The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-12-29 00:00:00

THE BRIT' S t PRES S.

LONDON,
TUESDAY. DECEMBER 2g, MS.

The Paris P,,pers of the 25Th (Friday) arrived
last night. The Moxiteur contains a Royal Ordi-
nance for the regulation of the British Colleges
founded in Prance for the education of English,
Scotch, and Irish Catholics. These regulations
appear to have been chiefly adopted upon a prin-
ciple of economy, rendered necessary by the di-
minution of their original funds.
Oil the return of his Highness the Duke of
Bot:anow from a hunting party near Chantilly,
on the evening of the 2.lth, his carriage was broken
to pieces close to his castle. His Highness had his
collar-bone broken, but it is a simple fracture, awl
does not threaten any danger.
The Duchess of BERRY had been indisposed for
several days, but she is now perfectly recovered,
anti dined with the KING on the 24th.

The Paris Papers announced that Friday, Christ.
inns 134 y, having been observed as a strict holiday,
there would be no Papers prepared for publication
on Saturday.
The five per Cent. Consols onaned on Thursday
at 63y fr. and left off ut 63. Bank Action•
1,495 1.

Extracts from liamburgh Papers to the 234,
which arrived last night, are given in our preceding
columns, lu the numerous improvements lately
made in the ci►•il mid political state of Hanove►,
it will excite sonic surprise that the torsitre still
exists in that kingdom. The Ai.seinlsfy of the
States, however, has decided upon its abolition.
The Trial by Jury is also stroke►► of.

The intelligence brought since one last publica-
tion, by the arrival of Dutch ar.d Flanders Mails,
is extremely interesting. It relates to the state of
Spain, and skews the very formidable extent to
which the association of banditti, or deserters from
the expeditionary army at Cadiz, is carried in the
interior of that miserable and distracted country.
Fears seem to be entertained even for the safety of
the capitid, and several regiments in garrison in the
provinces of Navarre, Diway, and Arragon, have
received order* to march to the environs of Madrid.
The troops now assembled at Cadig are represented
as being in a state little short of mutiny, and that
they desert in troops from their staudards, and join
the banditti or guerillas, who crowd the Sierra Mo.
rens, and extend their ravages around all the neigh-
bouring provinces. The amount of these for-
midable bands must daily increase, for in the
preterit circumstances of the Spanish Monarchy,
enfeebled and hated u the Government is, every
thing contributes to enlarge their numbers, while
there exists no power in the State to check or
control their progress. It is reported that these
bands are all favourable to liberal principles, and
that several political malcontents have fled to the
Sierra Morena. Should it be true that politics and
the state of the country became an object of so-
licitude to these powerful !iambi, it is impossible
not to foresee an approaching revolution.
The Dutch Papers 'peak of a very &rise fog
that enveloped mammy parts of the Low Countries on
the 22ti. It is remarkable that it commenced
about the same time, and continued during the same
hours that the thick fog lasted which on the same
day enveloped London and the environs of the Me.
tropolis. In Ilaarlein awl Leyden same persons
were drowned, in cousequence of the extreme dark.
OVA.

We have received Washington Papers to the
28th, and Baltimore to the 90th last ; the former
contoining the proceedings of Congress on the
and the annual Treasury Report, dated the elst.
They do not fully suptain the flattering account of
the state of the country given in the PRkAIDENT'S
Speech. In the Rouse of Representatives, the
Members are free in their remarks on the Bank.
They say, " The Rink bubble" was commenced for
party purposes, that persons high in the country
should benefit by speculation, mild that it had only
been of benefit to individual* thus situated. A
Resolution was finally earried—u That a Committee
he appointed to inspect the hooks, and examine into
the proceedings of the B.,uk of the United States,

