The National Register.
London, England, 1816-03-24 00:00:00

CITY BUSINESS.

On Friday a 01111111011 COlllieli was held at Guildhall for the
purpose of petitioning Parliament against the Property Tax,
the Standing Army, and reeo 11111 l eliding Economy in every
Branch of the Expenditure.
Mr. Waitlituan opened the proceedings, and. after a very
himinons speech. moved a string of Resolutions congratulating
the C try ou the Abolition of the Income To ; expressi% e
of their abhorrence of the enormous Peithe Establishment, and
rec,immei.ding Retrenchment.
Mr. Ilitinstead seconded the Resolution.

After sortie discussion the debate was adjourned to vestcr-
day,tsiern the Court again assembled.
The Resolutions having been read,
Mr. Wadhman said, he would not repeat the arguments
which he had urged on the preceding day in favour of their
adoption, but simply mine that thi• should be agreed to.
Mr. Dixon said, there was an entire new set of Resaintiots
to be proposed.
Mr. Davis said, as there were some verbal amendments to
which the Hon. IMis%er had no objection, he Dusted be would
propose them himself.
Mr. Waithman indifferent as to what form the resolu-
tions assumed, he could not hut object however to the personal
obstructions which had heen theowu in his way by gentlemen
on the other side; they were unheatable.
Mr. DiNon—" Von st bear them."

Here something offensive was said in an tinder brcath,whicli
induced both gentlemen to rush toward each other, c‘idently
with intent to come to close cont.( at.

Several members of the Court interfered, however ; strangers
were ordered to withdraw, and during their absence the mat-
ter was adjn.ted.
On strangers being re-admitted,
Mi. Blown objected to the language of the resolntions us
disrespectful and discreditable to that Cuort. He then moved
au amendment, leaving out all the strung points.
some discussion took place on Ili• amendment, in the course
of which, however, no new arAtintent was adduced. In the
end, Mr. ‘t aithman computed to some• trilling verbal altera-
tions in his resolutions, acid they were agreed to by a very
jority of the members pi t sent.
Petitions were then prop..sed and agreed to, founded on
these I esoluttuns, af;.er which tit Court

:••11.••••-

The last accounts received of the Princess of Wales,
state that her Royal Highness had no intention of re-
taming to England, having determined to visit, early
ia the Spring, all the Greek Isles in the Archipelago.
On Monday La 1y Wilson had the honour of being
admitted w a private aialicnee of th Prince Regent. His
Royal Highness received her halt sh.p's petition with the
most grac.ouscondeseension and n:. pc I toward her feelings
ter a sl.ort inttr.riew, Lad" .Ison &parted frem the
P..vilion with apparent melamholy fiejection. The result
h has not communicattd to her most intimate
friends

MARCH 24.

Itlouttor.

NUMIIP.R VI.

SALES IPOELILI SUPSV MA EST LEX.

