The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1808-05-23 00:00:00

jt.IIYESS IN' Mr F1073E. OF C 0313113,18.

ORDERS OF THE DAY, Mostoav, May 23.
Srotch Records Bill, to be read the second tittle,
Scotch Judicature Bt4, to lie read a arrow' tone,
Shooting of Hares in Scutdiud, to be rend a second Coe.
Land Revenue Bill, to be read a second time,
Stamp Duty Bill, to be read a second tins,
Committee on Land Tax Commissioners
Pilot's Bill.
Dean's Forest Bill.
Duchess of Brunswick's Annuity DAL
' Military Commissioners' Bill.
Report relating to the Distilling from Sugar.
Dublin Police Bill.
of Supply.
of Ways and Means.
Irish Fees Bill.
Curates' Bills.
.—.- Scotch Judges' Bill.
Act relatiug to Pilchards.
Report Copy Duty.
of the Committee on the Distillation of Sugar and
Molasses. NOTICES.
Ana, Extraordinary.
Bill to provost Spleading of the Smallpox.
NOTICE, Tuts') M•tr
Motion Telotito to Sir Hume Popham, and the ship
L'Etruree.

NOTICE, MIDIFE,D•V, MAY.2I.
Catholic Chicatios.

NOTICP, Tavasiimr, May 26.
Prise-Ifesty aa4 Dad's.

THE BRITISH PRESS.

LONDON,
MONDAY. M4Y

Coyle' of the documents respecting the loyal
an 3 upright conduct of the Irish Homan Catholic
Bishops, quoted in a late debate by General M.
Mat rum, are given in the preceding page.

Ire have received Dutch Papers to the 19th inst.
containing the Paris news from the Monitenr to the
14th. A popular insurrection took place at Ma-
drid against the French, in which much blood was
shed. It was preceded by similar commotion at
Toledo, and other cities of Spain, but they do tot
appear to have been of long duration. The Prince
of al runes has resigned his usurped throne, and
the old KING is restored to the throne ; but his is
only it nominal sovereignty; he is brit the mere
slisdon of a King, as the whole military establish-
ment of Spain is vested in the hands of Me-
ear, the brother-in-law of BONAPARTE. 'lee
King and Queen of SPAIN are to pus some
time in the neighbourhood of Paris ; the Prince of
Asru RI AS is to be sent to Valency, in the Depart-
ment of Judze, where it is probable he will be
detained a prisoner ; and the Pat nee of the PEACE
was expected at Fontainbleun on the 20th instant,
and will probably be restored to Isis former influence.
History does not afford an ostance of so weak and
'corrupt a Court as that of :pain. The misfortunes
which it has experienced, and those which it is
doonsed to suffer, excite but little interest or sur-
prise. In this corruption awl inalErcility may also
be found the reason why Spain has been so long
spared by BONAPARTE. It would have been a
work of supere7ogation to have sent his revolution-
ary Agents to Madrid, or to have assumed an hos-
tile aspect against Spain.

The Dutch isapers contain letters from Copen-
hagen to the St!! of May, which, state, that intelli-
gence had arrived from Norway of an important
bottle haviieg been fought nn the 25th of April,
nrar Elverum, in which the Swedes were &fluted
and that clothes• action had takcn place on the
frontiers of Norway, in which the Danes ware also
victorious. text Swedes, is if, said, beta; left en the
field, will the remainder routed.

The pnblic, who read the reports of Parliament.
ary proceedings, must have observed, fur some
Linie past, the declining influence of the Minister.
—lf the ithpression he not sn stroll; as the
C 350 warrants, it is only to be accounted for by
the extraordinary influence which the m. ter
has acquired over the public press. We have
seen my Lord CASTLEILEAGH one day winning
lus cause just by a Nose. Ticirsday crening,
ou the Distillery Question, Mr. PTRCtVAL won
just by a Neck. Besides the smallness of the
Ministerial Majority upon the last question, it con-
ta:ued one very humiliating ingredient—it was a
majority of Merchants—the landed interest was on
the other side. It was a majority of the repre-
sentatives of West India Molasses sgsinst the re-
presentatives of the sinewy arm of the British Ims-
handman--of the representatives of the physical
strength agaiast the weakness and luxury of the
cauntry. Such is the situation to a liich the Mi-
nister is reduced. Little things be. nonc little men,
and Mr. PERCLVAL has thin found his level.--
When a Minister is reduced to little majorities,
when he is bumbled, as Mr. Tl/411Cf.V/11. 00* is, his
case has been considered hopeless. The public
see, at a glance, at whieh side the sense of the
people lies. It stands confessed. that, stripped of
the aid of those inuaediately under the influence of
the Crown, the Miuister is in a derided minority.
The moment Mr. Parr approselie.t this situation,
be wnigned. As soon as •the clUC!).Cled FOXIT;,‘,
GILENVILLTII, cud PITTITCS, depr...iedi Mr. Au-
Dtaerua to this state, he pr..i.;:red to retire.—
Xettlier the pride of the on., uo: the delicacy of

