The National Register.
London, England, 1814-01-30 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

The road of Meer was defended with canal success. The enemy ri
redoubled his attacks on ail the points of the line, and was every
where repulsed with enormous loss, .and without being able to de-
ploy before Hoogstratee. General Rognat having learned in the
evening that a column of 4,000 English, under the command of Sir
T. Graham, which had left Rosendael, were marching upon Ant-
werp, awl being ignorant of the force of the different corps of the
enemy which might attack him, judged it necessary to approach
nearer to Ant..verp, the better to appreciate their de ploying, and
coneeetrate his defence. He inclined upon Wiecgeem, where he
supported his right. his left was coanected with the corps from Ant-
werp, vellieh occupied Merzen and Demme.
The Ic2th passed in makiie; movements ani dispositions to give a
good reception to the en( 111 V, ho, after the severe losses he had
buffered on the 111 h, ile I v.teced with great caution.
On the 13th, at eiglo i t the mornint., the corps of rbilow de-
bourhed hv the routes et. Biaaschel and Tuzelowt, while a column
of light infantry, arrivi:;g: by the way of Wrote'', tried to separate
General Rognet from the of Dentin., which was defended
by a brigade of the young guard. At the saline moment the corps
of Graham at tocke4l Mersceo, which was occupied by four battalions
of the Ist corps and a battalion of the labenrers of the MI inc. The
cannonade began along the whole line, and the enemy advanced
in force upon Winsgeem. Our artillery overwhelmed theta ; they
made the greatest tlf,;rt --, and even sacrificed sonic soldiers, to force
the village. Gi neral Roguet advanced with five battalioos, and the
enemy was completely repulsed.
The death of the General ef Brigade, Avy, had occasioned a little
disorder on our left. A battalion of the 4th regiment of light in-
fantry distiognislied itself by its firmness, and restored order. The
village of Merxen Rai occupied by the enemy for a moment. Our
troops rallied on Dome, and soon the enemy was every where re-
rasa. The corps of iln!ow retreated precipitately upon Turn-
boot, and that of Graham !,y the road of Bergen-sip-Zoom.
On the it!th, General Mai on, deceived by lase accounts, think•
hug that the enemy was nova:wing upon Diest and Louvain, in la
Campine, had taken with him the brigade Aimard of the colt's of
General Roguet, had united it with the divisiop Barrois, which was
hi reserve at Licrs, and with the cavalry had advanced in the three-
tion which he presumed the enemy would take ; when he had dis-
envers.d that the news he had received was false, he acquired the
certainty that the victory was decided, and that the enemy we; e in
toil retreat. But for this circumstance, vehicle deFived us fee
moment of part of cur force., it would have been possible by pur-
Anitn: the enemy hriskl?, to drive him over the Waal, and to raise
the siege of Gorcum. 'I he enemy's troops in the north are party
employed in hlocLa;:ing Wesel, Naarden, Gorcum, Deventer, and
the Helder..
Whon the brave Admiral Verhnil was informed of the entrance
enemy into Hothnel, he retired to the Helder, awl occupied
the forts of !..arable and Nlorland, and other fortified points which
cover the ifehler and Moerdike. All possible means and persea•
sons hal'e' been employed to make him betray his duty.--" I base
pro% isions for two months," was lii iinSM ;" I have taken an
oath of allegimice to the Fenperor of the French." The admirable
system of defence which has st cured the Helder from attack, is due
to the Colonel of Engineers, Al. Paris. If many millions have been
spent, ,ee have gained the int st advantage of holding the key
of.the Zoyder-'Lee'. It for want of having taken this precaution,
that the Repuhlic of Holland lost two squadrons since vi 93. The
rcisun of the Eichler ha, nuole t, eyed and thriven the ene-
my as far as Alkwar. The gariison of Gureina has likewise iu
several sallies occasioned the enemy severe losses.

PARIS► JAN. 21.
THE BANK OF TitA NCE.

Extract from tilt' E egi3t er of the Deliberations of the General Com

inittee. Extraonlirmiry Sittings o 1 Jan. 18, 1811.

