The National Register.
London, England, 1816-10-07 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER•

of the people. In Ft coca-, anti especial.. uu Spain, our in-
terfei Niro had reitewed the most odious ty rattily, both as it
le-totted the civil and religious rights of mankind. The
Pop, , whose influence Englishmen had long been accustomed
to regard with alarm, had invn 1 0110r1.11 to fits former dig-
nity. In Spain awl in Italy, the inquisition had been ajca!ii
resorted to, to suppress the rights of conscience, and to ex-
tinguish the rising flame of liberty. Since I AHII% X's 111. had
been re-seated on the throne of his ancestors, 1, and Castle-
reagh ha 1 been compelled to acknowledge in the House of
Commons, that upwards of loon protestant subjects h id been
murdered at Nismes anal in the neighbourhood, and it did
not appear that any efforts hal been made on the part of
that Got eminent, to discos er the perpetrators of such atro.
cities. If the meeting considered tht effects of the injurious
policy of oar own Government, 011 the commerce and agri-
culture of the country, they would see the most gloomy re-
sults: the farmers were tailing in every part of the country,
whilst the artizaii, tradesman, and manufacturer, were rapid-
ly approaching to complete beggary ; neither could they ex-
peel any material relief from their difficulties, bait by a re
ducting of the taxes.—" Let us have a considerable re-
duction of our burdens—give its a fair chance for the exer-
cise of our ingenuity anal industry—and above all, give us
our natural rights, in a full and free representation In the
Commons House of Parliament, anal England might yet be-
come a great independent nation.—( ,Ipplasises)—Gentiemen,
(said Mr. G.) we are told that England has arrived to a pin-
nacle of glory which she never before attained—what n
dreadful delusion—what wicked sophistry is this!—Look at
the sacrifices we have made of our blood and treasure; at the
privation of our accustomed enjoyments, anti say, where is
the glory? Have the evils of war led to that great military
establishment which we are called upon to support—an es-
tablishment which endangers the liberties of the country, for
in the hands of ambitions ruler*, it has been often made the
engine to oppress the people. He hoped, however, that tile
day would at rive, when Government would feel itself secure
in the affections of the people, by meriting its support oil the
ground of its integrity, a security more firm and durable than
150,000 bayonets. War is the harvest of a faction, the minis-
ters and minions of a court may fatten by it, but we know by
painful experience. that it strikes at the root of our enjoy-
ments, and dissolves the most endearing connexion, a Mist it
demoralizes the whole social system (Applause.). Britain, dim-
ing the reign of his present Majesty, and that of George 11.
had been enraged in a war nearly fifty years. a fact of Weil
sufficient to stab our national character. We may boast of
our moral and religions institutions, and call ourselves a
christian nation, but what will posterity think? will they not
call us a nation of evil doers?' Mr. Gill concluded what we
understand to be a maiden speech, and which was frequent
ly interrupted by applauses, with moving a string of resolu-
tions, attach he read over to the meeting.

Mr. T. W treue seconited the re,olutions, which were read
over by Mr. Enfietd, the To% it Clerk, and being put from the
chair, were carried unanimously.

