The National Register.
London, England, 1822-02-03 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER

Extract of a letter dated Paris, Jan. 23 :—" Mi-
nisters are extremely uneasy amid the difficulties of
their position, and that were it not from fear of the
consequences, they would endeavour to strike some
coup d'etat to awe their enemies into silence, and to
gain over the feeble and the indifferent by revolu-
tionary alarms. It has even been discussed in the
Council of Ministers, whether a blon of this kind
should not be struck immediately, so as to withdraw
public attention from their proceedings in the Cham-
ber, and thus help them through with their despotic
laws. The project was to seize on two or three of
the most distinguished of the Chiefs of the Liberals
under pretext of their having encouraged the con-
spirators of Saumur and of Belfo:t. You would see
that M. Royer d'Argcuson abruptly left Paris, after
writing to the Chamber of Deputies of the violence
exercised in his house near Belfort. His declared
design was to ascertain the mischief done by the po-
lice, and to prevent, if possible, its repetition ; but
his real object was to deteat any attempt that might
be made in his absence to implicate him in the con-
spiracy, by depositing forged papers its his cabinet or
drawers, and pretending to find them there in their
domiciliary visits. It immediately struck him, that
the wicked agents and spies of Government might
make the plot which they could not find, and sup-
port a false charge by forged documents surrepti-
tiously conveyed into his house. He therefore
hastened to his country residence, at the hazard of
being absent from the Chamber during a most im-
portant discussion, to prevent the success of a plot
which would have rendered that discussion of little
value. At present the police are extremely active,
and the agents of the post-office equally so. Every
thing that happens in the provinces is reported to
Government, and nothing that occurs is known to
persons at a distance, except what Government
chooses to communicate. The present Ministers in-
herit this terrible engine of police and administration
from their predecessors, the Ministers of Buonaparte,
as they do the telegraph. They work both fur their
advantage, though they could have invented nei-
ther."
New York papers of the 31st ult, have arrived.
The following is an extract on the subject of the late
dispute which took place at the President's table,
noticed in a former paper:—
" NEW-Yona, Dec. 31.—The etiquette of the
Court table at Washington is established by usage,
and enjoins that the oldest resident Foreign Minis-
ter should have precedent as to place and attention.
The French Minister had Leen here, representing
his nation, prior to Mr. Canning's appointment and
residence near the Court of Washington ; but in the
meantime the former had occasion to return home,
leaving merely a Charge des Makes to represent
him. Mr. Scoville returning to his situation, it
would seem, claimed the usual precedence, and ac-
cordingly took the appropriate seat at the President's
table. This would indeed be a species of the highest
indecorum : but the fact is, that when the party
was breaking up, and in the lobby of the President's
house, Mr. Canning, in a jocular manner told the
French Minister that he had out-generalled' him,
but he should not do it again. Mr. Neuville con-
ceiving it an uufitir imputation, became very violent,
and some harsh expressions were exchanged; and the
French Minister at length touched the handle of his
sword, upon which ' indication of personal hostility,'
Mr. Politica, the Russian Minister, interfered, and
the altercation was closed, fur the time
Advices are in town from Newfoundland, which
describe that colony to be in a state of extreme
distress. Among the lower orders, it is said,
there are few able to support themselves : and the
members of the opulent part of the community are
so small, that relief was impracticable. Many, it
was feared, must perish for want. Meetings of the
inhabitants had been held for the purpose of raising
subscriptions, and the Governor had intimated to
them that a sum equal to the whole raised by the
colonists would be contributed by the Government.
Memorials have been sent to England to claim the
interposition of the Legislature. The advice* are
to the 6th instant, the vessel which brought them
to Liverpool having perfumed the voyage in the
shortperiod of seventeen days.
While some of our most experienced lawyers anal
statesmen arc endeavouring to mitigate the severity
' of the criminal code, as the best means of prevent-
ing crime, the people of the United States are
changing u milder code fur a severer one, with (of
course) the same object. The reasoning by which
• a writer in an American paper justifies this depar-
ture from a lenient system is not very convincing;
for he appears to think that it is not worth while to
• convert a bud citizen into a useful oae, but that it
is munch better to kill him outright. This may be
I very decisive; but it is the decision of Morocco and
Algiers, rather than of civilized states. It is like
what we read of the surgical practice of ignorant
times, when the only cure for a wounticd limb was
to lop it off: and that surgeon was reckoned the most
• eminent who had mutilated most of his feiluw-crea-
. tures.

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