The Statesman. — London, England, 1812-02-20 00:00:00

I h ave r eceived a confirmation of the surrender of Valencia. [Re bare praises his offiCers, end states his whole loss to consist of 25 killed and 147 wounded, of whoa eight are officers.] _ _ gg I have to pray of you, Monseigneur, to lay this statement before his Majesty, that it may obtain his favour, and atethe same time beg that he will deign t o bestow his attention on the rapidity with which such long and painful marches have been performed by his Army of Catalonia. Leaving Barcelona, I directed the division of Lamarque to move and occu py Mataro, and the sea-coast, as far as La Tordero. From Hostalrich I directed the Brigade of Ge neral Clement to pursue Fabrecyas, betwee❑ the Ter and the Fluvia, towards Olot, whilst tlle Brigade of General Beurman watched the coast, from La Tordera to St. Felice de Quexols, to prevent all communication between the English, and the Insurgents. I have charged my first Aid-de- C a mp, and Chief of Squadron, M. Lefebure, to present your Excellency with the colours taken from the division of &infield ; I beg leave to recommend I him to your kind notice. I owe the most particular eulogies to the zeal evinced by the Brigade-General Flauzonne, Chief of my Etat-Major, as likewise to the behaviour of all the Officers composing it. " I am, with profound respect, &c. (Signed) " DECAEN," (To lwrontinued.] Arr. DO Mails. I% Me. ? r Watoiterl , 1 1 1 Maks - 1 * 0 0 G•erase, a 1 1 - 3 1 . W e e:ION • 0 DAT AT ONE O'CLOCK. India Bonds I. lb. p. Exchequer Bills 8 10 pr. Ditto Omniqm Consols for Acct. 62 Lottery Tickets PRICK OF STOCKS THIS T: 1 pei Cent. Com. &in S per Cent. Red. 641 4 per Cents. 71311 5 per Cent Navy 93H Long. Mn. 16* THE STATESMAN. . LONDON: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1812. It confidently said, that the Prince Royal of Swe den, BtlIN 4DOTTE, has made a proposal to Ministers, and also to BONAPARTE, for a truce, that he may offer his mediation for a general peace. This communica tion. it is believed, was received by Government on Tuesday, through the were conveyance which brought the Anholt Mail. The declaration of the PRINCE Ilterellithat perseverance in the war is the only means of resitting a foreign yoke, it will be recollect ed, was communicated to Lord GRIT as far back as Thursday last. Had the overture of BER. . NA [MITE been previously received, we are in, eined to think his Royal Highness would hale expressed sentiments of a less hostile nature than what that letter contained. We true., how ever, if the proposal alluded to, has really been made to our Government, that the PRINCE REGENT will not consider himself pledged, at all hazards, to pro secute the war, but that he will evince a sincere de sire for peace, by agreeing to the truce. If the terms proposed by BONAPARTE are unreasonable, and such as it would be inconsistent with the honour of the country to accede to, then will the nation applaud the conduct of their Prince, in reject ing them, and then he may with confidence " flatter himself that he shall meet with the support of Parliament, and of a candid and enlightened nation." But when we consider the character of these men who are to be entrusted with the guidance of the helm of the State, we confess that there appears little hope for expecting a favour able result from any application that has peace for n: object. PERCETAL, the champion of eternal war, I. to be a%sociated with the CASTLEREAGHS, the CAN SINGS, the YA RAIOUTIIS, and the SIDMOUTICS, all of whom vie with each other as .to which shall excel in oppression, in intolerance, and in ruling the country with a rod of iron. That the Duke of NORFOLK and Lord MoIRA have rejected the offer of the Petece REGENT to decorate them with two of the )). - .cant ribbons, is now ascertained beyond all doubt. The spirited conduct of these noblemen is beyond all praise. 'With them were the " early I.hits of the PRINCE REGENT'S public life formed." They were willing to 'accept of situations under his Royal Highness, provided he acted bp to the princi l!r, which he has so publicly recognised and 'ap r;ored of. But, when they discovered a decided dtrelittion from the*, and heard from his own mouth, that he not only approved of those measures Which he formerly condemned, but was determined to Prue a similar system in future, and confide the execution of it to his Father's 'Ministers; they coeld d) nothing less than refuse those baubles which, in btead of badges of honour, would have been looked upon as marks of digrace, or as peace offerings to their injured feeling)). When we recollect the manly AA dignified conduct of the reeveratoes Fox, who, 'then all his eloquence and alt the truths which he uttered could not arouse the Rouse of Commons to a sense of the country's danger, abandoned the, Senate to the controul of a profligate Ministry, we Ire persuaded that a similar