The Statesman. — London, England, 1812-04-08 00:00:00

gn 106, of which 17 fell in the town. This bombard strut of the enemy has no other effect than to teach ailte inhabitants to deiyise their menaces. hi Attctr 24. s o ul./ marched from Puerto on the 21st, it is thought towards Saville. Report states, that the Chiefs Nomad. and PENNE,are with their troops to proceed to the camp at Gibraltar. Gen. Bat.t.AsvE ssis teas, it is said, obtained permission from the'Go ip,.:4ineiit of Morocio to obtain horses from thit Iflon).—(Redador GM. March 21.) Va. French have continued, though but slowly, wjrk of bombardment, which they began ou the Their balls, aris natural, fall shorter every ire, almost the ikole fall into the sea, scarcely one of them has mad the fortification, whirl' is oppo site to Cabazeula, and hitherto neither ball nor gre made have touched a single person, or caused any damage worth mebtioning to the buildings. The only thing which our enemies have accomplished, is to add this rare and uncommon incident to our history, and At new title of respect to our Constitutional Code, be muse our youths cannot do less than view it w ith more veneration, when they recul to memory the glorious days when their forefathers swore to defend it.—( Regency Gasetlee.March CARTES. TheSonstitation wag read by the Senors Treail sod NATAILETTE, the one reading and the other com paring reelprocalty. Senor Ttakeltsked : " Is this the Constitution which the Codes have sanctioned?" All the deputies rose np,.ourri the Secretary said, " It is declared that it is." The President then pro. nounced an elegant discourse, congratulating the Representatives of the Spanish Nation that the wished for day had witted which had completed and con— armed that Constitution which was adapted to secure the prosperity and happiness of both hemispheres. ; Tt,:s ei.,csourse was received with universal and une qualled apPiettse.. The decree of the Cortes writ then read, which, according to Art. 18 of the*Con stitution, exclules frimlike succession to the Crown I of Spain the Infant Don FRANCISCO DE PAULA. and 1 his descendants; the Ex-Queen of Ernutil.t and her I descendants; and the Princes - MARIA LOUISA (pre- I sent spolise of NAPOLEON lloNsessurs), daughter of I the Emperor of Austria; FRANCIS IL. and her de-1 acendants; and; in consequence, in case of the; failure of Faun:rano VII. the Infant Don Coatis, I sad their descendants, ilhe succession to the Crown 1 mill be in the Senor,' Doane CARLOTA JOAQOINA,' and the Senora DONNA MARIA ISABEL, Infanta. of Srats.--(gunciso, Morch 19.) I Tlw arrival of the Cadiz Mail, and the pressure of ether important article, have prevented us from making any remarks in this day's Slalcsnias on the vroceedings of the Combto►► Hall, held yesterday, ha consequence of the refusal of the Patnce ktEGENT to vtceive their Petition on the Throue. The Meeting was most numerously attended. In our preceding column, will be foend a copy, of the Petition voted by the Livery on the 16th ult. together with the Re solutions of yesterday, which were ordered " forth nith" to be delivered by the Sheriffs of London into ►is Royal Highness's own hand. A telegraphic message confirms the return of the I:0i ient squadroo. Five sail of French line-of-battle ships aro said to !:ne dropped down the Scheldt to Flushing, ready for dart. Tho Morning Star cartel, Capt. LAT! E, sailed on Fuuday from Plymouth, with an American 31es- F , mger, with dispatches from Mr. itussria., Amp ricm Minister in London, for Mr. B.tnLow, in the same capacity, at Finis. She is bound to Mor. The Frig_ t o of guns, Rear-Admiral Moms, sailed on Mondays from Portsmouth, for lying° &mud. Admiral M. is to take the command in the i Baltic, till the arrival of Sir JANES S MA RLI. His Majesty's schooner John hall, sent into Dover, on I .llondayi morning, a small boat with seven French prisoners, t rhich she yesterday picked up Rear rpeachy Head. The Frenchmen state, they made their escape from Portsmouth, had been tw o days and nights at sea, without any provisionsoi sad, not having a compass, had mistaken Beachy ' Ii ad for the French land. A Bill of a most eitreordintry mature has bees brouiht