The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1804-12-12 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OP THE !MI risir PRESS. Silt.--The new system of public law, invented by Monsieur Bonaparte, which consists in the seizure of j v i es engers and Ministers (no matter which) in their journey through 'neutral countries, and in the arrest of Foreign Ambassadors in the midst of the Court to which they are accredited, having been surficiewly established by recent praline (and what torcign Prince, let me ask, will presume to controvert such a precedent ?), I beg you to allow one of the un happy Cult Dirlomatipte to give you his reflections on this subjett, and to propose some plan for the ac commodation of our maxims to the present state of things. It is. Sir, not a little hard, that while we are brandishing the pen with one hand, we should arm the other with a musket or a pistol ; that we, who n ever thoufilit of a sword but as an elegant appen dage to a (-oust dress, and never regarded its tem per, provided we could but keep our own, should sow be obliged !ix draw it from its scabbard, where, for so many ages, it has slept in peace, or that, like a celebrated Admiral, we mould hegin to praffise writing with the left hand, lest some unlucky chance of war should can y off the right. I will not pre sume to predi.ft to what evils nation; may be exposed from this left-hanilt d policy ; hut let Monsieur Bo naparte look to it, or, perk t pi, while he is inventing imaginary consp•rators out of our Drakes, and Tay lors, and Spence' Smiths, be may rais . ! a host of heroes in the Cobenzelr ;inis, who no.v quietly sit mtcr to his levee, and may draw down upon his own head the first experiments of their new science. For now, Sir, when an Ambassador is to set for ward on his mnaires, instead of chniing his service of plate, he must look larward to a service of danger; instead of displaying his ta ar in chariots and corricles, he must think of a camp equipage. PoulCe mu t be content to yield its place to gunpowder, and cartridge paper will make no loco:lade:able figure in his stationer's account. It is true, Sir, that for the latter article he may occasionally sub stitote his own Memorials, or the cambrous volumes o: the DPOIiT des Gen,, which lumber on his shelves. 'I .e brains, which they meld never reach in their o- ..;ina/ dress, they may haply a..sail with advan tage. under the form of an envelope to a cartotiche, or ra watiling to a great gun; and where they fail of prof .ring conviaion, tiro- may safely appeal to the •ace. That head matt he hard indeed, on w'- a •it - - ants in this form can make no impres sion; sad I will venture to say, that Grotius him self, we r he living, could not wish to see his as . re ab y -enforced. %Viten the Envoy proceeds on his journey, in th, place of out-riders and heyducs, he most be p: ece ded by a train of flying artillery; a body guard of diplomatic Mamelukes must surround his carriage ; and soon, I suppose, we shall read in the Gazette, that the piquets of an English Amhassador have been driven iii, or the out-posts of a Prussian Minis ter carried by assault, with as much familiarity and as much indifference, as we now peruse the 1/1.1:i follies of Monsieur Bonaparte, or the clumsily fahi l eafed conspiracies of the Mesh', Bud , V.r, his secretary Nnr is this all, Sir. Arrived at the seat 'if los ari;sr in, the Envoy must begin by intro aching him self; and must literally avail himself of the proud privilege of an Englishman, which assorts his hous, • to be his castle. His cyphers will make him a tolera ble gig-zag; and (it his own mansion be incapable of such a species -sr atsfeciee) he may sheher hionvelf - be hind the horn-work of many of his diplomatic col leagues. In the amiable coterie.