The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1809-09-29 00:00:00

[ Gorr !MULTI/MN MAIM. AcA ct• ~~ii.■ wrocsitoUt, sore. 14. His Royal Majesty has recited intelligence by revorts made on the Ist and 2sFsif this month, by Admiral Baron Puke, and 4Slulcoant-Geueral Count Wacthmeister, that the latter, no the 26th of last month, made good a desceltilP near Rata, with a corm of 1500 men, with whiAt be arrived the following day at Cmed, where he occupies a posi tion. The remainder of the army of the coast gr aved at Umaa. It appears by intelligence received from different quarters, that General Kamenskr, with his retreut inK army, reached Skeltertea on the 29th ult. from whe , lee he pursued his march to Pitea. Briyal Highness has reeeiveil the following Poport front Admiral Baron Puke " The Jammer frigate 'noised here yesterday, with the six gunboats which were nem I-itea. Major Hunsan lf, Captain of a frigate, reports, that on the ordh he set sail with the same frigate from Ratan, and arrived at ive o'clock in the anemone et Bites-Holm, at the south entrance of the Without. Ile found that the enemy occupied there a strong position ; bat ormertheless resolved to push on with the guts-boats to the bridge, in order to destroy it, and by this ammo weal sir the enemy's retreat. For this purpose the bin* led on the gun-boats, placing himself at their bend, in as amasd boat, and on this occasion experienced Iliss =birettas,* of being badly wounded. Captain Joyr ide, who anewsded in the command, now advanced against the Addy ; the destruction of which was, how ever, mitered impassible, by the enemy having assem bled near it • very susporier forte, which forced our thitil:t to retreat. Our loss ii this action coneists in six killed and seventeen wunooleil ; among whom are Major•Hummolf, and Litonensat Munk. The less of the enemy, whose force aansistod of nos me., is far more considerable, the timber -et his wounded being from sixty to seventy. The tirsl Liestenwit of the Jammu frigate now commands that ship. This ofilear, whose same la Sielander, reports, that imam with of last innintb, at three o'clock in the after tastes., he descried a donna of 13 Russian boats, chasing two detached Swedish sloops, which retreated to the fri gate. The latter immediately eat the cable si.d cleared fur faction, but when she came in sight of the enemy's gun boats, the latter sheered old; and took shelter near the coast, where it was not possible for the frigate to attack them.— Os the 29th instant, the frigate received intelligence wcasity's retreat to the northward, which was lorought by the brig Dulphiai. Captain Buy, out recosisoiteriag the west, Woad it occupied by the enemy in each force, that it was impossible to attempt a landing. " Pt/ K F., Admiral and Commander-in-Chief. Head-porters, Bahia, September .4, isesg.•• Count Essen and Baron Lagerljelke, who, by Ilia Majesty's corninund, are guiog to Puri* ou particular minion, have informed His Majesty, that they set sad from Ystath on the ttstli silt. in the evening, ►arched Strulstind on the 17th at aeon, and intended to proceed ths 29th ou their journey to the French caws!. General Count Wachtmeister„ Commander-in- Chief of our army of the coast, has sent a Report to His Majesty, bearing date the 23th of last month, by which it appears, that, on the 17th, 19th, and 20th of that month, our army was en gaged with the enemy near Djekneboda, Safoar, and Ratan. Our troops behaved with the ut t gallantry in all these engagements, hut sustained a very consideralde loss, and were et length com pelled by the enemy's vast superiority in numbers to re-embark. Of the state of our ne4ociations for peace, no thing trangpires; but we hope that we shall anon be at peace, net only with Rtnisia, but also with Dennis! k.—(Stockhulos Gazette.) AVERICA. " NY,W-TOll.ll. AUGUST 19. ovn coutarsroNDLNT AT NEW oItLEANS: "Since my last, we have little news her.. French emigrant., mulattoes, and iregroes, continue to pour in upon as. A few days ago, the number that had arrived was about 3.500, of which about 1700 were negro slaves, who had been permitted to 1.411.1, earl are delivered to their owners by the Governor's orders. One half of the remainder nt treat are mulattoes, and the rest chiefly privateers' men, who have been preying on our commerce fur years. There are 1500 more in the river ; arid, if the• (:o vernor is to be believed, the number expected iu all will he about IS,OOO. Moametir I),,.for t ;ue•s, the French Consul, when some difficulty was at