The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-04-05 00:00:00

TIJE BRITISH PRESS.

LONDON,
TUESDAY, A nit 5.
Yesterday we received 3 Mon'teur of Friday last.
It copies fiom the London papers the articles of the
Convention signed at the Cape of Good Hope, and
concludes it with the following expression, thus set
forth
" A CAPITE LIMON in time of Peace ! ! ! 1! ,
Lord COKE, in his comments upon LvvrEtvorr,
observes, that wherever you meet " an &c." you may
be sure it contains some deep and obstruse learning."
The Moniteur probably conceiving the world to be
of Lord COKE'S opinion, is very apt to indulge in
those general and laconic expressions mysteriously

thrown out, as pregnant with Very frivol-tint rnea.r-
ioff. It did so upon the death of the Emperor PAot.
:dill the Passage of the Sound; but neither the Mo-
n lie!, r, or any of its commentators, have yet favour-
ed the world wick an explanation. If it means by the
words "A CA pm; LAT' oN in time of Peace !!! !!"
thus impressed and embellished, to convey an idea
of any thing extraordinary and uncommon, nothing
can he more preposterous and absurd. Does the
Moniteur think a Convention in Time of peace an ex-
traordinary thing ?---aConvention which was merely
the delay of the execution of an agreement until
some doubt and difficulties attending it should be
explained. Has the Monitexr never heard of a
libel pronounced by one Government upon ancther
in time of peace ? Has it never heard of a chal-
lenge to fight single handed in time of peace
of threats, insults, encroachments, and the sub-
jugation of independent Staus, all in a time of
profound peace ? That the Morriteur, seeing the
condua of the FIRST Comut sinee the execu-
tion •of the Treaty of Amiens, and w:Hr tLe
recolleaion of i.s own official ii.sults to every
independent Power in Europe, and to England
particularly, should consider the late trancae-
tion at the Cape an extraordinary circumstance
time of peace, would indeed surprise us, 7f we were
not so well acquainted with judicial blindness, or
its incorrigible propensity to misrepresentation.

The funds yesterlay, experienced a great flnaua-
tion. At the opening of the market, they, were
ti 94, and they fell in five minute•: to tit j, aud left off
at 6'2l—We have been always cl opinion, th it the
weight of the account has been a princii.al cause of
the depreciation of the funds. A more formidable
one was never encountered upon the St,ck Ex-
change. In addition to the failures which we have
already mentione,l, two occurred yesterday,and many
are expeCted. This, however, being settling-Jay, we
shall be able to ascertain the eflea of this particular
cause in its full extent and oFeration, and hence-
forth we shall be more competent to judge how far
public credit is afFeaed purely by the present poli-
ti.al
crisis. W 4 have received virinut communi-
cations by the Harnburgh Mail, the Dutch Mail,
and frem our private Correspondent as Paris, but
we have reserved our opinion upon them until after
this day's account. Upon to-morrow, therefeze, or
some future day, we shall discuss the subjeet, as well
upon general political grounds, as upon the mutual
warlike preparations of Franca and England ; for,
though we believe Russia and Prussia have it itt
their power to do away all jealousies between the
two countries, yet the public mind, as well as the
Government, ought to be prepared for the alter-
native of Peace or War.

A letter from Calais, April 3, says, fie Affairs
have suddenly taken an appearance of war in thi;
place and alorr, the coast. Three thortand .roops
came in here last night and this morning e :Hy ;
two thousand more marched into Boulogne, and at
Obtend, Dunkirk, and in every place, troops are
hourly flowing in:"
A letter from Dover of the 3d says, " It, seems
the English at Paris begin to take alarm, and are
hastening home. Three, battlions, of. 1200 men
each, arrived in Boulogne yesterday lind the day
before, for the ostensible purpose of working at the
works in the harbour. Some I•rench troops are
also arrived at Calais from Arras. The ruincur cif
war seems to spread more in France.
Yesterday, about six p. to the squadron in the
Downs, under the command of Admiral THOR
BOROUGH, sailed to the Northward. A draft of
pilots for the ships was made both from hence arid
Deal. We learn also that the ships at the lsh.re
sailed about the same time ; it is said they are gcre
to cruise off Goree. Dle csrs. OGI i.VY and EDwA sp
WARENDER are this instant arrived in town with
dispatches, and so eager are they to go, that, it
being low water, they are going in the Adventure
open boat."
Rear-Admiral TIIORNBOROUGH, when upon the
point of sailing with his squadron on Friday, re-
ceived counter-orders, and still remains iu the
Downs.

