The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-07-23 00:00:00

FLANDERS AND HAMBURGH MAILS.

BRUSSELS, JULY 18.

It is affirmed that several Dignitaries of the
Order of Malls are going to Carlsbad, in Bohemia.
It is thought they will make fresh representations to
the Ministers who are to assemble in that town, for
the purpose hi obtaining the Sovereignty of an
',land in the letliterronean ; it is added, that they
have some hopes of obtainiug the island of Elba.
It would be curious to see the banners of the:OrdiT
of St. John of Jerusalem hoisted in the very island
to which Napoleon, the destroyer of the Order was
11.1111Alieil.

Thirty-two pigeons, with the word Antwerp,
marked too their wing', have been carried to Lan-
dfill, where they were let loose on the 11th of this
month, at stern o'clock in the morning, after
leieing had their wings countermarked with the
ward London. The same day, towards noon, one
of these f.pilliful animals arrived at home, and ob-
tained die hest prize; a quarter of an h•ur Liter a
to!cond arrived, and obtained the second prise. The
l'ext dAy 12 others returned, making 14 in all. The
eie..4, which are very considerable, will be dig-
ulappited to-morrow (Sunda)), at Antwerp. It
is not with any intention of establishing a corm-
between London and Antwerp (as the
I' uis Journ..ls 'pretend) that those pigeons were sent
to Loudon. bat merely for the purpose of seeing
Brent retuiu.

BERLIN, JULY 13.
thir lirvellapers or to-day contain the following

nrlide :

The measures which have been lately taken in
several places, beth in Prussia end other countries.
lin the further investigation of the secret drmocra-
tleal societies and intligues which have been disco-
twr 1,
were occasioned by the receipt of must lin-
vent:int and complete proofs of their existence, and
cf their revolutionary and even treasonable ten-
(*.Al. The i lan of Republican Constitutinis
lose lirrn frequently discussed) intended fur
(4erman3, has been seized. Hence it is evident
ibkt the measures which have been determined upon
a-
x; not to be considered in the confined view of des.
pontions 'adopted against students, or associations
tiodents, as but few such are more or less lin.
pilicatril, and hence affected by the measures in ques-
tion. It le plain that the public cannot yet be made
isquointed nith the extensive and complicated re-
inAcatious i.f those demucratical intrigues, With:
(int
,iujuring the important and beneficial of jrct 43
tett." •

MAGDEBURG. JULY 13.
mot at Schou'Loeb hair tilduerti
114 G.bereussait le adopt weasurti equally vitae

, *e.

LONDON.
FRIDAY, JULY 23, Ism.

It is very manifest, from the tone and temper
with which the Ministerial Papers speak of the
Meeting held on Wednesday, in Smithfield, that
they were disappointed, and even somewhat dis-
pleased at the orderly and peaceable conduct of
the people on that occasion. The language used
was by half too tame, it wanted the high sea-
soning of sedition to satisfy their palates, and as
fur the people, they were provokingly well behaved,
and afforded no opportunity of proving the admir-
able precautions that had been adopted to prevent
riot ! If public Meetings continue to be held in
the spirit which has animated those of Birmingham,
Nottingham, Leeds, and Smithfield, and if the
crowd will resolve upon dispersing in quiet to their
aid to the patient pursuit of their ordinary
avocations, the admirable utility of a standing army
will cease to be felt ; and who can tell what per-
verse turn might be given to such an untoward cis•
cuinstance in Parliament by those who profess ouch
old.fashimied sentiments as once taught English-
men to look with jealeury upon a military force,
cud to repose with confidence for safety in the civil
power of the country it Should the House of Com-
mons once stumble upon the idea that the present
standing army was wholly starless for preserving do•
mystic tranquillity, while its existeoce aggravated
the suffering* of the people, the consequences
idglit be fatal to a Ministry who are altogether
supported by patronage, and to obviate such a ca-
'amity, every opportunity should be seized to prove
the advantages which mu►t be derived from the
exercise of military force. The scheme of arresting
liAllalFON in the mid•t of 50,000 people. was
calculated to presient a golden opportunity ; fur
who could have imagined that so many people,
with their minds in a stale of strong excite..
merit, would have suffered one of thcii leaders to
be arrested at such a moment, and even the small
number of the constables dispatched for that pu►-
pose, ►eemed almost to court opf•osition. The for-
bearance of the people, however, defeated the ma-
•u ovre. A yeti:Hui posse of constables entered the
crowd soon afterwards, but they could not succeed
in creating is riot.

We ore informed by on Evening Treasury Print,
streaking on the subj. et wnli bet omit g indignation,
that when the LORD MAYOII had counterriget4l
'the warrant for HARRISON'S ',lliadic:trim*, and had
'mud (mitts for Lit creat at SO critical a moment.

