The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1804-05-29 00:00:00

I l THE SECRET FRENCH POLICP. The present beret French Police is founded upon the plan of the Secret Gcrrnan'Prihunals, durieg the ' , sr:llth, thirteenth, and founeenth centuries, with Me only exception. mat. jt secretly inspeas or abnoltioas oT. suspeited persons; whilst the secret tribunals ateretly s condemned, and secretly s.:aciated every penassuincurring their displeasure. I rye Fo ment French system, all forms are laid 1 .,,j e; in the other, the forms were more terrible than death itself. Under thu present system, per seas disappear from society, to be shut up in dun irons, to b e transported, Or to be shot, without often inowing the cause, equally unknown by their jailor :rod by their execw loners. It is, and remains, the secret of Goveininern. Formerly the accused were summoned, tried, Acquitted, or condemned; had time to prepare themselves for defence, or by flight to escape, if possible, their persecutors. Under the present system, all flight is impossible; escape avails ruthing, because the agents of our secret police are ev ery where, in England as in Russia, in America as in Africa, in Turkey as in the East Indies; they a ll possess the description f.igenh.mert) of the per tot persecuted ; they are informed of his habits, places of resort, and have a fde .i..a/e of his hand icing. Unknown to each other, these agents aa in unison by their reports as by their adions. The Duke of Enghien, Moreau, Picliegru, George, and others, were watched by hundreds of agents for y e ars, of whom not two knew each other. Louis XVIII. at Warsaw, and the Bourbons at London, are yet surrounded by numerous agents unknown: and in:lBl6k to them, as to each other. The trans adions of the Cabinets of St. Petersburgh, of. Vienna, and of Berlin, are as well known to our Government, as those of Madrid, Florence, Naples, St. Cloud, the Ilague, or of Bern. These agents sit in the Divan at Constantinople, as in the Con greu of the Americans ; and though their senti ments are often opposite, their services meet in the sane central point. Not a Sovereign, not a Minis ter, not a Statesman, not a Counsellor, not a War rior, not a Banker, not a Merchant, not an Author of any reputation, who is not watched by the ',ni mble agents of cur secret police, who employ the talents of preachers, as well as those of aiflots, to serve them ; they take the advantage of the popula rity of an orator in the senate, as well as of the fashion- able imbecility of a ballad-singer in the street ; they influence the decisions of privy councils in palaces, as well as the toasts of fa Lions at a public tavern. Their attivig is seen in the budget of finances for state, as welt as a subscription for a pie rue or chari tante institution. They indirealy decide the mar riage of princes, as well as the divorces of subjects. The political, as well as the amorous intriguer wear often their livery. The law promulgated, the air ring, the bargain concluded, the treaty signed, the war declared, the peace proclaimed, are more than often their doings. They employ at the same time, and for the same purpose, tht devotion of the Chris:ran and the infidelity of the Deist i the bigotry of the superstitions, and the blasphemy of the atheist ; the intolerance of the fanatic, and the indifference of the philosopher. They pen-trate and plot equally in the pagoda of the Hindoos, in the temples of the Chinese, in the mosques at Con stattinonle. in the church of St. Peter at Rome, and in the grand synagogue at Amsterdam. The . Hord Exchange in London and the fish-market at Paris ; the diamond mines at Brazil and the marile quarries in 1-aponia ; the gallerns at Cadiz and the tower-mill at Naples. are equally visited and ir epeaed by them. It is more difficuk to say where they Are not than wherethey ate ; what transac.ions escape tiler notice than those they influence. Some of the arnt; of our secret police are paid, others are volunteers; but they all comsat under the same banners ; they all fight for the same cause, and they are all registered at the same office, in the sante register. Though the volunteers are more numerous than the regulars, the expense of our Go- vernment for this teslibdioa