The liirectors and Censors (Cepseurs) assembled in a general
committee, at uhieil the (invert:or presided : the general committee
delibtraiing on the situation in ishich the commerce of Pails
1110 W is ; considering that the state of the bank. en the evening of
the 18th of Janua,•y, 1814, after the shutting of the chests, Fliews
that the notes in eirenktion =soy t to :13,32ti„50 trance; and the
accosnits cnrrcut to 6,374,000 franc:, together, 44,700,500 francs,
being ;lie Whole passive debt of the bank ;
That the Bank has in ready money, in its hands, the slim of
14,3.44,000 .franca; that- its portfolio has in bills at short dates,
11135:31,0%) francs, together, 45,535,000; that, consequently, the
disposable capital is superior to its debt, without its being necessary
if have reueurte to the fundamental caritel,llltruelhed by the Share-

JAN. SO.

holders,. or to the sums reserved from the profits obtained up to this
day ; that thus the interest of the holders of the notes is fully
secured ;
That nevertheless, the eagerness which the holders of Wes spew,
to come and require payment of them, would tend, if it continued,
to exhaust, in a few days, the cash Cf the bank, Monk this cash
amounts to a larger sum than Giro Banks (Banques de circulation)
onght to have in reserve in cash :
Considering that prudence and reason bind the administration of
the Bank to take extraordinary measures, when there is a concur-
rence of circumstances F 0 unexpected :
That if the hank suffered its cash to be exhausted before it had
been able to realise the amount of its portfolio of bills, it would be
obliged wholly to stop all discounting, which would be a mortal
blow to commerce ; this t it is highly important not to deprive it of
the facilities which are so necessary to it.
Considet ing that the greatest part of the cash in the Bank is gold,
and that if at a moment when gold obtained a considerable premium,
it were employed, without restriction, in the payment of the votes,
this mode of payment would only render the draining of the cash of
the Bank more rapid, without any advantage to circulation, since
experience proves, that gold disappears when it gets out of the
hands of the 'matey-Amigo'. •
Considering lastly, that if the first duty of the Bank is to pay. its
notes, it has also another duty to fitful towards the Proprietors?
and that no reasonable man can disapprove, when the demands for
payment exceed all hounds, the Bank's taking meottres to reduce
the payments to the limits ;:f real necessity.
Having heard the Censors' resolve :
Art T, That elating from Thursday, the tOth inst. the Bank' of
Frauce will I ay daily the sum of five hundred thousand francs.
This sum w ill be increased in proportion as the realising of the con-
tents of the portfolio shall permit.
2. All proper measures shall be taken to secure the order of the
pay ments fixed by the first article.
An Extract,
The Secretary of the General Committee of the Bank,
AVDIBERT.

AMERICAN CONGRESS.

THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

WASHINGTON CCIT, DEC. 7.--This day at twelve o' clock, the
President of the United States transmitted the fullow lug Message
to both Hennes of Congress, by Mr. Coles, his Secretary
Fellow Citizens nt the Senate, and of the •
House of Represent:dives.
In meeting on at the present hiterestingeoninneture,it would have
been highly satisfactory if I could have communicated a favourable
result to the mission charted with negoeiations for restoring peace.
It was a just expectation for the respect due to the distingnished
Sovereign who had invited them by his otter of mediation, from the
rtfttlilleAf4 with Whiell the invitation was accepted on the part of the
United States, and from the pledge to be found iu an Act of their
Legislature, for the liberality %% inch their Plenipotentiaries world
carry into their tiegociatiew, that no time would be lest hy the
British Government in embracing the experiment for hastening a
stop to the effusion of Wood ; a prompt aid cordial acceptance of
the mediation on that side leas the less to he doubted, as it was of a
nature not to submit rights or pretensions on either side to 114
decision plan umpire, but to afford merely an •pportimity. {mon-
rabic, and deairable to both for discussing, and, it pos..ilde adjof.tin,
the interests of both. The British Cabinet either mistaking our
desire of peace for a dread of British power, or .misled by other
fallations calculations, has disappointed this reasonable anticipation.
No communication from one Envoys having readied us, no informa-
tion has been received from that source ; but it is known that the
mediation was declined in the first instance ; and there is no
evidence, notwithstanding the lapse of time, that a rhange of (Nye,.
aitiou in the British Counci!s has taken place. or is to bee expected.
Under such circumstances, a nation proud of its rights, and conscious
of its strength, has no choice but on the exertion of the one and
► the suppot t of the other. To this determination the best encoura-
gement is derived from the success with which it bath pleased the
Almighty to bless our arms, both on the land and on the waters.
Whilst prods have been continued of the enterprise and skill of our
cruizers, public and private, on the ocean ; and a new trophy Om d
in the capture of a British, by an American vessel of war, after an
action giving celebrity to the dame of the victorious Commander.
The great Weed waters, eu whictt the -enemy were uLo to be

11111 mo