The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1803-02-02 00:00:00

FROM THE LOYDON GAZETTE, Ftß. 1. liltthall, March 20, 1802. The King has been graciougly pleased to give and grant unto his Excellency Thomas Earl of Elgin, His Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary and Ple nipotentiary at the Sublime Porte, his Ropil Li cence and Permission to receive and wear the Insignia of the Order of the Crescent, given to him by the Ottoman Emperor. W& tebsll, Arvut 21, 18QQ. The King has also been graciously pined to give and grant onto his Excellency Sir John Borlase Warren, rme% Knight of the most Honourable Military Order of the Bath, Rear-Admiral of the White Squadron of his Majesty's Fleet, and his Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipo tentiary to the Court of St. Petersburgh, his Royal Licence and Permission to receive and wear the Insignia of the Order of the Crescent, uansmitted to him by the Ottoman Emperor : And also to command. that these his majesty's concessions and declarations, together with the relative documents, be registered In his College of Arms. BANKRUPTCY SUPERSEDED. Thomas 11.0.1, a( Pickwick-Lodge, Corsham, monster. BANKRUPTS. • John Boorman, of litedcorn, Kent, timber-merchant, to annunder Feb. 4, it, and M.orch 15. at eleven, at Gadha Looduo, Attornies, Mr. Dyne, Series:Ws lon, and Mr. Baradand, Cranbruuk. Kent. Falser Jackson, of Basinghall-street, factor, to surrender 19, and March 15, at ten, at Guildhall. Attorney, Mr. Revers, No. 16, Braing- lane. John Cooise, of Manchester, warehouseman, to surrender Feb. 14, 15, and Mandl 15, at three, at the horse of John Slone, the Star lou Manchester. Attontiva, Mr. Lee, 1 Templ;, or Messrs. G. and W. Nabb, So: lacttorS, Manebeger. Edward Toy, of Fymonfh-Dork, draper, to surrender Feb. 4, at orar, 15, and March 15, at twelve, at Guildhall, Landon. Attorney, Mr. Phipps, at Mr. Mangnallo,, War 'OKA-square. Juhn Jefferey, of Bridol, cutler, to surrender Feb. 15, 17, and March 15, at eleven, at the White Hart Inn, linnd strect, Bristol. Attonnes, Mr. Edward Daniel and Son, Songful, or Maus. Pearson, rump -court, Temple. • John Garwood, Royston, vietualler, to surrender Feb. 8, 29, sod March 15, at ten, at Guildhall, London. Attortnes, News. Higden and Sym, Currier's-hall, London-wall. Leigh Pinnington, Warr:noon, corn dealer, to surrender Feb. 24. 25, and March IS, at one, at the Ea"!e and Chile! Inn, Warrington . Attorney, Mr. J. Leather, Aratriugtoo. DIVID ENT) S Feb. 23. John Brinnell, Newcastle upon Tyne, }ratter and hosier, at eleven, at the Shakespear Tavern, Newcastle upon Tyne. March 22. Hugh Hamill, Cateatan-street, London, linen &ape:, at tan, at Guiklball. Starch 12. James Niblock and George Burgess, Bristol, linen.drapers, at eleven, at dr.: Rummer Tavern, in All Saints law.% Bristol. Feb. 23. Thomas 011 yin and Joseph Mandevill^, late of Bristol, merchants, at tw,:he, at the WLite I fart Inn, Broad s trixo, Bristol. Feb. 23. William Gercri, Nfaur.t-row, Pentonville, frable-kelser, at eleven, at Guildhall. Feb. 21. Adam Scott, Workington, Cumb-rlarol, mercer, at ten, at the house of 11,:tay Ssae.d, thu sign of the Breen Dragon, Workington. Feb. 23. Timms* (YR can, late of Bristol, merchant, at Mitre. at the White Hatt Inn, Broad-street, Rri-tol. Feb. 23. William Taylor, now or late of E.:thani, bent, eorn-dealer, at eleven, at Guildhall, London. Feb. 24. Peter Drinkwatev, Manchester, and Thomas Dakeyne, of barley-dale, Derby, corn factors, at elovn, at the Star Inn, Manchester. btarrh 1. Richard Goldsmith, New Bond-street, embr,i der, er, at ten, at Guildhall. Feb. 21 John Green, of the Township of II unslett, York, abaieslet at eleven, at the house of John Grr.sves, the Hotel, in Leed s. Cr_RTIFICATES. ):+..6 V.', William Farrar, Walsall, Stafford, eer. Christopher Tong,, Liverpool, merchant. Prier liepo, Liverpool, merchant. Yesterday the Master and Wardens of the Bakers' eotrpany attended the Lord Mayor at the Mansion- House, to 52: the assize of Bread, and ordered that the price be contiuned the same as last week, viz. S t !d. the Quarters Loaf. The following letter, I recnt eive at d by o: a merchant a t t Bristol, from a correspondeJAuras, sh that the reports of a dispute with the Spaniards there, were not altogether without foundation, not tsithstanding subsequent accounts state that nothing ttrious followed : HOSOUI A% SEPT. 21., MI. „The Spaniards have