amounts yearly to eighty millsor.s of bran; a large sum, if it was not remem bered, at th e same time, tha t tributary kings and nations pay us yearly more than three times that sum ; and that we owe mostly to the agents of our secret police the power we have to command such an enormous external tribute. Foreigners, as well as Frenchmen, have done Touche :he honour of considering him the parent of our secret police ; but they are all mistaken. Its plan was proposed to our cabinet under the mo narchy, but laid aside as imprafticalile. Talleyrand was the person who correctedand improved this plan; and ouresecret police may therefore justly be called his na.'siral child. Though o ur G ran d Judge is a minister c 4 police, Talleyrand presides in the office of the secret police, direas all its operations, re wards, promotes. disgraces, or punishes, its agents. In this place be is the Fast Consul. Regnier, Real, Fouche, and Hanterive, are his counsellors, and Desmarais is his secretary. Each of these counsellors has his department in Europe as well as in Africa, in Asia as well as in America; he knows nothing more than what concerns his own department ; the whole (k tome ensemik) is known to Talleyrand aloae : even the female agents of his se cret police are under his sole and immediate con troul ; and the report of Madame Stael, and of Madame Geniis, dsreaing their operations, is with. out foundation. Passions, more than money, are his means ; be always employs and addresses the farmer ; the latter is only used as an auxiliary to silence reason or conscience, if they should murmur. (Les Newman a la Mow. Germinal. 44 12. No. Ill.) SPURTING 1:ITE LI6ENCE. MATCH AT ASCOT HEATH, JUNI 5. Lord rgremont's 714. *maw Mr. Duntmf's 46 6 Ws, uy Gudflford, out of Mu* Skiaiworkin, Est. Nsw Ulu XTZTING, 1 1 03. mono.' v. ZnRI Sweepstakes of alkgs each, h. ft. D. 1. EcrenbomesH.E.naltal IP. VI; t'ao 's WV at ot Totten:Ha Dia.114.1. 6 6 tripprk •al e us Nortrunt star As• 1.4. es Lay colt, by Rouatd, Ru.e, cy Sratetbriar. Lord Ihrlfrgr2.• l l ` l ,ter imara thd not curt f•-• any thin, at - ?5 , •71. -a ero:u . ..a.ly Aatc 1 its xver..l of Int '4 , n Far rs 10 ' 4 Dull Ito:, eta. the Waxy colt, our of T..,t for 1,..e1p garotte , . f;r•at larvioic botw,at hAto and '. 3 :-+Oai for ta..: Amami ut4t..i at Br,,Alton• S 9 R 21 LAW. COURT OF KING'S BENCII, MONDAY, MAY 24. Sittings before Lunt EL LEN DO RO GH. HARRIS 9. CHIcHESTLII. This was an aftion brought to recover the price of a horse sold by the Defendant to the Piaintitf, un der a warranty. It appeared in evidence U.I the pan of the Plaintiff, who is a horse dealer, that he had bought the horse in question from the Defend ant for 40 Guineas, ana that the latter enkaged him a good draught horse. The Earl of Rosslyn, being desirous of purchasing the horse, the Plaintiff harnessed him to one of his Lordship's carriages, And getting on th,• bus himself, had drivdn him but .s few yards, when he began to kick most violently, so as to injure the boot of the carriage, and endan ger the person of the Plaintiff. His Lordship then de clined having any thing to do with the horse, and sent him back to the Defendant, who refused to take him. The groom and coachman of his Lordship, with several other Vi itne.ses, proved the kicking of the horse, while in the harness, and his apparent vi ciousness. The defence set up by Mr. ERSRINI os the part of the Defendant, Mr. Chichester, who is a gentle man of very considerable property in the County of Devon, was, that he had bought the horse upwards of ten years previous to the time of selling him to he Plaintiff; in all that time he was remarkable for his gentleness ; he had been driven in every possible way, as a wheel horse, 1-ader, in tandem, &c. in the most hilly parts of Devonshire, and in ene instance, where the pole broke in going down a steep hill and ran against his sank, no horse could behave with better temper or gentleness. It appeared that the Plaintiff's wife had frevendy driven him in a cur rick; he was a favourite horse, and was called Tall ivy, because he could not be matched in size, and the only reason for the Defendant's parting with him was on that account.l A number of Witnesses were called, who proved those fafts, and the