conduct, at this iwful crisis, on the part of those independent Members Who remain attached to the interests of their coun try, would have the effect of inducing the Parece REcext to call to his Councils the friends and com- Panions of his youth ; for they only are inclined to Peace, and the proofs which they have so often given et their integrity in refusing to barter their con "flees for places, peusions, hewers, or power; TUE STA' affords a sufficient guarantee to the nation that they only are capable of governing aright. We observe that a Second Edition of a morning Paper states, that a treaty of Peace has been con cluded between this Country and Sweden ; that dis patches to this effect have been received by the Russian Minister in this Country, who communicated their contents to the PRINCE REGENT as his Royal Highness-entered on the free exercise of the regal powers ; and that a Swedish Minister had actually arrived in this Country to reside at the Court of St. James's.—All this may possibly be true, but we think it very improbable. The PRINCE REGENT'S Restric itions expired on Tuesday, and had he been congra tulated on that day, as is said, by the Russian Am bassador on the receipt of dispatches announcing the conclusion of such a Treaty, - we do not understaod how an occurrence of that importance could have re mained dormant till Thursday morning, without even a single hint of it being given by the Ministerial prints. We are inclined to think that the report has arisen from the circumstance of litterAnom having made overtures to this country and to BoxonitTE. IWe received Moniieurs, and other Paris Aspen, Ilate last night, to the 16th inst. ; but from their great we are unable togive more than a part of them in this day's STATESMAN. They consist of official reports of the French armies in Spain, and include the dispatches of Marshal MARMONT respecting the fall of Ciudad Rodrigo, which is attributed to the " negligence of the Governor of Salamaoca."—lt is said in the report of Sumer, that " 40,000 English muskets, an enormous quantity of bayonets, pistols, &c. have been delivered to the French artillery. Many stores of uniforms, both for cavalry and in fantry, have been discovered, as also of ready-made clothing, aud'of red cloth intended for the use of a corps of the army." Thus it is that this country is not only exhausted of its wealth to assist ungrateful nations, who will not fight in defence of their own liberties,, but by the folly of Ministers, in persisting in so foolish a contest, that same wealth almost uniformly becomes the means of increasing the military resources of BONAPARTE, and cloth ing the inveterate enemies of Great Britain.— Possessing these advantages, who will doubt that NA.. ret.rux calculates it to be hi,s interest to prolong the war in the Peninsula The failure of the operations against Tarifa, is attributed, id the Report of the Army of the South, to the not having sounded the fosses, and the continual rains which rendered the arrival of provisions impossible. From the Report .of General DECAEN, which, with the dispatches from MeamoNT, are inserted in our preceding columns, it will be seen, that the former gained a very considerable advantage over the Allies assembled in' the vicinity of Tarragona, having taken, killed, and wounded no less than 2000 men, besides obtaining possession of all their artillery. The straAgling Spaniards in Catalonia are said to have assembled to gether, with the view of attacking Tarragona. In this project they appear to have been assisted by pert bf our troops; but, before they commenced fhe assault, DECAEN, who had learned their intention, marched against them, and the result was, unfortu nately, as we have stated. General BLAKI: arrived a tParis on the 3d instant, and the first column of prisoners from Valencia, said to consist of 1600 Offi cers, have also reached that capital. In a letter from Madrid, it is asserted, that General MAIII is shut up in Alicant, and that the garrison consists of only %00 men. There was a report yesterday, by a vessel from Gibraltar, of the fall of Alicant; but we heard no particulars or dates mentioned. The Marquis WELLESLEY attended at Carlton- House yesterday, and resigned into the hands of the PRINCE REGENT the Seals of office of the Foreign Secretarysl.ip, Yesterday about two o'clock Earl A YLESTORD had an audience of the PRINCE REGENT, at Carlton " Louse, and resigned. Afterwards the Noble Earl went to Downing-street, and had an interview with Mr. PERCEVAL. The Earl of WELLINGTON is expected to be in vested with the Order of the Gaiter. Lord CASTLE. niAott will be appointed to a high office in the Ad ministration ; Lord SIDMOUTIS and Lord Bucztavo- HASfikIIRE are also expected to have seats in the Ca binet. The Duke of Rtcnstoxn is expected to be succeeded in the Government of Ireland by Earl Pow's. Earl MOIRA had the honour of a long