The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-01-31 00:00:00

dependence. But to record the endless orations of Gale
Jones, and that crew of talkers,—a set whom neither
time, nor poverty. nor experience, can amend; to sees being,
the picture of Famine, with despair and misery in every
featilte—a living personification of the Apothecary ofl
of Shaksreate, to " the world was no friend, or
the world's law," meunt a table to declaim on patriotism, I
and belch forth a few drunken sentences of abuse, on the
exih d Patriots of Spain, and the llrhigs of England;
this was a poisoned dose that no stomach could support;
amid yet the (lay was, when the Courier was an in-
flamthatory advo:ate of this very party ; but its managers •
changed their coat, while the unfortunate Gale Jones wears
his uniform but threadbare, and that is the only difference
now between them. The talent; and acquirements of
Paine were of an order far above those of his mendicant
Worshippers; had he devoted those precious gifts to the
cause of either truth or morality, in place of outraging both,
his memory might now be celebrated by those whom the
Courier could not defame. But he is long since gone to
his account ; and be might sleep in peace, were not his
grave and his memory alike disturbed by those who pro-
fess to be his follow2rs. Ile who tore his remains from their
resting-place was absent from the unhallowed festival,
and it would have been well if others had imitated his
example. It was, we trust, the closing commemoration,
and will not be repeated again.

Ilia Majesty will not be able to open the Parliament in I
person on Tuesday next. We regret to add, which we
do upon good authority, that his late attack of the gout
was one of the most severe that his Majesty has expert-
encial for a long time. It has, indeed, considerably abated,
and the accounts on Thursday were extremely favourable ;
but it bait left his Majesty's health in a state which renders
it quite impossible for him to attempt the fatigue of a jour-
ney, and afterwards to go through the ceremony of open-
ing Parliament in person. A Council will, therefore, be
held at Brighton to-day, when the Ministers will submit
the Speech which the Royal Commissioners will have to
deliver for his Mitinty's approbation.
This day the King will hold a Privy Council at his
Palace at Brighton, to prick the Sheriffs for the present
year.
Yesterday, at two o'clock, the fifth Cabinet Council this
week was held at the Foreign Office, which was attended
by all the Cabinet Ministers, except the Duke of %Veiling-
ton. The Council sat in deliberation till about half-past
four o'clock.
In addition to the French and Russian Ambassadors
who were at the grand party given by the Chancellor of
the Exchequer on Thursday evening, were the Earl and
Countess of Liverpool, Mr. Mrs. and Miss Canning, Mr.
Wilmot, Mr. Huskisson, Lord Howard de Walden, Mr.
G. Villiers, Mr. Plata, &c.
The Doke of Devonshire intends to return to England
in the Spring, when his Grace will resume those splendid
parties, which, daring the last year, were so much distin-
guished for their good taste and admirable arrangement.
The Duchess does not, we believe, return to England this
season. Iler Grace is most worthily and charitably em-
ployed in Italy, where her good taste has already led to
the discovery of some valuable antiques; and her bounty
has contributed to the relief of the indigent artisan.

The Marquis of Cholmondeley had i dinner party yes-
terday, at Cholmondeley House, Piccadilly.
The F.arl and Countess of Plymouth have arrived at
Melton Mowbray, from their seat, Hewel, Worcester-
shire.
Gifford, Esq. the translator of Arend, editor of
Ben ..hassan's Works, the Quarterly Review, Ste. &e. is
very seriously indisposed at his house in James-street,
Westminster. . .

.......
Sir George Smart has been presented with a handsome
gold sunff-box, for his exertions at the late Musical Fes-
tival, i• Liverpool, accompanied by a very complimentary
letter from the Chairman of the Committee, our present
excellent Chief Magistrate. The following inscription is
engraved on the box:—" Presented to Sir George Smart,
by the Acting Committee of the Liverpool Musical Fes-
tival in acknowledgment of his talent and exertion as Con-
ductor. 1823."

There was a meeting of the Bank Directors on Wed-
nesday, when it was proposed that the rate of discount
chouhl be lowered to three per cent. This proposition was
negatived by a small majority.
In the subscription list to the fund for the purchase of
plate intended to be presented to Mr. Gladstone, we per-
ceive that the West India Association has 'subscribed 501.,
the Brazil and South American Association 501., and the
Corporation Water-works Company 801.—Liverpool Cou-
rier. _ _

Letters of the 15th from Madrid mention that the Com-
rnissioners. fOr the liquidation of British claims were about
to take their departure for London ; but they say nothing
of an Ambassador coming over. It would seem that in
Cordova and other places, cries of " Long live Charles
the Fifth," meaning Ferdinand's brother, had been openly
heard. It seems, however, by private letters from Madrid,
' that the rumours about the depcsition of Ferdinand VII.
are unfounded.
The population of the Prussian monarchy continues to
increase. By the census of 1822 it was 11,194,173 souls.
In 1819 it was but 10,799,951. Thus, in three years the
increase has been 649,219 souls.
The Princess of IVales, direct from Carthagena, has
arrived at Cowes ; the letters are expected in town to-day.
The news brought by this vessel is anxiously looked for
by the holders of South American securities, as she sailed
several days later than any vessel which has arrived here
from that quarter. It is probable that the letters contain
not only interesting news from Colombia, but also from
Chili and Peru. The Illackett, from Jamaica, it is feared,
has been lost or driven out of its course.
We understand, that the officers of Excise discovered, on
Wednesday, a large private soap-manufactory, in a yard,
near the Canal, in this town. There was a considerable
quantity of boilers, vats, and other =veils, in full work,
and upwards of one ton of soap, in a finished state, with
the same quantity in operation. Two men were appre-
hended on the premix.as. —Liverpool Paper.
The Comet was visible in the northern hemisphere on
Thursday evening last, about seven o'clock, a little to the
westward of the tail of Ursa Major. We had not an op-
portunity of seeing it again, the weather having been un-
favourable, until last night, when it appeared to have made
considerable progress towards the ten i th.—Lirerpool Paper.
A atMONIACAL GAB tx Ata.—Professor Silliman has ob-
served, that when a large jar of this gas is opened in the
air bent ath a burning candle, it is so combustible, that, as
it mixes with the air, it burns with a voluminous flame,
forming a beautiful experiment. A small jar-full, so
opened, does not bum, being either not mixed sufficiently
with the air, or dissipated, or cooled, by the vessel.