The Statesman. — London, England, 1812-11-06 00:00:00

uSJUSTIFIAIII.Is MGR PAWS oF BR EAD, TO Till , . !AUTON OF TUE STATESMAN. s i o l —The corn-dealer who last year favoured us from Norwich, with a couple of his letters in de. f e nce of his fraternity, has shifted his ground, and co e addresses us in London ; and like the Ghod in ilautlet, he is hic et villique.-- 1 " The edger (he says) uerer stay to weigh the soundness of opinions ad. vane s), or the justice of that abuse levelled, against corn-dealers, that the welfare of our fellow-creatures, i c e—Having proceeded to olake a few fallacious and prefatory nbservations, all :e favour of mono• poll-ars, forestallers, corn-deale &c. he then proCeeds to quote Dr. AnAM timiTM, who asserts, that the interests of the corn-dealer, and the great body of the people, in years t../ scarcity (no doubt like this), are the same;" this is a most ex traordinary doctrine, when corn-dealers have beets knot% n, in years of scarcity, to keep back grain from market until it was absolutely spoiled. He then goes on to quote Dr. S., " it is his interest (the corn-dealer's) to raise the price as high as the real scarcity, and no higher." Let me ask this censcieu- Cous corn-dealer, does he, or the fraternity, stop there ? and also let me ask him, is there any scarcity this year to justify the enormous high price of bread, and other provisions P—Again, Dr. S. " if he (the corn (loafer) raise it too high, he subjects himself to 1 s,, by not being able to sell ; and by not raising it high enough, he looses part of his profit." Dr. ADAM SMITH, when you write such sentiments, you shew your complete ignorance of human nature, and of mealmen and corn-dealers ; for who ever knew these gentry not to screw up the poor and the public to the highest pitch, even at the risk of letting grain spoil, turning bankrupts, and jfnally hanging them sch.es,,, Were it possible for one company of mer chants (he says) to possess themselves of all the crops in the kingdom, some danger might be apprehend. I eel."—l still tell hint, in reply, that there are many and numerous companies of such speculators, and avarice actuates the whole of them. Dr. S. (he says), is of opinion, " that all legislative interfereace is impolitic;" if so, eby did our Legislators feel them. selves under the necessity of enacting such severe laws against such people ?....Either Dr. AD.su Seem was dreemiug, or our Legislators were fools. Dr. S. again says, " the populist fear of engrossing and forestalling, may be composed to the popular terrors of witheraft :" this is pretty reasoning for a learned Doctor, when the ogee is only a foolish error, but the other is red, and sensible, and too severely felt by the great body of the people at large. This writer admits of a meet abundant harvest ; but, to make his falsehoods palatable, he charges the whole to the accoaut of the war. I mutt tell him that our domestic enemies are the wont ; and these who subject us to llsmbie, in the midst of plenty, are our worst enemies. This corn-dealer may attri bute wrong motives to me, Sir, but no weight can possibly be attached to such people'. opinions; there i% plenty in the land, mid my object is to let the poor t.11:1 and his fatally have bread to eat at a fair price; and it is the imperious duty of Government to see to this, and put down a nest of monopolisers that arc starving the public. The population of this immense metropolis seems to be without any proper authority to do it justice. One Lord Mayer gets his vote of thanks for doing twtiiing—is titled—makes his bow, and walks out of office; another comes swaggering in, full of bombast and professions, which all end in a bottle of smoke; alti so they sue one another. Let any one look at your Agricnitura Report, of Saturday, and then say whether the people have not cause to complain. I conclude, Sir, by observing, that your Papor, which has so firmly and repeatedly advocated the r use of the public, on this rital question, deserves tho patronage and support of the community, in its fullest extent. Yours, &c. PUBI.ICOLA. COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE. In the brief remarks which our limits allowed us to olTer on Mr. BETTY'S first performance, we detailed, In the spirit of a fair judgment, the impressions which lie made. Those were not peculiarly favourable; yet cursory as the view necessarily was, we thought there was no strong probability of a change in our opinion. The extravagance of his early popularity was easily to be accounted for; and his youth,—the natural interest taken in the exertions of a promising intellect,—the novelty of exertion at his age,—and above all, of theatrical