The National Register.
London, England, 1821-10-07 00:00:00

THE NEW slit:RH:pm

An elegant breakfast was given by the Sheriffs of
Loudon on Monday morning, at Goldsmiths' Hall, to
the Companies of Stationers and Goldsmiths; after
which they proceeded in their state carriages to Guild-
hall, attemled by the Beadles of the two Companies,
with their colour'., and two bands of music. They were
there met by the I,orf Nftlyor, late Sheriffs, and City
°dicers, when the whole proceeded in state to Black-
friars, and embarked on board the City Barge, for the
purpose of bein4 presented to the Cursitor Baron in the
Court of Exchequer. This ceremony, as usual, made a
splendid spectacle on the water.
The venerable Cursitor Haim having been seated, Mr.
Common Sergeant presented the Sheriffs elect to him.
The Common Sergeaut then moved to record a war.
rant appointing Uxten attorney for the new
Sheriffs. Ile text moved to record the appearance of
Messrs. Waithinan and Williams, to return an account
of the issues and profits of their office, limn the Feast of
St. Michael the Archangel, in the first year of the reign
of King George the Fourth, to the sante Feast iu the
present year, viz. for one year.
The ex-Sheriflii were then sworn by the Cursitor Baron
to their accounts, and put in Mr. S. Colinridge as their
attorney to make the returns.
The Officer of the Court then called upon the senior
Alderman to perform the old ceremony of counting the
horse-shoes and hob-nails, and cutting the sticks.—We
have not been able to trace the origin and real intent of
thii ceremony, hut are led to conclude it is a tenure by
which the Citizens of London hold lands front the
Crown.

The Officer of the Court standing on the table of the
Court with six horse-shoes, a bag of nails, three bundles
of sticks, and a small axe, exclaims—
_ _

"Tenants and occupiers of the Nloors, in the county
of Salop, conic forth and do your service."
The senior Alderman then stands upon the talde, and
is asked how many shoes are there? He answers, Six.
The thron's Clerk then says, " A good number."—
Ile then chops the sticks, which are held by the Officer
of the Cour,.

The tenants and occupiers of land in the parish of St.
Clement Danes arc also called upon to do their service,
which service the Alderman performs by counting the
nails, which arc turned out of the bag. Having ascer-
tained the number, he is asked how many there arc?
lie answers "Sixty-one." The Baron's clerk," A good
number."

The ceremony ends with counting the nails.
The Common Sergeant, at the close of the business,
invited the old Baron to dine with the Lord Mayor and
Sheriffs, but the invitation was not accepted, on the
ground that he was engaged.
The p:ocession then left the Court, and returned in
the barites to Blackfriars-bridge, under a salute of several
guns, fired from Godfrey's yard. On landing they pro-
ceeded to dinner.

THE REV. MR. BLecow.—The infamous libel of
which this appropriate member of the Bridge-street
gang was a few days ago convicted, is not the first
of which this slanderer had been found guilty.—
Some years ago, for some purpose equally pure as
his eulogy on Sharp and Co. this charitable divine
published anonymously a most atrocious libel on the
mother of a pupil who was intrusted to his tuition.
Fur this he was tried, and of course convicted; and
on passing sentence on him, Judge Grose made use
of the following expressions:—
" Richard Blacow, you are brought hero to receive the sen-
tence of the Court, upon an indictment charging you with hav-
ing composed and written an oflimsive, anti/du/4ms and ?mai, u,,
libel, to sow discontent, and excite disaffection and discord in a
private family, between a husband and his wife, neither of whom
us it appears, had done any thing to you to provtke such un-
neighbourly conduct on your part. Although tiiis is not a pub.
lie libel, yet, considered as a private libel, it bears tkc must
Criminal complexion if any I hate ever met with. It is a libel
of that domestic sort which carries with it a degree of malig-
nancy which I have never known paralleled. It is mare (14x1.4.-
ratory of the infamous conduct of a libeller convict, than any
thing that has fallen under my observation. The aggravations
of your offence arc enormous. You are a minister of the gospel,
and therefore, if you had observed there was any discord between
this gentleman and his wife, it was your peculiar duty to have
heaksl the wound, and to restore that affection which should
ever subsist between the individuals of a fondly. It is dittittult
to conceive a more degrading offence in a person in huts orders,
than that you should, by an unfounded suggestion of his wiles
incontinency. have planned, like a base aassi&in, daggers in the
heart of him who had made you, I may any, it part of his
family, and who had intiosttil you with the ..titivation of his
child. Ilad the suggestion been founded in tact, every hour of
delay in imparting it would have been high treason to him who
admitted you as his confidential guest, and as the tutor of his
site and thereby put it into your power to injure hint in the
tenderest inert with to witch the inure stymy."

