The National Register.
London, England, 1808-04-25 00:00:00

APRIL 95.

The master of the Satyr, just arrived from rt. Doniisq,•
gives a very different account of the situation of Chris-
tophe, than that which appeared in the London papers.
si 'thin these few days. states it to be the general
opinion there that Petion will gain his point, having the
greater part of the island under his coiikoul, wherea
Christophe is confined to one particular part. And the ad-
vantages gained lately by his vessels, arc not likely to be
of any serious consequence to his adversary. The Satyr
has a letter of marque, and appears a very tine ship.
The attention of the public haS lately been called to
a judgtnent pronounced in the Prize Court of Bombay,
Sir. JAME/ MACKINTOSH. An American vessel, trading fron.
Providence to the colonies of Mauritius, Batavia, and Al a -
had been`captured by virtue of his Majesty's iustrut -
Lions of 1803, which direct the seizure of every neutral
vessel trading directly between the colonies of the enemy
aad the neutral country to which -stich vessel may belong.
Sir J. MACKINTOSH pronounced a judgment of restitution.
The captors, he said, were justified in detaining this vessel,
Because in so doing they were acting in obedience to the
nisiructimis.
But though the officers in his Majesty's service were hound to
obey these instructions, he did not conceive himself, tithing as a
Judge of prize in a Court who•e decisions were to be regulated
by the law of nations, as bound and concluded by them. " Ile
believed, indeed, that he was the first and only Judge who had
ventured to pronounce such a doctrine. to every prize court,
*very country, by all writers on the subject, and all administra-
tors of the law, the instructions of the Sovereign were regarded
as a lax to the Judge. But he considered the Law of Nations
a., paramount to such instructions; and the King, as having in-
at id a right to dispense with such law, but not a right to extend it.
As far, therefore, as apy of his Majesty's instructions were a le-
;acatiou of the law of nations in favour of neutrals, he should
consider himself bound by teem; but if he saw in such instruc-
tions any attempt to extend the law to the prejudice of neutrals,
he should not obey them; but regulate his decisions according
the known and recognized law of nations. In the present case,
after great deliberation, and minute inquiry, be felt hitmet
hound to say, that neither Batavia nor Manilla were such colo-
nies as to render any trading thereto, by neutral cations in time
of war, illegal. It is nt:t their being called colonies that will
reader stn a a trading unlawful, notwithstanding the letter of the
instructions of tbo.l ; something farther is uccessars , tuni that is.
that the trade to and is ith these coluilies was prohibited to such
Neutrals in time of peace.

Now, we are far from mentioning, it as matter of reproach
to Sir J. MACINTOSII, that on a question of the law of ;la-
pions, he has differed from the statesmen of this country,
whose notions on such s:•Sjects are a little lax; but we
Cannot help thinking, that it is the first duty of a Judge to
übey the instructions 6f his Sovereign's laws, and, if such
übe4,tietice be discordant from hill own ideas of right, he
!veins to have no option .but to resign his office.

A vessel is arrived at Dublin from Cadiz, which place she
left the 28th of March, in consequence of a report that an
embargo vi•dulti he laid, o ships in that port in the
course of tharday. The. Captain States, that the laSt ad-
vic..'s Grum Madrid, of the 4th of the same month, pur-
ported, that froni 40 fa 50,000 French- soldiers were al.
ready in the neighbourhood of that city ; that there lis.d
been disturbances and tumultuous meetings of live people.
The Prince of the Peace, he states, had been insulted I.y
the.populace. and had withdrawn himself ; but tranquillity
bad been restored, without very serious events having
taken place. The gate of this intelligence is much earlier
than that of the reported insurrection in Madrid, of whici;
au contirmatibn has yet reached us.

. •
An English merchant is arrived in town, who left Lisbon
about seventeen days ago. He made his.eseape on board
hr C. Cotton's fleet, having previously. obtained his pass-
port as a Spaniard. He has bronghtf• the. Price. Current
ivith hitn, both as to inercliandize and provisions. Bread
aud ;;our; indeed, appear, from it to he as scarce as lc ;.s
repretientedt %it intitton and beef are only about 4d. per
potiad and itigreattieUtp as hit all gulls of Ncgetahles.