma MASTER'S ORDERS. I succeeded I in both, although agitated by this unexpected insult, I ; and ignorant of the motive which could urg? any t ! man to treat me as a suspicious and disloyal charac . ter. No Sheriff appearing, we thought of the affair • no more. Shortly after, however, Mr. Torree dHAM, arid the Rev. Mr. HANDCOCK, appeared at the back of the house, attended by a number of per -1 I sons, aud summoned me to open the doors and stir. L , , i render as a violater of the laws. I denied that any . ! legal step had been taken against myself, but offer ed that bail should be get for any person sworn 1 I against, for assault.—that they should go out to the i Magistrates for the purpose ; and I requested that 1 the Servant (who in the mean time had by force pre vented a letter passing to the Magistrate), might be withdrawn. Mr. TOTTENHAM seemed to feel all the' i reasonableness of my conduct, and here the affair, I 'as I concrived, was about to terminate—when i the Reverend Mr. HANecocx, whose residence is ten miles from my late abode, interposed—in- i . sisted that there had been 'flagrant violation of the laws ; and although I denied the fact, (as hastily 1 sworn to by a man inflamed with passion, and igno- I rant of the import of legal terms), declared he would I Igo for a Military force if I did not open the door. I I declined doing so. The Military to the amount of six or seven, with a corporal, were in some time brought by Messrs. TorreNnas and Il.tencoce. They had bayonets fixed, and muskets loaded.— , The door was calmly thrown open to them. The : paternal feelings 'his Royal Highness the Duke of YORK has manifested to my family since Major , TROTTER'S death, have filled me with gratitude—a Soldier always appears to me the symbol of honour —the memorial of a brother's courage and vir tues, and pledge of a Royal benefactor's protection. The Military, Mr. TOTTENHAM, his son Mr. T. TOTTENHAM, High Sheriff of the County of Wick- low, the Rev. Mr. 114tencocx, and others, then entered my peaceful abode. Myself and family were arrested for an assault and rescue by Mr. TOTTENHAM, and consigned to a Constable and Mi litary Guard. The Bailiff now came forward, and, for the first time, produced his writ. I learned from Mr. CHARLES TOTTENHAM (and not till then) that I was proceeded against for debt. I had mistaken him for the Sub-Sheritf of Wexford, who did not at all appear. , I then stated to the Magistrates, in the presence of Mr. TOTTENHAM'S Sons, whose conduct was uni formly polite, that I had recently suffered by a se- 1 vere fall from a rock, and was ill able to walk the High Sheriff of Wicklow offered the use of a car- 1 riage for the following morning, which I accepted with thanks. Mr. HANncorrt then proceeded to 1 seize a borrowed fowling-piece, and ordered it to be sent to the King's stores. Mr. WMANus, for remonstrating, was collared by the Reverend Ma- , gistrate, and threatened to be 64 lied neck and heels and sent tojail.",My efforts wore successful to pre- serve the peace and prevent riot. The young man I became patient, though justly indignant. Mr. HANDCOCK proposed to search the house for arms, but thought it proper to retract. To my offer of giving bail in the evening, Mr. TOTTENHAM assent ed. In the same evening he declined taking it. ALL NIGHT MY MOUSE WAS FILLED WITH ARMED MEN- I the following morning we tendered two competent i landholders as bail—they were refused. A common car, hired by Mr. TorrvellAst, was driven to my door, with an arm full of straw in it—l dismissed it— no carriage appeared ! Mr. TOTTENH A m retracted the 1 offer of his son. 11l able to walk, I prepared to sub- i mit, rather than create disturbance by resistance, or I inflame the minds of the people in my cause. How- ever, I previously and publicly requested the Rev. Magistrate, to search my house before I went — I held my papers ready to the last, and though no authority from Government appeared, I courted the exercise of this extraordinary step to vindicate m 3 self aud satisfy the Magistrates and the Public. Mr. HANDcocx declined this, and to my renewed expres sign pf uneasiness in regard to the imputed Secret Meeting!, remarked, that he knew of none, unless 1 teas conscious of them myself! ! !—and said, "had it not been for obliging us to bring ;14e Military, this would not have been ro!!!"—I replied, then, Sir, you avow the last motive which ought to actuate a oilmistratn in the . n4akinistratio4; of Janice...4s . ...... ♦ ~ .. ;1r . • - yENce ! The Reverend Magishirsdr,rt tri 7 eor;tletita ungo,Fttiteili.,l,z " Come, Sir, go on—l am nut to b e in su l itt i by e returtrd RUFFIAN —like YOU !!!!!!" 