been applied to for giving ap the New River and Rio Rondo. Their answer was nearly as follows : —” So fir from giving up the Northern Rivers, which they held by conquest, they expected to receive orders from their Court to take possession of the British settlements in Honduras." The Subscription for the improvement of Bris tol Harbour 1; at length finally closed. It being understood, that in addition to the a...'00,0001. already stbscribed. the farther sum of AOOOI. was requi- :ite, the whole teas raised in the course of a few .Lys. A most dreadful accident happened on Saturday last at Sheerness : —Some Gentlemen had been on a shooting party down the river, and had, it is sup posed, drank too freely of wine ; when they arrived near home, six of them jumped all at once into a small boat, which lay alongside the vessel, in order to get on shore, by which unfortunate cir cumstance three of them were drowned. Medical aslistance w:ts procured as soon as possible for the Others, who, we are happy to state, arc fan re covering. Last Saturday evening a labouring man had been to the Borough Mar,:et, and bought a piece of beef for his Sunday's dinner ; as he was going through St. Saviour's -church yard, three fellows stopper him, one put his hand to his mouth , and another laid hold of his arm, while the third robbed him of thirty shillings and his piece of beef; they then knocked him down and run off'. Mr. Justice Ghost in his charge to the Grand Jury of Middlesex, in the Court of King's Bench, on Monday, observed, " that they should be par ticularly anxious to check the publication of writings and prints, immodest, licentious, or seditious, by which the young might be seduced from the paths of innocence, and the established virtue of the ex perienced might be shaken. He particularly pressed it upon them as their duty to put down gambling houses, those worst pests of society, whoever might be the keepers of them. His Lordship last of all directed the gentlemen's attention to the waggons, which frequently block lap the streets, containing shows of wild beasts, dancing dogs, tumbling, &c. He shewed these to be great nuisances, and pointed out the way in which , by means of the petty consta bles, they might be cupprend. -. • -• SNIPPING INTEREST. TONNAGU DUTY. A numerous and most respectable Meeting of the British Ship-Owners, was yesterday held, at the London Tavern, for the purpose of hearing the Re port of the Committee appointed to carry into execu tion such measures as should be deemed necessary for obtaining the repeal of the Tonnage Duty. Jour HILL, Esq. was unanimously called to the Chair. Mr. AITCIIESON reported, that the Committee, since the last General Meeting, had been engaged in obtaining information and documents respecting the state of the Shipping Interest; and that the result had completely conhrmed the opinion expressed in the Resolution of the last Meeting. The Committee, in order to obtain the most correct and accurate in formation, had applied to several Ship-builders in the Thames ; and it appeared that, since the conclusion of the late war, only two ships for the merchant ser vice had been laid upon the stocks ; one was called the /tel . fic, and the other was a ship of 600 tons, built upon speculation; and that no ship for the merchant service had been contracted for since that period. The Committee, in order to ascertain the real depreciation of the shipping interest had not only reviewed the opinion of the Brokers, but had conversed with every person in town concerned in the sale of ships. The Report proceeded to state the comparative expences of outfitting ships, the two first years after the American War and now. Pro visions bad increased nearly 89 per cent. and every article of naval stores used in fitting out ships, in the same proportion. The premiums upon In surance had been considerably advanced, yet the whole rates of freight had only advanced about 23 per cent. It was with the greatest concern, the Committee stated, that ships could not now be navi gated so as to produce any profit to the owners. The report added, that Petitions had been presented to Parliament by the Merchants of the L'orts of Lon don, Newcastle,Sunderland, Shields, and other ports and places; and that their representatives had been instructed- to support them in Parliament. The Committee felt it their duty to declare, that the whole of the investigation had been conducted with candour, and without any reference to party views. The public would therefore attribute their conduct, on all occasions, to the sources from whence they had sprung. In whatever measures they had adopt ed, they had been actuated by an high sense of their duty to the country, a due regard to its Shipping In terest, and the glory and prosperity of the empire. JOHN HILL, Esq.