audience of the PRINCE REGENT yesterday. The Duke of NORFOLK had a select dinner party yesterday, at his house in St. James's-square. Mr. PONSONRY, we are happy to announce, was yesterday considered in an improved state of conva. lescence. It will have been seen that Mr. BROUGHAM has ap. pointed Tuesday, the 3d of March, to submit the Or ders in Council to the re-consideration of the Com mons House. Our ativices from Birmingham of yesterday, apprize us, that a Petition against' them is in preparation in that industrious neighbourhood, which will be signed by 50,000 persons. According to a computation presented to Mr. CANNING when in office, this number of individuals was employed in Birmingham and the vicinity to supply th e United States only, prior to the Orders in Council. ' Mr. MADOCKS, M. P. the spirited and extensive encloser of land from the sea, at Pry Madock, in the County of Carnarvon, is about to try a question of ) i great importance to the landed interest, viz.—Whe. ther land so enclosed is liable to the payment of tithe ? By some of the first legal authorities he is supported in hi owe opinion, That such land, time lannemerielohneing had no mark of boundary at high water, mulliwiwarreastty have been extra-pa. roefial i end dtht-free." A - le ;••-• -I • . NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. PoRtSMOUTII, P-• iu r as . 19. Sailed the Peacock sloop of war, Captain reake, *Rh a con •oy for the Downs; North Star, Vatour, Partridge, and Vio let, on cruises. Sailed last night the Royal Oak, Venerable, and Alieletoe, for of Cherbnrgh. Come up from St. Helen's the San Josef, 120 guns, Captain 111 6 K inley. The Valiant and Rosamond are come into .harbour, to be docked. Dropped down to St. TleJen's. the Poiesiers, 74 guns, Captain Jackson. The Last India,. West India, and Mediterranean convoys re main wind-bound. DEAL, F E B, 20, Arrived the Insolent gun-brig, from ;, cruie, and remains with a large fleet of outward bound. FALMOUTH, FEB. 17. The Princess packet, from the Isl;lnd%, with a Mail, S 4 days from St. Thomas's; and his Majesty's ship rhcasont from Coraana. I'ut back by contrary wind the Free ling and Marlborough packets. FOWEY, Fan. 17. The Express packet that sailed from Falmouth oa the 13th hist. for Rio Janeiro, potin here to-day by contrary is SHEERNESS, FEU. 19. The following shirpof war are ordered from this port, to pro ceed immediately to Anholt, and as they are all ready fur sea, they will sail without delay, •lz. —Daphne, gu as ; Raleigh, 18 gone; Plover, 18 gars; Fly, J 8 gaas ; and the Sheldrake, 16 Kans.—The Pyramus frigate, 36 011119, that ailed from Ports math on 'air lads inst. is ordered for the same destination. Arrived Mail from Malta, brought by the Pearleo frigate ; sailed from Walla about the middle of last thouth, and from Gibraltar co the lita Arrived at Port-Glasgow, on Friday, the John Crawford, Lime, from St. Michael's in 15 da•N; on the 6th inst. in latl 49. N. long. 17. W. was boardc-J by the French brig privateer, La Gazette, H. Morin, Consuiauder, of 18 guns, and full of men, and detained 10 hours,- but suffered to depart, after taking two hoses of fruit, and the Captain's quadrant. The Officers of the privateer reported, that, a few days previous, they had captured, by boarding, a letter of marque, of IJ guns, and 44 men, from Liverpool. The Cherokee sloop of uar went out of Leith harbour to the Roads on Sunday, after being repaired. She has made the sig nal fur a convoy to the southward, and wW oil the first fair wind. The sloop Rose, of Berwick, from Leith for Newcastle, was run down, off Spittal Point, on Friday afternoon, by the brig Ocean; crew fared. It was expected the would be righted at low waters Yesterday a Court of Directors was held at the East India House, when the Hon. Josef Alltit CROM RI E was a , .•iointed Commander in Chief, and second in Co" at Madras, in consequence of the resignation or Sir S. AUCIRMUTY. NIEL BENJAMIN EnmossTo Esq. was appointed provisional Coun cillor at i ..rt William. The undermentioned Com mander. ock leave previous to departing for their reapectlve destinations, viz.--Capt. II LK ETT, of the Ciressontsr ; Ctapt. HAMILTON_ of the Bombay; Capt. Capt. RA:ILIA/ID" of the illtnrick Castle, for Ckina : and Olt. Cmaricce, of the .dros, for Madeira, Coast, ant' ray. WALSEI.—Much interest was yesterday ex citt• • from an opinion which had 'gone forth that the In..' ;es would have given judgment on this gentle man's case at the Old Bailey. Their Lordship's, b' waver, did not mention the subject, and we un ti,rstand, it is not their intention to give any opinion 'during the present sessions. Ma.tolt-GENFR U. ROBERT CR WEL:P.D.—The last letters from our army in Portugal mention the death pf this invaluable Officer, of the wound he received wheh leading on the Light Division of Lord War.