forward in the House of Representatives* Amerira, for the purpose, as 'it is termed, of prole& 4 ing American seamen. It has been read a grit ea; second time, and committed. The principal provl 'loas are, that if any foseigner shall be guilty of im- • rressing any American citizen on board of a foreign . ship or vessel, if he shall be arrested, he shall be tried arid convicted as a pirate, and suffer death ; and the American so impressed, on his return to hid country, s'.all be entitled to 30 dollars per month during the ' time of his detentio n , an d may recover i t b y a su i t o f 1.14.:git attachment against the debtor of any British creditor ; and what he shall recover, and the costa, I Oiall he so much payment of the debt. At the request of tti;Romso Catholics themselves, the !notions of Lord DOmo6nnuottz, in the House of Lords, and of Mr. GRATTAN, in the Commons, wilt be postponed till after the 'Petition of the Rowan Catholics shall he presented to the Purliz Ileoster, which caouot take place, we feel, tilT'Thursday se'nnight. The Courier says, that " the Act of Separation be tween the illustrious Personages the Parries and PRINCLSE Of WALES, received the signature of the . lime - himself, and of the present blinisters," not the late Ministers. • • i Abont four o'clock yesterday, a poor old woman, a pauper. of St. Bride's Workhouse, attempting to cross Fleet-street, opposite Bride-lane, wbilc throng of carri4ges was passing, was throws down ) a waggon, on, of the wheels of which west um 4vr head, an* killed her on the spot. THE STATESMAN; PO LICE. The Report of the Committee of the House of Commons on the Nightly IVatch,and Police of the Metropolis ordered . to be printed, was delivered yes terday morning. The Committee first directed their enquiries to the state of the Nightly Watch, conceiving this branch of the service, in consequence of the late occur lrences, to be pressed upon their attention with more urgency than any other. Had they found the defects in this part of our Police to have been each as to have I demanded the immediate interposition of the Legisla 'tire, they would have made an earlier Report; but' they observed, that the apprehensions which had been ' excited had produced such a degree of activity and !vigilance in many parishes and districts, and such a Conviction that the former means of security were in sufficient, that all immediate alarm on this head had • been in a great measure removed. In some parishes the inhabituts heed taken upon themselves the duties of superintendauto of the nightls , watch—and such a system has been so effectual, that the Committee !think it necesshry only to recommend le4islative measures to give an uniformity and permanence to it. I No immediate danger being to be apprehended, the Committee proceeded to a more detailed and compre. hensire view of the circumstances, influencing and affecting the state of the metropolis as to its Police. ~, i The Metropolis is divided into three parts. The .City of London . City of Westminster, and the several parishes which ate neither within the City ' off Letwiew nor iho -City of Westminster. - - t . - The City of London is governed by particular . 'Charters and Statutes—it hat its System of watch, and ward, and the Marshals of the City, with their a.sistauts, visit nightly the different wards, take. care that the Constables do their duty—make morn.' ing reports to the Lord Mayor, and notice any defi ficiencies or neglect. i ' The City of Westminster never having been incor porated, has not the same means, or the same grads.