first made respectiug the landing of the slaves, offered to give the Emperor Napoleon as security to the United States for the whole of them. A Ithon A lr mat of the planters of this colliery have no objetti iiii he the.itnportation of slaves, and think this hairless of emigration will afford a favourable opportunity of importing negroes from Africa by way of Cuba, yet they are much afraid of the Mulattoes, among whom are many of the worst asolssins of St. Do mingo, who have been recognised iu our streets by those whose friends and parents were murdered by them, and were themselves fortunate enough to escape from their hoods. Such, however, is the partiality of the Administration of thus country to foreigners and .incobins, that almost any persons of that description are immediately provided for, and places of trust, honour, and profit given them on arrival, without its being necessary far them even to state an intention of becoming citizens.— As a proof of this, 1 shell give you • few names of diameters invested with the first offices, awl assure you the subordinate ours have likewise their full share of them." It is reported, that ?,Ir. Enikine'A justification of his coudnet, relative to the late arriattrisient tweet) lona and oar Govertunrut, is in circulation is private circles. In thug 31r. Erikuie ocksiew ledges his haviug exceeded his instructions, but that be had acted up to what he the spirit of thew ; and that he hoped ow to tnake it appear to his Goveranieut. THE BRITISH PRESS. LONDON, .% FRIDAY. gams's* 29 . • Three Gottenburgh Mails have arrived with letters and paper, to the 13th ivatant. The Russiariarmy contiuseil its retreat northwards iu West Bothnia. Ou the 28th last, it reached Skel lefty., from whence it pursued its march to Pitts. The next accounts will 'probably inform us of its ar rival at Tornea, at the head of the Gulf of Bothnia. The Stockist)lnt Gazelle states, that nothing had transpired on the subject of the negotiation, but it expresses a hope, that the country will be 1111011 at peace, not only with Russia, but also with Den mark. Two Swedish Noblemen have been sent en a mission to Paris, t' which considerable import ance is attached. They arrived at Stralsund on the 27th. Government yesterday received dispatches by the packet from Gottenburgh, st.iting, that peace has been concluded between Sweden and Russia. The retreat of the Russians f • West - Bothnia, is thus accounted for satisfactorily. One of the con ditions of the peace. as we were taught to expect, is the exclusion of British ships from the ports of Sweden. The packet which arrived on Wednesday from Gotteninirgh, has brought a report that the Aftllll bee between Austiir and France had been put an rind to; and a battle fought, in which the Austrians remained masters of the Arid. An express from Lord GRENVILLE, at his Lord ship's sent at Boconnoe, in Cornwall, addressed to Earl SPENCER, was received on Wednesday, at his Lordship's house, in St. James's-place, from whence it was immediately forwarded to his Lordship, at Wimbledon. Lord GRENVILLE Lad not arrived in town at ten o'clock hoot night, but lie way hourly expeeted, said his servant b were in atteaultuice to receive him. Mr. CANNING continuer in a fair way of reco very. lie is preparing to give up his house in Bruton -street, and to retire into the country. A fleet of transports has arrived in eleven days from Lisbon, with several Officers from Viscount Wsl.t.taorox's army. They report the following particulars, respecting the British army under his Lordship's conuninnt:—t• The army are hutted. Head-tpiarters at Ilailajos SNERBROOILK . II division extends from Lobaii .o Merida; a brigade of German artillery is at Lobito ; a troop of horse artillery at Merida, and also some cavalry ; Grit. CRAUIPURD'S light brigade of infantry is nt visa and l'ortalegre ; another division of the army is near Campo Mayor and A Ibiniucrir ; the 400 i garrison Ball4lNjelS, and the g7th is at 11.1,4110;i ; a park of artillery (four brigades) is encamped near Bis dojos. The convalescent sick are at Elvis—the worst cases have been sent to Lisbon; the light caval ry is at Villa Viciosa and the iteighbourlitsal. The army is extremely sickly---aliont 7000 sick, wound ed, &c. The light cavalry IN almost dismounted ; a remount of horses for tur lath and Ititli arrived from England, under Major Auctutt. That fine regiment, the tat, or Royal Dragoons, commanded by that excelent officer, General SLADE. landed and marched into Belem (ten days from Cork) 700 