The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-11-16 00:00:00

THE BRITISH PRESS.

Majesty's frigate Liffey, the Larne, a 26-gun ship, the tilaney, Of
the same no tal, and a brig of to runs: with there we made a
dashing figure across the Bay, keeping so close together that I am
surprised that there were no morn accidents happened than actually
occurred ; we accidentally ran down the strain boat the night
after tie left the port, carritd away her marts and demolished
her wheel, so that the was obliged to Le taken in tow by the
frigate. We arrived in the river on the 11th, when the Blaney
was sent with a few ships to take possession of the Island
of Llietlubs, which I hear is now in our possession. The fri-
gate took the lead up the river, and we an followed close in her
wake; the natives fired a few shots at us while going up, but they
did not prevent us from anchoring off the town, which we did at
noon the sane day. The ships wore brought abreast of a battery
of IR grins, which immediately commedced a smart fire upon the
Liffey, which she was not behind hand in returning, and with such
effect, that she totally dismounted every gas in the battery, and
demolished several houses round about it.

" Then would not have been a shot fired on our part had they
not begun first. It seems by all accounts that they were not in a
condition to receive us. as they had no ides we should have been so
soon upon them, although they were quite aware that war had been
declared. We came just in time to save two or throe European
settlers from death ; they were found in irons, and had that day
been taken from the prison, and marched before a body of troops,
they urging them all the way, by pricking them with their spears,
towards the place of execution, where their heads were to bans been
struck off:

"Copt. SKOWBALI. and family small safe; I do not believe
they offered any violence to his person. We landed the troops
at six on the same evening without any oppositbn, and no wonder,
as we found the town completely deserted. There was a grand plun-
dering immediately took place, in consequence of which a number
of men are in close confinement for six months. Some Luscars
have been publicly flogged, and several meddlers are to be hung or
shoe for plunder and brutal assault, in • house belonging to a
European settler, of the name of TURNIeII. Notwithstanding
our peaceable landing, I am afraid we shall have warm work before
they will submit ; they seem a desperate set of fellows, and
courageous too : the other day, at a slight skirmish, in attempting
to draw them out of their stockades, which are strong buildings,
so constructed as perfectly to conceal them, they killed two officers
and wounded seveml others; so that it appears nothing can be
dons here on hind, as it is a vile jangly country, and no one is
acquainted with the roads, and the few troops we have are but
handful compared with the numbers they have to engage with. It
is true, they dare not show their faces in the open plain, ncr can
we follow them into the jungle; foe there their match-locks and
spears, which are their only weapons, are more efficacious than the
heaviest ordnance would be. We are now fitting boats to go up to
Ava with the troops, as well as every vessel of a small draught of
water; all we ships' long-boats are also put in requisition for this
service. We burn all their boats that we can find, and have
already destroyed some very finc craft. The rainy season has just
set in, and very disagreeable it is too, never ceasing from morning
to night. All our boats are employed in getting off the Hastings
frigate, which has grounded some way down the river."