- NGTONN army in the most gallant and able manner, to tIL , storm of Ciudad Rodrigo. At the time he was wounded he was considerably advanced before his di , vision, animating them to storm the bread. He had commanded the Light division during several cam paiztis, with the greatest ability and distinction; and his loss is as universally and as deeply lamented by that army, RB he was universally esteemed and be loved, and held in the highest consideration. He was an Officer of the first rate talents, profoundly versed in every branch of the military science; of the most ardent zeal and truly heroic courage ; and he enjoyed the adiantage of very great experience.—Durinn. the long period of 33 years he had devoted himself to the service of his country In the ncost indefatigable manner, quite regardless of his own comfort, con venience, and safety, but sedulously attentive to the comfort and convenience of his troops, as far as circumstances would permit. They always looked up •to him with the utmost confidence and attachment. There cannot be a stronger proof of the regard the Light Division bore him, than the following cir camstauce.—Upon his return to Portugal last spring, he joined his division when the army nes 'drawn up to receive MASSENA'S attack at Puente d'Honore, and as soon as he appeared at their head, the whole division gave him three cheers in the pre ience of the enemy. Ile served under all the first characters in our army, and they all had the highest sense of his great merits. In private lift. he was one of the best, and most estimable of men. The loss that the country sustains in him is very great, and to his wife and four children it is irrepable.—On the 25th ult. the interment of the remains of this brave General I took place, in the breach. Lord WELLINGTON, and' every Officer there, followed him to • the grave.— The body of Gen. 11'1E1s:tax was found, and with , difficulty recognized ; his regiment showed all the re- ' spect possible to the remains of so brace and merito rious an officer. Capt. Dot's was buried within a yard of his gallant General. The following article, to which we attach no cre dit, is extracted from the Birmingham Commercial Herald:—" The following anecdote has been re ported ti:rus : we do not vouch for its authentici:y, though we receive it through a channel which we be lieve may be depended upon. Monsieur B.— who, with his family, resides in the neigh bourhood of W—, sent a confidential servant, to one of his tradesmen, and informed hiM that a small parcel would be sent to Ms house, direCted for Monsieur It—, whicit y !iti:it 'wotird contain, jewels, &c. of considerable value, was' reattested to be left until called for. When the boi4t*A44, the tradesman thought it most prident" to intern) Colonel' —, who F int, the &idly., of the eircatotfattce;,, and upon the boa king opened,' not jewels; loi xt tars, partly Iri'Fttinch and partly in clphir 9. found to be the twontenti; the whole of wifith, 'die, understand, baii been forwirdeigGennimeglif" . - 100, PUBLIC EDUC ATION. TO THE EDITOR OF THE STATESMAN. Ste,—l little thought; when reading tho observe- Lions which have so lately engaged the attention of the Public in your excellent Paper. upon the compa= rative merits of the systems of Dr. lizt.o and Mr: LANCASTER, that I should so soon take up my pen for the purpose of addressing the Public upon the same subject. It is hot, however, my intention to discuss the merits of the plans f either of thoee GetiCemen, but io offer a fe•t ,iertra ions upon a new stem, which I have foupd p..rsued by a fo rt-11,3er, in a part of the kingdom where I have late ly been, for the education of the children of the tiling classes of society, and which. in my opinion, is not only without merit, but differs from every sober and sensible system hitherto pursued in the education of our countrymen ; and I was so much impressed with the importance of the subject, that thought it a duty to the rising generation, to endea vour to apply an antidote through the same channel by which the poison was attempted to be dissemina ted ; and accordingly transmitted a letter from Salis bury, to the Editor of a provincial Paper, who had before published a long justification of the system t but which letter, the Editor, after acknowledging merit in the composition, thought proper to reject, alleging, as his excuse, that it was personal. As some of your Readers may not be able to have re course to the Papers which contained the observations to white that letter applies, I shall, trier requesting their attention to it, attempt in as short a manner as possible to elucidate the subject. The following is a copy of the Letter : TO THE EDITOR OF THE HAMPSHIRE COURIER. . 