The National Register.
London, England, 1816-12-30 00:00:00

BUONAPARTE.

We conclude our eatrasts from the interesting work.
of Mr. Warden, with the ac.ourt of the death of the
Duke d'Engiwin.
Anitnow, to toy utter astonishment, he entered upon the
event of the Doke D'Enellien'a death. This was a topic that.
could mit. he expected; and partiviilarly by me, as there ap.
poured even among hi., followers, who were always on tip.tee
to he his aisologe-te, au evasive silence or contiad.ctory state-
ments, whenever this ntilictitig escut
_became the siiitject of
enquiry, which bad oecesioiatilmppened, during the course
of our voyage. Here Napoleon became very animated, and
ont n raised himself an the sofa. where 1w hail hitherto re-
mained in a reclining, posture. The iiitetest attached to the
subject, and the energy ot' his (Misery, combined to impress
the tenor of his narrative ;o strongly on my mind, that yeu
'tend not doubt the accuracy of this repetition of it.—He
ib.Y.,1111 55 fOlOiss
. . .

'' At rids eventful period of my life, I had succeeded M
restoring miles A tranquillity to a kingdom tore asunder by
faction, and deluged in blood. That uation had placed me at
their head. I tame nut as your Cromwell did, or your Third
Richard. No such thing.—l found a crown in the kennel ; 1
ere used it fi
safety now bas ante necessary, to preserve that tranquillity so
recently restored, and, hitherto, so satisfactorily presers eil,
as the leading characters of the nation well know. At the
same time, reports were every night brought mc" (I Mink
lie said by Ureteral Rya') " that conspiracies were in agita-
tion ; that meetings were held in particular houses in Paris,
and names even were mentioned; at the same time, no satis-
factory proofs could he obtained, and the utmost vigilance and
ceaseless pursuit ef the police was evaded. Gement! Moreau,
indeed, heroine suspected, and 1 was seriously importuned to
issue an order for his arrest; bid his character was such, his
OMAR' stood so high, and the estimation of
public nand, that, ns it appeared to me, lie had nothing to
gain, and every thing to lose, by becoming a conspirator
against me : I, therefore,. could not hat exonerate him from
such a suspicion.—l accordingly refused an circler tbr the
proposed arrest, by the following intimation to the Miiiistsr
of 'Joliet.. You have named Pichegni, Georges, stud Moe
real, ; eons ince me that the former is in Paris, and 1 will
immediately cause the latter to be arrested.'—Another, and
a very singular circumstance led to the developement of the
plot. One night, as I lay agitated and wakeful, I rose from
my bed, and examined the list of suspected tniitors ; and
chatice, which rules the world, occasioned my stumbling, us
it were, on the name of a surgeon, who had lately returned
from an English prison. Tkis luau's age, edneation,mud ex-
perience in life, iuduced me to believe, that his conduct must
be attribut:d to any other motive than that of a youthful
fanaticism in favour of a Bourbon ns tar as circumstances
qualified me to judge, money appeared to be his object.-1
accordingly gave orders for this 'luau to be arrested; when a
summary mock trial was instituted, by which lie Was found
guilty, sentenced to die, and informed be had but six hours
to live. This stratagem had the desired effect : he was ter-
rified into confession. It was new known that Pkbegru had
a brother, a monastic Prieet, then residing in Paris. I
ordered a party of Gens d'Armes to visit this man, and if' he
had quitted his honse, I conceived there would be good
ground for suspicion. The old Monk was secured, and, in
the act of his arrest, his leant betrayed what I most wanted
to know.—` Is he exclaimed, ' because I afforded shelter
to a brother that I am thus treated.'—The object of the plot
was to destroy me; and the success of it would, of course,
have been my destruction. It emanated from the capital of
your country, with the Count d'Artois at the heed of it. To
the West he sent the Diller de Berri, and to the East the
Duke d•Engiiien. To France your vessels conveyed under-
lingo of the plot, and Moreau became a convert to the cause.
'flue moment was big with evil : I felt myself ow a tottering
eminence, and, I resolved to hurl the thunder back upon the
Bourbons, even•in the metropolis of the British empire. My
Minister settemently urged the seistwe of the Duke, though
in a neutral territory. But I still hesitated, and Prince Bene-
vento brought the older twice, and urged the measure with
ill 116 powers of persuasion; it was not, however, till .1 was
fully convinced of its necessity, that I sauctioned it by my
signatusa... The matter could be easily arrangi d between me
and the Duke of Baden. Why, inch eil, should I sutler it
mall residing on the very confines of my kingdom, to commit
a crime which, within Ili, distance of a mile, by the ordinary
course of law, justice herself could condemn to the scaffold.
And now answer me ;--Did 1 do more than adopt the priu-
ciple of your government, when it ordered the capture of 11w
Danish fleet, which was thought to threaten mischief to your
country? It had been urged to me again and again, as a
sound political opinion, that the new dynasty could not be
secure, while the Bourbons remained. Talleyrand never
deviated from this principle: it was a fixed, unchangeable
article in his political creed,—But I did no' become a ready
or a willing convert. Lexamined the opinion with care and
caution : and the result was u pee feel couviction of its et
cessity.—The Duke d'Enchien was accessary to the Con-
federacy; and althoueli the resident of a neutral territory,
the urgency of the case, in which my safety and the public
tranquillity, ts use nu stronger expression, were involved,
justified the froceeding. I accordingly ordered him to be
seized and tried : he was found guilty, and sentenced to be
shoe—The sentence was immediately executed; and the
sante fate would have followed had it been Louis the
Eighteenth. For I again declare that I found it necessary to
roll the thunder back on the metropolis of England, as trout
thence, with the Count d'Artois at their head, did the
assassins await me.
" four country also accuses me of the death of Pichegru.'
—1 replied, " It is most certainly and universally believed
throngliout the whole British empire, that he was strangled
in prison by your orders." He rapidly answered, " What
idle, disingeatious folly! a fine woof, how prejudice can
destroy the boaster/reasoning faculties of Englishmen ! Why,
. .

