The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1809-08-26 00:00:00

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PATRIOTIC FUND%
Thorstlay there was a 6C.lletnOteetint of-this,
subscribers to this t und,. cot ve4 by public Adis
wertisenient.
. .
Sir FaaNcis Amu N o (the Closinvars) opeossal
l
business:
It wailwailin consequence pi the. setae.' ey
expreowd by a numerous anti most rosltertsftYe
Meeting of Nlerchants the CiUte:
inittee p.l.E2ctly coincided to the ea' that
Meeting, anti at their recommentlatieh thought it
proper to convene a Getteriti Meeting of the Suit—
seribris. It oar now six years since the public
were dist appealed to by the Committee ; and the
subscuptiona which had been received at that time
eery grfttly surpassed the wannest hopes of those
what were the first prontoteni of the Institution.
More than 400,9001. had how been received; but, on
the other Mind, relief had been afforded to many
thousands of wounded and dinililed men, and to
the firsoli,s of those who had fallen in the service
or their country. As the war was now on land,
whore the losses are much greater than in sea fights,
ti, • el tom upon the Fund would rousequently be
tit Int ore Mere numerous; and as the entire suits

tiriviatly sitheeribrd would go no farther than the
pr:2s.ent etairt:A 141011 it. it appeared necessary to re-
pleoi,h the rtnoi, and it2:ti!, App....1 to the liheru..
lity of the pultiii.e. A Gentlemen of the Commit-
tee,(.llr. Murryett) prepured to ewe fusty-to
theallie tuaoner in which the fund had hitherto
been applied.
?dr. M•ItRYATT then ro4e, acid inside u di
stiktruirwt of the receipts land o.sbun.emetsts of the
FititiL The sum originally rt. by .ttio.eription
wee tionieetlitirt inure than 38n,0001. to which

was to be whiled the interest of the money that had
been iinsaited ill the funds, and the profits on stock
sold, whirs!), added to the coin originally received,
antownted to the total sum of 134,93•21. 16*A. 7d.;
which, after deducting the sums voted M rewards,
amenities, amt presents, left ■ balance of 93,2311.
5.. bd. Many of the gratuities, however, winch
they had voted, had never been claimed, and there
would be n considerable profit, if the stock were
sold at the preseot price ; so that he calculated the
actual h•dance to he about 130,0001. which would,
proonibly, be entirety absorbed by the claims that
were now expected to he made by the fatmilirs of
above 3000 killed and 6000 wounded, including
those who had be, is killed mid wounded at the
battles of Corwin. and Talavera. lie trusted that
the Meeting could perfectly satisfied. with the
condo. tit the Committee, iii the adinsuistiiitino of •
the food hitherto ; lout as the character of ihe:wite
hail changed ill a great meamre, and was taw car-
ried on mare by land than by sea, the Committee ,
thought that new regulations ought to be sclintterl
futore, as the clainsents would probably be
mores numerous. After iiuttire id'
theditferent disourseinents:lieslioulil submit td them
some oesol•itions for the furtive maw:gement tsf•the
Fund. As to the sum .rite..tly to the wound-
ed and the of thoseerho had fallen, this
antouined to shout 230,41001. and was u part of the
expenditure about which there could be 01 objec-
tion. It would appear ley the accounts, that 40,0001
had been given to the Nasal :sod Military Asylum.
for which that Society undertook to receive mid
educate all the chinireis, of enlist- sex, recur...end-
ed by the Committee, whore cats could give them
any claim nom. the Patriotic Fund. The price of
advertising in the public papers anomie; vil to sou
leis than I 1.0441. Great as uhur sum was, lie was
cosiorioceol, that it not hisiieimitii fi,r the inter-
est of the Fund to Mete !Well their spraiiag of ex-
petite on this mu hire'. On the Contrary, the COM.
antler received in'sny letters of complaint, if
they delayed the asivertiaiiog the jeetopt'brthe
smaller sosltscriptions. The inlet of Vie' intuits
Toted s. rewards to in, riti;aloo4;;ti.ll ill 11WW.Vole'lln
16.0n01., and it would hr rerolletlteti!,Aaf
of the resolutions of the migitial stlfactibers; 'that
rewards or lionourelole hailgs a should" fie gieen'to
distinguished merit. There hittl.iilAir anutiF Intl
difference of Oplififfii Upon 1111 C
tlOll4 01 this sort; lint hr thought, triitl,Vl'olll•llc6l
cesaity, they must br ilhopeti.ed with in futUre. The
clisims of merit alone must yield to merit accom-
panied by distre.s. Ile omits! here take *cession
to NOW. olise, rations whiCh had bee.] nude
against the instointoon lest, sis interfering with the
Legislature. If this hard-nearted doctrine were
to prevail, it would go as well to cry dolma oil
public eh.irities, or contour benevolence. It might
cc well tof :194tofft, that, bef:ause the legislature
load estaliii-hid poor's-rates mid workhouses, it
was interfering with the Legislature to give any as.
sistaime to the pour. Besides the •Ileviation or pri.
vide iii.tre.s awl sittlemix, tbe Fend hod been Iwo-
sloktive of very great puirlic advantage. It was well
known, that a great carer of the repognauce of the
prim- to let their children go him the •roily or navy,
was, that they thought they should thereby, if sissy
casualty happened, lose that wenstance from theta
in the decline of life, which otherwise they might
hare expected. This repugnance was, its a great
measure, douraway bythe sums which it•vras kouwu
the Patriotic Fund paid to the aged parents of those
also fell is the service of their country. Perhaps, at
some future period, the Legislature might think it
1•h ;err to adopt such a regulation. There WISSIS SU In
sf stout 16.0001. which had been voted to the relief
rf Ihitish prisoners on France. This slid not enure
loader tin letter of the original resolutions, hut it
3,ste within the spirit of them. When Bonaparte
reCosed to permit aii accredited agent for English
prisoiters to remain to Frew!, or say supplies to
be furnished them by the British Goverittneat,
many of these prisoners were reduced to the
greatest distress; awl the Committee bar) *My
givers such relief as amounted to an addition of
three-halfpence eolay to the allowance of the aged,
the infirm, mid the sick, who were soot able to en-

dare suchpriviitions it; th;itio who were in health.
Thy had also established an hospital null a school
at re-ry depot of prisoners in France. This money
hod kern managed with such econoiny •iiil at-
teution, liy those who ouperintcniled, the distribu-
tion of it, that he believed more 7,04. Wsip
urrer
done at evretise, and that that writ an oNpeii-
diture ought to Ire cotitiiiii•d. t7lth reSpeet
to go! a °moiled, he appre)irudeti that &re must he
an alteration ; and that, for the future, the rellt'
(-wild only he given 16 those who were disabled i
6.4 wounds. Those who were wuustriktTAiOttly,
or ..Yen orver-1, , would not wiW to be iroidtfor the
were pain of their woman...l the extreme of the