The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1804-07-16 00:00:00

ORIGINAL BI3GROBTCAL A3MMOTILS. ?lan. /•,111 ilOl Nll JAW n orppplygsrcom WNWS. Among the minor :Mama his day, none shone with greater lustrelshamthe late Mr. S. H. Wynn ; a man so atteched i tobenourabl? pursuits. that in the midst of abjett.poverty, na peciini:lry advantage could tempt him to commit a mean attson, or eon dal himself, while temperate, derogatory to the principles of a gentleman. Eccentricities he pos sessed in abundance, which often made him subjea to the ridicule of the ungenerous. The man of discrimination knew his merit, be -1.,-.ld• him the ruby among pe , .hles, and when he c old not relieve, coMmiserated from humane motives. Mr. Wynn was of a very respeetable family in South Wales, and related to the Wynns, of Wynn stay, in that part of Cambria. His father, from misfortunes, having reduced his fortune, wisely re solved on a profession for young James, and that of a compositor was determined on for the hero of these memoirs, at which he worked with that celebrated worthy, Benjamin Franklin, afterward the Solon, or law-giver of America ; but, from what motive I never could learn, he iii.icante disgusted with his pro fession, and obtain I a lieutenancy in a regiment about to set out for India. The irascibility of Mr. Wynn's temper was such, that it for ever kept him in hot water; he had not proceeded far on his voyage before he quarrelled,with his brother-officers, who refused to mess with him, and actually left him behind when the ship arrivrd at the Cape ; from whence he returned to England, and meeting with a young lady of property, entered into the state of mu trimony. It was alsout this time Mr Wynn thought of commencing author, and his first application in that way, was to Mr. George Kear.ley, bookseller, in Fleet-street ; from whose liberality i.e was enabled to gain a support for his family. He had two other employers, one in Paternoster-row, the other in May-fair. For the first he is as doomed periodically to write rebitsses and enigmas ; for the other, petty fables, children's lessons in verse, or devise new fangled modes of playing the game of goose. As these two pillars gr littrataire live.; at sn great a dis tance a-part, our poor poet, who had suffered a total derangement of the muscles of his ri•,.:ht leg, was almost reduced to a skeleton, by Li frequent at tendance on therm ; when be had writ:en a dozen lines for a child's play-card, or the half-page of a monthly magazine, our poet was obliged to go with his stock of commodity, from Bloomsbury, where he occupied an attic, first to May-fair, and then to Paternoster-row, and the remuneration he met with for the effusions of his brain, was fre qaendy insufficient to procure him the means of ex istence. No man could be more sensible of his miseries than Mr. Wynn, and he would oaten com plain, in severe terms ' , of the want of generoity an his employers. The literary produetions of Mr. Wyan are many ; and some written for his amuse ment, full of merit, strongly evincing flights of true genius. His " ' f t:he/air the critics of his day belaboured with Herculean clubs (but critics frequently display much ill -nature, and but little candour). His" Alivriel of Authorship" does his feelings much credit ; and his Poem of " The Pro:- Ware," is full of moral and tender sentiments—the offspring of a good heart. Many others, his pieces, have much to recommend them, and would not dis grace men of much greater celebrity. In his p is toralt he has n st been so successful ; when we read them, they remind us of a saying of the gentle sh ens t e m e -.." That it is not the piping of the shep herd we hear, but the bleatia If his sheep." Mr. Wynn (as before ohm:. 