exertion, were fully adequate to draw the attention even of those who had no 644lirr feeling in their hopes, than the promise ai a Fourte of excitement. But this has been cleared :'•%ta by film ; and the incense which folly, or fiat. try), or interest raised, at once concealing and mag nifying their Hol, has now left Ma in bis naked me. rits ; tlll elevated before the public eye, but perhaps only the nonce exposed awl endangered by his elevls• ?ion. If ne bad felt rho slightest doubt of his qualities cni their first olkplav, that doubt would be ended by their display of last night. Mr. B. way be a useful, er active, or diligent, or decent actor; but w ith this PIA* he must be content. Nature has denied him the first and simplest materials of theatrical excel lence; and art has not given him even the humble compensation that art can give. Ile has had his NI The character in which he has already talk* 4 1Yeared, is for him of all others the most advan t'geous, because the most suited to conceal his po t odiar deficiencies. His figure disguised,—his coals lenalocestreogl healed liv the costume of fie character, --the too° of his mice disregarded in the boisterous Fissions of the scene ith all in his favour that could be 1% rout:lit by concealment, he failed. /low "ill acrpoit hi:nself hereafter is scerth a uou.lue' THE STATESMAN tore. Wo are not anxious to see the leading parte , of the British stage tortured into the Male of this Aspirant, but It is by such alo n e that he eats establish whatever fame may be is Wait (be him. His next effort is to be aver:ot, in Zara. How be may triumph here by the potency of turbans arid trum pets, is indif f erent : but the great eclat 'Must be tried iu the characters that exhibit the human heart, and re. quire se intellect practised and profound hi its lures. sigation. With what hope can Mr. BetrY approach Othello, and give life and form to that noblest por trait that poet ever drew of a disturbed mind? Othello, a broad, dark, mighty spirit; torn up like an ocean, by every straggling and stormy passion; generous, and full of a soldier's frankiiess; fond, and full of 3 husband's affection ; ardent, and full of the fierceness of his burning clime ; brave and sindictive, open and suspicious, spurning at proofs and sinking before surmises ; loving to the extreme of human love, and raging for vengeance with the thirst of a fiend ; strongly persevering in the purpose from which he shrinks by instinct, and, that once gained, unable to endure the load of life and wretchedness. This is but one ordeal, and even this, not the most severe : yet, we have no wish to throw discouragements before the progress of any man who feels the spur of real or supposed capacity. If Mr. Breve should succeed, surprised as we shall be, our surprise shall not diminish our congratula tion : if he fails, he will have the warning of a judge mut unprejudiced, impartial, and sincere. MI TARY Arr Ants. TO THK KIHTOR OF THK STATLIIMAN. SIR,.•-It ii through the mediuti it the Public Papers that circumstances Ire made kaistsin, which, howeter singular in themsebrei, would otherwise be pinked bier in silence: it is therefore that I iddress you *ith the fondling communication : • A transaction hat lately been admitted, inidet high concession, in the Army, Willett I believe to hate been hitherto unprecedented ; and as regula tions upon gtiestioni of this nature were, not very long since, established by Parliament, any breach or violatinis of which were declared to incur the for feiture of commission and rank, it May be difficult to know What other dispensing authority than that Of Parliaeleut itself; could hate warranted the trans action referred to: Major-General WArreett t.r, a Saiss &leer, who tame into our service about twe' • t y cars ago, with the (then considered temporary) rank of Colonel, but who has been allowed to adtance in his rotation to that of Generil Offiter s lately, specie. has by • l grace, been permitted to name his successor to the command of his regiment. Ile has, consequently, given It to his nephew, who likeable entered our ser vice with the rank of Lieutenant• Colonel, at the same epoch, and on the sane supposed temporary footing with his uncle. The General is to retain his rank, and (it is not said by what understanding) has since obtained the permission of the French Go ! vernment to return through the territories of that country into Switzerland. Lieut.