The National Register.
London, England, 1817-03-31 00:00:00

THF, NATIONAL REGISTER..

TO 013 BEAVERS.
We are not in die habit of quarrelling with contemporary journals,
but we cannot avoid expres,ing our surprise and tuthgnatum at an
assertion in a long adverdereent, which hasrecently appeared, of
the Mondays Edition of a certain Sunday Paper. It is there stated,
that no other Monday's Edition. besides itself, could be found to
contain above a few files different from what had previously ap-
peared in the Sunday': Edition. This. as far as concerns the Na-
tional Register, at least, is a eery great mistake—to use no harsher
u term. 11-Itoever will take the trouble to compare the two edi-
tions of our Journal, will find, that our Monday's Edition gener-
ally contains several cobralvs of new matt tr ; a fact which cannot
truly be stated of the advertising joutnal above alluded to. We
particularly request those per who may have witub.ll eel ad-
vertisement alluded to. to compare our two editions for several
weeks pass; and, indeed. of this present number, with our edition
of yesterday, rind they will require no farther proof of the falsity
of the diibtral puff which Ins caned for these remarks. When
any of our contemporaries find it necessary to extol their own
wares, by d 'pro:Lung 604 of their neighbours, they would do
well at least to Ceirsave • truth in their statements.

TIIE NATIONAL REGISTER.

LONDON :
MONDAY, -MARCH 30, 1817•

-~ -

The Lords' Amendment on the Seditious Meetings
Bill were all agreed to on Friday night by the House
of Commons, ex:epting one imposing a penalty of fitly
pounds on persons refusing to deliver up papers to cer-
tain Magistrates, which was negatived without a divi-
sion : the Speaker observing, that their Lordships had,
in effect, exceeded their privilege by voting a grant of
money, although levied in the shape of a penalty. The
Commons, of course, maintaining their exclusive con-
trol over the public purse, a conference was appointed
for yesterday with the Lords ; a circumstance which
will delay the adjournment of Parliament till Monday.
A spirited di•cus.sion arose upon the clause excluding
Westminster Meetings, in the open air, from the vici-
nity of the Parliament and of the Courts of Justice
during their sittings. The Reformers themselves proved
the necessity of such a measure, by lately moving their
' meetings from the Crown and Anchor Tavern to Pa-
lace Yard. While Paliament did not sit, they, the
Westminster Electors, as they falsely call themselves,
met at the Crown and Anchor Tavern—to white-wash
Lord Cochrane, for instance. The Reform Delegates
also met at that Tavern. But the moment Parliament
assembled, then these pretended Electors moved their
meetings to Palace Yard, in the open air, spreading
themselves over the street through which the Members
of both Houses and the Judges must pass, there mutter-
ing menaces. The Convention of Delegates, too,
moved from the Tavern near Temple Bar, to the Ta-
vern in Palace Yard, the taosnent Parliament assembled,
avowedly with the design as overawing the Legisla-
ture. So conscious were they of the violence of their
conduct, the danger it brought upon them, they met
but once; and then, contrary to their first design, they
finally dissolved, afraid of bringing on themselves charges
of treason. The Retimmers thus acknowledged the cri-
minality of their conduct in attempting to overawe
Parliament by meeting in the vicinity of its sittings;
and this acknowledgment was made before it was known
that the present measures against sedition were in the
contemplation of Government.

By the Paris Papers of Wednesday which were yes-
terday, received, we are informed, that on Tuesday at
one o'clock the Foreign Ministers were admitted to his
Majesty, and were received with the u:,ual ceremonies.
The Duke of Wellington, accompanied by two superior
English Officers, was present at the Levee. His Grace
also paid his respects to Madame and to the Princess.
At eleven o'clock on Tuesday, the Chancellor, at
the head of the Members composing the Committee of
the House of Peers, WAS introduced to his Majesty and
presented the Plan of Finance adopted at the Sitting of
the 24th. A communication was expected on Wednes-
day by both Chambers, the object of which would be to
terminate the Sessions, which it was supposed would
close on Thursday.
The Duchess of Berry is perfectly recovered and
dud on Tuesday with the King.
Three per Cents. 60 franks 50 cents.

PA n is; MARCH 9-Q.—About nineo'clock on the even-
ing of the 1 Ith inst. several shocks of an earthquake
were experienced at Lausanne, and their effects were
also felt at Berne, Neufchatel, and Geneva.

French, Dutch, and German papers, of a late date,
have come to hand. Those of Paris are to the 28th
instant, but they do not contain much new matter.

Lucien Buonaparte has demanded of the Pope a
passport for the United States of America; but it is
not known whether it will be gnmted to him. The
other members of the Buonaparte family, who are at
Rome, arc doing very well. Among the tia-eigners
whom they admit into their society are a great many
English. Cardinal Fesch frequently visits Cardinal
Gousalvi, who is at the head of the affairs, spiritual and
temporal, of the Court of Rome. He is prosecuting the
negotiations with France fitr a new Concordat; but
these mgociations are in a state of almost total stagna-
tion : hut, however, except the clergy, nobody in France
takes any interest in them.