'vas not without his ecreatricities, and. isonie of them s ?"Hated with I • ,t• !If •11 :o pride, that their possessor appeared tri • lieu. lons. The noblest minds are ever hardiest in tress ; but Mr. W . was insolent in rags. turbulent when in rant of a m•al, and would insult his best frien.l t. t dein b o hint . kindness unsolicited; of vi hick ti.ie following 4.lecsiste is an instance. r W.. 1 figure we, below the middle stature his face thin :ad pale; his head thinly covered with black heir, collected is a tail about the thickness of a tobacco pipe. - His coi.seiated right kg -vas sus tained to an unpolished ;rout he wore his gloves without fingers, and his c%oaths in tatters. In such trim, he, one day, entered Mr. Kearsley's book seller, in Fleet-street, who possessed a bract susceptible ofevery good, and a hand ever ready to relieve distress. Mr. K.'s shop was the loutige for gentlemen of literary Daum:hymen', who stopped to inquire the ticeurionces a the day, and several per sons of fashion were piesein •.s lien W. enteied, and began to talc in a sway that chewed want of ketiediitg ; his shabby appearance, together wit his N unbridled loquacity, 'New Mr. kearsky into a fe ver, ur.til he had got rid of him; after which, moved at the indelicacy of Wynn's appearance, ..fir. K. fi on, the purest motives, took a suit of his claathes, almost new, and, with other appendage', bundled them togetlwr in a handkerchief. and with a polite note, sent them after Mr. W. to his lodg ings. As this was dome WithOUt the knowledge of third person, and in so polite a way, it would not be unreasonable to suppose Mr. W. reecived the gift with thankfulness, at least with good manners; but the result proved oth I.wisc--he seemed life a madman, and, in a r 3;,. , - cter.ted the but though he was covered s.l . rags lik pauper ; writing by the porter, that the pity he wad expe rienced was brutality—the officiousness to serve him, insolence; and if ever Mr. K. did the again, till he was requested, he would chastise hir in another way. This would have been a wren pounciag upon an eagle; for Mr. Kearsley was a tall, stout man, a Colossus to Wynn. Notwithstanding the above, Mr. W. was rot without his attachment to dress and fashion. short time previous to publishing his History GI Ireland, Mr. W. expressed a desire to dedicate it t:s the Duke of Northumberland, who was just rearm ed from being Lord Lieutenant of that country: for this Purpo s e be waited on Di. Percy, and met with a very polite i.iception. The Duke was made ac quainted 5..,h Mr. W.'s wishes, and Dr. Percy went as the messenger of glad tiding to the author. Bat !lees was more to be done a foossal introduc tion the poor writer intimated this to the good Dcaor, who, in the most delicate terms, begged his acceptance of an :bruit new suit of black, which, with very little alteration, might be made to fit. Thus the Detto...rged, would be the best, as them was not time to provide a new suit and other things. - necessary for his debut, as the Duke had appointed the Monday in the nest week to give the historian an audience. Mr. W. approved of Dodo' 's plan in all I espeas, and the same day the clerical black adorned the ac tic, in a stable-yard, near Montague house. In the mean time Mr. W. had prepared himself sr ith a set speech, and a manuscript of the Dedication. But to digress a little, it must be un derstood Dr. Percy was considerably, in stature, above Mr. Wynn, and his coat surficieatiy large to wrap round the latter, and conceal him. The morn ing came for the author'spublic entry atNirthumber lan,l-house ; but, alas! one grand mistake had been made : in the hurry of business, no application had been made to the tailor for the heces,ary alteration .of his cloarhs ; however, great minds are not cast down by ordinary occurrences, Mr. NV pm dressed himself as well as he could devise in Dr. Percy's friendly suit, together with a borrowed sword, and a hat under hi' arm of great antiquity ; then, taking leave of his trembling wife, he set off for the great house in the Strand. True to the moment he ar rived, Dr. Percy attended, and the Duke was ready to receive our Poet, whose figure at this time pre sented the appearance of a suit of sables hung on a hedge stake, or one of those bodiless forms we see swinging on a dyer's pole. On his introdudion, Mr. Wynn began his formal address; and the Noble Duka was so moved at the singularity of the Poet's appearance, that, in spite of his gravity, he burst the bonds of good manners ; and at length, agitated by an endeavour to restrain risibility, leaped from his chair, forced a purse of thirty gui neas into Mr. Wynn's hand, and, hurrying out of the room, told the Poet he was welcome to make is hat use he pleased of his name and patronage. [To