* of the cabinet, a lodgment on the comlro,rorpe of a Foreign Agent will be whispered about with as much exultation, as asw a blonder in his rortfroprorer ; and a practicable breach in the walls of his hotel must no longer be regarded as a breach of privilege. His writings must adopt the same military appearance. The eerie recur', so long the silent and retired cham pion o f ever v remonstrance, may now be inserted in tlit body of his paper, in the guise of a menace ; or, at least, may he allowed to illuminate the mar gin, in the form of shells or red-hot halls : And I do not see how A Aar write! can henceforward be haened to, unless preceded by the emphatic word— Aeration! pronounced in the attitude of a Fugle man,. and with the lungs of a Reviewing-Officer. Now, Sir, in this new order of things, I would humbly suggest to His Majesty's Government. that a Secretary oc apointed at the next Session of Par liantcat, for the Military Department of Foreign Affairs; or at least, that a foreign Minister may have recourse, is his various exigencies, to that branch of etpenditufe the best suited to his new wants. his equipage moray may retain its name; hut its objea—kos groo.t..n mantes xi No. Camp kettles and canteens usurp the place of gilded car siages and laced liveries; and a tent-bed is almost the isnlr word to remind him of former comforts. His extraordinaries must be defrayed by the Board of Ordinance, and none but the Commander-in (la should be permitted to examine his ettra-ez traordinaries. As far :erns service money, the title will be lost, amidst the explosion of shells, or the springing of countermines; and I believe we must have recourse to the praaice of that able politician of a.niquity, Philip of Macedon, who declared, that au as., with a sack of , gold upon his back, was as goad a aegociator as any Ambis.ador be could em ploy, and that he never saw the fortified town, into which such an savoy would not contrive to enter with his load. I am, Sir, etc. Der. (i, 1804. A Bt r or A DIPLOM•I E. Accounts were yesterday received at the East India House. of the wife arrival of the under-men tioned ships. a: Made:fa, outward bound. at the folowing periods: Lord Taa.4l. Capt. J. Sw-te, Tottenham, Captem Dxlps ple; Expstion At. Cart. P Campto.ll, Ith July. Lori fionitra'attm, Copt. innbeill, 23 , 1 Ditto. $) Sc v 50, Cam.. Merano, 2 4th Dittn. A Court of Diredors was yesterday held at the Rau India House, when the important dispatches received from U:agal and Madras,. by the Tip-it picket, were read. l'he Court adjourned at SIX o'clock till this day. TLe r 4 rit, lately arrived from India, was dis- Pet-hecl as packe.t lay the GovaaNcra GElialtAL, to England. fhe Scriael and Jar", BE. A CICSORN arrived is sise Downs , from Quelpec. She s ailed with the fleet on the tech of 000bert and Put" from them itz the Gnlph. , 111. ' do e4d VIM COURT OF KING'S BENCIT, Cytton A LL, Dec. 11. Sittings at Nifi Friar, before Lord EL LEN eo ROLICI It WILLAN V. WILBERFORCE BIRO andOTllltts. This was an at ... lion upon a Bill of Exchange, date.'. the ltlth ofiune. ISO 4, drawn by the Delendaws ills Messrs. Bird and Co. Ludgate-hill. Mr. GARROW, on the part of the PlAintiff, w:n , through the usual forms of proving thehand on the hill M. ERSKINE, on the part of the Defendants, stated, that in consequence of the contest at the late elec tion for Coventry, at which the Defendant, Mr. %Va.- l'am IVilberforee Bird, was, unfortunately, a candi date, lie became very much involved, and after wards a bankrupt. He produced the certificate, as a full and complete answer to this part of the case. The debt originated in the expences incurred in con veying eleaors, from London to Coventry. The de fence, on the part of Mr. Daniel Jones, one of the Defendants, he observed, was attended with little difficuTty ; he had no concern with the bill in ques tion, as his partnership with Bird had been dissolved in the month of March, rior to the date of the bill, which date was subsequeet r) the advertisement in the Gazette, of such dissolution. It appeared in evidence, that the bill was drawn at. Coventry, upon the house in town, and whca pre sent::l for acceptance, the name of Bird and Co was upon the door, and the bill was regula ly accepted. Lord ELLENIIIIROUGIS told the fury, that the question fir their consideration we e vil:ether-D. Jones had pl iced himself in such a way as t. deceive the public, and make the n awe i,. the Gazette void? There were three Jae: •nt ways in which persons might be responsible as partners: they might be either participators in