--. , Gentlemen, this is the re port which your Committee have thought proper to lay before you. We have met once a week, and, besides deliberating among ourselves, we have in our individual capacity exerted ourselves to the utmost of our power to obtain such information es was necessary. We have seen the Minister and his con fidential friend, Mr. VANSITTART: we were with them two hours, and did not fail to impress on their minds that the present tax was a novelty highly in jurious to the Shipping Interest of this country. We did not fail to state to them, that from the feign of Richard I. when the laws of Oleron were framed, it had been the uniform object of the British Govern ment to encourage and strengthen the Shipping In terest. We did not fail to remind them, that to the encouragement of the Shipping Interest was to be attributed the power of the raitish Navy, and that it was toy the power of the Br:tish Navy the King owed the security of his throne. Furler, we did not fail to remind them, that while they, as the Ministers cf the King, were adopting a course dif ferent from that of their predecessors, every other nation in Europe was giving encouragement to the source of maritime gteetness. /Pi reminded them that wh de Bonaparte soar promotx: and eneournm the fther.:es dad the mer:aast:e and shipping interests of France, and it,r.par - sw to ra re t powetyid navy so fight the latlvrto ,twine Ne navy of th;s eautary, it war a subje,ct of deep concern his Aiaj:sty's at its nuts anon should he par rut a condo!' nattily the rrvees:. for me to attempt to dwell on the importance of maintaining the power of the British Navy, and the impossibility of doing so without protecting the Merchant service, would be to occupy your time unnecessary. Upon this point, there cannot be a difference of opinien, but there is a subject to which I cannot avoid referrirg. An Honourable .Member of the House of Com mons lately delivered an opinion, as estraurdinary as unfounded upon the subject of our present discus sion. There can he no man who entertains a higher respect for the privileges of Parliament than myself, and I would be extremely delicate in adverting to any thing that had fallen from one of its Members, but the same gentleman has made use of similar ex pressions out of the House, and I have therefore a right to animadvert upon them. Hehas declared that the Ship-Owners had got so much money during the war, that they ought to be made to disembogue themselves of part of their wealth, and contribute largely to the expences of Government during peace. Ido believe, that if the shipping concerns, during the war, were fairly taken up and examined, it would appear, the owners scarce obtained a fair mercantile profit. If fortunes have been made by Ship-Owners, they have been made by running great risques ; but, admitting it to be the case, that dur ing the war they did acquire large fortunes, such a declaration as that to which I have alluded, comes most ungraciously from the person who made it. ; for I pretest, I know not an instance of a single in dividual, in the kingdom, who has gained more during the war by contracts and loans, than he has dune. Is it to be said, because a man has made a fortune during a war, that it therefore ought un justly to be taken from him at the return of peace ? The Chairman then adverted to certain resolutions of the Directors of the Chamber of Commerce at Hull, directly in opposition to those of the Ship- Owners of London. Mr. ArrenzsoN, the Secretary, read a letter from Mr. Voye, the Chairman of the Committee of Ship-Owners at Hull e inclosing the resolution of the Chamber of Commerce. Ihe resolution was to this effect : "That, in answer to the representations of a meeting of Ship-Owners in London, of which Mr. John Hill is Chair man, it is the opinion of this me :ting, ti at the shipping of England is not in a de,,resaed state, hut, on the contrary, that the value of shipping has of late increased considerably, and is still increa-dng; and that the duty On the tonnage of ships is neither impolitic in