I ask yon,.should that lite.be taken away In secret which the
laws consigned to the hands of a public executioner. The
'natter would have been different with respect to Moreau.
Had .lie died in a dungeon, there might have been grounds to
justify the suspicion that he had not beearguilty of suicide.
He was a very popular character, as well as much belosal
by the army; and I should never have lost the tdium,
ever guiltless I might have been, if the justice of '
supposing his life to have been fotfrited by the
not been made apparent by the mostpublic execution.
HC4C he paused; and I replied—" There may, pe
be persona in England, who ale disposed to acknowledge
necessity of rigorous measures at this important !lethal
your•bistory but none, I believe, are to be found, •
would attempt to justify the precipitate manner in • •
.youtij.prince villa Maul, tric9 scaleaced..iuml

dinni9 how-
-1 his de•th,
laws, had
aim).
ty, prrbaps,
)wledfe the
t petuwl of
found, who
a which the
1111

DECEMBER W.

ARRIVAL OF THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON
IN LONDON.

Oa Thursday night his Grace arrived unexpect-
edly at his town residence from Paris. His visit is
understood to be entirely on public business ; for
when his Grace roadied Dartford, a Mcfsenger was
dispatched to Lord Castlereagh's seat at North Cray,
in Kent, to announce his Grace's unival. Lord Cas-
tlereagh immediately came to town, and the Duke of
Wellington having proceeded to his Lordships house,
in St. James's-square, a long interview took place be-
tween them. No other Minister was in town at the
time. It is generally understood, that the difficulties
experienced by the French Government iu the payment
of the contributions have caused the sudden appearance
of the British Commander.
• In consequence of his Grace's arrival, a Cabinet
Council was held on Friday. After the Council had
risen, one of his Grace's Aides-de-Camp (Lord Arthur
I fill, we believe) was dispatched for the head-quarters
of the British army at Mont St. Marsan, in France;
and one of the King's Messengers was sent off to the
British Ambassador ut Paris.
It has tacit subsequently rumoured, that in conse-
qnence of the representations of' his Grace, Ministers
are inclined to grant every indulgence to the French
Government, by postponing the payment of the
monthly contributions until the first instalments of the
taxes for t SI7 have reached the French Treasury.
Report also adds, that a slight change in the canton..
nients of the British army has been agreed upon, in
consequence of the difficulty of obtaining further sup-
plies where they are at present situated.

It is rumoured that the financial difficulties of the
State will be met, in the course of the ensuing Session
of Parliament, by a loan of IS millioas, the interest of
which is to be chargeable on the Sinling Fund.
Our readers w:11 hear with pleasure that accounts
received from Spain gave reason to believe, that, in-
duced by the representations of the British Government.
the king of Spain was at length disposed to tix a period
for the total abolition of the slave trade.
On Christmas day, the Royal Family attended divine
service in the private chapel in the Caitic, which was
performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, &e. After
the service her Majesty, the Princesses Augusta and
Elizabeth, went to Bags:hot on a visit to the Duke and
Duchess of Gloucester. In the evening they returned
to the Castle.
The Grand Duke Nicholas left Edinburgh on Mon-
day, and proceeded to Glasgow by Linlithgow and
(';iron.