.11

Mr. Alderman edlered the room where I
his Lordship was sitting, and reinonstikted with
him on the danger of trying such an eiperintent '
upon the tioiliier of the people; but that the LORD
MAYOR, " with becoming firmness." replied,
that he cotiirdered it lite duty to Ode hie'
aptarlienrion, he would not'Arink from the realam.
sibilett of discharging that (hay. lie Was even so
impolite as to inform the aforesaid Alderman, that
I.e slid not sit there to be dictated to by him, and
that if hr hidr nothing else'ter soy, Ai might /ears
the room! Mr. IVAITHMAN repeated his protest,
and the LORD MAYOR repeated kis permission for
him to retire, which be accordingly did, muttering
something which nobody heard." In what the
" becoming &moose' of the LORD MAYOR con-
sisted, we really are at a loss to conjecture, for it
will not be pretended that HARRISON might not
have been watched during the continuance of the
Meeting, and hate been arrested after the people had
dispersed, with no less advantage to the cause of
public justice. Some of the details of this story must
surely be incorrect, for it is impossible to believe
that the LORD MAYOR would offer a gross insult to
v filspistiate, who certainly did not transgress the
strict limits of duty, in offering pus advice on a
circumstsi.ce which, without much appearance of
improbability, wee likely to be attended with very
serious coorequences to the peace and property of
the capital, affecting, too, the lives of many per-
sons, and whose entice, in this instance, could
have been dictated by no other motive than a sin-
cere desire to preserve the general tranquillity of the
City. The LORD MAYOR probably ielied, with
well-founded confidence, on his own strength, for
preventing violence to the property and lives of the
peaceful citizens; but he must acknowledge, that
had the arrest of Hammon strongly excited the
indignation of the multitude and driven them to
nets of violence, attended with massacre and plun-
der, his responsibility" would have contributed
but little towards redressing the evil, or affording
compensation to the sufferers for the death of vela.
fives or the destruction of property.

It is curious to observe the mighty degree of
importance which the friends of Ministers attribute
to the steps that were taken during the last Session
of Parliament to t to the ancient currency.—
They look upon this solitary proceeding as a panacea
for all the disorders of the State, as if the Report
of the Bonk Committee could give food to the
hungry or employment to the distressed. We are not
disposed to take from the proceedings on this dif-
ficult and interesting question the importance which
really belong to them, but we are not inclined to
give much credit to Ministers for those proceed-
ings—to have delayed them any longer was impos-
sible. To make some advances towards a return to
cash payments was a measure of such imperious
necessity, us to be deliyed only by men blind to
every consideration of policy and of duty. To say
the truth, however, the Minister avoided the sub-
ject as long as it was possible to avoid it; it was
only when it pressed on him at every side—when the
public alarm was excited in the extreme—it was
only in the fourth year of peace, when any further
delay would have appeared ridiculous and indecent,
that the Minister entertained the subject at all.
Driven at length to a reception of the measure,
he exaggerates its merit, he anticipates the success
of a plan which has not been tried. He makes it
the theme of the Speech from the Throne, as if the
country expected nothing else from Ministers, as
if this solitary proceeding could tend in any man-
ner to compose the discontents, or to relieve the dis-
tresses of the nation.

That these distresses are considerable, that it is
very difficult to remove or even to ameliorate them,
we willingly allow. Unfortunately for this country,
its affairs have been too long managed by the pre-
sent Ministers, and by those whose system they too
faithfully follow, to admit of immediate amend.
went, even if they had the dispo4ition to retrace
their steps.

Far, however, are such intentions from the pre-
sent Servants of the Crown. Consistent only in
their indifference to reputation, and their love of
place, they keep is the even tenonr of their way"
—they preserve ancient abuses—they resist all ap.
prowls to reformation—with au artifice familiar to
confined minds, they attempt to impose on the
plain sense of the country, but they only discover
their want of capacity and of candour. Thus tiwy
'Affect io feel for the distresses of the people; and
what mode of relief do they prupo•e ?—additional
taxation ! thus they deplore the progress of discon-
tent, whilst they utterly neglect all means that
might tend to remove it. During the entire Ses-
sion they heard of nothing but the complaints and
murmurs of the people—they saw nothing but the
evidence of the country's decline—still they re-
niaiued firm and insensible as the benches on
which they sat. Depending on the rank majorities
which have alike supported their hest measures and
their worst, they have proceeded without remorse
and without fear ire that di►astrous course which
has brought the country to the very brink of ruin.
Amidst the progress of misery and of discontent,
they were, we believe, the only men in the natiou
who strewed a total apathy—not even an attempt
has been made by them to retrieve our declining
affairs. Barren in every thing but in numbers,
they looked on the storm aidh an indifference which
brspoke their consciousness of safety. Aidtd by