its principle, no injurious in its conse quences." It was signed Wm. Osborne, Chairman. Another letter was read, containing a resolution of the Hull-Ship Owners, to the effect, that the ton nage duty on ships was au heavy and unjust inrpu _ • , sit;on, and that every endeatonr should be made to obtaiii its rcise-A. It appeared that the Chamber of Commerce was a self-created Corporation, composed of Mr. Osborne and a few of his friends, arid that its resolution was of no weight or authority, and had probably been in fluenced by some ministerial promise of commercial advantages to the Port of hull. The Chairman proceeded :—Gentlemen, the Re solutions of the Ship-Owners at Hull seem per fectly explanatory of what took place in the Cham ber of Commerce, and having said sufficient as to the policy of this novel tax, I shall address a few words to you with regard to its justice, and then trust I shall have convinced you that it ought never to have existed in the mind of a Minister. I shall not enter into the abstract question, of whether if a property in shipping is a source of wealth it ought therefore to be made the subject of taxation ? I shall state (Only, that since the last American war, the average advance of all articles connected with shipping, amounts to 72 per Cent. while the aver age advance on freight is only 20, making a differ ence of 52 per Cent. Now it has been the practice of every former Minister, to send for those persons he meant to make the objects of taxation, in order to ascertain whether they could bear the tax pro posed ; this was done with regard to the Brewers, and other persons employed in the various branches of trade, commerce, and manufatures. The Ship- Owners have been with the Minister, they have strewn their accounts, and laid before him documents which incontestably prove, that at this moment they are actually losing money. Having thus stated to you every thing your Committee have done, it is for you to say, whether any, and what further mea sures are necessary, in order to obtain a repeal of the tax. If any further explanation is required, I shall be happy to give it. You have heard the Re port of the last General Meeting; such Gentlemen as conform to the Resolutions it contains, will signify their assent. ------- The expression in favour of the Resolutions was unanimous. The Chairman.—" I have only now to add to what I have said, that your Petition is delivered to the House of Commons ; and that the Lord Mayor has taken up the business with that zeal he has ever shewn upon all subjects of national importance. I believe there is not a man existing in this country to whom you could confide yourselves with more pro priety, for he unites every thing valuable as a man, a politician, a magistrate, and a legislator. The thanks of the Meeting were unanimously moved to the Committee in general, for their atten tion and indefatigable industry in endeavouring to obtain a repeal of the Tonnage Dnty, and they were recommended to pursue such further means as should be necessary for attaining so desirable an object. The Chairman repeatedly invited the Gentlemen present to deliver their sentiments. Mr. Cat.vaar.—" I am satisfied with the advice given to his Majesty's Ministers, and that it is their bounden duty to repeal this oppressive tax." Mr. CURLING —" I know no man in this city, save one, who will assert the contrary, and that one is Sir WILLIAM Cutirts. Why should his name be concealed t I am neither ashamed or afraid to name him. The Committee told the Chancellor of the Exchequer, that there had been but one ship built for the merchant service since the peace—And what does he do ? He rises in his place in the House of Com mons, and upon the information of Mr. Alderman Cuarts, Asserts, that there are ships laanched every day." • Mr. CALVERT. II At the time he spoke this, there were a great many ships on the stocks build ing for the East India service, perhaps the noble Ba react meant to include them." Mr. Custeis:o observed, that there was a manifest distinction between the general shipping interest and that of the East India trade. The Chairman. —" In every conversation with the Minister such distinction has been made. It is ap parent that there is nut a than among us who can send a ship tu the East ladies. The:rade is a com plete monopoly t far be it from me to say is a mo nopoly that ought not to exist, but still it is one. The distinctii.p referred