the pro, . or they might dis play such appearances, as to indicate that they had such a participation, without, in fail, having any benefit whatever a:: sing thereFt ow. The cla:m of the Plaintiff, against I ?..'unes, ft- elant,deoended upon the latter , and tile question whether, by suffer ing his name to remain n e on : se dour, where the business had been transaded, he did render h'mseh so. far ostensible ? I: was said, that the Gazette was rarely seen, and that, therefore, it was IP sufficit--:t notice : his Lordship knew of no means rno.e usual, as persons occupied in c. •, oiercid pursuits were in the habit of pa:iing attention to the subj.et. Verdift for the Defendants. OLD BAILEY, TUUDAT. After some trials of n interest, the RECORDER informed tn.- Jury, dist there were no more prison ers to be the this s..ission —a d that they were dis charge.'.. li. then proceecied, in a very solemn . mane r, to pus sentence di,,• prisoners who had }seen found guilty S. wenc.! , f deoti WAS passed on Beliamin Bishop, J .e JelNiu, John rl'il g ht, Ifaanah Palmer, Ana iinrric, And Jam Holdiane. lien eh elver and Ann Ifarrls pleaded preg nancy, in stay t.f th.ii • sedition, which is to be examined into. I sy, .ty ordr reri •n ►,e transported for seven • • .I A .g two last Sessions ; and se vere' etiwry for mini. • Renee.. were sentesoesl to fines and imprtsot•.mr^• 4 kir various pet iods. POl.ler._. LITTLE GO's. BOW-STREIT. flrtre NICHOLAS BOND, Lsq. 44 Sir WM. PARSONS. Yesterday Jobe Holland, Tirana, Phillips, Thomas White, Tbomai Rehr, James Garrard, Thomas Bu►- ne/f, and Edward Cbqrabcc.'aint, who were apprehended at the Stitherlar.d Arms public.: rinse, in Sackwille street, last Thursday evening, in the act of drawing a little-go or private lottery, in consequence of a search-warrant issued by Mr. Bono, were brought before the above Magistrates. Mr. MAItiIeATC and Mr. Cossr appeared as counsel for the gcntlemrn who have so vet y lauda bly ►tood forward for the public to put a stop to this infamous mode of committing depredations upon the lower orders of society. They address ed the magistrates very fully upon the laws that have been passed for the suppression of unlawfully gambling, in lotteries, and applied them to the case they were about to lay before them ; to com plete the charges against the p:isoners, particulaily Mr. Holland, to prove him to be the pi optietor of the Pik go or private lottery, they had thought it adviseable to admit one of the men apprehended an evidence, who, on being called, deposed, that about four months since lie was employed by the prisoner, Jobe Holland, of No. Grosvenor-place, as his agent, to take insurances in a p, ivate lottery, called a Mk ze, then set up by Mr. Holland ; and that another private lottery was lately set up by Mr. Hol land, which commenced drawing on the 12th of last month, and was to continue drawing for 31) days, Sundays escepa•d, and which has continued to be drawn from day to day till last Thursday evening, when they were apprehended by the officers. Each drawing took place at different public houses, at which they contrived to gain admittance for that purpose. After the drawing was over each evening, a. place was appointed for a meeting of the several agents, who took hunks about in differein parts of London to procure insurances in Mr. Holland's lottery the next morning, at which time they were informed of the place of meeting the ensuing even ing, and which time happened to be the place where the lottery was to be drawn, they being always kept ignorant if the second place they were to meet at, which was done to avoid deteAion ; and it was frequently proposed to retire to another place, and that no persons were admitted to the drawing but the agents, or persons strongly recommended by them. Mr. Holland was in general present, and lie aneti as the principal in the business, by receiving money from him that he tool for insurance, and paid him money to pay the hits with, and balanced his book at the end of the Lottery. There were about fifteen Agents employed to take Insurances like himself, and that he used to take from five to eight pounds a day for Insurance, from a number of