The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1805-05-09 00:00:00

I ~- in the whole of the expedition committed to his charge. A jutieal MARKHAM said, he did not rise to make the l e ast o pposition t.) the motion, or to the ameni men ts just proposed. lie only wished to Make one or two observations on what had fallen a from the Hon. O ffi cer. lle had complained of SCIITTIIOO3 pamphlet that had been published. Whet h er it was scurrilous or not he could not say lie would only say, that it was not manuttured b y Ent St. Vincent's late Board of Ad miralty; an d he, for himself, disclaimed any share whatever i n it. The Hon. Officer nettled, however, to have entirely forgotten his own pamphlet against the Admiralty, which was one of the highest and most important Boards in the kingdom. lie had never hoard o f t it till he went down to Portsmouth, j November, and there he found it Lad be •n circt.t. thee.much read among the Officer; of the Navy lle thought it very extraordinary this Board should be so grossly abused by an Officer who was at the time atling under them. If a pamphlet was wrong, that was written merely against an in dividual; how much more so must that be which was diretted against a public Board, to which are entrusted the most important concerns of the coun try ? lie did not wish, he said, to oppose inquiry. On the contrary, he courted it ; but he cautioned Mr. Pitt to consider, whether the step he was taking would not tend to weaken the hands cf the Admi ralty? He warned him to be careful how he agi tmA the delicate question relative to the liberty of the sublet!. As to the report of the Navy Board. II the Admiralty were not authorised to refer matters w:-en they thought proper to another Board for in quiry and investigation (which is all they have done), he would be glad to know, whether it was likely the Admiralty will ever do its duty in future ? When Earl St. Vincent first went to the Admiral . y, he endeavoured by every means in his power to re .tore the Navy to the mat respeeable state the best friends of the country could wish ; and when he looked to his condott, either in the civil, or mili tary line, he knew no one more capable, or who had takes more efficient measures to attain that de ,irable objett • and he believed, from his soul , that t he Right H on.i Gentleman (Mr. Pitt) would he eartily glad if the Navy was now in as good a st.tte as when that Noble Lord had quitted his high station at the Admirnity. Mr. W. DICKINSON expressed his surprise at hearing the Hnn. Gentleman say, that he wished , for inquiry, when he might have given the lion. Officer that opportonity long ago, and not have de tained him su long from his duty to his country. The fait was, ha ought to have been sent by the Admiralty to a Court Martial, who, ailing as a Jury, must either have acqnitted or found him gaiky immediately. Hsi did not mean to say any thing against the Naval Commissioners ; but the lion. °Corr had been sent to another Court, which night acquit or delay, according to their own co piers, and might wish for peisens brought before them to criminate themselves. They did not, how ever, decide upon hi< case, for they A-fused to hear it, and referred him to a Court Martial. He said this, to chew that inquiry, if desired, might hose been had long ago. Admiral MARKHAM said it was not a fit busi ness to go to a Court Martial. There was such a complicature. of charges, and such a mixture of sistlennit matters, that a Court Martial would net have been equal to its full and adequate investiga tion. This was at least his own opinion, and on that he had shed. Mr. SHERIDAN begged to trouble the House with a very few words. - The Hon. Gent. who spoke last but one had said be would not say any thing :against the Naval Commissioners, and had immedi ately afterwards sided them a Court which might acquit or delay, according to their caprices, and that tioy might wish for persons to criminate themselves. This was a kind of language he could not bear, and taeuibt tits Member ought to use, when the corn minion hid been renewed, and the same powers invested in their hands by the House, as they had before. If the Hon. Gent. thought they were a Bonet ailing according to caprice, or wishing per sins to criminate themselves, he should in a man ly way have come forward, and stated such fads as strong objedions to the renewal of the commission, and not at this time deal out insinuations against Hon. Gentlemen who had ailed with so much zeal, fidelity, diligence, and inflexible integrity, in the great trust reposed in them, as to acquire most de. vedly the universal approbation and applause of the whole country. Mr. W. DICKINSON, in explanation, assured