IN my last paper, I promised to communicate a sue.
eessital method of ,curing rheumatism, which might be
adapted without danger, if' any patient can persevere in
the voluntary infliction of pain necessary in the early
stages of the proeeedure. The late heavy rains and con-
sequent diffusion of moisture being unfavourable to the
spontaneous cessation of the complaint, some, among my
numerous readers, may perhaps he inclined to put the
plan into execution. The recital ia as follows: " I usu-
ally proceed to my sweating walks in the following man-
ner :—Next to my skin I wear stockings, drawers, and a
shirt, all of fleecy hosiery : over these put one, two, or
three pair of flannel drawers ; one, two, or three flannel
waistcoats ; and nsund my hips and loins, I gird six yards
of thick flannel. making, besides the drawers and waist-
coats, eight thicknesses of flannel on the chief seat of pain,
and the origin of the sciatic nerve. Over all this I wear
warm pantaloons and a great coat. When I have walked
mu: or two miles. more or less, according to the heat of
the day, lam generally in a profuse perspiration. I re.
tnnt home, take off my wet clothes, have a couple of
cliangos of well aired flannel, am: then lie down upon a
bed not warmed. I use no mewls to excite fitrther per-
spiration after the innscular action is over ; but, on the
contrary, rather incline to check it us speedily as I can,
taking particular care, however, to avoid catching cold.
I do not perceive, that the quantity I perspire, has uny
influence on the efficacy of the remedy. I imagine that
a violent action produced in the general system is the
chief' cause of its salutary cflect. In consequence of this
opinion, I celiac the exercise the moment that a very in-
mased action is well established. This is fidly pr duo
with the stlxive quantity of clothing, in moderately warm
'"Weather, by walking front one to two miles. For patients
who are very much disabled, the quantity of clothing
might be increased, end the distance diminished. When
the excitement is well established, I find my rids:• i ise to
between 90 and 100, and it is full and strong. When I •
began to experience relief from this mode of treatment, I
was eager to prosecute the cure, and took my walks every
second day. Being now relieved, I resume them only
every fourth, fifth, or sixth day, as most convenient. I
do not find myself under the necessity of any particular
I precaution, as to avoiding cold the day I exercise ; and in
this respect, sweating by muscular action has an immense
advantage over warm baths, vapour, t r heated air ; par-
ticularly in a climate as dump as that of an island situated
lin the north seas must be. Physiology will easily point
out many other advantages, in exciting perspiration by a
stimulus which invigorates, rather than by the enervatieg
methods of heated air or water. Since beginning this
proctais, I do not find that I am grown thin ; and in my
general health, lam infinitely better. I feel myself more
strong and active, and less sensible of cold. My diet has
been much as usual, but my appetite rather increased. I
have occasionally taken a little bark to maintain the ge-
neral tone of the system ; and, on returning home, atter
each walk, I have found that a few drops of hartshorn in
water were refreshing, and prevented thirst during the
rest of the day."
In the French armies, during the Government of But.
naparte, it was strictly enjoined, and the rule arrears to
have been rigidly enforced, that no person slould be ex-
cused the service on account of any rheumat c affection,
however severe. An opinion seems to have been enter-
tained by that General, that nothing is more easily coun-
terfeited- than rheumatism, it being impossible to discover,
by external examination, the degree of pain a person
&els. Whilst he thus prevented the attempted evasion
of duty, he justified the proceeding, by stating, that, ad-
mitting the existence of pain to be real, the motions of
the affected limbs, thus performed by three, wetsz often-
times effectual in alleviating, or removing the complaint.
Certain it is, that after the active state of the disease has
subsided, the occasional motion of the stiftiuctl limbo will
expedite the recovery of their perfect use ; but few per-
sons have resolution enough to encounter the pain gmic-
rally attending such an effort. This pain, however, is
said to be much alleviated, and the cure greatly hastened,
by enveloping the affected limb in an extensive covering
of flannel, by way of bandage or roller. A physician of
much experience, (Dr. BALFOUR, of Edinburgh,) pro-
fesses to have made several cures by this means ; limbs
which were bairne stiff and motionless, have, by being
bound up with a flannel roller, become easy and suscep-
tible of motion, soon slier the applitation of the bandage,
w:.kh, at first, is to be adjusted according to the feelings
of the patient, and to be tightened as the cure advances.
In the early ages of medicine, before it had yet assumed
the final' of a distinct scitnce, notices of cures obtained 1 y
individuals, and a description of the• molted employed,
were hung up in the temples of the Gods, for the infor-
mation of future sufferers. The mass of facts thus re-
corded, afforded ample materials for investigation by the
scientific enquirer, and laid a broad foundation fx the Lie.
auction of general principles. Even in the present ad-
vanced state of medical science, a similar plan might have
its advantages. Unusual accidental occurrences or insu-
lated facts, communicated to-the Mosart R. might bscome
the source of much usefid iafsrmation to the public ; not.