be cniltinued.) PUBLIC OFFICE, BI%V -STR EET. VOLITNTEERA. At a late hour on Friday night. a Cast of consi derable importance to Officers of Volunteer Corps, and the Lessees of Turnpike gates, came on to be heard before NICHOLAS BOND, Esq. Sir Wii.trass PARSONS, and HUNTER, Esq. Last Tuesday morning, Captain Barber, Commanding Officer of the Duke of Camberlan Sharp Shooters Corps,. attend,:d at Bow -street, and exhibited a complaint against the keeper of the turn pike gate, at the top of Tottenham-court-road, for exacting toll from him, when mar coil::: at the head of his corps, contrary to an Ad of Pe rhament ; Mr. Bova, the sitting Magistraie, agreeing with the Captain, that there was good ground for complaint, and knowing Mr. Handly, the lessee, to be a re spedable man, sent him a note, requesting his at tendance at the Office, on Friday evening. At the appointed time the parties attended. Captain Barber produced the Al of Parliament, upon which he grounded his complaint; it was brought into Parliament by Mr. Addington. a short time previous to the close of his Administration. and taken up by Mr. Pitt, with some alterations, and lately passed. It is entitled, I' An Al to Consoli date and Amend the Provisions of several Ads of Parliamenr, relating to Volunteers in Great Britain." The Clause appli,:able to the present case, states, " That any Field or Staff Officer, in going to or returning from any place of exercise, mounted, and in uniform, should not be liable to pay toll at any turnpike gate." The Captain then stated,. the Corps which he had the honour t.) command, went on the first Sunday in every month to shoot at a target, at Chalk Farm, and that he had passed through the turnpike gates without any interruption, till the first Sunday in the present month, when he was returning from Chalk Farm, at the head of his Corps, along the Hamp steadsroad, and when he came to the toll gate, at top of Tottenham-court-road, Mr. Handly was attending at it, and demanded toll ; the Captain informed him he was not liable to pay, in conse quence of an Al of Parliament having lately passed, which exonerated him. Mr. Handly replied, he had heard of the Alt, but had great doubts about it ; and that he should not pass without paying the toll ; and shut the gate, which prevented the corps, as well as the Captain, from proceeding on their march. and the Captain was at length obliged to comply, and paid him three halfpence. Ihe flake of Cumberland only patronises this corps, and ha: nothing to do with the command ; that being solely vested in Captain Barber, who stated, that he had taken Counsel's opinion as to his being a Yield Officer, who was de cidedly of opinion he is one. Mr. Bono and Sir Wit 'All PA rsoms agreed in this op oion, and far ther contended, that even a Corpoz al in uniform, and mounted, ssho had a command, was a field officer for rue time. Mr. Hear ea d cidedly differed from his brother Magistrates, and gave it as his onininn, that no officer of a lower rank than a Ma jor is a field officer, he denied that commander and field officer were synoninious terms; and said, be supposed the numbers of this corps were not suf ficient to entitle the commander to any higher rank than that of Captain. To which Capt. Barber replied, the numbers Are one hundred and twenty, and he had no doubt, if he applied for a higher rank, he obtain it ; bat thought the present tank he had the honour to hold, sufficient fir all poi poses. 'lle majority of Magistrates being of opinion th it Captain Barber was exempted from toll, deter mined that Mr. Hardly should return the three balfpacce, and say, he was sorry for what he had done with both of which Mr. Handly refused to comply. The bblistrates then found themselves in a very difficult situation ; for, on examining the Ad, it was discovered that the framer of the A.t had omitt.d to insert any punishment to the g.ste ;:teper, who should refuse to comply with the ex ,c- ;ption. Mr. Handly was, therefore, of course, I harged. Captain Barber pledged himself not r:: the que :on rest, as he considered the corps As mach ai established regiment as any of the regu ?..rs t . ..e Government. He would therefore it dia Mr i iandly for obstrusling the marching of the r(;•; rope ; and would likewise bring au ac don a . t•i. l.im fur taking the roll, for the purpose of yi:•, .he question 0; exemption. 