The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-02-01 00:00:00

THE KING'S ILLNESS.

The safety of the empire was never placed in so
extraordinary and critical a situation as at the pre-
sent moment. Our late good and gracious KIKG
lies dead. The bake of KENT, a son worthy of his
illustrious Sire, lies dead. Fate calls the father and
the son at the same moment to the grave. This, in
humble life, would be considered a melancholy co.
incidence—a calamitous visitation. In the present
cave it is aggravated by the se►ious and severe in-
disposition of Ins NIAJEsTY, who loss only suc-
ceeded to a late inheritance under circumstances
of sorrow and disappointment. calculated to im-
press upon his royal mind the littleness of all
earthly grandeur. The indisposition of Iris MA-
JESTY has been announced in this Paper. It
was represented as • cold, accompanied by a de-
fluxion from the chest, • very general complaint
dining the late severe season. The agitation and
anxiety caused by the deonse of his MAJESTY'S
Royal father, were calculated to increase the disor-
der. It was reported yesterday that his MAJESTY
lied undergone the operation of cupping, by which
process lie had suffered a loss of many ounces of
blood. It was nut, however, until last evening we
were fully apprised of the seitousners of his MA-
JESTY'S illness. We lament to say that lie was
yesterday in a state sufficient In excite alarm. In
the course of the day the following Bulletin was
issued :

" The ging has been attacked with infianimation
on the lungs. We hope ei
_favourable impression has
been made on the complaint, but his Majesty still
continues severely indispo.s►d.

" ‘VII,LIANI KNIGHTON.
" lATHESV JOHN TIERNEY.
" Carlton lionae, February I, 1820,
}Calf-ra,t Three u'Clock, p.

The anxiety which this communication was csl-
ciliated to excite in the public mind, will, we hope,
he alleviated by the following Court Circular,
which was issued last night :
" 'Flue public I throughout the metropolis
has been much sigilated hr the slarming statement
made in the Bulletin issued at Carlton Pslace at
three o'clock yesterday afternoon, of the state of
his 'AWE:l'l's lie.dth, but we are happy to be
enabled to intient our readers with the copy of
the following favonrsble Bulletin, which was issued
at eleven o'clock list iiigitt :
" Cannon noose, February I, 1820,
" Eleven o'clock, p. m.

"The King. is better. His Majesty has had
some refre..hing steep, and the symptoms of his
Majesty's disorder are considerably alleriated.

(Signed) " H. H 41.14./110,
" W. KNIGHTON,
" M. .1. TI ERN EY."

lluwever we may be soothed Ly this statement of
his NIAJESTY!S lirrlth, our anxiety is too serious to
Le fully removed by it. We therefore await with
impatience the Bulietios of the present day.

The inquirers of conil.ilence to the KING, at Isis
Palace in Poll.mall, on the death of the late K t NG,
his beloved father, were very numerous yesterday ;
among them were, the Sardinian Minister, Count
ST. MARTIN D'AGLIE, the Turkish Minister,
and Mr. KAMIIADINI, Ins Secretary.

An everii,ig Treasury print, more remarkable
for its zeal in the cause of a Minister than fur an
honourable and loyal attachment to the first estate
of the realm, allotting to the ceremonies observed
upon the accession of a King, says. that " Their
importance indeed is such, that in their observance,
or °wigwam, might be involved the stability of the
succession." This sentence incolces a principle of
constitutional law to which we must coulees that we
have hitherto been strong-mi. We have ever been
taught to believe that the succession to the throne
of these realms depended upon the great maxims of
our common law, modified as circumstances may
require by the correcting hand of legislative wis-
dom ; but we are now toll that we have been io
error, and that whether GVORGE IV. be King or
not must depend, not upon the doctrine of heredi-
tary descent, nor upon those principles of law which
Parliament has established and time has sanction-
ed, but upon the precision with which the heralds.
may chance to perform the usual ceremonies, or the
care with which the Lord Chetuherlain or the Earl
Marshal may respectively issue their instructions !
We have often been tempted to recommend to the
Ministers, or at loot to suds of them as are friendly
to a previous censorship of the press, that they
should adopt the principle with reference to those
journals that profess to support the measures mid
represent the sentiments of the Cabinet. By such
an expedient. either the Treasury journals would
cease to publish such w vast portion of absurdities
as they are in the habit of doitig, or the Ministers
would not have to answer fur the ignorance and
presumption of others.

The Paris Papers of Saturday last have brought
Wine further intelligence respecting the Male of the

"-:•_

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insurrection iu Spain, but the accounts that pro.
fess to remove all uncertainty upon the subject
are in themselves so contradictory, that they tend
rather to increase our doubts than to diminish tlino.
The tumid des Debar, a respectable paper, but
Warmly devoted to the Ultra-Royalist party of
France, having been betrayed into the statement
respecting the capture of Cadia and the iswerrec-
lion of Madrid, is now the most eager to remove the
impressions by itself created. It teems to think
that the cense of Royalty is the same ell over
Europe, and that whoever " wears upon his brow
the round of sovereignty," no matter what may
be the principl,,s on which he governs, or tl►e feel.
ings entertained by the people, he must he entitled
to its edpport. No dilrerence is dr.:viii between a
patriot Prince, reigning in the affections a his
subjects, and iii accordance with the strict pritici-
plea of the law, and oae who may have •iolet
every engsgeniet►r, forfeited every p►inciple of
honour, and trampled upon every public right,
until he makes himself at once ati object of hatred
and contempt to all classes of the community.