MARCH 31.

TIICAI'RICAL FRACAS AT PARIS.

There was a serious riot at the Theatre Francais on
Saturday se'nnight. A new play was performed ; but
when Telma came forward to announce the name of
the author, a violent uproarsarose, which the Parisian
critics ascribe to a personal dislike to the author, and
not to his piece. A young officer in the pit, having been
knocked down with sticks, drew his sabre, and used it
so dextrously that he put the whole combatants to flight
in u few minutes. He was finally overpowered however,
by the gees d'armes, and secured, along with others
equally culpable. The Police, with suitable promptitude,
issued an order next morning, prohibiting all persons,
in future, from being admitted into any Theatre with
arms, or even canes.—The name the Author of the
Piece was not publicly mentioned after all. He was
perfectly well known, however, to the whole audience
as M. Arnaud, one of the Regiscides of Louis XVI.
now in exile in Brussels. The name which he took fur
his Play was that of Germanieus, and he had manufac-
tured a variety of passages calculated to contrast thb
virtues of Robespierre and Buonaparte, his two successive
masters, with the vices of the Bourbons. The disaffec-
ted, as we now learn, had been long apprized of the ap-
proaching representation of this dramatic libel upon
the :mum race, and accordingly mustered in great
numbers on the first n;e:lit of the perfietnance, both in
the Theatre and in the streets adjoining it. The mob
outside struck the coachmen of several persons of rank,
and pulled them from their scats : the coachmen on
their parts were not idle, and applied their woips with-
out ceremony to the shoulders of the malcontents.
The King is said to have read the play of German icier,
and to have struck out such passages as he thought
calculated to produce irritation : but it is difficult to
foresee what will drive an assembled mob to riot, and
what will not. Besides it was not the play, but the
man that produced the fight. Parties were made several
days before to support or oppose the performance. But
the supporters of the author were more favoured 'my
local attachments than the oppsocrs : or else, to give
the latter their due, they were not wanting in zeal and
courage, but only inferior in numbers to their anta-
gonists. Germ/takes-bludgeons are said to have been
sold at the door of the theatre ; and the actress whose
coachman was thrown off his box is a staunch Royalist.
We do not think that the arguments which were ap-
plied to the servant would make the mistress change
her opinions. The Minister of Police passed gently
through the crowd to the theatre, and was received
with respect. A number of half-pay officers, supposed
to be attached to Fuonaparte, had been received into
the pit privately, befbre the play began ; and about
eighty of the Royalist officers of the Guard, though the
whole were orderedto confine themselves to the barracks,
forced themselves to the same place. M. de Cazes, on
his entrance, saw the parterre partly filled with these
officers ; and had, it is said, determined to expel them,
when time doors were opened, and the influx of the
crowd rendered that operation impossible. The signal
for war is said to have been given by a young Royalist
of the Guard scolding up in the pit, brandishing his
sword, and hissine. He was knocked down and ulti-
mately beaten till he died. The pit was carried by the
Jacobins till they were driven out by an armed force.
It is the fate of the Jacobins to do much mischief, and
thenbe swept away: but the Roeedists were triumphant
in the boxes.

Them was a subsequent tendency to commotion, that
we think, threatened worse consequences than the riot at
the theatre. A number of half-pay officers assembled on
Tuesday, in the garden of the Thuillcries, while at the
same ti;ac the Palaisß oval swarmed with Royalist of-
ficers : the latter had begun to proceed towards the
promenade of the former, with no amicable view, when
they were perceived by their superiors from the windows
of the Thuilleries, who, descending among them, in-
duced them to return and disperse.
Upon the whole, this disturbance indicates a deep
array of hostile passions in the breasts of the various
descriptions of military, but which may still, perhaps,
be suppressed, till it dies away, or till those who sae
subject to it die away.

We learn, that Mr. Vaughan, who has recently at-
rived from Spain, was dispatched by Sir H. Weiseley,
to repeat to Ministers the urgent solicitations of the
Court of Madrid for assistance from this country, in the
contest AV ith the revolted colonies. The application is
said to have met with a decisive refusal. There is pro.
bably no policy, upon which the Public are more nearly
unanimous than on that which enjoins a strict neutrali-
ty in this contest.

The King has just granted a general pardon to those
letained in the prisons of Madrid, and also in every
.cart of Spain anti the colonies, fine crimes which are not
irrevocably sentenced by the laws, the pardon of which
' would not be incompatible with respect to public jus-
tice. His Majesty wishes that the Insurgents of Ame-
rica should be comprised in this amnesty, anti in the
terms already prescribed to the Governors of those dis-
tant provinces. This act of ruyul clemency consecrates
the anniversary of the marriage of the King, and his
brother the haw Dm Carlos.

MARCH 31.

;,t(1 as to the rest, he (lid not know %%here lie got them. The
I%tagibtrate sent-for the City Solicitor, \VII°, upon reading the
ucpooitions, said, the charge did not amount to felony. 'flu,
TI igistrate immediately eumuutted Harrington to prison for
the Assault. _ _ _