-General Meneow is stated to have since made a more direct transfer of his regiment to Major- GRIMM' WALKER. He too retains his rank, and is preparing also to return, by the same route and un l' der the same authorities, to his native country. No 1 man can be supposed to object to or cavil at the ap. 1 pointment of a veteran and deserving Officer, like"' General WALKER, to the command of any regiment whatsoever. But lam alluding to facts and not to persons; and with every liberal respect for foreigners in our service, I still cannot discover any reasoning, why they should be allowed advantages upon so large ; a scale, while the Legislature imposes, in the very same questions, such strict prohibitions and restraints on the persons of British Officers. Those who ad vert to the impediments opposed for so many years to the confirmation of rank to our own gallant General GRAHAM (who certainly had raised as fine a regiment as any in the British army), and to the mole recent supercession of a step that had been granted by hi , MAJESTY to the aspiring young Nobleman, Lori livaemeasn, will readily feel some impressions upoa this subject. GRIM& WATTERILLIL and Mtueost, it is said, have pot themselves upon the footing of the Colonels of the former proprietary Swiss regiments of France, but the similitude in no shape holds ; the Sn iss regi ments of France were raised and recruited by the Cantons, from which they were hired by the former Government; it was an affair of political compact "between the Court of France and the Republic.— The foreign regiments In our service, on the con trary, are all raised upon warrants granted to indivi duals, filled up by deserters, by recruits from prison. era of war, enlisted with boenty money from our own Government, and if any of the contracts with the Colonels were to be produced, I believe that the question of sale and purchase would not be found to have made any part of the agreements. The Regiments of Mix RON and WATTETILLE cer tainly were no more to be considered as transferable commissions, than those of Roux, DILLost, the Greek corps, the Corsicans, the York Rangers, the several battalions of the German Legion, or any other foreign corps in our employ—and the same au thority that has permitted the two first regiments to be transferred, has established a precedent for a simi lar claim to all the Colonels of the British army. I could here venture to make at the same time an observation upon a recent grant by Royal Authority, of permanent rank to the whole body of the German Legion. The remark does not spring from an invidi ous impulse, for I am too ready to acknowledge the conspicuous merits of that corps, not to allow the boon to have been highly and justly merited—but in recurring to the late proceedings of Parliament on the subject of military promotions, might not the validity of the above measure, without the concur rence of that assembly, become a question of legal doubt? SPECTATOR. We have great pleasure in stating, that Mrs. Asuz is perfectly recovered, and is about to delight the amateurs of music at Bath, with her vocal talents. The assertion that Mr. KEMSLE is re-engaged by the Managers of Covent-Garden Theatre, is unfound• ed, as no offer has been made on either side. Mrs. JonnAN is engaged to play oselve nights with the Portsmouth Managers. It is said that Mr. Berri' means to appropriate whatever sum of money he may acquire by his present professional exertion., to the establishment of a eat. rigs portion for his younger sister, who was left it provided by her father. Mr. BiIAHAM.—The report of this admirable singer's death, we are happy to find, is totally un founded; his reception in Bath and its vicinity was of the most flattering description, commensurate with his great end extraordinary talents. lie retnitiod to town on Monday, in excellent health. Offers, we underajand, have been made him from Drury-lane,;. hut he has in preference chosen to visit the Dublin, Theatre, at the earnest request of ldr. JOltts, the . Manager, in compliance with ems wishes of_ the l greater part of the Irish metropolis. '—aLad ANNIVERS4RF OF THOMAS ILIRDrs ACQUITTAL. Yesterday was celebrated at the Crown and An chor, with the usual punctuality and importance, the Eighteenth Anniversary of the acquittal of Thomas 'lardy, and others, on a charge of Treason against the Government of their couv . try in those trouble some and feverish times, winch characterized the commeacement and progress of the French Rem lution—a Revolution, the convulsions of whose shock still cootiaue to agitate and affect civilized Europe. After a most excellent dinner, the worthy chair man,-Mr. HCLL, of the Temple gave, as the first toast, The Prii.ceßegeat.aod may he recalled (not. mop Si sever fowl, re it WI usually hero given). his declaratiou, that the Clots m is held but in qua fur the people. With three.