per sons he called upon, and for Iris agency lie used to receive two shillings in the pound, and the other agents were paid in A similar manner. At the time the officers entered the room to take them into cut. tody, the lottery, or lude go, was in the aft of being drawn, and it was about half over. He eenld not re celletri who drew the lottery that evening, but WAS sure it was two of the Prisoners ; one of them drew ivory tickets out of one of the wheels, and another drew one out of the other wheel, which contained the blanks and prizes, and announced whether tlos ticket drawn was a blank or prize: dui ing this a: swing, the Prisoner, John Holland, was prewar. That, .they each drawing, listswereregularly prin:ed of the !:umbers draws, and their fate, and the shffil - eta agents took them with them to the i r customers houses when they went to colle& insurances. The lists were printed in an ambiguous manner, P, to denote the first drawn ticket, and pod, to deno:e prize. John Parsons said, about three w , eks since he met the Prisoner Jarrard, with a green b rg in h;s hand, when he told him the contents were the litqep, and which was very similar to that seized by the officers. Mary Ramsbot!tn, of Berner's Mews, O' ford street, said, the beginning of this month the Prisoner Jarrard called upon her, and asked her to Fit a few friends of his meet in her loft, over her stable, for a short time, anti no harm should come of it ; to which she consented; and in the evening of the same day, the Prisoners Holland, Jarrard, and Chamberlayne, with a number of others, came ac cording to agreement. She went with them a short time into the loft; :An she was out, she heard the hide g• rattle. When they were going away, she received 6s. for the use of her loft, but could not recolleft who paid her. A journeyman gunsmith, of Mr. Manton's, street, attended, and said his wife had inoired to the amount of 2M. and had pawned a number of his cloaths, to carry on insurance with Mr. Holland's agent, which had entirely ruined him. He hid several times applied to Mr. Holland to return the money, but had received oo answer. Ihe Magi strates could not afford the poor man any relief. Hugh Penny, engraver, of Old Burlington-Areet, sat.', a book seized by the officers, entitled The Grand Imperial, with the figure of Fortune, wa, engraved by him for Mr. Holland, who gave him t:v., design for it, and paid him for e. 50, which he had snuck off for him. Mi Gustav, and Mr. Atter, addressed the Magistrates at considerable length in behalf of the Pris,ners, and contended, that the case made out against the Prisoners was not cognisable under the 17th of George the IL but came under the Little Go A& which only makes the proprietor liable to the penalty of 1001. and the agents liable to be imprisoned. Mr. CONS r was heard in reply. The mag:grates then took a view of all the cir cumstances, and conviaed all the prisoners as rogues and vagabonds under the 17th of Gee. the 11. Mr. FSTCOURT, the Solicitor to the Stamp Office, attended, and said, the gentlemen who had so lau dably stood forward to apprehend rite prisoners, should have every assistance he could give them. as the officer of Government. He likewise addressed himself to all the Publicans present, and said, that it was a very mistaken notion with them and the public in general, that this business was only a mat ter of Police; but he took that opportunity to inform them that he had received itgructions from the Commissioners of the Stamp Office to prosecute all persons who should admit such proceedings in their premises. of any description, for the full penalty of 5061. in the name of the Attorney General. The examination occupied the attention of the Magistrates from eleven till past four o'clock. The office has not been so crowded since the time of Mrs. Lee and the Gordons. A Court of Aldermen was held at Guildhall yes terday, at which were present the Luso MA rot, 19 Aldermen, Records, Sh and City Officers. The Court ordered the eice of Bread to be raised to 160. the quartern loaf whesten, and 1.51 d. hou e hold, to commence to-morrow. The LORD MAYON was requested to issue his pre cept for the eleaittn of an