66 Sia,-1 was lately npOn a tour through part of Hampshire, and being struck, during my stay at Gosport, with the novel appearance of a number of boys, of different ages, attending the pa rade, and walking about the streets, dressed in mili targ uniform, some of whom displayed a degree of smartness, and others great slovenliness in their dress, I was induced to enquire to what corps they belonged, and was informed they were the ,pupils of a French Clergyman residing in the Isle of Wight. The circumstance of a Priest, and he too a French man, being the superintendent of a Military Sch o ol for knglishtnen (which I then thought it), excited in my mind no inconsiderable degree of curiosity, both with respect to the nature of the establishment, and the character of the individual who presided over i( ; but I afterwards found, that the school was very far from being exclusively confined to a military educa tion. I learnt, too, that objections had been made to the system pursued in the school, which had •en publicly answered by Monsieur Da GRENTHE, the conductor, in a letter published by 'him in one of your Journals for the last month. After some trou ble and difficulty, I had the good fortune to meet with your Papers of Nov. 23th, and Dec. 4d and Jth, containing the observations alluded to, and Monsieur Ds GRENTHE'S letter. The subject is of great importance to the rising generation, and other persons, perhaps (in consequence of the success at. tending Mr. Ds GRENTHF., in point of pecuniary ad vantage ea himself), may be Induced to adopt a simi lar course, I feel therefore-confident you will give insertion to a few observations upon the subject, es. - cclally as you hare already inserted so much, a n d i onager Ds GRENTHeII letter remains unanswered by your former Correspondent. If Mr. DE Gftx:entes.school were confined to a military educa tion, I should have no objection to the pupils being all clothed in a military uniform, because I think that an " esprit de corps," of which he talks, is, in mili tary men, an object of importance; but how such a principle can be applied to a number of boys in a school, or can be cultivated, by their being merely for a time, during childhood, clothed in the same dress, when they may be afterviards destined for to tally different situations and pursuits in life, is to me perfectly incomprehensible : the country dress is no disgrace to the son of a farmer, nor will the son of the gentleman, the merchant, or tradesman, be at alt benefited by being taught to blacken his shoes, and whiten his accoutrements for a military parade. I think that personal clealatinesS, which, I believe, is universally attended to in boarding-schools of any repute in England, is as much as ought to be re.. nuked of children is general, and that it is not only unnecessary, but extremely injurious, to give them an early taste for that sort of -dress which they may not be afterwards able to support, • or which may be inconsistent with their future situa tion and circumstances in life. With respect to the other objects mentioned in Mr. Ds GRENTHeg letter, " of preventing children from frequenting bad corn !pany and attending improper places," I can only say, that that Boarding School is unworthy of sup port which cannot secure the scholars from such in jurious society, without obliging them to wear a badge of distinction, which, when adopted with such . a motive, can only be considered a badge of infamy, not of honour ; and it is a libel upon the children of respectable Englishmen, as well as upon their parent. ) to insinuate that such base distinctions are necessary. With respect to the public performance of plays, [ agree with your Correspondent, " A Itzentan SuBsCRIZER," that it is a great waste of the time of children, though I am of opinion, that the commit.. ting to memory of select pieces from the best drama tic writers and other authors, may be very service able, and tend to Strengthenithe memory and improve the taste; but this is very diticrent from the public performance of plays, where so much time must ne cessarily be lost in rehearsals, and it practising the ,attitudes. and gestures suited to the different parts :, besides, I am confident, that duri,,g the period these performances are in preparation, the minds of the children must be diverted from more serious objects, aqd their whole thoughts and attention engaged upon :tbs approaching exhibition. With regard to the as- Isertion In Monsieur Ds GRENTHE'S Letter, that DO I one (he must mean of his, scholars, for he mentions no o thers) has ever thought, for these twenty years, of becoming a public plapir, it seems a very bold one, mad esicalated to mislead ; for I am grossly mil ,informed if Mousiest' Di GILENTHE has Weir me e than about twenty yrua is Englan ', during p„, 0, which period he wid with the rest of his bcethr .1. a w n b rl 9 sireei kuL o ta as k l e y n to rd hi u s ge esta t i be n bliZ o shit l i a g Yl ii i, B ut a oa ng t r W d u i a in i ge ig e Sc h in e r t io l e : t. at-Newport, he taught town ; and it is within the 11111111111 W five or di years, i stilt ' . . . t. -, 4411441 • ir IF t' I 2 110.-; . • ..