Jury found a Verilie for the Defendant. DliAlls U. ITEWAILT. This was an aftion for an assault. It appeared that the Defendant was a master tin-plate worker, and the Plaintiff was one of his journeymen: hav ing some dispute about the price of some work, high words ensued, and the Defendant beat the Plaintiff very severely. Mr. East:Ns, in the defence, observed, that if journeymen were to be allowed to bring aetions in this way, upon every dispute that might arise be tween them and their employers, there would be no end to this kind of litigation : from a calculation he had just made, it would take no less than 224 Judges, to do the business of the public ; he there fore hoped the Jury would not by their Verdia en courage such proceedings.—Verdid for the Plaintiff eye stitaing,- TOWN •AIL 4. This was an anion for the hire of a hackney coach. The Plaintiff ha d hired out a coach to the Defendant at the rate rf 3s. a day. which he proved. The Defendant cnntrilded that ►e was only to ray at the rate rf lialt-a-Crown a day for the coach, and lodged a sum of 31. 12s. in Court. which would be the amount of Plaintiff's demand at that rate. Several Lackner-coachmen were produced to prove that 2s. tid. wits the astral price ; but. the tpc cial attieerucnt heinz proved, the Jury found a verdia for the Plaintiff 12s. which was the difference bctween 3.. and 2c. 6J. per day. cALMAIOI v. It:11141MT. This was an aftion for an assault. It appeared in evidence that the parties frequently re uric, to the lodging of one Mrs. Paledle, by both whom she was much admired. Nut finding it convenient that they bothsisould visit her at the some time, she wish e d t o see them at different per;ods t b u t un f ortunate l y , one day, in her absence, t.te two gentlemen met at the lady's lodgirgs. Being naturally jealous of each other, an affray took place, during which the De fendant struck the Plaintiff. The assault being proved, the Jury found a verdict fot the Plaintiff of one shilling. TNONIAS a. PALMER. This man Anion brought to recover the ex pences of an indinment which the Defendant had prosecuted against the Plaintiff's wife. It appeared that the Plai!.tiff's wife had purchased goods of the JJefendan:'s wife, who is a broker, about which a dispute bad arisen—that from words they came to blows. The Defendant's wife then procured a Bench Warrant against the Plaintiff's ; upon which she was arrested, and confined in the Watch House an entire night. When the cause came to be tried at the Middlesex Sessions, there Was no appearance on the past of the prosecution, and the Defenaant in that anion was acquitted. The Plaintiff now sought to recover the expenses of the criminal prosecution against the Defendant ; but it coming out in tl)c course of the evidence ' that the assault had been actually given by M rs . Thomas (the Plaintiff's wife), the Plaintiff was nonsuited. The Sittings at Westminster ended this day. Lord Et. t. Zr 4 Donut:on sits at Nati Prim. at Guild hall. to-morrow. Yesterday, as a person just arrived In town was gaping with astonishment at the water-works at London-Bridge, three pick-pockets contrived to re lieve him from the burthe.n of his pocket-book, con taining notes to the amount of 301. and other papers of consequence to him. They were perceived by some by-standee, and pursued. Upon finding they could not escape, they flung away the pocket-book, which the owner v.-as fortunate enough to recover; and two of the offenders were taken into custody, and brought before the LORD MAYOR at the Man sion-house. The pocket-book and notes were pro duced. and the prisoner, who was seen to throw the book away, being properly identified, was fully committed for trial ; and his companion, who had attempted to rescue him, was ordered to be put on board the tender to serve His M a j'sr.. On hear ing this sentence, he immediately declared himself Cro,k-fiagrnel Jeri, to the extent of three fingers; and assured his Lordship he was lame of one hand ; but. :If= a proper examination by the Constable, he wa. declared awed in limbs at least. On Sunday las•, a well dressed man went into the Turk's Head public house, on the Kent road, and called for a pint of beer. Whilst it was drawing. he took a knife Iriou his pc...Act and cut