- : tion of its Public Officers. But powers are given by 1 27th of Eliz. to the Dean and Chapter, and to the. High Steward, to make regulations. Lord Burl&gh, the first High Steward, made regulations, and divid ed the City into twelve Wards. The 2.9 th of Geo. 11. enlarges that of Elizabeth, and directs the High Constable to obey the High Steward, and the Petty. Constables the high Constable. The 14th Geo. 111. prescribes the duties of constables,' &C.. more particularly, and referring to thn an -1 cient statute of Watch and Ward, recognises the principle, that the protection of every dis trict is compulsory on the inhabitants. But upon , the whole, no uniform system prevails. The I ith i 1 Gee. 111. has been little known ; it might be amend- 1 ed, and higher rates allowed to defray the expence of an increase "of the numbers or wages of persons in the nightly watch. The Committee recommend strongly that the Watchs ? be relieved once at least in the night. But the main improvement will be to have a superintending power over the persons ap- ! pointed by parochial authorities in cases of raiscon- ' duct or neglect. - , . The Committee then touch upon the Police Offices, l `Which they consider to be defective, inasmuch as 1 they hive not any superinteudance whatever iii mat-1 Mrs—of preventive and parochial Police. Tbey Merely constitute the first stage in the administra. tion of criminal jurisprudence, stud it seems extraor; (finery that iii such a Metropolis as 'London, there should be no office in which information is collected, from which intelligence cau be obtained as to the state of the Police. Bat great advantages might be derived from mak-. Ing these Police Offices, points to which informa tion might be habitually communicated, and daily re ports from the parishes within the district. . Some of the principal Volice Officers to go round, according to some rotation, and to visit the watch houses, and report upon the constables, patroles, and watchmen. The High Constable N$ ;thin the se- vend divisions occasionally to snake similar visits. Parochial aiithoritier-to meet sad make more detailed rules for the constables and watchmen. A great mass of information being thus collected at each respective Police Office, it ought to be accu- Mulaied at some central point, in order to have a ge neral liew of the Police, lied to be able, from the comparison of the different facts, to devise means for the prevention of crimes, or for the detection of criminals. llow-street is recommended as the proper central point ; and some person to be appointed to compare and digest the intonation, for the purpose of com municating it to the flow-street Magistrates, and the Home Secretary of State. The Thames Police Office to have additional funds, and to have more. boats applicable to that part of the , river above London-bridge. Green% ich requires another Police Office on that !'tide of the river, but the Thames Police Office is to 'l9:removed to the Surrey side for that purpose. The 3itd Geo. 111. is stated as' defective, because it does not authorise Police Officers to apprehend pick-pockets and reputed thieves, but under certain ' circumstances. If further powers were given, the apprehension of these offenders would be greatly fa cilitated, 'but the Committee do not see how the powers already given could be enlarged cousisteatll trial the general liberty of 'the subject. It seems desirable that the 51st Geo. 111. should be amended, I doubts having arisen on the construction of that and the 3•241 Geo. 111. whether they extend to the city, properly so called, which is stated to be at present the resort of many reputed thieves. • It is'cliticult to prosecute to conviction receivers of stolen goods. To check this evil, the law respecting search-warrants to be amended, and to be put in force by night as well as by day. Ilackuey-coaches, the plates of which ar: often taken off when stolen property is conveyed ) mall have the proper number painted on the passel of the coach. Magistrates to have further means of rewarding Police Officers, whose reward should then nBt depend upon or grow out of the conviction of any oftender. Increasing expenoe of criminal progerutions is a source of the increase of crimes. It is therefore .ng-' gested,, Whether the expences to a limited extent might not be defrayed out of the parish rates. There Is a great incongruity in the system for go verning the Metropolis, owing to the Magistrates of th City of London net beinj able to perm ) by their warrants; beyond the local limits of the 'City, goods stolen within the limits of the City. The Cons mittee conceive that the warrant of the City Magis trates should operate, without being backed by any other Magistrate, within a circle of five miles of the Royal Eachaugs, and the warrautaof County 