Letters have been received from Rangoon, dated May 20,
1824, which state that the Burmese hare proved themselves
a most determieed enemy; and that the Commander-in-
Chief had ordered the transports to return for reinforce-
ments. This way be depended on, u the letters were from
Captain Hornblow, who is agent for transports.
Leuers from Pernambuco of the 26th September, state
' that every thing was perfectly tranquil, and that Lord
'Cochrane, who had arrived there in the Don Pedro, wesild
I probably proceed to Maranham in a few days, so that be
might arrive there by the middle of October.
Fax Nen Moc•es.—Tlic French Government receives
annually the enormous sum of forty millions of' francs, as •
tax levied on the privileged gambling houses in Paris and
the chief provincial towns in France. Supposing that there
are .500,000 persons which is one-sixtieth part of the whole
population, addicted to the destructive habit of gambling, it
may be computed that they not only furnish out of their
losses, the forty millions imposed on the proprietors of the
gaming tables licensed by the legislature, but also pay
the immense expenses incurred in keeping up these, in
'many instances, splendid establishments, and provide the
large fortunes made by the principals. It is further to be
observed, that it is not alone at the gaming table that these
infatuated persons lose their propert , for the benefit of the
Government. The Munts-de-Pidk the Government pawn-
shops) are filled with their articles o dress, furniture, plate,
jewellery, &c. which are usually sold at a very low price, as
the owners seldom have the means of redeeming them, or
I paying the rate of 12j per cent. interest, which the piety of
the Government receives for its loans ' • or they are forced to
sell their duplicates to usurers, who purchase them for
about a quarter of the intrinsic value of the object in pledge.
The houses of ill-fame, anti the unfortunate females who
are permitted to infest he streets of Paris and other large
towns, arc also laid under contribution. Thus, while in
England gaining houses, and other places of bad repute, are
exposed to the severity of the law, in France the legislature
find in the vices of the people the most fruitful resources
for the royal treasury. Thi3 disgraceful fact is alone suffi-
cient to account fur the surprising balance of moral cha-
racter in favour of the English.
It is rumoured that a Notary of Paris has absconded
with property of his numerous clients to the amount of
more than a million of francs. His iellow-notaries, it is
added, intend to pay all his debts. in order to wipe off
the stain which his misconduct would attach to the body.
—Galignani's Messenger.
Yesterday being the settling day on the Foreign Ex-
change, a good deal of bustle took place in the early part
of the day, and everything went oft' smoothly enough.
Consols continued steadily at their present depressed state,
but there wire great fluctuations in the South American
Securities. Mexican Bonds began at nearly the same as
they left ofF on Saturday, and afterwards fell, in conse-
quence, as it was alleged, of news by the American packet
John. Wells. Th..), finally rallied a little towards the close,
and rose from el, to 64'.
In any question about the rate of Exchange. it ought
to be borne in mind, that gold is now the standanl for
English money. The par of Exchange between Great
Britain and France is nearly 251 francs for the sovereign.
Hence the franc is worth aid. The worth of the Ame-
dean dollar is about 4s. 2d., not 4s. 6d., as it is absurdly
valued in accounts, which, to be righted, require a dis-
count of about eight per cent., and this discount is ridi-
culously ascribed to the state of the Exchange. A gentle-
man, who lately took some Sims rupees to New York,
found that their intrinsic value as bullion was forty-six
cents, or Is. 11d. sterling, which of course is the par of
Exchange.
The great increase of the environs of London has of late
years produced very rest inconvenience, delay, and ex-
pense, in the delivery of letters by post, in the parts called
" oft' the sto.ies," where there is a continuation of neigh-
bourhood. It has therefore been deemed necessary to ap-
ply for a removal of the above grievance, Witt many re-
spectable inhabitants of the parishes in the vicinity re.
Lender* have signed a petition to Pediment, and another
to the Pestmeeter-General, praying for an extension of the
limits of the General and Two-penny Posts. The justice
and reasonableness of the application, and the great num-
ber of signatures attached to the petition, give reason to
hope that every attention will be paid to its prayer. It is
confidently expected that the alteration will produce an
augmentation of the revenue, in consequence of a greater 'I
number of letters being circulated daily through the me-
dium of the post. and by a free delivery of newspapers to
the inhabitants of the environs.

A letter from Colonel Ilarahall gives a very ratifying
account of the settlement of Lanark, Upper Canada. The
district has now a population of 11,000 souls, and sends
two members to the Provincial Parl'ament, one for the
county of Lanark, and one tor that of Carleton. The crcps
are abundant—our settlers happy and contented.

CHURCH REVENUES ix ItuSSlA.—The income of a
Metropolitan does not exceed soot. a-year ; that of an
Archbishop 6001.; and of a Bishop .5001. ; sums apparently
as small as persons of their rank can possibly subsist on,
even in Russia. They are, however, allowed a considerable
sum annually for the purposes of charity.
The East India Company's ship Duchess of Athol, ar-
rived all well, at Calcutta, ou the 17th May.
There is every prospect of a reconciliation taking place
between the Paisley weavers and their employers.