The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-03-25 00:00:00


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The Niitile Lord elm complimented the Directors

In appropriate terra•.
Mr. Srvimasw !heel roar, and said, that the nun-
tion lie hail to make was one upon which lie could
not t such without the greatest lain, awl the men-
tion of which woold, lie wa• slur, produce it tinsi.
lair tensatonn in the minds of all who heard lam. It
was to recall to their recollection a chasm made in
the Vice-Presidency of this lostatutiou, im
event witch was deplored et the time of its occur-
fetter by teery feeling mod honourable man in the
empire—hp allotted to the de•Hh of their late la-
mented and resiwclial Vice.Pre.ident, Sir Samuel
Itomilly.—/Hear, Ice w.f.—lle felt that it was due
to the memory of an great and good a man, to
dwell a little on those parts of his character which
gave bias such waiver-al esteem. To touch upon
such a subject, would, he knew, be grateful to
their sensibilities; but from the sudden manner in
whirls Ile was called upon to Make the present
motion, he regretted he had not that opportunity of
e hich he should have otherwise availed himself, of
preparing something suitable on so interesting and
damentable au occasion. It was quite impossible.
however, to advert to the event which deprived
them of such a Vice• President, without touching

upon the character of the man, and the souse-
quence of his lost, without a lying something of
the career of that very great and lamented indi-
vidual. lie had indeed expected the presence of
persons (flow he presumed unavoidably absent) who
were more acquainted then he was with that great
man's character, in all its bearings, tad who could
have done it re competent justice than be could,
slink they were at the same time equally well ac-
quaiiitcd as lie was with the deep interest he took
►n the business ut tins liotifittinti. He was sure

that every Gent!rutin who heard linn, felt as he
ought the occurrence cf that melancholy evens,
which deprived the nation at large of so blight an
ornament—which deprived the unfortunate and the
oppressed of every rank and every clime, of a
steady benefactor—and which. shove all, deprived
the wretched and suffering native of Africa, of •
noble and efficient friend, whose loss to that native
was indeed irreparable. To attempt to describe the
great, and varied, and extensive merits of Sir S. Ro-
undly, would require more labour than he was capalile
of exercising—more time than the Meeting could
devote to such a poirioase. As to his conduct as a
Member of the tegislature, he (Mr. Stephen)
trusted lie might, with peculiar propriety. he per-
mitted to say somethiug on that head, for it was
his misfortsme, while in Pio hament, to have dif-
fered from Sir Samuel Rornilly on almost all the
great leading political questions in which that cha-
racter took so distinguished a part. To differ on
political questions was • privilege which English-
men always did, and always would exercise, and
on which it was rather to lie wished than deprecated,
they would still continue to disfee.—(ihass.)—
Having dissented hoist the views of that great nisu
on such topics, lie thought his sincerity could nut
he doubted, ahem, now that he was in his grave, he
wished to play a tribute to his ineinary.—(Hear.)—
He WWI, atierefore, say. that on all•questions not
involvitig the strife and collisieu of political party
in Parlianieut, no mass took a better shirrs than the
late Sir Samuel Itorssilly—but above all his great
efforts stood those lay which lie sought to improve
the system of the Civil mid Crimitial Code of his
country, which, great and glorious as it was, yet
required some partial revisiou, iii which he (Mr.
Stephen) had been his cordial, though feeble sup-
porter. Ilia great efforts in this cause were worthy
of Isis high character—( Hear, hear)—and the
as well as Africa, has by his death lost au
invaluable hiend. When the discord of party strife
shall be carried down the stream of time mid for-
gotten. his efforts to improve the system of the
law, and make its operator's in souse parts more
consonant to remora, huniatisty. and justice, would
for ever endear him to the ietelligent of all taboos.
Hr could say little by report, bait much by opinion
of the private life of that great main Indeed the
very ciecunistauce attending the loss they all de-
plored proved the tenderness and fidelity of his
affections.—( Hear, hear.)— If they looked at the
effats of Sir Samuel Romilly in the cause of this
Instituti ~,,, no man was more competent than he
was to speak (Allis great efforts. If he were called
on to name one IMlLl'more than another, whom in
these times they could 'least have spared, he should.
with a single exception perhaps (we presume Mr.
Wilbetfuree), limed molted Sir Samuel
As a lawyer, whose accurate, able, and profound
mind fur investigating the state of the Slave Laws
in the Colonies, his loss mast he keenly felt—it
must be heiglrtened by the knowledge that hiss
mind was peculiarly bent upon the study of these
topics, and cusivisiced to as great a degree as airy
malt that ever lived, of the Iwo sit moral
uLlt-
gatt which Parliament owed the people on this
subject ; ha had also the power of awakening,
perhaps more than any other mats, the attention or
Parlionient and the country to this great subject.
They had little chance of seeing his place *applied
with Nu al efficiency. The loss of such a mass at
such a crisis, snlosig all their untoward difficulties,
was lameotable and moat disheastiiing, if indeed
any thing could dishearten them in so good a cause.
liter.) —He was competent from Ina cha-
racter and resources to torsi the tide of reason
against prejudice, to detect the fallacies in the corn.
phi steel mess of topics which thes•ihatl now town.
side' respecting the state of the Slim Trade, and
there was no anon equal to lain in &Poing from
their last suleterlages the enemies of justice and
humanity. lie should now touch upon s delicate
topic, and lie trusted lie should do so with proper
guards and suitable explanations. It had been
stated iii saute periothcal publications, that the ea-
traorditiarf act which led to the death of Sir Samuel
slisentilled him from being the subject of
eulogy from a Christian tongue. I-Je was at a loss
to account fur such an extraordinary assertitus—it
had no mural character belouging to it—it was ins
assumption *gauss( the belief mid opinion of those
who Luew the deceased best, and one snore un-
founded or more injurious hail never before origi-
Dated. tootradict this essumptiust, they had
appointed to in .
declaim' lie had
emotes who were
t believed that
been deposed
lu such U
addiction.
divine nal. to