to was expressly made by Gen. GASCOIONE in the House of Commons." Mr. Rowe aorr was of opinion, that Mr. Alder man Cu RTIS must have had the shipi built for the East India Service in contemplation when he used the express ion complained of. He understood the noble Baronet was extremely ill when he made it, and that be was suddenly called upon to make some declaration. The letters of the different Ship builders were read to prove the truth of the statement in the Report. The Chairman. "It appears, that the Minister has received information directly opposite to that given him by the Committee, and opposite to the truth. In fact, he tells us so. Now, it will well become the Gentleman who has misled him, and who has repeated out of Parliament the expressions he used in it, to acknowledge his mistake. His ob servations went to the extent that Ship-Owners were fair objects of taxation. The Chancellor of the Exchequer declared, that the shipping interest was never in a more flourishing state. His criterion of that flourishing state he takes up at two periods ; he brought a list up to prove to tis, that in 18024 thousand sail of English ships entered out more than in the preceding year. It is easy to answer this : it is well known that just before the war ter minated, a number of foreign ships came into the ports of this country. It was natural that there should be a rebound of trade ; but we did state to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, that the ships had gone out upon terms far from advantageous ; we could have produced letters from Lisbon, proving that upwards of 60 sail were laying there unem ployed. The Minister has clearly acted from mis information, and we have proceeded in a manner most calculated to set him right. We told him, we came aot more out of regard to our own cha racter than to his ; we desired him, if his time was too valuable, to appoint some gentleman to act for him, and we pledged ourselves to prove to him, either that the shipping interest had decreased, or at Once to give the matter up. There is not a man among us who would wish to restrain the hands of Istnisters ; there is not one of us who does not see the absolute neeessity of raising the revenues to meet our expenditure, but let not a Minister lay his • hands on the very vi tals of the country I let him not tear out the bowels of the goose that lays the golden egg ! I have nothing further to trouble the Com mittee with. If Mr. Calvert, whose rank in life, and long experience, entitle him to the utmost attention, 1 has any thing to throw out again! t the resolution of 1 the Committee, we shall be proud to attend to him." • Mr. CALVERT observed, that so far from having any reason to offer in support of the tax, he was of a direct contrary opinion. He had only endeavour ed to vindicate Sir William Curtis, and account in some measure for the assertion he had made. With regard to the tax, if he had an hundred hands he would hold them all up against the tax. He agreed with the Committee, that the ships were totally un able to bear the tonnage duty. The Chairman. " I hope some gentleman, v . ho is in habits of intimacy with the Hon. Baronet allu led • to, will persuade him to give an explanation of his conduct. As he has stated in the House of Com mons what is a palpable misrepresentation of the fact, he ought to be anxious to explain his mistake." (Applause.—Certa;n6 , he ought! exclaimed many.) Mr. R rot. " Let him make the explanation him self ; let not other gentleman do it for him." Mr. ROWCROFT said, he believed the Hon. Ba ronet had never been at the House of Commilsillis since he made the declaration ; he had ever slice continued ill; this was undoubtedly the reason he had neither explained or qualified it. He had no doubt he would do so as soon as he appeared in his place in the House of Commons. The debate now assumed more the form of gene ral conversation. It terminated by the resolutions which will be fottnd in the front of our Paper. The vote of thanks to Mr. Hill, the Chairman, was passed with acclamations. The meeting then adjourned. LAW INTELLIGENCE. COURT OF KING'S RENCFI, F .1. ROBINSON V. FRENCH. Mr. GAR ow moved for a Rule to shaw cause why the Nonsuit in this case should not be done away, and a new trial granted. It was an action on a Policy of insurance on the ship Chesterfield, to sail from the Cape of Good Hope with a cargo to the coast of Broil!. The cause had been