It is mot difficult, however, to collect even from
the " favourable" statensents of the Paris jantraik.
that the insurgents, even though they may not have
taken Cadiz, are very fottnidable elate. There
is an inconsistency in their assertions that prove.
their general incorrectness. We are told that the
number of the insurgents never exceeded 5,000 men, '
and that dieappoiotrnent and disgust have already
caused such numerous desertions, that not mere than
3.000 men still adhere to the standard of rebellion.
We are further ■ssured, that the lothfill army of
Spain amounts to upwards of 1.:0,000 men, and that
Generals FREY RE, CRUZ-M RGEON, and °the•.,
are at the head of a very large force, glowing with
the best spirit. The navy is ac►uated by a Inyalty
eqUally ardent, and 4.000 marines have altrady
joined the %tarrison of Cadiz fur the purpese of re-
pulsing the insurgents. How happens it then, we
may well ask, that the insurgents, so contemptible
in force, should he permitted for the rimer or a ft,rt-
slight, to occupy the far larger portion of .lie lola dr
Lets/I, and to hold Cadiz its a state of bliiclotile on I
the land aide ? The garrison of Oldie ;done might to
drive them from the lola. But we are informed by
the Gazette de France, on the authority of a lA-
letter from Seville, " worthy of credit," that a
body of 2,000 rebel. had prese:ired themselves be-
fore the gates of the town of Utrera, wluch is
fifteen leagues distant from Cadiz, an I ooly seven
from Seville. and there tent tooled 8.000 ra+ion•.
Wnetice cause these troops? It is tint probable
that if the insurgents in the fsla were reduced to
3,000 men, so large a portion of their numbers would
have made a dash to so great a distance as U treat ;
for such a movement must necessarily expow their
whole force to certain destruction, expect illy mi ernl
step they advanced towarde Seville Isronght them
nearer to General FREYRE's overwhelming army,
stationed in or near that city. The c moittoird
authorities and public institutions of Seville have
commenced a 'subscription to meet the ex; raordinary
expenses caused by the exertions required for sup-
pressing the revolutionists, and the tribunal of the
Itiqinsition in Seville, probably ferlitig its own
existence somewhat endangered. offered a sum of
money equal to about 63,31. This extraordi-
nary proceeding would not be necessary if the
insurrection were of trifling magnitude, o► could
be terminated by a proclamation or an offer
of pardon. An attempt has been made to ac-
count for the inactivity of the Royal Generals,
and their apparent unwillingness to march against
the insurgents, by referring to the state of the roads,
rendered impassable by the great falls of snow ;
but the snow did not prevent the insurgents from
inarchitig from Las Cabezes to Arcos, and thence
to Seri Fernando, in the Isla de Leon, and thence.,
if the further accounts be correct, to Utrers, which
is only seven leagues from Seville. Gen. Fasrac.
we are told. has resolved to send some regiments'
down the Guadalquivir for the purpose of defend-
ing Cadiz. This would, indeed, prove that the roads
were impassable, but whether the impediments have
been caused by the snow or by the constitutional-
ists, time alone can satisfactorily inform us.
The French Five per Cents. are 741.23 C. Bank
Stock 1,433 f.

Two Dutch Mails IMilft 'nisei', with men
the 30th lasi.—The following is an .ztract :=

■ACIV. JA VVV V 211.
All oar papers are A lied with sue ni4.4 taelaselialy ac•
counts of the damage missed by the inundations; the risers
in mo►t places still contiuue to rise.
The communications MC cut ulf; the last snails from
France and the Nadi of Genitally have not arrived.

Both Houses of Parliament were occupied yes-
Imlay as oil the day preceding. in •wearin^ the
Members. so dirt no public business was transacted.

The annivermry of the Gloucestershire Constitu-
tional 11'hig Club way celebrated en Monday the
iso, sit Gloucestrr, bring the birth-dry of the
late illustrious Statesman, the Right Ilan. CHAILIAS
JAMES FoX. The incessant min which fell during
the day, and the sppreltegisinte that the roods would
consequently be under water, prevented many
county Gentlemen from attending ; hut, notwith-
standing, a party of fifty Geut!eaten of the highest
respectability assembled ou the occasion. Colonel
Btmmeir was called to the chair, and presided
with his usual ability. In the comae of the morn.
lug the Club penciled In the election of new 016.
ceps, when Caeial BEIMELIT was unanimously
re-elected Pregnant* for the three rest years.