A Gentleman recently from St. Helena, states, that
Buonaparte continues in very bad humour. An anec-
dote is related, which we have not heard before. A
Captain —, it seems, infected with the ardent cu-
riosity prevalent in all ranks, to see the person who
acted so conspicuous a part in the history of our
eventful times, found means to avoid observation, and
reach Longwood. Here he prevailed on some of the
attendants, and procured access to Buonaparte, with
whom he had a long conversation. The latter gave
full vent to his dissatisfaction, and complained bitterly
of the treatment he had received from the European
Sovereigns. lie also blamed the British Government,
and especially Lord Bathurst, who had the misfortune
to incur his displeasure from being its official organ in
what related to his treatment. Captain having
. .

gratified his passion retired, and the visit being soon
after talked of, he was not without apprehension that
his imprudence might cost him his commission. It is
aalul, however, that after a lecture from his Com-
mander, he was simply inficnied, that a lodging would
be provided for him at the Governor's house, whence
visits to Longwood were not so practicable.
Swedish literature has been this year enriched with
translations, said to be good oues, of the Iliad, 21::iield,
and Paradi.re Last.
A Swiss paper gives the following picture of Ilia vil-
lage of Schwaudi, in Glarus :—" Three and four &mi-
lks, with many children, live crowded together in one
room, in dirty rags; some half naked, others wholly
nuked. Tables, stools, bedsteads, bed-clothes have long
since disappeared. Roots, herbs, and even dug-up car-
casses, arc their timd—the dying cannot even obtain a
drop of skimmed milk. All of them sleep, summer and
winter, on the hard ground in their rags ; those who
aro privileged by age or sickness on the stove. Most
have the appearance of skeletons dug out of their graves,
and the suckling comes like a corpse from the mother's
bosom."

CHESTER.-It appears from the following paragraph
that the despicable species of wit called hoax is still
ripe among a certain class of fools:—In The Courier
of Saturday there appears a long account of a meeting
said to have been held in the Town-hall in this city,
on Tuesday se'nnight, and in which is enumerated as
speakers, a number of respectable individuals of the
city. Earl Grosvenor is also stated to have subscribed
2,0001. ! Every line of the composure is tm arrant un-
truth and a base imposition. No meeting of the kind
alluded to ww Kehl in Chester.

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

RELIEF OF THE POOR.
....gip.--

BRIGHTON, Dec. e.s.—Yesterday the whole of the
poor population of this neighbourhood were supplied
with meat and bread, from the bounty of the Prince
Regent, who was desirous that every one should enjoy
a good Christmas dinner. 011 the day preceding, every
applicant was furnished with a ticket, specifying the
w.ight of meat, and number of loaves. To prevent
contusion, the provisions were delivered in four parts
of the town, under proper assistants ; and, in less than
three boors, more than 3000 persu.is were furnished
tvith upwards of 95001b5. of excellent beef, and 10,000
hall-quartem loaves. It was gratifying to see the poor
carry away their charitable donations with such ex-
pressions of thankfulness and contentment.—The royal
bounty was not limited to this seasonable relief; for
his Royal Highness ordered that a selection of the most
numerous families should receive this morning an extra
allowance of meat, bread, vegetables, beer ; and, in
short, every superfluous article from the • kitchen and
larders of the Pavilion, to be fairly distributed among
them.

We are happy to state the Prince Regent's bounty
was not confined to Brighton, but it was also distributed
in his own parish of St. James, by giving beef awl
bread to upwards of 6,000 persons, consisting of small
housekeepers and large distressed families.
Another proof of active benevolence was given on
Friday by a meeting at the City of London Tavern,
consisting of merchants, gentlemen, and others, c►mnect-
ed with the trail,: to Ireland, thr the purpose a raising
a subscription for the immediate relief of the distressed
Irish labourers in this country. A more laudable object
could not well he entertained. Mr. Blake introduced
the business of the meeting, and depicted with great
force and feeling the miserable situation in which he
had witnessed numbers of his starving fellow-country-
men. The subscription was commenced by several do-
nations of QOl., and the amount promises tube consider-
ble.