Lis threat. Immediate assistance was procured, and, although much lacerated, it is hoped he will recover. NAVAL ACTIONS IN THE WEST INDIES. Extrail ist • Letter from Capt. Richard Sherrat, of the ship Caidieot Cutts:, to the Owners in Lmerpool, dated Barbadoe,, 18th April, 1804. " I suppose long ere this you have heard of the Caldle*, Catie's being captured, as I wrote you from Guadeloupe on the 18th March to that purport; but should you not have received my letter, I now give you the particulars. I sailed from Demerara on the 27th of February, and on the 8:h March, being then about 200 miles to the eastward of Guada loupe, I fell in wits two French privateers, a ship and a schooner, who came alongside about eight in the evening, and opened a very heavy fire upon us, which we returned, and in about fifteen minutes dis abled the schooner, when she sheered off. We con tinued the anion with the ship, until about twenty minutes past nine; when she sheered off also; but continued in sight during the remainder of the night, in which time we were employed repo ring damages, and getting the ship in a proper state of defence. About half past six next morning. the ship came within pistol•shot, and opened a tremendous fire of great guns and small arms, which we returned, and continued in anion for about fifteen minutes, when finding our sails and rigging cut to pieces, the ship much hulled, several shot having gone through her, our wheel shot to pieces, two others and myself wounded, one (my second mate) mortally, we were obliged to strike. The ship proved to be Le Grand Decide, of Guadeloupe, mounting 20 9-pounders, and two brass twelves, with 160 men. I have been here these two days, and will go home either in the Venerable or Berbadoet. with the protest regularly done. I am nearly well of my wound ;it was a musket-ball entered my right hip, and came out near my back-bone. I have nothing more to inform you of, but hope by the above ac count there will not be any blame attached to either my men or me, as they all to a man behaved in a very gallant manner." Extract of a Letter from Captain Cummings, of the Apollo, of twelve guns and twenty inen, dated Uonsuuca, 2,tlt March, to his Owners in Liverpool, go iug •u Account of his engage ment. 6 , The privateer appeared to mount 12 guns, and from the number of men on deck, may reasonably suppose there were not less than 70 or 80 on board ; he bore down about nine at night : we immediately shortened sail and prepared for aaion, well suspeurling him, from his manoeuvres, to be a rogue; kept under easy sail all night, and all hands at quarters, the schooner keeping about gun-shot asters, until day-light, when I rounded to, hoisted English colours, and fired two shot at him, but being at too great a distance to engage, and finding him not inclined to give battle, bite up and made sail : at eight he bore down again and stood within gun-shot, when I hove to again and gave him a broadside, which he returned, and began the therm ; during which, my officers and men fought wit) true British courage; and, after a good drubbing, com pelled him to leave us, and haul his wind to th'! northward. The anion lasted about one hour." The &Irak Cannel!, of 20 nine-paunders, is cap tured by a French privateer of 10 guns, 6 pounder, and 100 men, and carried into Guadaloupe. The capture of the Sarah was owing to the dastardly b:- laay..)ur of the ciew, who, on seeing the Captain and Chief Mate so severely wounded as to be obliged to quit the deck, ran down below and hid themselves among the slaves ; and though the Second Mate Ix - haved - with great spirit and resolution, he coull not get them again to quarters; before this, the pr,va teer had dropped astern, but seeing the Sarah'i fire slacken, pushed up and carried her by boarding,— The Lo u on board the Sarah is two killed and twelve wounded, and on board the privateer, the second Capuin and two men killed and 20 wounded, lioth vessels materialiy injured in hull, sails, and riggi ,g. ADMIRAL PARKER. On the 426th inst. died at Fulham, after a long and painful illness, lamented by his family and f • a, C. P• a tea, Esq. Vice Admiral of the Red, and son of bir P. Pa sake, Admiral of the Fleet. He was a zealous, intelligent, and adive