The nainber of people having by this time, very min h in-
greased, so that it was calculated there were more out of the
hall than in it, atifi atter considerable delay and interruption
of the proceedings by the cry for adjournment, the Chair-
man adjourned the meeting to the hall steps, and the assem-
blage, computed at upwards of 41000, stood below. The te-
solutions having again been read Os er, and agreed to with-
out one dissenting voice,
Mr. It %ILK% addressed the meeting as follows :
Mr. Chairman—l now beg to move, that the document
held in my hand, and which is founded on the resolutions
jest passed, be adopted as the act of this meeting; but before
submitting it to the consideration of this numerous assembly,
it may, perhaps, be necessary to explain the course which
the Committee have, on this occasion, thou lit it advisable to
adopt. Our object then, Sir, has been, nut merely as sub-
ject+, to petition the Prince Hegent to summon Parliament,
but as men who feel we are aggrieved, frankly to address
him on the state of the nation, and in firm, but respectful
language, to remonstrate against that system of policy which
has brought our country to the verge of irremediable ruin.
Such, Gentlemen, has been our object; and it remains with
you to sanction or condemn our proceedings. In either ease,
we shall be well satisfied, consideling ourselves, for the time,
as the servants of the public.—ln acting, Sir, upon the plan
we have down, we have I am necessitated to extend our
document to greater length, and induced to assume a firmer
tone, than ordinary circumstances either require or warrant.
But, I believe, Sir, that yon and our fellow-townsmen in
general, will agree with us in opinion, that this is nut the
period for political tergiversation—that to etlect any sub-
stantial good, the throne must he addressed in the language
of truth. That we must cause the cry of our poor to echo
through the walls of our palaces, and make the voluptuous
pavilion of Princes to vibrate with the remonstrances of an
indignant and suffering people. For what reason, Gentle-
men, have we to suppose, that our complaints will receive
any attention, (or, in tact what regard arc they entitled to,)
thIiCSS we state them with honesty, and enforce them with
firmness. No Mall can examine the present state of British
society without being convinced of the necessity that exists
tbr such a proceeding. See our PEF.tts wallowing in pen-
sions, and our Pima pining in alms- the ministryaill con-
fidence, and the country all despair—a supe. b military, and
a ragged population—the court NH of feasting, and the cot-
tage full of wailing—and say what can be espected in such
a state of things from sophistry or dissimulation—surely
nothing but disregard, contempt, or insult. To speak with
honied lips when the heart is bill of bitterness—to M. rely
supplicate, when their duty calls upon them to remonstrate,
may agree with the timid policy of slaves—but is derogatory
to the dignity of Esiglishufm, and oppo+ed to the uniform
practice °four illustrious forefathers. But, Sir, I shall refrain
from any longer trespassing upon the tithe of the meeting,
and concluded by requesting your permission to submit the
document to the consideration of my fellow townsmen. Mr.
Bailey then read an address, remonstrance, and petition of
the town of Nottingham to the Prince Itegeut.
The reading of the Petition was frequentl:. interrupted by
lead plaudits; It. Denison, I:sq. seconded it ; and a lieu put
by the Chairman it was MialaMOUSly adopted as the act of
the meeting.
Votes of thanks were passed to the Mayor, and also to
Messrs. George Gill and Thoimis Bailey—and the meeting
broke up in the most peaceable manner.

The Magistrates for the Hundreds of Bullinz•lnn, Der.
Chester, and Titanic, in Oxfordshire espresned their deter-
mination at the late day of licensing public-houses, that if, in
White, any complaint Will made against any publie.heu.:e in
the hands of a ',rower within their tlivi,ion, ut the badness of
the beer, they would, at the next licensing tlay, grant a li-
cense to the pur.on, and uot to the holse.

CieTnIITTI 7.

IIiJiL.

We have already stated; that a letter from Madras,
dated the I 7th of April had met) timed the plundering
of the Guntoor Circar by a hotly of Mahratta cavalry.
Some txmfirmation of this disastrous new, has, we are
sorry to learn, recently reached town. Nothing official
has yet beets published; but the private information goes
to state, that a ninth:Ye tore.! of many thousand horse-
men, proceeding front the Mahratta territory, had at-
tacked and ravaged the dominions of our Ally the Nizant,
and thence burst in upon the Guntoor Cirear, one of the
most tranquil and prosperous of the Company's possessions
on the coast of Coromandel, in the direct road between
Calcutta and Madras, ayrovince of the latter Presidency,
and distant from the capital not more than 200 marg.
This unlooked-for irruption seems to have been accom-
panied by the most horrible outrages. The cruelties
perpetrated, and the desolation piixhiced by the savage
enemy in this attack upon this detimeeless province, are
said to have exceeded those with which Hyder Ally
visited the Climatic in his memorable invasion of 1780,
the traces of which are still manifest at the end of
near 40 years, and of which Mr. Burke, who depicted it in
such glowing and appaling colours, said, "that it was a
scene of woe, the like of which no tongue can adequately
tell. .4117 he horrors of IVar heibre known or heard of
were mercy to that new harock.- It appears that the
Mahrattis carried oat' a prodigious booty, after sweep-
ing across the whole Peninsula from East to West and
track again, without being brought to action by any
British corps. Colonel Doveton, however, was at one
time within two hours march of them as they retreated.
This irruption is said to have taken place soon after the
termination of the Nepaul war.
KILLING OF A TIGER.