1.-tters from Scotland announce the loning he! y to be on the decline ; bnt the adventurers to it aor in cape& nion of receiving a reward from Go vernment to encourage their excrtior.s. L*W Prlllifir,GUlCL COOST OF KINGy ji! , :g kfore Lo, ELLE* BO GII ltderirCCia. PARR V. ASIII.SSeOM. This was an Aaion for the recovery of 3 , )01. the amount of a Policy of Insurance on the ship Mer cury, bound on a commercial voyager from Liver. plot to the coast of Africa, and trout thence to the West India Islands, with or with.nd letters of marilut, with liberty to touch, stay, and txale t az ch.tngegoods, &c. at any of the Aitican or Weis India Islands, within her regular course ; but not to cruise, chase, or attack, ally ships belonging to an enemr, except as she might fall in with them io ber direa course, .tud, on no account whaxsoever, to deviate from that. On the Stith of June, lir" the Mercury sailed from Liverpool, the Captain bring furnished wids letters of marque against the Ft mei. and Dutch. A few days after, she fell in with the .Sw.d/ow brig, and spoke the Captain, and Came on board. While the Commanders were at tea toge tner, two sail hove in sight, and appeared about three miles a-head, cros s ing the Alertury'y hawse. They were supposed to he enemies, and the com manders, its the eager laqie that they might be Frenchmen, ordered all hands to their dikrielit quarters. They immedhitely gave chace, and while the Mercury took possession of the one vessel, the Suealkr.: pursued the other. The furmer afterwards proved to be the Raehact, from Bristol to St. Kitt's. and had been recently captured by the latter, which Will a French corvette, and, beiw a quick sailer, escaped from the Swallow. The prisoner:., twenty in number, were d;sposed of among the three ships The Swallow kept company with the Afererry two days, and the Rachaei was sent home. The Mr.cary then proceeded on her voyage, and having met an American, put her prisoners, fourteen in bomber, on board of her. Oa the 31 st of J uly, she arrived on the African coast, after a passage of only thirt y five days, one of the shortest ever known, as it ge nerally takes six or seven weeks, to get to Cape Mongerado, on the Gold Co.ut. Th:y bartered there fur about three months, and havii, completed their cargo, consisting of 246 slave , . for the iffist Indies. Having touched at Zarl,adoass and finding nu market for the cargo, they bore away for Demarara, and meeting with bad uszsithcr, sprung the mainmast, which obliged them to pi.; into St. Vincent's, where it was made perfeCtly secure, A1..1 then proceeded to Santa Cruz, where being again disappointed of a market, they steered for the }la vanaah. In passing through th - :Old Straits of Ba hama, the Mercury fell in with a Spanish vessel, from whom she procured provisions, by leaving a young female slave in Exchange ; hut conceiving that these provisions would not last out the voyage, and not being well acquainted with the passage, the Captain again applied to the Spaniard for ano ther supply, and requested she would keep c.:mpativ with the Mercury, through the Straits; bota of which requests were refused, and he found it ne cessary to proceed on his voyage immediately. On• the following day, a tremendous storm came on, known in that climate by the name of the Norther, the ship struck on a shoal, and was in danger of going to pieces every moment. Use Capt4in, with a few of his crew, took to a boat, in the hcpc; of ga;ning the shore, and obtaining some kind of ei by means of which he might save the negroes and remainder or the crew ; but the ship soon after wmt to pieces, and thcae unfortunate' eings, wretched in life and death, all perished in the Calph. Most of the crew shared the same fate ; but a few, by clinging to pieces of the wreck, were drifted on the she of a desolate island, where they were nearly famished hunger and distress, and from whence they were taken by a canoe, which brought them to Santa Cruz, and from thence they returned to England. The Captain and men, who had gone off in the but, and had landed in another part of the island, were taken up, after some days, by a cruiser, and brought