11011.1. V LODGE, HICINGATE.—MIS. Coutts distri-
buted coinihit on Wednesday to upwards of ;2000 ob-
jects of real compassion and distress. It is not possible
to describe the scene which presented itself at so early an
hour as ten in the morning, at which time Mrs. Coutts
arrived from town to witness the proper distribution of
her charity. An assemblage of the unfortunate, from
the age of ten to ninety, had collected about nine in
the morning. The most respectable tradesmen of High-
gate had, fur the lust month, been requested to search
the abodes of the unfortunato poor; and those who were
considered real objects of beneficence, many with six,
seven, and eight children, received sealed tickets, with
the number of children on the ticket—which, when
presented, entitled the parties to obtain relief in bread,
meat, clothing, and money, according to the description
given in the ticket, certified by a signature. One thou-
sand of those tickets were issued, and the greater num-
ber contained, independent of the E.ther and mother,
from three to eight or nine children. -The generous
and feeling giver consulted the condition of all, and as
the object appeared to her,. she bestowed her goodness.
Some received bread, meat, and money—others the
same with bkilikets, shoes anti stockings; others with
shirts, gowns, sheets, coverlids, anti kandkerchicfs. Mo-
ney, bread, tea and sugar were however given to all,
and as the case required, every necessary. The whole
of the poor of Highgate, with the most distressed of
Hamsptead and Hornsev, received her charity ; and it
is a proud feeling fin• benevolence to boast of, that at
four o'clock not one poor object, requiring relief, ap-
peared at the gates of Holly Lodge. Independ:nt of
this holiday, and yearly gift, 50 poor and deserving old
women receive weekly, from the same hand, three shil-
lings per week ; 1:2 aged women also in the alms-house
the saute, with each a sack of coals; and WO of the
poor every Saturday, during the four severe months of
winter, a dinner of the best soup, and half a pound of
meat.

On Christmas-day, the whole of the poor prisoners
in the Marshalsea prison, aide nting to uear One hun-
dred, were supplied with roast beef,. a loaf of bread,
and one pot of porter each, by the Deputy Marshall.
Qn Chrisnnas.day the Lord or ordered that each of
the prisoners confined in the ptison3 of Ow metropolis (amount-
ing to Anna 900) shiadd be ...upplicd with 11 pUlllid of beef; a
pint of port, r, and half a thrce;i:mliy loaf.
TEWKESIIITRV.—A min of the inhabitants was
held at the Town-hall of that borough on Thursday
se'nnight, for the purpose of adopting means to aflhrd
employment to the industrious pour of beet populous
parish; when it appearing, from a reprt made to the
meeting by the directors of the poor,..,that a very large
proportion of the unemployed labourers were stockiag,
makers, it was the ganeral opinion, that the most cf-
fectual means of giving employment to those, would be
to raise a fund, by subscription, for the purchasing and
manufacturing Of cotton during .the winter, under the
directions of a committee, consisting of the subscribers,
the principal hosiers, and the directors of the poor..

A District Committee for the town and neighbour-
hood of Framlinghani and Archdeaconry of Sutli,lk,
in connexion with the, venerable Society fin. promoting
Christian Knowlelgc, has.buen recently c.tabliihi.xl.

