The National Register.
London, England, 1817-10-27 00:00:00

COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE.

After an absence of several years, Mr Braham, has
re-appeared at this house. Thursday night introduced
him to us in the Siege of Belgrade. It were idle to
observe upon the talents which he displays in this fa-
vourite part, after the long period in which he has
enjoyed the public favour, we may say without a rival.
We understand he is engaged at the prodigious salary
of 701. per week.
The new melo-drame of Father and Children, at this
theatre, is striking in its effect, anti gave an opportunity
for sonic very excellent acting by Messrs Macready and
Farley, It was announced with applause for repetition
on Monday (this day).

A German Journal contains the following article;
it gives rise to several reflections, which the late events
ut Tunis tend to strengthen :—" Considerable atten-
tion has been excited by the military preparations of
the Pacha, %hornet Ali, Viceroy of Egvgt, by his
efforts to put himself in communication with several
powers of Europe, by the large purchases of artillery
and ammunition made by his agents, and lastly, by the
contracts entered into by his Plenipotentiary in Swe-
den with several manufacturers or dealers in that king-
dom. It is said that the intention of this Pacha is to
render himself an independent Sovereign in Egypt, and
to seize the territories of Tunis, Algiers, and Tripoli.
In that case there will be an end to the piracies of the
Barbary corsairs. It is rumoured that there have been
overtures upon this subject male at Lisbon, Stockholm,
and other Courts."

The Americans, not content with moderate priers
their cotton, have driven our manufacturers to the
Indian market, the imports from which arc increasing
in a rapid ratio. About 51,000 bales of cotton were
last year imported from the East Indies : this year
there have been 100,000, and next year will probably
prmluce 130,000. In return, too, the Manchester
goods have been sent to India, at prices so low, that
they must command a market, some of them so low ma
from 7d. to 70. per yard.

COURT OF COSLIION COUNCIL.

A Court will convened un Thursday for the purpose of
taking sub eaesideratinn varions pubic and. private matters.
Mr. Di‘nii morml, that the Shoo Oft lately elected be sillow.
e.i a Wall in lii COlll.l, althinigh they were lint
The motion WWI i1.:11.4,1 to, ;Ind the Sheriffs were formally in-
lrudue•rd, and rook their 114.41,..
Tilt. L lid Mayor pieNcitteil to the Court a letter which he
114,1 received Ilion the Imed ni) or elect. It was read to
the Court, and .liquitiril Ntr. Corivt.ipher Smith's intention to
take upon himself* the office of Luid Mayor fur the year en •
sERNios ritrtcrtru AT ST. PAUL'S.