home. The Captain, armourer, third mate, and some others of the surviving crew, were examined ; but it appeared upon their cross-examination, that the Merrecii, in her passage from Liverpool to the African coast, had deviated from her course for about a quarter of an hour, while in chase of the Rachart Lord ELLF.KROROIT.If observed, that the ques tion was, whether any thing had been done by the commander of the ship its question, to amount to a deviation from his regular course. A vessel is al lowed, as a measure of defence, to institute a mea sure of offence ; but she is not to deviate from her regular course to cruise, although she is permitted to make a capture while in that regular course, with out subletting herself to the forfeiture of the policy. The fag upon this point he left to the determination of the Jury. Verdict for the Defendant. PARK V. WINS The Plaintiff in this aetion was the same as in the foregoing, and the anion was brought against the Underwriters, on a pulley fur COOL on goods on board the same ship Mcrriorq. from St. Vincent's to thepsirt where she should discharge her cargo. The defence set up, was, that the ship was not sea-worthy, in as much as she was not properly manned and viaatlled. It appeared, that ten of the crew died On the Coast of Africa, and fourteen deserted and were pressed, which reduced the hands (originally forty in nirm'ier) to sixteen; these wire again replaced by twenty of the slaves brought up from the hold, to work time guns, and twelve Eu ropean sailors procured at BArbadOWS. It appeared also, that she had about three weeks provisions when she sailed from St. Vincent's ' but was plun dered of a quantity of biscuit and beef by the slaves, who had broke into the stores. Several Captaiiis of West India ships were ex amined a. to this point, who all deposed, that three weeks provisions were sufficient for the voyage horn St. incenes to the Ilavanisth, taking all accidents into consideration. Verdia fur the Plrintiff 1891. 131. KING v. %LAD. This was an anion forpir;J:g literary property. The Plaintiff in this case was a considerable ac countant, residing at Liverpoul, and had published a very voluminous wurk, being Tables of Interest and Calculations Limn Commission ; the second edition of which, he averred. the Defendant had pirated, by publishing the !am: work in his ono name. To prove this. the Plaintiff proceeded to shew the several *linos in his own work, savilaly c, , pied by the Deenslant in his putLeatioo. Not less than keventy errors Were crated to hire been copitd. On the part of the Defendant, Mr. ERSKINE said, he wuuld Fhew• seventy more errors which they had not copied. Lord ELLettaoaovor observed, that this was a wosk in which accuracy could be its only merit ; and, to chew the piracy, the Plaintiff had ptOved 'sweaty errors. If they had copied seventy Minders wit of a work which had une hundred and titre. their crime was their punishment. The Plaintiff was nonsuited. A number of other speci.il and common 'ors: - eauvj, rf no moment, were disposed of. The einirt sat till past nine o'clock at night. in order to finish all the causes set down (GT trial. His Lordship proceeds upon his circuit this day. CITY 111.7ThIg!S.. - On Saturday a Court Of Corrimon Council wr; held at Guildhall; at which the Loan MARCIA p:. sided; present seven Aldermen; Recorder, :ie rits,•and a great number of Commotion. • A petition was presented trom William Parry, Esq. citizen and glover, playing the Court to dis charge him from the nomination of Arriff his paying into the Chamber of Loncliat the sum of .4001. and twenty marks ; whir h the Court agreed to, on his paying the faille et id the usual fees. Mr. WA rritm•s stated, that the Bill now peuil;ng_ in Parliament, imitled A Bill for the :ere . oT certain Incumbents within the City of London,' had excited considerable alarm; and would, if •pass ed, subject the citizens of London to a most griev:iits tax ; a dangerous consequence, which had not been before generally known, although the Bill had pass ed the House of Commons, and was row in the House or Lords. The Bill %% Is now under the con sideration of a Committee of the Common Council ; and as it would, be impossible for them to take any measure in sufficient time to prevent