Officer, having distinguished himself against the enemy on various occasions. His services, as Captain of the Blanche frigate last war, are well remembered in the West Indies; and in the American War, when Captain of the Dia:Nand, he exhibited great and early proofs of his gallantry ; one trait, amongst many others, deserves recording: having, by orders of Lord RODNLY, reconnoitred the harbour of Cu racoa, within a shot distance of the forts, he obse , red two of theenemy'scruisers in theoffing, a Dutch frigate and •an armed schooner, to which he gave chace, and soon brought them to aiStion, but the schoof:cr made off on receiving a few shot. At this time a Dutch line of battle ship, having slipped her cables in ti.e harbour, was in chace of the D.aarchd : Captain PARKER, however, continued the a.tion until the enemy had struck her colours; he took out some of the prisoners and did not relinquish his c2ptine until several 'Lot from the Dutch line of h.trrie ship went over the Da•mogd. Lord RQDNLY expres..ed great regret that Capt. PARK 1. I'S account to him should have been so slight as to prevent his stating the circumstauces to Gureinment in the he it ter ms it merited. LIVERPOOL, MAT .6 On Monday last, the 41st inst. carne on the ele7- tirm of a new Maynr and B.;1111%, lur agreeable to the late decision of the Court of E - „'s Bench, and the Mandamus kNited in conscse e ; when John Bridge Aspinall. EN. was chosen Ma y‘ r, and Thomas Molyneux, F.si. and Dr. Jev,os Jar rard, Bailiffs; on which occasion, the utmost u•..- nimity and cordiality prevailed. :lie rew and Bailiffs were attended from the Hu.o.:nvs, '•. 1 large party of respedable Gentleman, Ae:ch and others, preceded by a very oo..siderable holy of the Burgesses, and tradesmen, ith tt.e colours of their respedive Societies. t his boast in Duke street. The party afterwards aeconr-nnird our late wor thy Chief Magibtrate, t sq. to h.t house at Everson, in testimony of their re.pea anu gratitude for his very upright and impartial druir.g the time or his being in 43:..ke. aaci erisiced by repeated basses. buttrg, stAi 21. KILMAINHAM SESSIONS, Mai' 23. Rh . a Pyrne was arraigned on two indiarnents, for wilful and corrupt perjury, at the prosecution of the King, 4 lbrough the Right lion. the Earl of Ilkiscom- Orlon. The depositions of the Prisoner Against this Nobleman, at a ;Omer Ses s ions, were recapitulated in the arranaement, viz. that his Lordship, accom panied by Mark Minden, Esq. did assault, beat, batter and abuse the present culprit at the gate of his Lordship's demesne, near Ectoterattown4 that his Lordship knocked her down, and that Mr. Madded beat her in the Lice, and with an unmet ciful blow, knocked out two of her teeth. On these charges, hills of indictment were found against Lord Roscom mon and Mr. Madden, who stood trial fur the same, and were both honourably acquitted. The first indhlment resulted from the alleged perjury committed by the culprit, on ri:a ; uce evie deice before the Sessions Court; the second india ment was grounded on the Lady's written eattninas tions, sworn to before Wm. Greenshields, Esq. a Magistrate for the County Dublin, Mr. GREENE, fcr the culprit, moved to hare her trial vstpuned to the neat sitting day of the pre sent Sessions. The CHAIRMAN said, he felt k indispensably ne cessary to postpone the trial until the next sestinas having impressions on his mind that precluded him from trying the case himself, and should gain time for application to Mr. Serjeant Moore to ilk in his place. The Gazette of Saturday contains two Addresses from the General Assembly of the Church of Scot• land, transmitted by Faancis Lord Isltems, His MAJESTY'S Commissioner, to Lord Hawicessuir, and presented by his Lordship to the Kato, who received them very graciously. The first Address thanks His MAJESTY' for the let ter with which His MAJESTY had been pleased to honour the General Assembly. It assures the KING of the satisfaainn which the Assembly feels in the approbation expressed of their condo 1, and of the confidence reposed in it ; that the Assembly is sensible of the importance of the o;,je6ts of its care ; that it is animated by His MAJta r affec tionate recommendations; and, at the present time, feels itself peculiarly