strong, in high order. Scarcely a transport iii the Tagus, and oily the Bar . lienr and Semiramis ships of war." Of the Daily Prints, recently devoted to Mini sters, some, with Parson Trulliber at their head, have already transferred their ditty and allegiance to their probable successors ; *bile a few, which fear they have made themselves ton contemptible to expect farcur, still climz to the wreck, and nut ter themselves, that a plank or two may wea ther the storm, and attird them a chance of safety. These are the men who cry out for coalition, and assert that those will be deceived who expect " an entire change of men." We do contend, that Lord CASTLEREAGH mud 3lr. CANNING have, by their recent conduct, disqualifir,l them se l ves t o s i t in a British Cabinet. either now sir hereafter. The DUIteOfPUILTLANLI is driven out by infirmity ; and a coalition between Lords Gab/ and GRENVILLE, and Mr. Pesci:vac. we consider impossible. Of the rest of the Cabinet. there are none of sufficient weight and importance to stand in the way of an entire change of men and measures. That Lord CASTI.EiIItATM w as the original pro poser and author of the attempt against IValcheren and the Scheldt, is well known to every man who has had access to learn the real hi'tory of the last live or six years. As early as 11404, and he ardently and pressingly recommended the very attempt which has now been unsuccessfully made. It was then debuted in the Cabinet, mid abandoned by the good sense. discernment, and superior judgment of Mr. PITT, salon the very ground of Waltheren being sostenable, on account of the insalu brity of the diusate ; bat, above all, of the seater. It war ►tated to that Minister, by officers of the first ability and iiitelligcnce, who were called on to give their opinions, that, though we might probably reduce Waleheren, we never could retain it, except by so enormous a sacrifice of lives, as would reader . 1 • • It, an the eye of iventasity, to his titan et true policy, too dear an sequiaitios. They expressly represeuted, that the French would infallibly est the sluices, end inundate all the country ; the eon.- sequeoces of which must necessarily be the destrizts lion of our army. by diseases of the moot inane. mountable kind. Couviuced by them's:moos, aid yielding to the force of these objectious. Mr. PITT firmly resisted, and finally renounced, a measure, which, however flattering in promise, he perceived was calculated to produce the most calamitous results. For the accuracy of these assertions. we may wifely pledge ourselves to the public. Lord CAtiTLEILEAGM will not dispute them. Mr. PITT however, unfortunately no more; and the present Cabinet possessed neither the sagacity, nor the sound discrimination, which enabled the first Minister of the day to detect the evil, and to reject such pernicious counsel. Already the Administra tion is lalsourim„T under the consequences of their own incapacity and error, in sending au armament to the opposite coast, which has not effected the only object of rational contemplation, and hes pre cisely achieved a conquest, which can be injurious only to ourselves. They tremble to retain, and are still more afraid to evacuate, an island, which, they well know, ought never to have been invaded. It was not Flushing and Middleburg. but the Corsi can's fleet, mid dock-yards, and magazines, in the Scheldt, which should have constituted the sole object of Lord ell ATH Ale. enterprise. The Ministerial papers, conscious that the failure of the lute Expediti to the Scheldt, must neces sarily produce an inquiry into the causes that pre vented its success, and aware that culpability must rest somewhere, appear to be most anxious to clear Lord CASTLERCAGS from any other blame, or responsibility, except that portion of it which must full to his share, as a .Member of the Ad ministration. They attempt to support this doc trine, or assertion, by asking, 4. Was Lord CASTLE SIKAGD to blame, inure than Mr. Cametea, or any other Member of the Cabinet? Was not the Expe dition, the Expedition of the whole Cabinet ? Was it not arranged, discussed, and settled, at meetings of the Cabinet? Could it have been carried into execution, had it not received the approbation of the Cabinet?" These truisms, nevertheless, though theoretically indisputable, are, in fact, and in practice, altogether dour away. Every Minister of State is peculiarly mad indiridually responsible, or accountable, for the acts done by his order, and authenticated by his signature, as the heed of a