The firm Patriot there,
Who made the welfare of mankind Isis care,
Tho' here by faction, vice, and fortune missed,
Shall find the generous labour was nut tow**
lie concluded by an eloquent and impassioned ap.
peal to the Meeting, and by moving
" That the Martinis of Bute do succeed to the Vice.
Posidenry, itt the ruins of the late Sir Samuel &eine."
On the motion of Mr. THORNTON, Directors
were re-elected ; and Auditors on the motion of
Mr. Sus' Mg.
Mr. WILBERFORCE. in an eloquent speech,
moved the Thanks of the Meeting to the Royal
Chairman. Ile said, that the presence of that il-
lustrious Personage prevented him from attempting
to pay that just tribute to his Royal Highness, to
which his tfforts and services so eminently entitled
him. He assured the Meeting that his Royal High-
ness was not the mere ornament that decorated the
top of their fabric, but its most substantial sap.
porter, who regularly and duly attended all the
business of the Institution.—(Hear, hear, hear.)—
lu to their Cause, he said that Tome per-
suits hail at the peace conceived all their labours
finished; their cause, at one time, looked nearer to
consummation than at another, just es a traveller
'saw SO eminence nearer at one time and more re-
mote at another, owing to the different density of
the intervening medium. But the traveller knew
he was still pursuing his journey, and must soon
reach the height—in like manner they knew they
were advancing to the end of their labours. If
they looked to the motion of the sun upon an horn.
rary dial, its advance, though sure, was scarcely at
the instant perceptible. The Hon. Gentleman then
entered largely into the present state of the Slave
Trade, and said it was not to be wondered, after
Africa had so long been the arena of murder and
desolation, that some ravenous birds of prey should
still drop occasionally on the shores of Afrk, and
pounce upon a carcass; but these would, he was
I persuaded, in the end be chased away by their per-
severing efforts. He concluded by lamenting the
smallness of their funds.
Lord GAMBIER seconded the motion of Thanks
to the Royal Chairman, which was carried by ac-
clamation.
His Royal Highness the Duke of GLOUCESTER
expressed the deep sense he felt sit the kindness of
the Meeting, and assured them that both in this
,country and elsewhere, he should ever continue the
sincere and ardent promoter of their laudable and
humane objects.—(Applause.)
Our the motion of Mr. BOOTLE WILBRAHAM,
Thanks were returned to Mr. Harrison. the H..no.
rary Secretary, for his gratuitous services.
Mr.flaitalsou returned thanks for the favour
conferred upon him, and the Meeting separated.

