The National Register.
London, England, 1822-01-06 00:00:00

TUE NATIONAL REGISTER.

onDon :
SUNDAY, JANUARY 6.
Those miserable Puppets of superior villany,
Nlessrs. Shackle, Arrowsmith, and Weaver, (the
printers and proprietors of the John Bull) had a nar-
row escape on Wednesday last, under an indict-
ment for libel on the character of the Countess of
Jersey.—lt appears that they had sworn, in the al&
davit at the stamp-office, that the paper was pub-
lished in Dyer's-court, whereas the fact was, that it
was published in Johnson's-court, Fleet-street—it is
usually an axiom that a man shall not plead his
guilt in one way to save himself from another crime,
but somehow or other this laudable rule was here
overloaed, and the Jury declared by their verdict,
that the defendants were " Not Guilty"—thus they
had an opportunity for temporary triumph—as the
man who is acquitted of the worst crimes to which
human nature is incident, may exult that his prose-
cutor has mistaken the parish in which the offence
was committed, by which the delinquent escapes the
well-merited gallows—but they were not so Jinni-
nate on Friday last, when their trial came on for
libels on her late lamented Majesty—the indictment
set out only five out of five hundred, for which they
might have been prosecuted, and the Jury instantly
found a verdict of " Guilty" against all three of the
defendants. Of the censurable and unjustifiable
nature of these libels it is impossible to speak too
strongly, and we devoutly believe, that to the in-

fernal publication in which they appeared may be
sscribed (added to, _

" The neglect of him
Who should have cherished tier.")

the early termination of her earthly pilgrimage.—
As to the parties who are put forward as TARGETS
for prosecution we consider them as resembling
strongly the victims who arc induced by absolute
hunger to occupy Carlile's mart for blasphemy, with
this great difference, that in this instance poverty,
hunger, and distress, cannot be pleaded.—We have
long known some of these parties as respectable
tradesmen, and though we would not breathe a
censure on their private life if we were in possession
of facts to prove it, we may be allowed to imitate
their intrusion into the sanction-sanetorwn of domestic

life to declare our belief that some of them discharge
the duties of husband and father most meritoriously
—yet for the sake of gain, of patronage, and noto-
riety do they allow their names to stand forward to
skrcen some important rascal, who, unhurt, may
covertly renew those attacks upon private virtue,
which have, through the columns of the Juhn Bull'
long disgraced the Press of England. These three
persons are already in prison fur a libel on the late
amiable wife of Sir John Wrottesley, merely be- I
cause they refused to give up the author of the vile,
the unfounded lie, the bas:: calumniation of the
mausoleum's occupant—we know the reptile—and
though a Secretary in a high official dedartment, we
can assure him, that if tools of his infamy and ma-
lignity should at last see and take the only path
which can rcconduct them to the esteem of honest
men, by denouncing this heretofore hidden Devil,
not all the powers his influence could command
would shield him from the punishment he so justly
deserves—while, however, he remains still in con-
cealment we have no doubt he will enjoy the fiend-
like conviction that he contributed to the efforts of
those of whom her Majesty exclaimed—" And now
at last they have uestreyed me.

Saumur, which the French papers state to have
been the scat of a conspiracy against the Govern-
ment, was lately exposed to destruction by lire. The
Journal of the Maine and Loire says,—" A confla-
gration, on the cause of which opinions are not
decided, has spread consternation through the town
of Saumur. It broke out on the ev.miag M. the
18th ult. in the upper story of the residence of M.
Petord, an eminent merchant. Alarm soon became
general, as it spread rapidly, and assumed a most
appalling aspect. The civil and military authorities,
the officers and students of the Military Colleges,
and inhabitants of all classes, were active in their
efforts to stop the progress of the devouring element,
in which they did not succeed until midnight. Five
persons perished, and four were grievously, and, it is
feared, mortally wounded on this occa-
sion."
The reports of a revolution and massacres at Con-
stantinople appear to have prevailed to an extraor-
dinary extent on the Continent. The German
newsmongers, who have a predehetion for the won-
derful, the horrible, and the mysterious, have been
particularly active in circulating dreadful rumours on
this subject. The Hornbill-Irk Currevondeal, in a
letter from Vienna, dated Dec. 16, tells the fidlowing
story :—" Constantinople is no more ! A conflagra-
tion far more terrible, of longer duration, and more
destructive, than the great tire of Moscow, has re-
duced this capital to ashes. The magnificent church
of St. Sophia, the Sultan's Seraglio, with all its
beauties, even the arsenal has become the prey of
the flames. The Grand Seignor and his son Abdul
Nlirzad have been murdered, as have also the Mufti,
the Reis Effendi, the Capudan Pashaw, and many
other great officers of the Empire. Ail these atro-
cities and devastations are the work of the Janissa-
ries, who have taken to themselves a remote quarter
of the city which was saved from the flames. One
of the most determined of the leaders, an Orta of
the Janissaries, is made Sultan. The foreign Am-
bassadors had the good tbrtunc to escape in time to
13ujuktlere and Scutari. All the Greeks and Franks
were murdered and thousands of men, who are
robbed of their property, roam about the neighbour-
ing country. These horrors were accompanied by
an earthquake in the environs of Constantinople,
which swallowed up towns and villages."
Mr. Bastard and Mr. Fuller have sunk their rents
nearly one half, not contenting themselves with a
remission of 20 or 2.5 per cent., and leaving the rent
the same. This is a manly and an honourable mode
of meeting the distresses of the tenant.