particular departineot. We consider that principle to be law. That the other confidential servants of the Crown are made siequainted with, and that the majority of tlicni agree to, or approve, of the mea sure, we admit. But this positive, or virtual parti eipatiou, by no meal's renikrs them as much the authors and framers of it, as the Secretary of State, in whinii! office it originates, imil through which it moist of necessity pass. Time British Constitution knows and reengiiir•s no Fisch word, or body, as A Cabinet. It admits Ministers and Pricy Corm ; out of whom Ilia :114111sTY linty select, for ties confidential servants, any number that lie chooses, greater or smaller. But an Cabinet was ever yet impeached as such; thougli the separate members posing it might all be liable to impeachment and prosecution for their separate arts. lf, after stating the matter, as we con ceive, in a legal point of view, we reduce it to the standard of common sense, and of r;glit reu b ; surely no use rim suppose, that Lord C•Ii• DEN, or Lord IFLSTMOSLAND, that the President or Privy Seal, who form rather the ormimelit mill decoration, than the esseuce and substance of the Cabinet; men who, perhaps, never assisted at the deliberation, our were possibly present at the adop tion of the very measure in question, the expedition to Zealand: No our mi, without a sort of injustice, attribute to such negative agents, the seine degree of affirmative blame, us attaches to the Secretary for the War Departitimit. Let us go a step fur ther. Undoubtedly, the First Lord of die Trea sury, whom we very often, by error, denominate First Minister, ought to have no active partici pation in every measure, domestic or forei4ii ; be cause the Treasury, over which lie peculiarly pre sides, constitutes the life-blood of the state ; and it is for this reason that the badge of the Lord Treasurer is a shaft'; vhile the Secretaries of State, the Chancellor, mill other ministerial officers, have only seals, or patents, to distinguish them. Butt the British Constitution, in point of fact, no more knows the office of tarsi .Minister, than it does the existence of a politieal board, denominated A Ca.. bind. These err merely names, affected in mimic-it nines, to certain meta or measures of the Privy Council. That, at certain periods, certain individuals con centred in themselves that whole energies of the government, to a great degree, and consequently might be justly regarded as entitled to the exclu sive praise or blame of many measures, is true. The first Mr. pier directed the whole innchine. as Seeretary of State. in 17.59 and 1760. Su he did. as Lord Privy Seal, fur a short time, in 1766. flas sou, the late Mr. fire, during every part of his administration, frum 1,04 to lstul ; and again, when hr came a secnnd time into office', as First Lord piths Treasury, and Chaucellor of the La ckey:ter, its 1804, assumed, from the vigour of his solutl, the opteudoue of Isis abibtr , and the activity .--,r. , ~ _ ~. ~ _ . of his ezedimes. • propmilersting iiiitserreo. war esteemed and considered II the rittiuss o. Minister ; sad with reeseal though. in strict lay and fact, no such office doss exist. But what anal logy, what compariaoa can there be made betweeri the late Premier and Mr. PITT f None, ex. cept a name. The Duke of PORTLANIb t as being a Peer, could not be planed at the head of the Ex chequer. though be was First Lord of the Treasury. And, neither his capacity, •.r his state of bodily health, allowed him tea/name a preponderating, or a domineering weight. From this very circuiii;, stance has originated the calamity strider which we labour. The debility of that office, which shotild contrail, coerce, and, if we may ism the ixpres. sion, retain in their official orbits, the Wavier mem bers of the system, has allowed a fatal sod perM: cious latitude to the Secretary fur the Afar De. pertinent ; and not less, perhaps, to the Secretary for Foreign Affairs. They became indepeudent, each iu his own sphere, and they base li:tidied, by going out to cut each other's throat Whether Lord CUATUAII is more culpable for the non-execution, than the Minister is for the de fective, confused, or impracticable plan of the ex peditiou, forms quite another question, and can only be fully ascertained by an inquiry. That the late Commander of the armament which was seat to Zealand, conceives Wilma to have fully ex,. cuted all the practicable objects of it, we kilo*. Perhaps, the country may be of • very different opinion, and WI insy a