—[iipplausc.] The next toast was, The Rights of Mon; After which followed, The Trial by Jury. On this occasion, the Rev. Mr. Dit.traa addressed the room al some length, commenting on the value of that inestimable institution. The tout of Thomas Hardy. sod the re,* of the acquitted Patriots of 1791, on which occasion, Mr. HARDY and Mr. RITCHTER severally returned thanks. The latter noticed one loss they had sustained since the last Anniversary, namely, the death of Horn Tooke. He knew well the cha racter, the firmness of that individual • and he was ' sure that they would cheerfully mark t ie ineesooy of the man, while they drank his health with all that l awfulness which they would feel on entering a ca. thedral, or in visiting a tomb. Ile would propose that they should drink The 611rminly /lora Tooke, P.q. which was accordingly given in silence. The other toasts were Yhe Jun that destroyed the doctrine of accumulated TIPSI4OII --Sir F. Burdett—Lord Erskine—The Liberty of the Pres-. &c. &c. - - - - - - Mr. 1k NT, the late Candidate for Biistol l then r: opose.'-- A Nil, fair, and free Iteprese•ntatba► in Parliiunent. He then said, that he had come forward with the sole view of giving the people of Bristol an oppor tunity of asserting their freedom, not from the mere motive of opposing Sir S. itomilly. He had failed— yet be had triumphed, for no perjured or solicited man hnd voted for him. lie could not say that of his opponents; on the contrary, they had exercised the most corrupt means to obtain their majorities, as he could prove, if called upon. Sir S. Romilly had himself, by his agents, as he acknowledged on the hustings, purchased freedoms for seven hundred inhabitants previously to the opening of the poll, in order that they might vote for him.—Men who had, under the authority and direction of the said Sir Sa muel, taken the Bribery Oath. But Mr. Davis had acted as humanely, for he too had purchased seven hundred freedoms for seven hundred men, who swore that they had received neither fee 'tor •reward for their vote. Mr. Protheroe had purchased only five hundred. Mr. llAaata proposed as a toast— Ni - sonsiosier's Pa tdc and Lngl.uur• Hope—Sir F. Bardettind Lord Cochrane. • _ _ _ Nlr. Mutts, and others, who had neither the same trust in, or hopes of, Lord Cochrane, as they had of Sir F. Burdett, opposed the toast; and after some uppositiuu, it was withdrawn. We understand that the famous Five .Letters from the Duchess of Bnesswics to the Princess of %YALU, which were printed and suppressed in 1802, will al most immediately be republished. These letters, with the subsequent observations, and the history of their suppression, will create a great deal of interest in the public, and occasion much alarm to certain in dividuals.—( Bath and Cheltenham Gazette.) A play was acted at Madras on Monday, the 29th of June (The Seknol for Scandal), patronized by Ladies Hoon,lia 1.0 w, !`ln r, M ACNAGHTEN, and Mrs. CoNwAv, for the benefit of the widows and orphans of tho.c aho fell at JAVA. About 3000 pa godas were subscribed. The terms opon which Mr. Berry has been en gaged at Covent-garden Th. , atre, are 501. each night, for twelve performances before Christmas, and at the same rate for twelve nights after that period.— He is, besides, to have a benefit free of all ez pence.. A farmer named MAST, at Holt, in Buckingham shire, undertook, nn Monday, far a wager of 50 gui neas, to go on foot 120 miles in 30 successive hours. He performed five miles an hour for the first ten hours, did the 100 miles in '25 hottrs, 'and finished other 20 miles in four hours and a half, with much difficulty, having hatf an hour to spare. - He halted but two hours during the jouroey. • N.D'AL INTELLIGENCE: Arrived his Majesty's ship Victory, 951; and the baphne sloop Of war, tram the Baltic, and are sailed for Portsmouth. PooTsmoLio, No:. s.—Sailed his Majesty'i ship Slag, for 1.13b6n, with spcie on board; his Ma: jcsty's ship Doris, for Plymouth ; and th 3 Bea . gk, on a cruise. His Majesty's ship Minerva, is appointed convoy for Bermuda and the Bahama Islands; his Majesty's ship Stork, fur Cork, and the intermediate ports in the Channel. The outward-bound Baltic convoy left Bosley Bay yesterday, with a fair wind. DurrmouTii, Nov. 4.—Arrired the Paquebot and Providence cartels, from Morlaix. Previous to the Hon. Adm. BEKKULY quitting the command of his Majesty's squadron at Lisbon, he received addresses from the British Coasal-Ge neral and Merchants of that city; also one from the British Mereimots of Oporto; of which the follow jug are copies : JOHN ALVEY, Artier Vice-Cnnsel. Piertl. June 43, I-13. Itesolved,—That JOHN ALVEY, Fsq. Acting Vice- Consul, be requested to convey to Adn.i►ul Braxrczy the Thanks of the undersigned British Merchants, residing in this place, for the very marked attention uniformly experienced by them in the protection of their trade and the promotion of their interests, dur. ing his command on this station ; and although they feel the expression of their sentiments to be a very inadequate proof of their acknowledgment, they trust it will nevertheless be accepted iu testimony of their sincere gratitude.and respect. [The signatures of the Merchants follow.] '~_ ---. DEAL, Slut. 5.