'Ma- gistrates, within five miles to o c iessßosal Exchange, should operate within the 'limits of the City, without being backed by the City Magistrates. ' There are many other parts connected with the sub. ject of Police; periods for which offenders are con fined, places where they are confined, nriti-the man ner of their being returned upon the community, &c. but these have been referred to other Committees ; and . the Committee, therefore, have confined them selves to those leading principles of superintendance and controul', and to that system of provident vigi lance, which, by watching assiduously over the in terests of the community, may maintain without in terruption its good order and security. There is a very long Appendix to the Report, con sisting of extracts from former Acts, Reports, &c. LAW INTELLIGENCE. COURT OF KING'S BENCIK NISBET? V. SWIFT AND CO. This morning the long expected cause between these parties, which has excited so much interest in ; the public mind, came on to be tried. The Attor iney-Generul and Mr. Garrow were for the Plaintiff; 4 and Messrs. Park, Jervoiso, and Marriott, for the Defendants. • The AITORNET-GENZRAT, opened the proceedings lby stating, that this was an action for the sum of 1 1C,0001. 1 being the pioceeds of the half-share of (Ns. 27, which was drawn a Prize of 20,000% and . ; which Mr. Nesbett had directed Swift and Co. to bespeak for him, by paying ss. to the Clerks of the I • Cashier's O ffi ce at the Bank ; and that howeve r ridi i 1, culous it might appear, it was nevertheless common for persons, either from dr4ams or calculation, to take . a fancy to particular Tickets, which had hem the case with the Plaintiff in the present instance, %AO i was strongly impressed with the idea that this No. t 1 27 would be diawn a great prize. The Defendants' answer to the 13111 in Chancery was then put in rand read, which sheaved sati4actorily that they, Swift and Co. had taken the usual steps to procure i the Ticket in question, but by some accident it never came into their possession, and consequently they ; Could not sell it to the Plaintiff. . The ArroaNEY-Gcncam. then called his first wit ness at the commencemetit of whose examination Lord ELLENBOROUGU stopped the proceedings, and directed a nonsuit—saying, that Swift and Co. had done all that could be required of them, and ought ' not to be made liable for any accident that might prevent the delivery of the Ticket to them. Greg onand Dickson were the attornies for the Plaintiff; and Mr. Grove, of ftathbone-place, fof the De fendants. NAPA I, INT ELLIGENCE. PORTSMOUTH, Apart. 7. Arrived the Sprightly from a eruice, and the Leyden frigate . with the following tramports from the Ilediterranean, as per numbers and letten, their names we have not bees able to ewer tabt:—Nes. 310, 71, 6ti, ( 211, 171, VS, WI, 164, 251. 431, 145, 19t 1 , 27-I:ettery A. ill. BF. CH. NM. OK. M. IT. 0. CF. and Sailed his Majesty's ships Snine, rreya, and Romulus, with.: the ltieginsent, fur Lisbon ; North Star and Spitfire on a ; cruise 4 Porcupine. for Quehe- ; Vulture, for Guernsey ; and the Spitfire fur the Downs, have hauled down their signals, and the Phoebe is appointed it the rums of the Porcupine. No other convoy is appointed at pressiit. • Inv,Lt7dcu is under quarantine. . PLYNIOUTII, Arms. S. • A: rim, the Poictiers man of war. from the enstwrini ; Acorn Ploop of war, from the hlediterratean ; Fervent gun-brig, with a fleet of tr.:wspurts, from Lisbon; the Speedy gun-brig, from Falmouth; and the Intviligeut gun-brig, from a e. vise. Sailed the Alert .loop of w ar, with toe convoy for Newfound land ; the 1% hitiug, Bramble, Maciservi, and Alp %ea sLhoutiers, un a cruise. The Montague, of 74 guns, is hoorl) expected at this port; on her arrival, Admiral Bison will hoist iliF nag on hoard her, and proceed to the Brazils, to relieve Admiral De Courcy on that station. FALMOUTH, Aran. 5. Arrived the Lord Hubert Packet, from Cadiz, io 10 day.; soava frigate belonging to Admiral Durham's sqviatirob, in lat. 45. lout. 10.91). Sailed his Majesty's skip Pelorus, with the Portugal and Me ! diterraneao -convoy ; Marlborough packet, with a Mail for Lis bon; ChestertieN do. with for Jeanette. We klajesty's !hip Seraph, from Plymuedi, with part of the Pelona convoy, waned lids port to-dsy. • DEAL, Aran 7. Arrived hie Medestfs ship Mars, from Portsmouth; ead . Cor- I deli* entiverletes, from a enlist. • Lirepailterlilkean the River the General Wellesley, Brew., ' tic OitaNl Isdneg. r • Fart CUOLKONDBLEY possesses an estate of forty. thousand a.year, besides 1.00,0001. in the funds.