called upon to dischargelt. duty ; is gratified by the re-appointment of Lord NAPIER to represent His MAJESTY'S Royal Person in the General Assembly; and accepts His MAJES TV'S royal donation for the propagation of Chris tian knowledge, and the principles or the Reformed Religion, in the Highlands and Islands of Scotl.:nd, as a pleasing expression of His MAJESTY'S unre misted attention to the best interests ef Lis peopl•,: ; and will endeavour to secur,r, by a faithful app&n. tion of the bounty, the valuable objeds for which it has bvis bestowed; and concluies wish a prayer fire the protedion of Ilia MaJtat v's Person, rx:nily, and Government. The second Address, after t sling a view of the critical stuat.on of affairs, congratulates liis MA nary on the success of hit arms in confining in their ports the armaments of the enemy; and on the import .nt conquests atchiesed by his forces in the 1...5t art" Indies; concluding with a prayer that His hfaJtsrY's aesr..--ard armies may be led to yiaoty, so as to re.tore to as ifsoesiiiy an honourable, advantageous, and lastieg peace. Mr. Fest ZR is appointed First Lord of the Trea sury and Chance.lor of the Exchequer of Ireland. A letter from Captain FIL•11K Ct Nay, of the Betsey, to his friends in Truro, dated at Verdun, May I, says : he was landed in France on the 7th of March, and after a march of nearly WO miles its . eleven days, arrived at Verdun. There were about seven hundred English prisoners at Verdun, at the time of Captain CLOUDY'S writing, chiefly mast.:rs i of vessels and other o ffi cers. The thremast men , are at Charlemnnt. Among the prisoners at Vet- don, Captain C. mentions Captains G. COOPER, of Bristol ; WILLIAM HARRIS, of Swansea; J. Sts- 1 coca and W. Pvacitase, of Penzance • linters, of ' Cloven) , ; and .laniN J•sies, of the M o unt ` -- These 4 were all in good health, and had the i.Serty of walking about the town, and a short distance into the country; but were obliged to attend twice a every day at a certain office, and inscribe their .1 names in a book kept for that purposc. They are allowed et! iivres (about 245. td.) a month each, ' which is barely sufficient to find theniasecessories. Captains CVNDY and Haan's, with two other-, lodge in a double-bedded room, for which they pay l.iii. a month. f - Nothing could more strongly evince the wondcr fill talents and aciiities of the B 11110? of LAMA try, than the faa cf his 1/3sclship having compcs.:d his late admirable Sermon on such short rustic,: that this most valuable discourse der ived infinite force from the very energetic manner in which it was delivered by his Lordship from the pulpit, tome can ' he no doub:, but we are happy to find that it stands *ovally the test ol the cldset. At :' Metting of the Ship Owners, at Hui, on T.wolav last, use MAY ea in the Chair, i: WAS una nimously readved, to iustruft t heir M emb e rs, Mr. THOS.:4Ios and Mr. Sseaotroitru, to support the Application to Parli anent to rsFeal the laws whieta 4 an:horisrthe Council t i suspend t:te Navigation Aft. it is reported, that Petitions to that eFe. wll bel presented from Scarborough, Portsmouth. 'and Se veral other ports. I f • The c, Jer countries have assumed a most favfoir. able aopearauce, and indicate en aka:lnd:int bearing cf truit this stAr. Ear!) on Saturday morning inforrnati. n was r . reiveel, At the Public Office, Res . -street, ti, is a et ar• tel had taken phic-e between two Gentlerries, in c • a sequence of a conversatim, of which the late ,L.o.c I LA SIP, Scsitn WAS the buLize, and that et.? pirtio were to nr:c: c'n Blackfte. rh to terrains ethe d!eput. by a dvel. Sorter and P...virt visese townediat-'t , d:spached to the spa:, chase their arthed Errs enough to apprehend the seconds, an I .0, prrve;-.,' the or. trini-,. Me two I:enuernen gar- ::—..: :y 11 tf ke-p th • peace; but dal net disclose toe /Lake 1 the pant-tali iii the q eArral Ar e U. Saturday a ) richt synnso IA clown • I li insvntsitreet, ar,a4r.• toy in a t ray was : diately convert 'o A ,'. till( 11 ~ St. .41 MAW ' L se P. the tivi.-;Jausichnol. le ...e 1, t..:.. loan • . : .. . ii.; Led ; rt founate worm n -..- ,•Ttrilifit, :$2l: -. A i ...... 1 '• ) 1 poisoned herself. , - -Ad; 1.3 Ca'. ''' ~ r.~~tiw.:^ Wier, wiw 14.4e1.1: :