the passing of the said Bid, he moved that a petition be presented to the Right Hon.'the House of Lord., praying that u. 1 13i11 might not he passed into a law. The motioa was seconded by Mr. Stokes, and carried unania., v.; y. Mr. Into sr thee. stated, that while the in• cumbeats r forty-eit.:4 parishes in the City of London we ants to Parliament tor au addi. Lion of two-t:.:.. , to their present income; there c-re fifty.one pamiles not included .n the free f late had been in many instances oliled to submit to exorbitant claims, and no relief whatever was proposed for suer paii,hes ; he therefore nun. ed, 64 That the Cemm:ree before appointed re em powered to brino in a bill or bills to regulate the whole of the ;ma eihents and improprietors of sights and tythes in the City of Louden, and report the sante to this Court;' which was carried unanimously. MIT/Mtn' ELECTIOs.—Sir BURT)TTT and bis friends are indefatigable in their C4.:17 ASS. Mr. i‘lAtt:w Ammo. son of the Magistrate, as %Yid be seen by the Ariverisement in the front of our paper, has been 7. quested to appose him. He will probab'y deriat: ! imself this day. t.s.savait kit.tc rtoF.—At the close of the Poll on Saturday, beingTheiiiiii"rud daf, the numb: t, wet e . . For the lio . n. W. Cavendish, 4,' 2 MI T. C. retivnie, 4i 6 The Poll, it is espeZted, will Fnally close this day. The Lively fri , -ate will be launched in a short time, from Woolwich Duck-yard. The co:nmarid is to be given to Captain I: AMI OPID• It is stated, much to t!— en•dit of the Isle of Ely, that there was neither prisoner nor cause at tl e assires last week ; nor was there any prisoner t r trial at the assizes held six months ago. Saturday the Assizes at Lincoln were opened by Justices Guise and ROOK!. ne most important trials expelled to occur, were those of T. Newton, for the murder of his father, and F. AI/ea, aged 2; , for stealing eighteen sheep, from the Duke of Ay c As ira's Park, at Apthorpe. The shoemakers of Glasgow have been followin,- the ex.unple of their brethren in London, by enter , i..g intu a combination for an advance of wages. Several of the ringleaders have been ceanntated to prison. Whenever this country has enjoyed the tranquil lity of peace, the populace have never failed to raise an outcry az.vinst th..! frequent emigration of our Nobility, to disburse their affluence in the more y,enial clime of Italy; but the great inducement far such excursions was the wish to behold that Capital, which will ever remain in the page of hist )7, for the astonishment of all future gener..tions. 11t.t it was never till lately imagined, that the :nye , tire genius of man could transplant the City of ancient flume into the heart of mocFrn Londoa. howcver, has literally been effe:ted by Nlessrs. itr. AUL& and BANICLIt, who are now exhi!;;tiog •t famous City, in all its present grandeur, at the New Panorama, in the Strand. Mr. Tsai.us, the Keeper of the Compeer. has received orders to remove all the prisoners now its the Poultry Compeer to the Gilespur-street Compeer, pi eparatory to the pulling down of the Old Com pter. But whether the latter will be rebuilt in the same place or not is uncertain. The Lottery for 25.000 Tickets, to he drawn in September next, was on Friday contra3e.! for. and we are happy to find Mr. PITT has prevented the Contra:.'tors from encreasing the .number of Tickets. by which means Tickets in this Lottery are intrin sically worth near 21. more than in fin mer Lotteriv.. This is the only Lottery to be drawn Ibis ! mar :Ticitoi to be delivered in the course of THIS WETIC. The Scheme contains Three Twenty Thaitissids, Three Tee Thousands, Thr f e Five Tiassands, &c. ece. and the lowest Pei,. Twenty Pawl-. The following is an accurate account of the ave rage prices of Corn, &c. from the 13th February, to the Stir May. as delivered. by the Inspe&or of e, , 1,1 Returns, to the Loan MAYOII, Recommit, and Aldermen, assembled, at Guildhall, on Monday the 2d instant : Average price per quarter on the List six weeks ; Barley. L. 3s. 4d. Beans, 11. 10s. Peas. 11. 13s. ed. R)e. IL 10s. IJ. Wheat. 21. 10s. 11d. Rape Se.:4l, 44. ss. 3d. Average price per quarter on the last twelve weeks—oats. 11. Is. 3d. Average price per boll on the I.lst s.x weeks oatmeal, 17s. 4d.