The National Register.
London, England, 1819-03-15 00:00:00

MARCH M

The following is an extract of a letter from Li-
verpool, dated March 8:—" The ship-carpenters at
this port struck their work this day for an advance
of wages: they have hitherto conducted themselves
quietly,
and without any disposition to riot ; and I
doubt not but the business will soon be settled be-
' tween them and their employera The agent for the
Spanish Government has succeeded in engaging two
vessels at this port as transports, for conveying troops
to South America—the Clarence, of 316 tons ; anti
the Wellington, of 365 tons. It is understood they
pay three months is advance."
Letters from Madrid and Cadiz to the 26th ult.
have been received. They mention that the Patri-
otic privateers, which swarmed on different parts of
the coast, have committed some fresh depredations.
Vessels proceeding to Santander, Gijon, and other
were obliged to sail under convoy, and a fleet
port-,
e:' 12 ships had just left Catliz, under the protection
of a frigate. It was ascertained that it was impossible
that the expedition for South America could sail
from Spain by flay next, the time originally fixed
by the Government fir its departure, as the trans-
ports taken up by the agents in England and France
would not reach Cadiz sufficiently early. The end
cf.lune was spoken of as the period when the arma-
igent would be despatched.
Lloyd's books on Wednesday presented a very sin-
gular appearance, there being only one line entered
tia them, which was the arrival at Liverpool of the
,lane, Goulding, from Oporto; and what is still
nom remarkable, there was not a single vessel en-
tered at the Custom-house that day, nor one passed
Gravesend from any port abroad.
6i/thou.—Of late, a set of fellows, who cover them-
sel,c,, with soot, and have the appearance of chimney
sweepers, have been committing depredations in ilif-
ferent parts of the town with impunity. They are in the
habit of calling at different gentlemen's houses, and
make enquitry of the servants if the c'Mnnies scant
sweeping ; and on being admitted for that purpose, they
rub the place of Saltialde property, which they conceal
, in their qiot 11,1 u, and leave the pl-cc muletect,d.
Duty on Coals,—The .justice and littinaLity of the
present application to Ptirliament fir relief' from
the present enormous and unequal Coal Duties, is
manif,st from the following facts :—a poor flintily
in London and its neighbourhood consumes annu-
• ally about two dialdron of Coals, which of the
kst quality, at the present price, costs 51. V.N.
L. A. d. L. s. d.
.
. The nnties on which amount to u 19 8
Tile ('us: of the U.)als at New,..:mie 1 IL 0
5 12 0
Exretic:s of Freight and incidental
Iliag...s 2 15 4
While the inhabitants of Liverpool, Manchester,
Birmingham, York, Bristol, and all Scotland do not
pay one farthing Duty, they have no freight to pay,
the charges for canal curr:age on each amount sel-
dom to more than 3s. or is. It' the present appli-
cation be successful, a consumer of two chaldrons of
tqals will probably save the 19s. Bd. duty, ant! also
doubtless obtain them much cheaper from the com-
petition of the Staffordshire Coals, which will then
`,. be allowed to conic to London.
The singularly mild temperature of this winter,
and the want of frost and snow, is not confined to
our own island, but is equally observed in all parts
• of the European Continent. In Sweden, and most
parts of Russia, they have had, instead of the usual
degree of cold, a temperature of several degrees
above the freezing point. This has been the case
even in Lapland, to the north of Tornea, where,
instead of the usual cold of 20 degrees of Reaumer,
they have bad 6 degrees of warmth. This want of
front and snow is complained of as a serious incon-
venience, by preventing the conveyance of the iron
ore from the mines in Sneden, to the smelting
houses ; and in Russia, the carriage of goods from
the interior to the seaports for exportation, which
is regularly done in the winter, when the hard
frozen ground, covered with snow many feet deep,
affords a solid, even, and commodious road.
The Duke of Wellington presided on %Wednesday
at the Anniversary Dinner of the " Friends of
Foreigners in Distress." He was supported on his
right and left by the Russian Ambassador and the
Saxon Minister. Mr. Wilberforce was among the
company, The toasts and songs were of the usual
description: the only novelty was the toast proposed
by the i)uke of Wellington : " Their Majesties the
Emperor of Russia, the King of Prussia. and the
King of Wurtemberg, the Protectors of the Insti-
tution," which was hailed with three times three,
and was followed by an assurance on the part of the
Duke, that " the high personages whose health
they had drank, were not less illustrious for their
Christian philanthropy than for their deeds in
arms " It was the twelfth anniversary of this
laudable institution. It appeared from the report,
that between 9,000 and 10,000 persons have been
relieved since the commencement of this society.—
The collection we believe was three tunes greater ,