the House that he did not mean to cast the slightest refleition on the Commissioners. Mr. KINNAIRD said, that, after what had passed, there was a fair opportunity given him to make those renraiks on this whole transaction, which be was sure the House would believe he was not unprepared to make, but he would not give way to the temptation. There were, however, one or two points which he could not refra;:i from noticing. fie had been reproached by the Hon. Gentleman vim had just sat down, with not having moved for a Committee in die first instance, arid thereby keep • ins the H o n. O ffi cer from his duty. He begged the I louse would recollea the immense mass of pa pers that were moved for on both sides, and he thought it must be evident to every one, that it was impossible he could see the extent of the proceedings, or be able, in the first inq.!nce, to say what would be the fittest mode to persue. There Was another point also, he was at a loss to account for ; he could not see any thing in the p ipers which warranted that Hon. Gentleman's assertion " that the Commissioners refused to hear his ease, and re ferred it to a Court Martial." As to the case of Bartholomew, he thought it required the fullest and the inkiest investigation, and, he had no doubt, would turn out to the discredit of those who now gave it so muds the air of a charge against the late Admiralty. Mr. W. DICKINSON said, he did not state the Comnsissioners referrieg it to a Court Martial was is the papers, but took it from what was said on it in the House by the'Hdn. Baronet, who is at the head of the Commission; and, from a private conversation he had since had with him, he found he was st.ll of the same opinion. The question was then put, and the original motion, with the amendment added to it, was agreed to. THEE BRITISIR PRIESS. LONDON, THURSDAY, MAY 9. A General Press and Embargo have taken place in consequence of an Order in Council•by 11;; MA. J EsT Y. The embargo extends to all shipping in the ports of the United Kingdom coasting vessels, and vessels laden with grain 'and provisions, or such as have cleared out at the Custom-house, excepted. The general press and embargo will, we suppose, be followed by the calling out the Levy en Maste. By the Lisbon Mail which arrived yesterday, let ten have been received of the 24th ult. The 'Alan was brought last Sunday to Falmouth, by the Advices are said to have reached town, communicating the depar►ure from Cadiz of eigh teen sail of the line, with fifteen thousand troops on board. This statement appear* to have originated in the sailing of the combined fleet. The thane was, on the 3d instant, chased by a lugger, and the next day by a schooner, supposed to be enemies, as they d:d not answer signals. An Evening Paper cf yesterday—we mean► The Gooier, for, it would be an aft of injustice to its contemporaries, and of disappointment to itself, were we to suppress the name—coataius the follow ing oisservation : " In this state of uncertainty with Teemed to the deigns of the enemy; unable to say whether every hour may not b:iirg U. account of ale. heik4 ofr Ireland, we must as•rt, that out obje•fiurw against the dis.-aission of the Catliolic t a taertion at the present moment are encreared tenfold; yet it is r.solved to bring on the discussion on Finlay in the llottie of Lords; 013 Monday in the House of Commons. One mole yet remains by which the evil of discussing the question may he consider ably diminished, though not entirely done away. There is not one subjeCt, the present excepted, which ought not to be made public. But the present is one which is so cakulated M. revive those animosities that wire on rapidly subsiding in Ireland, that we think the debates upon it ought not to forth to the public. In several discussions list war ainin Irish a;fairs, strangers were excluded, and the exAusinn Way a•ry gmerally approved of. Surely, if it was proper then, it would be at least as proper now ; and we hope some Member in each Hume will enforce the standing orders.' It requires not a little command of temper and feeling to observe upon this paragraph, without run ning the risque of offending against public decency and decorous. A superficial glance at it will satisfy our readers, that it is a poisonous effusion from the mind of a ven tl slave, imbued with a malignant spirit, hostile to the liberty of the Press. Such a do6rine could be maintained at the present day only by some knavish sycophant, who, availing himself of the prejudice of his employers, would make public loss the source of private emolument. If speeches are made in Parliament, for the purpose of inflaming the public mind ; if they are reported in the daily morning