'll • ' - !cepts of CHRIST, which this ed Gentiernan ie is sn i d pop ‘re. to inculcate—the dignified character .4 m • I the decorum between Gentlemen:as to expect this. The Rank I once enjoyed fl a ,h ed fore my mind—painful remembrances %lulled my ex. hausted frame—Reason for a moment tottered—lse. I covered—and resisted this provocation to br ektk Public Peace ! My Country in its reputation for tranquillity through me ti Gn. vernmeut has no riot to investigate—the R.verold Magistrate, EVEN w h en INSULTING siE—Wa s r espect. ed. I then proceed e d on f oot, accompanied by sel family, and surrounded by soldiers, to Duncannou Fort —(it was a circuitous route to Wexford, ex ceeding the ordinary one by fire or six tni! e ,), Alarm and rumour preceded me—Truth dispelled every idle tale. The Bailiff, elated with the use of the Military, actually urged our proceeding to Tagh. mon, a day's march of nearly tzcenty miles, in ult. He was indignantly silenced by Captain Hear, who, in forwarding us with a fresh guard, did not forg e t all that humanity, and politeness, prescribed ! We arrived late at Fowke's Mill: the Guard continued with Military strictness to attend us—a soldier u,t in the room at dinner—two or three remained at our door all night—again at breakfast,another was placed in the apartment. A Gentleman of high respectability of this County, and another person at length gave bail. A Magistrate, who possessed the feelings of a man as well as the honour of a Gentleman, discharged as ; and after suffering nearly two days, UNDER Mx. LITARY COERCION, I proceeded ON FOOT, to Wes. ford Marshalsea, singly accompanied by the en. ' fortunate man, who had sworn spinet myself and I family. The laws MUST DECIDE whether all this be justifiable—l make no comment—l revere the tdmi , nistration of those laws—no disloyalty has ever marked my family —my attachment to the Pam; REGENT of these Realms, has survived all the theta. ations of adversity, and I have Bever forgotten that he was the friend of him whose memory I revere--I ' respect his Government—l have not been betrayed into clamour or discontent against it—l would anxiously desire to save that Government from em barrassment, or to apprize it of danger—l love my country and am tremblingly. alive to its good opi nion. In attempting to vindicate the liberty of the subject, I trust I shall, as far as a feeble hand can do, aid the best interests of the one without incurring the disapprobation of the other. I am, Sir, your obedient humble servant, JOHN BERNARD TROTTER . Wexford Marshaices, Nov. 10. The Revenge, 74, Sir Jolts Goat, is fitting for the Mediterranean. Extract of a Letter to Major Cartwright from a Gentleman residing near Sheffield, dated the 4th instant:—" At Sheffield, the Petitions for Parlia mentary Reform, are signed by a great majority of the population. At Rotherham, I understand, they are rapidly signing, and they are now also signing at Barnesley. In the parishes also of Wath and Ec clesfield, they are signing with avidity ; and I doubt not but the same feeling will pervade all places where persons arc to be found to set them a-going. Yea saw the tardiness shewo here by persons well affect. ed, yet I believe there are now none here but what are satisfied that the measure was what is right.— There is therefore the greatest reason to believe, that were you to visit, with your friends, those counties you mention, you might bring forward the public mind in the same way as these districts have exem- plified." THE Da tua.—Mr. KEMBLE, it seems, has re ceived a distinction, which did not adorn either Mr. BETTERTON or Mr. GARRICK I—Some of the chief men among the leading Booksellers, have proposed to him, a new edition of SuAalsreatt! With a pe. cuniary offer, fully equal, if not more than equal, to the literary advantage itself ! This is a fine and fair triumph of talents I—A►.d, advanced as the text now may be, many more advances in it may be expected! for, indeed, it is certain, that the Collection of Mr. K. (in the OLD Plays and other cotemporary instru mental books), is far beyond all preceding libraries, not excepting Mr. STEEVENS and Mr. Mazones!— And, k-may be presumed, he would not so have ac cumulated books, without the purpose of all skilled and popular use of them ! Since the national com pliment to the unrivalled meat of Mr. GEORGI Gamut; in one department of knowledge—or since the renown of the STEPHAN!, in another, we have not heard of any well-won distinction, which has pleased us, and, probably, will please most of our Readers, so much. On the 3d of November, the Spanish corvette El "Masco( arrived at Cadiz from Lima. Besides cargo of gunpowder and saltpetre, she brought 457,670 dollars. The Meteor, Capt. Fisnca, which arrived last week from the Baltic, left Admiral Hoe at Wing°, in the Egmont. The ships would have the Baltic generally, on the arrival of the Russian fleet, at Gottenburgh; the Cressy was appointed to lead the first division down ; and the Ilamadryad the second. The Russian ships are badly manned. The Zealous and Ethanol hail sailed with supplies for the ships ill the Belt, which were straitened for provisions. Adm. Mounts had gone to Nano, to re-hoist his flag iu the Vigo. The Ire-mongers of the West End of the Town, commenced their annual operation Yesterday of laying in the frigid stores a winter for the luxuries of the next summer : all the light carts and jack-ass testae were in active requisition on this occasion. Persons who are desirous of procuring particular Numbers in the present Lottery, must make knot diate application, as there is only one Ticket of each Number, and not duplicates, as in the late Lotteries; the classes being entirely done awe', by the drawing every esmber separately frost the Wheel. . . . i, ~ ~:•. , I '1 ~~\ ~• ,~ ~~. 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