An oyster, tneaAtring 18 inches in circtunferwo,
and wei4hing t 24 ounces, wild lately taken tiptu chc
oyster-pit of Mr. William Mauu, Il..rtlquol.

THE NATIONAL REGISTER

IRELAND.

THE NEW LORD MAYOR AND SHERIFFS
DUBLIN, Ocr. 2.—Yesterday at two o'clock, the
late Lord Mayor, (Alderman Sir A. B. King, bart.)
the new Lord Mayor (Alderman Kingston James,)
with the rest of the Board of Aldermen, the Re-
corder of Dublin (Sir Jonas Greene), the late and
new High Sheriin, City Oilic2rs, and Common
Council, met at the Assembly House, William-
street, from whence they procecdel in procession to
the Castle, when after an Address from the Recorder
to the new Lord Mayor, delivered in the presence
of his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, in which
he passed a high eulogium on his predecessor,
Alderman James was sworn into office.

In the evening the Lord Mayor had the honour
of entertaining at dinner in the grand banquetting
room his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant and suite,
a number of distinguished characters, and several
respectable citizens. His Lordship, with a degree
of princely hospitality, invited all the Members of
the Common Council to the banquet.
A Catholic or two had also been invited, and,
having heard this, we did not all conceive it pos-
sible that their host could have prepared for them
such a reception as the deliberate revival of an ob-
noxious party toast.—We shall, however, lay befbre
our readers the flimsy apology of Mr. Alderman
James, for reviving, in the presence of the repre-
sentative of the King. a party toast, for the giving
of which, at a moment when every excuse was al-
lowable, another Alderman had recently incurred
the hing's displeasure, and fir which he was cen-
sured also by the King's Representative. How the
Lord Lieutenant could have considered the revival
of the toast, in his presence, after :he affair of
Alderman Darley, in any other light than as a gross
offence, is to us not very intelligible.
There are several versions of this worthy Alder-
man's Speech. The report in the Correspondent
seems to be the most authentic—it having most
probably been written by the worthy Alderman the
next morning—we take it therefore, as conveying

his cool sentiments. This report is as follows
The Lord Mayor then rose, and said, " The toast
which I am about to propose, has been uniformly given
upon the sweariug-in dinners of my predecessors ; the
sentiments which arc attached to it differ materially, and
it is only by a reference to the feelings under which it is
given that it becomes obnoxious or otherwise. We most
all admire the beauty of Christian charily, and of brothel ly
love ; and, in the arduous and ditficnlt situation in which
thus early in life, I have been called upon to fill the Civil
Chair, it will be my study, as it is my duly, to promote
as far as I can, the conciliatory disposition which it is our
most gracious Sovereign's wish should subsist among all
classes of his Majesty's snbjtcts. Be assured, my Lords
and Gentlemen, that I would be the last man whose dis-
position would lead him to wound or irritate the feelings
of any of my Roman Catholic fellow-subjects, with whom
I have ever lived, and I hope I ever will live, in the
strictest bond of harmony and brotherly love. And in
the toast I am about to submit, I do so as the head of the
Corporation I have the distinguished honour now to re-
present, as well as in accordance with my own political
consistency. I therefore give you—
" "fhe Memory of King William the Third.'
" The applause was very great at this period, but the
Lord Mayor, in the most dignified and truly conciliatory
manner. very emphatically addressed the assembly, by
hoping that the announcement of the toast would not
create exultation: as he, the Lord Mayor, gave the me-
mory of hitn, as the founder of the British Constitution,
and the friend of civil and religious liberty, under the
Lope, that, in suet: sense, it could not be offensive to any
man living. The company received and drank the toast
ith peculiar marks of applause and approbation."
The Lord Lieutenant was at the elbow of the
new Lord Mayor when the toast was given, and
therefore it is to be inferred that it was given with
his entire concurrence. Indeed he took a step
which distinctly marked his approbation, having
scarcely suffered the vague sentiment " universal
benevolence.' to be hAlf whispered from the Chair
when he gave " The Corporation of Dublin," the
significancy and npositeness of which, as associated
with " The Glorious Memory," which had scarcely
been swallowed down, were generally felt and un-
derstood.

