The National Register.
London, England, 1812-09-06 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

,46

been great and frequent, its increase amazing, not to say
enormous. Not only has it risen to a price higher than lias
ever been known since the years 1648 and i 649, when the
nation was desolated by all the ravages of a civil war, in
which it was unhappily involved, at the close of the reign of
CHARLES the First, but it has actually more than doubled
what it tva3 sold for in those days of confusion and ge-
neral distress. It is at present within a very little of being,
double what it was at that period, a period at which it is
impossible to suppose that the country could avail itself of
the whole of its resources, or even of the greater portion of
them, and equally impossible to suppose that those resources
of which the country could avail itself, were husbanded
with any thing approaching to that ceconomy, which it bas
been practicable to exercise throughout the present reign.
The present price of wheat ought certainly not to be taken
as the average price of the last fifty years, and we hope the
above remarks will not be considered as founded on such an
assumption. We arc, however, constrained to say, that if
the prices of several years ~of more than is usually meant to
be expressed by the word several), of years when thanks-
givings for abundance from I leaven, might have encouraged
n hope that plenty, at a moderate price, would be enjoyed
by man, be carefully investigated, we say it with regret,
the average price will be fund, comparatively speaking,
little below its present price. It will at least be found that
that increase of price, which we have been told was the una-
voidable result of a scarcity, was not taken off when such an
• excuse for it could no iouger be urged. The distresses
'nought upon us by a scanty harvest, were not removed by
a plentiful one, and the most productive seasons have but
slightly mitigated the -evils ushered in by a year of scarcity.
tinder such circu instances, however, those who profited by this
state of things, have had the effrontery, not merely to require
that their interests should be protected, as far as with a
semblance of justice they could be so protected; they have
not only, at a time of general distress, called upon those in
power, not to sacrifice them to the public, but they have
demanded that the public should be sacrificed to them. It
is not more than two years ago, since it appeared from the
regular returns, that a very considerable reduction ought to
take place in the price of bread. On this occasion it was
stated, that a number of persons having speculated on the
probability of its continuing at a high price, if it were at
once reduced they must be ruined. The Lo RD MAYOR of
that time,.a well-meaning ignorant man, was so far imposed
upon by this representation, that he acceded to their wishes,
and that statement which ought to have called forth con-
tempt and reprobation, was so far attended to, that the price
•t bread was reduced but a fourth of what it ought to have
been. The success of that experiment may lead to a repe•
tition of it. In that year a scanty harvest had been antici-
pated; a plentiful one was reaped. Such is said, (and we
trust truly said,) to he the case at present; but we hope the
present LORD MAY oit,with all his eecentricities,will not fall
into the error of his predecessor. We trust he will feel? that
if dealers in corn, or in flour, will speculate, as the gain of
such speculators, if successful, would be exclusively theirs,
so also should the loss be, if they are unfortunate. 11 such
representation should again be made,•we trust the answer to
it will be--4‘ You have presumed to speculate on the gen-- •
ral distress, and must submit to the consequences, without a
bope that that distress' will be continued for your emolu-
Y It he ruined if that reduction in the
!h appears warranted by the
ght of this before you pre-
la comes too late now to be
4 to Ire endured, that when

SEPT. 6.

you choose to speculate, the public are to be called upon to
pay both your gains and your lo,ses. Those who indulge in
such practices should play with their own money, and not
think they have a right to come to the public, as to a stock-
purse, from which they may draw at pleasure whatever ma!
be necessary to pay their gambling debts."