— Poor loan, bow much he stood in need of a place ! ! The Dividends began this day to be paid to the Public, at the Hanle; and on the ist of neat month, the Commissioners for liquidating the Public Debt . _ _ will begin buying daily nearly 14 - 6,0001. in the three per Cent. Consols, or Reduced, which will trtke.otf the market, in the mouth of May alone, nearly two million and a - half of stork. Coat-ExcuaNal, APRIL 6.—Thia day we have lawyers! further arrivals of Wheat, with tolerable sup ! plies on hand, and Wes fully suppek Jag prices quoted. Rye somewhat dearer. FM. Barley higher prices are asked. Malt likewise. Irtite and Grey Peas may be noted at little variation.. As also Beans a each chs!scriptiou. There are tolerable supplies of. Oats, bat from a continuance of ,the demand sales thereof are awned rather. lighttr...pAed prices of Flour at the late quotation. Wheat 946 15ts'i TleL ra. Caret .. 60 64 Flaedi r • 1.16 140 Mitring. OW) .. 65 41 ' 71 73 1 Oats • 10 44 46j Wiry - es 79 Pultunieln. • t,, 47 4t4 Malt 96 104, Pointer 4a. ' 49 90 WWI, Peas (boilers) 144 90 I Have need ' "9 .ebb Ons do. Skim . I. COMMON HALL. -----,.... A meeting of the Livery of the City of London was held yesterday, at Guildhall, to take into con. sideratiou the Report of the Sheriffs, as to the.pro. ceedings which had taken place in consequence of their having waited on the Prince Regent, agreeably to the instructions of the list Common Hall, to know when his Royal Highness would be pleased to receive their Address and Petition. Before the hour of proceeding to business, the Hall was crowded, almost to the remotest corner. The 1•01:1) MA rua shortly addressed the Livery, informing them of theeenson of their meeting toga. ther that day. The answer of the l'rince Regent to the application of .the Sheriffs was, that he would, itt conformity to they usage of his Royal Father since the year 1775, receive the Petition and Address at the Levee. That the Lively, however, might haven more perfect idea of the manner in which the Seed& had executed their instructions, his Lordship had procured a copy of the Report —which should be read to them. In discussing the present subject, in which it was natural to suppose the Livery might feel themselves peculiarly interested, his Lordship begs ged it to be understood, that, as the act must be con• sidered as the act of Ministers, he could eat permit tile sacred name of his Majecty, or the almost equal. ty sacred name of the• Prince Regent, to be treated with contempt. As to Ministers, Gentlemen might . speak of them as they p!eased—they were powerful enough, and able to defend themselves, a tech they might do when they thought proper. His Lordship was no poeitician—all he had to do was to watch over the rights of his fellow-citizens, while he held the situation of their Chief Magistrate, and lie pre sumed to think, he could not do so better, than by adopting the constitutional mode of calling them to. Igether, as he did today, and in , requesting, that j they would give a patient hearing to every one who / addressed them. I• The Report was then read, which was exactly 'similar in substance, to what our readers ire already lin possession of on the subject. The concluding • part of the Report notices, an additional conimuni. I cation from Mr. Secretary Ryder, in which he in.. ; forms the Sheriffs, that the Address.and pstition will not be read at the Levee, but that in ad&tiou to the I Lord Mayor, Sheriffs, Aldermen, and City Officers, , 1 1 10 of the Livery in their Gowns, may attend the ; Levee, to present the Address and Petition. Mr. Werrnerae now stepped forward, and was received with shouts of applause. As far as his I humble efforts could prevail, he would beg leave to I recommend to the Livery, as great a degree of silence