One of the invited was lArd Cloncurry ; how
his Lordship fill upon this occasion, the reader will
perceive by the following letter addressed by him to
a eutemporary Journal :
" Sin,—Being named as one present at the Lord
Mayor's dinner of yesterday, Ibe leave to say (iii order
to prevent misrepresentation of my conduct), ill it, when
his Lot/Ishii> toasted King W ihi.uu, 1 turned down my
glass, and rtmaincl ated•
" At table a ith the Lord Lieutenant, and a gnest of the
Lord Aluyor, I felt that it would not be decorous for so
inconsiderable a person to hike further owlet at the me-
nu lit ; I anal, bun ever, that the Lind Alayor, alien lie
duterisiiiied to ri produce this toast, had given notice, nut
only to flit Lord Lieutenant, but to the Roman Catholics
whom lir hail incited, and generally to all thuse nut likely
to forget, in one abort Width, the in 'woolens injunctious
of our Sovereifus.
" Individually, I liars; a great re,pert fur the memory
of King William the Third. tie was a liberal Dutchniou
—mid intended more seed to Ireland that 44 King I over
heard of, v 'wept his present Majesty ; but as Wid
corpus ations ore not necessarily histinianspiliey generally
give this toast from party motives, and it has heroine
.1 kind of poianwuril aiming those who'derdre by the instill
aviil, errs:imams of .lbeir worthy fellow citixeris; to arrogate
to ilteltPattles those pef'y bottoms and eissommetits whici
t•atil of iudti3ity or triritt tender so irvise,,,riy to them.

SIS

---
" lied taste and bad feeling received* mortal wound
from the hand of big Majesty—And if for one moment they
may rake their heads, public opinion and the march of
events must put them down. The King commands, and
the times require benevolence and union.
Your obedient Servant,
Oct. 2. 1821. " CLONCURRY."
Colonel Talbot, en of the County Members,
marked his high disappointment and disiatisfaction
at the toast in a way as :lignal as memorable, having
also turned down his glass and remained seated.

---
APPLICATION OF THE CONGREVE ROCKET
IN THE WHALE FISHERIES.

The ship Fume has returned to Ilull, and Captain
Scoresby has confirmed all that has been statei, respect-
ing the advantages to be derived from the use of the
rocket in the ‘Vhale Fishery:—
The Fume has brought home nine fish, in the capture
of the whole of which Inc rockets were successfully em-
ployed. After being struck by the rocket the largest
whale became an easy Frey to its pursuers. In one case
instant death was produced by a single rocket, and in all
cases the speed was much diminished, and its power of
sinking limited to three or four fathoms.
Oue of the largest finners, of too feet in length, a
fish seldom attacked by the ordinary means, and of the
capture of which there is scared/ an instance on record,
in the northern seas, was immediately tamed by a dis.
charge of rockets, so that the boats overtook and sur-
rottud2d it with ease.
Six out of the nine fish died in leis than 15 minutes;
and five out of the [mintier took wit no line at all. One
only survived n.aily two hums, and only took out more
than one line, by getting into a pack of ice, where the
boats could not follow.

The peculiar advantage and importance of the rocket
in the fisheries is, that by means of it, all the destructive
effects of a six, or even a twelve-pounder piece of artillery,
both as to penetration, explosion, force, and internal
fire, calculated to accelerate the death of the animal, may
be given with an apparatus not heavier than a musket,
and without any shock or re-action on the boat ; whereas,
it is obvious that no boat applicable to the fishery of the
whale can ever be made capable of sustaining the shock
n-cessary to produce the saute, or any thing like the
erl,cts of the six or twelve-pound shell, by the ordinary
means or artillery.
In fact, nothing larger than a harpoon-gun could be
apdlied; and the missile which could be discharged from
such an implement, could neither have Leen discharged
front such an implement, could neither have penetration,
nor explosive force, sufficient to do any serious injury to
the