the other, would be eonttnt with a nominal ma-
jority. They would not submit to hold their
places by such a tenure. How comes it then
that the town does not ring with reports of Mr.
PERCLVACS immediate dismissal front offive ? 11'e
have already stated that he has contrived to acquire
au extrnortlioary influence over the public press.
There is no print too low or contemptible to be con-
sidered unworthy of the attention of the panders of
Government. At no period of our history was the
public press so corrupt and degraded. It hence
follows, that the humiliation of the Minister it ei-
ther eutirely concealed, artfully misrepresented, or
disguised from the public eye, Except in one or
two papers, the debates in Parliament are either
wholly omitted, or reported in the most negli-
gent anti unsatisfactory manner. In these reports
the people of Etiglaud have been hitherto accus-
tomed to read the sentiments of their Representa-
tives. From these sources they have been accus-
tomed to derive their knowledge of public affairs.
It does not therefore suit the interest of the Minis-
ter to encourage a faithful report of processliagr,
in which the public would read in every line a proof
of his weakness and incapacity. The partisans of
Ministers in the public press have for sonic time
past laboured to strip Parliamentary debates of all
their dignity, interest, and importance. We may
state, without exaggeration. that the present is the
crisis of our fate, that there never was a Session of
Parliament, that produced more important subjects
of discussion. Yet we have witnessed, io most of the
public prints, an uniform disposition to treat them
with contempt and levity. A great change has
been effected in the public character of England.
The attack on Copenhagen, and the Orders of
Council, have been regarded by some of the wisest
and best men this country inn boast, as a melan-
choly and dangerous departure from these just,
generous, an.i honourable principles, to the strict
adherence to which, upon all occations, England is
indebted for all her greatness, and her glory; and
yet these subjects, when brought before Parliament,
have been treated with ridicule by the gl'eat mass of
the public prints, or passed over in silence, with af-
fected contempt. The Orders of Council are no-
ticed, perhaps, in a rebus, or conundrum, and the
attack on Coilettliagen is scarcely thought worthy
or furnishing a point for an epigrunt. To the can-
dour, the fidelity, and ability, with which important
subjects of this I have been treated, whether
iu the shape ... • ..tiapcu'i?y debates or other-
wise, the , 7natb have been hitherto in-
debted • ....tencc and prosperity. Of the
nature aits.l amouto. of the temptation which has in-
duced them to commit a suicidal act, in the depar-
ture from that cour.e, wedo not presume to judge.
There is, however, a limit of sycophancy and false-
hood which the corrupt part of the public press
cannot, dare not exceed.—When the case becomes
desperate, the vermin begin to desert the sinking
vessel. w With so small a majority," says The
Courier, meaning the majority of 14 upon the
Question of the Distilleries ea Thursday night,
44 we should think that Ministers will see the ne-
cessity of not pres.iitg the measure farther."

The Portuguese Jounrals state, that Gellert!
Jt. NOT is created Duke of AIMANTES. They also
contain AM order of the lutendant-General of the
Polley, dirreting lists to be made of all the italivi-
duala who disappeared with the ancient Court. cud
that, after the ..!erth of April, the time fixed for the
returns, fatten should be given for the sequestration
of their property. Strict onlere are given for pre-
venting the receipt of •ny intelligence from the
squadron, by papers, letters, proclamations,
or odic'. vrannintrictorioris.

Sir Jogurit Yoaas has commissioned the
Chrirtian the Seventh, at Portrmouth.

The Resistance frigate, Capt. Aoam, was to
sail yesterday, with dispatches for Gibraltar, from
Portsmouth ; and the Belle Poole. Capt. Bars-
COIL, will Said in a few days with a convoy for
the Mediterranean. The CleilrooNe frigate, Capt.
WAsawainir, is fitting for foreign service.
The Spedy sloop, Captain Meninx, made the
signal, at Portsmouth, on Saturday, for ouvoy to
ewfountlland and Nat, lax.

The lord Eldox, DNonshire. and 3fultareA,
atitward-hound East Intliatneti, have arrived at the
Meitherbank. from the river.

THOMAS TALBOT, A..istant Surgeon or the 80th
regiment, in Jamaica, has been trie,l by a Court
Martial, found guilty of seretal charges unhecone-
inz an officer and a gentleman, and sentenced to
he cashiered.

The Bill now before Parliament, for regulating
the collection of the Assessed Te‘es,
Commissioners, with a power for " any one
of them, by Min sty, or together frith one or more
of the Commissioners of the Division, to use,
even-Ise, and apply all the powers contained in the
said several Arts relating to the said Duties re-
spectively, as effectually as any other Commis-
sioners are by the said Acts authorised to Use, ex-
ercise, or apply the same." Now these Special
Commissioners, being appointed by Government,
will he of necessity the mere creatures of the Nil-
Mster, and will ►upersede the whole body of regu-
lar Commissioners, who are men of property, who
"scar to their qualification, and act as middle men
between the htNO and the subject. We under-
stand that it is the intentina of the regular Com-
missioners to hold a meetiii4 immediately to take
into consideration this clause which is at once an
insult to their widerstandiv, and a mike:ion u;•on