r. 1111111.0 cad moved, that die thanks of the Court be given
to the Rev. George Fearer Bates, for the n.llllOll PiTache'll
by Wei at St• NW's ( 1110'111',11, ou Ti hilly Sunday, the tith
June lavt, befure his Maje,t.'s Judges, the Lund. Mayor, and
Common (*mined. Ile at the same time &shiers ed, that be
hinrelf did not altogether approve of the conduct of that
gentleman. amf runlessed that there were passages in the
sermon is hick did not accord with Ins ideas of the rights and
psi vitiates of the people.
Mr. Waillimati obsexveil, lie hail a ditty painful to perform,
namely, to bring rhlae;;,a against a Icsierctabte in hit idUdl,
who 1:0111•1 Ilia i.e present ins person to answer them, even if
they were capable of being aiiiiveri d. His task W. 141,
dillieult by the de dee-idiot, (era gentleman opposite,
%she, on his (Mr. W.) ever...sing feels lest any thing which
111.. might feel it leis ditty to state should injure *Mr. Bates, 0b-
... Cs ed, th tt so tar is it, he was convinced the discussion
which WAS 110 W to lake place, would be of material service
to that reverend gentleeneo. Ile trusted he should discharge
his duty boldly, and not he detei eed by any consideration of
the obsee vattUlls which 11111:lit he Made on hit conduct. He
50. e to mint' all alllelldlllelli to this minims of thanks, and in
a long speech maimained that the 11er111011 preached by. this
Rev. ge/111e111:111, had a direct tendency to prejudice the
minds of the Judges and the 'whew against those unhappy
individuals WllO Mere then about to be tried for high treason.
This was a time, he gala. W111:11 it was the duty of all well-
ishers of their country to War.:ll encroachments of this
nature, and lie conceived that the Corporation of the City of
London, would nut be amine consistently with their duty, if
they (lid not upon this occasion, express their highest iudig
11/111011. He was ready 10 admit that, um such occasions. the
Judges might be adun.wiahed by the Minister of the Gospel to
enforce the laws of the eisontry, but it should be to elifoice
them with moderation and lenity. They should be instructed
to temper jail ice with mercy, and that great and universal
truth. that the 14W11 were made solely for the pit rpi.se of pro
minim; the happiness of the community, should be impressed
epee Mem. Mr. W. then referred tithe sermon of the Rev.
gesitlenem, and read several passages from it. Sof a Sill
nelllllllelli was contented in it inculcating either nice e) ur
elentesecy ; hut on the comely), its direct object seemed to
be, to impress upon the 'Muds of those who heard it, a di
regal dto the pimple'. I ights, It 4."'oieeivoered to prove, that
WWI had no siglets, that di; liras mad be calorced with tl.:
utmost severity, making no Wet:Action between any pal tictilar
religion ur got eminent, and .deelariiig Ihat, whether Hea-
thens, Christians, or Jews, the people might be dealt with as
else nemarch pleased. If rule .crown had been preached, lie
Was persuaded, in the time of Judge Jefferies, it would leave
been reprobated. The text taken was suited to a purpose ;
but the context was overlooked. By the language of the
sermon it was contended that the Jades hag the same power
KS the Prophets of old had under the divine mission of God.
Here Mr. W. read extract's from the sermon, and contended
that the preacher endeavoured to establish the doctrine of
" non-resistauce" mid " passive obedieuee" to its fullest ex-
tent ; that the Judges, having receivedtheir power from the
King, were amenable to no one else for their actions; that
accurdiug to Scripture, even the power of a Heathen sove-
rpeigie ran iperallel with that of the Most High God. Aud the
preacher.asked, how was this positive doctrine of Scripture
' to be reconciled with the doctrine of the self constituted
reformers of the present day? The sermon was preached
beturc the Corporation, at the very moment when that Cur.
',oration were petitioning for a redress of grievances, and
against the suspeesion oldie Habeas Corpus Act. Were the
I Corporation, with the Lord Mayor at their head, a self-con-
stinted body of reformers, whose object was to overturn the
coustaution anti to introduce confusion? In April last, the
sonic kern gentleman preached a sermon equally improper.
He (Mr. W.) let that pass without animadversion. Bat lie
was at a loss tu conceive how the Rev. gentleman, after the
severe reprimand he had received on that occasion Irons the
Lord Mayor, had dared in June fullowing to fall into the
saint error. He was not present at the time the sermon was
preached, but could easily conceive the surprise and indigna-
tion expressed in his Lordship's countenance at this second
insult. He would advise every one to compare the doctrine
of "non-resistance" in his sermon, with extracts from the
works of the great Lord Somers, which he read. Lord
Somers said, " If he was cursed who only sought to remove
Iris neighbour's land mark, what did that man deserve who
preached' non-resisiauee' and ' passive obedience,' which at
ouce unloved every boundary to property between niau and
man, and destroyed all the rights of the people i" Ore. He
then read passages from the Holy Scriptures, to prove that
the laws of God were the laws of mercy, that the conclu-
sions drawn its the sermon were erroneous, and directly cote
tratlicted by the very work from wheace had been made so
many qautatious. And here he insist cougratielate the Court
011011 oue evil being done away—be meant the mode of se-
lecting Grand Juries in London. The Cum t would be sue-
prised when this report was presented from the Cui 1111 l ittee,
to see the evil of the system which had so long pre, ailed. It
would be seen, that in a period of Ai days smile per suns had
been on the Jury upwal ds of 60 theses, whilst others iu the
het were not called once.

Mr. Wait Moan, after other observations, moved an amend-
ment, which was to the following effect:—
" That it is the opinion of the Court, that the pulpit ought
solely to be devoted ro the service of Grd, and never to be
made the vehicle of political denunciation.
" 'Fhat on Sunday, the eighth of .111111 e, i I?, being the First
stinday in Trinity, the Rev. George Feat iie Bates, preached
a sermon before his Majesty's Judges, the Lord Mayor, and
C mon Council. which appears to this Commit, highly repre-
hensible, as being repiignent to the established principles of
the British constitution, by which the lion>e of Brunswick
was called to the throne, and conveys indiscriminate imputa-
tions ni this Court, and the rest of the subjects of the
realm, who had becii seeking a redress of their grievances,
by petitioning against the suspension of the Habeas Corpus
Art.
" That It has an evident tendency to excite prejudices in
the minds of the Judges anti people against the persons then
in custody, and about to be tried for bigit treason upon the

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