tried be fore a Jury, and the Plaintiff had been nonsuited. The learned Counsel urged several material facts as the grounds of his motion ; in consequence of which the Court agreed to gr.uit a new trial. PUBLIC OFFICE, BOW-STREET. Before Sir R. FORD. On Monday evening The ma; Abbe', alias F tz praltl, was brought, in the custody of ler r, charged with defrauding a young man of 1501. under pretence of procuring him a place in the• Stamp Office. The prosecutor stated, that some time ago lie advertised for a place tinder govern ment, and offered a handsome reward. The pd. goner answered his advertisement, ani they had se veral meetings upon the business. The prisoner told him he had two places to dispose of, one in the Navy Office, at 1001. a year salary, and one in the Stamp Office, salary 601. a year. Fitzgerald desired to have a specimen 9f his writing, when he said he thought the place in the Stamp Office would snit best, as it required very little writing, which the prosecutor agreed to, and the prisoner was to receive 1501. for his trouble, which was accord ingly paid to him. The prisoner said he was agent to a lady at Basingstoke, who had the disposal of the plates for her own benefit, and they were given to her by Lord —. A day was appointed for the prosecutor to meet the prisoner at the Stamp-office, to put him in possession of the place. The prose cutor attended at the appointed time at the Stamp office, but couid not learn any tidings of the pri soner, nor had he been able to meet with him at his lodgings since. A few days ago, the prosecutor ob serving an advertisement in a newspaper similar to his o wn, of a person offering a reward for a place under Government, and suspecting the prisoner would answer the advertisement, he went to the per son advertising, and on inquiry, found his suspiain true, upon which he related to the person the man ner in which he had been defrauded. They accord ingly agreed to exert themselves to apprehend the prisoner, and on Monday evening, being the time appointed for the final settlement of the business, they gave information at the above office, and Ri v Err went with them, authorised with a warrant, and on the arrival of the prisoner, he took him into custody. He was coznmittei for further examina tion. Yesterday, the two men in custody, on a charge of rubbing ;he Chiswick Fxrand Cart and stabbing one of their pursuers in a most inhuman manner, the particulars of which were before stated, under went another examination before Mr. BOND and Sir Wm. PAasotis, and were fully committed for trial, and the parties bound over to prosecute both for the robbery and assault. About one o'clock on Tuesday morning, as ions; TowsiseNn, jun. and LAVENDER, two of the Po lice Patrole, were passing through Crown -street, St. Giles's, on their duty, they met two men with a very large bag, one of them having it on his back, and the other supporting the end behind ; the offi cers stopped them, and desired to know what they had got in the bag; the men made no answer, but the one who was supporting the bag immediately stabbed TOWNSEND high up in the side, nearly un der the left arm, and then with the other ran off and made their escape, leaving the bag ; LAVENDER and the watchman carried him to his lodgings, in the neighbourhood of Tottenham-court-road, when the discharge of blood was so considerable, that it was feared by his friends he could survive but a short time. Mr. Artoa Lws, the Surgeon, was directly sent for, and on his examining the wound, he found the instrument (supposed to Ise a large knife) had entered the cavity of the chest, and had passed into the lungs, and his opinion is, we are sorry to say, a very unfavourable one. The bag contained up wards of 100 pair of men and women's shoes, stolen from a shoemaker's, in Earl-steet, Seven Dials, which was broke open the same night. A meeting of the Ship-owners of the Port of Hull, was held at the Guildhall et that place, on Saturday last, to take into consideration the best means to be adopted to oStain a repeal of the present law, im posing a &Aron the tcnna g e of all vessels sailing to foreign pmts. Several res olutions were entered is.- to ; by one of them it was resolvc.l, that SA Nil lA. THDRNTON and JOHN STA RIFOR I H, EST's. be iv. quested to co-operate with the Members for the Lity of London, and of the different out.norts, i n using every exertion ¶o obtain a =Fed of the law. • _ - F, .~: .