Sir THOMAS Tstoct, accompanied by his Lady,
left town on Saturday, for Portsmouth, to take his
passage On board • the jum, fiigate, for Gibraltar.
It is understood that•the Duke of *ewr-will haw
gone to Italy by the time of Sir 'I•HOMAs'S arrival.

A Lieutenant arrived at the Admiralty, on Sunday
afternoon from Weymouth, to give information of
a number of people having attacked the persons ern- •
ployed in the impress service in that neighbourhood,
by which some few were wounded.
This being Settling Day at the Stock Exchange,
great apprehensions are entertained of some of the
principal speculators being unable to comply with
their bargains, owing to the great fluduation in the
funds since the last settling day.
The St. James's Loyal-Volunteers received a cir-
cular letter yesterday, requesting their immediate
attendance this evening (April sth) on the parade.
in Dulfoar's-place, Broad-street, for the purpose of
embody ing the corps.
The Solicitor General has given an opinion, " that
persons bailout-a or inrolled in the Militia, before
any order for embodying or calling the sum: into
actual service, are not entitled to any allowance
under the 122 Se hod of the Militia Al lately
pass:d."

An Hon. Baronet, whose late election has made*
and continues to make considerable noise in the
county of Middlesex, was, very lately, we under-
stand, called upon for an explanati:m on the part of
another Gentleman, professing the same line of po-
litics, whom he w.is charged of speaking of with
too much freedom ; but, as t.ie.liaronet disclaimed
having said any oi.iisive or injurious to the
complainant, the affair will of course be amicably
adjusted.

.

.-

FusicaaT

The Daikr sloop of war is jest arrived, brining
Icttrrs of 4 Lie clatz. from Old En7lAnd. About
week ago A most trem.:..l ius storm visited this
S►lau.l, continuing for the spice of four days, ac-
c +m,iAnied b" a deal of thunder and lightning,
doing •tsme szveral houses and a church
were struck by the 'attn. The troops from I:gypt
are dAily expected, as the last accounts spe.tk of the
emAarcation of stores.

For the last month nothing has been going on
tv-re bit masperalng :—for three days we h.t l a
puhlic mastrterade h the streets ; no &lice!, how-
ever, was atmet d to a; pear masked.
Lord Elgin art -wed here on the 24th from Con.
ttantinople, un his way home. His Lordship will
contivie here a few days.
There is not the le tst appearance just now of
tha evacuation of this island ; the British troops,
however, some of whom have been a crinsiderable
time on service, look anxiously for a relief. -
The t rench and Neapolitan Plenipotentiaries,
with about '2OOO Neapolitans, encamped and can-
toned without the British works, s!ill continue—
Those troops with themselv:.•s back again, being very
badly paid. The proportioas of prize-money at-
tending the redudion of this island arc reported to
be made out.

Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton's squadron,
consisting of five sail of the line, &c. arriv.•d
here last month fenin Sardinia. We have had
several French mercirantmen lately in oar har-
bour.

The OfE:en of the Mysore Army, after the tak-
ing of Seringapatarn, sent as a present to the Mar-
quis Wstts.st.rv, a brilliant Diatrsnd Gelrie, of
great beabty and immense value, which his lord-
ship refused, holding it to be incompatible with his
oath, to accept of any kind of present.
Government mean to purchase the Isle of Lundy
from Sir V rar newt, for the purpose of making it
a military station. •
It is generally Wieved that Alexandria has by
this time been finally evacuated by the British
troops, particul.trly if that proceAing was required
by the Porte:. In ca:.e of a svar with France, it
would not, we believe, he thou ;ht good policy to
retain the place, without th..! concurrence of the
Turks, as that would give the enemy a pretence for
landing troops in Erzypt, for the ostensible purpose
of dislodging; the 'English, and be, perhaps, pro-
eluaive of an alliance between France and Tur-