Alderman for the Ward of Lime -street, in the room of Sir %VA IKI N L swis, Knight, who is removed to succeed the Right Hon. THOMAS HARLIY, deceased, •as Alderman of the Ward of Bridge Without, and Father of the City. The appeal of the inhabitants of St. Michael Crooked, against the assessment under the 'ncum bent MI, passed last session, was further adjourned until the nest Court. Net of the homeward-bound Lisbon and Op iito fleets have arrived in the Channel. The Dragon, of 74 guns, has been on shore off Portland, where she sustained so much damage, she was obliged to go to Plymouth to repair. Admiral Lord Gsana tit it, we :1,1,10-stand, to hoist his flag on board the If,bere,,,, t h e finest ship in the British Navy. The George, SIMPsoN, from New-York, for Greenock. is captured, and carried into Gnadaloupe. The Forgone, Moo's, from Emhden, for Phila delphia, has upset in the Delaware. Last Monday the Loyal Whitechapel Volunteers, or Second Regiment of Tower Hamlets, met in their ground in Goodman's-fields, to present a sword of the value of IA guineas, to their Commander, W. 11 A Roy, Esq. which was delivered with a speech by Serjeant-Major ARGILL ; after which they had a grand field-day in the London Fields. To-ni broom morning the Jiff. rent Ririe .:.1.1 Licht Cnmpani •s of Volunteers in the city of L and is vicinity, will be brigaded in Hyde Park, ond..r the command of the Earl of HAI kIsC; roN. We understand that they are to have frequent field days during the winter. Letters Patent have passed the Great Seal of Ire land for constituting and appointing Brigadier- General TIIOM as Baowriatoo, Exarnmatot Comp troller of Army Accounts, in the room of the Hon. Colonel Grouoc Napica, deceased. When the Poirs celebrated Mass at Lyons, she cathedral was not large enough to contain the peo ple ; several persons were pressed or suffocated to death in the crowd. On Saturday morning a beautiful young Lady, of a mpettable family, in a fit of despondency, sup posed to have been occasioned by disappointment in a love affair, swallowed,on the Steine, at Brighton, a Large phial of laudainam. Her rash a 2 was disco vered by sonic genttfmen walking near her at the time, one of whom procured immediate medical assistance, and, we are happy to hear, that some hope; are now entertained 413er winery. FROM I.4ST stGrrrs GAZETTE. • Adnoiralt.o-Ver, ar. 11, 1804.4).: C old Letter from tit: I Innoura.lle Admiral Cornwall* .1:c. to Witham Nl.., , deti ' F.i). titted on board lilt 24.ijestyll ship the ViHe de Paris, off the Start, D.-rember 7, leab. ; SIR, I have the honour to enclose,' for the informatioa of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, letter to me from Captain Hondas, of the NA* givinq an ac,mont of the captare of the French therein niewiinied by that ship. I have the honour to be, Ma. Coasiwa Lids. sat, of Bret, Nov. 27, 12J4. I Ws leave to acquaint you, that at daylight morning, seeing some small vessels at a short tance from us, and s:.a-tly afterwards perceiviu lire of muske ry from them on the boats of its jesty's ship L'Aigl:r, which Captain Wolf. hsl a. chase of therr, I made sail, and cut oil t which prove to be gun-boats Nos. Stil and 3 ; motanilig etch one lung brass four-pouritler, and u•. short twelve, from Hal...horse bound to Brea. ha .. in 7 nil board a Lieutenant or the 6i.t regim.mt u • and thirty,sis privates, besia:s five seamen bel ;o7ing to each vessel, being pars of taxtee,4 ',has h td sasied from that p it t on a similir destination. I am sorry io acquaint you, that two seamm belong ing to the L'Aigle are wounded ( William Sheph and James Mitchell), the latter dingerously.ll h eve given Captain Hawkins, of His Majesty'si sloop Dispatch, orders to proceed to Plymouth with the two vessels which I think worth preservins i ii and to land th e prisoners. • I have the honour to be, icc • (Stned) THOMAS DUNDAi. To the flonnarable Corow.ars, ,illl Commander its Chief, See. ke. lop O.:r. 17. The fever still co:rtinues to rage here with un abated violence, and has already carried if 231Y3 of the inhabitants, which is upwAr is of one-third of the population of the place. The troops, from being encamped, hare suffeied comparatively less, hut nineteen Officers, and five hundred arid fifty men, have been cut off by it. P. S.