newspapers, in fu, therance of that diabolical purpose, let the doors of the Cal ler? be closed against Newspaper Reporters for ever. Of all the restrilions that ever were imposed upon the liberty of the press, this will be the lightest to the individuals immediately concerned. The money expended by Proprietors of Newspapers upon Par liamentary Debates, may be applied in a way equal ly produaive ; and the twenty or thirty Gentlemen of talents who arc employed in it, cannot fail of earning better bread. But let the persons to whom this wholesome, constitutional, and liberal advice is given by The Cealeier, beware of the snake in the gt ass —The principal Editor of The Corner, the very man, who preaches this dodrine of Parliamentary Debate, dhotis januis, who would convert a British Senate into a secret tribunal, with all its inquis , itorial horrors, is at this moment a patient suffeting from wounds which he received on 'Thursday last in an illegal and audacious attempt to break into the House cf Commons after the doors were closed against him by the order of the SPLAKER Suppose. then, strangers were not to be admitted on Monday next, And the Morning Papers, from which this ungraternl Curie copies its Parliamentary pc --- -. 7, 3 p. ,' reports, are to be prohibited From publishing any thing upon the subjelt, what security have we that the same n an, who scaled the walls of the House of Commons on Thursday. will not ven ture a secorvl attempt; that lit v. ill toot, as an eaves dropper or a sponge, collelt something that may have passed within doors, and give it to the public in a distorted and mutilated shape to answer his own private purpose ? This certainly would be a great objea atchieved by the Proprietor of The Courier. The Evening Papers ate mete servile copies of the Morning Prints, in respelt of Parliamentary Reports. Take, however, the privilege of regular reporting away from the latter, and the Evening Papers be come original in that particular, as, it is through them that what passes in Parliament must, of ne cessity, first transpire. We know that Parliament ary reporting exists only by a sort of tacit permission or connivance ; resulting from a conscious rellitude and a love of constitutional liberty. That this in dulgence has produced all the good that might be expelled from it, we do not pretend to say. It is not within the limits of a newspaper to do justice to every speaker in the course of a long debate ; but we do know that the indulgence is not abused. We do know, that, with the solitary exception of the writer in The Cuurter, to whom we allude, it is, and has been for several years past, the ambition of every Gentleman in the department of reporting, to give the debates with impartiality and fidelity, and we know that he is rewarded and esteemed ac cording to the degree of ability with which he performs that task, without any regard to the principles of the paper, its prejodices s its passions, or its party. Newspapers, therefore, have not forfeited their claim to this indulgence, and we hope Parlia ment will not take it away at the suggestion of the Editor of T4e Courier. That he should desire the doors of the House of Commons to be cloud against Newspapers, lest the publication of its reports might inflame the public mind in lieland, miry well excite contempt and wonder. This very Editor of The Corrier.—so tremblingly alive to the feelings of Ireland; so fearful of hurting the deli cacy cf the Irish Catholics; so anxious for the tranquillity of the country,—is the habitual calum niator of Ireland : he is the man who conjured up an army of 30,000 rebels on Leighlin Bridge ; who cut cbwn a wood, where wood never grew, to make pikes for them; who represented Dublin in a flame, about three weeks ago, at a time when llubha never was more tranquil ; who is daily rep:esenting the people of Ireland as fools and blunderers; who, within the present week, has abused Mr. GILLY for calling foe punishment upon a libeller ; and, on Tuesday, condemned Lord Ila aowicice for marking with his displeasure an attempt to irritate and inflame the mind of the Irish Catholics; the very Aft, for the prevention of which he now contend: the debates of Parliament should be withheld from the public. When a man, thus in veloped in a mass of suspicion, contradillion, and in consistency, comes forward, as a State adviser, he ought to be carefully watched. The person to whom we allude, laboured hard against Mr. Pier, and every Member of the present Ministry. They had better take care that what he meditated in vain as an enemy, he may not accomplish, in fast, as a friend. Yesterday His MAJasry dined with the Princess of WALLS. at Blackhea:h. . In the