WEST AFRICIN CHURCH MISSI
(Extract flout the ten Special Report.)
--.411111w

When I arrived (at Leicester Mountain in the colony
of Sierra Leone) about twenty acres ofland were cleared,
and the settlement contained about 150 children, almost
all boys. Mr. Butscher having no one after Mrs. B.'a
death to take care of the female children, had declined
receiving any. Fresh slave ships being frequently brought
in, above Ina boys were tickled to the number oefie c I left the
colony ; and WWI after our school mistresses arrived, nearly
luu girls were I.ll4Ceil Under their care. Mauv of those had
siefereil 1111101 from their contilienient on board the slave ship.
This cteminstanee will render it necessary to have bulls a •
boys and a girls hospital attached to this settletueet. The
total number in the schools Obi the Ittoli May 1516, were 3;O
boys and girls. It is difficult to express the interesting sense.
tions brought home at once to the mind, at beating the 11.1111e$
of the children called after benefactors, and seeing so sissy
rheurtid snort; block faces io a Christian school, bearing thine
names. When I recollect the scene which I bad beheld of
the hold of a slave ship, in which most of them had been im-
mured, ur the wretched state of nakedness, ignorance, and
sloth in which I had seen them lying about in their Dative vit-
iates, and contiasted this with the schools on Leicester
;Moulmein, and the nineys of Wilberforce, Buchanan, and
Martin, the hope could not but arise, that some of these chil-
dren would become such benefactors to their country as those
honoured names have been to ours ; and I could not but
think, that their kind benefactors would ultimately have
abundant reason to rejoice in this appropriation of their sub-
stance. I rejoiced to see the boys and girls schools begun
neon the British system (nuder Dr. Bell) and regularly going
on before I left the colony. I feel disposed to think that it
might' be expedient to confine ourselves to such a quantity of
land as would employ the largest number we were ever likely
to have under our care. Land here may at present be always
obtained en a petition. Nor does it appear that the plan of
adult settlers is very likely to answer. In the colony there
is a most extended field for every exertion. Recapnired ne-'
grocs are continually brought in, who are In the most deplo-
rable and wretched coalition—naked, ignorant, weak, sick,
diseased, and in every form of wretchedness that rail beim. •
t rued of creatures dragger/ out of the hold of a sheet ship, the
masters of which seem to have lose all the feelisigv•of, human,-
not ere. These poor mercies arc received, elotbed,-and.pro•
tided fur by gosernineet. They arc placed in the different
towns in the colony,and are supplied with clothing and regn-
tar rations of food till they la Wable to meentain themselves.
Many of thiem, alas! soon fall victims to the hard treatment
which they had received on board the slave ships ; and many,
it' not most of the others, remain for want of European as.
sistance, in a deplorable sere of ignorance, indolence, licen-
tiousness, and sin. To remedy those evils, it appears to
be of the first importance, without delay, to communicate
th...t religions Instruction, which, when truly received, will
elfectually arrest the progress of evil, and furnish a stimuli's
amply adequate to excite these poor fellow creatures to in-
dustry, ,•;:e. 'Die degradation into which these recaptured
negroes are at present sunk, requires a much larger propor-
tion of Etiropean assistance timer in oilier cases. sierra Leone
moreover, this central point, as it were, whence the bless-
hip of religion and civilization may be:diffused throughout a
great part of Africa,.anal Britainthus benevolently and nobly
make some requital for' the -wrongs of that much-injured
country. This is the most important scene of the Society's
labours on this coast, and therefore calk for its chief aura-.
tions and exertions.

The accounts from Bristol represent that some alarm
exists from the circumstance of a public meeting hav-
ing been called, at which the notorious Hunt is ex-
pected to speak. We trust that there is no reason to
fear that this fellow's harangues will aplin put sa.niany
deluded men in jeopardy of their lives.

If any serious apprehensions were really entertained
of disturbances at Bristol, in consequence of the wee:-
ing called by Mr. I hint, at that city, on Thursday last,
they may now subside. We have a letter from titice,
dated four o'clock, on the day of the locating, whiAt
states, that about half-past 1:2 o'clock Hunt made his
appearance in the town, and proceeded without delay
to Brandon-hill, followed by about 200 of the lowest
class of persons chiefly boys. Mr. Hunt was the only
orator, and his eloquence kept pace with the torrents of
rain which continued to fall till half-past two o'cloa,
when the assemblage were literally driven _tram the
ground by the..wcather. A string of resoluticins,, and
a petition ready prepared, were hastily carried. The
excellent arrangements made by the Mayor and other
magistrates, together with the appearance of 200 of
the 23d Light Dragoms, removed all probability of
riot. Almost every inhabitant was sworn in a consta-
ble on the occasion: but, after all, nothing tended
much to preserve the peace of the city of Bristol as the
resolution of the principal inhabitants to dismiss any
servant who should be absent from his occupation during
the time of meeting.
A General Bill of all the Christenings and Barlak:.
from Dec. 12, 1815, to Dec. 10,1811i:

Christened in 11w 97 parishes.% ith in the walls, 9:33-14nried;
1007.
Uhriste.,ed in the 17 paristseswlrtion
i it.d. 390.
Chi istened in the 23 ont•par:shes in Middlesex antlSorrey,
12,519--6itried, tujotl. •
t. brisk:tett in the le parishes in the city mittlihetties of
Westuinster, 502T-13ariett, 51214
- Christened. Buried.
Wiles ..12,1.t2 # ~,,,10,104 # hiau 45 51
Feinales 11,119 j 111161'''''''' Females 10,211 $ '' ' 6
Whereof have died.
Under two years of a,..Te 5,109 ' *Sixty aralAtzvfitty .....1‘720
13e:Aseen two and the 1,1109 `everts und eighty—. .1,31 e,,
Five and ten 843 Eighty and Warty .. ;,1
Ten and twenty 673 Ninety and a hundred ... Jlisi
l'etenty and thirty.— .. 1,461 A liontlred. 3
Thirty awl forty 1,912 A hundred and one 0
l'ity and tits 2,1T3 A hundred and three... —. t
7e::y at:d sixty 1,955 A linadred and four 1
increase in the burial nis year, itS;:s.

the wadls,•S,Ufsl—Bu-