P)RLIGN INTELLIGENCE.

DUTCH MAIL.

BRUSSELS, MARCH 15.

We learn from the French frontiers. that the
minds of the people in the northern departments.
have been again excited by the proposal in the
!louse of Peers respecting the Election Law. Peo-
ple are firmly persuaded that the slightest depar.
tine from the course prescribed by the Charter,
cannot but have prejudicial consequences.

MARCH 17.
`Flis Majesty has proclaimed the law winch pro.
hibits..under penalty of confiscation of ship nod
cargo, after the Ist of September, 1819, the importa-
tion, under the Swedish flag, of any goods whatever
into this kingdom, except such as are the produce
of the Swedish soil or indu.try, or of its trans-
marine colonies.

The Freneli exiles who are in this city, await
with impatience some measures respecting them,
but is sui.l that the King still makes difficulties to
take a resolution in their favour.

SU L A Mr. MAILCII 3.

The celebrated mechanician, Locatelli, made, on
the 19th February, at Pavia, a trial with a vessel of
his inatention which moves in all directions both up
and down a river, without the aid of sails, oars,
or steam. Thieve trials etched the admiration
of
,the 1111mErusis precision'. Count .Strawcildo,
President of the Government, vrowt to Pavia to
be psesetit at the trial, and having viewed the .ves-
sel in every part, expressed his satisfaction to Mr.
Locatelli, in the moat !lettering terms. Six men
are required to put the mechanism of this ves-
sel mut . It may be laden with ti times
its own weight; the empty space iu the vessel is

which all ought to bow, could not be felt. Relis `neatly as great as in common mercliai,t yes els ; it
giro' was truly the Condon' of consul to the , can be moved with the greatest rapidity in all di-
afflicted, but in this case distemper That cepted rectioha. Though it is chiefly intended for the ne-
tts impressions.—(Bear,—en t view the viosion of rivers, it may be used for crossing lakes,
dreadful act was venial—above all, who must not I with all the above-mes.tioeird advantages.
commiserate the victim when he fell from an excess BATAVIA. OCTußlia 4, 18 I 13.
of conjugal affection ! They who denied commi- The day before yesterday, about half-part sine,
sera(' tttt And sympathy to such an individual in his p. us, a very !wart shock of an earthquake was felt
anguish and dispair, could not appreciate that ten- it Bititetizorg; the houses were violently shaken,
derness of heart which entwined around the most she windows tattled, the mortar fell from the walls,
sensitive fibres of human nature.&-they could not 6 null the ',elk rung. People who were staiiiling sip
be disconsolate husbands—they had neither the de- I became giddy by the motion of the groiii.d. Some
homy of feeling nor sensibility of mind which ! I se. had the walls rent 11.1,0 y the
longed to such affliction, and which entitled him to ; shock lasted only a few seconds,. It was kit also
the commiseration of every real Christian.—(llear.) in the mountains, as well as here in Batavia ; but
—lt was idle then to talk of abstaining from eulogy at this place less severely than at Biutenzurg.—
on account of the circumstances of his death. The i (Dutch Papers, March so.)
assumption upon which the argument was made was
unfounded, and therefore entitled to no attention.
The Learned Gentleman then recapitulated the
dreadful mortality which death had caused in
their body during the last few successive onniver-
saner. At one Annual Meeting their Report had
to deplore the death of Mr. Henry Thornton; in
another, that of Mr. Whitbread ; in a third, that of
Mr. Horsier; in a fourth, that of Sir Samuel
Romilly, So far from despairing and despouding
under such dispensations of Providence, they ought
tither to make retiewed and augmented efforts.--
(Bear, hear.)—Becluse their ranks were thinned,
they should endeavour to recruit with increased
activity ; and in spite of the efforts of calumny—in
spite of the extraordinary apathy of the public mind,
;pursue their great and lauthalde object, which, so
that when their time came to pass from the fleeting
occupations of human life, they should be able,
with disembodied apirital to view in another world
the noble mid cherriug prospect of that eventual
success which their present short-sighted stature pre-
v..sited them from embracing. Theirs were the
efforts which repaid their own labour—

PARIS, MARCH I.

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