evening the Roy •r. FA L(' r.v hononred the Concert of Ancient Musk with their presence. Yesterday morning the Prince of IVAI.ES visited the QUEIN And Pio NC:I.:D.4ES. Mr. Justice .1 oil issmi's case was argued on the 9d Inst. in the Court of Common Picas, and is to be further discussed on Monday. The outward-hound West India fleet, under con. voy of the Et/afire frigate, has returned to Fal mouth. The fleet spoke Sir Juuv Oen& on the 29th ult. and receiving the informAti.)n ut the Too lon fleet having passed the Streights, thought it pru dent to return to port. The Meenwrll, Paxson, one of the fleet which sailed from Cork on the 29th of January, is suppos. ed to have been captured near Barbadoes. The Di9etch, PAUL, from Savannah, arrived at Liverpool, was boarded by a French privateer 130 leagues westward of Cape Clear. The Fame, CLACK, from South Carolina, arrived at Liverpoul, was boarded on the 27th ult. by the Bon privateer, of Bourdraux ; she had captured that morning a brig from Honduras, bound to London. The Captain of a vessel from Charante, arrived at Plymouth, states, that. one three-decker and a two-decker full of troops, sailed from Rochefort, on the Ist of May—that an embargo had been laid for eight days, which was taken off the day he sailed. which was the 2d of May. Lord NELSON'S fleet was seen from Carthagena on the 13th ult. standing fur the Streights against a foul wind. The Spaniards were seen by the Auer, on the 12th, about eleven leagues from Cadiz, beat ing to the Westward. A conciderahle degree of a'tivity Continues to be displayed by tbelienry's flotillas along the opposite line of coast. Aieuer from Folkstone of the ith, says—a' There arc at this moment upwai di of 100 sail of the enemy's gun boats off the Sandhills, sup posed to come from I Lyre or Dieppe ; they are now steering towards Boulogne. Three of our cruisers are standing over to them. The signals ate up at our signal post. and rho squadron in Dungeness Roads aro now undo: weigh ropunite thorti." f ■ PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE. • ZITI•CT OW A LITTER TROY SARylign, DAVID MARCII 23, 1805. " We are momently expeining the French squad ron, who have been levying contributions, and pil laging the other islands: Dominique, St. Kitt's, Montserrat, and Nevis, have all felt the force of their strength ; and, though they have not taken possession of any, yet the losses to individuals must be considerable. If they attempt this island, they will get as handsome a dressing as they ever had ; for our land forces are double theirs, in troops of the line and Island Militia; but they may injure the town, and certainiy destroy the shipping. The Colonies are wholly unprotei2- ed : only one sail of the line. The French have two three-deckers, and three seventy-fours. besides frigates to cope with our friggres. If *reinforce ment does not arrive in a day or two from England, we must expett an attack here. All the storey in the town are shot, and the goods carried into the coun try. It gives me inn:lite pleasure to tell you that the whole island, to a man, has come forward with spirit and liberality. We despise the idea of allmc. ing the French to levy a contribution on it; ; and, I am certain, they win stiffer the town to be battered down before they submit to such a dett stfilt ion. We are all in high spirits, and mean to 'hew them that this ancient and loyal colony is not to he attocked with impunity. You shall hear from me again as soon as we are quiet." 71) 771 E EDITOR OF DIE R. 71371 PRESI.' St a~ln reading the Official Dispatches of Genii? ral Prevost, inserted in your Paper of yesterday, it is impossiSle not to view with admiration the con. dud of that brave little corps, whom the Gefieral calls " The Precious Remains of the dtith." and the detachment of the Ist West Indian Regimens, with which it was associated. . . By these carps, noder the eiimmand of °sprain ' O'Connell, of the tat Rzgiment, a very laperiew enemy was not only kept in check, hut tiler- By driven back. and yi4lory maintained in the kit wing, till, from th • defeat of the Militia on the right, it became necessary to order a retreat. But this forms fie lean pact of their praise. Re lying only, as the General says, on "the excellence or these troops," he resolved on one mare attempt, a bold one it was, to keep the sovereignty of We island. He retreated himself to Prince Rupert's, a& the opposite extremity of the island, accompanied only by two .4:der-de-Camp, and gave orders re these two lite.: corps to follow him, %el:kb they effeettially did by a four days continued march across the mountains of Dominica. The General says, and all whalmow the island can confirm the statement, that