Court-martial. But, that the Ministers who employed kin,, consider hint to be without blame, is clear; since, if they thought hint culpable, dilatory, or to have, by irresolu tion and procrastination, let slip the favourable opportunity of attacking the enemy's Meet, they never could have allowed him to be presented to His MAJESTY at the levee. As far, therefore, as they can decide the question, they have already . done so, by their conduct, and pronounced him to be blameless. But, both he and they, whatever sentence they may pass on themselves, must hold up their hands at the bar of their country. The period of their trial, though it may not take place. like Lord Nlxt.etxxes, in Westminster-hall, can not be very remote. Let Lord CASTLES/L/14` look to it. A mail from Malta and Gibraltar arrived yciter. tenthly. The !utters from Malta are of the iltth August; from Gibraltar of the toth int , t. The lat. ter contain nothing important. The followitig is an extract of a letter from Malta— " ?SALTA, AVIS. IS. " I have only time to tell you, that we yesterday received letters from Fiume of the 5111 instant, dawn to which date the French had not made their appearance, our were they expect ed The Armistice 111111 to expire oil the tall. , and it was `e 'frilly bcluvcd, that hostilities would recommence, r im mense levies h.d been directed to be made, iaclerliag all ISICII capible of bearing arias, up to the age of 45. It 4 added, that the saute measures base bees adopted tbroq►oat France and Ita4." Tisza Parliament will' meet in the month of No. veinher, and at Cu early period of it, there can remain little doubt, as the pecuniary ember rassnients produced by the enormous P.expenwes of the expedition to the Scheldt, and the WELLS*. LEY campaigns iii Portugal and Spain, hare pro duced a necessity fur new grants of money. All those also, Crum *hottest., cuttor, are in any con nection or relut;on with the Exchequer, elm fun. 'willful proofs of the exhausture in that de partment. Such a deficiency alone would, iiiderd, induce, or radii r compel, IFS MAJZIEVeII Minis ters to ssnemitte Path:mew, as they fully foresee, and greatly deprecate, the account to which they will then be called. Wednesday morning. soma of the Gentlemen inte nt Aterl in the Foreign mole, waited upon the Coun cil Board, in order to know whether Government would allow any more Encases for vessels to clear for French and Mitch ports. The answer returned war, that Licenses would he granted for three 1111 l nth% from Thiarsilny„ permitting the exportation of British nuinalortured goods and &Aid) colonial produce, and that tlar ves.s..ls would be allowed to 11111101 rt earn and bar atones. On Monday ho.t two of the Messengera• belong ing to the Oilier of the CNAYCCI.LOR of the Ex t.:WA/13tCR. Nle:nr: , . 'rums La and Nl . GitArit, were sent ott in great toast.. and IWlrrlfey WWI letters, one to the North, the other to the West. Whether they ware the hearers of further communications to Earl ( ;act and Lord (iRF.N VI LEE. we know not. These Alesibengersivere iinmediately on the con eliimon of nit audience which the Earl of LIVEUPOOL Ntr. l i katsvvi. hull on the PIVIIe silty With MO NI .t.ms ry, and which was of very considerable dare tiiiii.—(4l/ortiirst Herald.) 'We hear that the profits of Covent-Garden Thea tre turn out, on a more to investigation by the Treasurer, to he about mix-and-a -quarter per cent, ; a dreadful Wittig off from what the public thought the value of the concern. Monday, the electiou of Magistrates and other Municipal Officers of Bath, for tlie ensuing year,. took place at the Guildhall, as follows: John Palmer, Eaq. Mayor. • H Parry, Fag John Hodes, Earl. Was Anderilon, R. Hariagtuts, 11.1). Job,' Symons, 1.:119. Ch.rlea PLilh. t, Esq. Harry Atwoo.l, Erg Su W. Watwu, Just.rra. Henry Wailers, Eaq fhaminrlain. G. S 'Crook, E.q. 4rarce I r , Esq She' iffs. W. J. W. Taylor, Esq. Joseph Spry, Esq. Constahles. Tiir Body Corporate, Clergy, and a select party of friend•, were sumptuously enterteMed by the MAYOR elect, at th.! White-Bari, where the erns. triviality of the eve ii iss g was kept up till a late hour. The new Sheriffs, Al.lermen ATISINS Om! Wow,. were yesterday sworn into otnce, at Cui:dhall, in the usual rureu. On Friday, as Lieut.-Coloucl BELL, of Berwick. was ',hooting on the Loyshoug'hi, near that place, with a double-barreled gun. haring fi , ed at a bird. owl loading again, the other barrel, which was charged. went off, and lodged tlnk touts's:* tat his body be espirttl souls after. ~~ • ,