AN th respect to the rocket, howevet, it is a fact, that
some of the smallest, fired in the late experiment in the
Fame. penetrated completely through the body of the
fish, so than the effect of the explosion was visible on
the opposite side—the fierce fire of the rocket fixed
in the animal's inside, rapidly destroying life; and
the effects, and the reports of the explosion, being dis-
tinctly perceivable within him, as in one instance as
above stated, producing immediate dea'h. Indeed, it is
certain, that this might, in almost every case, be in-
sured by increasing the power of the rocket, without in.
creasing the inconvenience or incumbrance of the appa-
ratus required to discharge it, and equally without re.
action on the boat, as when the smallest rockets are
used. In addition to this, it may be stated, that there
is no doubt of the rocket ultimately dispensing with the
operation of the hand harpoon, by conveying the line,
and destroying the animal at the same time, and that
without requiring the approach of the boat to thefish,
within the limits of perfect security. It is also equally
certain that the large flutters, never or rarely attempted
to the North, will he rendered an easy prey, by the ju.
dieious application of the rocket.

The late Mr. Curran, the celebrated Irish Bar-
rister, was remarkable for the dexterity with which
be could avail himself of any picturesque circum-
stance at the moment that it occurred. The following
instance is worth relating, especially as it has not
made its way into any of the accounts yet published,
and is, we believe, very link known:—ln the early
part of his career he was addressing a Jury in the
Court-house of Cork, on a very cloudy day, and in
endeavtatring to impress upon their minds the clear.
ncss with which he would be able to establish the
defendant's innocence, he stopped short for a mo-
ment, as if at a loss for some comparison. The sun
broke forth as he paused, and enlivened the gloomy
scat of justice. This appearance was in itself cal-
culated to produce an effect on a people of quick
sensibility like the Irish; but the use which the
orator made of it completed the line impression. " I
will make his innocence appear as plain," said he,
" Gentlemen, as plain as the visit of that glorious
luminary whose beans has just darted across my view
to supply me-with its splendid illustration."
THE A lITS.—The French plate of the battle of
Austerlitz•., engraved from the picture of Geratd, has
been pirared in several instances, and M. Godefroy,
the engraver, has preferred a complaint to the police
of Paris Not less than thurteen Artists are charged
with hivading the right of M. Godafroy. Persons
in Englund, who admire and purchase the print,
will find considerable difficulty iu discovering the
original. No engravers in the world can copy so
closely as the French. The death of Gen. Woolf
was imitated in Paris almost line fbr line.

• A farmer of Rarmpervoint, near Lewes, in Sus-
Rex, actually grew List year, on 73 acres of land,
the extraordinary quantity of SO loads and six
bushels of wheat!

316

MEETING IN NOUTHIVARK.

On Friday, in pm-sinner of public notice, and of a
notification that the Right the Lord Mayor had
grimed the requi iitionisis the use of the Town-hall, in
the borough of Sourhwark, a con.iderahle number of
the electors assembled in that huilihig between twelve
and one o'clock. The object of the meeting being to
take into consideration such measures as might be deemed
ino..t expedient for the purpose of remunerating Sir H.
Wilson for any pecuniary loss that I.e may have become
hable to, in consequense of his dismissal front his Ma-
jesty's service: application had beet, made in the first
instance to the High liaildf to convene and preside at it.
Oar readers are aware that that eentleinan declined to do
sn, and stated the commis upon which he had thought
fit to adopt that course. The Lord Mayor having sub.
sequeritly allowed the electors to assemble in the l'own-
hall, it was on Friday compleie:y filled by one o'clock.
the hour named in the notice.
Mr. Alderman Wood, N 1.13. accompanied by Mr.
Weatherstone and oilier eenilemen, entered the room
amidst the cordial eheerings of the comp:lily present.
Mr. BLACK ObSelVed that, prep,ratory to emu inencing
business, it was necessary that thuy shoold elect a chair-
Mail, and he begged to propose Mr. ‘Vcathersione.
Th; minion was set ondeil earrivd; and this gen-
tleman having accordin•g'y taken the chair, addressed the
meeting :