--Sailed this morning, the whole of the outward coasters and colliers, under convoy of his Majesty's ships Costilitus, Gambier, Countess of Elgin, Bud Sperttloior. Pi:Tamura, Nei. 4.—Arrived the Favourite sloop of war, from Portsmouth; Two Brothers, Ball, from Guernsey ; which place she left on Sun day, and the nest morning, about four leagues from the Start, discovered a French lugger privateer, at a distance; there being but little wind, the privateer chased her all (lay, and would have captured her but for the darkness of the night. Arriied the Sparruc goo brig, from a cruise; and the rosy cutter, from Basque Boa& Sailed the Mc:pornme frigate, with a convoy for Portsmouth ; Gletner ketch, for Cadiz, with dis patches ; Rapid Schooner, for Falmouth; and the 4chates gun brig, on a cruise. FALMOUTH, Nov. 3:—The following packets, to. gether with the Scylla and Setylower sloops of war, with their tosivoy, have this day made the signal for sea ; Marlborough, for Lisbon ; Queen Csw•lotte, for ditto ; Cai•laret, for Cadiz Princess Mary, foe Gibraltar and Malta; and the Chola:field, for Ha lifax. };cunt o'CLock, r. st.—The wind has come round to the westward, but still moderate weather. The packets and convoy, will not, we think, sail to night. SHEERNESS, Nov. s.—Several of the homeward hound Baltic convoy have this day arrived in the Medway ; several others have this day passed by up the Thames. Arrived at Portsmouth yesterday, after post, the Baring East indiaman, from Bengal and Madras; sailed from the former the 9.lst of June, and from the latter, the latter end of July ; and from St. He lena 13th September. The fleet which sailed from England in March are arrlved at Madras. The Bs- • ring has coma home a single ship—left no ships at St. Helena. oboe. July 4, 1312. Sin,—We, his Majesty's Consul.Gefteral end the British Merchants resident in this city, being in. formed that your Excellency is about to retire from the command of his Majesty's squadron on this sta. station, beg leave to ()O'er our sincere acknowleilge. ments for the unremitting attention your Excellency Las invariably shewn to the protection Of our cow. mercial interests, during the period of your cm. mend, particularly by the prompt attention your Excellency has ever shewn to our applications for convoys. We feel we should be deficient in the duty we owe to ourselves, and to the nation to which we have the honour to belong, did wo not thus publicly express our sentiments, and assure your Excellency that we shall ever entertain a grateful rememberance of the zeal )ou have evinced in the promotion of our in terests, and that of the British Trade in general, in this country. Permit us further to add our unfeigned wishes for the health, happiuess, and prosperity of your Excel lency and much esteemed amiable family; and with the highest respectand consideration, We beg leave to subscribe ourselves, (Signed by the Count Geownit, Joan Jai - rutty, Ewq. and Merchaoh of Lisbon.) Pnrtn. Jade TB, ISM . . Sta,—l have the honour to tiansMita copy of a Resolution passed at a General Meeting of the Bri tish Merchants, residing in this place, held at my Office on the 25th of June, 18L'2, on being informed that you were on the eve of departure for England, to which I beg to add my full participation in the sen timents therein expressed, and the high respect with which I subscribe myself, FATAL ACCIDENTS.--00 Saturday Wattled, a girl, about ten years of age, belonging to 'I bomai Algathorp, Duke's-place, Barker-gate, NottirOwe, wasbarnt io so dreadful a manner as to tattle Its death ht a few days. And about five °tie& on Thursday afternoon, as the funeral procesden . wai returning, after having deposited its tortnredredutius, the same neighbourhood was to a state of abeam by the piteoui tries of a boy about thetas's, a., of the acme of Clarke, in .Rook's-yard, whose clothes bad caight fire; and it is new lingering in the closest misery, with scarcely the most distant bops of ifi t covery. Both accidents happened blase ababoce at their mothers ; the former of whei was up flair' ad ministering aid to bir ogee :nuttier, tad the latter was oat at her daily lab our 4 1, ~~ I , ' !)! r ;;i t' a . 1 .• ~~ .t •1 tit],