MARCH 24.

however, by Llindly and ignorantly recommending a me.
thod, found to be once successful, as the very 6r.si atEng
11w world in all similar complaints, and under all eir-'
cumstanccs, but by a cmdid examination oethets, by the
ligiits of and science, to ascertain on what t -al
gruunds its future utility •nay be a'ljudged to rest. G.

INSOLVENT DEBTORS' ACT.

As this inyortant and avowedly experimental measure is
about to ti..ilerao revision, all appearing, from the numerous
)„.tpi sus present.. 4 to Parliament, to rotitevol that sonic altera-
tion is necessary to avoid the dest.ticiiim of private iiredit, it
eanao,t but be useful t• lay before the pnhlic invOrmation col.
!octet, %%MI immense pains, in the turns of on Avstrart, as the
ready: way imagine, w!i. n he pi•rceires, that it is the result of
sr% en thousand five hen:Jr-dam! nine petitions and selvedales—
tio immber of pet tion down t., the preievit time is
upwards of eight dirt c hundred! When the 'stunner
of petitions is compared midi the small number ris denim+, to
vili effects assignees have been appointed, and the still
smaller number of returns made by the.. lasi:pie..., :if ty-fivi. :
may it not bt said that this art, !nine-to ruinous in its etrecis,
lin, not '.ad a fair vri..i, and tl,:a; according to all aippcarances,
there h t O mrc'. viiiind for tile complaint made by Mr. Aber.
ciumbie in the House of Commons on Vi edivesday night, that
tliere has been great negligeniie On the pall of tn.. eiliditte_.
Be that as it may, we give no ("pinion at v. escut, v:,e
whole case being very roped," sent to a select Coin Mute of
the R•. se of Commons. The following is the I..onvised ah-
em. !. the accuracy of which may b. t chill upon.

There were 7509 petit-...a p:-..;.mid to dictate and present COMMIS.
sio..er by debtors to the Ist Feb. 1816.
Of these were viral ,•tn, in oonsinuenee of the passing of thi: Ac-
54th Geo. 111. 1419petitiot6.
So t'at boll) petitoi.:s 'med.
Of e.et number 5511 lave lyen heard and eleterrain:a, and di--
charm s o.dered.
There were lad remote-A; and
Petitions not fir ,let. mined St 93, making up the 6090pnitions.
Ti.... total gross arro..”.t of debts stated in schedulus
in all the p nouns - - - - - -
Total gloss amount of debts stated in the schedules
of pet:tions withdrawn
Ditto of petit ins rem antlixl
On the or!. T sid. of the statement, we find .5,,0 debtors of whose
effects assignees have been appointed ; and
Thr number of returns mad, by J e assignees only 63.
The gross amount of property stated to have been gut in by such as-
signees is 1,49111.45.
Flom titiS statement the amount of debt from which indivi-
duals kat e been AlMost wholly released apprars to he cnorinoti-,
.E.5.,698,a71L; but we arc persuaded such aitraint wilt he
found to be most fallacious. 11 here there tie partners, for
instance, each pa.tner enumerates the debts of the firm, hills
el e change, ear. besides separately noticing stick bills or. debts
upon which the arrest took place, and separate gross amounts
are math- of the same debts. Thins the general reliant is decep-
tive, no doubt owe fourth or ow PM.
The Committee sat on Thursday last, Sir C. Motick in the
('hair; but no ex:mimetic:is to .k place.. Mr. Clark, Clerk of
the Insolvent Debtor's Court, and Mr. %fah hirsan were in at.
tend to Le exam:tied ; but after asking Mr. C. some pro for-
ma questious, she Committee adjuntued till Alonelay (tumor-
Tow).
We lament that run orders of the House of Commons pre-
sent us from hot..• the proLtrPss of the Committee, the exa-
minations they tat.e, the. &ruined' mil inthrinatieu they enter
upon the Minute-, and the opini.ms that may fall hum the
h.cirb rs constitu:mg such Com,..itti e, hecatt•o the Act is of
gi e it mportatice; A,..:;11 its principle he ri,slitly-pet into
tied it de..:btless may he of great and general use, although
of certain partial evil.