—lnhabitants deal lately : M is. Jeulww, Mr Robert Jetilicrni, r. Raleigh, Mr. WdliJois Prailuo M.i.tor; Mr Clark You.se, M. Hawkins and his surer, Mr. Hare, his wife, sun, and clang nu.' °cr. 2 4 3 The pestilential fever still continues to rage here with unabated violence. About three-faun-is of the inhabitants have been ill of it, and 210 of theme have died. The scenes of misery and woe it ha- cursed, surpass all description or belief. It is noes raging fatally amongst the tronps ; the mirnher sick of the fever yesterday was 758 p-irates, aed about 30 officers. Upwards of bud of the troops haste already been carried off by it. The 10th regiment alone have only lost two men out of Id "1 who have been attacked with this dreadful disorder, owing to the uncommon skill and attention of their surgecn, Mr. Benyon, whose singular succes's in the treatment of the disease has jest'.; excited the praise and ad mir ition of the whole Garrison. The Guards towards the Spanish lines are this day ordered to load every evening at sun -set, and the matches on the principal battery are kept lighted all night, in case of any attempt being made in the,, present reduced situation of the rarnson. If a Span ish war should take place, which we daily expret, and the fever should continue, which we have every reason to believe, this garrison will shortly be in a most perilous state, unless speedy reintoi cements ar rive from Englaud. The Douu.cg.nl arrived a few days ago from Lord Nelson's fleet, but brings no news; she is now cruising off Cadiz. ore. 25. The fever rill continues to rage among the. tr.iops, about one half of whom have now been at tacked with it, and it is generally supposed that the disease will not be eradicated, till it has gone thre the whole garrison. Jr d-ies not ap; to attack airy a secoud time, nor have any of the fe,v rroep l i who served in t' e West Indies been wiz( d with it, who had the pestilential I'ver in that comet-T. Its rava . i ' es here have been dreadful within these sit 1 weeks. One third of the population of the whole 4 place has been carried off by it ; a most unearallel- a ed instance of mortality, in to short a time. I shall here add a correct list of the Officers dead of the fever up to this day, as my other letters may not have reached you, and there are additional deaths daily : ariear General Barnett, Seeond in Command. The Wight Han, Lord Nitwit Aid de.o insp to ditto. i.n Par unsge, Town. Major vi the Garrison. Ceram I)auing , i Acting Conimi,;ars. Royal Artillery —Captain Adge, Briged Major; Li.natestaina Pi itcluvd and Ilan. 24 Regiment..—Caßtain Jcimiton, Lieutenants Smith and Clough, Ensigns Griffith and Coldstream. Nth Regiment.—.Lioutenant &holey, Warmer of Pubsa • to,h Regiment —Lieutenant Gleed. lath Ri.gim.-iit.—Lieuten.o.!N Fattcr.iiin, Brown, Mason, a d 54th Reg'r,ent.—Major Bellew, Lieutenant Macpherson', Euapt Duo all. De R011e.% Re, me .t —Cautal:s Joseph De La Volt. ,13. 1 r.a 1 , Pla:h man , and X. M.-otz. , :, Ertl nJaheuD Cluiten. Lieut. F,atien Altaubourg, Surgeon DesguerrAs, A.sittalt Surgiusa Lai•nn OCT. 28. The fever still continues with unabated vio lence amongA the troops ; the deaths are abeui , :iiriy daily in the differelit regimen , s. Lieut. loden, of the 2.(1 Regiment, died last night. v:as not ill Abovo t wn days. The Rom3rre Couricr, of 01, 14th of April, 1804. says, We Are c meerned to state, that the appre hensions which have loug been entertained for the safety of the ship Faaas, Captain ROlll rsoN.h:tve beht fully ; a letter having been received from that gcritlernep, dated Malacca, 15th of Fe bruary, in which if communicated the tonl loss of the ship in quesii together with her cargo, n the 11 tith of Noeember last, havintr struck on a reef in lat. 9, 41 N. un her passage to k.hirse. 114.. r forrm ist, rudder, starb-rard main -chain, main-topmat, Stc. wore lost in a typh:Km on th e September, and the following .tay the chip way diiven on the coast of Hainam, and from thence round the Paracels. We have not yet been made acquainted with any further particulars."