and to report whether the provisions of its Charlet
have been violated or not ; and partic-dlarly to report
whether the instalments of the capital stock of the
said Bank have brew paid in gold and silver coin,
and in the funded debt of the United States ; and
whether they were in any instance, and to what
amount, paid by the proceeds of the notes of stock-
holtlers, discounted for the purpose; and also to
report the names of those persons who now own, or
who have owned, ■ny part of the capital stock of
said Bank, and the amount of discounts, if any, to
such persons respectively, and when made."
The annual Treasury Repoli states, that the
Revenue of 1818 was estimated at twenty-eight
millions of dollars; the expenditure at twenty-six
millions. The estimate of 1819 is nearly the same.
The sale of Public Lands amount to a million and
a half, and Mr. CRAWFORD, in the Report, men-
tions, that the Customs and Public Lands would,
for the following year, be estimated at a higher
rate, "if the most serious difficulty in making
payments was not known to exi►t." He then
proceeds to observe, that the difficulties under
which the Coiled States at present labour is on
account of the short supply of specie from South
America, the large payments of the Bank, and
the extensive trade carried on to the East IndieA.
The latter con,ist. almost entirely in specie, taken
from America, the Iliii:ed States having no article
of produce or manufacture to give in exchange fur
East India produce.
These Papers confirm the report of the arrival of
Lord COCHRANE at \la►garetta, and that he had
taken the command of the Veiwznelatt squadron,
vie: Admiral BRION, who had proceeded to head-
quarters.

IVe are taught to believe by some persona pos-
sessed of good sources of intelligence, that so strong
an apprtherisiou of the independent feeling of the
new House ol• Common; prevails in the Cabinet,
the Mmisters have resolved to introduce into the
PatNee Rs:Gs:ivy's Speech, at the opening of the
Session, a general aissaranre of economy and re-
trenchment, together with a direction to Parliament
to ascertain how far an immedi.ite reduction in the
public bordello *maid he possible, consistent with
the service of the country and the faith pledged to
the public creditor. We have no doubt that this
task will he gladly undertaken by the Commons,
to whom alone the people now look for even a partial
and limited relief from the severe pressure of taxes.
It will be a delightful task to consider at what point
the work of alleviation should commence, to ascer-
tain by reference to general principles and actual
experience what tax is most pernicious in its opera-
tion, and what therefore ought first to he repealed.
The Leather Tax, the Salt Duties, the Tux on
Agricultural Horses, the Tax upon air, light, and
health, emiommily called the Winslow or Typhus
Tax, and the Malt Duties, KW, we believe, the most
pernicious brooches of nor Revenue Code, for they
press most reverely, either directly or indirectly,
upon those least able to hear the burden. We
should, however, recommend to those IMen►hers of
Parliament who may be foremost in this task of
alleviating the public pressure, not to confine
themselves to the repeal of a tingle tax, and ilwre by
exhaust Cu one branch all that can lse spared from
the exigencies of the State, but to choose out some
four or live most oppressive taxes, mud by reducing.
the amount of all, without totally repeal-log ally,
extend more generally, and therefore more bciir-
ficimlly, the atiV,llitagti of the reduction. Instead,
therefore, of taking away the Salt Duties, 01 the
Leather 1)11.1111,, Of ally other, we conceive it would
hr more desirable to diminish the amount of all in
a fair proportion. It might thus happen too, that
while individuals obtained relief to a considerable
amount, consumption would he so much increased,
that the Revenue would be comperisord fur the
nominal reduction, by an increased number of coil-
trihutors, and the taxes, without being rigorously
oppressive, would p►erhapa eventually be little less
productive.

The diniiiiwion of the taxes we have noticed
would operate a tisilile relief to every chute in the
State, but perhaps more directly to the agricultural
body than to ally other. Should taxes iw remitted
in this manner to the amount of from two to three
Indiums a year, of which the landed 'invests must
derive a large propatiiim of ilie Iwnefit, we may in-
dulge a hope that tot only would the impolt:lc
Petition to Parliament, which certain agticultoriots
are now endeavouring to promote throughout the
country, be rejected, hot that the Corn LIW4
would Lc so fur lifted as to render sixty-five or
seventy shillings a quarter the average price at
which the porta might be opened for the introduc-
tion of foreign grain. If, by such mewls, our gene-
nil system of internal policy were corrected, and
brought back Iron) its artificial condition to u state
re approaching to nature, no apprehensions nerd
be entertained of evils undefined perhaps and ima-
ginary, but such as are actually dreaded on the
return to cash payments by the Bank of England.
It cannot he doulottl but that some inconvenience
IA likely to iw felt on the sudden change of the cir-
culating medium, but too measure is so well calen-
laled to obviate at as that ;shout to lie adopted by
the rime,: Alinisteis—of reducing the
taxes of the country.

The Frroch limos of the premoellt year Amount to
tiveot)-two millions. 1;y the fall of the Freud
foods steer those lost,. were made, !up,' Cwittructorit
will tiu.tatti a loss el four million,.