it Is "Ile not! raantry e,risi. ins." The militia had aged very bravely; but the General felt this enterprise too arduous to be pre scribed to them. He only gave leave to such Of them to partake of it as chose to volunteer;* and seems to have endeavoured to stimulate the gal.. batty, by inviting expressly those only wlid were• willing s 4 la esalere emir hardship; end Ir;ere service ; 4 but it does Oct appear that ant of them accepted the invitation. No disparagement of the *Nth can arise Sewn thia lad alter tfteir behaviabr At 'Rance to It serves • only to mark the extreme d•fficulty of the service. The two little associated bands acticed at (hi ICS Riircrt's, and, by enabling General Prey at to r-jetk the enemy's sninn.ons, and defend the lon, un deniably saved the Island. Well earned, thaefore, was the General's praises and nresonably do we regard this, a., a new, and, those. on a small scale, a very signal urtmph of Brit 'discipline and courage. But there is one circumstance of 'he case. which I believe is not generally unikriened, and witi:h public gratitude ought not to eimei al • The 1 first West India Regiment though uflivired by Euro peans, has in the ranks none but Negroes. Tiiere *re at least 8 West India Regiments so c tiled, and . numbered from I to 8 ; which ought ether to be . called the African corps; since they are, officers excepted, wholly composed of Afrii ans. In every service they have ben engaged in chi. ring the last and present war, their behaviour has gained commendation. In the present case they share the laurels of one of our bravest Regiments, and we owe to them that the British flag now flies at Dominica. Yet these are troops whom West Indian prejildice would fain have disbanded..--These are men, who, as their op. pressors tell us, are fit only to be driven like harass, arid sunk for ever in the most abJed and brutalising bondage. Ats Asouramitst. • The Bill now before Parliament for inquiring into the public expenditure of the departments con. nefled with the army enaEls, that the Commis. siotters are to investigate regulations of Commis. sioners of Public Accounts. .tncl Committee of Pub lic Expenditure ; to inquire into the expenditure and condna of the Officers of Odnance, Secretary at War, Commissariat, Royal Hospitals, dec. and the expenditure of the public money in the West In dies. The Commissioners to examine upon oath. and to be empowered to enforce attendance of wit. nesses. No person to be eompe!led to answer tinge thins tending to criminate himself. A CH•LLtWGE.--Assiduous industry will, in series of years. amass large fortunzs from small beginnings : bet the wit of man is challen;.ed to de. vise any mode, eiceptingime. by which an mdivi. vidnal can instantly acquire Fifteen . 1 housand Pounds with a stake of Five Pounds only—nay, toe the trifling risk of only Twenty-five Shillings, 'nay in one moment gain a fortune of above Three Thou. sand Pounds. The great Lottery, which ccm. menses on Monday neat, is literally capable of ef. fettling this, and much more, in proportion to the stake : a Lottery that displays a Scheme the me t Abundant in Capital Prizes, considering its small number of Tickets, that ever was, or *at ever will be, perhaps construded. Near MONDAY, 10,0001. RST.P a AWN.- ifeassav and Co. beg leave to remind their and the public, Oiat the present Grand Ste' commenv.‘ drovAing on Monday next Shares are on Sale in great variety of at the lowest prices.—N. i 3. Prises mand, whether a ;01. of A 30 1 9UW. co.llllale PT.!) II A 3d their tiiends, Stine Lottery t Tickets and t numbers, And paid on de. ft dicir Mr. PITT then proposed the Committee should be by ballot. Mr. KINNAIRD objected to it, and said the Right Hon. Gentleman seemed determined to have all the Committees by ballot. Mr. Pt IT denied that it was his wish to have every inquiry determined by ballot, though he thought this one in particular ought to be so. Earl TEMPLE was proceeding to speak ; when The SPEAKER informed the — House some name must be mentioned for the Committee, or there was no question. Mr. KINNAIRD said, h' would give a name, and immediately mentioned—Mr. Canning—(a laud and general laugh.) Earl TEMPLE then said, his Right Holourable Friend's principle and pratlice were at va: i ince ; when a Committee of Inquiry is fixed on to examine into India Accounts, he named them all himself ; but now, when the Committee was to inquire into papers and other matters, it must be by ballot. The question on Mr. Canning's name staiding as one of the Committee, was then put and negatived. When Mr. Pitt cried out—No—there wax a still loutkr lava than &lute. The Committee of Supply was postponed to Fri day.—Adjoumed. 4 11. 4