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

RUSSIAN I,EI I Ics;

SUPPLEMENT TO THE ST. PETERSBURGH GAZETTE, Or
FRIDAY, JULY 26 (AUG. 7), 1612.
Official news from the army. of the 14th July (July 2Gth), received
by a courier who had set out Ishii the dispatches to his Imperial Ma-
jesty at Moscow :
'1 he first army has taken up an important position at Witepsk ; and
during its march, even from Polotsk, the enemy did not venture to
attack one of the corps of which it is compoked, The small skirmishes
of the rear-guard along the Dwina, which river our cavalry often crossed
by swimming, to cut off the enemy': picquets, constantly terminated
to the advantage of our troops. Atter the arrival at IVitepsk, strong
reconnuissauces must enable us to decide on farther movements, in re.
Whin to the junction of the second army ss it h the first.
In the night of the 13th (25th) the Commrindetein-Chiet having
been informed that the enemy's patroles spewed themselves on the
roads to Beschenkrivitsehi, ordered Count Ostermann Toletoi, with his
corps, to take a direction to that place. Scarcely had Count Tulstoi
marched three versts. when he ft ll in with the enemy's vldettes. Two
videttes were cut off,' but the third succeeded in giving the alarm to
• the French advanced guard ; who immediately sent forward to oppose
us, a regiment of two squadrons of hussar guards, wbo happened to
Il.e at the head of their column. Our troops- sprung upon tte foe, and
immediately overthrew him ; but engaging two eagerly in the pursuit,
they fell in with the whole of the enemy's cavalry, by which they were
in teetr turn driven back upon our infantry. Count Ostermann then
contieued his movement, and found the enemy drawn up in order of
-battle, at a short distance from Ostrovna. The action began by a cane
nonade, which lasted suite hour:. Both sides Iteight nigh the greatest
obstinacy. The superiority in numbers was on the side of the French,
but the valour of our troops bore down all before it. We not only re-
tained the field of battle, but drove back the meaty four versts from
his position. So hot a fight could not be webout loss ; according to
the report of the prisoners, that of the enemy was considerable. They
assure us, that ou this due the King of Naples commanded in person,
and that the Viceroy of Italy was wounded.
Head quarters, July 18 (Aug. 30, 18 le.
The corps of General Doetorow, which had been charged to watch
the movements of the enemy in the neighbourhood of Beschenkovitschi,
when it saw a p irt of their troops marching otf, began, on its side, to
enter upon movements hid delaeed its march. It thence became
necessary to citable General Doctorew to cross the Dwina, for the pur-
pose of for neng a junction with the army at IVitepsk, on the left bank
of that river. lii order to accomplish this, the Commander-in 4 hit f
considered it as highly necessary that the enemy should be inure kept
in check at that place, whither Count Ostermann, on the 13th (eeth),
nit h a for,:e inferior to that of the enemy, bad repeller! him; and
Lientenant-General lionosvnizyn received orders for this purpose. He
reintOrced the corps of Wermatm, and his division was engaged in
battle the whole of the 14t h (Kith). Our troops displayed as much
valour as steadiness. The enemy did not gain upon them a single foot
of ground. Lieutenant-6~ml Konownizsn repelled all that ir attacks,
and did not retire lima the place till night, when he received orders to
take iqo the position chosen by the Generaliin-Chief for a general
hauls, lieeeial Doetorew, in the mean time, crossed the Dwina,
'lid arrived ii the same spot. The whole rear-guard are ived under the
come-awl sit Major-General Count Von Pahlen. They weie drawn up
ten aersts in ailsikneo of the principal position, and the enemy must
have been compelled to retreat. During this, however, the Com-
-1 nutuder-in-Celef received eccountsa by a courier, from Prince Mara.
lion, olii.r inforiue4 him, that while advancing to approximate the first
artily, he had found Notilesa alreads in the possession of the enemy
.1 and that fur the safety of his troops he had changed the direction of his
1 arch upon Unit:ha, and had taken the route to Alatislaw and Smolensk.
the dey before, hie advanced guard it ,d had a hattie, in which laente-
-1 nant-Ganerel Rojewskji defeated the advanced trooes of Mart.ll,ll Da.
.:
YOU•I9 and compelled them to retreat twelve versts. These ace. unts
Irif
changed the ojiial plan of the Commander-in-Chief; and instead o
I 'vying battle in lie vicinity of Witepsk, he determined to march upon
Smolensk, and the ruttier because Marshal Davoust, with his whole
I force, could now take th.:o di ection. Ile commenced this bold move-
neut ssly.v. the roar-guard was still enottged in tlae ',mum fight. Ile

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