The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-03-08 00:00:00

Annuity Bill, :Ina the question being put that it do
pass,—
Lord KINNAIRI) rose to gate, that he was by
no means satisfied with the last vote th-it 1143 been
given. He said, that finding the prescii! Bill to be ,
insufficient for its obleft, all that they had demi was
useless, unless the principle was followed up; and
he considered it to be the duty of that House to do
so.
Sir Wm. DOIBEN said, that though he was on
Friday last prevented, by circumstances, from
offering any opinion to the House in words, he was
not the less adverse to the mode of their proceeding.
The grant they had come to might encrease the
comforts, but did not sustain the dignity of his
Royal Highness, as he had explained by his gra-
cious message. It seemed to him highly necessary
that the dignity and splendor of his royal consort
should be in proportion to the splendor of the Heit
Apparent. He had the utmost degree of respeft
for the Prince of Wales, as he had for all the
branches of his Illustrious Family. He felt all the
confidence that might be placed in his honour and
generosity ; but found himself, from many consi-
derations, obliged to propose a clause, as a rider on
the Bill, that out of the 60,0001. per annum al-
lowed by Parliament, in its vote of this Session to
the Prince of Wales, there be appropriated to his
consort the sum of 60001. annually.
Colonel STANLEY seconded the Motion.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
hoped, the Hon. Gentleman would not proceed or
insist upon the present Motion. The House had
already 'mid his Royal Highness, by its vote, a
tribute of respect.
Sir Wm. DOLBF.N said, if what he mentioned
could be construed into any idea of disrespeCt, he
shoald not have made the motion.
Mr. SHERIDAN said, the Prince had ex-
pressed himself in language of gratitude and satis-
ration at the attention of Parliament. He should
be sorry to listen to domestic circumstances, which
might involve, or would in the least occupy the at-
tention of the House • and he made no doubt but
when the Prince should be enabled to resume his
rank and splendor, the rank and dignity of her
Royal Highness would follow also, and the best
method, in his opinion, would be, to entrust every
thing to the honour and feelings of his Royal High-
ness.
After some unimportant conversation, the Clause
proposed by Sir William Dolhen was, by mutual
consent, withdrawn, and the Bill passed, and or-
dered to be sent to the Upper House.
The Report of the Committee on the Irish Sup-
ply was brought up and agreed to.
Mr. %Vice"( si brought up a Bill for pi eventing
frivolous and vexatious Aftions in superior Courts
in Ireland, when remedy can be obtained in the in-
ferior Courts by Civil Rill. Read a First and or-
acted to be read a Second Time on Thursday.—
A dyurned.

THEATRE-Rona, DRURr-LANE.
THIS EVENING will be ine.ented a New Historical Play,
in Three %cis, called
THE HERO OF THE. NORTH.
Th- at. ttin• Aid 4lusie conii•osefl and -.riveted lq Mr. Kelly.
The prineival Characters by
Mr. Pope, Mr. Wrongliton, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Raymond, Mr.
Dayton, Mr. Binnist..r, Jun. Mr. De Camp, Mr Caulfield,
Mr. Sodgwick, Mr. Grimaldi, Mr Gibbons, Mr. Foi,.r.
Mu. Young, Miss Stephens, Miss Tidswell, Miss Menace,
Mrs. Bland, Miss Tyree

To which added,
THE DEVIL TO PAY.
On Thur3day, The Hero of the North, with The Cites d of
Nature.

Tlf EATRE-ROr.IL, COVERT-G AI? D.F:N.
Tins EVENING will Ira rrerfohned a New Comedy tatted
JOHN BULL;
Or, AN F.NOUSIIMAN's
The principal CharaCters by
Mr. Lewis, Mr. Coke, Mr. Fawcett, Mr. Johnstone,
Mr. IL Johnston, Mr. Blanchard, Mr. Emery, Mr. Wendy.
Mrs. Gitsba, Mrs. Davenport, and Mrs. llJohnston.
The Pnsfugue to be spoken by Mr. Brunton.
With a Lyrie.il Epilogue by Mr Johnstone.
To Odell will be added,

SELIMA AND AZOR.
The New Comedy called John Roll; or, An El wii;hman's
FirosSide was received, on its first leprerentation, with op-
plum 'perfectly unequallM.—it will be repeated every Evening
till further notice--OnThursday, with The Quaker.

THE BRITISH PRESS.

LONDON,
TUESDAY, MARCH 8.

Yesterday the funds experienced a depression of
one per cent.—Consols were done at 71:, in the
early part of the clay, and they left off at 74) Va-
rious causes were assigred, in the City, for this
etfeig. The most general rumours stated, that
Mr. P►rx was returning to office, and that a new
war was likely to break out.—The proceedings of
the French, in the West-Indies and Louisiana, are
supposed to be the cause of the threatened hos-
tilities.--The American G►vernment, it is said,
is determined to insist upon the free navigation of
the Mississippi, and the. refusal of Spain, or more
properly speaking of France, it is presumed, might
lead to a rupture in which England would take
part with America. We do not know what de-
gree of credit is due to this and many other.antipa-
cific reports which were circulated yesterday--lhe •
celerity with which dispatches were sent off to Wind-
sor, and the expedition with which his Majesty came
to town to attend the Privy Council, are sufficient
to shew, that Government have received some unex.
pet=ted communication of an urgent and important
nature. In the present state of Europe, it is cer-
tainly natural to presume, that such communica-
tion would be more likely to endanger the peace
than to confirm it and upon this ground alone the
funds would suffer a depression.