A Letter from Pondicherry, dated April 12, gives
the following account :—A Tiger has been shot this
morning at Gondichern, in town, and in Mr. de Bans-
sett's house. You will think this a fable, or that, under
the denomination of tiger, I speak of the least animal
of the kind, but you will be mistaken. I mean a first
size panther, measuring within the tail 4 feet 4 inches
in length, and 2 feet 4 inches in height, as every one
here can give evidence. It seems, that this animal
came astray into the town last night, and it was found
this morning entrenched in an half decayed earth-
made shelter, generally used in this country to keep
paddy in, which was placed in an old open magazine
situated in the centre of the town. It was customary
to close therein a few geese ; and the boy who came in
the morning to take them out, missing one of them,
looked into the palaili to see if it was not concealed
in it, when the tiger at his appearance, made a start :
the boy ran away in the street, and happily has only
been sligiitly wounded. The tiger came out also, and
ventured at about ten yards into another compound, by
• a large gate half shut, much injuring in his road an old
woman, who was standing on the threshold; she received
two severe blows, one on the shoulder, the other on the
back, and seems severely hurt. The tiger crossed the
yard, and by the means of a heap of fire-wood lying close
to the wall, scaled it, and fell into Mr. de Baussett's
garden ; he then entered, close to the main house, a
small bathing room, the door of which was sheltered by
a wooden staircase, leading to the top of it, so that
nobody could approach to have a sight of the animal.—
Some of oursportsmen, and four invalided Sepoys, gather-
ed in the house, and tired several shots at the tiger,
when once or twice he made an attempt to escape, and
each time returned unhort to the same place. A Nacoda
of u vessel in the roads, who was present, pretended that
he could magnetise and tame the tiger like a dog. He
therefore boldly advanced I)efore the door, and began
his wonder, when the tiger 'mule a howl, which the old
Nacoda interpreted in his favour, and said was a sneeze
of good omen, and that a second would be a sign of
entire submission. But the tiger, beginning perhaps
really to feel the effects of the me,:7netism, or the ascen-
dency of the neigncti.icr on him, s ,rted on the Naoxla,
and made him retire with a seratcl,2l back. We now
endeavoured to get the tiger out fr.) a the room by the
means of sonic straw, &c. -which we 9artit from the top
of the room, by an oval aperture in the wall, about seven
feet from the ground ; and it is most extraordinary, that
this animal, pressed by the heat, ratite: than come out
by the door, which was opened, prefer• l jumping out
by this hole, which he did with all the • iimbleness and
swiftness of a cat, although the opening only just affiml-
ed a passage to his body, and although he was obliged
to elevate himself perpendicularly at that height from
the ground ! Several shots were immediately fired, with-
out much success. The tiger ran away from us, and tried
to jump over a wall opposite, 12 feet high, but he only
reached part of the height, fell down, and again return-
ed upon us with increased rage and fury, when Mr. C.
Krusse, who happily had still his musket loaded, fired
and killed the animal, when it had fully approached him,
and he was only two yards distant !
A MOST ATROCIOUS ACT OF BARBARITY.

A female of the most respectable flaunty in Cuinana,
for uttering some invectives ap,uinst the Govenunent,
and speaking in flivour of the patriotic party, wakon the
12th of June tied on a jack-an attended by a gut.rd of 10
soldiery, led through the streets, and at every corner and
opposite the houses of her dearest connections, received

OCTOBER 7.

a certain number of lashes on her bare back, apportion-
ate to 200, the number she was sentenced to receive;
what rendered the punishment still more disgraceful,
the. persyns who inflicted it was a large negro, who,
when her long beautiful hair in some degree defended
her delicate skin, with one hand removed it, that the
lashes inflicted with the other might cause inure acute
pain. The poor sufferer was blindfilled, and bore the
inhuman treatment with as much thrtitude as perhaps
was ever exhibited on a similar occasion ; her cries were
feeble; but I saw, notwithstanding the handkerchief
that concealed her face, tears trickling down and filling
on her breast. I saw but one dozen lashes inflicted;
but sonic of my crew who were on shore, had the cu-
riosity to see the whole-sentence put in execution ; my
kelings were too much hurt to let curiosity overcome
them. I made particular inquiries respecting the un-
fortnnate girl, two days after,and was informed that she
refused un- intati..at uid and food ; and a few days after-
lvards I was informed that Aio was dead, being, from
her exquisite feelings, unable to survive the disgrace and
pain she had suffered."