In calling him to that situation they had called him
to a post of extreme &flit-idly. Knowing who the inen
in authority were that they had to deal with, he could
not hot look upon it more as a post of peril than of ho-
nour. The meeting, however, having made their call,
he should most undoubtedly comply with it, as he did
not wish by any unnecessary delay to protract the time
for which they were likely to be occupied. He could
have wished that the requisition which was first agreed
to, and sent to the High 13.tihff, callitig upon him to con-
vene a meeting, had been complied with; but unfortu-
nately it had been refused. It was necessary, however,
that permission to assenilde somewhere, in the proper
form, should be procured ; and application being made
to the Right Hon. the Lard litlayor for the use of the
Town-hall, his Lordship, with his usual condescension,
signified his assent. They were met to-clay to consider
of the propriety of entering into a subscription, which
was proposed to be raised, with a view to indemnify their
worthy representative, Sir It. Wilson, for any pecimiary
loss which he might sustain in consequence of his being
recently dismissed from his Majesty's service. In doing
this, he had earnestly to beg that they would strictly
confine themselves to the letter of the requisition under
which they were now assembled, and not depart from it.
Had they met under the first requisition addressed to
their High Ratliff, it would not have been necessary to
observe the terms suite so strictly; but his refusal had
put them to the patuful necessity of lookim, closely and
carefully to the late six acts of Parliament, which had
had the effect that was intended; for they had tongue.
tied and shackled meetings like the present. Fur him-
self, he had but very little to say on the ',resent occasion;
lan he should leave the subject to other gentlemen who
slid intend to deliver their opinions. lie would observe
before he sat down, that several communica:ions con-
nected with the matter now before them had been re-
ceived by himself and other gentlemen, and two of them
he should proceed to bring under their notice; one, a
letter which he received from Sir R. IVilson that morn-
ing (hear, hear); the other, a communication from Ci-
rencester, which Mr. Alderman %Vim(' would make I
known to them. He sat down expressing his readiness
to hear any thing which genilettien might have to say
(Cheers.)
Mr. Alderman WOOD felt it to be of very great im-
portance that he should introduce to the notice of the
meeting a letter which he had last night receit ed from
Sir R. Wilson—a letter which, when they laid heard, he
was sure would render theirs quite proud in the possession
of such a representative as theirs was, (hear, hear) ; and
and they would think with him, that it did the writer,
considering the circumstances he was now placed in, the
highest possible honour. He (\lr. Aid. Wood) hid felt
it to be his duty, upon the first sitegestion of such a
meeting as the present, to attend it; and he was happy
to attend one now, arising out of the late very extraor-
dinary dismissal of Sir Robert Wilson from the service.
Attendance he should have considered a duty, even if he
had not received those letters which had reached him.—
He begged to be titiderstood as appearing there, not as a
magistrate, though vested with that capacity, but as an
elector, a voter of Southwark (hear), and occupying a
considerable property in the bonnie!). Ile there-
fore, a right to appear em the present occasion, and to
exercise (as lie hoped to do as long as he lived) the right
of speech.—(Cheers.) Ile moreover felt it to be a duty
so to appear, simply as a constimetit of Sir It. ‘Vilson ;
bet as a magistrate he had thought proper to eeclitie the
request made to him by several friends, that he world
move the resolutions which were intended presently to
be soh:tinted to them. Those resolutions, gentlemen
woul:1 feel, would come with more propriety front others.
WAS unquestionably the right as well as the duty of
constituents, carefully to Watch titer the conduct of their
representatives ; and by the result of that clay's meeting,
it would be for them to prove whether they were satisfied
with the conduct of his honourable friend Sir Robert
Wilson in Parliament. Lyon this point he did not
mean to speak with any personal vanity, nor to say my
thing that might seem intended to applaud himself; but
he did hope that lie might be considered as a good wit-
nets in the maser.—(Hear, hear.) it certainly had hap-
pened, that either from the arrangements he always ad.
fiered to, or from the good health lie w.:s so fortunate to
enry, or from some other circumstances, he (Mr. Ald.
NV oaf) was himself most regular ID hit parliamentary
attendance, scarcely missing, as he believed he might
say, an hour of that time which properly was at tle• dis-
posal of his own constituent, (('let r-.) 'Fins bring the
case, he could speak most positively to the good conduct
which had been pursued by Sir Robert NVilson in Par-
liament, namely, constant attendance there.—(blear,