Yesterday we received Paris Papers of the 3d.—
The Monittur of that date contains a 'curious article,
in which it denies that the prosecution of M. PEt.-
Tit% was instituted at the instance of the FittsT
CossuL, or even with his knowledge. With that
disregard fur consistency which chargterises the

~~

French Jiidrir.fs,it charges England thenconraging
agi
libellers, at the very moment that it condemns her
IT an attempt to put them down, and adds, " the
King of England owes to the respect for his own
person, and to the honour of his nation, or* for
all to put an end to those outrages done to a neigh-
bouring Nation and Government with which he is
at peace." What is this, but saying, put down
your trial by jury, erase from the Statute Book all
your laws about libels, and exerci,,e a summary
power like the Fi asr CosstL of France. The
KING of ENGLAND cannot follow this advice, nor
-"would, if he had the power. Such doctrine may suit
the Freemen of France, but it would not suit the
subjects of the KINU Of ENGLAND. For our own
part, we never thought that the convietion of K..
PELTIER would give satisfaction to the Futst CON-
SUL. He has often complained of English libellers
and libels; and the Official Journal has as often dis-
tindly stated, who and what were meant by the
terms. The liberty of the press, and the party in
the Senate, who, we are told, have sworn implacable
hatred to France—these are the libels and li-
bellers meant by the Official Journal of France.
But though we did not think the FIRST CONSEL
would be saia of a triumph over a subjea in a
British Court of Justice, w thought Ministers anted
wisely in taking tisat course.—They have shewn to
Europe, that they w ill not suffer the First Magistrate
of a country with which they are at peace, to be li-
belled with impunity.—They have refuted in the
eves of the world, the foul calumny of being the
abettors and instigators of such libels ; and they
have shewn to the FIRST Coasot the course, which,
if he be sincerely desirous of peace, he ought to take
with the Editors of the Argus and the Moniteur.
The French Funds have suffered a light depres-
sion. They were on the I Otis, 63. 60.

Yesterday two Batavian Mails arrived, the in-
telligence brought by which is rather important.—
It appears by an article from Constantinople of
the 10th of January, that an arrangement has at
length been made respecting the Beys in Egypt,
by the interference of the English General and Am-
bassador, with whom a Convention has been conclud-
ed on this subjea. Lord Et.oiN is stated to have
officially declared, upon the conclusion of this Con-
vention, that Egypt would be immediately evacuated
by the British troops, which were to be removed
from thence to Malta; that island, however, it is
said, is for some time at least to be kept posse, sion of
by the English. We arc inclined to believe this in-
telligence corral.

It will be seen, by the conversation that took
place Last night in the House of Commons, that
the establishment of his 'loyal Highness the Prince
of WA Lys will undergo another discussion.

The I of the Admiralty have been pleased
to appoint Captain VINCENT, to the command of
his Majesty's sloop Arrow, at Portsmouth ; and
Lieutenants C. F. DALY and .IoHN GREEN WAY, to
be Lieutenants of the same sloop.
The Honourable Commissioners of Sick and
Wounded Seamen have been pleased to appoint
dons SHaW, Esq. to be Surgeon of the Arrow.
The conspiracy at Rouen is now stated to have
been formed by Chouans and Royalists, whose objeet
was the subversion of the present order of risings,
and the restoration of the Bourbons. The persons
engaged in it are described as wretches of the most
contemptible description.
We are concerned to state, that by accounts from
Vienna, received by these Mails, the health of the
ARCM:HAUL CHARLES seems to be in a very preca-
rious state.
France can have no pretence for complaining of
our retention of Malta, which the Treaty of Amiens
does uot authorize us to surrender till certain provi-
sions have been Unfilled, namely, the ekaion of a
Grand-Master, the arrival of the foreign troops,
and the appointment of proper guarantees. Had it
therefore been surrendered, the people of this coml.
tr 7 would indeed have had a right to complain.
The disorder at Paris still continues ; all the hos-
pitals arc full, and upwards of 100 die daily ; but the
report of the disorder having reached Dover is to-
tally false. It is true several persons have died there
during the last month, but they were chiefly old
worn-out persons, and the number of deaths does
not exceed the number last year during the same
period of time.
The French Ambassador at the Hague, has in
formed the Dutch Directory, that the French Go-
vernment leaves it to the Dutch to act as it thinks
proper with respect to the Dutch rescriptions. At
the same time, the French it mbassador notified that
of each of the two demi-brigades that were to em-
bark at Helvoetsluys for Louisiana, there would re-
main a battalion in Europe, to act as a dep,'it for the
said troop. Those two battalions are to leave the
Dutch territory, as soon as the brigades have em-
barked.
A cause of considerable importance, intitled
THORNTON 'U. DICK, was tried on Saturday before
Lord ELLEN aottoecu, at Guildhall. It was an
a6tion against the Defendant, as acceptor of a bill of
exchange after sight. Ile had accepted the bill,
but having occasion to doubt the responsibility of
the drawer, he afterwards, before the bill was called
for, erased his name, and obliterated the accep-
tance. It became a question, whether, having
once accepted, he could afterwards erase it. Lord
EI.I.ENBOR OUCH held the law to be clear, that a
person having once put his name as acceptor, was
from that moment bound. The bill had a currency
from that time, and any alteration on the face of
the bill discharged the drawer.—The verdift was
for the Plaintiff.
It is said that this decision will produce many
a6lions, as it has hitherto been generally understood
in London, and was so decided by the late Lord
K F.NYON, that a person might erase his acceptauc
before delivery of the bill from his hand.