key.
Monday sennight the Officers who served under
Sir CHAR!. ES CR'. V, in the West Indies, dined at
AtwellN ivern, Cove-street, Dublin ; General
Sir JouN RADOCK in the Chair; Lord ERRIS,
Vice-President. The entertainment was diqin-

guished for excellence, and the attentions highly
StaEof Ireland is principally to cAmsist of the
following Office7s :—Mjor-Gcneral Sir CHARLES
Aso§ L r., Lieutenant-Genzral CS rnLI. L, Lieute-
stant-General DeummoNo, Colonel GROsE, &c.—
General Fox, Commander-in•Chit:l of the forces.
Lord MELVILLE WAS chosen, oa Tuesday last,
Cs.vernor of the Bank of Scotland. The Duke of
Mos-roost, and the EaTIS Of KELLIE, LAUDER.
nALr, Da tmovstr, and GLASGOW, were, at the
same time, chosen Exttaurdinary Directors.
The French Government, since the peace, has
imported ten thousand tons of hemp from Peters.
burgh, and five thousand tons from Riga.
Our letters iron] Copenhagen of the 19th of March,
inettiott, that Prince WILL I am of Gt.ovc ESTER had
been there slightly iadlscosed, but was again in per-
fed health.

A most singular discovery was made, on Friday
last, at Depttord. IVliile a number of sailors and
others were busily employed in unloading the cargo
of the Aimed an East Indiaman, who ar-
rived at the above place a fortnight ago, from
Madras, (laden with sugar, salt-petre, and some
bale g0.A.,) then being in the at of dragging out
of the hold some of :agar, they discovered,
from a board in t: e of the ship, a green snake,
of An amAsing sine, w`oose appearance was •so ter-
rific, that it gave a general alarm, :nal it being well
known that its bite is instantaneous death, it was
found necessary to procure weapon; for its destruc-
tion, which they completed by thing a spade to the
end of one of the oars of the bcat, by which they
caught it by the neck, and confined it till they se-
vered the head from the body. It was as green as
grass, fifteon feet long, and eighteen inches in cir-
cumference. It is supposed that this animal, in the
sight-time, found its w-ay on board the ship while
lying at Madras, by the means of colicealinft itself
in one of the bags of sugar, or sliding on one of
the pl.urks into the hold, following the scent of the
sugar. Its bite is always understood to be more
venomous than the bite of a rattle-snake.
Last Wednesday a decree passed the Legislative
Body, for a goLi and silver coinage. The silver
pieces are to be quarter francs, half francs, three-
quarter francs, two franc pieces, and five franc
pieces. '.'he franc is te contain five grammes, of
which nine-tenths are to be pure silver, and one-
tenth alloy. The gold coinage is to be of twenty
and forty franc pieces, each having nine-tenths of
gold and one-tenth if alloy. The copper pieces
N7ill be those of two hundredths, three hundredths,
and five hundredths of a franc. These coins are
to bear on one side the head of the FIRST CONSUL.
With the legend, " BONAPARTE, Firjt COll.l ui,"
and on the other the value of each, surrounded by
two branches of olive, n ith the legend .4 French
Republic." The five franc pieces are to have the
kgond, " God proteeta France."
The journal dr Park of the 3i st, contair.s the fol-
lowing paragraph :
" It has been discovered at Hamburgh, that an
order had been given to a manufalory of fire-arms
at Thuringes for .30,000 muskets of the French mo-
del, and that 30,000 florins of the value ha,: been
paid in advance. The apparent and pretended pur-
chase is the slave-trade. Tne fact that such a spe-
culation has been made is ascertained, but its avow-
ed purpose is evidently sappositious. It cannut be
imagined, that so considerable a quantity of arms
can be employed in a branch of traffic, to which a
great variety of merchandise and hut a small quan-
tity of the same articles are generally necessary.
There is reason to believe, tharthe intention of the
speculators was to furnish the means of defence and
destruCliou to the revolted uegroes of St. Domingo ;
and mere than one circuiestance renders it proba-
ble, that these speculators are Anglo-Americans."