as could he expected in so large and crowded a meet ing, and that every individual should receive a ftii and patient hearing. Nothing could be so advan. tageous to a good cause as to hear every thing that could he adduced on the subject, whether agreeable or not. However irritating the language used . against them might be, he hoped the Livery Weald' I put up with it, rather than expose themsetvei to the obloquy of those Gentlemen, by whom such len. page might be used, who, in all problibility, would be those who denominated themselves the friends of social order. It would not be necessary for him. (Mr. Waithmari) to detain the Livery long. Had the right of petitioning West new for the first time called ls question—had the right of that body to present their petitions or remonstrances at the foot of the Throne been now for the first time denied—iu that case it would have been necessary for him to enter ,l much at length Lao the history of the country, and particularly into a history of the privileges claimed by the City of Loudon. But unfortunately, this.was I not the first occasion on which the City of London I had been sought to be deprived of its just privileges. Up to CA year 1775, the Lord Mayor and Common. alty of the City of London, had never had it quen firmed that they were entitled to approach his Ma. jesty, and to present the it Peitions to his Majesty s' ated on his Throne. Subsequently to this period, on several oreasions, the Addresses and Petitions of that 1611 had heed refused to he received in the usual manner, and, on several of those occasions, Resole , e w e 113 d been come to by the Livery, expressive of ; their feeliag on the subject of such retinal. - His j (Mr. Wsitliman's) path, therefore, was much ear. rowed ; and after having subreitted a few obser. vetionson the circumstances of. the present ease, he Ishould content himself with moving Resolutions al. I most Similar to those which had .been so ..frettoeutly agreed to by the Common Hall. He must be allowed to say, that of all the rights which the people of this! l country enjoyed, there was no right so impertent, teethe of which it was sought to deprive the Livery of the City of London. if there was any right esti. mable above others, it was this right. Previous to the Revolution, at a period when this country was cursed by the most tyrannical Government that ewe I existed, this .right was first atteeked. 'Thee there was a denial of this right; and that denial *ea fol. lowed by a ieleure of the Charter of the city, be. cause they insisted on maintaining the right of *hick . • it was sought to deprive them. At that time there / was undoubtedly, a calm fora number of years; bat that was a calm only of sullen discontent, foreboding a storm, whites afterwards burst out with redoubled ferry from the time it had been kept concealed, and which afterwards swept the possession of the throne of this countri from the then reigning fatuity for a ever. In the II of Rights the right of Petitioning. was demanded, and insisted on as an indisputable privilege of the inhabitants of this country.. lie • (Mr. W.) muse say, that it etrack him as eetraordi.. nary, that elute the Stuart family •had been expelled from the Throne, and another had been Galled in .their place, merely because they bad reftised• to listen to the Petithies of their Subjects, there should have .been foun d, so early as the year 1775, man so *bap. ' dotted, as to recommend and advise any thing se fatal to the Royal ear, as the rejection of a letitium . of tets kind...4Applatiscs, tan one three outcry of ditapprobailort.l—ile hoped be should beer the . Orator who disapproved of this sendaseof point • . out in what reflect it was entitled to his repro. 'ration, and that he should have an opportunity of - answering his attack. 110 yea sorry to find (het there wail one magi to the C °inmost Mill, who could, be capable df bartering, this right, for which many . of their ancestors had fought and gloriously bled,. The interruption he bed now received, brought,back to his attentten, i 9 a more peculiar nsenner, what bad occurred at flue Revolution, indirldeila Ow r 40 . «~ ~, i~t 6' ` If "1 ,1 4 , I I. • .1: • , • "I