The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-03-16 00:00:00

lIE RT FORD COUNTr-MEETING.

•mnam••••••

Tittnatot, MARCH 11.
After Henry Browne, Esq. the High Sheriff, had
opened the meeting, and stated that he had called
it in consequence of a requisition from several No-
blemen and Gentlemen—
The Hon. Mr. Lambe rose, and said, that as lie
had been one of those who thought it their duty to
request that the High Sheriff would call a meeting,
he begged leave to propose, that the dutiful and
loyal address which he had before 11;ni should be
presented to His Majesty, from that county.—
He said, it must be evident to every person who
had examined the evidence produced upon the late
trials for high treason, and who had heard of the
conviction, condenination, and execution *f the of-
fenders, that a most daring and dangcrons conspi-
racy had existed against his 3,lajesty's person and go-
vernment.—He was very sure that no person, con-
vinced of the existence of that conspiracy, and rejoi-
cing as an Englishman ought to do at the punish-
ment of the conspirators, could doubt of the pro-
priety of that county offering up their earnest and
hearty congratulations at the foot of the Throne.
1 le then adverted to the loyalty of the county, and
paid some handsome compliments to the volun-
teers, who stood forward at the moment of danger in
defence of their country, and expres!A his con-
s'klion that the same zeal, ardour, and- alacrity,
would be ,hewn whenever circumstances required it.
He said, that much difference of opinion had di-
vided that county ; but, he hoped, that all animosity
had now subsided, and that whatever differences
there might be on other subjects, that the most
perfea unanimity would prevail upon the present
question ; and that that loyal county would, with
one heart and one voice, express to his Majesty
their just indignation at the late designs against
him, and their determination to defend him at all
times, and their Constitution, and Government,
which were so dear to all those who had the happi-
ness of being British subjeas. He then concluded
a very elegant speech, by reading a spirited and
loyal Address, and moving that it be presented to
his Majesty. •
The Hon. S. Cooper said, that he agreed with the
mover of the address, in every sentiment he had ut-
tered, and with every word contained in the ad-
dress ; that after the able speech they had heard, it
was unnecessary for him to occupy the time of the
meeting; that feeling the most sincere joy at the
di.covery (4 the conspirators, and the safety of his
Majesty, he thought they could not chew their
happiness, their zeal, and tic it loyalty better,
than by unanimously agreeing to the proposed Ad-
dress.

William Baker, Esq, said, he did not rise to
offer any opposition to the address, or to interrupt
the harmony and unanimity of that meeting,
That he perfeCtly agreed with the address as far as
it went, but conceived that sonic allusion ought to
have been made to the connectioa that evidently
existed between the conspirators and the French
Government.—That be thought it clearly proved,
that it was the plan of Colonel Despard and his
accomplices to assassinate his Majesty, as nearly as
possible to the time that the 'French were to land
on the coast • that die evidence of one of the ac-
complices showed that Despard was in daily expec-
pectation of money and news from France ; that
he thought it was proper to show his Majesty, that
these circumstances did nnt escape onr notice ; but
still he should not propose any ammdment, and
.thearfully joined in the Address as far as it went,
but could not help lamenting that it did not go far-
ther.

After a few words from Mr. Byde, the question
was put, and carried unanimously.

Early yesterday morning a fire broke nut at the rag-
warehouse of Mr. Fest< cu., in Crown-street, St.
Giles's, which was entirely consumed. The adjoin-
ing house, belonging to a hair-dresser, and another,
were considerably daniawd ; but owing to the spi-
rited exertions of the firemen, assisted by the work-
men from the late Mr. STEVENSON'S brewhouse, who
worked one of the new-invented engines with great
effea, the fire was prevented from extending further.
A letter from Madrid, of the 4th of February,
announces the receipt of letters via London, from
the Spanish Admiral in •tlie Asiatic Seas, dated the
6th of April last, informing the PRINtE of PEACE
that he had received advice of the signing of the
Preliminaries of Peace, and that as soon as he re-
ceived them he dispatched a frigate to China with
the news to the British Naval Commander there,•
who, he understood, was ignorant of the intelligence,
and who was on the point of occupying the Portu-
guee Establishment at Macao. The frigate, it is
added, arrived at Macau before the English expedi-
tion, which had sailed from Bengal, and which
consisted of a 71--gun ship, with several transports,
having 1500 men on board.
A letter from Middleburg, dated February 18,
has the following particulars The late wreck
of a'vessel off here, called De Vriendschap, gave
birth to a deed of courage and philinthropy worthy
of record. The wind and waves drove her, on the
16th, nearer the shore. Preparations had, indeed,
been made to save the crew and cargo, but no one
seemed inclined to venture on the work, till one
Grant r JANE BAKKER, master of a vessel which
had been damaged, and Jon METS, a freeman of
Flushing, repaired to the strand, opposite the
wrecked ship; and, as the only means of getting
on board, these two men stripped themselves quite
naked, notwithstanding the severity of the weather,
and swam between the pieces of ice, which ob-
strucled their progress, till with great pains they
got on board; where they beheld a most heart-
piercing scene. The enormous billows of the pre-
ceding night had tilled the vessel with water, and
constrained the people to seek their safety on the
open deck, where they were momentarily in danger
of being washed overboard by the waves and pieces
of ice which rolled over her sides. '1 he Captain, a
little boy his son, and a sailor, overcome by cold
and fatigue, were found lifeless, sitting pressed to-
gether near the mizen-mast, the unhappy father, as
it were, still pressing to his breast the clay-cold body
of his child, where he had probably cherished him
as long as his strength would permit. Three
others, the mate, apilot, and a sailor-boy, lay in a
pitiable state' on the top of the cabin, where they
would also shortly have breathed their last, but for
the courage and humanity of their deliverers, who,
fastening two of them on their backs, swam with
them to the shore, and then returned for the third,
all of whom were, by proper applications, restored
. to the use of theirfaculties. •

~~ .~

CO77'ON

. The public meeting held at Manchester, upon
subjea of the tax upon Cotton Wool, has nanied
delegates to go to London. The trade at Preston
bave also sent delegates, and delegates are imme-
diately to proceed for London from Lancashire,
Derbyshire, Yorkshire, and Nottinghamshire, in-
terested in the cotton trade.
We have been favoured with the following fiels
eonneaed with the duty upon cotton wool and illus-
trative of some of its eifeets:—
The duty on cotton from Spain amounts to gliont
15 per cent. and the quantity imported since the
peace (the duty operated then under the name of
convoy duty,) has been 350 bags.
The importation of cotton from the Levant was,
In the'year 1800 10,849 bags.
in 1801 2,173 ditto,
In 1802, or since the peace only 4,169 ditto,
while the average annual importations into France,
from the port of Salonichi alone, are not less than
12,000 bags, besides what she draws from the rest
of Greece, Cyprus, and Smyrna. Thus we may
see, that though the tax has been imposed only a
few years, yet it has marked its operations by almost
totally excluding from the British market the low
cottons of the Mediterranean, Portugal, and Spain,
so important in our manufaCture of coarse and low-
priced goods.
From the colonies ceded by the peace, we drew,
in di:: year 1601, 32,029 bags,
In 1302, 31,76.3 dn.
which amounted to one-ninth part of c.er whole
importation.
From Portugal we imported,
In the year 13”1, 27,900 bags,
In 1602, - 72,060 do.
and large as this latter impartation may appear, an
equal quantity was exported trom Lisbon to thc
other powers of Europe. France alone purchased a
quantity equal to what Britain had imported from
Portugal the year preceding.
Cotton is not allowed to be exported from Franc:.
a::d pays an impost of, one-half per cent. at im-
portation.