THE REV. MR. mATTHIAs.—The death of this
gentleman took place last week, at his residence in
Mary-le-bone. He was of the Roman Catholic per •
suasion, meek, benevolent, and most liberally tole-
rant to all whose religion differed from his owu.—
He had been elected Canon of St. Denis, and had
been frequently solicited to accept a French Bishop-
ric, which he declined from motives of humility and
love to this country. A month previous to his la-
mented death, we ere assured that he received a
letter informing him that his name was drawn for
the first vacant See in France. He was respected
and beloved by all the Bourbon family, and by a
numerous circle of fiends of the highest rank in
this country. To the poor he was a fititliful pastor,
a protecting fAher, a liberal benefactor. In the
circle of his own he solemnly and affectionately ful-
filled those sacred duties enjoined by God himself,
administering to their necessities while living, and
bequeathing to them at his death the bulk of his
property. Thus, his death-bed, as might be ex-
pected from his conduct and character, exhibited a
scene of genuine piety and peace, edifying to all
around him. It will be remembered that this gen-
tleman was attacked with a sword by an insane
person in the Spanish Chapel, while officiating at
the altar, a few years ago His manners were
.meek, elegant, and unaffected.

SHIPWRECK.—On the evening of the 28th Dcc.
during a most violent gale from the south-east, a
brig was observed on shore on the rocks, within four
or five hundred yards of Sandy Cove, near Bullock,
Dublin ; the sea running mountains high, with al
the horrors that accompany a dark tempestuous
night. Lieutenant William Hutchinson, the hoe.
hour-master of Dunleary, volunteered, with 14.
gallant fishermen and pilots, and embarked in tlie
life-boat, in hopes of saving the suffering crew from
apparently certain destruction, who were expecting
every moment that the vessel would ge to pieces.—
They succeeded after the greatest exertion, in reach-
ing the wreck, and when under the stern of the
vessel, in the broken water, the life-boat filled, and
every succeeding sea passed over hcr,the crew of the
vessel were endeavouring to get into the boat, an
overwilehning sea washed six men and Lieutenant
Hutchinson out of the life-boat ; tha remaining
eig:it clung to the boat; two of the six men caught
hold of a rope at the stern of the wreck, anti
were hauled on board by the crew. Lieutenant
Hutchinson, after contending with the waves !ur
:roue. time, was must providentially saved by eate!:-
ing hold of the life-boat, which was driven with
much risk on the rte•ks, and the remainder of her
crew gut on shore with many bruises; the other four
brava fellows unfortunately petished; two of them
left wives and young chi'.dren to deeply lament their
I loss. Notwithstanding the danger and fatigue
Lieutenant Hutchinson went through, he remained
all night on the rocks, to render, with lights, every
assistance to the crew of the vessel, and fortunately
succeeded in getting them from the wreck at 10-. v
I water, at filar o'clock in the meriting. The brig
was called the Ellca, of Liverpool, laden with a
general cargo, William Bird, master. Another brig
i belonging to Mr. Pim, would have been lost in tha
same place, but for the exertions of Lieutenant H.
by showing lights and firing shuts, to wain them of
their danger, upon which they got out anchors.

FREE PARDON.—His Majesty has been most gr.
ciously pleased to grout a free pardon to John Rey-
nolds, alias John Diel, who was tried at the 134
Northumberland Assizes, and convicted, subject to
the opinion of the Judgs on 3 point of law, for
ma-
liciously shooting into the Siva!low revenue cutter,
on the coast, near Newbiggin. IL has Leen ac.
cordingly discharged from prison. It will be recol-
lected that the point reserved was, as to the S,v.zi/wu
having hoisted the proper colours ; and that Diel's
leg was shattered in the action, and amputated when
they left him at Boomer.
On Thursday morning the bridge at ashen,
near Great Marlow, was washed away by the flood,
and the road rendered. impassable. The fine dry
weather on Monday did much good, as the water
was rapidly receding. The road front Eton to'
Slough on 'Friday, was rendered impassable by the
water, which was four feet deep, and rushed through
the road in a rapid stream.